3 Week Yoga Retreat

Starting Your Fitness Journey With YOGA

Many of my beginner clients are always saying man I wish there was a program that was SUPER easy and made for beginners. While we do have some programs that are for those beginning their fitness transformation, I will be honest and say we didn't have TONS in the past, but that is something Beachbody has been working hard to improve upon. 

This summer while we were at our coach summit event they announced the new 3 WEEK YOGA RETREAT that is coming out on August 31, 2016. It was designed for those looking to give yoga a try but have been intimidated or not sure where to start with yoga. I get it and agree- all of those poses and names can be intimidating. I remember when I started p90x3 and Tony Horton was calling out yoga positions that I had no clue what they were. It was frustrating at first. 

It will be loaded in the Beachbody On Demand library for you to try. The program willl not be something you have to purchase. It will come with your subscription to On Demand. If you do not currently have Beachbody On Demand you can sign up for the free 30 day trail. This would give you enough time to complete the entire program without having to pay for anything during that period. Obviously something very attractive to many. 

Let me answer some of the questions that you might have so far about it. 

 How long is it? 

There are a total of 21 classes. One for each day of the week. Each one is 30 minutes or less. 

Do I have to be a YOGI to enjoy this one?

HA HA nope - you can be a total newbie. 

Who is the target audience for this one? 

Beginners to yoga and those wanting to build their confidence in yoga terms and positions. Also those looking to improve their flexibility and overall strength as well as reduce stress and find balance in their life. 

Is there a schedule to follow or do you just pick which programs you want to do? 

Yes there is a "class schedule" calendar for you to follow each day. 

Who is the trainer for this program?

There are actually 4 different yoga expert teachers for this one. These are trainers you have not yet worked with if you are familar with the other Beachbody programs. 

What equipment do I need? 

You will need an internet connect and device to stream the workouts from as well as a yoga mat and potentially a yoga block depending on your current flexibility level. 

How much is it? 
The program costs nothing to buy - it is all streamed online from the on demand library. If you are new to on demand you can actually have access for FREE for 30 days. Plenty of time for you to start and FINISH the program.

How do I get started? 
Send me an email letting me know you want to get started with this program - S.Griffith27@gmail.com

Then you can head on over to my site and sign up for a free account - you would click the option to "join" and it will have you sign up for your free account.

Once you are all signed up let me know and I will get you added into a challenge group for support and accountability.

You can take a look at this video to learn more about what this program is all about.

Hope you will consider giving this new program a try. If your anything like me you could always use more ZEN in your life! 

Hope to hear from you soon!

xoxo

-Sarah- 

22 Minute Hard Corps Mens Results

Hot Husband Alert 

For a very, very long time. I have been working out solo. I began my own transformation journey two and a half years ago and when I did I was on the journey by myself. My husband supported me and cheered me on, but never really joined me. Every once in awhile he would join me for a few weeks and would get on track but for some reason his habits just couldn't stick. I would always tease him that he was my most difficut challenger. He works long hours and his day starts very early so finding the time was always the issue and cutting out fast food. He loves a good burger and had a serious Pepsi habit that he wanted to break. 

At the beginning of the summer he decided one day that he was going to do 22 Minute Hard Corps the whole way thru and actually do it. As excited as I was for him, I have to be honest and say I wasn't so sure how long he would stick with it because of his prior track record with programs. Sure enough he just kept showing up. Week after week he kept heading to the basement to press play. Some weeks he would miss a day or two but he would double up when that would happen. I was impressed - he was sweating it out on vacations, over holidays and even when we were really busy. Each time he would finsh a workout and would come upstairs covered in sweat, I could see that not only was it working, but he was having fun and it was changing him. 

While I would love to tell you that his eating habits were spot on and he followed the meal plan to a T I can't tell you that because he didn't. He was much more aware of what he was eating and certianly cut a lot of his bad food habits out. He ditched the soda and switched it out for propel water. I still can't get him to drink just plain water. He even started drinking Shakeology regularly midway thru. 

Now that he has finished the 60- day program, he is gearing up to start the 90 day Body Beast program to bulk up and continute to lean out. He needed the cardio from 22 minute Hard Corps to get rid of the excess body fat he was carrying. 

Stay tuned for his next transformation. I think he's in it for the long haul now. If you see him in person or know him - give him some love because he made it thru an entire program during a really difficult time of year. To be able to have a transformation story in the summer months is something worth celebrating. 

Interested in getting results like my husband did? Fill out the application below and I will be in touch to get you added into a challenge group shortly. 

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Diamond Retreat Weekend Recap

Beachbody Coach Life... Why does it always look so fun? 

To answer my question about coach life and why it always seems so fun... well because it actually is. True story. I get to make my living by working out, helping other people feel great about themselves and build a business all while surrounding myself with incredible people. Oh and we travel ALL the time. It's a job that never actually feels like a J.O.B.

This past weekend my success partner and I teamed up to treat our diamond coaches (aka our rock stars) to an incredible weekend to celebrate all of their hard work. I cannot tell you how much of a blessing it is to be able to "treat" them like we did this past weekend. A few years ago doing things like this would have been way out of the budget.

We rented a house for them in Deep Creek, MD. It was very large and beautiful providing us with lots of space to kick back and relax. Everyone arrived Friday evening. We had posters of themselves along with a retreat shirt with our theme of "blessed" screen printed across the chest and also a new inspirational mug and a year subscription to SHAPE magazine waiting for them all on the table upon arriving at the house. They were excited about the little treat waiting there to welcome them.

We had a nice big lasagna dinner that night and did some ice breaker activities along with some good old fashion bonding. Even though we work on our phones all the time and live our life out loud on social media, we spent most of that evening unplugged simply getting to know one another better. It felt good to not have our phones in our hands all night.

Saturday morning we woke up bright and early for a team workout. One of our coaches Michelle is a Beachbody LIVE instructor so she lead us thru a Country Heat Workout. After that we enjoyed a hearty breakfast then helped get each other ready for the photo shoot. It was fun to help everyone pick out outfits and help do each others hair.

Post workout group selfie

Before and Afters ;)  - Just call me the beauty team that morning

Our photo shoot lasted until early afternoon. We shoot inside and outside and got lots of great images for us to use for our business. Once the photographer left we had a healthy lunch cooked on the grill.

AHHH!!! Our not so wanted guest at the photo shoot. Man did we scream like a bunch of girls when this guy came out to visit us.

Then we packed up and headed over to the lake. We had rented a boat for the day because after all the retreat can't be all work with no play. The weather was so so but the rain managed to hold off until the end. It give us enough time to get some tubing in too.

A few of my Team Fit & Fabulous diamond coaches

Off to go boating

Once we got home piled into the hot tub that our house had and sipped on some tasty margaritas that I made before we went upstairs to feast on our taco and ice cream sundae bar that we planned for the night. We might drink Shakeology on most days but sometimes you have to cheat a little on your meal plan.

Cheers to hard work and big goals! 

Once dinner settled we spent quite some time working on our vision boards. What is a vision board? It's a goal board where you write out your goals that you have set for yourself for the next year. Not all of the goals have to be business goals some can be personal too. It was a great bonding event to sit around the table with these other women and listen to the vision they are creating for their futures. It's powerful when you can surround yourself with the "dreamers" in life

Crafting our dream boards

After the vision boards were done we wrapped up the night sitting on the couches watching movies and doing a little bit of work from our phones and laptops.

The weekend came to a close on Sunday morning. We had one last healthy meal together before we packed up and all headed back to our separate worlds.

Gluten free oats with berries, slivered almonds and cinnamon

Team Fit & Fabulous and One Fit Fam  thank you for making this such an incredible weekend. Until next time!! Looking forward to sharing our Elite Ski Retreat with you all in a few short months.

Have you thought about becoming a Beachbody Coach yourself? Curious what it's all about? Join me over on my LIKE PAGE this Wednesday at 9 pm EST for a live Q&A about coaching. Please fill out the application below and I will be in touch with you shortly.

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Beachbody Health Bet - Want To Lose Weight and Gain Some Money?

What Is The Health Bet All About? 

Maybe you have started to get word that BEACHBODY IS GOING TO PAY PEOPLE TO GET HEALTHY DURING THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER. Yes you read that right. There is going to be a challenge coming up soon called the "health bet." This is going to begin on September 5th and wrap up on October 2nd. 

Here is how it will work - 

You will need to be enrolled in a challenge group with a coach using the my challenge tracker app. Please click here if you would like to have me as your coach and sign up for your free account. Each week you will need to log at least three workouts and five days of shakeology consumption in your app. Those who have met these qualifications during the entire challenge period will be entered in the pot to win some of the prize payout. 

Beachbody has already contributed 1 million dollars to the prize pot. During the month of August $5.00 of each challenge pack sale will also go into the pot until it caps itself out at 3 million dollars. How much will you win? Who knows until you play. Regardless if you win one dollar or a hundred dollars your going to win either way because you will have taken steps to improve your health. 

Please feel free to email me with more questions or fill out the application below so that you can join in on the fun. I have included a summary of the health bet in the video below. Take a listen and consider giving it a try!

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Be Nice To The Principal

What It's Like To Walk In Some Pretty Big Shoes....

As your children head back to school this fall and you're gearing up for another year I want you to take just a short minute to be grateful for your child's principal. I want you to remember my message if you ever have to work with them during the year. Most of the attention is given to the teachers as it should be during back to school, but there is also someone very important running the school who you should be grateful for too.

I am going to share with you what life looks like on the "other side." My opinion is just that, an opinion. Before I start I should explain myself. I was a high school business education teacher for six years. I loved every minute of it. My days were crazy but always an adventure. While teaching I was working to get my masters degree in educational leadership to become a high school principal. Last school year I was given a golden opportunity that I will be forever grateful for. At 28 years old, I was offered a position as the Dean of Students at my high school I was already teaching at. I was in charge of the 12th grade. I had a nice size class around 450+ students. I was responsible for everything from daily discipline, IEP meetings, truancy meetings, 504 meetings, parent meetings, teacher meetings - the list goes on. The only thing I was not able to do as a Dean was teacher observations because I was not finished with my certification. Aside from those observations, I very much was living the role of a high school principal.

It was everything I THOUGHT I wanted for my career until I actually lived it. Truth be told, it was the hardest most stressful and on most days the most thankless job I have had in my entire life. It looked glamorous on the outside. I had my own office, a fancy title, I got to make big decisions some days, I could set my calendar, I had secretaries to help me (they are saints by the way - honestly they deserve so much more recognition and respect than they get.) On the outside looking in it seemed like a very successful career move for me, but walking in the principal shoes are shoes I decided I couldn't wear anymore at least not for where I was right now in my life as a young mom.

What I will share with you is something that most principals would probably like to say, but never can or will because they live in the spotlight. Every move, comment and decision is criticized, watched and judged. When you're in a role like that one it's all eyes on you all the time. I always felt that way as a teacher to but even more so in this role. Since I have stepped away  from education entirely for right now, I feel I can say what I really think now without having to worry about my job being on the line.

When you work in this role it's like standing on a battlefield every single day with cannons coming at you from all directions at wicked speed. If it's not one thing, it's always another and what you think is on your calendar for the day is often so very different from what your day will really look like. In this role you are the first responder to all of the chaos that happens behind the scenes at a school.

If I could give you any advice it would be to give the principal some respect and stop questioning  every call they make. Know that the decisions they are making are not just for your child but for the entire school. They are playing by a rule book and they enforce it for everyone there. When they assign a detention to your child don't call them questioning their decision or arguing that your child will not be there. Stop letting your kids off the hook. If they are in trouble teach them to own it rather than how to get out of it. I saw so much of that. I was amazed with how many parents wanted to cover for them. It was a terrible thing to watch. It taught them nothing about natural consequences in life. Your child's poor choices are not the principal's fault or the teachers for that matter. While I will agree with you there certainly are issues that need addressed sometimes between teachers, students, parents and sometimes administration I would encourage you to not come at everyone with both guns a blazing. Yelling and screaming and demanding is no way to earn respect from the school. Your child is watching this behavior and if you're not careful they will be repeating it 20 years from now when they have children of their own.

I will tell you that I often saw more respect from families who were struggling financially than from those who were affluent. Many of the less fortunate parents were the parents who were on my team and were willing to hold their child accountable for their actions. They also were the parents who would even bring donuts with them to our meetings sometimes. Not to sweet talk me out of the problem at hand, but to simply say thanks for putting up with all of this. They would thank me for my efforts and they genuinely respected the calls that I sometimes had to make. I can't always say the same about the parents whose children came from more privilege. By no means am I trying to stereotype because there were lots of not so nice parents who would "come at you" from all income levels and backgrounds and also lots of wonderful parents who came from all income levels. I'm just trying to help you understand that respect matters and it is becoming a lost art at times.

I saw more mental health issues, drug, alcohol and self esteem issues that I ever could have imagined in one year. Each day I would came home and hug my sweet little four year old a little tighter and hope for a brighter future for him with less troubles than the ones these kids are dealing with right now. This generation is growing up in a very difficult time. It's tough to be a teen and I imagine will only get tougher. Show your children that you love them. Spend time with them. Let them know you're going to be there for them no matter what. Let them know it's okay to mess up as long as they learn from it. Most importantly, teach them how to have the courage to handle life's difficult situations on their own when they are faced with them.

Teachers I promise your issues matter to the principal. Whatever your situation is, they are working on it. Just remember there are lots of teachers and only one of them typically. Give them a chance to figure out a solution. They truly are there for you and your students and even if it doesn't always feel like it, they are on your team. I might also add that when you interact with your principal take a minute to ask how they are really doing. There were so many times when I would interact with my staff and they would ask how my day was going or what's new. If only I could tell them the truth. How hard it really is. How many fires I fought that day. How many times I was at the wrong end of the cannon that just went off. Instead I would smile and tell them things were great and kindly ask about their day and classes. You see when you're in that role, nobody wants your sob story and quite honestly nobody would understand it either. Your job is to stand tall when it's hard and to always keep your cool. Even when you're sweating it, you can't show it. When they say it's lonely at the top they really aren't kidding. These people carry the weight of the world on their shoulders every single day.

It's a hard job. This year try not to make it harder for them and remember they didn't just spend the summer off on vacation like everyone else. They have been working all summer to get the school ready for another great year. They are there because they care about your kids, the teachers and the future of public education. Show them that you appreciate their dedication and back off.

To any principal reading this - all my respect to you. May you have a wonderful year. It takes a special person to do your job. Don't forget that.

Country Heat Week 2 Recap

Week Two & Counting - Country Heat

Week two brought with a a few struggles that I had not planned for. My grandmother passed away on Tuesday. While I actually still stayed on track and did my workouts each day I found myself struggling with my nutrition. I just didn't feel like eating all that much and I will confess I had a few slip ups with my eating. One of which included a not so gluten free pizza. If your following my journey with this you know that I am staying gluten free because of my Hashimotos disease. It is an autoimmuine disease where my body attacks my thyroid and prevents it from functioning correctly. There is lots of research indicating that that eliminating gluten can help make me feel a lot better. I have found this to be true and have been working hard for many months to be strictly gluten free. 

The workouts have become easier for me. I actually have some of them down enough that I wouldn't even be embarassed if others saw me dancing to them. What I am enjoying most about Country Heat is that it's truly fun and a great workout. It does not feel like "work." I have found myself looking forward to the workout time each day. This week we added in an additional 23 minute dance conditioning routine on top of the daily workout twice a week. We learned two new routines to keep it interesting. I would highly reccommend not skipping the dance conditioning one because it seems to be how I am going to really tone my core and arms. Country Heat has lots of lower body work and this seems to be a great way to work the upper body. 

This week I had much fancier meals than usual. I had signed us up for a weeks worth of Blue Apron dinners and man were they ever delicious and sophisticated. I was impressed with the freshness of the food and how elobrate and healthy the recipes were. I would reccommend anyone give it a try. 

I posted this picture and quote earlier this week on social media. The quote spoke a lot to me about how far I have come on my own health and fitness journey. I have made so many changes, I truly would never want to go back to the old me. It wasn't something that happened over night but little by little I began to become a healthier and happier Sarah. You can too with the right mindset. 

Below you will find the meal plan I will be following for week 3. No Blue Apron this week for us, I had to do the planning and prepping this week. Thinking I will do Blue Apron again next week though. Most all of it fix into my meal plan for Country Heat. 

Interested in being one of my clients? I would love to have you in my next upcoming accountability group. I would be glad to proivde you with personalized support. Please fill out the application below and I will be in touch shortly.

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Country Heat Week One Recap -

Week One Country Heat

After getting my hands on Country Heat at our Coach Summit event in Nashville I didn't want to waste any time getting started with the program. I have been carrying around an additional 10 lbs since our recent miscarriage and I wanted rid of it. I knew that this was going to be the program that did it for me. My clients in the test group with me started their workouts this week but I thought it would be a good idea to be a week ahead of them so I knew what they should expect. Each week you will find a recap on here from me with details about each week is going. Since we got home late Sunday I was not able to get to the grocery store until Tuesday so my meal plan ran Tuesday - Saturday. Saturday and Sunday we were away for the weekend so my meal plan was a little non existant on Sunday. I had one cheat snack and had some vanilla ice cream while we were away. All in all I was pretty impressed with how on track I was. I managed to stay away from most all foods with gluten in them. (I have Hashimotos diesase and it's highly reccommened that I avoid it.) In addition to following the meal plan I am including Shakeology daily into my diet. I always use it so that won't be a change for me. I love how it makes me feel. To be honest I have hardly missed a day in over two and a half years. 

I was craving ice cream late at night earlier this week and decided my goals were too important so I whipped up some chocolate coconut banana Shakeology Ice Cream instead of the real deal.

In addition to following the meal plan I am including Shakeology daily into my diet. I always use it so that won't be a change for me. I love how it makes me feel. To be honest I have hardly missed a day in over two and a half years. 

The struggle is so real when your getting back on track. Trying to "detox" from gluten and totally wanted to eat this entire box of snacks my son was having. 

One of my many yummy meals I made for myself from the meal plan. 

I did a youtube video for my clients on how to plan and prep your meals for Country Heat. 

You can access the meal planning tips by clicking below to launch the video. This was something that I put together for my clients doing Country Heat along with me. 

The good news is that my hard work paid off. Since starting on Tuesday I am officially down 4 lbs and feeling a lot less bloated. My nutrition was absolutely the missing piece. I had been working out and drinking my Shakeo each day before but I was eating whatever I wanted whenever I wanted and it was catching up with. Stay tuned for more updates and week and more meal plans from Country Heat. If you would like to be included in my next Country Heat accountability group, please fill out the application below. 

Not bad for week one! Down 4 lbs. 

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