My First Challenge Group is wrapping up, we are in our last week together and these challengers have absolutely killed it! I am so proud of each of them for hitting goals, not gaining weight over family vacations, and staying strong against those junk food cravings! This July they sure did claim FREEDOM over those cravings! They make me proud!
It's a bitter-sweet thing wrapping up this first group! I honestly couldn't have asked for a better FIRST group! They not only checked-in and did what I was asking of them but they went above and beyond. They encouraged each other, supported each other, and gave each other advice! A group of women who didn't know each other, came together (with different life-styles, goals, and struggles) and became a team encouraging and supporting each other immediately.
Within our first group we had a Challenger who ended up with a back injury and was unable to work out for close to 2 weeks. In this time she shared her struggles with wanting to work out but not being able to. Immediately the challengers came around her and encouraged her to listen to her doctor, focus on her food choices, and do what she could for exercise... walk!
Another Challenger had a family emergency and immediately support from each of the Challengers began pouring in. It wasn't about her health but it was so great to see the outpour of encouragement from all the Challengers begin to flow!
The community of the Challenge groups is really what I love! Sometimes in our battle, struggle, fight to get healthy and make healthy choices we feel alone but these Challenge Groups are great because it helps you see that majority of women are struggling with the exact same thing! Bloating, sugar cravings, emotional eating, overwhelmed at work, overwhelmed at home, busy mom, busy wife, and on the go! No matter if you're married, have kids, working, or at home we all tend to struggle with the same things when it comes to our eating habits. The groups are a great way to find not just a community of women who are going through the same thing but who will help you overcome and encourage you to make better choices AND rejoice with you when you do overcome those temptations!
One of my favorite posts was a Challenger who sent me a picture of donuts with this response:
"I wanted to post this to keep me accountable :) I had to bring these into summer school....and I only needed 7 of the 12 for my students....ugh! Hate when there are leftovers of something you like :( anyways after passing them out to the kids I immediately took them to another classroom and gave them away. I knew if they sat in my room long enough I would cave and eat one! So proud moment for me...I bought a dozen donuts this morning for my students and did not eat one! Thanks coach for listening to me brag, although something that sounds so simple shouldn't be this hard...but it is!"
You may think that's silly but IT IS SO TRUE! We create these habits that hurt our health and when you finally BREAK one of those habits, when you begin holding yourself accountable there is not just an excitement but a JOY that you overcame! It's the little changes that give us BIG results in the end!
This isn't about getting skinny and starvation it's about getting healthy from the INSIDE OUT! The main thing I tell people asking about Shakeology and Beachbody products is this- It's not a magic shake, it doesn't make you thin... you have to work hard and change your habits! This is just a tool that will help you reach those goals but it also includes eating clean and working out!
My goal as your coach is to encourage you to eat clean, teach you how to overcome temptations, create healthy habits, encourage you to push hard during your workouts, and set goals you never thought possible and begin reaching them!
I have been doing Hip-Hop Abs with Shaun T for the last 3 weeks and have really enjoyed the program! It's a lot different from what I'm use to but I'm really enjoying adding in the DVD's with my running routine.
The whole reason I decided to start Shakeology was because I had lost weight but still was feeling kind of "soft" in my stomach and arms. I wanted to tone up. I've seen such great results with Shakeology and the Beachbody products. It's been a lot of hard work these last 18.5 months but I absolutely LOVE pushing my body and seeing how strong I am!
I started Shakeology a few weeks after Easter -
60 days...
Shakeology + Running + Hip-Hop Abs
One Year Comparison
My next Challenge Group is getting prepared to start next Monday, July 15th! I am so excited for them and looking forward to seeing how they're challenged and encouraged to make healthy changes in their own lives!
Here are a few statements from my first group of Challengers about their experience with Shakeology-
"Months ago when I originally heard of shakeology I was a little skeptical. I thought it was just another diet fad and was completely not interested. After all, I have been a self proclaimed health guru for years and I know healthy ways to eat, train, and lose weight. Running is my passion and marathon mornings are like my Christmas. Over years of training for countless races and marathons I knew how I needed to eat. The problem though, was practicing the eating habits I knew I should apply.
In October we had beautiful baby Sophia. Balancing being a first time mom with all of the demands that come with it, working out, and eating heathy, was quite frankly over whelming. I had never had to factor in the care of another person into my workout and eating routines. The baby weight came over within weeks, but my body was still just a shadow of what it was pre baby. Honestly I felt flabby and unhealthy for the first time in my adult life. I needed something to help me refocus and get back on track.
When I saw that Hillary was going to be a Shakeology coach, I felt The Lord was giving me a solution to my frustrations.
Shakeology has helped me be more planful about what I eat and more aware as to what I am putting in my body.
The first week I lost one inch around my waist. Week two I lost four pounds and two inches from my waist. This did come with hard work. I have been doing 45 mins to a hour of cardio a day as well as weight training. The shake did not do it for me. It just gave me the motivation to start again.
I have the shake for breakfast and besides being delicious, it helps me feel like I am starting my day off healthy." ~Jen
" I first heard of Shakeology before I got pregnant and always wondered what is was like and how it would impact my life. Now after having my first child and trying to get back into shape and go a little further with my exercise I decided it was time to change things up a bit and check Shakeology out. Once Hillary completed her 30 day challenge I had told her that I would be interested in joining her first challenge group. Now that we are 3 weeks into our challenge I am loving Shakeology. The flavors are great and so easy to make new recipes with. I personally love starting my day with it because I don't have to worry about what I will eat first thing in the morning. It's my brainless activity for the day. By day 5, I truly began noticing increased energy, curbed cravings for sweets and less bloating. Now that I have drank it consistently for 3 weeks I've noticed that drinking pop doesn't taste so good anymore. Paired with some form of exercise and eating clean I am beginning to see great results with weight loss and inches lost! I hope you give it a try because if you are not satisfied you can always get your money back! Enjoy!" ~Erin
"What has shakeology done for me in 16 days: energized my body, cleaned out toxins, regulated my bowels, suppressed my appetite (including my desire for sweets!), kept me healthy from getting the stomach bug that the rest of my family got, promoted healthy eating even in times of stress and exhaustion, and encouraged me to be a better me. And with all that comes losing 5 pounds and a couple inches in just 2 weeks! As a busy mom who doesn't always have a lot of spare time, my shakes have been a great go-to meal or snack." ~Mandi
