Skinny Jeans Are Coming....whether I am ready or not

No matter how hard I try, I can't run away from my retail roots. As soon as August hits, my thoughts are filled with denim, denim walls and wondering what denim will be on sale. Because if we are being honest here.....Fall means honey crisp apples, pumpkin flavored everything, boots and denim. LOTS of denim.

As a former pusher of denim, I was super curious about what exactly the trends were going to be this year and one of the big ones....high rise denim. I grabbed a pair of these to check them out and oh my word is the waist TINY. Maybe I am used to looking at jeans cut to fit around the hips but I immediately sucked in and tried to figure out if I would even be able to button them.  It was at that moment that I knew I NEEDED to do another fall denim challenge group.

So what I am dishing up for August....A 30 day Skinny Jeans Challenge

How would it work?

For 30 days I would put you in a closed Facebook group with others trying to achieve the same goal (including me! yay!) We will break our goals down into weekly 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 14 and Day 30.

We will post daily in the group and rate our day on a scale of 1-5, 5 being the best and 1 being the worst. We will rate our diet and our exercise (basically how hard you brought it!) and whether or not we had our Shakeology.

We will commit to trying out Shakeology for 30 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 (keyword 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 eat clean. (For more info on what that means read this.) But basically just strive to eat real, whole food. No chemicals and no processed food. I will provide you with recipe ideas, meal planning and all the tools that have worked so far for me on this journey.

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 currently doing a PiYO and Les Mills Pump hybrid. 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 kiddo 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.

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

Need even more incentive? 

For the FIRST time I am SO EXCITED to offer a challenge group grand prize! I am partnering with a few coaches to make this happen. The goal here is to get you into a new, smaller pair of jeans. So what better prize than a gift card to your favorite store to make that happen?*  

Our official start date is August 25.


Want to join us? Fill out the application below

*amount will vary based on the number of participants signed up for the challenge. To be eligible for the grand prize participants must have purchased a challenge pack during the month of  August  2014. 

Fill out my online form.

Use Wufoo templates to make your own HTML forms.

Getting It Together (and how everyone going back to school inspired me to get more organized)

There is  (a very nerdy) part of me that used to love the start of the school year because it meant I could go shopping for school supplies. Planners and calendars, binders and folders in all sorts of colors and patterns that would help me stay organized and on top of everything. I also loved being a student. If I could I would stay in school forever. I don't know if it was nostalgia that had me caught up in the whole I miss being in school thing or if it was just the fact that I couldn't live with the chaos that has filled my days for the last month. I desperately felt the need to get organized. I am guessing it is because I haven't yet felt like I have it together since moving home and I am constantly running to catch up (ok not guessing -- I know this is the feeling plaguing me.) And I hate that constantly behind on everything feeling. So I did what I do best - I made some lists.

I love lists. I love crossing things off of lists. I love using different colored pens or highlighters to organize my lists. And then my lists started to majorly stress me out.

They were long. I wasn't crossing off quite as many things as I felt I should be. Things were just carrying over to the next day. It just made me feel like I couldn't get anything done. I was interrupted by toddler pedicure time -- all over my living room. Or potty training problems (yes this is still an issue here. Ugh)

After a call from my friend Katy (check out her blog here) I realized I needed more than lists. I needed to stop just trying to get things done and plan the time I was going to get things done. I needed to stop seeing how the day goes by taking that day and making it mine. I am a grown up (even though I don't feel like it) and I am the person who shapes my day. This whole day shaping me thing is not working. So why not change it. I am the boss of me. I can make these authoritative decisions (right?)

With this (tentative) realization I came to the heartbreaking realization that I may have to break up with my planner. I love my planner. I order it every year from PaperSource and it makes me feel so warm and fuzzy inside. It is small enough to tuck in the diaper bag (or purse someday-- am I ever going to get to carry a purse again?) The colors are pretty and muted. The font is clean and well choosen. There is plenty of space for my large, obnoxious (and often illegible) handwriting. It is also spiral bound so I can leave it open to the week we are on so I don't have to flip through pages when I need to check something (and yes this may make me a bit lazy.)

I spent some (ok too much) time searching various places online looking for my perfect replacement planner. It just didn't happen. It took me years to find the one I love now. So I had to come up with another plan. And it hit me that I should just make one. I mean I did go to school for graphic design (among other things much to my husband's dismay) and that all that education just kind of sits there dusty in my brain (until my friends or family get married and then I get to stretch out those design muscles and make some pretty rockin' invitations.) So it's not a wedding but I could do it.

And I loved it. Adobe Illustrator and I get along pretty well and it showed. I have a nice section to plan my day by the hour. Plus I could print out a new schedule for every day, since my days are all very different in terms of where I need to be and what I need to get done. I also added a section to track my meals, my water and other things I need to get better at (like writing here) make it work for me. And this was a major relief.

I am happy writing in what I need to do each day and planning when I can get it done. And when I have a plan like that I am much more likely to follow. Having to stop something I am in the middle of because it is time to move onto something like cleaning my house is going to be a challenge but overall I really think I am going to get more done. And that should make everyone happy.

As I was dancing in my chair, pleased as punch with myself, I also started thinking about how this would be a great tool for those just learning to embrace clean eating. One of the biggest challenges for me was making myself eat smaller meals five to six times a day. Especially when I was busy, running around, chasing a toddler, and organizing 22 high school girls into cheer lines and keeping track of their schedules, plus a million other things that will inevitably crop up -- like baking cookies for the cheer cafe when I get a last minute call they don't have enough stuff and I can't say no (another problem of mine that I am hoping this detailed day planning will help address) or permanent marker on the walls or a runaway dog we have to spend two hours looking for only to come home and find him on my porch with the whole Where have you guys been? I am so thirsty and I have been waiting here for you because I love you. And you are my master and I love you look on his face. 

So why not whip up one for my challenge groups? So not only do you get meal planning (and a weekly meal planner) but a daily organizer as well. I am pretty excited about this and helping other people possibly find the (maybe borderline OCD) level of organization that makes me feel sane and in control. Check out the document below and let me know what you think.

I am kind of really excited about this. And excited to announce my September Challenge groups.

On September 3 I am going to start a 90 day TurboFire challenge group. I am absolutely in love with this workout and with Chalene Johnson. It comes with a 90 day schedule and what's even better is 90 days means it will be ending the Monday before Thanksgiving. What a better way to show up for the holidays than in awesome shape? (And for me it means being excited to be in all the pictures this year!) And to sweeten the deal TurboFire is on sale until the end of August. It is pretty great deal.

For more information on TurboFire check out this post.

I am also going to run a 30 day clean eating and Shakeology group that focuses on clean eating including - recipes, meal planning and how to get it all done.


 For information on either of these groups or to enroll send me a message on Facebook or email me at saractodd@gmail.com

How Most of my Adult Life has Revolved Around Denim (and the August Skinny Jeans Challenge!)

August, dreaded by kids (and sometimes teachers) typically means the end of summer. Saying goodbye to days at the pool and trading them in for hoodies and sweaters. For years August meant something more to me than having to kick cheerleading practice into high  gear (and wearing yoga pants every day,) it meant BTS was upon us. I worked retail for a large part of my "past life" and Back to School was second to only one thing, Holiday. And BTS revolved around one thing - jeans. Wearing, selling, folding and knowing every last detail about every type of denim in the store, down to the stitching and why it is special. So when I saw pictures of the BTS meeting at my old stomping grounds, I was full of conflicted emotion ranging from the "Awww...I remember doing that!" *tear* to "Oh thank the Good Lord I came to my senses and am done with that!" *sigh*

The idea of buying new jeans (or trying on old jeans) can be super scary and I know I have a love hate relationship with most of the denim in my closet (for more than one reason- I am still haunted by thoughts of folding a never ending denim wall to perfection.) I actually have stacks of jeans organized by size in my closet, threatening to topple onto an unsuspecting victim if they were ever to enter my closet unwarned. (They also act as a booby trap to snooping babysitters who will never be able to get the pile back in order the way my crazy brain had it organized.)

Since a good part of my life has revolved around jeans -- either folding, selling, restocking, wanting or not wanting to wear them, I figured this was a great time of year to do a skinny jean challenge. (Or a drop a jean size challenge because John would love for me to actually use the jeans that are taking up valuable real estate in our tiny circa 1950's closet instead of just saving them "because they will fit one day I swear and then when I'm skinny I won't have to rush out and buy new jeans. So really I am saving you money!")

I also have a lovely pair of jeans I call the Mecca Jeans. Jeans I bought when I was skinny (but thought I was fat) and were my very favorite in the whole store but they were a size down. I have never once worn these jeans (and I bought them in 2002 - pathetic.) But every woman has something hanging in her closet she refuses to get rid because one day it will happen. Yeah. I have jeans for that. (And lots of other occasions too. I have a problem. If I took a pic of my t-shirt drawer it would be even more embarrassing.) So the question remains. What am I going to do about the 25 or so pairs of jeans I have that do not fit? Run a rocking drop a jean size and skinny jean challenge group that's what (and maybe get a step closer to the Mecca Jeans and get rid of some in the process.) Plus jeggings didn't exist when I worked retail so if I can pick up a size down pair of those during all the BTS sales that would rock. Yay shopping!

So here is how it would work: 

For 60 days I would put you in a closed Facebook group with others trying to achieve the same goal (including me! yay!) 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 post daily in the group and rate our day on a scale of 1-5, 5 being the best and 1 being the worst. We will rate our diet and our exercise (basically how hard you brought it!) and whether or not we had our Shakeology.

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 eat clean. (For more info on what that means read this.) But basically just strive to eat real, whole food. No chemicals and no processed food. I will provide you with recipe ideas, meal planning and all the tools that have worked so far for me on this journey.

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 currently doing TurboFire and am in LOVE with it. It really gives my inner cheerleader some much needed attention. 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.

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 August 5th and the official kick off date of August 12th. Dust off all those old jeans because we are getting back in them (even if it is to decide that we hate them and want new ones!)

For more info shoot me a message, send me an email to sctodd@yahoo.com or leave a comment below.

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!)