Excuses, Excuses

I have been thinking a lot about excuses lately and how we all have them for a lot of things in our life.

 "Oh, I didn't exercise today because I didn't have time."

 " It is not the right time."

 "Oh, I don't have the money."

 " Oh, I don't think I can do this."

We have heard them all and probably used them all. What it really comes down to, in my opinion, are your priorities in life. We ALWAYS have time for what is important to us and we always find a way to make time. For example, if you know you are going to have a busy day ahead and you know you need to get that workout in, why not wake up early? Or go to bed later? See, it is all about planning ahead and making the time. Since becoming a beachbody coach, I have the opportunity to host fitness challenge groups for those who really want to get into shape, improve their health, and reach their fitness goals. Through me they can utilize some of the best nutrition in the world AND the best fitness programs that INCLUDE the nutrition plan and schedule! All of the work is done for you , you just have to do it! When I invite people to join my challenges, I really get to see the priorities in peoples lives. A lot of the time good health and fitness are not on top of their list. I have recieved so many different answers when it comes to inviting and a lot of the times they are excuses as to why they can't do it right now. Don't get me wrong, a lot of times they are probably valid excuses for some, but other times they aren't. I'm not saying you can only be in a challenge group to exercise and get in shape, but what I'm offering is such an amazing opportunity for you health and body!  I just have been reflecting a lot on excuses this week and the bottom line to what I came up with is people always have excuses for things they know they NEED to do, but don't make them a priority. I have them, you have them, we all have them. Lets just take a chance on ourselves and put the excuses aside and see how are lives change for the better!

The importance of exercise

I had the pleasure of having a couple of awesome conversations with a lady in my church who is interested in health and fitness as well. I won't mention her name, but she is such a knowledgeable person and I really enjoy having conversations with her. She told me something that was very powerful to me and something I felt I should share. She said she read that being Sedentary is the new SMOKING! So basically being sedentary is just as bad if not worse for your body than smoking is! How crazy and powerful is that?! It really makes you think just how important moving your body is. Our bodies are meant to exercise and meant to be challenged. We need to get off our butts and raise our heart rate. I'm not saying you have to train insane or that you have to be the next iron man, but we do at least need to try and walk each day or do yoga or do intense workouts if that is what you like. I looked on the Mayo Clinic website and found the 7 benefits of exercise. Here they are:).

 No. 1: Exercise controls weight
 No. 2: Exercise combats health conditions and diseases
 No. 3: Exercise improves mood
 No. 4: Exercise boosts energy
 No. 5: Exercise promotes better sleep
 No. 6: Exercise puts the spark back into your sex life
 No. 7: Exercise can be fun


 The bottom line on exercise Exercise and physical activity are a great way to feel better, gain health benefits and have fun. As a general goal, aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day. If you want to lose weight or meet specific fitness goals, you may need to exercise more. Remember to check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program, especially if you have any health concerns.


 

Shakeology 7 Day Challenge

For those of you who know me, you know that I drink Shakeology daily and swear by this shake in my diet! It is full of superfoods and no artificial ingredients. It has given me the energy I need to make it through the day with two little boys, it has taken any junk food cravings I had away, helped me lose weight, and has increased my stamina during my workouts because my body is getting the fuel it needs to perform at its best! Most people don't give their bodies the proper fuel that it needs and having this shake once a day will do it for you! I'm starting a 7 days Shakeology challenge for those who are interested. This way they can try it and see its effects for 7 days. It's only $35 for those 7 days to try it before you buy it! If you are interested my email is cmcollins62808@gmail.com or you can message me on FB at https://www.facebook.com/Christinacollinsfitness?ref=hl

First meal prep

Lately I have been noticing that even though I'm eating clean, it becomes hard when it comes to being busy or not planning my cheat meal each week because I give into temptation with food more than I need to. I realized that I need to try meal prepping each week! This way I won't be tempted to go through a drive thru or grab junk on the run. I will have healthy food already prepared at my house so there is no excuse. I have seen plenty of people do this strategy in their own lifestyle and they seem to be pretty successful with it. I've always been too lazy to try it and thought it was a waste, but now I am willing to try it out! If I want to reach the fitness goals I am aspiring for then I need to be more prepared. You know the saying" if you fail to plan then you plan to fail"? Well that has been me recently. I'm so proud of the spread I made and so grateful that my husband is willing to go along with all of this! I went to Walmart last night and bought a lot of inexpensive Tupperware to use just in case this isn't for me! I'm thinking you have to make it be for you if you want to reach certain goals:)! Here are some pics of my spread:)! My Meal Prep List: -Boiled eggs -Steamed Broccoli -Quinoa -Whole Wheat Couscous -Ground Turkey -Chicken breasts -Turkey Burgers -Mahi Burgers -Fresh Fruit (Grapes, Strawberries, Kiwi, Plums) -Cut up fresh veggies in baggies (Bell peppers and cucumbers) -Sweet potatoes (I didn't prepare them though because I don't know how to properly prepare them and refirgerate them yet without them becoming mealy) -Energy bites (From pinterest!) They ARE DELISH by the way!! All clean ingredients too:) I have tortillas, spring salad mix, and other things to help go with these items. It just gives me things prepared so that I don't have to take more time in my week to prepare:).

Keep going!

At the beginning of July we went to the beach on vacation with my hubby's family. While I was there I went running/walking a few of the mornings and really had a lot of time to think. I'm not a runner so it was a challenge for me to push myself. I gave myself landmarks to run to and then I would walk for a minute and start again. One morning while I was doing this there was a lady in front of me and at first I thought, "Well now I'm going to have to slow down and stay at her pace." Then I thought, "No I DON'T! I'm not going to let anyone get in the way of me reaching my goal." In this case it was running to the nearest stop sign. So I RAN super fast past her and at that moment I thought about how that pertains to life. How many times do we let others determine or get in the way of goals that we set for ourselves? It has happened in my life more times than I would care to count. We have to keep our eye on the prize no matter what goal we have set. It doesn't have to necessarily pertain to fitness. It could be school or a relationship or even your career. I just felt that I should write this down and encourage each and everyone of you to fight to achieve the goals you have set for yourself. However big or small, just do it! Don't let someone or something get in the way. If they do just run super fast past them and keep going!

Health and Fitness Journey

Hey Everyone! I started this blog to help myself and other's achieve their health and fitness goals. I love this aspect of life and the fact that we can all strive to be healthy and fit. I'm not talking perfection because none of us will ever achieve that in this lifetime, but I am talking about taking the best care of our bodies as we can. I am an Independent Team Beachbody Coach and am loving the chances that I have to help others on their journeys to achieve a healthier lifetstyle. I am striving myself to achieve this in my life. I hope that you follow my blog. I will be posting tips, videos, updates on my progress and others that I help (with their permission), info on challenge groups that I host, clean eating meals that I eat, and anything that can help you better your health:).