What Does It Take To Be A Challenger?

I've had SO many people ask me what they need to do in order to participate in my challenge groups as well as what they need to have in order to be a coach on my team!! Today I'm going to give you the low down about my challenge groups, tomorrow we'll touch on coaching so be sure to come back!!!

Challenge Groups

What Do I Need To Do To Be A Challenger?:

• You need to create an account on www.teambeachbody.com with me as your coach.
• You will need to select the program of your choice's challenge pack. This means you'll be getting your workout, your nutrition guide, and your month's supply of Shakeology of whichever flavor you chose as well as access to my challenge groups and my support. The challenge pack must be bought through me, not another source, I limit the amount of participants in my challenge groups and the ones purchasing through  me are getting my services as part of their payment. 
• You will need to have access to Facebook. Now I know some people tend not to mess with Facebook, but that seems to be the BEST place for getting a group of people together to tackle these fitness journeys together! If you are still resistant to Facebook but really want to make a change with your life, just message me or email I'm more than willing to put our heads together to come up with another idea!
• You will need to do your before and after pictures and measurements. No you are not going to have to post them in the group for everyone to see! But you must take them! This will be the best way to track your progress!
• You will need to have the determination to make a change! Am I going to come knock on your door every single day and make you hit that play button? Maybe, haha but probably not, the group is designed to get you up and moving by seeing others do it too! I'm going to be your BIGGEST cheerleader, but if you don't pull your end of the deal then you aren't going to get there!! :)

I have to give credit where credit is due y'all. I did not think challenge groups were all they were cracked up to be when I started these programs. But I believe WHOLE HEARTILY that my very first challenge group I was apart of was my DRIVING force for making it through and CHANGING my life! Ryken had been home from the NICU for about a month and he was waking up every two hours at night to have a bottle. On top of that after feeding him his bottle I had to stay up for another half hour to pump. To say I was a walking zombie most days is putting it VERY lightly. I thank god for my fellow challengers pushing me when all I wanted to do was take a nap! So trust me guys, they are worth it!!

Thanks to Challenge Groups!

I put together two challenge groups a month if you are interested in being in one of my ones coming up please fill out the application at the bottom and we can start making positive changes in your life too!!

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How to Cook a Spaghetti Squash

So a few months ago I had no clue what the heck a spaghetti squash was or where to find one. I just kept hearing everyone talking about them! So I did some research and now I'm going to share it with you!

First off, where can you find said spaghetti squash?? You can pretty much buy them in any store that is going to have a produce area. I've found them at Walmart, Kroger, Cub Foods, etc so you don't have to worry about going out to the "fancy" health stores :) They are usually on the wall with all the other vegetables that get watered so to speak. Around the same area you'll find the spinach, carrots, green beans, you get the idea! Moving on, I have some pictures to help y'all out :)

How to Make Spaghetti Squash

1. This is what you are going to be looking for, they come in REALLY big sizes, medium sizes, and smaller size. I usually pick the smaller size because I don't have a huge family to feed. It kind of has a football shape to it (Go Cowboys!) and they are this yellow color.

2. Once you bring that bad boy home you are going to need a large pretty sharp knife. (Kids, let's let the parentals handle this) You are going to want to cut it long ways. It's a little tough so I suggest employing the helpful hands of a partner if need be.

3. So now you've got your two halves, next you're going to scoop the guts out. Kind of like when you carve a pumpkin at Halloween time. I use a spoon or a fork. It doesn't need to be perfect, but you are going to need a trash can.

4. Now here's the fun part, you get to season it HOWEVER you're little heart desires! I like to use some sea salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Get creative with it! First you need to drizzle some EVOO (extra version olive oil for us new to the game) over it and then season it with your fixin's. Pop those babies into the oven at 400 and cook for about 35-40 minutes depending on how big yours is.

After you've cooked your spaghetti squash you're of course going to want to let it cool for about 5-10 minutes, long enough to where you'll be able to pick it up and handle it. Once that time has arrived take your fork and go to town scraping the insides out, get as much as you can! Again, if you get tired, I would employ a partner to help out. Team work guys! End result is this yummy goodness----->

Delicious in a Bowl 

So now what? Now you eat! You can pretty much do whatever you'd like with it and it's pretty much going to taste amazing. I've paired it with marinara sauce and eaten it like spaghetti, I've eaten it plain straight out of the bowl, I've mixed in some onions and mushrooms, I've drizzled chocolate of it...wait scratch that haha but really please try this out, it's so good and you end up with SO much leftovers!!!

Finished Product

Eating Clean: Twice Baked Cauliflower

I actually found this recipe on Pinterest months ago and I'm pretty sure I've made it like ten times already. It is SO good. I made it last night for some friends that came over to see the new place. Unfortunately, I did not get a picture of it before it was demolished, it was that good! You need to try it out, your family won't even realize its cauliflower!!

Twice Baked Cauliflower:

Ingredients:

1 Large Head of Cauliflower

1 TBSP Coconut Oil

1/2 TSP of Sea Salt

1/4 TSP of Pepper

1/2 Cup of Greek Yogurt

1/2 Cup Green Onions

1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

4 Slices of Turkey Bacon, Crumbled

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Spray 8x8 dish with nonstick spray

3. Cut cauliflower into pieces and boil in water until soft

4. Put cauliflower in large bowl and mash with fork or potato masher

5. Mix in the coconut oil, sea salt, pepper, greek yogurt, green onions, and 3/4 of turkey bacon

6. Put mixture into baking dish and sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese and rest of bacon on top

7. Bake for 30 minutes

8. Enjoy!!!

I Wanted to Help People and To Help Support My Family Financially, So I Did.

How did I do it? I became a Beachbody coach. What in the world does that mean? Does that mean you are personal trainer? Does that mean you are perfect and yell at others to be perfect? No, none of the above. All it means is that I found peace at making myself a happier, healthier version of myself that I never thought possible, and I want to help others do the same.

When I was first approached to become a coach I declined. I thought, no way in heck was the kind of person that could talk to people, mentor them, or convince them to make a positive change in their lives. To me, since I wasn't any where near my goal image of myself I didn't think I was capable of helping others. I was still on MY journey! So I did my 21 Day Fix with my months worth of Shakeology and finished.  I then had to cancel my Shakeology because I was a stay at home mom and I couldn't justify spending the money on it every month. It wasn't until about three or four months later after we moved back to Texas that I just got so tired of missing the amazing benefits my body felt with Shakeology. I was still doing my workouts every day but I was DOWNING red bull by the case load to keep up my energy after chasing Ryken around all day. I was exhausted, I felt bloated, I had ridiculous pregnancy like cravings (I wasn't even pregnant anymore!) I felt like crap! I missed feeling like I had energy for days, I missed not wanting to woof down an entire cookie cake in one sitting, I just missed the all around healthy feeling that Shakeology provided for me. So I decided to go looking for some clean eating tips to try to make up for my slack the past few months. That is where I found my coach's blog. I read through almost her entire blog and realized that her character and mannerisms were like mirror images of mine! She too had issues with talking to people and not wanting to be that "nagging salesperson", but she took the leap of faith and she was EXCELLING! So I messaged her, talked to her for a little while and decided that above all else I at least could sign up and get a discount on all of my workout programs AND Shakeology! So I did, but not only did I decide when I signed up that I wanted to get my discount, I wanted to make money to help support my family. I was facing the harsh reality that I was running out of my savings and I was about to have to go back to working full time and the thought of leaving Ryken all day long brought me to tears every single night.

I am now two months into my business and I am SO excited. I am seriously part of one of the BEST teams I could have ever asked for. Oh and did I mention that my coach's coach? Yeah, she's currently the top coach of the business! I started into the apprenticeship program and I am literally walked through every single step I need to make. I love how helpful my team is, they are all there to support you and push you and make you feel like you are worth it! Oh, and I've already made a decent amount of money so that doesn't hurt either! 

What I didn't realize came with this coaching gig was the AMAZING feeling I would get from helping people! I never saw myself as someone anyone would look up to and want to learn from. My challengers MAKE MY DAY. Every single time I get a message from one of them telling me how proud of the obstacles they are overcoming and how they are growing in fitness journey makes my heart smile. I am so in love with this company I am apart of and the ability I have to provide encouragement and support to friends, family, and STRANGERS who become friends!!

Even better? I'm getting to stay home with my little guy. Watching him grow every single day. I don't have to miss out on anything and that's what matters to me the most. I want to be the person he remembers when he looks back at his childhood, not the people I pay to watch him. Now I get to, and it means the world to me. Plus I get to work in my PJs or workout clothes if I so see fit which is a nice plus :)

Working in my PJs on the couch

So you ready to hear the good news?? You can have all this too!! All it takes is a little desire, a positive attitude, and a good amount of determination! If this is something that you find yourself saying yes to, or even saying "I'd like some more information" please fill out the questions below and we can chat!!! Looking forward to hearing from you! :)

Hanging Out with Ryken and Doing Some Work

      

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Clean Eating: Turkey Meatballs

Clean Turkey Meatballs

I have been LOVING trying out new dinners for the family! Now that my kitchen is all FINALLY unpacked I can get to cooking!

For dinner last night I made Turkey Meatballs, and they did not disappoint! Plus they were SO easy to make and budget friendly!

Ingredients:
2 lbs of ground turkey
3 egg whites
1 cup of quick oats
1/2 tsp of ground cumin
1/2 tsp of thyme
2 tsp of dried yellow mustard
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp chipotle pepper
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 small onion diced
2 celery stalked diced

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Spray muffin pan with non stick spray
3. Mix all your ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
4. Roll into balls and place in the muffin pan
5. Bake for 40 minutes

I also made some sauteed Brussels Sprouts and onions seasoned with lemon pepper and just a tad bit of sea salt to go with!! SO GOOD!!

What Does My Kitchen Look Like?

Boxes on Boxes

Well, due to the fact that I have spent the whole past weekend moving into our new home this is the current state of my kitchen: ---------------->

It's a work in progress, finding out you have enough things to fit in seven kitchens that you must figure out how to fit in to just one can be a bit of a task! Anyway, our brand spanking new refrigerator finally arrived yesterday afternoon so I was stoked to get it pilled high with some good clean eats! So I sat down last night to finally put together the meal plan for the week. (Does that mean I kind of slacked over the weekend and yesterday? Yes, that is what that means. But we are all human and moving is hard! I did manage to at least have my Shakeology every day though!)  

So here we have it, here is my meal plan for my week, Tuesday and on:

Meal Plan PiYo Week 6

Grocery List

So after I draw up what I think I want to eat for the week I'll go through and write down all the ingredients needed for everything. All of them. No matter if I think I have them in the kitchen already or not. I write them all down. To some this may seem a bit overkill, to me it helps me not miss something by assuming its already in the kitchen and then come to find out it might not be. After I write everything down then I make my way into my kitchen and go through the list crossing off the things that most definitely in my kitchen already and then its time to hit the local grocery store with list in hand!

Grocery Shopping For The Win!

After that fun little outing and you are back in your kitchen this is where the exciting part happens! After getting all your goodies put away you are going to want to start prepping things! Here are some of the things I have done to get ready for the week:

Greenberry Shakeology

1. Breakfast is a no-brainer, Shakeology. Every morning. It gets me revved up and ready to tackle my baby and workout for the day! I don't have a blender for the new house yet so I just mix it with some water and shake and it is DELICIOUS

Lunch on the Go!

2. Next my mid morning snack will be my 1/2 of greek yogurt with some strawberries, blueberries and honey thrown in the mix. For this step I buy the big tub of greek yogurt and keep it in the fridge and just scoop some out each day. As for the strawberries and blueberries I wash them and cut the strawberries up and throw them all into a tuberware container so I can scoop these out as the week goes on. I would show you this step, but all my bowls are being washed from coming out of boxes so I have yet to do this yet! But I will, I promise :)

3. My lunch is consisting of spinach salad with some chicken breast I baked and the oh so delicious creamy garlic dressing. So for that I cook up a chicken breast that I will divide up for the week. (I only needed to do one because I'm starting late, normally I'd do two) and then I mix up the dressing and put it all in the fridge so its ready to go with for lunch time.

No Bake Chocolate Shakeology Balls

4. My afternoon snack will most likely be my favorite this week. Chocolate Shakeology Balls. I love chocolate and I have a MAJOR sweet tooth so these will be perfect! Grab two and enjoy!!

5. For dinner I have grabbed some recipes from various sites that sounded good to try out! One of the perks of being a stay at home mommy and with my fiance working days for the time being is by the time dinner rolls around he can take Ryken and I can cook dinner. I like having a fresh hot dinner so I don't mind doing this. So I'll decide that day if its been a good baby day I'll take the time to cook that night, if its been a crazy baby day I'll throw something into the crock pot. So when I'm making my meal plan I make sure to throw in some crock pot meals for days like that :)

I hoped this helped! Meal planning and prepping seriously has saved my life! Being home by myself with Ryken all day leaves me with VERY little time to myself, especially since he is now into everything with his crawling! So being able to grab something really quick while he's napping or being entertained for five seconds helps so much!!! Please if you have ANY questions feel free to leave a comment or email me at alissatarner1988@gmail.com OR find me on Facebook at facebook.com/alissa.tarner

What's With These Challenge Groups?!

One of the number ONE questions I get during my day is "What on earth are these challenge groups you keep going on about?"  Well I'm here to let you into the secret! Challenge groups are magical little CLOSED groups you will get added into by me as your coach, on Facebook.

Challenge Groups

What's the big deal about that?! I'll tell you! MOTIVATION!! That was the most important part of why I joined a group. How many of you have workout DVDs just hanging out on your shelves at home collecting dust?? I had like FIVE! I had no desire most days to get up and move so I didn't. The nice things about challenge groups is you are in a group with other women (and men sometimes) doing it all together!! When you see other's posting about their workouts and how good they feel that they got through them it makes you want to join them!! What are some other things you can look forward to with a challenge group?

1. I run CLOSED Facebook groups, meaning the only people that can see your posts and pictures will be the people I assign to the group!!
2. I, as your coach, will be posting daily motivational tips, quotes, things to live by!
3. I also post my recipes I try out as well as the other challengers posting their recipes.
4. I post my weekly meal plans to give you a good guideline to go by (I know this was one of my hardest things to come up with when I was first starting out)
5. You will be getting Shakeology recipes without having to do a trial and error on your own.
6. There are prizes to be won!!

Sample Meal Plan

Here is a quick little video that sums up everything I just laid out for you:

If you are interested in joining one of my upcoming challenge groups fill out this application and let me know WHY you want to make this change in your life!!

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Eating Clean: Chicken and Fries

Clean Chicken and Fries

I am a SUCKER for chicken and fries, it used to be my STAPLE when I would cruise on through the drive-thru. BUT NOT ANYMORE! I tried this clean eating alternative last night and I was very pleased! Here's the low down on how to make this plate of deliciousness!

Ingredients:
(I should note, I didn't take any actual measurements for the spices I just kind of added until it looked good!)

• Ezekiel Bread
• Parmesan Cheese
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Italian Seasoning
• Egg Whites
• Sweet Potatoes
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Sea Salt

Directions:

•  Toast the whole grain bread, break into pieces and put into food processor with the Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasoning. Process until fine.
• Cut chicken into strips, beat egg whites. Dip the chicken pieces into egg mixture and then into bread mixture
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes
• Cut up sweet potato in wedge fries, place in Ziploc bag with olive oil and sea salt and shake to coat evenly.
• Lay fries on a baking sheet and cook for 25 minutes or until crispy.

So good guys!! Please try it out and let me know what you think!!

Eating Clean: Orange Chicken

Clean Eating Orange Chicken 

I am slowly learning how to eat clean.  Afterall, you can't hope to achieve that healthy lifestyle by just working out!! By no means have I perfected it but I am making progress!! I made this delicious clean alternative to orange chicken last night that the WHOLE family loved!!

Ingredients:

• Brown Rice
• 3/4 C Fresh Orange Juice
• 3 TBSP Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• 1 TBSP Whole Wheat Flour
• 2 TBSP Cooking Oil
• 3-4 Small Dried Chilies, Broken into Pieces
• 1 Small Red Bellpepper, Cut in 1 Inch Chunks
• 1 Small Red Onion, Diced
• 1 LB Skinless Boneless Chicken Breast, Cut into 1 IN Chunks

Directions:

• Cook rice according to box, I just used the Minute Brown Rice
• In small bowl whisk together orange juice, soy sauce, and whole wheat flour
• Heat wok on high, add oil and add chilies and bell pepper and stir fry for about 30 seconds
• Add onion and stir fry for another 30 seconds
• Add chicken and stir fry until cooked thoroughly, about 4-5 minutes
• Add juice mixture and boil until it thickens, about a minute
• Portion over rice and enjoy! 

This Is Where Healthy Starts

Plate of Unhealthy Stuff

Here I was folks, in all my unhealthy glory... In this picture I was at the Minnesota State Fair 2012. Gobs and gobs of unhealthy food, but it was yummy! Unfortunately, this wasn't the start or my only unhealthy habit.  Introducing, beer. This stuff was like liquid candy to me. I loved it. Weird I know.

Anyway, my eating habits were not good. My drinking habits were not good. My workout habits, ha that's cute. Non-existent. I had just moved to a brand new state where I knew ONE person so the thing to do was go out and have a good time, all the time. So I did. And it caught up to me very quickly within the first year that I had lived in Minnesota I gained over 15 lbs. I finally looked at myself in the mirror and after many hours of sobbing to myself I knew I needed to change. I stopped drinking beer every night, I tried to start actually working out. Then the next month I found out I was pregnant. I tried to continue working out throughout my pregnancy but the severe morning sickness put a stop to that one. While I continued to try to eat somewhat better during, I still caved to all my sweet pregnancy cravings. I longed for cookie cake every single day. 

Last Pregnant Picture

At 28 weeks pregnant I went into the hospital after being severely sick and dehydrated for the past day or two.  I was diagnosed with Pre-Eclampsia and put on bed rest at the hospital for the next week until I had Ryken at 29 weeks. For anyone that doesn't know Pre-Eclampsia causing LARGE weight gain so I went into the hospital weighing 145 and left two weeks later weighing 177.  I could not BARE looking at myself, the only reason I left the house was to go to the NICU in Minneapolis to see Ryken.  I had a doctors appointment a week later and was weighed in at 138.  That was the end of my losing pure water weight and it was up to me to lose the rest.  Unfortunately the LAST thing on my mind was trying to find time to go to the gym and cook clean food while I was spending almost all of my time at the NICU.

My best friend had just begun doing Beachbody programs and she offered to buy me a challenge pack for my Christmas present last year.  I chose the ChaLean Extreme and ordered my Shakeology.  However, I didn't join a Challenge Group on Facebook so I would do a workout here and there but did not stick with it. It wasn't until February when the 21 Day Fix was about to be released I finally gave in and bought the Challenge Pack and joined the Challenge Group.  I was drinking my Shakeology every single day and working my butt off because these girls were pushing me and I loved it!  My fiance Adam was so good at helping me with Ryken so I could have thirty minutes to do my workout.

I got all the way down to 114 lbs by doing the 21 Day Fix and drinking my Shakeology like it was going out of style and I felt CONFIDENT again! I have just recently began doing PiYo and the results I'm getting only HALFWAY through this program are amazing me!! I became a Beachbody coach because I know how it feels to look at yourself in the mirror and be horrified, to cry every time you try to pull those jeans up and button them and they just won't. I want to help any and everyone reach their fitness goals. I'm not even to my goal body yet but I am WELL ON MY WAY!!! And I feel FANTASTIC!! If you need help please email me at alissatarner1988@gmail.com or you can find me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/alissa.tarner