New Year New You Challenge

The new year is here! The dust has settled (even though I am still trying to clean the glitter on the floor where my tree stood a few days ago.) And it is time to focus on what we want to accomplish this year. I hesitate to use the phrase New Year's Resolution. It causes such a reaction in people. They either embrace it or reject it and it's no wonder. Only eight percent of people actually accomplish their resolutions. EIGHT PERCENT! Crazy. And the number one resolution....to lose weight. (Thanks Statistic Brain for the resolution stats!)

So here is my thought on resolutions. If they work for you, great. If they get you started, great. If you use them to accomplish things, awesome. If they feel like a burden, ditch the term resolution. Just make the decision to change your life. It may be to lose weight, it may be to spend more time with your kids or your spouse or your friends. It may be to look for a new career and to take a different path. It may be to move somewhere you always dreamed (and the temperature never hits -12 below! It is freezing in the North East!) Set some goals. Make a plan. Make it happen. Sounds easy but this is one of those situations where it is much easier said than done.

Last year my goal was to get back to my working retail, running around like a crazy person weight. Did I get there, no? Did I start to blaze the path, yes. It was so much harder than I thought. I faced so many obstacles (including two cross country moves) where it would have been easier to just give up. Even if I took a week (or two) to throw myself a pitty party, I eventually put on my big girl pants and kept going. I didn't hit my goal weight but I changed my life. I consistently eat real food, better food. I consistently work out, it is part of my daily routine and I miss it when I don't (I know, crazy!) I consistently drink my Shakeology that gives me crazy energy and keeps me totally satisfied so I don't go running to sugary processed foods when the going gets tough. And that is what it is all about,
CONSISTENCY. 

So here is my challenge for you:


60 days. A closed Facebook group dedicated to working hard. Committed to each other through all of it. Even what I like to call the middle of the program slump-- where the excitement that propels you forward at the beginning has worn off and the end still seems so far away. (This is where I struggle the most and what I think is the hardest part!) We will break our goals down into 30 day and 60 day goals. We will talk about clean eating, meal preparation, meal planning and everything you need to get set up for success. We will measure progress by not just using the scale but by measurements and photos (I know. Super scary but when you think you aren't making any progress it is amazing to see what you actually done in the photos. Believe me. I've been there!) We will do this on Day 1, Day 30 and Day 60.

We will not only support each other with workouts but with clean eating as well. We will be dedicated to eating healthy foods that will fuel our bodies. We can share recipes and I will provide you with a meal planner and lots of ideas and lists for how to grocery shop and what to buy.Clean eating can be hard. It is hard to imagine but trying to eat 5-6 times a day can be tricky (and you think it would be easy. More food. Yay!) But I tend to get busy and forget and then over indulge later. I developed a planner page that will help you track your meals and plan your day so this doesn't happen. So not only do you get a weekly meal planner but you get a day planner as well so that nothing can be left to chance. 


We will commit to trying out Shakeology for 60 days. I know once I did it, I fell in love with the energy I had and how great I felt from getting all the nutrients I need. (*Side note* my nails look awesome. Better than when I was on prenatal vitamins. It is my current obsession since I have struggled with weak and peeling nails forever! One of the perks I didn't know I was going to get.) So Shakeology is going to fuel your body (key word fuel) with the vitamins and nutrients you need throughout the day. And there is a 30 day guarantee on Shakeology so if it isn't working for you, we'll talk (and you get your money back.) --For more on my experience Shakeology read this.


We will also commit to working out 5-6 days a week. I don't care if you run, walk or lift. Just get that body moving! If you already workout regularly think about stepping up your game. Adding some weight training to your cardio. If you don't have an exercise regimen we can talk about options. If you are interested in trying a Beachbody program, we can talk about that too and get you set up with something that totally works for you. There are so many options outside of P90x and Insanity (which I feel gets all the love) so if hard core intensity isn't for you, we can totally find something that is. I am in LOVE with Chalene Johnson and her workouts. Turbofire makes me so happy. It really gives my inner cheerleader some much needed attention. I have also found a lot of success with her other program, Chalean Extreme as well which offers low impact options and heavy lifting. I have found success with the at home programs from BeachBody because they are a killer workout and they all come with a schedule. So I can wake up, get my toddler some breakfast and toss in a movie, look at the schedule, pop in a DVD and press play. I don't have to worry about getting her ready to go to the gym with me or what series of exercises I am going to do that day. I know me and I need that schedule. I get really freaked out if I am going to miss a day and "mess up" the schedule or the order. But whatever works for you, we will make it happen.

We are going to check every day and post three things. If you had your shake, how your clean eating is going by rating it from 1-5 for the day and how much you brought it in your workout - also by rating it on a 1-5 scale. There will be ups and downs. There will be super awesome days and some cheat days. There will always be support, encouragement and tips on how to do it better tomorrow.

Plus I will give you daily motivation, tips and tricks and share all the research I have accrued over the last few months.

So the challenge starts with pre-season January 20th and the official kick off date of January 27th. For more info or to sign up for the challenge please complete the application here.

To sign up for a FREE Beachbody account click here. You will find message boards, articles and other motivational tools for you to use. (The goal tracker is my favorite!)