S'more desserts please

Hi. I'm Erica and I LOVE food!! I love all sorts, from all different countries, and all different flavors!

That's one thing I LOVE about C! Is that he loves food as much as I do! We love trying new places to eat, love eating foods from different cultures, and we both LOOOOVVVVEEE sweets!

Tiramisu 

On our honeymoon, we basically ate our way through the resort! From delicious eggs Benedict breakfast with homemade pastries (the chocolate one is the BEST!), to a HUGE award winning cheeseburger at lunch! Then there was snack time! Lol yes, they left a snack box in our room every day around 2pm for us to snack on! 

Oh and the desserts!! They were AMAZING!! Banana Splits, Tiramisu, homemade Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches!

Let's not forget about dinner!! 4 course meal every. single. night! Plus all the delicious drinks! I think by the time we left we each gained at least 5lbs! No joke! 

To get to dinner you have to walk two flights of stairs. Night one, no problem at all! Last night, couldn't breath! hahaha

The point is we love food and we enjoyed every moment of our honeymoon! However, I can't KEEP eating like this! So after the fourth of July and I splurge and multiple s'mores I am hosting a 5 day online group! No sweets for 5 days and learning about healthier sugar/sweet alternatives!! 

I could REALLY use the support! So if you want to join me and go 5 days with no sugar to detox yourself from the holiday weekend or just summer treats in general, if you want to support the ladies who are participating, or if you want to learn more about how sugar effects the body and what we can do to still have sweets but make them healthier, click the link here or comment on my post! 

Click here for more info

I hope you ALL enjoy your holiday weekend! Having some cheat meals once in awhile is totally fine so don't feel guilty! But when your ready to commit and be held accountable let me know! I could use your help!!

Links: Weekly Wrap Up Bianna Mix it Monday Carylee 

I couldn't run a mile without dying!

This is it! 30 days of core work!!

If you haven't figured it out, I LOVE working out! I really enjoy the benefits! However, it wasn't always that way. 

3 years ago I was just out of college. I lived a typical college life. Going out on the weekends, eating lots of fastfood and pizza and all other kinds of junk. I moved home for the summer between end of the school year and the semester before I student taught. 

I weighed almost 200lbs and I felt completely lost. You see, in high school I was very active! I played basketball, I ran track, I was always doing something. In college that ended. I tried going to the gym but it was a roller coaster! Some of the time I did great, then there would be months of never going.

I will never forget that day with my mom and sister. We were planning on running a mile, no big deal my mom and sister thought. In fact, I thought it would be fine! In high school, I could run in 7-8min mile! I thought it would be easy! But I couldn't do it. 

You guys I literally couldn't breath. It took me 15 minutes to get through the mile and that included walking half the time. My sister and mom passed me and asked if I was okay. Through the tears I said yes, but deep inside I was SO ashamed. They kept going and I just walked thinking to myself, how did I get here? How did I get to this place? How can I physically not even jog a mile!?

Most importantly I thought, how do I fix this? 

Fast forward 3 years later here I am! 25+lbs lighter, 3 pant sizes smaller, and a whole lot of confidence! I ran a half marathon, I completed 5 different workout programs, and now I am focusing on the part of my body that I have ALWAYS hidden......my stomach! 

In 3.5 months I am getting married and my goals is a flat tummy! I have NEVER worn a bikini, even in high school I still didn't have a flat stomach, and more than anything I want to be on my honeymoon rocking my bikini! 

So I am doing 3 rounds of Core Da Force, a boxing workout that focuses on cardio and your core! The program is 30 days long and I plan on doing it through 3 times. I CAN"T WAIT! I can't wait to work towards a goal! 

I want to bring 5 people on this journey with me! No matter where you are starting! If you have been working out for months but need a change of pace or if you are me 3 years ago and can't even DREAM of running a mile! I want to help! 

Follow my journey and updates here! 

What are your health and fitness goals!?

Linking up with: Bianna, Weeklywrap, Carylee, Lauren, TrendyandTidy,  Tuesdaytalks

Treat yo Self!!!

Ever have those weeks where you just KICK A**??? The whole check list is completed, laundry done, kids where they need to be, dinner made, work done and BAM! You rocked your day! Or week even!

Those days are the best! 

You get in the car to go pick the kids up from practice/schools/friends wherever they may be and you drive past your favorite ice cream place? (insert any place that serves favorite food). You start thinking, "Man, a caramel truffle ice cream cone sounds delicious!" 

Then you tell yourself, "You know what, I DESERVE this!" And you pull in! 

Now, I think ice cream cones are A-Okay! In fact, I love them!! But how many times do we reward ourselves with food??

"I ran a mile today" = Pizza

"I completed my checklist" = Soda

"I went through the entire day without spewing a bad word to anyone" = entire bottle of wine

These things are okay in moderation! The thing is, sometimes we find ANY justification to eat what we want! Literally, I told myself last week "I did my job today, I am getting an ice cream!" Hahaha what?? Of course I did my job! I HAVE to! 

My suggestion is this, we are not dogs! We shouldn't ALWAYS reward ourselves with food! Food is meant to be enjoyed yes! But, its not meant to be a reward for every. little. thing. we. do. 

Here are some suggestions! 

If you reached your goal, treat yourself to a new top, pants, shoes, purse, whatever it may be! This is a long lasting reward, something you can enjoy over and over again! Set a goal and treat yo self! 

I LOVE a good massage! Recently, I went down a pant size from a 10 to an 8! Instead of running to get 5 pints of Ben and Jerry's I booked myself a massage and it felt amazing! I can't wait to hit my next goal and go again! 

Go on a walk, get out of the house, maybe even a girls night or weekend! Reward yourself with some time spent just on you

Maybe you never take naps? Or you never sleep in? Well scratch that! You deserve it! Take some extra zzzz's as a reward!

Go get your nails done, or maybe buy yourself that color you have been eyeing at the drug store! Maybe you are have been wanting to change your hair style!? 

The point is, there are SO many ways to tell yourself, JOB WELL DONE! In fact, a lot of these ways will make you FEEL better afterward! So sure, get an ice cream every once and awhile and go ahead and have that slice of pizza! But treat yo self with ways that make you feel yo self!

Linking up with: Simply, weeklywrap, Tuesday talks

The GOOD stuff...I mean sleep!

I hope you all had a much better weekend then me!! I was feeling pooped and under the weather! There was a nastyvirus going around school that I caught! Last for over 5 days of fever,  aughing, sneezing, and even a little vomiting! THE WORST!

Anyway, last Mondaywe talked about the importance of sleep! I love hearing from you readers! One thing I didn't cover is sleep while being a mom, because I am not one yet! So all you mommy can chime in from personal experience of HOW to get more sleep! 

So we know the importance of sleep but what are some tips to actually get more sleep!? 

Routine

Try to get to sleep at the same tim every night and wake up around the same time in the morning! This will get your body in a routine to know THIS IS SLEEP TIME! For mommies, this could be impossible! I have heard of sleep schedules for your baby and that would help mommy get some rest as well! Moms, do sleep schedules help!? 

Exercise

If you body is active during the day it will sleep better at night! 30 minutes of exercise will allow for deeper and longer rest! 

Caffeine, sugar, alcohol

Limit your intake of these things during the day! Especially right before bed time! These chemicals affect the way in which your body is able to sleep! 

Electronics

I am SO awful at this! Try to turn off your cell phone, computer, tv before bed! A book is a great way to get to sleep! The electronics stimulate your brain and it actually harder to fall asleep with those devices! 

Restful Environment

Studies have shown a clean room helps your sleep better! Even though you are resting and you can't see anything, your mind knows what the room looks like it! It knows if it has laundry to put away, clothes to fold, shoes to put back! Do yourself a favor and create a restful environment! Your body will thank you! 

Any other good tips!? 

Linking up with Bianna, Carylee, Lauren, Sarah

Pass me the zzzz's

I hope you all had such a great weekend! I definitely did! My fiancé and I were able to spend the weekend together :) I took him to Dave and Busters Saturday as his Valentines gift! I felt bad for winning at all the games, but someone has to do it ;) 

Just kidding! He did beat me a few times! We spent the evening downtown Indy at an Italian restaurant where I had my cheat meal of the week consisting of the most delicious crab cheese dip I had ever had! I had steak and he had the most AMAZING almond crusted sea scallops :) I kinda wanted to trade haha 

One thing I noticed though was how TIRED I was! We had such a great time celebrating, but by Sunday my body was like GIVE ME REST!! I have a love/hate relationship with sleep! 

I LOVE sleeping! I just love being all cozy under the covers and the fact I am not aware of what my mind is doing! However, I hate that I get nothing done when I am sleeping! Maybe its just me since I tend to have a crazy weird relationships with work and the need to be busy, so sometimes I feel like I just don't have the time to dedicate 6-8 hours to one spot in my bed!  

Sleep is actually a KEY part of our daily health! It is SO important to get enough of it and most of us do not! Sorry sleep, we have other fish to fry rather than being knocked out, drooling, and dreaming! 

But here are a FEW reminders (that I pretty much have to always tell myself) of why sleep is important: 

 Health

It lessens your chance of falling ill or suffering from long term health disease such as heart disease, diabetes and obesity. 

Reduces Stress 

You are asleep! Nothing to worry about and allows for your body to re-engergize itself to take on the worries of the next day! 

Improves your Memory 

When you are sleeping, your body has the ability to organize and retain the information you took in that day. It is literally good to "sleep on it!"

Reduces Weight

When your body does not get enough rest there is a hormone imbalance that occurs creating a larger appetite! I don't know about you but if I stay up later than I normally do, I usually tend to want to snack and I often eat more calories than I should! 

Ease the aches and pains

Your body actually uses the time you are resting as the chance to heal and repair its wears and tears of the day! 

Better Mood 

Your mood will increase, you will feel better, and you will be much more less irritated!  

These are just a few benefits, there are so many more! So next time you feel like hitting snooze, GO FOR IT! You need the sleep! Next Monday I will talk about HOW MUCH sleep we need and how to sleep better! 

Do you have any personal stories of how sleep has benefited you!? 

Linking up with Biana and Carylee, Lauren Sarah, On the Edge, Stephanie 

Loving your Flaws

Transformation is more than just PHYSICAL! 


I have gained more than just being fit, stronger, and in shape! I have done more than just lose weight!

The girl on the left would NEVER wear bright pink lipstick! She didn't have the confidence! She lacked self-esteem, she lacked discipline and motivation. She smiled and was generally happy, but she lacked joy in herself. She didn't believe she was worthy. She felt ugly compared to others. 

The girl on the right worked hard! She became disciplined, motivated, confident, and learned to LOVE her body including all of its flaws! She realized that being "skinny" wasn't what would make her happy! Loving herself, her body, her flaws---you know, the big booty, the thighs that jiggle, and that little gut in her stomach that just doesn't go away. They make her who she is!

February 13th I am starting my FREE love yourself series! Its a two week group where women encourage and uplift each other. Where we learn how to love ALL of ourselves! In a society full of negativity, let's learn to treasure who we are no matter where we are in our journey!

ALL are welcome, no strings attached! Just a way to bring some light in a dark society! 

Linking up with Going the Distance and Anne & Erin 

Make your why BIGGER than you excuses

It's so easy to make excuses! I've said it all! I'm tired, I don't have time, I don't have money! I've been there, but I also realized I needed to put these excuses aside and better myself! 

>I'm a full time teacher, working 7-5 and on weekends

> I coach girls basketball with 6:30am practice and evening games 

> I am a part time graduate student taking two graduate level classes

> I work beachbody and build my business 

> plus a personal life 

smile emotico

I get it! I'm busy to, I'm broke as well, and I go to bed by 9:30 every night because I'm exhausted! Literally this is me:

But I also want to feel better about myself, I want to lose weight, I want to prevent health issues that run in my family! 

I can come up with a MILLION excuses not to get healthy! However, I am making my WHY BIGGER than my excuses! 

Will you!?

New Years Resolutions

Every year people make resolutions. Every year 70% of people quit in January. Why is this? And how many times have we fallen into that 70%? Are intentions are always pure, we always want to succeed. But life gets busy and excuses are made and its easier to stop then to stick with it. 

How do we make this year different? How do we actually succeed? How do we ensure that our busy lives do not get in the way of our goal? How AWESOME would we feel if we reached it!? 

The thing that is MOST important to sticking with your resolutions is accountability! Having someone EVERY DAY checking in with you for a quick second to make sure that you are doing or will do what you need to reach your goal is critical to success. 

My main resolutions this year are the following:

1) To get fit and toned! All I want for christmas 2016 is toned arms and a flat stomach :) 

2) Healthy! I want off my blood pressure medicine!

3) Save, save, save!

How will I get there!? The accountability groups I run! I run 30 day accountability groups for people with fitness goals in mind! I also can help people find a workout and nutrition plan that best fits them! Every. Day. I check in my with challengers. We motivate each other to get our work out in, to make good choices, and the main rule is that we only indulge 20% of the time! 

Its not a diet. We can eat anything! If its in moderation. 

The workout plan is made for you. JUST FOLLOW IT! 

We get daily motivation and tips to help us to live a healthier lifestyle! 

No monthly gym membership!

Just workout 30 minutes in your own home!

Participate month after month! 

My last group lost a total of 26lbs between 6 people! 

Who's in? who is going to stick with their resolutions this year!?

The Tough Stuff

The holidays can be the HARDEST time for people to set and maintain fitness goals! Even I am REALLY struggling right now! Thank goodness for my challengers and challenge group because they are the ONLY thing holding me accountable! 

All I want in my life is some fried food and cookies!! haha but I saw this the other day and truer words could not be spoken:

Not that fitness is a competition, but I am a competitive person, so every time I don'twant to go to the gym for those 30 minutes or I want to stop for some french fries I just think about all the people who ARE doing it, and how I am bettering my body! 

The struggle is real! However, there is no need to wait till January 1st! You can start now! Even if its just breakfast, or a snack, or walking for 20 minutes! Anytime you do something you haven't been doing, you are making progress! You are making a better, healthier, and happier you :) 

What do you struggle with!?

FRIED FOOD! SWEETS!! HELP! 

My Fitness and Health Journey--it aint easy!

Time for a little interview about me! 

Beachbody is a health and fitness program. It combines a pre-made fitness proram with a nutrition plan. The goal is to eat clean 80% of the time and workout 5 times a week depending on your program. All you have to do is follow what they tell you! 

I got started in Beachbody a few years ago when I did the Isanity program! I lost 19lbs in that program. I then did the T-25 program! The results were seriously amazing. 

The problem was that I did the fitness program, I stuck with the nutriton, but I quickly came up with many excuses to go back to my old habits! To head back through the drive through and to skip workouts! I had NO accountability! Clearly the program works! I just wasn't holding myself accountable! 

I wanted to be healthy again, I wanted to be that girl in the picture at top! The one who put in the 30 minutes a day to workout and ate healthy 80% of the time! I wanted to get off my blood pressure medicine, I didn't want to follow in my family's footsteps of heart issues! I wanted to be an EXAMPLE! I never was the healthy girl, I never was the fit and skinny girl, I just wanted to look in the mirror and be proud of what I saw! This is MY body! Its my responsibility to take care of it! I had to make a change! I had to get back to that girl and I knew that the ONLY program that worked for me was Beachbody. I tried gym memberships, weight watchers, classes, etc. This was it! This was easy to fit in my schedule and it worked! 

Like I said before, the program worked, I just didn't have the accountability! My friend Krista got me set up on a program called Bodybeast. She started something called a challenge group. This was a group on Facebook that I checked into daily. She also posted some awesome tips, recipes, and health tricks to keep me on track! Everyday I posted how I did with my eating, water intake, and workout! It truly motivated me! I knew that everyday I had to post so I wanted to make sure I could say that I completed everything I had to! Yes, there are days where I don't do it, I am human, but this group gave me the accountability to finish what I started, to reach my goals! 

This was my result! 

Once I saw these results I wanted to help others reach their goals! This seriously was because I stuck to a 30 minute workout 6 days a week, ate clean 80% of the time, and had a coach that kept me accountable! All I did was purchase this workout, made an investment in my health and well being, and BAM I knew I wanted to help other people do this! I wanted to get other people to their goals! Since then I have had even more progress! I also reached Emerald which means I have other people who coach under me! 

If you want help reaching your goals, my coaching is FREE! I want to inspire others, I want to help you reach your goals! I will work with you to find a program that works for you! I can help you get results! I know how it feels to constantly try to diet, try a new workout, THIS IS NOT A DIET! It changed my life! Now my JOB is to inspire you and help you change yours :) 

Contact me by commenting below or email me for questions! I have some amazing challengers with amazing results!