Insanity Max:30 Progress!

I shared this picture on my Facebook yesterday.  (insert blushed faced emoticon)

Of course I shared my thoughts to go with it on my Facebook post! I talked about how I wasn't discouraged by the lack of visible changes because it's only Day 8.  I wasn't expecting results over night. 

OPEN MOUTH. INSERT FOOT.

A friend commented that she could see changes in my stomach and booty.  So....I looked at it on the computer.  Oh.  My.  Word.  She was right! I could see BIG changes in my stomach and my booty looked great! 

So, let me explain why I didn't "see" the changes until someone pointed them out.  

First, the scale has not moved.  At all.  Not even a little.  My clothes feel mostly the same.  

Second, I looked at them on my phone.  Little pictures.  I looked at them with the mindset that they would look the same because the scale was the same.  

Boy, was I wrong.  I was also perfectly content with NOT seeing any changes because I knew it had only been a week AND I felt so good.  Getting back on track with eating healthy, has made such a huge difference.  I FEEL so much better.  I have more energy.  I don't feel sluggish and weighed down.  I didn't need to see changes in my pictures to already feel good about the progress I was making.  Feeling healthier is so powerful!

That being said, I am THRILLED at the visual changes and now I am even more excited to see where this program can take me.  

Shakeology+Clean Eating+Exercise+Accountability= RESULTS!

Being Healthy is About What You GAIN!

Saturday night I was so excited I could barely sleep!

Too much adrenaline, excitement and inspiration after the Super Saturday Event in Tampa!

In the wee hours of the night when I was laying awake in bed, I couldn't stop thinking about the heart of this company.

Yes this company sells fitness programs and nutritional shakes, but there is a much BIGGER message they are trying to send: YOU can do it!

You can be healthy!
You can be in control of your life!
You can be more confident!
You can help others!
You can build your mind and self esteem!

There were 2 women that spoke about their healthy journey's at Super Saturday. The one that stuck out in my mind was not the woman that lost 100 pounds.  Although her journey is amazing and inspriational! Losing 100 pounds is an outstanding accomplishment and I cried tears of joy for her as she shared her story.  The woman that stuck out in my mind, that I couldn't stop thinking about, was the one who lost only 15 pounds.  Her story was not about loss, but about what she gained.  She wasn't on a huge trek to lose a ton of weight. She was broken.  She had tragedy in her life and it consumed her and controlled her.  She felt like she was not living life, but that life was just happening to her. She was searching for something:

Something to hold on to.
Something to help her regain her footing.
Something she could control.
Something to help her find the woman she was before the tragedy consumed her.

She had 2 little kids that needed her to figure it out and stop the downward spiral.  She knew that when she looked in the mirror she didn't like the person she had become.  She didn't have a ton of weight to lose, but she knew she needed to be healthier.  Drinking and stress eating were big pieces of her downward spiral.  She was  headed down a path of destruction and she wanted to turn back.

She saw her opportunity to gain some form of control in her life through Beachbody.  She started with a Challenge Group, lost some weight and more importantly she gained glimpses of the woman she once was.  She found a piece of the woman she used to be.  She found that she is in control of her eating and fitness.  She found something to hold on to when it felt like the rest of life was out of her grasp.  The best part is that she found she wasn't alone.  The support of a coach and Challenge Group goes far beyond fitness.  It's about helping, being there, encouragement and knowing that you ALWAYS have someone in your corner.

That is what Beachbody is all about.  Lots of companies sell fitness programs, but no one else offers the support to help you through it. That is the missing piece for so many people, including me! I never believed I could do it. Without support from my coach and Challenge Group I NEVER would have finished a program and discovered my own potential!

I love that the heart of Beachbody is not exercise (although it's important), it's about people.

Truly helping people.

A Story of Stress and Will Power

I could have made so many excuses why I should NOT start my new program, Insanity MAX:30 or Challenge Group this week! So many reasons! 

*we are just getting back into our routine

*my daughter's birthday will include dessert, and probably a carb filled dinner, since those are her favorites

*my husband was going to do the program with me but injured his knee and was given doctors orders to rest it for 6 weeks

*I'm tired, so very tired

Truth BOMB #1: There is NEVER a good time to start! NEVER! 

Life will continue happening whether you are on a healthy journey or not, so if you keep putting off  your start date, you will never start.

So, I took my own advice and I started on Monday, despite my life getting in the way.

Truth BOMB #2: Once you start don't quit because one thing derails you! Get back on it!

In addition to the list of excuses I already knew about, there was a sudden health issue that came up with my Dad.  Something we thought was under control and on the mend, suddenly took a turn for the worst and he had to have surgery right away. Like, clear the OR tomorrow...he needs this now. This is incredibly stressful for a daughter that LOVES her Daddy and is too far away to be there when he needed me.  I had to rely on phone updates, instead of being there in the waiting room. That is hard. It's so hard. It took every ounce of my self control to not call every 10 minutes or text for updates.  I had to trust that my stepmom would call when she had news (which she did!), but it's so hard to wait.  

Using all my self-control to stay away from my phone made my other weakness even weaker...stress eating.  All I wanted was the comfort of stuffing my face with anything I could find in the pantry.  Thankfully I had already cleaned out the pantry before starting on Monday, so I would have really had to dig to find something.  I kept walking into the kitchen and then talking myself out of eating something, because I wasn't hungry.  I knew that. I knew I was only going to eat because I was stressed out.  I also knew that if I gave in, I would immediately feel guilty. I have goals to reach and this wasn't going to get me there.

I decided to redirect.  I got on my knees and I prayed. I prayed a lot. For my dad mostly, but also for my will power. When I got a chance to talk to my Dad I wanted to be happy and positive, not feeling guilty and down on myself, because it wasn't about me. It was about him. I had not done my workout yet, so I popped Sweat Intervals in and decided to really give it my all.  

It worked! Not only did I get my very best Insanity MAX:30 time, but I felt so much better knowing that I had done something positive during that stressful time.  It's not glamorous, but here I am all sweaty  and hair a mess after my workout...

I was able to talk to my Dad for a just a couple minutes later on after his surgery.  He is doing well and will hopefully be going home soon. 

The moral of this story is: it's not about perfect timing or doing it perfectly, it's about STAYING THE COURSE. It's about starting this journey even when it's imperfect, and learning as you go to do it better. 9 months ago I would have never had the will power or self-control to start unless the timing was perfect. 9 months ago I would never have had the will power or self-control to close the pantry door and work out instead.  But through many, MANY failures I have learned that this is what will get me to my goals; this is what will make me happy.  :) 

I should note: my will power does not always win. But more on that later. Today I want to focus on this success, because it took everything I had to do it and I am proud of my progress.

HOW I Got My Smile Back: Day 1 of my NEXT Step

Today is Day 1.  I am excited, nervous, but mostly I am ready to challenge myself in new ways!

Today marks the next FIRST DAY of a new program, and new challenge group and a NEW me!

I started on my healthy journey in March of 2014.  I started with 21 Day Fix, Shakeology and a Challenge Group for support and accountability. I spent 3 weeks creating new healthy habits and LOVED the results.  Sure, I lost 8 lbs, which is pretty awesome, but more importantly I felt better, healthier, more confident, and had more energy.  I started down the healthy path and I haven't looked back.  I've changed up the exercise, T25, PiYo, 5K training, but I have stayed the course.  That doesn't mean that I eat perfectly every day or that I never miss a workout. It simply means that this is my new NORM.  Eating healthy, exercising and taking care of myself are my normal. Of course I have a cheat meal every week! I am human! I love cheeseburgers and chocolate and cake, but I don't eat them everyday because that would not get me to my goals.

Through this blog I want to share with you:

How I got here to my new normal and how YOU can get here too.

How I got to the point where every time I looked in the mirror I wasn't disgusted with the person staring back at me.

How I found my passion, and my happy place.

How I Got My Smile Back.

Follow me or sign up to get an email with new posts! I'll be sharing my meal plans, recipes, tips, tricks, and my progress throughout my healthy journey. :)

You know what blows my mind?

The number of blessings in my life! I am so grateful for each and every one of them.  

Sometimes I get lost in the busyness of life, but it is a goal of mine this year to remember to step back and see the bigger picture.

Sure, I almost lost my mind yesterday with a 4 year old that NEVER. STOPS. TALKING. and a toddler that is teething, BUT my kids and my husband are the biggest blessings in my life, and I don't want to let anything overshadow that.

Another huge blessing in my life...my health and the health of my family.  It is not to be taken for granted.

An even bigger blessing is that I was able to help over 50 people in just a few months: get healthy, build confidence, and see their own potential. Little old me, stay at home mom, extremely shy and quiet me, was able to touch the lives of over 50 people and make a difference! This “job” is way more than exercise. It’s about helping others build confidence and self-esteem, get organized, and see their own beauty and potential from the inside out.

I have MANY goals for 2015, and one of them is to share this Beachbody Coaching opportunity. 

Becoming a Beachbody Coach has helped me in so many ways:

 I    * I am in the best shape of my life.

 I     * I am able to stay at home with my kids, while contributing to the family income.

 I     * I have built my confidence and self-esteem.

 I     * I have found my way of making a difference and leaving a positive footprint in this world.

 I     * I have found my passion for helping others.

***The best part about this opportunity: You don't have to have it all figured out before you start! You can start right where you are!***

If you are looking to make a change for the better in 2015, whether it be to get healthy, financial goals, find your niche, or maybe you are looking for something and you don’t know what it is yet (ßThat was me!), I encourage you to consider this opportunity. I would love to have a conversation with you about becoming a coach!

Comment or message me for more info! (www.facebook.com/kayla.gossett.1)

Happy New Year! 

Frozen Mexican Hot Chocolate Shakeology

Last night I went to a friend's house and we decided to splurge and have a little cheat...some delicious Mexican Hot Chocolate!  It was so yummy.  It was homemade, which made it that much more scrumptious!

Anyone that knows me well, knows that I had a HOT CHOCOLATE ADDICTION before starting my healthy journey.  I used to have a mug of hot chocolate to unwind at the end of the night after the kids went to bed.  This wasn't just a Christmas treat...this was an every night treat from November to March.  Talk about chocolate/sugar/calorie overload! Whoa! And I wondered why I couldn't lose weight (I used skim).  Hindsight is 20/20.

So, this little treat last night reminded me how much I love hot chocolate, but I certainly do not want this huge addition of calories to my life for the winter months.  I needed a plan! I love frozen hot chocolate, just as much as the hot version.  This morning I decided to revamp my frozen hot chocolate recipe and make it healthier, something I could have whenever the cravings hit and not feel guilty about it. Mission Accomplished.

It's so easy and delicious! It definitely hit the spot! I know I will be making this many times this holiday season! 

Ingredients:

1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 cup ice

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Give it a try! Leave a comment and let me know what you think! :) 

Happy Holidays!

Insanity MAX:30 Test Group!

I LOVE Christmas, but do you know what is right around the corner?...

January! Yay!

For most people that also means, New Year's Resolutions!

I do not want to start the New Year with a BURDEN of knowing that I want to get healthy, lose weight, start exercising, etc. That's what I did last year. I had a lot of goals, but no plan. Then I tried a plan and it failed...miserably. Then finally, in April, I started my first Challenge Group and it CHANGED MY LIFE! 

Challenge Groups are the Trifecta of Amazingness! All the tools you need to be successful in reaching your goals!

I want to help you make a plan. I want to help you get started right. I want to do it WITH you! You are not in this alone! 

There are lots of ways to get started, and here is a great one! Join my Insanity MAX:30 Test Group!

For more info comment below, email or message me on Facebook! www.facebook.com/kayla.gossett.1

Cheers to a New Year and a New You!