Introducing Insanity Max 30!

OHHHHH baby!!! Just THREE days until Insanity: Max 30 is released! I cannot wait for this program! 

My team and I ran a Max Out group the past two weeks and everyone LOVED it. The idea is to push yourself past your limits. Then the next time you do the workout, the only person you have to beat is YOURSELF! 

Ok, ok. So I'm sure you have questions. Like, what exactly IS Insanity: Max 30? Well, please take a minute to read all the info below!

What is Insanity: Max30?

Insanity: Max30 is full of 150 new moves to help you dig a little deeper and get your body in the very best shape of your life. This workout combines cardio and strength moves without using any equipment at all. 

Your body is your equipment for this workout! 

Nothing more, nothing less. Just YOURSELF! 

  

The program is 60 days long and is broken down into month 1 and month 2. The workouts are all 30 minutes each with a 10 minute ab workout. The idea of this program is not to make it through the entire 30 minutes, but to "MAX OUT" and go as hard as you can until you have to take a break! You actually WANT to max out, it's not a bad thing. You actually track your daily progress by your Max Out times and aim to increase that time with each workout.

Who is Insanity: Max30 for?  

Insanity: Max30 is for a beginner who wants to jump start their journey with an insane workout (it does have a modifier), a T25 graduate ready for a harder challenge, or an Insanity grad looking to take it to the next level!  

This program is NOT about your physical fitness. It's about your mental game!  Anyone can do Insanity: MAX30, you just have to want to to do it! You have to have that internal motivation and drive to every single day show up no matter how pretty it is.

So you can the person wanting to lose 5lbs, 10lbs, 50 or 100 lbs.  This workout is for you if you are mentally strong and ready to rock it.

What are the workouts like:

Month 1 workouts are a combination of cardio and tabata style strength workouts!  You no longer have a fit test like Insanity but every single workout is your fit test because your goal  is to beat your time from the day before!  

What is a tabata workout?  

It is 20 seconds on and 10 seconds off with the workout structure.

Month 2 is all about taking it to the max and challenging yourself to the max! The intervals are longer and the rest time stays the same so it's challenging your endurance and strength.

For month 2 the intervals are 45 seconds on and 15 seconds off.

What about reaching a plateau?  

If you reach a plateau it's not a bad thing. It's actually something to celebrate because it means that you worked hard to get to that plateau and now its time to work harder, go further, use my core, eat better so that I can break the plateau and get to the next one! Insanity Max30 is going to be your plateau breaker!

Whats different about this program?

You might feel like you are maxing out in one move but then you switch and it gives you a little break so you can max out in another way!  The intervals are also a little different, 3 moves, 30 seconds each 3 rounds. You do a little more a little longer and a little harder.

The focus is really on that recovery time. Your recovery time is to enhance other parts of the workout. Your focus is to really be self motivated beyond this 60 days! This workout is really a mindset.  It's truly about being able to mentally tell yourself that you can do that. 

Is there a modifier?

Yes- there is a modifier track option so that you can see the modifier all the time during the workout which makes it easier to follow.

What is Maxing out?  

To Max Out means to stop or fail for the first time in the workout. It's really truly not about getting through all 30 minutes. It's about going as hard as you can for as long as you can, until you MAX OUT. Write down the time take a break, and then you want to jump back into the workout.  If you stay committed and push to your max you will add more time each week with the workouts!  

MAXING OUT IS A GOOD THING!!!

What comes with the kit and how much does it cost??

Month 1:  

Cardio Challenge: 1st workout and you use it as your guide and your first fit test per se.  It's all cardio, its 4 1/2 minute interval 30 second rest.

Sweat Intervals: Cardio type intervals that you ridiculously sweat with the same interval training.

Tabata Power: Plyometrics, and comes down to where you are not jumping and is meant to generate power in your core. Great ab block in there!  

Friday Fight  Killer!

5 day a week program!  

There is a Pulse workout for Saturday and it's optional. It's more of a pulse, balance, modifier type workout.  Focus on core, balance and form. 

Month 2:

All the workouts are still 30 minutes.  Now you have Max out cardio & Max out Sweat with power moves to 5 1/2 minutes and then the break. 

Tabata Workouts: Max out Strength and Max Out Power

45 seconds on 15 second rest and 6 rounds and at the end an extra something!

Friday Fight Round 2:  It's just killer round 2. 

12 Workouts on 10 DVDS, MAX out Nutrition Guide, Restaurant Guide, Wall Calendar.

60 day program, 30 days of workouts in each block.

Coach Exclusive:  SWEAT FEST is the coach exclusive that you only get when you buy from a coach.  Old Insanity cast members and coaches!  It's just a little impromptu workout that is a rockin good time!

Why Should you track your progress: 

When you are doing such an intense workout, you NEED to see results. You want to see each week how far you went and if you went 1 minute longer. You can always have a challenge for yourself.

Meal Plan:  

Flexible eating and portion control.

Portion control is amazing.  It's the most important thing you can do to get even better results.  If you manage your portions you can eat again sooner!  

The Meal plan is crucial to your progress!  It's a great meal plan that is super easy to follow and effective and efficient!

The Deluxe Kit comes with 3 extra workouts and the portion controlled containers.  

So how can you get it?  

Well you can only get it through a Team Beachbody coach starting on the 2nd of December!  So if you do not have a coach make sure to make me yours! Click HERE to create a FREE profile and send me a message by clicking the "CONTACT MY COACH" button to get the scoop on max 30.  Or you can complete the application below to get more information on participating in the Insanity: Max30 test group starting on the 29th of December!  

What is the Insanity Max30 Test Group?

I am going to be running a very private and exclusive Max30 test group. We will chat daily on Facebook and post about our challenges. You can apply by completing the application below to be considered for a spot in the group.  

Each participant is required to purchase the Insanity Max30 program from me as their coach. Each participant is required to replace 1 meal a day with Shakeology for the duration of the program. The best option is to get the challenge pack because it has free shipping, discounted price, and includes everything you need to get started right!  

Why Shakeology? 

Because you need the best brain and muscle fuel you can get during this workout. You want to have this nutrient dense meal replacement every single day so that your muscles are getting vitamins and nutrients to recover from the intense workouts, you are getting portion control that is fueling you for your next workout and is keeping you healthy. Remember - for most people it replaces that drive thru, that daily stop out for lunch or the excessive snacks they used to eat because they didn't have time to make a proper meal. You aren't adding to your grocery list, you are replacing a meal! 

Shakeology has changed my life. My IBS is GONE and I have never felt better. I believe in this product with my whole mind, body, and soul. It truly makes a difference. Will Shakeology be the reason you lose weight? NO. It's not a magic pill. It's going to give your body the nutrients it needs so that you aren't craving junk. It's going to help your body repair itself. It's going to change your life!

What will you get from me?  

You will get access to a closed online facebook group. No one but the members of the group can see what is being posted. I will help you prepare ahead of time for your start of the workout. We will talk measurements, before photos, meal plan, nutrition guide, recipes and motivation! We will even walk through when your workout time will be, how will you make time, and any obstacles you see that might pop up in the next 60 days. It's all about having balance, it's not about being perfect but empowering yourself to be the best that you can be! 

Does this sound like something you would like to do??? Apply now before all of the spots are gone!

Then, complete the application below for more information and to be added to the list and be the FIRST to get the workout program!

If you don't have a Beachbody Coach, MAKE ME YOUR COACH HERE!!!

I hope to talk to you soon!

Kelly

21 Day Fix Holiday Accountability Group

Let's face it - this time of year is TOUGH! Parties, Thanksgiving, more parties, Christmas, more parties, New Year's, I could go on and on!

Did you know that the average person gains 7 POUNDS in November and December?!?! Seriously. That's crazy!

I don't know about you, but I don't want to be a part of that statistic! I know that a lot of my friends, family, and followers struggle, JUST LIKE ME, during this holiday season. If we want to beat the statistic, we need to CHANGE OUR HABITS!

So - I'm gonna do just that! It only takes 21 days to change a habit - right???


OK - great! Then from Dec. 1 - 21, I am going to follow and complete the 21 Day Fix. Its 21 days. It's a portion controlled meal plan. It's easy to follow. It will change my habits. It will keep me on track. Heck - it has CHOCOLATE and WINE incorporated into the plan! That's a plan that I can do!

Now I want to invite all of you to do it with me! Let's battle this holiday bulge together! Best part - you don't have to live near me! You can be in Alaska while I'm in Pennsylvania and you can still do the program WITH me!


My groups are entirely run on Social Media - mainly Facebook. We are all part of a secret group that talk EVERY DAY! We push each other to do better. We make sure we are all eating well. We have fun!!!

In order to be in this group, there are a few requirements:

1. You must be my customer via teambeachbody.com. In order to sign up as my customer, just click HERE and you can make a FREE account. That lets me know that you are interested and want to participate! 
2. You must incorporate Shakeology into your day. You can already be drinking it or purchase it with your program. 
3. You must purchase or own the 21 Day Fix. If you already have it, GREAT! If not, click HERE to purchase it WITH Shakeology at a serious discount! 
4. You must be my friend on Facebook so I can add you to the secret group! Click HERE to get to my profile and add me as a friend!
5. You must fill out the application at the bottom of this blog post!

I hope you decide to join me and not let this holiday season get the best of you!

<3,

Kelly

Free holiday accountability groups

My team and I had a moment of genius! We all have a tough time in November and December. All the parties. All the candy. All the food. Our poor pants are crying by the time New Years rolls around.

Well, NOT THIS YEAR! We are offering FREE groups for you the entire way through the New Year! These are short (two weeks long) groups designed to keep you accountable and on your toes!

We currently have our Planks & Thanks group going and we are having a blast!

Next up is our Leggings & Lunges group, which starts on Nov. 10.

After that is our Team Harmony MAX OUT group, starting on Nov. 17th. 

(graphic to come soon!)

Our December groups will be announced a little bit later this month. We will NOT be starting a FREE group the week of Thanksgiving. That just seems cruel :)

In order to join one or more of our free groups, all you have to do is go to http://bit.ly/cbc2free and sign up to have me as your free coach. Then use the "contact your coach" button at the top of your page to send me an email to let me know what group you want to be in. We will talk more from there!

Remember - these groups are absolutely, 100% FREE. The only thing I ask of you is that you make me your coach by clicking on the link above. This helps me keep track of everyone that I am helping :)

<3,
Kell

Very Berry Tropical Vegan Shakeology

I love trying new Shakeology recipes. I've only met a few that I am not a fan of.

This past summer, I found a new love for the Vegan Shakeology formulas after they were reformulated to be smoother. Tropical Strawberry is my new "go to" during the summer - especially at my mom's pool! One small trick of subbing this specific recipe for my strawberry/raspberry/fruity adult beverage probably saved me THOUSANDS of calories throughout the summer!

If you've never tried Shakeology before, you should. I know I know. You are skeptical. So was I. I  didn't want to be the person that drank her meals. I didn't want some dumb gimmick. I wanted something that was going to HELP me on my journey. Shakeology did just that! I got, and still get, 70+ vitamins and superfoods each and every day just by drinking my breakfast. AND with this particular recipe, it's like a PAR-TAY in my mouth!

If you ever want to try Shakeology, please let me know! I would be happy to get you a trial pack. If you are ready to just jump on board, just click HERE and sign up for a free account. Then I will be in touch to help you get started!

Ok - enough rambling. On to the recipe!!!

Ingredients:

• 1 scoop/packet of Tropical Strawberry Shakeology
• 1 cup cold water
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup frozen red raspberries
• 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
• 1/2 cup frozen sliced strawberries

Directions:

1. Pour liquid into blender.
2. Add in your Shakeology.
3. Top with frozen berries.
4. Blend.
5. Drink.

Please let me know if you make any adjustments to this recipe and how it turned out!

<3,

Kell

P90 Sculpt A Modifications

This morning I did P90 Sculpt A again. I must admit - I LOVE this workout. Seriously. Anyone can do it and anyone can sweat during it. Speaking of anyone doing P90 - do you know who this program is geared for??? ANYONE!!!

If you are interested in starting P90 and getting some extra support from me, please click HERE (or go to www.beachbodycoach.com/kellylevere)  and sign up for a FREE account. Then click on "Contact My Coach" at the top of the page and shoot me an email! I will then be in touch!


Here are some of the modifications that I do during the workout. Some are because I need the modification and some are so that I don't shake the house and wake up the kids - HAHA!

Warm-up:

In the warm-up, the only real modification that I make is that I don't jog during the jog. I step with high knees. You see, I workout in my living room, which is on the same floor as our bedrooms. Actually it's on the same floor as everything because we live in a ranch house. So, when I'm working out in the mornings, I try not to jump because I don't want to wake the tiny humans sleeping in the bedrooms down the hall.

In other warm-up exercises, I follow the modifier. Like the press jacks. Again, I do this because I don't want to jump and shake the house. Yes. I shake the house when I jump. I would feel bad about it except my 50 pound 5 year old also shakes the house when he jumps around.


Workout modifications:

For the workouts, I generally use modifications to make the workouts harder. I go down lower in lunges. I squat lower and further back into my heels. I push further forward in Rocker Launcher Stance instead of being more upright.

A few examples of modifications to make this workout easier - when you do your two sets of push-ups, if you can't do them on your toes, do them on your knees. Then try one on your toes. Try to add one extra push-up on your toes each time you do the workout.

If you have trouble in the Rocket Launcher Stance - just stand up straight and do the exercise. As Tony always says "Do you best and forget the rest". I mean - you ARE working out! You aren't just sitting on the couch watching the DVD's!

For the Skier Squats - a way to modify to make them more challenging, put 5 pound weights in your hands while you squat. Then you will be working your shoulders and adding 10 extra pounds to your squatting body weight.


I am following the Sculpt schedule - so here is what my workout calendar is going to look like:

If you need more ideas on how to make any of the moves more challenging or easier, please feel free to leave a comment below or email me at kellylevere@gmail.com. If you don't have a coach and would like to work with me for accountability and support, again feel free to comment below or email me at the above address!

Good luck and remember - YOU CAN DO THIS!!!

<3,
Kell

Salted Caramel Shakeology

Let's face it. The cold, hard truth. Ready for it?

I LOVE SWEETS!

I bet you NEVER would have guessed that - right??? Just because I eat clean 80% of time time doesn't mean that I can turn off that little voice in my ear that says "eat ALL the candy!!!". I am human, just like you. I have my weaknesses. Sweets is the one thing I have a VERY hard time saying no to. 

That's one of the reasons I love my Shakeology! It satisfies my sweet tooth and give me 70+ superfoods each and every day!

I'm always on the hunt for new Shakeology recipes. I mean, a girl can only drink a Mocha Frappe Shakeology so many times - haha! Yeah right! It's still my fav and always will be!

BUT...

I have a new comfort recipe. It is salty, sweet, and chocolaty! Best of everything combined into one! Give the recipe a whirl and let me know what you think!!!

Ingredients:

• 1 scoop/packet Chocolate Shakeology
• 6 ozs cold water
• 8 ozs Unsweetened Almond Milk
• 1/8 tsp Caramel Extract
• A dash or two of pink Himalayan Salt
• Ice to taste

Directions:

1. Place wet ingredients into your blender. 
2. Add your shakeology.
3. Sprinkle in the Himalayan salt.
4. Top with ice.
5. Blend and ENJOY!

This recipe could easily be made with vanilla shakeology as well if you aren't a fan of chocolate. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think of this recipe!

<3,

Kell

Root Beer Float Shakeology

Um. Yeah. Ehermagherd.

I heard about this new Root Beer Float Shakeology recipe. I must admit,  I was skeptical. In my opinion, root beer floats must be done CORRECTLY to be good. We're talking the good vanilla ice cream and fresh root beer.

So, last week I was a little bored with my normal shakeology routine. I needed something different than my Mocha Frappe shakeo. Then I remembered that I had bought some root beer extract at the grocery store. I decided to give my version of the recipe a whirl and low and behold...

The results of my little experiment were OUT OF THIS WORLD!!! It was like a big fat cheat meal/dessert but without any of the guilt! In fact, my son had a taste and asked me to make him one! That right there is a SCORE!

Do I have you excited yet? Are you drooling? Want the recipe???

Ok - here it is :)


Ingredients:

• 1 scoop/packet of Vanilla Shakeology
• 1/4 tsp Root Beer Extract
• 8-12 ozs unsweetened almond milk (or water - depending on what you like)
• Ice to taste

Directions:

1. Pour almond milk into your blender.
2. Add in the vanilla shakeology and root beer extract.
3. Top with ice.
4. Blend.
5. Drink up!

If you are sensitive to flavor, you might need to use less extract (1/8 tsp). If you need a little more flavor, use more extract (up to 1 tsp). 

Let me know what you think and if you made any changes to my recipe!

<3,

Kell

P90 Review Day 1

If you follow me on Facebook, you already know this. If not, you're about to...

2014 has stunk. Seriously. Bad year.

The absolute kicker was when my stepdad, Ken, was diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer in March. To see this man, who was my dad in all respects except DNA, be crippled by this horrible disease took a huge toll on me. It took 6 months for the cancer to take over completely. He passed away on Sept. 20 and the cause of death was Esophageal Cancer. 

I HATE YOU CANCER.

SCREW YOU CANCER. 

You know what??? I can do better than that...

EFF YOU CANCER.

Ok - I feel better now. But really, I don't. 

You see, over the past 6 months I was consumed by everything but MYSELF. I ate poorly. I skipped workouts. I gained TWENTY POUNDS.

TWENTY POUNDS!!!

To say that I'm embarrassed would be the truth. To say I feel like junk would be another truth. To say that I am horrified that all my new clothes are VERY snug would be factual. 

And you know what - here's another truth. I'm not a failure. I will not let this setback define me. I will NEVER become the person I used to be. I REFUSE to QUIT!

So, what am I doing to get back on track??? Well, this morning I started Tony Horton's new workout program, P90. It's like P90X but without the X, a.k.a the extreme. The program is designed to be a gateway into health for EVERYONE. Yes - even the person that hasn't worked out in YEARS!

There are two plans to this program: Sweat and Sculpt. I am doing the Sculpt schedule because I am a weight lifter at heart. I love love love lifting weights. I also plan to get the deluxe workouts too add into the rotation. I like some extra variety.

This new 90 day program is broken down into 3, 4-week segments. They are simply called A, B, and C. Each segment has a Sculpt, Sweat, and Ab workout. They all also include the ever popular "Saturday Special" which I have yet to do...

This morning was Sculpt A. It consisted of push-ups, rows, presses, curls, kickbacks, lunges, walking push-ups, chin pulls, side squats, swimmer presses, rocket launcher curls, tricep kickdowns, and kayak back lunges. I was able to do everything without modifications. 

To get myself back in the swing of things, I went VERY light on the weights today. 5's and 8's. As I progress, I'm sure I'll be back to my normal 10-20's. Actually, I can't wait for that!

I found all of the workouts to be basic and effective. I was sweating like a pig by the end of the 28 minutes. This program is going to be all about how intense you make it. Use light weights or a light band and make lots of modifications and any beginner can do it. Use heavier weights with modifications the other way (to make the exercises harder) and all of a sudden seasoned athletes will find this program challenging! That's one of the best parts - it's so versatile!

The only thing that might require some extra modifications in the beginning is the push-ups. The modifier only goes down a little bit but she is still on her toes. If you need more of a modification, then you should go down to your knees for the push-ups until you are ready to be on your toes.

My ABSOLUTE favorite part about this workout was how the workouts were explained. Tony would talk through the workout while the screen would go to two people doing demonstrations of the moves. There were even arrows pointing to what Tony was talking about.

I can't wait to do this workout again on Wednesday because I am going to up my weights and resistance band (for pull-ups/push-downs)! I am ready to make some changes to my body!

If this program sounds like something you might be interested in, please fill out a challenge group application. I will get back to you asap and we can figure out, together, whether P90 is the right choice for you. If it isn't, then we will find a workout program that you will LOVE!

PiYo VIP Test Group

Sooo - guess what? You know that awesome PiYo program that every beachbody coach has been talking about? Well - it was supposed to be released on Monday, June 23. Turns out - it's going to be released TODAY!!!! 

WHAT THE WHAT?!?!?! This is HUGE HUGE HUGE news! Do not wait. This program WILL sell out. Follow my directions below and JOIN MY GROUP set to start on July 7th!

Now onto my original blog post that I wrote in the Denver airport:

Ohhhh baby! I’m on my connecting jet plane as I type this blog post! Summit 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada – HERE I COME! Four days of personal development, networking, meeting trainers, and shopping Beachbody style!

My first purchase???

HELLO PiYo!!! WOO HOO! I’m buying it first thing tomorrow morning and starting the program on Monday, June 23 and apparently YOU can buy it tomorrow (June 19th) too!!! I will be posting the link to the Challenge Pack ($140) as soon as I have it.

First – you need to know the best part about PiYo’s release on Monday – it’s going to be on sale, including a month supply of Shakeology for $140! A bag of Shakeology normally costs $129.95 itself, so this is a STEAL!

Starting on July 7, I’m running a Team Harmony EXCLUSIVE PiYo test group! There are a few requirements for this test group:

1. You must be my client. You can go to bit.ly/coachkelly to sign up for a free account.
2. You must purchase the PiYo challenge pack. Go to bit.ly/kellypiyo
3. You must fill out the Test Group/Challenge Group application at bit.ly/groupapplication

Why join my test group? That’s easy! Join us for support, accountability, meal plans, recipes, and FUN! We will all be working out to PiYo together. Lots of people to support you, challenge you, and answer your questions!

Seriously – who doesn’t want to lose weight and tone up without any impact to you joints? UMMM – EVERYONE! Haha!

Now – I promised you some info about PiYo and here it is!

PiYo is the brainchild of celebrity trainer Chalene Johnson. You might have heard of her from programs like TurboJam, ChaLEAN Extreme, and TurboFire. My very first Beachbody program was ChaLEAN Extreme and I loved every second of it!

PiYo combines the very best of Pilates and Yoga and turns the intensity up quite a few notches but not the impact. Yup – you read that right! A LOW impact program that burns a LOT of calories and tones every muscle in your body!

PiYo is a 60 day program with 8 workouts. Wanna know more about each workout? Read below!

Align – Learn the basic PiYo terminology, proper alignment, and available modifications while Chalene takes you through a strengthening flow that will have your blood pumping!

Sweat – This is a 30 minute transitional PiYo workout. It incorporates effective dynamic conditioning, fast-paced cardio yoga-flows, body weight resistance strength training, powerful athletic moves, and ab work into one workout!

Core – This ab workout hits your powerhouse from every angle, building a strong core while creating flat, sculpted, and totally toned abs, obliques, and back!

Define (lower body) – This workout will shape and tone everything from your glutes and hamstrings to your glues and calves in a gentle yet effective way. This workout is your key to sleek and lean legs!

Define (upper body) – This workout will chisel away at your upper body and get you on your way to shaping your arms and sculpting your shoulders.

Drench – The warm up and stretch of this program focuses on upper and lower body while the power section gets your heart-rate into fat burning mode. Then we focus on lower body to improve muscle endurance, balance, and flexibility.

Sculpt – A muscular endurance workout that uses varying tempos to keep your muscles under tension for longer periods of time.

Strength Intervals – This workout is a NON-STOP body carving, calorie incinerating workout that uses no weights, no equipment, and gives you no bulk! We will alternate between intervals of hard core body weight resistance exercises and heart-rate elevating athletic moves that melt away fat and promote long, lean muscle development.

BONUS PiYo Buns – This workout is only available if you purchase PiYo through me! It focuses on glues and is designed to lift, redefine, and tighten the entire backside of your body! Who doesn’t want THAT?!?!

So – now you know what the workouts are like. You know how to join the PiYo test group. You know what all the workouts entail. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR??? Let’s do this TOGETHER!

If you have ANY questions, do not hesitate to email me (contact info in a tab at the top of my blog)! I am here to help you SUCCEED!!!

I can’t wait to start this journey with you!

<3,

Kelly

Star Diamond Coach

www.kellylevere.com

What a Spring!

Wow. I can't believe that I haven't written a blog post since April!!! It's now June 1!

I should know by now that April and May are going to be crazy busy in the Levere household. It's nearing the end of the school year and concert season is quickly upon me and my students.

April and May 2014 were no exception. Well, actually, they were the exception. There were a few other extra circumstances that made these two months even rougher.

Let's start with the ongoing battle with my daughter Piper. She was officially diagnosed with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis in March. Luckily for her, it's contained to her left ankle right now, so it's called Oglioarticular JIA. Oglio-JIA is when the arthritis affects less than 4 joints. A steroid injection into her ankle has helped bring the swelling down but we are still on Aleve twice a day to get the swelling completely gone.

Then there's Piper's eye issue. Along with JIA comes eye inflammation. Our rhumatologist said that Piper was at a low risk for this inflammation. Only 20% of kids with her type of JIA get Uveitis. Turns out, she's got it! Her right eye was inflamed. Prescription to fix the inflammation? 4 steroid drops a day in her right eye for 2 weeks and then 2 drops a day for 3 weeks. After a follow up visit to the pediatric opthamologist in early May, her inflammation was gone. So we are doing a steroid taper. 2 drops a day for 1 more week, one drop a day for 2 weeks, a week without drops, and then get checked again. We take her back in on her 2nd birthday - June 12th. Then it's a minimum of 4 times a year to check for inflammation.



In the grand scheme of things JIA isn't a big deal. Yes, she will deal with it her entire life. Or maybe it will go away. All we know right now is that she is happy, healthy, and pain free.

My family was also hit with the bomb in April that my step-dad has stage 4 esophageal cancer that has spread to his liver and also a mass in his ribs. He is undergoing 3 different types of chemo right now to help shrink the tumors. Chemo has brought lots of sickness and a 50 pound weight loss. My 6 foot 6 inch step-dad, who usually hangs around 256 pounds, is trying his best to stay above the 200 mark right now. When he gets past the after effects of the 2 different types of chemo in his port, he is able to eat again, which we are hopeful that that means that the tumor is shrinking. We won't know until another round of chemo on the 6th of June and then a scan on the 20th of June.

So, yeah. There's that.

Then, out of the blue, my husband and I found out we were expecting the day after Easter. It came as a COMPLETE shock to us. We weren't trying nor were/are we even sure we want a third child. We weren't sure when our due date was, but we estimated sometime between Dec. 10 and Dec. 25. Since I am still nursing Piper, my cycles were off and we hadn't seen our Midwife yet.

Well, we had the good news (ok - shocking news - I cried a LOT) for about a week before I began to have a miscarriage. A miscarriage is not something I would wish on my worst enemy. We've now had two of them. Our first pregnancy and then this last pregnancy. It hit me VERY hard. I had just gotten used to the idea of a third baby. A Christmas baby. Our surprise third baby. Then it was ripped away as quickly as it was given to us.

Luckily I have a new found relationship with God. I know that everything happens for a reason. I know that this baby was just not meant to be. For the most part, I'm at peace with our loss now. I still have my moments. I still mourn the baby I will never get to hold. But, you know what? I have two beautiful children right here that love me and need me each and every day. So, I pick myself up off the ground and put a smile on my face. I tell people about my loss because people need to know that it affects more women that we let on.

Last - the month of May is deemed "mom's crazy month" in our house. As a beginning band director, May is my biggest month. I have 4 evening concerts, 4 daytime concerts, two days of presentations to the 3rd graders, a parent information meeting night, two days of tryouts, and two evenings of tryouts. I miss more bedtimes in May that I miss the rest of the year combined. BUT - it's part of my job. It's a part of the job that I LOVE because it's such a big deal for my students. Their concerts are the time when they get to shine. Those butterflies you get before going on stage are not well known to a lot of people. But if you are lucky enough to have experienced them in your lifetime, you know what I'm talking about. I love my students. I love seeing my students succeed. I love igniting the fire inside of them for performing and for music.

So - all in all - it's been a REALLY busy Spring. My goal for the summer is to blog consistently. Get back to my roots. Go to Summit. Grow my team. Help more people. Become a 5 star diamond coach. <--- yeah - I just put that out there. I have 4 stars to go. My team will do it. They are amazing.

Thanks for listening to my crazy ramblings on this Sunday night. I have #5morewakeups with kids. I can do this. Summer break is so close I can taste it. Success is just around the corner. I'm ready to make the Summer of 2014 into MY SUMMER!

<3,
Kell

Focus T25 Results Success Spotlight

I recently had the priviledge of meeting Wendy. She was a challenger in a Challenge Group I was running. Throughout the entire 70 days - she didn't miss a beat. She NAILED her T25 workouts and got AMAZING results. Here's her before picture and her story:

"My name is Wendy and I am 36 years old. I am an Attorney in a small firm in Southwestern Pennsylvania. I have been married for almost 14 years to my awesome Husband, and together we have three (3) amazing children, Gavin age 10, Grant age 7, and Grace age 2! I work full time, and after work I am a hockey mom, football mom, and now, a Beachbody coach.  When I say I’m busy, I’m not joking.  I work Monday through Friday from 8:30 to 5:00, and then we run 4 out of 5 nights a week with hockey practice and once football starts it will be 5 nights a week.  Plus we have hockey games or football games every weekend.  This does not leave a lot of spare time.

Every year I make a New Year's resolution to lose weight. Every year, I start some new exercise program or weight loss gimmick. Every year, by mid-January I quit and give up. This year, I changed my New Year's resolution. I resolved to take care of myself. 

You see, over the past 10 years, I have neglected me. I have gained over 35 pounds since my pre-pregnancy weight. I have tried everything, counting points, cleanses, joined the gym, bought frozen diet meals, bought the powder junk you sprinkle on your food, I even bought a home gym. NOTHING WORKED. In January, I realized that our drive-thru, eating on the go lifestyle, has negatively affected not only me, but my family. Despite my oldest son being actively involved in football and hockey, he was tipping the scales at 123 pounds at 10 years of age. I was at the highest non-pregnant weight I had ever been. None of my clothes fit right and I hated going shopping for new ones, because I could not bear buying that next size. My daughter was in a wedding on January 4^th.  She was the most beautiful little flower girl I had ever seen.  I have ZERO pictures of her and I at the wedding.  You know why?  Because I was embarrassed to be seen in photos.  

I lost my mother 3 years ago to cancer.  I was 33 at the time.  I miss her every day and wish she could be here to see my kids grow up into the amazing children they are.  She never met my daughter, because she was born after my mom passed.  I knew that my time with my children was precious and I don’t want to miss out on being a part of their lives, but I also knew the path I was on was disastrous, I needed to change. 

Out of the blue I began noticing posts on Facebook by my friend KellyAnn Hawking, and I discovered that she was a beach body coach. I had no idea what that meant, but I asked her for help, and she delivered. Kelly suggested the T25 program because I was giving her my poor excuses about not having time and being really out of shape.  She said that T25 was only 25 minutes and there were modifications for all of the moves.   She also suggested Shakeology and a clean eating meal plan.  

So, I started the T25 workout program with the Shakeology nutrition shake once per day.  I also found a free 5 day 'eat clean' challenge group on Facebook, and I learned all about clean eating. Eating clean, changed my family’s lifestyle. We have cut processed foods from our meals. We now eat and drink all natural, whole, unprocessed foods. I realize the health benefits of doing this for myself, as well as for my family. We all benefit from this change. I also joined an online challenge group for the T25 and realize now how important those other challengers and coaches were in helping me attain my results.  I looked to that group every day for motivation, inspiration, and accountability!  

Thirty days after starting the clean eating, T25 and Shakeology, I had lost 16 pounds.  After ten weeks, I was down 3 dress sizes, and 25.4 pounds.   I have lost over 10 inches in my waist, 4 inches each thigh, 3.5 inches on my hips, 3 inches in the chest, and 1.5 inches in each arm.  

I feel better than I have in a very long time.  I have more confidence and more energy to get things done, and I think I have become a positive role model for my children and husband.  They help me with meal planning and grocery shopping and are very supportive with my 25 minutes with Shaun T every evening!  I have become a Shakeology ‘Superfan’!  This stuff has replaced my obligatory morning coffee routine and I absolutely love it!  And Shaun T, well, he’s become part of the family!  My plan is to restart the T25 program on April 21^st, with the challenge groups, but in the meantime, I will keep doing the workouts randomly to stay active!"

Ready for those after pics? How's this for a transformation???

Need to see them side by side??? Ask and ye shall recieve!

So - Why am I showing you Wendy's results? The answer is two fold. 

1 - Wendy is PROOF that it can be done and it WORKS!

2 - I want YOU to be inspired to do something and change YOUR life! 

My team, Team Harmony, has a T25 only challenge group coming up on April 21st. I want YOU to be a part of it. I want YOU to make the decision to change your life. I want to HELP YOU reach your goals. Summer is JUST around the corner. Decide. Commit. Succeed. 

All you have to do is fill out the application below and I will be in touch. 

<3, 

Kell

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