What I Can't Do For You As A Beachbody Coach...

What I Can't Do For You As A Beachbody Coach...

Today’s message is one for anyone who is feeling discouraged or wishing they were closer to a weight loss goal to listen up. Today I am going to tell you all the things that I CANNOT do for you as a health and fitness coach. What? This lady is going to talk about what she can’t do as a coach? This should be interesting because who would write a post about what they can’t do… RIGHT?

As I get closer and closer to my one year anniversary with Beachbody I am learning that in order for my clients to find true success this journey has to be their own. I get clients at all different levels of their journey. Some are just starting, some want to try something new and some are already in great shape. Everyone seems to need something different and everyone seems to get varied results. The results that they get are simply based on one thing. THEY HAVE TO WANT TO CHANGE MORE THAN THEY WANT TO STAY THE SAME. The ambition and excitement that comes along with getting ready to start a challenge group is something that you simply can’t beat. It’s exciting and motivating and for many it’s hope for something they have been yearning for. But after a little bit of time that excitement can wear off. You want to know why? Because losing weight and living a healthy lifestyle is freaking hard some days. There are days when you just want to eat like crap and skip the workouts. You want to quit because it’s easier than sticking with your program and staying on track. Some days you want to hit the drive thru instead of eating the lunch you made for yourself and somedays it feels overwhelming when your goal seems so far away. But you see, I have two types of challengers those who are in it for the long haul even when it gets hard and I have those who are kinda sorta in. They might do it for a month or so or maybe longer but they are not “all in” and when you are not all in your results will take so much longer to come. Don’t be fooled by my challengers who have lost A LOT of weight. It wasn’t magic, they didn’t just drink Shakeology and wake up with a six pack. They fought for where they are. They struggled but they didn’t give up. They found support in the group and in each other and that's why they lost all of the weight. They leaned on each other so they could rise together. That's why challenge groups rock. It allows you to be surrounded by people who are all fighting the same fight and get how you are feeling. It’s the best way to turn your lifestyle around.

I think it is important that I mention as a coach I cannot want this for you more than you can. I cannot make you press play on your workouts, I cannot come to your house and prep your foods nor can I always do your meal plans for you. YOU have to want this and YOU have to show up every single day even when it’s hard. You have to push even on days when you just don’t feel like it. But what I can do is be your biggest cheerleader, your therapist and your friend. I can be your safe place to vent when things get hard and I can be the one who celebrates major lifestyle change victories with you but YOU have to want it for you even more than I do.

So my message is this, if you have ever bought a challenge pack or fitness program did you go all in until you got where you wanted to be or did you give up? You owe it to yourself not to quit. You know what quitting feels like and you don’t want that for yourself. For once, I want to see you prove yourself wrong and go accomplish what your wishing. I’ll be right by your side for as long as you need me.

If you think a challenge group is just what you might need please fill out the application below and I will be in touch with you!

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Broccoli & Cheese Eggs

Broccoli & Cheese Scrambled Eggs 

Ingredients
6 brown organic eggs
1/4 cup of milk
1 cup of cooked broccoli chopped up
1/4 cup of motzerella cheese (you could use a different type but I prefer motzerella)
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions 
Heat & spray a skillet with cooking oil
Crack eggs into a bowl and add in milk
Pour into skillet
Once eggs begin to cook add in broccoli
Finally once eggs are done add in cheese and mix into eggs

Enjoy! This is the only way I can get my little one to eat broccoli right now!

Birthday Cake Shakeology

Birthday Cake Shakeology

Today I am blessed to be celebrating a birthday! Since I already splurged on some cake this weekend when I went out for my birthday, I won't be having any today. Cake is not my thing... unless it's ice cream cake. That's my favorite. Today I decided to try to make a shake that would taste like I was having some cake!

Here it is and I am happy to report it turned out great! I don't feel like I am missing out on a thing! 

Ingredients

10 oz of water

4 oz of vanilla almond milk

1 tsp of vanilla extract

1 scoop of vanilla Shakeology 

2 tsp of sugar free pudding 

1 tablespoon of sprinkles 

Directions

Filling a shaker cup with ice (mostly full) add in the water and milk. 

Pour into the blender then add in remaining ingredients and blend for 1 minute. Pour and enjoy! 

7 Day Free Clean Eating Group

Test The Waters... Free Clean Eating Group For All! 

I am not usually one to do free clean eating groups. I tend to just have my challenge groups for those who are working with me as their health coach for challenge groups. After putting lots of thought into it, I decided that maybe it was time to give others a sneak peak into what my challenge groups look like without having to committ to trying a particular program. I have decided to launch a 7 day free clean eating group for anyone who would like to participate. I will provide you with some meal plan examples as well as grocery list options. In addition I will also provide you with a short daily workout, recipes and also some wellness tips to help you kick start your journey towards being healthier. 

You have nothing to lose, no strings attached just some free help from someone who cares about others and teaching the world how to live a little healthier! We start February 2 - the day after the Super Bowl - talk about perfect timing for a refresh! 

Email me to reserve your spot. S.Griffith27@gmail.com 

Insanity Max 30 - Week 7 in Review

I Think I Can... I Think I Can...

Showing off my new cooling towel that Beachbody sent me from my December Success Club points. 

The end has been in sight this week. Knowing that I was getting so close sure was a good feeling! I think out of all of my weeks I have been doing this program, this past week was my hardest and took the most determination than all of the other weeks combined. I had a million excuses and reasons why I just wasn’t feeling it but I reminded myself that I made it this far. It was time to show up even when I didn’t feel like it. Grad school is taking up so much of my time now, I came down with a terrible cold after my son had it all weekend, my husband and I had a defeating day at the fertility doctors on Monday and then towards the end of this past week my son got the flu. When it rains it pours I suppose, but I had a choice and I chose to pick my butt off the floor and keep going.

Sporting my new headband I won from my December Success Club points. Who wouldn't want an 80's style sweat band right??

My body was telling me to back off this week. The sinus infection and chest cough made working out a true struggle. I couldn’t keep up most of this week with Shaun T so I stuck with the modifier on the days that I felt really sick. Skipped a few days and put them off to the weekend so I could rest my body. While working out with the heart rate monitor on my heart rate was off the charts constantly so I knew it was important to simply modify! Better than nothing!

The only way I made it thru my workout... VICKS to the rescue! 

A few of the moves during MAX30 - This was this night I was feeling pretty darn sick! 

My nutrition was crappy last week. I made a plan, I tried to stick to it but I found myself emotional eating on Monday after being really sad about all of the fertility stuff we are dealing with. Mid week I even made a box cake mix… This is something that I have not done in almost a year. We had no reason for a cake but I just felt like making it. My husband was surprised to see it in a pan but also really excited. I had a few slices here and there this week but at the end of the day I don’t even really like stuff like that anymore. I found myself being so busy that towards the end of the week I was cutting corners. Breakfast Friday was Panera. I went for steel cut oats and coffee but it had some brown sugar in it along with pecans and strawberries. Not horrible but also not what was on last weeks meal plan. I am still sticking with my daily dose of Shakeology though. I made the Snickerdoodle one several times last week. Usually I do chocolate with banana. Can’t believe I am almost at my one-year anniversary for drinking Shakeology. I swore when I started I would do a month of it and wasn’t going to keep up with it. Turned out to be too good of a thing to stop. 

Still one of my favorite Shakeo recipes! Its seriously like eating cookies for breakfast with this recipe! 

Saturday was fun and a much needed break from the stressful week. My mom came up Friday night to visit and celebrate my birthday a little bit early. (Turning 28 on Tuesday yikes)!! Saturday morning we worked out together to MAX 30. She was a champ – I was worried it might be too much since I am on month 2 but she modified and stuck right along with me. So proud of how much she too has taken control of her health this past year.

After we had lunch we treated ourselves to an hour-long massage at one of the spas in town. It was FABULOUS and felt like one of the best I have ever had. We left there feeling energized and in a little Zen like bubble. We headed over to the mall and did a little shopping together before she had to head home.

Mom killed it! Nothing like putting her thru a month 2 workout on her day one! 

Later that evening my best friend and her husband came up to also celebrate with us. We all went to dinner at a place called Carnegie House. It’s upscale fine dining and we decided to go all out! Dinner was delicious! Filet minion, shallots and mashed potatoes for me with cake for dessert and some coffee and Riesling to go along with it! A total treat and a better end to a rough week!

This was the dessert. Flourless chocolate lava cake with vanilla bean ice cream and homeade whipped cream and a coffe to go along with it! Hence the reason for the strict meal plan below! 

21 Day Fix Extreme - Coming Soon

ITS COMING...

I feel like I have been waiting for this day to arrive now for months! Coming on February 2, 2015 the 21 day fix extreme will be launching. This is a big deal for many reasons but mostly a big deal to me because it is what my challengers who have been with me for quite some time now are in the most need of. I have some many challengers who fell in love with the original 21 day fix. They got great results and did many rounds. After those rounds many moved onto other programs but still kept mentioning how much they wanted more workouts from Autumn the creator of the 21 day fix. The best part about this is that fix extreme takes everything up a few notches. This will be for people who are seriously determined and willing to make short term sacrifices so they can see some serious results in just 21 days. The nutrition is much more strict than the orginial fix and the workouts are also more intense. Weights will be incorporated in all of these daily workouts to help create some seriously lean muscles. 

This program would be great for any 21 day fix graduates as well as those who are in great physical shape already due to other conditioning programs. This is not reccommended for beginners nor is it reccommended for someone who only sort of wants to go all in. This will take a certian mindset and lots of determination. 

Check out the video above to learn more about what it means to go extreme. 

What are the workouts all about??

Plyo Fix Extreme	An explosive lower-body workout that uses jumping and resistance to torch calories and sculpt muscles.
Upper Fix Extreme	By alternating opposing muscle groups, this no-rest upper-body workout will shred the chest, back, shoulders, and arms.
Pilates Fix Extreme	Using a resistance band for every exercise, this intense mat workout works the entire body, placing emphasis on the core.
Lower Fix Extreme	Glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves will get stronger, leaner, and more defined with 30 minutes of challenging resistance work.
Cardio Fix Extreme	Combining weighted cardio moves with traditional metabolic training intervals keeps the heart rate soaring.
Dirty 30 Extreme	Using only seven compound moves focusing on multiple body parts at a time, this workout will burn extra calories while defining muscles. Get down and dirty, and get it done.
Yoga Fix Extreme	A fast-paced flow yoga class, combining strength, balance, flexibility, and power.
Power Strength Extreme	Based on functional movement patterns, these nine total-body exercises will change the way the  body moves, increasing strength, endurance, and power.
ABC Extreme	A 30-minute workout that targets common problem areas by pushing abs, butt, and cardio to  the extreme.  It'll get that competition body ready for the stage.
The Fix Challenge	Keep things interesting and burn off calories with this quick resistance workout!

I am thrilled to be able to offer a challenge group starting up on Febrary 16th for those wishing to go extreme. The group will offer daily motivation and accountability along with others who are doing the fix extreme along with you. There is strength in numbers! You won't want to go extreme alone! Click here to sign up to have me as you coach and fill out the application below. I will be in touch within 24 hours. I look forward to working with you to help you get extreme results. 

I was lucky enough to get a sneak peak of what the fix extreme will be like last week and let me just say wow! JELLO! I was really sore after and I didn't think I would be because I have been doing insanity max 30 now for almost 60 days and thought I was in pretty good shape at this point. Turns out this is something on the next level. 

At a recent Beachbody event I was lucky enough to meet Autumn and do the fix extreme workout live with 1,000 other coaches. It was such a great time and really has me excited about the upcoming product launch! 

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Hearty Winter Chilli

Hearty Winter Chilli 

Lately all we have been craving is warm cozy dinners at our house. This weeks forecast had cold temperatures and some snowflakes in the forecast so we decided it called for some hearty chilli. I combined two recipes to make this one. Some of the recipe was from Beachbody's Turbo Fire Chilli and some of the recipe was from my family recipe for chilli. I wish it didnt have the canned goods in it, but it's certianly better for you than canned chilli! Stay warm and cozy this week and enjoy if you make this one for your family! 

Makes 6- 1 cup servings 
Ingredients 
1 lb. lean ground turkey
½ cup diced tomatoes

8 oz. whole kernel corn, canned
1 onion, diced
1 red pepper diced up
2 cloves garlic
8 oz. black beans, canned
8 oz. kidney beans canned
1 tablespoon of parsley 
1 teaspoon of salt 
1/2 teaspoon of pepper 
1 1/2 tsp of chilli powder 
1 can of tomato soup
1 can of water
Taco Cheese (optional as a topping)

Directions
Brown ground turkey first. After turkey is browned add in the above listed ingredients. Allow to simmer on the stovetop for 1hour - an hour and a half. Top with cheese if you wish! 

Insanity Max 30 - Week 6 In Review

Week 6 of Max 30 - No Quitters In This House! 

Sporting my new Max 30 shirt this week! LOVE how soft it is! 

Can I just say how excited I am getting that I am ALMOST done with MAX 30! Having that daily calendar up in my workout space is quite the motivator! I am still enjoying this program a lot and also still think that month two is rough but not so rough that I hate it. Below you will see a few of the moves. Some were from cool down stretches and some were just during! My workout dates were off this week. I was slept in a few days and was really busy a few evenings this week. I ended up deciding to skip Friday fight because I was catching up on the other ones I missed this week and hate to start on Monday on last weeks exercies. This was the first one out of the 60 that I decided to skip. I kind of regret it but oh well, I am on to a new week. 

People always ask me who takes these pictures... self timer ap ;) I just take a bunch during the workouts and sort thru them after I am done. 

My partner in crime this week for a few of the workouts. Talk about difficult to get the workout in when he joins me. He kept asking me to help him roller blade during the water breaks! The joys of working out at home in your basement!

Mid week I did a 5 am sweat session to preview the 21 day fix extreme that is coming out with some of the coaches on my team. We also did it in memory of one of the coaches husband on our team. He passed away last week from cancer so we decided to sweat for something bigger for those who have fought the battle. The workout was very challenging and has me super excited for its release date on the 2nd of February. I will be just finishing up Max 30 for the start of this! 

Man oh man... my glutes were on fire this week after all those squats and pusle moves!! Still not in love with Tabata moves but I have to say it's working even if I dread it!

Friday brought with it craziness this week. My son woke up with croup causing my whole day to get thrown off. Mom to the resuce, so I had to take the day off from work and take him to the doctors office. It made me behind on my work and he was in quite the mood all day because he was not feeling well. By bedtime mom was ready to throw in the towel. Instead of laying around like I wanted to, I decided I was going to sweat off my stress. 45 minutes later I was soo so so glad I did. I filled up my shaker cup with E&E, broke out my speaker and turned on some loud music before pressing play. Before I knew it the stress had melted away. 

Saturday I did not get a workout in and had to make up Thursdays on Sunday if that makes sense.... Saturday we headed to Harrisburgh for the Farm Show. My son is obsessed with tractors so it was a big deal for him. I packed a lunch for our road trip there and we did have some cheats while we were at the show. I went for a pulled pork sandwich and also homeade ice cream with warm apples. It was delicous but really sweet. The worst part was that after we left we did some shopping at the outlets in Hershey. I hit up the Under Armor outlet for some new workout stuff and then we went out to dinner. Friendlys was the only place that wasn't busy. Talk about bad choices for dinner. There were few healthy picks so I decided to just eat whatever. We had bacon cheese fries for an appetizer, my sandwich was chicken bacon ranch on sourdough bread and I ate half of my sons ice cream sundae. Lets just say I FELT AWFUL that evening. My body hates processed foods and that was way to much of it. In the moment I thought I wanted it but after the fact is just made me sick. 

This week I am back in the game and am going to try SO hard to stick with this meal plan listed below that I made for the week. I am trying to stick to the plan because when the Fix Extreme comes out I want to be ready to make the transition more easily! Have a great week everyone!

INSANITY MAX 30
WEEK 7 MEAL PLAN
www.sarahgriffith27.blogspot.com

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Shakeology	Shakeology	Shakeology w/ half banana	Shakeology	Fried Egg Banana
Strawberries	Eggs - w/ peppers & onions	Eggs - w/ peppers, onions & motz. cheese	Steel Cut Oatmeal w/ cinnamon and natural pb	Shakeology
Ham Sandwich 20 pistachios Greek Yogurt w/ mixed berries	Turbo Fire Chili w/ peppers and onions Mixed Berries Peanuts	Pineapple Stir Fry Chicken Brown Rice Broccoli	Tomato Basil Chicken Penne Pasta Mixed Berries w/ Greek Yogurt	Meatloaf Baked potato Broccoli Peanuts
Red Pepper Strips Peanuts	20 pistachios	Peanuts ½ strawberries	Pepper Strips w/ hummus	Apple w/ natural PB 20 pistachios
Turbo Fire Chili Peppers & Onions in chilli	Pineapple Stir Fry Chicken Brown Rice Broccoli	Tomato Basil Chicken Penne Pasta	Meatloaf Broccoli Apple w/ natural PB	Out for dinner

The Tree That Bends Dosen't Always Break

The Tree That Bends Doesn’t Always Break

Today I write this post for two reasons. Reason number one so you can be understanding over the next few months. Reason number two so that maybe I can inspire you to do a little bit more.

Here’s the deal; my plate it’s pretty damn full. More like heaping over the sides full but its mine. Every minute of the craziness I have chosen for myself and I wouldn’t trade it for a minute. However, the next few upcoming months have me a little bit nervous.

Let me explain…

During my first year of teaching I started a masters program at Penn State with a dream to be a principal someday and eventually a college professor. I wanted to teach business for 5 – 7 years, move on to administration for a few and head off to teach teachers how to become passionate teachers at the college level. That’s been the plan since before IUP handed me a diploma. I took my graduate classes one at a time each semester. I took a few semesters off after having Carter and I took the past summer and fall of because my passion seemed to be heading elsewhere with Beachbody. I quickly realized that I loved being a coach because it was getting to run a business, teach my challengers how to live better lives and train and lead coaches on my team all while teaching them how to be successful. It’s the makings of my dream job. It comes with a much higher paycheck compared to the education field as well. BUT, I am not one to not finish what I start so our dream board in our bedroom has the goal of finishing up that master’s degree. I have three classes standing between me and a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership from Penn State. I refuse to quit now but I am having a hard time wanting to take on the overwhelming stress that comes with this because as I mentioned above the plates full.

One of my goals on the dream board. I look at this daily as a reminder to "finish what you started."  

When my feet hit the floor every morning they hit the ground running hard. I feel like I ran a marathon all before the bell at school rings at 8:10 am. My days starts at 4:30 am. I work out for 30 minutes and then hit the shower and get ready for the craziness to start. During my time to get ready I spend 10 minutes reading personal leadership development and I get caught up on the business news so I am ready for work. Then I check in with my challengers and get them on track for a successful day. After waking and taking my son to his school, I head off to work. My ride to school is usually filled with a quick phone conversation with my best friend. She’s almost 2 hours away from me but not a day passes by that I don’t talk with her each day. It’s nice to have someone like that in your life, someone to cheer you on or to let you vent about life’s curve balls. My school day is from 8:10 am – 3:16 pm. I am teaching an overloaded schedule this year that seems to have me really fighting to keep my head above water. We don’t usually have 6 different preps but this year I do. It’s harder than you would think and has truly tested my teaching skills. It is possible to do but is starting to take its toll on me. When the bell rings I head to quickly pick up my son. My hours from 4 – 8 pm are sacred to me. It’s my time to be a mom and absorb up all that I am missing during the day. It’s hard to be a working mom. You need thick skin. You sometimes feel like your missing out on so much, but it makes you appreciate the time you spend together even more. After I put my son to bed, I work my Beachbody business from 8:00 pm – 11:00 pm and sometimes 12:00 am. People often ask me what it is that I do during that time. I invite people to join me in my challenge groups, I check in with challengers, I work to train my coaches, I attend calls with our teams, I host calls with my own team each week, I blog and I look for ways to grow my business. It’s something that I love and to be honest, it never feels like work. In fact, I find myself staying up way to late because I am having so much fun I don’t want to stop working. I have quickly learned that there is some serious potential in working as a health and fitness coach and the businesswoman in me is enjoying the challenge. It started as a way to cover the cost of my Shakeology and is turning into my ticket to a six -figure income. I have learned that you have to have faith in the process and the dream you are creating because you won’t notice what you are accomplishing at first then all of the sudden the dream seems to be a whole lot more real.

I may not be sleeping quite enough, my life might look messy but here is the truth; I want the world to be better because I was here. I want my life, my work, my family to mean something. If your not making someone else’s life better, you’re wasting your time. Your life will only become better by helping make others lives better.

So I will ask this of you – make room on your plate for just a little bit more. You CAN do it and you CAN make time for the things you want in your life, whatever they might be. You have just to sacrifice and bend a bit. Chances are you won’t break. It might be hard but you really can do it. My only request in the coming months is that you all go easy on me. Your messages might take a day or two longer to get returned, I might seem a teeny tiny bit more stressed, but I promise I am still here and I will still keep chasing the dream. God has a plan for my life and he will put me exactly where I am supposed to be.

Thanks for all of your love and support! Now onward to conquer that grad class, a full time teaching job, a full time health and fitness job, motherhood and most importantly focusing on continuing to grow a strong marriage. God is good!