Powerful Transformations Are Not Just Physical

I'm a Beachbody Coach. 

Wait! Just wait. I'm not here to sell you anything. I have a point. A good one. Just hear me out.

So, as a Beachbody Coach, my newsfeed is filled with other fitness-minded folks, many of them also coaches. And most of them have these amazing transformation stories to share. Their before and after photos are amazing. I have long been a fan of those stories of physical transformation. Of people that challenge and push themselves to become stronger, healthier, fitter.

I don't have one of those. I mean, I've gotten stronger, healthier, and fitter through Beachbody Coaching. But a 10 pound weightloss and more toned muscles does little to inspire when you have those amazing folks with 50, 100, 150 pound transformations. In comparison, it just doesn't seem that hard to tone up and drop a few pounds.

Seriously, this was a big deal for me.

But it is hard. Or, rather, it is so easy to just live with those extra 10 pounds, weak, unhealthy, and cramming bags of Doritos into my mouth every night. (Like, every. single night. Bags of them.) I mean, it's not like I look unhealthy. Because the unhealthy is on the inside, where you can't see it. But I could feel it.

You can't see my transformation as easily as a great weightloss story, but it's there. My clothes fit better. I feel stronger. I run faster, longer. Nothing you would really notice in a before and after photo. I haven't lost 50 pounds or dropped 3 sizes. 

But my transformation has been just as dramatic. 

I've lost self-doubt and gained self-confidence. A lot of it.

I've dropped negativity and replaced it with goals. Positivity.

I have vision, focus, determination, motivation, and a huge heart filled with gratitude. 

So, you see, just because someone can't take a photo of it doesn't mean your transformation isn't very real and very powerful. You don't have to have some amazing weightloss story to inspire others. The inspiration is inside of you. And really, if one looks closely enough, they can see it in your eyes, your smile, and the way you carry yourself a little higher. 

Click here to learn more about starting your own transformation.

Weekly Meal Prep to Save Time, Money, and Health

My Sunday Meal Prep.

For just $55 a week, you can eat healthy, have more energy, and lose weight. Here's how it works for me:

$30 worth of ingredients (plus my lemon water to enjoy while I cook)

Olive oil + chicken seasoning (I like a LOT of seasoning)

Green beans with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic.

Two cups of Jasmine rice

I bake 2 sweet potatoes with my chicken

Brussels Sprouts with olive oil, salt and pepper
I have to cook them after the green beans because I don't have enough pots to cook in.

Pork chops in crock pot with some Sofrito, Adobo, and Sazon

Lemon slices for my daily morning lemon water - kick start your metabolism and detox a bit

Shakeology for my daily breakfast - I've got frozen dark cherries, peaches, and blueberries to add for flavor variety. This is what I call my healthiest meal of the day. It's packed with superfoods and nutrients without artificial ingredients.

13 meal varieties prepped for the week - the last 5 just waiting on some pork chops

Took me just over an hour to cook, package, and clean up (except the pork chops that will cook throughout the day)

Do you have one hour and $55 a week? 

That's what this week's worth of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners cost me. $55. Less than $8 a day.

Here's how it breaks down.

Shakeology. This is my breakfast each day. Plus I get way more than 30 days out of it, so once or twice a week I will have a second shake for lunch. One 30-day bag of Shakeology costs me $104.74 (with my coach discount, includes shipping). That breaks down to about $24.50 a week or $3.50 a day. 

The ingredients I used for my lunches and dinners (chicken, pork chops, green beans, brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, frozen veggies, lemon, and jasmine rice) cost less than $30 which breaks down to about $4.24 a day. 

So, in one month, I'll spend around $220 for my meals. The average American  I'm eating healthier than ever and spending less than I used to on prepacked, processed foods and eating out. Just $7.75 a day for 3 healthy, delicious meals. 

$7.75 a day. Seriously, I would spend that on one fast food meal filled with fat, grease, and questionable ingredients. 

FREE Opportunity Webinar

Have you heard of Beachbody, but not sure how becoming a Beachbody Coach could benefit you?

Think you have to be a fitness expert to be a Coach?

Think you have to be in perfect shape to be a Coach?

Think this is just a pyramid scheme?

If you answered yes to any (or all) of these questions, you should join us for a free webinar to learn about the Beachbody Coaching opportunity.

For those interested in the Beachbody Coaching opportunity, some extra spending cash, or BOTH, you should attend this FREE online coaching webinar! 

Coaching has helped MANY of my friends from all walks of life (parents, students, single moms and etc.) financially, mentally, and spiritually. For me personally, this opportunity has helped me grow so much as a person and maintain a level of fitness I've never been able to stick with before,  and I can NOT be grateful enough.

There is NO commitment of becoming a coach after watching this free online webinar....so..i URGE you....if you are WANTING...NEEDING...to change your current lifestyle, we extend out our hands to you, and cordially invite you all to our online coaching webinar. 

Please email sunshinestrongbb@gmail.com so that I can put you on the guest list and send you the link to attend.

****And oh....the hosts will be giving out a FREE INSANITY MAX:30 base kit and our awesome 3-Day Refresh (cleanse program) to two lucky non-coach guests at the end of the presentation****

Finding Time For Fitness

90

That's how many hours a week I've been working over the last two months.

Add to that the cooking, cleaning, laundry, and grocery shopping I have to do. All of the animals, both mine and fosters, to care for. Plus football games every Friday and soccer games every Saturday and Sunday. Bills. Research. Friendships to be maintained.

It's all a bit overwhelming. Exhausting. Draining. 

At the end of the day, I just want to sleep. And it would be so easy to do. Just crawl into bed every night without giving a second thought to my health and fitness. Allow myself to fall out of shape and into poor health. So easy.

But the unhealthier you get, the harder it is to keep up with such an overwhelming schedule. So, I make the time. Just 10 minutes at the start of every day (really, 4am burpees suck more than 4pm burpees for some reason). And another 10 minutes at the end of every day. 

But how? HOW do I motivate myself to do this? Because I have to. No, not just for the sake of my health, but for the sake of my business. I have found that the single most amazing benefit from signing up to be a Beachbody Coach is that I HAVE to stay healthy and fit. My business relies on it. 

Interested yet? Find out more by clicking here.

Do You Have A Back Up Plan?

Even when the money stops, the bills keep coming.

Working in higher education, I've learned how fragile employment has become. Gone are the days of retiring from a company after 40 years of service. 

I've watched as school after school has cut back on faculty, reduced faculty course loads, watched student retention drop, and some even close their doors.

Waves of panic may be an understatement. As a single mother, my entire family relies on me to provide for them. I had visions of empty cupboards, broken down cars, foreclosure notices.

What I needed was a back up plan.

Today, we have access to more entrepreneurial opportunities than ever. Whatever your unique interests, there is likely a business that matches it. Jewelry. Home decor. Self-defense. Cooking. Clothing. All of my friends seemed to be finding their way into their own niche and embracing the freedom of a home-based business.

Because I have always had an interest in running and fitness, I found myself drawn to Beachbody. I loved the programs and I simply cannot function without my Shakeology, so I signed up to be a Beachbody Coach. 

Beachbody created and maintains my online office and handles all of my customer orders. In return, I get a 25% discount on all Team Beachbody products (including my must-have Shakeology) and I earn a commission on all orders placed through my store. 

I'm still in the building phase of my business, but I am earning a monthly profit. Knowing that I am creating an alternate income stream to fall back on is a huge comfort for me. 

If you don't already have a back up plan yourself, I encourage you to look into some options. I'm happy to answer any questions, whether related to the Beachbody Coaching opportunity specifically or my experience, in general. Email me today and I'll answer any questions I can. 

It's all about what you can be passionate about. 

Finding Financial AND Physical Fitness

Are financial and physical fitness on your list of goals? With the launch of PiYO this month, I am looking for 4 people to work with to take on the massive surge in business that will happen starting in a few weeks. Fill out the application below and see if being a coach on our team is right for you.

The Infinite Debt Club

Are You A Member?

You carry a calculator with you through the grocery store trying to get what you can with that sad $23.48 sitting in your bank account. Standing at the checkout, you swipe your card and start your mantra, "PLEASE go through. PLEASE go through." And then that moment of relief washes over you as you see the receipt start to print. (Although, I've experienced the utter humiliation of DENIED three times now. That is enough to make you swear off eating. Just too much trauma associated with the grocery store.)

Do you hesitate to answer the phone, ever, because now bill collectors are using local numbers to call? It's not just those 888 numbers you have to avoid anymore. Now, unless Aunt Mary's face pops up on your screen, you're just not sure you can trust that local area code. Could be my son's school calling to say he's fallen gravely ill or it could be Citibank wanting to talk about that $286 I owe them. Best not to chance it. If it's really bad, he'll text me.

How much do you celebrate payday, rushing out to get milk and cat food (yes, that is my life) before the bill payments start coming out? Yeah, it may mean $432 in overdraft fees, but that's better than living with a bunch of starving cats. (They will eat you in your sleep if they don't have their canned food in the morning.)

And really, no matter how much you plan, the income never seems to match the outflow. No, really, Dave Ramsey. I'm trying!!! Just when I think I have a handle on it and I might just get ahead this month, BOOM! My son announces that he is going to prom and needs the money for tickets ($140), a tux ($250), and pictures ($85). I know. Not a necessity, but this child works his butt of and never asks for anything. And he's given ME money on more than one occasion. I can't say no to that.

You pay and pay and pay, but the debt never seems to go away. In fact, wait, is it...is it actually growing?

It's time for a change, folks. This is a ridiculous way to live. It's not true poverty, but it's financial desperation and it has to stop. 

First, if you haven't experienced any of the above scenarios, good for you. That probably means you've avoided living beyond your means. Keep it that way.

But, if you have, then we're in this together. And as best I can tell, there are two things we need to do.

1 - Stop spending money. What? Ok, I mean frivolously. Stop frivolous spending. Use coupons. Make lists. Only buy what you need. Plan. That won't fix it overnight, but it's a start.

2 - Start finding extra money. Here's where I can help. A home-based business means you don't have to take on another job (seriously, I've never worked less than two jobs since having children and I still continued to struggle) just to bring in extra cash. And these home-based businesses don't have to cost you hundreds of dollars. Want to know more? Send me a message using the Comment Form to the right and I'll follow up with you. Or, click on the image below to watch a short video about this opportunity.

It's My Coachaversary!

Summer bodies are made in Spring.

Today is the first day of Spring.
Today is also my Beachbody Coachaversay.

Coincidence? I think not.

To celebrate my coaching anniversary and the first day of Spring, I am kicking off a Bikini Ready Booty Anniversary Challenge starting, you guess it, today.

The program? Brazil Butt Lift. The goal? Bikini-ready butts.

Click on the photo to order your Brazil Butt Lift Challenge Pack today...

or complete the contact form on the right side of this page for more ordering options.

This program works. It's why I became a Beachbody Coach (that and the Shakeology discount).

Don't worry, it's never too late to join us!

Push Up Variations by a Small Chick

I host a free monthly fitness group through Facebook. We focus on a different area each month.

February was arms. We followed a 30-day calendar that told us how many push ups to do each day. How long to hold our planks each day. How many tricep kick backs to do each day. So simple.

The results? Phenomenal. Many participants have shared their successes through loss of inches and pounds. Some are showing off their guns by posting pics. They are all rock stars. 

I am sharing my successes visually with the moves I am able to do that I have never been able to do before.

These are the hardest push up variation that I've tried.

So, it may be time for a new medicine ball, but the move was still quite challenging.

These are my favorites. Workings arms, core, and glutes all at once!

I'm not sure I can technically call this one a Superman Push Up since I stayed on my knee, but I'm calling it that anyway. It's my blog. I can do that. Besides, I tried it the real way...I fell on my face. 

March's focus will be the legs. Oh yes. Bring on the tank tops. Bring on the shorts. We're ready!

Wanna join us? Complete the Contact Form on the right and I will get you signed up!

Personal Trainer or Online Coach?

Should you pay for a personal trainer or try a free coach?

Which is better?

The answer to that question will be different for each of us. Some folks need to be face to face with a personal trainer to keep them motivated. They need in-person assistance with proper form and technique. They need the social atmosphere of a gym. They want that in-person interaction. If that's you and you can afford it, then do it. Don't sacrifice safety to save money. Do whatever it takes to stay healthy and fit.

But some of us simply don't have the time or money to invest in a gym membership or personal trainer. Some of us don't like the gym atmosphere. We can develop our form and technique by watching others. We prefer the flexibility of working out at home and the convenience of online support. We prefer some privacy when we're busting out those awkward cardio moves that we're not quite coordinated enough to do yet.

A free Beachbody Coach can offer you support and motivation without the cost or long-term commitment of a gym or personal trainer. We can suggest at-home fitness programs that meet your personal fitness goals and interests. And we give you access to regular accountability groups to challenge you to stick with those goals. (Check out the Free Support Group Schedule tab at the top of this page.)

So, if you're not sure which approach is best for you, go ahead and sign up for a free Team Beachbody account and try me out as your free coach. You've got nothing to lose except pounds and excuses. And, if you find that it doesn't work for you, you're not stuck in a commitment you can't get out of. And if nothing else, you'll meet some cool new people along the way...like me.

If you're tired of the gym, but struggle to keep yourself motivated to workout from home, consider trying a Beachbody Challenge Pack.

Why Challenge Packs? Simply put, they offer the “complete solution.” Fitness + Nutrition + Support + Rewards = Success. When you purchase a Challenge Pack, you receive:
Fitness – Any Beachbody fitness program
Nutrition – Shakeology
Support – Me as your coach and access to online accountability groups to keep you going
Rewards – The Beachbody Challenge contest
Success – Achieving your goals in one of my Challenge Groups

You can’t get all that at the local gym for the cost of one Beachbody Challenge Pack! Plus, you get the added benefits of FREE shipping and Team Beachbody Club membership.