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