Becoming Diamond

As a coach we have options to get promoted. We have special ranks- 1st is what we call Emerald. 2nd is what we call Diamond. 3rd is Star Diamond and you can earn MANY stars, which leads to higher bonuses and income :)

I just started coaching April 1, 2011 and I never thought I'd reach the rank of qualifying as a 1-star Diamond in under 4 months. It was a milestone enough for me to reach diamond in 90 days! But star diamond? WOW!

It takes an amazing team to help you reach this level. To my right you see a girl in the Insanity fan page picture. That is my rockstar, Ashton.

You see Ashton quit on me EVERY other day when she started as a coach. Every other day I'd wake up to a message from her telling me about how she is going to quit. I'd have to tell her to keep pressing on. Literally I'd go about my day trying to figure why this girl kept quitting. I mean do we quit with our fitness? Why do people give up so easy? It takes a LOT of failures to reach success. It takes a strong person to do that as well.

Ashton, is now a diamond coach. In under 90 days she too made that rank, helping me to reach the qualifying Star-Diamond rank!

I want to encourage each of you on whatever journey in life you are on, to keep pressing on. Whether it's fitness, nutrition, a relationship, family, a job- keep pressing on. It's all mental- you can do it- you have to tell yourself 24/7 that YOU CAN DO ANYTHING. I mean that.

I'll say it again- YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU PUT YOUR MIND TO!

I still cannot tell you how amazing it is to be where I'm at as a coach. I took 8 months to decide to do this business- 8 months!!! Do you know where I'd be had I started 8 months ago? EEK!

If you want to help other get healthy and fit, and get paid for doing it- message me to join my rockin' team!

I'm here to mentor and grow diamonds :) After all they are a girls best friend <3

Fit Club Begins

Today marked my 1st Fit Club! I partnered up with 2 other coaches here locally in Chicago to put together a Fit Club. I supplied the gym, they supplied the Shakeology, projector, tables, and tons of tools to make this day happen!

We chose to do TurboFire- Fire 30! I just LOVE TurboFire! I had a lot of fun! We mixed up lots of Shakeology and Results and Recovery formula to sample for our guests.

We call ourselves Team Chicago- Trendsetters Fit Club! I look forward to our Fit Club growing!

I even tried Greenberry Shakeology today and it was yummy!

Gotta love working up a sweat in such a short period of time! I am SO sore right now!

We had great stories from the coaches in todays Fit Club.

I am looking forward to seeing this grow!

Being a Beachbody Coach

Wow. It's been sometime since I last blogged! Summer is busy!!!





I wanted to talk about being a coach today. If you are in the thinking process of becoming a coach then this is for YOU!





There is such an amazing accomplishment in being a Beachbody coach. Money is truly icing on the cake. As a coach you are motivating and supporting others on their journey and this does not mean you have to be in great shape! I am still on my own journey. I personally see it as a lifestyle, a continuing journey to a healthy life. So if not being 'ready' to coach is because you have not reached your goal weight or measurement yet- then let that go! It'll be amazing to have people to mentor and support while continuing on your own journey. It keeps you accountable as well as your clients.





Everyone is skeptical about this business. I was SO skeptical. I thought, researched, and sat still on it for 8 solid months. I have done some businesses like this before and all have failed, so believe me when I say I was SO skeptical. What is the catch? How does this work? Is this a waste? how much money will I lose?





But I continued to think about how all I really wanted to do was help motivate others on their fitness journey. I thought about personal training certifications too. The cost for me to go to classes was a bit outrageous for me at the time, so becoming a coach was my beginning start.





I am super passionate about helping others reach their fitness goals. People deserve to live a healthy life and if they want it, I am here to help them.





I have told everyone since day 1- I am here to help, support, and motivate you all free! If you choose to purchase any Beachbody products,then I ask you do it through me so I get the credit. (insert making $$$)



It's not easy. No one said success was easy. If success was easy we'd all be there right now. Just like weight loss and fitness. If it was easy, we would not have an obesity problem in the USA. It takes work. It takes some time and patience. But if you work smart- it wont take much of your time. The payoff will come and you wont believe your eyes.





I can tell you now that I do not believe my eyes!!! I am about to go on a free vacation all paid for by Beachbody to a 5+star hotel in the Bahamas!!! How awesome is that?!





I am getting ready to be certified to teach TurboKick and Hip Hop Hustle to my local clients. Do you know how much FUN that is?! Nothing like getting a good sweat while dancing and listening to awesome music.





I have met some amazing people on this journey, some I see to be best friends for life. I can probably name a person in every state that I know. Every single time my husband and I go on a trip to a state I will likely tell him "I want to go see my friend X"





I've already met a couple and will be meeting even more in the next couple months and am so excited for the relationships growing from this.





This has brought me extra income, allowing me to stay home (future stay at home mom here!!) while helping others with their health!





I am not a professional. I am not a nutritionist. I am not a personal trainer..(YET!) You do not need to be ANY of these to become a coach. This is starting your own business and growing it however big you'd like to grow it. I am soooo excited to see what the future holds as a coach.





I love what Beachbody stands for and how much it has done for people. I love the programs and especially love Shakeology. I love to see people happy and growing in their health. I want to fight cancer and heart disease and any other diseases that come with obesity. I want to be able to say 'I did everything I could to prevent this.'





There are fees that come with owning your own business. $25 to get your business starter kit and $15 website maintenance and marketing tool fee per month. THAT is IT! When you start making some money that is NOTHING!!!! Ever own your own business before? You know what money goes into it right?





Right now if you are acitve military or your spouse- you can sign up as a coach FREE! This means no sign up fee and no website fees!!! How awesome is that?!?!? Starting up your own Beachbody business free!





I can't even describe how fun and amazing this journey has been and I have only been in it since April! The friends, the fun, the money, and of course the free vacation :)

If you have ever thought about this opportunity- give it a shot! Shoot me a message and we will get you going! If it isn't for you within 30 days you get your starter kit fee back!

In the meantime- Happy Sweating!

xoxo

Shakeology Ice Cream

RECIPE:

1 Scoop Chocolate Shakeology

1/2 scoop BSN Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Powder

LOTS of ice and some water

Mix into blender and top with your favorite nuts and/or berries!

I got the Shakeology Ice Cream idea and a similar recipe from another Beachbody Coach.

That recipe was with actual natural peanut butter & a protein powder. I decided to use my Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Powder instead of the regular stuff! It tastes great!

This is a great idea for when you want ice cream. You can whip it up in about 5 minutes and get a sweet cool treat!

Give it a try! You wont be sorry!

Insanity Check In & Fit Club Action

Today marked day 32 of the first round of Insanity for me.

I had to do Max Cardio Conditioning & Cardio Abs.

Boy was it painful!

As you know I am standing up in a wedding next weekend and I have been working hard to look good for it. The dress is not so flattering on me and I would like to look decent.

***Photo above is me with Rocco & April- 2 local Beachbody coaches on my team!

I've been training 2 hours a day 3 days a week and 1 hour a day 3 days a week, resting 1 day a week. I've also replaced a meal with Shakeology & have kept my cheat meals to a minimum of 1 a week.

I switched up Insanity a bit and moved from week 3 down to week 6. I am on week 7 going into week 8 and saving recovery week for right after the wedding. I recreated the program. We will see how my results turn out! I am extremely conditioned as it is from my everyday training so I felt comfortable jumping ahead.

This morning I went to a local Fit Club Launch and did TurboFire for the first time. We did HIIT 25 and Core 25. It was so much fun! The sweat started pouring down, but I was having a great time doing it.

I met 2 fellow coach teammates at the Fit Club.

So in total I did 3 workouts today and my body is ready to rest! Thank God for rest day tomorrow!

I've noticed a HUGE change in my body, it's shrinking even more! I see more definition in my abs and arms. I think I just might pull off wearing this dress next week!

I'm looking forward to going back to Fit Club & starting TurboFire in the future.

Happy Sweating!!

xoxo

Insanity ~ Weight Training Check In

Today is day 25 completed of Insanity. Almost half way there!

I not only did Insanity the past two days, but also weight trained.

Pretty sure I got in 4 solid workouts in just over 24hours. CRAZY!

Yesterday was Max Interval Circuit and today was Max Interval Plyo. Remember that I recreated the Insanity schedule. I jumped down to week 6 to the end. I will do recovery week the week after Father's Day.

I am focused on a wedding I am standing up in on the 18th. I'm trying hard to look good for it. Here is to hoping it works out well.

I am a sore lady, but feel great! Shakeology finally came in too- which helped me out!

I think I will back it up to week 3 and finish that up starting tomorrow. It will be Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs- going to switch it up to make up for a missed session a couple weeks back. Then Friday I will do a recovery day since I will be weight training as well and likely be a dead sore bird. Saturday will be either Cardio Power & Resistance or Plyometric Cardio Circuit. We will see how I am doing then. That will complete week 4!

For now I am SO tired and need the sleep bad! My body needs to repair itself!

Happy Sweating!!

xoxo-

Lyndsi

I think Friday I will do

A Fitness Journey Video

Happy Memorial Day!!!!!

I hope everyone got in their workouts and ate enough!

I did Max Cardio Conditioning this morning and am nursing a very sore trap right now.

Thank God for the foam roller.

Check out my video- a journey to my healthy life: Lyndsi's Video

I hope you enjoy!

Happy Sweating!

xoxo

Lyndsi

Resting

Today is my rest day. I cannot stress how important a rest day is, and really, I'm talking to myself here.

I personally find it difficult to not be able to exercise everyday. If I could I would, but I know my body gets tired and sore and needs to rest. Mentally I am screaming LETS GO!!! I want to keep going!!! And body is saying 'NO!!!! GIVE ME A BREATHER!'

I tell myself it's all good- be sure to rest! So let me tell you that resting is SO important to your body. Give yourself a day. You can be active- go for a walk, bike ride, bowling, anything that is still active but not your full force workouts. This helps the body repair and rebuild it's muscles.

I hope everyone is having an awesome memorial day weekend!

Happy Sweating!

I've decided to recreate the 60 days of Insanity. Why? Well I have a wedding I am standing up in just under a month. I would like to look good, so moving to month 2 of Insanity is the way to go. One of my own clients told me this!!

I did Max Interval Circuit today and was a hot sweaty mess! But wow did it feel great! I had a good time with it. So the plan is to do week 6 to the end and then jump back to week 3, 4 and recovery somewhere in there. That will complete my 60 days, a little twisted, but I must prepare for this wedding!

Tomorrow is a double day- Insanity and weight lifting. dear lord help me! I'm hoping Shakeology comes in soon, I ran out :((((( I crave it bad!!!

I look forward to great results to share with you soon!

Happy Sweating!
xoxo

Insanity Fit Test 2- Start Week 3

Today was weight training and Fit Test #2. I actually have been doing Insanity on and off for a good month now so this is technically Fit Test #4 for me, but my 60 days straight started 2 weeks ago.

I improved a lot in the Fit Test this week. I was proud. I also kept the weight off from the Shakeology cleanse! I've been sure to continue to eat clean everyday. As the picture states abs are made in the kitchen. I'm a walking proof of that one.

I can workout ALL day long and if I'm not eating right then it barely shows! Make sure you are eating a good clean diet. Your body needs those nutrients! This is why I love Shakeology. Shakeology is filled with fruits, veggies, probiotics, antioxidants, fiber, protein, and good complex carbs. All the things our bodies crave. Which is exactly why our cravings are at an all time low when drinking Shakeology. The body craves these nutrients and once filled it's a happy, shiney body!

My hair and nails grow like weeds and my skin is gorgeous! If you have not tried Shakeology yet get with me and I'll get you a sample!

Happy Sweating!
xoxo

Prowler vs Insanity

I finished week 2 of Insanity, kind of. I missed one day this week which was Friday.

The reason I missed was because I had gone to the gym to weight train and pushed the prowler outside that day. I was a dead bird after I pushed. Do you know what a prowler is?

<-------Check it out!

The prowler is that piece of equipment we are all standing and sitting on. If you look at the pole I am standing behind, holding on to, it is set for adding weights to it. What you do is push this prowler while you are running. See Bob, who is in the push position- he is on the right side. That is how a prowler works. Most people are known for the 'Prowler Flu' This is when the prowler makes everything you've eaten come up! YES, it does this to you. If you push super hard and go very fast you stand a good chance of getting the prowler flu!

I pushed with 35lb weights on Friday and I was exhausted after. I came home to do Insanity and got through the warm up when I realized I was dead. I had plans for dinner so I was in a time crunch. I jumped in the shower and headed out to eat.

It was cheat meal night, which was yummy. I did come home so tired that I did not finish the workout. Bummer. I picked up where we left off on Saturday and finished up Cardio Resistance.

Today was a rest day, and boy did I need it. I am so very sore! Tomorrow it's back to the grind, weight training & Insanity. I'm debating on whether I will skip what should have been Saturday's workout and jump to Monday's scheduled workout. Decisions decisions.

Tomorrow is going to be awesome, Tony Horton- P90X inventor will be on the national coach call and it's open to the public! Anyone interested in hearing the call go to Facebook/fitnessfourlife to get the phone number and code!

...omg out of Shakeology... no bueno!!!!

Happy Sweating!!

xoxo

Shakeology Cleanse Results plus Cardio Recovery Day!

This has been my main meal for the past 3 days! 3 shakes a day plus fruit and a nice clean dinner. Chicken was my meat of choice! My fruit choices were Raspberries, Bananas, apple, and Strawberries. I am NOT a fruit eater. I tried to mixed raspberries in my Shakeology and I could feel the texture and ewwwwwwwwww. Not my thing! Thank you Shakeology for helping me

get my daily intake of fruits and veggies :)

My final weigh in was 7lbs lighter! Not too bad for a 3 day cleanse. Of course the next question is- will it stay off? Who knows! I do know we got to eat some real food in there so I believe some of it will stay off.

Today was my first day back to eating regularly. I had a small omelete with some mozzarella cheese and Canadian bacon. A small piece of Double Fiber toast with Smart Balance butter and cinnamon sprinkled on top. It was yum!

I had a protein bar for a mid-morning snack, flank steak w/ cucumbers for lunch. A handful of nuts w/ my Shakeology for my mid-afternoon snack and more flank steak this evening with some grilled veggies.

As you can see I like to make my food in bulk so I can continue to eat clean and keep my life simple. I grilled up a lot of chicken and flank steak this week which will be my lunches and dinners for the next couple days. I grilled up many veggies as well to go with my meals. This has ALWAYS helped in my weight loss success.

PLAN PLAN PLAN!!! Try to make as much as you can in advance to help you get through the busy week!

Today was Cardio Recovery for Insanity, not gonna lie- I still sweat! I feel great and look forward to tomorrow where I will get double workouts and enjoy a nice cheat meal for dinner.

Happy Sweating!

xoxo

Insanity Day 10- Shakeology Cleanse Day 3

It's so true- Nothing good comes easily! We all have to work to learn how to read, learn how to walk, learn how to drive, everything takes work from us. Just like you have to brush your teeth everyday, you should be exercising everyday.

It's not that simple though. You must also be very careful with your nutrition. I know that if I do not eat the right amount of calories and get my exercise in that all the flab will come back. Well, I have to eat A LOT, but you know what I mean!

Today was day 3 of the Shakeology cleanse. It was not a bad start to the morning. I had my first shake, then later in the morning munched on a couple raspberries as well as a banana. Shakeology number 2 for lunch followed by my weight training workout. After that I ate another banana and munched on strawberries. I ate dinner, it was a nice size grilled chicken with chopped cucumbers and tomatoes and some olive oil/balsamic mix. It was yummy. After that I did day 10 of Insanity and finished off with my last Shakeology!

My head hurt a bit this afternoon, but the strawberries I munched on helped me get through that. I also drank a ton of water today. I personally don't like tea, so green tea was not in the mix for me during this cleanse. For those of you interested in the cleanse- I would personally not recommend exercising like I do during it. I am stubborn and crazy, and I also know how hard to push and when to slow it down.

There were definitely points during Insanity that I could not push as hard as I normally could when I have had more to eat, and I was ok with that. The good news is that I moved a bit quicker today during Plyometric Cardio Circuit. I was proud of myself. I am stoked to see how I move next week!! Especially when I am eating again!! Although right now I feel like a big oompa loompa and I have NO idea why!!! It's not like I've been eating anything. Maybe it's more a swollen thing. Oh lord I dont know!!

My double workouts are done- tomorrow is Cardio Recovery THANK GOD! Then Double working it out again on Friday!! I am excited to see the results.

Happy Sweating!!
xoxo

INSANITY DAY 9 - SHAKEOLOGY CLEANSE DAY 2

This picture ROCKS. I want to hang it really large in my house to remind me every single day WHY I get off my A$$ and WHY I will for the rest of my life.

Today on the cleanse I got a slight headache, so I ate a small bite of chicken to give me a little boost.

I also doubled my workout again- NOTE TO SELF- DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT workout on the cleanse, or should I say- do it at your own risk.

In the midst of the workout I decided to eat a banana because I wanted some energy to get through it.

I woke up today 3lbs less than yesterday, and personally while we could dance and throw a little party about how awesome that is. Truth is this is a cleanse and I hope that it STAYS off. It doesn't always stay off when it comes to cleansing. The cleanse though, does include chicken, and some carbs, so it may stay off *crossing fingers*

I am starting to miss my almonds though. I love them. I miss breakfast a little and tonight I grilled my husband steak and REALLY want some. But- there is leftover- so we all know what my dinner will be on Thursday!!!

Today's workout was Pure Cardio- figures I pick my cleanse days on the highest cardio filled days with Insanity. Of course Cardio Recovery is Thursday when I am back to normal eating!!

I'm going to leave today's blog with this awesome thought. If it's called a diet- DONT DO IT!!! This is a lifestyle change- eating healthy-exercising- should be your life- it should be as important as brushing your teeth is 2X a day. Dont deprive yourself- have your cheat meals 1-2X a week.

Happy Sweating!!

xoxo

Shakeology Cleanse Day 1/Insanity Day 8

I've juiced before. It SUCKS. There is no lie in that. So when I decided to do a Shakeology Cleanse event I was NERVOUS! 3 days of juicing would make me crazy. I can only survive usually 1 day!

I actually had a really good day. My head hurt a bit when I was at the gym, but I survived. After the gym I came home and pressed play! Insanity Day 8. Unfortunately I only made it with 15 min to go. Which is technically 10 min because 5 is a cool down stretch. So I'm kinda bummed about that. Giving myself the 'I'm a failure speech' over it, but maybe I will do a double workout tomorrow!

I can't stress enough how there will be down days. EVERYONE has bad days, low days, sad days, days when you want to crawl into a hole and hide!!! EVERYONE has them. We all must press forward and get through them. Put on a smile, and keep going if that is all you can do. It ALWAYS gets better!!! I promise... it ALWAYS gets better. Just keep moving forward.

I do love Shakeology. Stuff is awesome. I lick the bowl :) Is that sick? I want to scrape it all out of the blender!!! I want every last yummy drop!

Tomorrow starts day 2 of the cleanse & day 9 of Insanity!!!

Happy Sweating! xoxo

Shakeology Cleanse

Tomorrow starts the Shakeology cleanse. This is a 3 day cleanse that includes Shakeology, fruit, green tea, water, and a good clean dinner. We get 3 shakes a day, dinner, and fruit.

The rumor is that you lose 5-6lbs on this cleanse!!! I think more importantly it makes you feel great!! I have been on Shakeology for 5 weeks now and it is amazing stuff.
My nails are so strong and growing, my hair is growing like a weed, my skin is looking great, and I feel awesome. I can't wait to share how I feel with you after the cleanse.

I am also on my 60 day Insanity workout, so we'll see how this works for the next 3 days :)

For now, happy sweating!! xoxo

Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit Day 6

Look at that face! That's a post workout picture. Insanity brings out more sweat than a hot humid day. I am dripping by the time the warm up is done.

I've had Insanity for a while and did different workouts every so often, but did not follow the 60 day plan until this week!

I just completed my first entire Insanity week. I am also including weight training 3X a week with this. I'd like to see a little bodyfat come off, firm up, thin out, and dropping another jean size would be nice :) Let's see what comes of this in 60 days!

What is my key to making this successful? 1. Clean eating!!! If I do not eat clean while I do this, I will not see much result at all. That is the KEY.

Another smaller key is motivation of course- there is nothing worse than the devil on the right side of your shoulder saying 'don't do it! it's hard, it's boring, it takes up your time, you CAN'T do it!!'
I can and I will!!!

One thing I do love about the Beachbody programs is they come with a cookbook!!! How much easier can this possibly get? A nice size cookbook and it's called Elite Nutrition. I just love it. Everything you need to succeed! Shaun T- a personal trainer in your own home guiding you in your workout and the cookbook to guide you on how to eat. I think that is WELL worth $120!!!

Gym Memberships might be a smaller monthly fee, but that fee turns rather large by the end of the year! Once you've purchased this program it lasts a lifetime. You can do the program over and over and get stronger each time!

Even if you are a skinny minny already- do you have the muscle or is it skinny fat? Just because you are skinny-that does not mean you are healthy!!!!

Join me in the Insanity and get strong and healthy!!!

Happy Sweating!

Let Me Introduce Myself

Hello!

Let me introduce myself- My name is Lyndsi. I'm a weight loss, muscle gain, gain healthy life success story!! My success comes from weight/strength training with cardio mixed in and a good clean diet. I lost over 60 pounds, 10 jean sizes, and 15% bodyfat! My journey started in a commercial gym where I met Gabe, my personal trainer who is now a brother to me. He owns OA Athletics in Addison, IL and is a professional mixed martial artist. Currently fighting for the XFC. I am an exclusive blogger for OA since 2009. Gabe taught me everything there is to know about health, nutrition, and fitness.

I want nothing more than be able to help, support, and motivate others to reach their fitness goals!

I became a Beachbody coach because the company is amazing. The programs are real. If you follow them, you will get amazing results. It's so simple to reach your fitness goals- Eat Clean & Workout! It's as simple as that. And, not gonna lie, the money is pretty good too :)

What is your motivation? preventing cancer or heart disease? weight loss? fitting into those cute jeans? looking great? feeling great? What are your dreams? My dream was being healthy. I knew I was an athlete living inside an unhappy nasty body crying to get out.

I cannot think of ANYTHING in this world more important than health. I make sure that I give myself an hour a day to get in my workout-no matter what-I believe you can be selfish about this hour of ME TIME. YOU DESERVE THIS TIME! I make a concious effort to eat clean. I think about everything I put in my mouth.

Sounds sooo easy? It's not. Not gonna lie. Sweets and junk or Italian-Pizza/Pasta, those things come up. Cheeseburger cravings they are there. It takes mind over matter. I try to limit my cheat meals to 1-2X a week... that's right you can have cheat meals on your journey!

I hope you join me on this life journey- it never ends you see. Eating clean and exercising is a daily part of life. I treat it like brushing teeth- it's something you must do to keep healthy. Plus who doesn't like endorphins flowing?

I am excited to be here and work with Beachbody. If you need a coach, message me! If you want to join me and become a coach, message me!

I have just begun the 60 day Insanity workout program... I'm on day 6- I will start blogging about this adventure.

I look forward to it and hope you do too!!!

Happy Sweating!!!

xoxo, Lyndsi