What Exactly is a Challenge Group?

At least once or twice a month, I post an invitation to my Facebook page inviting people to join one of my challenge groups.  Some are just 5 days to provide a free jump start to getting back on track through making good eating choices, finding time to workout, and of course, gleaning from my coaching support. Other challenge groups are 21 days in length for a more focused group that works on the specifics of nutrition, portion control, water intake, and scheduling a 30 minute daily working out.  All of this may sound a little intimidating to people who do not understand what actually happens during a group.  Many fear the unknown so they never take a chance and try it out.  Well, I am here to provide the inside scoop on challenge groups to hopefully debunk any myths out there of which you may have either heard or have been fearful.   My hope is that by knowing exactly what goes on before, during and after a group that you will find it less intimidating to take that first step to join one and experience the power of accountability for yourself.

Once a person decides upon joining a challenge group, he/she notifies me so that I can invite them to a private Facebook group or to the Challenge Tracker App.  The private Facebook group is seen by no one outside of the group participants, meaning all posts stay within that group forum and are not posted to your wall.  The Challenge Tracker App works very much like Facebook, however, it is much more geared towards the nutritional and workout goals we are trying to achieve within the longer group.  The App is free and very user friendly for both the coaches and the participants. Again, it is private to the group only and requires an invitation email from a coach to join.

The week before the group officially begins the challenge, participants will be getting daily posts from me sharing tips and ideas for setting everyone up for success.  For instance, meal planning is key to any nutritional gains so there will be tips on how to best accomplish this prior to "go" day.  Participants will also be encouraged to set their own goals for the duration for our group, most of which do not deal with weight loss.  They are geared to be more about the process of getting there.  For instance, "I will workout 3 times a week, eat only clean foods and drink 8-8oz glasses of water a day".  That is a realistic, measurable and achievable goal set for a person getting back into the health and fitness realm.  Members may be asked to do a little mini introduction of themselves (questions provided) so that everyone can better know who they will be spending the next 21 days with.  Group members will also be asked to record their  measurements and start weight so that they can adequately measure their progress along the way!  Don't worry, no one shares their personal measurements with the group.  Those are for your eyes ONLY!  However, it is a super important step because the scale is not always kind, but inches may be changing regardless of the scale!  Also, it qualifies you to win Beachbody prizes for completing a whole program.

Once the group officially starts, participants will still receive daily posts for motivation and encouragement  from me as well as helpful tips so it will be important to stay in tuned to the group forum at least once a day.  In addition to receiving input from me, participants are asked to post daily as well (this is the accountability portion which is one of the TOP strategies for getting successful results). A participant post might include something like, "I did great today and stayed within my calories! Had a cup of hot tea to wave of the afternoon cravings which worked well!"  Or it might look like, "I really struggled staying on track today.  We went out to eat and the bread sticks at Olive Garden really called my name!  Back on the wagon tomorrow!"  Group members are also encouraged to share pictures of the foods they are eating, sweaty selfies after working out, ideas of their own that are working, recipes they found, questions they may have about something that came up, etc.  The list goes on!  The forum becomes the participants forum at this point and interaction is pertinent to success and growth in their health and fitness journey.

At the end of the group, participants are asked to report their successes from all of their hard work!  It might be as simple as, "Now I am used to working out 3 times a week so I plan to continue!" or "I lost 5 lbs and 9 inches overall!" or maybe it is "I was able to stay on track with my eating and no cheats the entire 21 days!"  It could be anything that they learned, accomplished or even plan to continue doing once the group is over.  A member can always join in on the next group to keep the trend going or they may wish to try it on their own.  Most good coaches will still check in from time to time to hear about your continued success.  Most of us are very passionate about what we do which means we LOVE to see others achieve more self confidence,  feel better health-wise and get used to a routine that sets them up for nothing but success down the road! The thing I like most about Beachbody is that it is no quick fix pill or wrap or drink.  Success comes from solid work on reigning in eating habits (without taking away all of the foods you love), working out to your level of intensity (there are modifiers in almost every program video) and using the group as your accountability forum.  Those three things add up to mounds of success!

So as you can see, really there are only perks to being a part of a challenge group. You are joining with like-minded people to reach common goals which is more empowering than one can imagine.  So the question is simple....why haven't you joined yet?  :) If you are ready to jump in and create the changes in you that you have been thinking about, I would be happy to support you through your journey.  I am beginning my October Challenge Group called Frightfully Fit on Oct. 10.  I am looking for 10 eager women who are ready to take action to change their lives for the better.  All you have to do is fill out the form below, and I will invite you to our private forum. Once I have 10 members, the October group will be closed for this coming month.  Currently, there are only 7 spots remaining so act fast.  If you work the program, you WILL NOT FAIL!  Beachbody guarantees it with a full refund if you are not fully satisfied.  So what are you waiting for?

Click here to sign up for the Frightfully Fit Challenge Group
or click here to email me with further questions

The Morning Brain Game: The Truth

Have you ever had a mental fight when you are trying to make yourself get up to work out in the morning?  Last night/week, the plan was solid and sounded great until....the dreaded alarm goes off.  I'll bet a lot of you think that a "workout-a-holic" like me just bounces out of bed with a smile on my face ready to go get it, right?  Well, I am all about keeping it real with you so I will confess....it does not work that way.  If I am being honest, MOST mornings when the alarm goes off, I tell myself all kinds of creative reasons why staying in the bed would be much "better" for me! I do!  But I still get up and get it done most mornings.  How? Because those aren't the messages to which I choose to listen!

You see, I also have messages telling me things like, "You always regret it when you don't get up" or "Just 30 more minutes of rest is not going to do as much good as 30 minutes working out" or today's was, "You can do yoga tomorrow if you get up and do Dirty 30 today"!  As you can see, I have quite the conversation going on inside of your head!  Working out is such a MENTAL game.   It really is!!!  You have to use your body to override the brain.  What? Translation:  You have to get up and move anyway to show the brain who is boss!  Think of the brain as your parent and your body as the teenager.  What would a teenager say if you told them they "can't" do something?  Most would say, "Well, I'll show them!", right?  So you are now granted permission to access that teen inside of you and sass that negative brain by moving your body into the action you promised yourself!  Just do it!  I find that once my feet hit the floor, I am good to go.  Maybe for you, it will be actually getting to the place in which you workout.   Whatever "your place" is, get there without thinking one more second about it!  Your body will do the rest!

Okay, that's for starters and it's a big one!  You MUST GET OUT OF BED TO ACCOMPLISH YOUR GOALS! Got me?  :) Now you might be asking, but why workout first thing in the morning?  But Robin, I'm NOT a morning person!  That's okay!  I'm not either.  Ask my husband! But I still prefer mornings for working out!  I have tried it many other ways utterly refusing to give up my pillow time, but have found that nothing, I mean nothing, beats first thing in the morning.  There are so many awesome benefits, but here are a few I liked:

2.       

      Since we are being real here......Do any of you really  LIKE to get up to an alarm clock for ANY reason?  I'll bet you have many MORE reasons why you don't like the alarm than that you do.  My point---it doesn't matter the reason you set it, when it goes off, more often than not, its going to be a somewhat unpleasant experience anyway, right? The reason you DO get up most mornings is probably because you HAVE to due to work, an appointment, kids to get to school, etc.  When this happens. you not being the boss of yourself, but allowing circumstances to set the tone for your day.   SO why not challenge yourself to set it just 30 minutes earlier and gift that time to bettering you because you CAN? 

      Here are some tips for us "non-morning" people that have helped me be more successful at answering the "call of the wild" (aka: alarm clock) to workout in the mornings. 

•       Think about your "why".  Why do you want to workout?  It has to be something bigger than just losing weight, changing your appearance, to feel better, etc.  Dig deeper!  Is it that you want to live longer for your kids, you want to stop using food as a comfort, you want to prove to yourself and others that you can?  Those are deeper seeded reasons beyond the scale/mirror that will matter more when you are struggling to make it happen.
•       Design your workout ahead of time—is it going to be cardio?  If so, what machine(s) will you be using and for how long?  Is it going to be weight lifting?  If so, decide what body part you will be working and write out what weights, sets, reps and exercise you will be doing.  Just like with food, planning is key to success.
•            Put your workout clothes out the night before so that you know what you are wearing and it is easily accessible. Plus it saves time getting ready so you can sleep a little longer. (I'm all about the minutes-LOL)  I have read where some people who are just starting out will actually sleep in their workout clothes so that they awaken ready to go minus their shoes!  Now that's motivation!
• .      Limit the debate in your head about whether or not to get up while lying in bed.  It WILL happen.  Instead, GET UP with your body!  MOVE towards your clothes you laid out OR towards your shoes if you're already dressed for success. :)  The debate may continue, but keep moving!  Your body is so much more capable than you mind allows you to believe.
• .       Drink a large glass of water to hydrate before you ever start working out and take water for drinking during your workout. You will likely lose some water sweating during your workout, so it is important to replenish it AND (BONUS), you get a jump start on getting some of your ounces of water in for the day!  Win-win!
•      If you are a beginner, keep is simple!  You don't have to do a long drawn out workout.  It isn't the length that matters.  Just get up and move.  Google and Pinterest have dozens of ideas on what you can do at home or on the go with no equipment needed ranging from just 10 minutes to an hour!  Start small and work up as you become accustomed to it.
  

 You're here so you already have your dream/goal/wish.   Now go and make it a reality by taking action.  A month from now, you will be glad you started today!   

fitnessbarrnone@gmail.com

Shakeology Chocolate Peanut Butter Bites

Husband tested and neighbor approved!  :)

Ingredients:

• 1 Scoop Chocolate Shakeology
• 1 Cup All Natural Peanut Butter
• 4 oz Unsweetened Chocolate
• T. coconut oil

Instructions:

1.  Drain all of the oil off of the peanut butter to make it easier to roll into the balls.

2. Add one cup of peanut butter to a bowl. Pour in one scoop of Shakeology and stir. Scoop mixture by the tablespoon to maintain portion control.  Remember one scoop of peanut butter is roughly 200 calories.

3. Roll into balls and place on wax paper or parchment paper. This will keep them from sticking once they are dipped in chocolate. (if you place them in the fridge in clumps, they will roll much easier when you take them out an hour later).

4. Refrigerate for at least one hour to make handling easier (or freeze for faster progress).

5.  Over a double boiler melt chocolate with coconut oil for smoothness. If you’d like additional sweetness add 1 pack of Stevia to the chocolate.

5. Next dip balls into chocolate and return to the wax paper. Refrigerate to allow chocolate to harden.

Enjoy!  

Cravings Monster!

Cravings, we all have them.  For some it is for chocolate.  For others it may be carbs, and still others, like myself, it may be for chips and dips.  Oh, my, those are my nemesis and will defeat me every single time if.... I do not plan ahead!  I can't just hope that because I have decided to start eating clean that those cravings that have been there most of my life are going to just go away!  Our brains are not wired to adjust to change that easily or quickly.  Ever heard "It takes 21 days to form a habit"?  That's because it takes the brain that long to learn a new habit and make it stick!  This is the primary reason I LOVE running the 21 Day Fix challenge groups!  Some people think that because it is called "21 Day Fix", that it is a temporary fix for just the 21 days you are doing it.  In actuality, it was intended to become a new lifestyle that you learn how to do in just 21 days---thus training the brain to recognize it as your new habit! 

21 Day Fix Basics video with creator Autumn Calabrese

Once you have created the habit, it becomes easier to do without as much thought given to it. I am going to give you some tips I give my group participants so you can try them out and see if they work for you.  See if you can stick to your plan of eating clean for at least 21 days.  Thereafter, it should become easier.

Before the challenge group and/or clean eating plan:

•  Make a list of your go-to things that could potentially sabotage your goals ahead of time.  Rank them in order of your greatest temptation to your least.
• Think about when you are most tempted to go to those foods instead of a healthier choice.  Is it when you let yourself get too hungry, when you are stressed out, etc.
• Of course, ridding yourself of all of these things in your house would be optimal, but how many of us can really do that?  So….challenge yourself to get rid of your top 1-3 temptations before you begin your plan.

During the challenge group and/or change of food choices:

1.     When you feel drawn to one of your go-to unhealthy foods, ask yourself why you are wanting that food right now.  (are you genuinely hungry or are you stressed out, bored, lonely, etc.?)This will help you to recognize what is your driving force to junk foods. 

2.  Tell yourself to wait at least 15 minutes, and if you still want it then, proceed through steps 3-5.

15 minutes

3.    If you are genuinely hungry, if it is a salty snack you are craving, try a healthy substitute such as a handful of nuts or some hummus and a veggie, etc.  If you are craving sweets, substitute a fruit that you enjoy.  (this is why planning for cravings is essential to success).  If none of these things sound good to you, then you probably really aren’t hungry.  It’s just your body detoxing and telling you that you need something you are used to getting.

4.    Try to find a phrase that will help you during these times. For instance, mine is “I am not going to let what I want right now to sabotage my goals for later.”  Another common one is, “Nothing tastes as good as fit feels.”  You choose the one that motivates you. Post it somewhere or in multiple places to help you in weaker moments.

5.    Lastly, if none of these work and you HAVE to indulge, don’t beat yourself up about it!  If you are trying to lose weight, measure ½ of the serving size and indulge in that smaller portion.  If you are maintaining, measure a full serving size to enjoy.  Most importantly, congratulate yourself for making a BETTER choice.  

Contrary to popular belief, eating clean does not have to be tasteless or boring or even done 100% of the time!  I personally use the Paleo 80/20 rule.  Eat clean 80% of the time and allow small indulgences 20% of the time.  After all, life was meant to enjoy, not stress over every bite you eat.  You just cannot indulge every time a craving hits or you will not be the healthy you that you were born to be!  

Moral of the story....plan to crave bad foods, know what you are going to do when they strike, and you will be set for a successful defeat of the Cravings Monster!  

If you are interested in learning more about eating clean, email me at the address below. I look forward to hearing from you!

fitnessbarrnone@gmail.com