Speaking to High School Honors

I had the privilege to speak to both Middle and High schoolers at my alma mater last week. I have never gotten too nervous about speaking, but I really wanted to make sure I spoke to them, not at them about topics that could really help them in life. Kinda a lot to ask from a five minute speech ;) I really enjoyed it though and hope that the students and parents got something out of it!

June visited my high school for the first time

I must say what an amazing blessing it is to even have the option to speak on a Thursday during the middle of the day and early evening. When I was invited, I didn't have to think about it or make sure I was able to take time off, I just did it! I was able to travel up to my parents' house with the kids on Wednesday and spend the day there on Thursday in between the two engagements. Not many jobs allow you to do that.

My husband is a dentist and owns his own practice, which obviously allows him to create his own schedule and control his time to a certain extent, but dentistry is not a profession that can be done from anywhere other than the physical office location. If he closes for a day, no patients will be helped, which means no money coming in. Therefore, we have to be very choosy about the time he takes away from the office. It would be tough to justify a day off to speak to students. 

Before Beachbody, I worked full time as a dentist for a non-profit organization and the only way to do something like this would have been to take a vacation day. Again- hard to justify taking a full day of vacation when you only have 2 weeks off for the full year! Every day, I realize a new reason why I am so grateful that I took the opportunity to become a coach. I never would have dreamed this is where I would be today.

That being said, I hope you all enjoy my speech! I did a similar on for the middle school but painted a fun picture of the scrawny, awkward girl I was back then ;)

FREE Success Club Trip takeaways

We just got back on Sunday from an amazing and FREE trip to Cancun at an all inclusive resort, the Moon Palace. I earned this trip by committing to doing what I LOVE- helping others find health and happiness! Having a nursing six month old baby girl meant we took the whole family! This was the first time either of the kids flew in an airplane so we knew it would be an adventure. Benton was SO excited to ride on the "toon plane"! My parents met us at the airport, the line was short and the kids did awesome through security!

Ready to GO!

We had a layover each way so we had to switch planes, but the kids did great! Benton was so excited to meet the captains each time and get his wings!

We arrived in Cancun around 7:30 PM so we had some tired kiddos. June slept on me in her carrier and Benton was still running wide open! We got all checked in and our room was amazing with a HUGE tub in the middle and a balcony with a hammock.

Made it to CANCUN. Sleeping June and WILD Benton ;)

Day 1:
Seay blessed Becky, Jen and I with massages so we had an amazing time relaxing, hanging out in the spa and talking about life and brainstorming!

After our AMAZING massages!

The rest of the day was spent relaxing at the pool and June's first time ever in a swimsuit and pool! This resort was HUGE with so much to do and see.

That night, our wonderful friend, Lisa, kept the kids for us so we could actually go out to an "adults only" dinner. We went to a fabulous Italian restaurant, and, yes, it was still all inclusive so we just continued eating and drinking as long as they supplied us ;)

Day 2:
First things first this morning, I got my workout in with Shaun T! He has such an amazing energy. We did an an Insanity workout and it was AMAZING!

 
After our workouts, we traveled over to the Beach Palace to enjoy the BEACH! The kids enjoyed a nap on the bus ride over and it was absolutely beautiful- totally worth the 30 minute trip. We had an awesome time at the beach and pool and went up to the Sky Bar to enjoy the wonderful view!

June's first time to the beach- she slept ;)

Got my side planks in on the BEACH

That night we enjoyed dinner and time with Team Refinery. It is hard to put into words how amazing and rewarding it is to be surrounded by like-minded and positive people. We shared ideas and enjoyed each others' company. I have never been around so many inspiring people who constantly lift each other UP and support one another.

Day 3:
I got my workout in with Autumn while Cass braved the gym with BOTH kids! I am so blessed to have such a supportive husband and amazing daddy to our kids!

The rest of our day was spent relaxing with lots of new friends at the pool- June slept a lot! We spent time at the kiddie pool for Benton too! The part that threw a wrench in our night was when Cass fell holding Benton going down the ramp into the pool! He busted his elbow open pretty good, lots of blood and really scary for a bit! Luckily that was late afternoon so we were pretty much done anyway! I tell you- that really makes you take a look at your life and where you are though! He is a dentist (as am I technically) by profession and one wrong slip can completely derail the future. That is SCARY! Nothing in life is guaranteed or secure, but I love that we have Beachbody to fill the void and ensure our future!

One of the best parts of this experience and Beachbody in general is the great friendships I've formed. It has been such an amazing blessing for us and I am so grateful, especially for my success partner and best friend, Becky! Without Beachbody, I never would have even met her! That's is hard to believe!

Beachbody did it right for the farewell reception with live music, tons of food and an awesome fireworks display! The kids both slept right through it! Notice June peaking in the above pic ;) And Benton made himself a bed in the bottom of the stroller!

What an amazing trip and a perfect send off!


Day 4:
We had to be out the door at THREE AM! Talk about tough! I just knew the kids would go right back to sleep, but NO. They were wide awake!

June READY after her 3 AM wake-up call!

 Our first flight was not quite as smooth as the ones on the way to Cancun. The seating arrangements weren't ideal and Benton wanted to be all over the place and June was not interested in sleeping! We got through customs and security easily with time to spare before our next flight though! Unfortunately, we sat and waited for over an hour ON the plane due to bad weather but the kids did great! Benton even got to sit with the captain and "shoot canons". That made it very special for sure!

Overall, the trip was AMAZING! We are so blessed to have the opportunity to take the entire family on a trip like this! I'm sure in the future we'll take advantage of being able to go by ourselves, but I love having the option to include the kids! I always dreamed of my kids having even more opportunities than I did as far as traveling goes, and so far we seem to be right on track! Benton has been out of the country twice and now they have both flown, with June leaving the country at just six months old! NEVER would have happened without Beachbody!

The ME Project

I'm always looking for ways beyond health and fitness to enhance other women's lives, and this project is aimed to help you uncover your potential, find your passion and live on purpose.

After I graduated from dental school and got a JOB, I was content with floating through life and letting life happen to me instead of making things happen. I didn't really have much of a plan or big goals and dreams. I assumed that everything would just fall into place.

Fast forward a few years to having my son, Benton, and I was tired, lazy, unfocused and unfulfilled. As a mom, it was really easy to put myself on the back burner and lose myself completely.

When I decided to take control of my health and fitness, I started to take control of my life. I set goals and surrounded myself with POSITIVE influences. I discovered the power of personal development and invested in ME daily. Investing in my personal growth, through 10 minutes of devoted reading and fueling my body with good nutrition and workouts made me a better person, mom, wife, daughter and friend. That's what I want for YOU.

In this fast-paced world, it's easy to get caught up in what is expected of you and to always put others' needs first. While it is important and an innate quality of caring women, we really cannot take care of others before we first take care of ourselves so that we are better equipped to live our best lives and be happy and fulfilled.

Hence, the ME Project. The purpose of this project is to create a place for women to come together on their health and fitness journeys, but, just as importantly, to discover your purpose and passion in this life. If you are feeling overwhelmed, unappreciated, overworked, overtired and maybe even a little lost, I know the feeling! This group will be conducted as a private group of like-minded women on facebook to come together for support and accountability. We will set health and fitness goals, and also uncover your true potential with passion and purpose. Everyone in the group will be focused on growing with a Beachbody program at home that will best help you reach your goals and replace one meal a day with shakeology.

If you are ready to become your BEST self, fill out this application and let's chat! The group starts our prep week on April 20 and the official 21 days begins April 27!

Fill out my online form.

21 Day Fix EXTREME Results

I completed my first round of 21 Day Fix Extreme last week and am so proud of myself for sticking with it for the full 21 days. I only missed one yoga workout, and I did well with the nutrition, the exception being too many teaspoons some days. I had no processed foods or sugar other than from fruit. It was not easy, but much better than I expected, especially with a plan in place for the week. Wonder what my meal plan looked like?

The last three days, I followed the countdown to competition meal plan, which meant only one carb, lots of protein and veggies, coconut oil and no fruit or fats. This part was actually much easier to follow because there were no questions about what I was supposed to eat. I had all my food prepped and ate every couple hours- no figuring out my meal plan or switching around my meals. They were all pretty much the same- boring, but easy.

I lost 5 pounds in these 21 days which, for me, is great. I still have a few more to go and have confidence this program can get me there!

If you've been wanting to take your health and fitness to the next level, this program is amazing!

Take the CHALLENGE

Two years ago I made a decision to make a CHANGE! I was not happy in my own skin and was really struggling to find the motivation and accountability to do what I knew I needed to do to get my health and fitness back on track.

I had an eight month old baby boy and used every excuse to spend my spare time on the couch watching TV. This also meant eating junk all the time. My lunches usually consisted of: hot dogs, cheese, doritos, Chef Boy R Dee (yep even as a 30 year old!!!), more cheese, and maybe some reeces cups. WOW! Talk about the eating habits of a CHILD. That was me though! I thought it would be too hard to make a change and kept putting it off.

One day I decided that I had to change my habits, not just for me, but for my husband and little boy. If I expected my family to be and eat healthy, then I had to lead by example! I wanted to be the reason my family developed life long healthy habits, NOT the excuse they have in 20 years when they're addicted to junk food and have this huge hurdle to overcome.

Thank goodness I discovered the support and accountability of challenge groups. I knew I was not going to go to the gym because I didn't want to take the time away from my family, so I was happy to find that I could get some amazing results by working out at home. Plus, I replaced those terrible lunch choices with my healthiest meal of the day in shakeology!

I had my doubts, but I will tell you, the ONLY thing that kept me going, focused and determined was knowing that I had a group to support me and keep me accountable. When I didn't want to workout, I did it anyway because I didn't want to check in and say I slacked off.

Before finding the support and accountability group that worked for me, I used having a baby as an EXCUSE to be lazy, to slack off on taking care of ME and just get a little lost, losing my purpose and sense of self. I made the choice to be the positive influence I knew I could be for my little boy and make a change.

Now, I have 2 precious little ones, and I could easily say I don't have the time or energy to invest in myself, but I have learned that I cannot be the mom I want to be and that they deserve without first taking care of myself. If you have been making the excuse that you don't have time because you have to raise your kids, I encourage you to look at it from another angle and make them your REASON instead of your EXCUSE. You'll be amazed at how quickly your kids will follow your lead and start picking up on your new healthy habits! Just 30 minutes a day and a PLAN can make ALL the difference!

June is already practicing her superman pose to get her core tight

If you are ready to make a change and instill those healthy habits and build your healthy legacy now, I can help you! My next private group starts on April 6!

Take a minute to tell me more about your goals and what you need from me and let's take this journey together! Complete the form below and I will get back to you ASAP.

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Best shoes for high intensity workouts

I often get asked about the best shoes to wear for high intensity workouts.

In short... cross trainers NOT running shoes.

When I first started working out at home, I wore running shoes because that was all I had. They worked ok, but restricted my movements and sometimes gave me blisters. OUCH!

These are my FAVORITES that I have been wearing for over a year now- Nike Free 3.0's. I only wear them for my indoor workouts so they don't get worn out too quickly and they have not steered me wrong yet. That being said, everyone's feet are different and you will likely have a different preference, but if you're still searching for your perfect pair, you should at least go try these on for size.

Lemon Herb Cod

If you're like me, cod has never been much of a staple in your diet.  With the nutrition plan I'm following, though, it's mentioned a lot,so I thought I'd give it a try. I found this recipe at Sarah's Cucina Bella and was pleasantly surprised. It was pretty quick and easy too!

Ingredients:
1 lb cod
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
1 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped (I only had dried so I used that and it was good, but I would recommend using less than 1 tsp if you only have the dried powder on hand)
sea salt
pepper
Paprika
9x13 baking dish- I lined mine with tinfoil just to make clean up easier

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Rinse cod filets under cool water and place in baking dish.
Drizzle with olive oil and lemon.
Then sprinkle with garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, and paprika evenly.
Bake for 13-17 minutes or until opaque
Eat by itself or on top of brown rice with sauce drizzled on top.

If you are on the 21 Day Fix or 21 Day Fix Extreme, this will be one red container and one tsp. Enjoy!