That Post Holiday Feeling

For the last 4 years, on the Monday after a holiday weekend, I would have been that friend posting
something like:

“Did you eat ALL the things this holiday like I did? If so, you might be feeling as yucky, bloated, and tired as me too. Let’s get back on track together."

But that's not me today.

Today, I come from a place of enjoying my holiday without making it about food. 🙌🏻

I was able to enjoy a bit of that sweet potato casserole that my mom always made, along with a cookie and a tiny key lime pie from my Fixate cookbook, without gorging myself until I felt "yucky" and "bloated." This year, the holiday time together was about friends and family and not about what was on the table.

I'm finally in a place of feeling good and in control. My decision to stick with my workouts and follow my eating plan allows me to actually LOSE weight over the holiday. Imagine that!

But it’s taken me years to get to this place.

It's taken me years to realize that I DO have the tools to overcome eating "all the things." I don’t have to look back over a holiday weekend and regret that I have to work hard to lose the weight I had gained.

It’s truly about a lifestyle change.

Sustainability.

Recipes the whole family can eat that don’t cut out any food groups, that are wholesome, homemade, and with the right balance of macro nutrients <—- without all the work that can bring.

I’ve needed this in my life for a long time, and maybe you have too.

I’m not going to beg you to join me, because it truly is a lifestyle change and something you have to be ready to make for yourself, but if you ARE ready, I’m here to coach you through it as a certified Ultimate Portion Fix coach!

If you’re not ready, that’s OK too, but if that ever changes I’ll still be here, still doing this thing, because this is about a lifestyle!


Filled with Hope,

How To Build An Online Health & Fitness Business While Pregnant

The whole reason I decided to build an online business was because I wanted to stay home with my future kiddos. It has always been my dream to be a stay at home mom, but the reality is it's hard to survive on one income these days, especially if you move to a place like Maui.

Even though I began my business before I was pregnant I have continued to grow and build it throughout my pregnancy. In fact, since getting pregnant I've gotten my biggest paychecks, I've added more coaches to my team, and I've helped more people reach their own health and fitness goals.

Maybe you are already pregnant and are looking for a way to stay home when that little one arrives, or maybe you want to plan ahead for that eventual baby. Here is my advice.

1. Be consistent!

If you want something to grow you have to nurture it regularly. Just like a seedling would need water, weeding, sunlight and maybe some Miracle–Gro, your new business is going to need your time, dedication and willingness to implement what you learn.

2. Do what you can!

Maybe starting out with a program like Insanity isn't the best idea, but there are plenty of programs that you could utilize to market your business, help you keep in shape, and give you an edge on the bounce back after delivery.

3. Nutrition, Nutrition, Nutrition!

If all else fails you can focus on your nutrition. Maybe your doctor won't clear you for exercise, but I bet he would clear you for eating nutritious foods, drinking Shakeology (both my doctor and midwife approved of drinking it as part of my prenatal supplements), and whipping up some creative nutritious recipes you could share with your customers.

4. Don't limit yourself!

I believe that if you go into this thinking you won't be successful because you won't have an immediate transformation story, you are setting yourself for failure. However, if you go into this with an attitude of helping people and inspiring others with your own personal journey, you are much more likely to find success.

5. Consider the bounce back opportunity!

If people are watching and aware of your healthy pregnancy, you better believe they will be watching when you get back to an exercise routine after your little one arrives. Use that opportunity! Talk about it, invite other mommy friends to join you in it, and expect that when you are consistent with your exercise and nutrition you will get results. When others see those results they will want to get those results too.

So whether you are already pregnant, thinking or trying to get pregnant, or maybe you already have kids, I would love to share this opportunity with you. You can fill out this application to help me see if this business is a good fit for you and your goals! 

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Would You Stay At A Job Where You Received NO PAYCHECK??

A thought hit me today: if I didn't make another dollar doing my online health and fitness coaching I still wouldn't quit!

That may sound ridiculous. I mean, this is my full-time job, and I work hard to help support and encourage people in reaching their health and fitness goals. And granted, getting a paycheck each week definitely helps my little family financially, but Beachbody is so much more than just a job to me.

When I joined this company over a year ago I knew my sponsor coach and that was it. Over the next few months I felt like a few other coaches on our team became what I would consider "friends." Then in March I traveled to Florida for a team retreat where I got to meet many of these women in person, which was such a blessing to me.

Today, a little over a year later I have dozens of friends that I have made solely through this company. They are not just friends in the business, but they are like women who have a desire to empower, encourage and support each other. They have blessed me in more ways than I can count. When I get online and see their positive posts on facebook, their genuine desire to help support and empower women, I get excited about what I do all over again. It's not just about looking good in a bikini, but instead about walking alongside other women with the goal to lift them up.

So, if last week was the last paycheck I ever received, I still wouldn't quit. Being a part of this community is worth more than the pay that I might receive.

Can you say that about your job? Would you still show up each day to a job where you made no paycheck just because you loved what you did so much and the people you worked with were amazing? If not, maybe you should considering looking into a job opportunity that would give you that!

I'm expanding my team and looking for passionate women who want to empower and motivate others to reach their health, fitness and financial goals. If you think that could be you fill out this application to join my growing team.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Cize Week One In Review

I've completed the first week of Cize, the new dance program that came out in July. I thought I would
share my experience so far.

First off, I am a NON-dancer, as in, never took any dance classes, don't really have any good moves, and would quite possibly embarrass anyone that I was with if I danced in public. The thing I like about this program though is that Shaun T. breaks down the moves into tiny pieces, has you do them over and over again, and slowly strings those moves together. By the end of a 30-45 minute workout you can actually do a short dance.

I'll be honest, just because I am a coach, workout regularly, and host online health and fitness accountability groups, does not mean I LIKE to workout. I know it's good for me, and I like how I feel when I do a workout, so I make myself do it. Even if I don't really want to, I do it. The great thing about Cize is that doesn't feel like "working out." It's fun, the time flies by, and honestly if I had more time I would keep going because I want to nail the dance and feel like a dancer.

While I haven't picked up weights in over a week I end my routines drenched in sweat and exhausted. I've also ended the first week with some visible results—down 2.3 pounds and 3 inches overall!

So who is this program for? Those who don't like to exercise, of course! It's also great for those who do like to exercise but want to change things up for a while. It's great for dancers, non-dancers, young, old, and just about everyone else.

If you are interested in learning more about this program, my online groups, or becoming a coach like me, feel free to leave a comment or send me a message through the "contact me" link above!

Coaching Is Not A Cookie Cutter Job

Did you know there is more than one way to be a Beachbody Coach? It's not a cookie cutter, what-I-do-you-have-to-do business. I created this video to let you know about three of the possible types of coaches you can be.

If this sounds like something you are interested in or would like to know more about feel free to contact me through the link at the top of the page, or comment below!

What Works For You?

I think it's important to figure out what works for you. Unfortunately what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another.

One thing I've found to be true of me is that I do best when I push myself and make it hard... Eek! Not always fun, but it is in those moments of being strict with my eating plan and pushing myself in my workouts that I stick with it. I guess you could say I'm an "all or nothing" kind of personality.

Enter in the Whole30 program. Recently I was learning about what clean eating really is, and why we should all consider trying a program like this out for a time. For me it made sense. I am a sugarholic! I own it. But I don't like it! So through this Whole30 program I'll be eliminating sugar from my diet entirely and giving my body the chance to get over this addiction while learning to enjoy other foods and not constantly ending up in the ice cream line.

The thing that really got my looking into Whole30 was learning how food really is responsible for so many health issues we have, from joint pain, headaches, hormonal issues, digestive issues, how focused we are, etc. It's such a powerful source of nutrients and energy for our bodies, and yet we often will eat food filled with chemicals, artificial food and additives that have been proven to be harmful to us. I am in that category!

The more I learn though the more I want to see what I can change in my diet, see what physical issues I have that food may be responsible for, and see what it's like to eat a diet that we as human beings were really designed to eat—natural, whole, and filled with vegetables.

So on Monday I embarked on this 30+ day journey. Day one was a breeze, minus being at a BBQ where I couldn't eat 95% of the food—and where they had ice cream sandwiches!—but I stayed strong and powered through. Day two began with a massive headache, which I was warned might happen. My body is going through a detox process, and it's trying to figure out how to use food the way it's supposed to. I've been feeding my body so much junk for so long that it's used to "quick release energy" foods. It needs to relearn a few things.

I am determined to power through this. I want to get to the other side and compare how I feel then to how I felt before starting. Plus as I share this journey while digging for more info, I learn so many more fascinating things—like recently a friend shared several articles on how women who struggled for years with infertility issues, stopped eating grains and got pregnant. So who knows?! But, hey, even if that doesn't happen for me I still get the opportunity to use my body as a science experiment that can be nothing but beneficial.

Want to learn more about Whole30? Go to their website Whole30.com or pick up the book, "It Starts With Food," by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig and keep following my journey.

Why Beachbody

I've been meaning to create my 'WHY' video for a few months now, but never took the time to sit down and share. I wanted to create this because I think it's important for others to hear my story, why I love what I do and why I think becoming a Beachbody Coach was perfect for me!

This week while I'm enjoying the beauty of Central Oregon I got kicked out of my cabin by housekeeping and found it was the perfect time to sit down and create this video in the beautiful Deschutes National Forest!

For more information about Challenge Groups or about becoming a coach contact me via the button at the top right of the page :-) 

How to Crush Your Goals: And Enjoy the Journey Along the Way

Do you ever find yourself making goals you don't want to keep? Maybe you want the end result, but the journey there doesn't sound like fun, just a whole lot of work!

For example in the past I've had goals to stop eating all the cookies (Oh, wait... that goal was jut last week). Another goal I've made is to lose 10 pounds or fit into a size 2 again.. etc. None of these goals sound like fun things to work towards, and quite frankly they are goals that focus on all the wrong things.

Lately I've been thinking about transforming the kind of goals I want to set, thanks to a little video by Brendon Burchard. He challenged my thinking on how I create goals and it makes sense.

What if instead of setting my mind on not eating cookies, which inevitably will mean I will only think about eating cookies all the time, I set my mind on eating healthy and delicious food? That sounds like a whole lot more fun to me! Instead of having to avoid something I love my focus will have turned to being creative with trying new recipes and finding ways to make my favorite treats more healthy.

What if I then took that mindset and applied it to getting in shape. So, instead of a goal to lose 10 pounds, I make a goal to feel great, have more energy and feel like I can tackle anything that comes my way. Again, doesn't that sound a lot more doable, fun and motivating? Who wants to wake up and think, "Yes, I'm going to workout so I can one day lose 10 pounds!"? Not me! I would rather wake up and think, "Yes, I'm going to workout so that I feel great, have more energy and start my day in a way that I will be proud of myself!"

So, today I'm going to work on creating goals I actually want to achieve and not dread!

Bloom Where You're Planted (In Every Area of Life)

Running online fitness accountability groups can be hard, especially when you have repeat participants and you want to keep the material fresh each month.

So what do I do? I think about things I want to work on, what inspires me or what I've been learning recently, and I use those sources to give inspiration and content for new groups. I figure that there must be others out there that are like me so why not take the journey together?

For my next group I decided to call it "Bloom Where You're Planted." This came out of realizing that I need and want to make the most out of the life I have now. It's easy to wish I lived somewhere else, or made more money, or had a different life, but the reality is I am who I am, I live where I live (for now anyway), and my life can be AWESOME!


To me "blooming where you're planted" means to be present in the moment, be the best you, be the you that you want to be! A couple of books that have encouraged me in this area are The Best Yes by Lysa Terkeurst and Almost Amish by Nancy Sleeth. After reading these two books I was really inspired to make better decisions, recognize what is best for me and live more simply. As I embark to set out on putting some of these new ideas to practice I want to invite you to join me!

So, if you are looking to:

Lose some weight
Get in shape
Feel great
Simplify your life
Give your best
Have accountability
Be inspired
or find a community of awesome women

Consider joining us for this next challenge. You can leave a comment, find me on Facebook or email me if you are interested in joining. I would love to help others slow down, love life and love who they are!

Good Intentions

This morning, during my post workout shower, I realized that I have Good Intentions... And those
don't always get anything done!

I have good intentions to eat clean, to get in the best shape of my life, to help 150 people with their health and fitness journeys this year and to build an at home business that can keep me home with future kiddos!

What I'm lacking though is that leap of faith to jump from the side of intentions to action! Why is it something we want so much we can sit back and never really chase after? Sometimes we even fool ourselves into thinking we are 'give it our all' and chasing after those dreams... But then when you take the time to stop and evaluate everything you could be doing versus what you are actually doing, you realize you are back on the 'good intentions' side of the bank.

It's a choice! My choice in this circumstance, but I'm sure you've been there too! The hard part is that it isn't one simple choice to jump the raging river of 'fear' to land on the other side of the bank, where I really want to be in the land of 'chase your dreams'. It's more like jumping rocks across the raging river, with each choice you make. Sometimes you jump forward a few rocks at a times, while other times you've turned back and are losing ground and maybe you didn't even know it :-/

Some of my 'rocks' I need to cross are:

Getting up in the morning, and not hitting snooze!

Eating clean and healthy for life, not as a fad!

Creating new content for my challenge groups that will really encourage and motivate those who participate in them!

Creating opportunities to mentor others in the business to give them hope of coming home to their kiddos, lightening their families financial burden or just doing something they love!

Making my personal time with the Lord more meaningful and not just on my to do list, which happens sometimes :-/

Spending quality time with my husband, friends and family - where I'm not on facebook or chatting with other people online at the same time!

I'm sure there are tons of others, but those are the areas that jump out at me as needing work on.

So, why don't I just do it, or better yet why haven't I yet?? FEAR!

Fear that:

I'll follow these workout programs and never look like 'that girl'.

I will never be able to not eat junk food throughout the day when it is so easily accessible.

No one will join my groups, or won't find them to be encouraging or helpful.

I won't know how to lead someone else to do what I do and be successful at it as I'm still working at the successful part.

If I chase after my God He may take me through some hard things in order to mold and make me who He wants me to be.

That I might miss out on something or miss an opportunity to help someone.

I don't want to live by fear though, I want to live with reckless abandon and be able to look back and know that no matter the outcome I gave it EVERYTHING I had and have no regrets!

What is something you have had 'good intentions' about today but need to jump over that river of fear to chase those dreams?

Honesty

I am human. I am not perfect. I have not arrived. I am a work in progress. I am okay with all of that!

Being an online health and fitness coach does not mean you have to have it together all the time, thank goodness for that! To me, what it means is that I need to lead by the example of striving to improve my health and fitness more often than not. It means having a heart of encouragement to share and motivate others on their journeys, which may look very different than my own. It means putting in the work to check in with people, create posts for my groups and growing myself in different areas in order to be able to pour into others.

Why, on this white, winter morning am I telling you this? Because today was check in, measure up and weigh in time for my current group. My girls are rocking it out with some awesome results, they are motivated, they are putting in the work and I couldn't be happier or more proud! My own results from this past week... Not so great! I didn't really gain anything, I just didn't really lose anything either. I could let this discourage me or make me feel like I am 'failing' as a coach, but I quickly reminded myself of a couple of things.

I've been on this journey for over six months now, there have been ups and downs throughout but I have at least maintained to where my main goal is. I can't expect each week for the rest of my existence to lose weight or inches... Eventually I would disappear! ha

Are there areas I would like to tone up more, see more definition, increase my strength in? Of course! And in time, with hard work and perseverance I hope to get there! This just wasn't my week and I can learn from it! There are definitely seasons for things though, and for the next couple of weeks I'm entering a time of vacation, which means I may not do my typical workouts or eating plans but I will be hiking, biking, swimming, walking and exploring.

The day after I get back from my vacation though I begin the All In challenge group, and I will be ready to be all in! I have a couple of girls that are already committed to joining me and I'm super excited about what we will accomplish during our time together!

For today though I won't beat myself up, but instead will celebrate the milestones my girls have made and be excited for the part I got to play in that!

The Most Common Objection

Typically when I start talking with people about joining one of my online fitness accountability groups the most common thing they object to is the cost. Believe me, I'm no stranger to being thrifty. I have a second blog that I run with my husband called Penny Pinching Prose, so, trust me. I get it.

But the money choices we make every day deeply influence how we feel about ourselves, and so it becomes vitally important to, not only our budget, but our self-image to make wise money decisions.

It's sad, and admittedly a little frustrating, when I approach a prospective client about health and fitness and find them reeling at the idea of having to invest money in a workout program. Yet I don't see them hesitating to buy fancy nail stickers, long lashes, makeup products, scented candles, cleaning products, new cookware, tupperware or any one of a dozen other things that make them look good on the outside, but don't help them achieve their fitness goals. Am I saying anything is wrong with purchasing ANY of these products, NO!!!!! (Please don't send me hate mail if you purchase these, sell these or have thrown these parties, I think they are great products!) But there's a big difference to me between looking great on the outside and feeling great on the inside.

This summer I decided to make my health and fitness a priority, so I cut back on spending in some areas to make it fit into my budget. I chose not to buy the expensive candles and opted for those at Walmart and Christmas Tree Shop. I wear cheap jewelry, buy inexpensive makeup, and make some of my own cleaning products at home. I even saved my Shaw's stickers for a new free pan! Such sacrifices may not feel that glamorous to some, but it's allowed me to afford things like Shakeology and new workout programs, things that serve as an investment in my self-confidence.

Sometimes we choose to spend money on things that make us appear outwardly how we want to feel, but it doesn't change how we feel about ourselves on the inside. This doesn't mean you have to exercise yourself into a size 2, it just means that you need to put in the hard work of getting there yourself, and not relying on makeup and nail polish to do it for you.

So, why do I do what I do? Because this fat gurl inside wants to stay fat inside, but look great on the outside! Exercise is a great stress reliever for me. Being active and raising my heart rate is good for my body. Drinking Shakeology ensures I get all the nutrients I need, plus I don't skip breakfast anymore. Finally, because I KNOW these products work! I KNOW joining an online accountability group will help me reach my health and fitness goals. I KNOW I feel good when I can support, encourage and celebrate other's successes when they allow me to act as their coach.

So, if you have goals, desires, dreams or a doctor on your back and you want to be successful in toning up, losing weight, being fit, and getting healthier, I hope you will think of me and let me have the privileged of serving your as coach!

10 Reason I Love Being a Health and Fitness Coach

Lately life has been a little crazy... Ok, maybe a little more than a little, but you get my drift!

Between moving, working full-time, working on our house to help it sell, picking up extra work doing respite for a family and then church and ministry stuff my life is busy! Add to all of that the fact that I'm also doing my online coaching, which would be easy to let slide right now because it's many hours of extra work each week... But I LOVE it too much to give up on it.

So, today I decided to share 10 reasons I love about being a coach!

1. By coaching I am able to keep myself  accountable to my health and fitness goals. It would have been easy to stop working out and eating healthy after completing my first program, but I want to make a life change of being healthy!

2. This job is helping me learn more about nutrition and healthy eating! Each challenge group I do I learn a little more about what it really means to eat healthy, which honestly can be so confusing if you don't do your homework (or have awesome challengers that help you with that part :-)

3. The products that I personally use, and promote, work! I am proof of this and only because of that proof did I become a coach. I could never talk people into something I wasn't passionate about and also believe that it could work for them too.

4. I get to help people, I love people! I get to be a cheerleader and encouragement to them mainly online, which is way easier than trying to get together with people in person with our busy schedules.

5. I am my own CEO make my own hours and schedule. I determine how successful or unsuccessful I will be! I am the head honcho for my business, which is daunting and scary and yet awesome and exciting too!

6. I have renewed hope that one day I will get to stay at home with my imaginary (for now) children and not have to sacrifice financial freedom to do so. I am a HUGE advocate for debt free living, and this business will allow me to keep doing that.

7. My team is awesome, supportive, encouraging and desires to see everyone succeed. Many of them are sisters in Christ who also have a desire to stay home with their kiddos, and they are a great community of online friends!

8. I can work from home, on my time frame in my pajamas if I like! No commute and no dress code. If it's nice out I work on the porch. If it's rainy or cold I work under my blankets in bed! Not many jobs allow you to do this.

9. It's fun! Getting to encourage people, connecting with old and new friends, supporting people in reaching their goals and being healthy and fit is fun! A cousin of mine recently saw me at a wedding and said, "You look like you are having the time of your life!" This was in response to what she had been seeing me post on my Facebook. And you know what, she was right!

10. My job allows for me to have a creative outlet. I get to create pictures, quotes and group photos in Photoshop or you could use Canva, Picmonkey or another online editing program. I get to pick out the format for my groups, what the daily posts will be and what the group theme is. It's a lot of fun to decide what it is I want to be represented by!

I could definitely list more reasons, but will stick with my top 10 for now! If any of those 10 reasons resonates with you, and makes you wonder if you could do something like this, I would love to talk to you about joining my team! I am looking for individuals who are willing to put in some hard work to reach their dreams, whatever those dreams are. So, if you would like more info feel free to email me at daniordanielle@yahoo.com, leave a comment on this or friend me on Facebook.

Speaking of that busy life I'm living, I gotta go!