The Skinny on Fats

Banning fats from your diet in a quest to whittle that waist? Your skin won't thank you. Healthy bodies need healthy fats - and healthy skin needs essential fatty acids.

Natural Skin Care With Essential Fatty Acids

They're called essential fatty acids (EFA) for a reason -- your body needs them! And it doesn't make EFAs on its own; you only get them from the foods you eat.

Key elements in a natural skin care diet, essential fatty acids like omega-3s and omega-6s are the building blocks of healthy cell membranes. These polyunsaturated fats also help produce the skin's natural oil barrier, critical in keeping skin hydrated, plumper, and younger looking.

If you're not getting enough EFAs in your diet, your skin may be dry, inflamed, and prone to whiteheads and blackheads. Yet there's more to essential fatty acids than plumper skin.

Essential Fatty Acids: Skin Care and Body Booster

EFAs can be real skin care powerhouses. Research suggests that they may not only reduce sun sensitivity in those with photodermatitis, they may also diminish the inflammation associated with acne. Other studies found that psoriasis treatment that included medication and EFA supplementation was more successful than treatment with medication alone.

And omega-3s can help lower your risk of heart disease and stroke and may reduce symptoms of joint pain and depression. They may even boost your immunity and forestall Alzheimer's disease. Those are some powerful body-boosting fats!

Choosing Healthy Fats for Natural Skin Care

If you're ready to boost your body and skin with these smart fats, here's what you need to know: Most of us have diets woefully short on omega-3s and too rich in omega-6s. To boost body and skin, the idea is to keep these nutrients in balance, easier to do when you know their sources.

Omega-3s are found in:

• Salmon
• Mackerel
• Flax
• Safflower oil
• Walnuts
• Sardines
• Soy
• Fortified eggs

Omega-6s are generally found in:

• Baked goods
• Cooking oils
• Poultry
• Grains

A well-balanced diet contains proteins, carbohydrates, and these good-for-you fats. Healthy fats are vital to healthy bodies -- and great skin!

12 tips to get through the Holidays!

The holidays are a time of love, togetherness and – who are we kidding? – stress. Whether you’re traveling to or hosting your holiday gathering, you’re sure to need some major holiday stress relief. The biggest causes of holiday stress are relationships, finances and physical demands. Here are 12 tips to help you cope with all three so you, too, can avoid holiday stress.

1. Plan a Buget! Between gifts, travel, food and entertainment, it’s easy to overspend during the holidays if you aren’t careful. It takes about four months for the average credit-card user to pay off holiday-related bills. Don’t let finances stress you out. Simply stick to a budget. Figure out how much money you can afford to spend on a holiday, then don’t spend a penny more.

For gift-giving, it may be helpful to decide how much money you can spend on each person, then put that amount of cash directly into an envelope with the person’s name on it. When the envelope is empty, your shopping ends. No exceptions.

2. Focus on One Thing at a Time! Instead of trying to do everything at once, separate your tasks and tackle them one at a time. That way, you will be less likely to get sidetracked or have your mind wander. It also helps to have a list of all of your tasks so you can mark off each one as you complete it (Of course I brought up the to-do list, it's THAT important!). Plus, you’ll feel a greater sense of accomplishment when you can see all the things you have finished.

3. Simplify!!! If you feel pulled in too many directions during the holiday season (places to go and people to see), cut back on all of your outings. For example, many people’s Christmas stress stems from trying to juggle too many activities: office holiday parties, church events, Christmas caroling, tree-lighting ceremonies, pictures with Santa Claus, the Nutcracker ballet. Let each member of your family pick one or two activities that mean the most to them and save everything else for next year.

Find ways to simplify your holiday shopping as well. For example, a few weeks before the holiday, take a personal day at work and do all of your holiday shopping. Try to do it all at one shopping center, if possible, to eliminate the time and stress of travel. Or do all of your shopping from home via the Internet.

4. Say NO! Don’t let anyone pressure or guilt you into taking on more than you can handle. Simply decline, nicely but firmly, activities or engagements that you don’t have the time or energy to undertake. If you can’t say no (for example, to your boss), cut something else out of your schedule to make sure that you don’t become overbooked or overstressed.

5. Hold Your Tongue. The holidays are a time of family togetherness – and all the family drama that goes with it. When family members cram together under one roof, it is not uncommon for tempers to flare, especially with the added holiday stress. Keep the peace in your household by setting a good example. Practice forgiveness and accept your family members for who they are. And if that doesn’t work, remember what your mother always said: “If you can’t say something nice …”

6. Watch what you eat. We all have a tendency to overindulge during the holidays with sweets, fats, carbohydrates and alcohol. Unfortunately, the more fats and sugar you eat, the less energy you have, and you end up feeling even more stressed and run-down. Fill up on healthy snacks before you go to a holiday party. You’ll be less tempted to overeat on a full stomach. To keep your energy up during the hustle and bustle of holiday preparation, try eating mini-meals throughout the day.

7. Break a SWEAT!!!! Exercise is one of the best ways to help your body beat stress. But when you’re running around with a “to do” list as long as Santa’s, hitting the gym is usually the last thing on your mind. Just as it is important to maintain your normal diet during the holidays, it is essential to keep up with your normal exercise routine.

If you can’t squeeze in that hour-long cardio class, take the dog on a quick jog around the block or throw the football around in the backyard with your nieces and nephews. Yoga is a great exercise for holiday stress relief: You can stretch your muscles and relax your mind at the same time. Don't forget those shorter interval trainings like Turbo Fire's HIIT's or Shaun T.s Fast & Furious, burn a ton of calories in a short time.

8. Set aside some "me" time. Take a minimum of 15 minutes every day to kick back and relax by yourself. Take a walk around the block, sip a cup of hot tea or listen to some soothing music. A little alone time will help you recharge your batteries and put the rest of your holiday stressors in perspective.

9. Embrace your emotions. The holidays can be particularly stressful if you have recently lost someone you love or have gone through a divorce, or if you are spending the holidays alone. Recognize that your feelings of sadness and loneliness are normal. Allow yourself to express your emotions openly. Don’t force yourself to be happy just because it’s a holiday.

10. Give Back. Traditionally, many holidays are about giving. One great way of coping with stress is to give back to your community. Buy a gift for your favorite local charity, or donate money to a charity in a friend’s name. Volunteer at your local nursing home or soup kitchen. Helping others can fill you with a sense of joy like nothing else, especially if you can’t be with your own family during the holidays.

11. Keep your expectations realistic. Your family probably isn’t like the Cleavers, and your holiday probably won’t end up like a TV special. In real life, problems happen. Maybe you overcooked the turkey. Maybe your sister couldn’t make the drive up. Maybe you didn’t get through all the things on your “to do” list. Don’t sweat the small stuff. The holidays are a time to celebrate and give thanks for everyone and everything that you have.

12. Get Help. If you find that your feelings of sadness and anxiety last for more than a few weeks, if you notice that your eating and sleeping habits have drastically changed, or if you feel unable or unwilling to go about your normal daily activities, you could be dealing with more than just holiday stress. You might be suffering from depression. If you notice any of these symptoms, talk to your doctor or a mental-health professional. He or she can help you identify the root of your problem and figure out how to resolve it. Your doctor can also provide useful tips for coping with stress and depression in the future.

Between your budget, your family and your physical demands, you have enough on your plate during the holidays without having to deal with added stress. Use these tips on coping with stress to help put you back in the holiday spirit. Remember: You may not be able to make your holiday perfect, but you can certainly make it unforgettable. Go ahead and check “eliminate holiday stress” off your “to do” list.

Lets talk about sweat.

You always hear the saying, “lets go exercise and work up a good sweat" like sweating is a sign that you’ve had a good, productive workout. But what if you exercise and you don’t really sweat during the workout? Was that workout a lost cause? Does it mean you just didn’t exercise long or hard enough for it to be a productive workout?

Well let’s examine the facts here and dispel the ever popular myth about just why you sweat and it’s relation to exercise.

Your body is like an engine that never stops running and like all engines, it produces heat. The more your muscles contract, the more heat is produced. If the body didn’t have ways of keeping you cool, you would overheat and collapse within 20 minutes.

The first method is radiation where heat radiates out of the skin if the air around you is cooler than your body.
The second method is conduction which is the transfer of heat by direct contact such as swimming in a pool of cold water where the water absorbs your body heat.
The third method is convection where moving air cools us down like when you stand in front of a fan or when the wind blows.
The last method is evaporation where water from our blood absorbs the heat and rises to the surface of the skin through the sweat glands so it can evaporate creating a cooling effect.

In colder conditions, you will not need to sweat as much due to the body using radiation to keep cool. In hotter conditions, sweating is the primary method of keeping cool due to the air being hotter than your body but if there is humidity present, sweat cannot evaporate as well and that’s why you will see sweat dripping off you. Since in these conditions sweat doesn’t evaporate, radiation and convection (remember the moving air?) are used by your body to keep cool.

Everyone has a different sweating pattern. Gender, age, fitness level and environment contribute to how much you sweat. Women seem to sweat less and start to sweat at higher temperatures than men. People tend to sweat less as they grow old and thus cannot take the heat as well as a younger person but declining fitness levels may have something to do with that. In laboratory experiments where both young and old people were of similar fitness levels, there was no notable difference in their sweating process.

If you exercise in an air-conditioned room or outside when it’s a cooler time of year, you will not sweat as much because the cold air evaporates your sweat faster and also sets your body up to use more of the radiation method meaning your body can deal with the heat created by exercise more easily. It does not mean you are not burning as many calories because the intensity and length of time of your exercise is what determines caloric burn, not how much you sweat. You are sweating all the time but you just can’t see it because it is always evaporating.

If it were true that the more you sweat, the more calories you burn during exercise then it would also be true that you would be burning more calories simply sitting in a hot, humid room so as to build up a sweat but this is obviously not the case as the sweat you would be seeing is due only to the conditions of the room not allowing for evaporation for cooling the body.

Exercise produces heat, heat produces calorie expenditure, and you produce the same amount of heat whether exercising in a cold environment or a hot one so just because you don’t sweat as much in the colder environment does not mean your exercise session was less productive.

How many Calories should you eat?

There are different ways to calculate how many calories someone should take in, especially when it comes to men and women. This is a general guideline to follow. Some of the caloric equations out there do not factor in your normal resting metabolic rate (RMR).



A simple rule to follow, is a male burns 1 calorie per kilogram per hour and a female burns 0.9 calorie per kilogram per hour.


EXAMPLE: 140 lb female - change lbs to kilograms (140LBS = 63.5Kg) then use this formula to find the RMR. 63.5 kilograms x 0.9 x 24 = 1,372 calories



However, athletes need more calories for two reasons, 1) they burn a lot more calories and 2) they have more muscle. So it's important to add on 50% to your RMR to account for simple daily activities such as walking, working, and making dinner.

EXAMPLE CONTINUES: 1,372 x 50% = 686



Add 1,372 + 686 = 2,058



Active people usually burn an extra 250-1000 calories a day.



Depending on your goals, you'll have to subtract or add to your final number. If you want FAT LOSS, you'll want to create a deficit of 500-800 calories a day. You can do this with a combined effort in calorie intake reduction and exercise/training. This would create a weekly deficit of around 3,500 to 5,600 calories. As you may already know, it takes a reduction of 3,500 calories to lose one pound.



Highly recommend weight training. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you will burn at rest.

Final Results of TurboFire 5 day Inferno are IN!!

Okay. I said it before I'll say it again. This started out real rocky in the beginning, but toward the end of the week it was AMAZING!

Brief overview (yes, I'm dragging it out before I put my #'s down, deal with it):

This "inferno" was from Chalene Johnson's Turbo Fire.


I ate about 1200 calories for 5 days, menu was completely planned out exactly what to eat 5 time a day. Easy to follow.

I worked out every day. M-W-F were Fire 55EZ and Stretch 10, T-Th Fire 45, HIIT 20, and Stretch 10.

Okay, you may now start the drum roll.......the final #'s.........

Pre Inferno 10/17/10
Chest 34"
Right Arm 12"
Left Arm 11 1/2"
Waist 30 1/2"
Hips 42"
Right Thigh 23 1/2"
Left Thigh 23 1/2"

Total Inches 176
Weight 156.5

Post Inferno 10/23/10
Chest 33"
Right Arm 12"
Left Arm 11 1/2"
Waist 28 1/2"
Hips 40 1/2"
Right Thigh 23 1/2"
Left Thigh 23 1/2"

Total Inches 172 1/2
Weight 151.4

Total Inches lost: 3 1/2
Total Weight Lost: 5.1

Lets hear it for the waist and hips!! I've always have great upper body, it's my lower body that seems to show my weight fluctuation. I'm happy with losing a little in my hips but wish my thighs showed a little. BUT, yes a big ol' but, this is an awesome starting point for Monday. Monday I am going to push it (real good) and start another round of P90X, now when I say that I'm sure I'm going to sub some Insanity in, and some One on One in.


So stay tuned, my final Inferno results are just the beginning results for my next adventure.

♥♥

5 Day Inferno - Day 4/5

Oh man! It's getting easier. Is that good or bad? I made it through with only 1202 calories and I did Fire 45, HIIT 20, and stretch 10! I was not hungry throughout the day, I had tons of energy. I feel wonderful!

As I'm typing that out, I'm almost halfway through day 5. Still feeling good. I'm not really noticing the lack of calories right now. It's short-term so it's safe and reasonable. As for today, day 5, I have 1190 calories to eat and Fire 55EZ with stretch 10.

Hope to update with results tomorrow, stay tuned ;)

5 Day Inferno - Day 3

Today I didn't even have to use my A.K. I got to say it was a good day. Thanks Ice Cube. But that's totally how day 3 was, makes up for such a hard day 2.

Lets see, I did get a little messed up on my food yesterday. What? I know, it's all written out how could you get messed up? But I had snack 2 for snack 1! It's no biggie, but the baked potato lunch was quite filling for me. I made it all the way to dinner, which also stuck with me. I did make myself sit down and eat the missing snack after the kids went to bed.

Yesterdays workout was Fire 55EZ and stretch 10. Let me just say, my gluts and thighs, mostly inner thighs are telling me that they have been worked out this week. I'm not complaining, those are my trouble areas.

So onward to day 4 & 5!!

5 Day Inferno - Day 2

Day 2 of Inferno - it was really a love hate day. Here's why.

On the workout schedule was Fire 45 AND HIIT 20 AND Stretch 10. I did this after breakfast which was strawberry yogurt and some fruit. I did take a short break (only like 10-15 minutes) between Fire 45 and HIIT 20 because I knew if I wanted longer I probably wouldn't do it. I was able to muster through HIIT 20 and my heart rate monitor told me I burned an amazing 981 calories from that 65 minutes of training.

The down side of the 981 calories is that yesterday I only was to have a total of 1193 calories. So needless to say I started to have a rough time the rest of the day. I was HUNGRY!!!!! I could not wait to have any meal/snack! Everything tasted amazing, you know how it is when you're hungry and you finally get to eat, it's the best food you've ever had.

So, I'll admit it. I cheated. Yes, bash me all you want. I CHEATED! I was only supposed to have 4 oz of salmon at dinner. I had more. Come on!!! You saw how many calories I burned!! I couldn't do it. I was cleaning up after dinner and telling my husband about the cals burned and how I was going to skip going to karate (yes, I decided ANOTHER workout wasn't in the books for me and I actually didn't go to class) and then I looked over at the rest of the fish and thought, I so want to eat you. My husband was no help, he said and I quote him "eat it, it's salmon, you need it." So I did. It was 7 oz of fish I gobbled up.

So, lets hope today is better, but I have to say. I kinda cheated already. I was getting my daughters lunch ready and she wanted PB & celery, as I was pushing the PB off the spoon I licked it off my finger...GASP! I'm not counting that ;) This is the only place I wrote it down, but hey, I wrote it down. So when the 5 days is over and I say, "booo, I only lost X lbs and X inches" you all can remind me that if I didn't lick the peanut butter off my finger I would of lost more!

5 Day Inferno - Day 1

The other morning I pulled some pants fresh out of the dryer, and well, came to realize that my baggy pants I was going to replace fit...that means I somehow jumped back to my post-broken-foot-nothing-but-couch-activity-for-a-month weight. I guess I can be happy it wasn't post-baby weight.

A couple of things happened. Sick kids. Ugh! Up all night when them coughing/hacking and snotting, no fun. That means I didn't get my 8 hrs sleep. One thing that I tend to do when I don't get a good nights sleep is graze all day long. It's bad, I know, but my body wants energy so my brain says, "Hey, just go grab a handful of something quick, no one will notice."
Then it happened, the unmentionable. The I swear it never happens to me thing. I GOT SICK! I really don't remember the last time I was sick and it hit me like a rock. I had no voice for about a week. Then the voice was very sexy sounding since it was so hoarse from the coughing. I had it worst in the house. I haven't been that sick in AGES! When that happened I stopped working out. The grazing continued. That's a bad combo.

So back to the pants issue. I, like everyone else, deny. That morning the jeans kinda made me think I've got to stop or I'll lose this battle (I do also have hypothyroidism so weight gain is easy for me). I asked my husband at lunch if my weight gain was noticeable. He confirmed that it was. Sigh... but the sweat heart of a man that I married didn't want to say anything just yet because he knew I was sick and had my hands full with the house.

So, back to basics. Time to jump start my routine. Time to try something I didn't do at the begining of the program but should of. Something that can help people lose up to 10 lbs in 5 days. Something laid out and easy. Something called 5 day Inferno created by Turbo Fire and Chalene Johnson.


So, day 1. 1183 calories. 55 minute cardio along with a 10 minute stretch class.

I've made it through most of the meals. Turkey Bacon breakfast sandwich, banana & walnuts, tuna salad, honey dijon chicken with broccoli...Yummy, all of them. And there's 1 snack left, Shakeology with almond butter!! Tonight is Karate and PTF meeting so I had to fix dinner a little early, after the PTF the kids and I will enjoy some shakeology while we wind down for the day.

I'll update with my ups and downs and hopefully downs with the weight and inches at the end of the 5 days!!! Thanks for following my ride!

Now's the time!!!

Please take 5 minutes to read this! It could change your life or at a minimum save you some dolla-dolla bill$!!!

You will have an opportunity to get involved at the ground level. Many of you may NOT be interested in being Beachbody coaches but did you know a coaching account can also be used just to save $$$$$$$$$$$??? This works kind of like a Sam's or Costco membership...but for Beachbody. Are you using Shakeology, the recovery formula or just ordering a ton of workouts??? Why are you paying retail??? The one and ONLY way to get a discount on Beachbody products is to have a coaching account. To get a "discount" coach account all you have to do is sign up for a coach account and then you get full access to the programs and nutritionals at a 25% discount!!! The cost of the "discount" coach account is $39.99 for setup and $15 a month maintenance.

NOW!!! GET READY FOR THE CRAZINESS!!!

Are you always telling your friends about Beachbody products???
Are you sharing your results with others???
Are you excited and passionate about fitness and nutrition???

Did you know that you are already coaching but not getting PAID??? Did you know that you don't have to be a licensed trainer or nutritionist to be a Beachbody coach??? You are already doing what a Beachbody coach does, we suggest programs and nutritionals to help others on their fitness journey, we motivate and encourage our "workout buddies," and we are PASSIONATE about Beachbody programs!!! Pretty simple huh?!?

If you are ready to get paid to do what you are already doing then you need to be a Beachbody coach!! Check out these videos at www.myfitnesspays.com

If you sign up for an account to "coach" and help others in their fitness journey, I will mentor you to your success. I will show you how to build a future for yourself physically and financially. It does take time and energy but it so worth it and REWARDING to help others!!

Additionally, if you also buy Shakeology home direct or go all in with a grand opening pack when you sign up, you will get your choice from one of several business starter items to get you well on your way in your business from day ONE as a free gift from me! These include rebates up to $125 dollars, t-shirts, and business development packages!

When I heard about coaching, I said to myself... "Let me give this thing 1 year" It was the best decision I ever made!!! Give it a shot!!! If it isn't for you then you can cancel your account…no questions asked.

To get involved at the ground level for the next line of my business center please email me so that I can book an appointment for you to sign up. You will get in on a first come first serve basis. If you are doing the account for the discount this isn't important but if you want to build a financial future for yourself then it is VERY important WHEN you get in!!!

Let me if you have any questions!! This is a very exciting time for me, and I hope for you too!! Don't miss it!! You can email me coachlaraz@gmail.com or find me on facebook! I hope you'll join me on this journey, you see my passion, are you ready to join us on the battle to get people fit and healthy?

What's This "Coaching Thing?"

Many people have asked me what this 'coaching thing' that I'm doing. And I've never been so excited to give out information that I'm so confident in. Beachbody coaching has given me the opportunity to meet so many great people, help them get physically in shape and have a financial future in the midst of this economic downturn.



What do 'Coaches' do?

1) I commit to a fitness/nutrition programs (at 25% discount) that has been tested to work!

2) I keep track of my progress, and share it with others on WOWY, Facebook, and Twitter.

3) I get others to join me on the health and fitness journey, and we hold each other accountable.

4) I sign them up as coaches, so that they can spread the news... just as I have done.

5) I help my personal coaches build their business with one on one support and training.



How do 'Coaches' get paid?

1) Commission: Getting someone started on their weight loss journey, through a Beachbody product.

2) Team Bonuses: By getting a team of coaches to partner with you, your endeavors to end the obesity pandemic pay off…literally ;) Beachbody rewards you for your team’s successes!


Frequently asked questions:



1) “I'm not quite at my weight goal yet. I'll consider coaching once I'm in shape.”

DON’T BE SILLY! Start now! You're in the same shoes as your potential customers. The only difference is that you are proactive. They can relate to someone who is “not quite there yet” vs. the intimidating buff guy. Plus tracking extreme progress makes results seem even more achievable. Others will take notice and want to know exactly what you did...so you say, “Well, this Beachbody program...”



2) When did I start coaching? Is it worth it? July 2009

Still coaching...October 2010 and making enough money to get my family the "extra" things in life and my personal order of Shakeology on home-direct! :) YES, it's worth it! We are also on one of the fastest growing teams in the business!





3) “I hate to sell. I'm not much of a people-person; this coaching thing isn’t for me.”

Begging people to buy things that they could do without is selling. Coaches don't sell... we recommend what has worked for us personally. We are products of the product, telling our stories. This business is simply like you recommending the newest restaurant or movie to your friends. It’s so simple! The 10 step game plan, your business plan is going to keep you focused. Following these steps are the key to your success.





4) “I don't have time to start a business; it sounds like a big time commitment.”

You’re too busy? I’m sorry but that excuse has already been taken. Top coach, Traci Morrow, is a mother of SIX! And I am a stay at home mom of two, I'm active in Karate AND now tackling our home improvements (with the help of my beachbody income, thank you!).



Every time I sign onto Facebook, out of my own enjoyment, I'm signing into 'work' to answer fitness/diet questions. As a coach, you are your own boss. You promote when you want, or not at all. Now of course, the more time you put in, the faster your business will grow. Another way that I 'work', is keeping Shakeology samples/pamphlets on me... you never know when you'll run into someone who randomly mentions that they are trying to eat clean. I keep a Beachbody box in the back of my car for any moment that arises.



5) “I don’t have the money to start a business, it’s too expensive.”

Of course all businesses have a start-up cost. Restaurants can cost millions, manufacturing billions, eBay stores, hundreds…but Beachbody? How about ONLY $39.95 to get your business off the ground running? It’s only 14.95 a month after that. Where can you start your own business, be your own boss, work your own hours for less than 15 bucks a month? Speaking of, Beachbody covers your entire inventory! You simply send people to your website (that Beachbody GIVES YOU) and have your customers purchase off of there. Beachbody packages and sends the product to your customer AND completes ALL of your billing transactions for you! It’s one of the cheapest businesses around to own, and most likely one of the most financially rewarding.



*For those non-coaches who have already used a Beachbody product... didn't you brag about your results and give endless tips to anyone who would listen??? USE YOUR STORY to help others. We are a people helping people business…the famous quote from the Beachbody CEO.



If you are interested further, you can contact me directly by e-mail at coachlaraz@gmail.com or on facebook. I’d be happy to talk to you more about getting started with Beachbody. Let's GO! =)

Keeping Yourself Motivated.

1. Set goals

Goal setting can motivate you by giving your workouts a sense of purpose and drive. Set some smart goals today.

2. Write down your reasons, your "Why?"

Think about your reasons for wanting to lose weight and write the top 10 down on a piece of paper. Read those reasons every morning and evening and see how motivated you are.

3. Keep a visual reminder

Make a collage of your reasons using pictures photos and such. Keep it at a place you can see every day.

4. Document your progress

Keep track of your workout and diet stats - what you ate and what exercises you did against what weight load, intensity and speed. Seeing your progress will motivate you.

5. Mark off your weight lost

Write the amount of weight you want to lose on the top of a paper. Count down until you read zero on the bottom of the paper. Each week as you lose weight, mark the number down of the amount you still need to lose.

6. Have a workout buddy

Working out with a friend can be great motivation and she will help you commit to your workout appointment.

7. Have positive and healthy rewards

Reward yourself when you reach your goals or at the end of a hard week. You will be so motivated from that and you will look forward to your workouts.

8. Buy new workout clothes

Buy yourself new exercise clothes, especially when you are going into smaller sizes, this was one of the best motivators for me.

9. Listen to upbeat music while working out

Listening to upbeat music will make you enjoy the workout more and you will be motivated to exercise harder.

Shakeology, more than just a drink!

Chocolate Shakeology Pancakes


1 chocolate shakeology pack (or 1 scoop)
1/4 cup skim milk
1/4 cup eggwhites
good dash of cinnamon powder
2 tbsp all natural almond butter
1/8 teaspoon baking powder

Whisk together in a bowl.
Use a relatively small frying pan unless you want 1 large pancake. I found it was easier and I made 2 medium size ones. Spray the pan first with olive oil spray. Only takes a minute or two so watch it and cook on low heat so it cooks through and doesn't burn!


Chocolate Shakeology Pie


. 1-1/2 scoops Chocolate Shakeology
. 1/2 cup unsweetened peanut butter
. 1 container tofu (12 oz.) {my Container was 14oz.}
. 2 Tbsp. soy milk
. 2 Tbsp. agave nectar
. 1 graham cracker pie crust

Blend or food-process peanut butter, tofu, Shakeology, soy milk, and agave nectar until smooth and creamy, adding more soy milk if necessary. Pour into pie crust and refrigerate until firm (about 1 hour). Serves 8.

TOTALS for 1/8th Pie : Calories: 281, Carbs: 33 g, Fat: 11 g, Protein: 11 g

Shakeology® No-Bake Cookies


* 1 cup of raw almond butter
* 1 cup of organic oatmeal (quick)
* 1/3 to 1/2 cup of organic honey (according to desired sweetness)
* 1 cup of Chocolate Shakeology

Combine in bowl and mix well. Roll into balls (about a heaping teaspoon). Makes 10 cookies.

Optional: Roll the balls in crushed nuts or unsweetened coconut flakes before serving.

Nutritional Information (per cookie)
Calories Carbs Protein Fat Saturated Fat Fiber
249 22 grams 10 grams 15 grams 1.5 grams 2.5 grams

Take control of your life and finances: