A Day in the Life- My Life is on a Diet

Post by Shannon
Ok. Just so you know I'm going to get a little bit personal in this post...

To be honest, life has not been easy for me for the past year and a half. I won't go into too much detail, but my life has been out of balance. Way out of balance actually.

The picture of me above is when I was about 8 months pregnant. I had a difficult pregnancy with our last baby. I had INTENSE headaches every day. They got so bad sometimes I couldn't do anything except lay down. It was rough because I was working for three companies (about 30-40 hours a week) up until the day I had our baby. I am a public relations / marketing professional, and I need to be able to think to do my job. This is hard when you have intense headaches, and you can't take very many medications when you're pregnant.

Anyway, that was one struggle I faced for 9 months...

Since our baby was born, we've faced other struggles with Patrick's job, trying to get into MBA school, getting our baby to stop crying ALL day...

Like I said I won't go into too much detail.

So I've been on this quest to lose weight and get in shape. This journey has helped me handle my stress to be able to cope with these problems we've been facing and stay positive.

So I've lost a lot of weight, and I feel great! The problem is, my life still hasn't been in balance.

This past weekend I went to a meeting for Beachbody Coaches. The presenter said how she was so happy because her life was in balance, and her relationships were the best they've ever been.

I thought about that a lot this past weekend. I've had my life in balance most of my life until the past year and a half. I was always a go to bed early, wake up early, read motivational books, be involved in my community / church, do three jobs at a time, train for 1/2 marathons and marathons, always on the go type of person. I seemed to have it all figured out until the past year and a half.

On Monday I listened to the National Beachbody Coach call, and they talked about reading a motivational book each morning when you wake up to help you be a better person.

I've always read motivational books throughout my life, but not regularly lately. After this call, I realized what I need to do.

Until this morning when I was reading my book, I didn't know what to call it. Now I do, I'm putting my life on a diet!

I talked to Patrick last night and we decided to go to bed by 10 and wake up at 6. Our plan is to first, get our baby to sleep through the night, then get our lives in balance by waking up each morning, drinking our Shakeology while reading our scriptures and a motivational book for 30 min., then workout for 40-60 min. each morning.

We started today, and we were successful!! We went to bed by 10:15 last night. Our baby only woke up once (AWESOME!!), and we woke up at 6:30. We read for 30 min. while drinking our Shakeology, and then I did a Turbo Fire workout, and he did a P90X2 workout all before 8:00 a.m.! Yay!!

I started reading this book, PUSH by Chalene Jonson, over a month ago, but didn't get very far. I started over today, and I'm so excited to read it and finish it! I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who'd like to get their life in balance!

In the beginning it talks about putting your life on a diet. I love that! My life definitely needs to go on a diet! I agree with her when she says that you can't just do something quick to fix your life, it has to be a lasting change. That's what I'm going to do.

The thing is that happiness comes when your life is in balance. When it is centered around the things in your life that matter most whether it's your faith, your family, etc. That's when you are truly happy.

Getting married, becoming a millionaire, losing weight, having kids, etc. make your life better, but they don't MAKE you happy. Like I said, happiness comes when your life is in balance and centered around the things that matter most to you.

Weigh in Day and the Park!

It's Weigh In Day! How did you do?

Each week we have Weigh In Day to track our progress to see how we are doing! The most important thing is to see how you are feeling about reaching your goals. The number on the scale isn't as important!

We filmed this video outside at the park! Sorry, it was windy!!

Email us your progress some time today at GolladayFit@gmail.com!

Need Motivation?

Join our Facebook Community for support and accountability! You don't need to be doing a Beachbody workout to join!

All you need to do is:

1- Create your FREE Beachbody Profile to track your workouts. You can track any type of workout here not just Beachbody's workouts. (Skip this step if you already have a profile)

Click on this link to create a profile:
 https://www.teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/free?referringRepId=127339


2- Email us or send us a message on Facebook when you're finished at GolladayFit@gmail.com!

WEEKEND CHALLENGE- Turn OFF the noise!

Patrick relaxing outside

It's the weekend! Ready for a challenge?

Each weekend we post a WEEKEND CHALLENGE to help you be healthier and fit!

This weekend's challenge is to turn off the noise around you and take time to relax! Most of our lives are SO busy these days! We are rushing to and fro without a chance to think! In the midst of that running around the TV, radio, etc. are on in the background so we never get a chance to have quiet time.

So this week, even if it is only for 10 min., take time out to relax and turn off the noise around you. Here are a few ideas:

- Take a nap
- Read a book
- Have a picnic with your family and talk to each other
- Go on a hike
- Get a massage
- Go swimming
- Go to the park
- Listen to some calm music
- Paint something
- Sit by a river
- Go on a walk
- Write a poem
- Take a bath

Enjoy your time relaxing this weekend! Let us know how it goes!

PRODUCT REVIEW: Ultimate Reset

Beachbody keeps coming out with great products, and this is one of them!

Beachbody's Ultimate Reset came out today! It is a 21 day program that increases your energy, helps you lose weight, and lowers your cholesterol. It helps you get rid of the toxins you've been taking in throughout your life. It is a gentle, NO-STARVATION (awesome!) cleanse that helps you restore your body to its optimal "factory settings," so you can feel, look and be healthier than before!

We definitely need to try this!

You can purchase a complete kit or individual supplements (Optimize, Revitalize, Oxygenize and Mineralize). There is even an Ultimate Reset Dry Brush that helps your skin detox!

READY TO LEARN MORE?

Click on this link:  Beachbody Ultimate Reset

Recipe Wednesday: Slow-Cooker Lasagna (New Sauce Recipe!)

I've shared this recipe before, but I love it so much, I thought I'd share it again with another option for the sauce! It was taken from the Sparkpeople Cookbook (only $17.22 on Amazon right now for the hardcover!)

Slow-Cooker Lasagna

For Sauce:
1 pound ground beef, 96% lean
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp dried thyme
One 24-ounce jar low-sodium marinara sauce
One 3/4 pound eggplant, unpeeled, diced (2 cups)

For lasagna:
15 ounces part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded Italian five-cheese blend
1/4 cup egg substitute (or 1 egg white)
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
6 no-boil lasagna noodles

1. (Skip this step if you are using sauce recipe below.)
In a skillet over moderate heat, brown the ground beef and drain any excess fat. Stir in red pepper flakes, thyme, tomato sauce, eggplant, and 1 1/4 cup water.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, shredded cheese blend, egg substitute, and parsley.

3. Coat the inside of the slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Place enough meat sauce in the slow cooker to cover the bottom. Top with 2 or 3 lasagna noodles (break them up as needed) to cover the meat sauce. Repeat layer.

4. Top the second layer with all of the cheese mixture and finish with a top layer of the remaining meat sauce.

5. Cover and set the slow cooker on low. Cook for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

**Tip- I make my sauce ahead of time with the recipe below in bulk and put it in the freezer. Then, when I'm ready I just defrost it and put it together. Takes me a max of 10 minutes to make this and put it in the crock pot!

Nutrition info. for Sparkpeople recipe:
per serving: 271 calories, 10.2 g total fat, 56.6 mg cholesterol, 283.8 mg sodium 18 g total carbs, 1.6 g dietary fiber, 24.8 g protein

OR

Another option for the sauce!

**We love this sauce! It makes A LOT! You can freeze it and use it for lots of different meals! It makes life easier to have the sauce all ready, and it's soo good!

Original recipe from the Fabulous Freezer Meals cookbook. (Only $12.21 on Amazon right now!) I modified the recipe a little.  

Yield 13 C. Lasts 4 months in the freezer

In a large stock pot mix:
2 onions, diced 
(I use Shelf Reliance freeze dried onions. They are awesome because you don't have to chop onions!!)
2 t garlic, minced
1 C crumbled bacon (Use turkey or chicken bacon)
2 lbs browned Italian sausage
(you could leave this out and buy double meat below to make it healthier, but if you decide to use it, buy Jimmy Dean brand in a tube. It's less expensive and you don't have to deal w/ a casing)
2 lbs. browned ground turkey or 96% LEAN ground beef (Use 4 lbs. if you leave the sausage out)

Drain the meat mixture and then add:

1 (106 oz.) can tomato sauce from Costco or 4 jars (28 oz) commercial spaghetti sauce
1 (106 oz) can of diced tomatoes or 2 (28) oz cans of Italian diced tomatoes
4 (2.4 oz) cans sliced black olives (optional)
3 T Italian Seasoning (or use oregano, garlic salt)
2 T dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste

** You can use this sauce for lasagnas, manicotti, ravioli, and can be frozen for spaghetti or pizzas. When defrosting it is OK and quite normal to pour off extra liquid.

Enjoy!

A Day in the Life- Little changes make BIG results!

Post by Shannon
After I had our second baby in August 2011, I was overwhelmed with everything I needed to do to. It was an adjustment getting used to taking care of two little girls 2 and under, let alone take care of myself!

The thing that helped me the most was making small changes each day. That seemed easier than trying to do everything all at once!

I started LIMITING MY TREATS my treats. This was hard because I craved sweets, white bread and pizza so much when I was pregnant! So I started by only having ONE treat a day instead of several! Then I went to five days, four, three, etc. It was a gradual process.

Next, I started EATING 5 TIMES A DAY. This was hard at first, but it became easier as I continued to do it. My body felt so much better eating this way, and so it made me want to keep going.

Then, I ADDED EXERCISE. I couldn't do this until at least six weeks after our baby was born because I had a c-section. I did some light walking before the six week mark, but I wanted to make sure I got the OK from my doctor before I started exercising.

Exercising was SO hard at fist! I was so unmotivated because I had so far to go! I felt so out of shape and discouraged, but I kept telling myself it wouldn't be this hard for very long! I kept going! I kept cheering myself on each day.

I did Beachbody's Insanity workout. I did this one after our first little girl was born, and I LOVED it! The workouts weren't too long, and it was easy to follow along. I loved the meal plan too!

So after our second daughter, I was ready to do it again. I ended up doing the first month twice because I was so out of shape! This helped me to gear up into the second month. :)

I STARTED USING SHAKEOLOGY when I started my second month of the Insanity workout. That was AWESOME too! I lost 7 pounds in December alone! That is the hardest month to lose weight. People usually gain! I didn't even workout everyday, and we went to visit family for a week too! It is awesome! I love it! Patrick and I have been using it everyday since.

Anyway, long story short, I have been on this weight loss journey since last Aug. 2011, and I'm feeling great! I am doing Turbo Fire now, and I love that one too! I love these workouts because I can do them at my house when my girls are sleeping. I don't need to get ready and go to the gym or find anyone to watch them while I workout. It's awesome! They also help me do things I love better like running.

So Weigh In Day was yesterday. These are my results:

From the day I delivered my baby at the beginning of Aug. until now:  
Down 56.5 pounds!

From the day I started doing Beachbody's workouts on Sept. 26, 2011:  
Down 38.5 pounds!
Lost 9.5 in. off my waist!
Lost 6 in. off my hips
Lost 1.2 in. off each arm
Lost 4 in. off each thigh
Lost 8.1% body fat!

My "before" picture taken October 15, 2011. This isn't even at my worst. I didn't want to take pictures before this!

My "after" or "current picture taken on Easter in my size 6 dress!!

NEED MOTIVATION?

Join our Facebook Community! I created this community to give people encouragement and support in their health and fitness journey! You don't need to be doing a Beachbody workout to join! You have nothing to lose from joining! It's free! I wish I had something like this when I started! :)

Email me at GolladayFit@gmail.com to join!

It's Weigh in Day! Let's Focus on Nutrition!

It's Weigh In Day! How did you do?

This was a tough week! There were SO MANY treats around!! I don't know about you, but we weren't able to resist!

I ate WAY too many sweets! Ahh! Gummy sharks, gummy bears, gummy peaches, key lime pie, and peeps! Talk about sugar OVERLOAD!

I haven't had sugary sweets for weeks. A friend and I gave them up for about six weeks. I did pretty well, and I felt great! Easter was the day we planned to break the deal and eat sweets. I was excited to eat my favorite treats (gummy anything!). The only bad part was eating WAY too many!

After today I decided to go back off of sugary sweets as part of my regular routine. I might have one here and there, but I felt so much better when I didn't have them!

Good luck with Weigh In Day! Don't forget to email us your progress at GolladayFit@gmail.com!

NEED MOTIVATION?

Join our Facebook Community! It is a private group on Facebook for people who need motivation and support to reach their health and fitness goals! We'd love to have you join! Email us at GolladayFit@gmail.com to join!