Focus T-25

I have too, I just have too...

*Disclaimer: This isn't a sale post...this isn't a "reason you need to buy this post", this is about YOU understanding how important YOU are!

Maybe it's my love-hate relationship (pretty much adoration) with Shaun T.

Maybe it's the fact that it's only 25 minutes a day.

Maybe it's because I had amazing results and it was so worth and I'm going to go crazy if someone doesn't try it.


I love FOCUS T-25! Seriously. My all-time favorite program. Up next on my list? Insanity Max:30 - also by Shaun T. AND a new program coming out this summer called, CIZE. and it's dancing. that's exercise. I can't wait!

However, I really wanted to write a blog post about Focus T-25 because it changed my life.

So, in June of 2014 (has it really been almost a year already??), my friend (and now coach) Jess posted about doing T-25 and I commented on it and I was like, sure, I'll do it!

In the end, I realized that T-25 is the most expensive program that we sell at Beachbody. It's pricey...there are like 10 DVDs, resistance bands, etc. the whole 9 yards! However, the wedding-planning, just graduated from college me (and my fiance at the time, Jared) did not have the extra $180 to spend on this program. Except..I made it work. and I bought it. Without Jared knowing.

When it came in the mail, Jared saw me opening the box and got really upset with me. It was such an awkward part of our relationship where we were just learning how to combine our finances, how to save together, how to spend together, and most importantly how to budget. Eventually, he got over it and he said something I will never forget..."I can't be mad at you for wanting to be healthier."

Little did I know how my life would change!

T-25 is only 25 minutes a day and I started right off the bat working out each morning. I became such a morning person getting up at 5:30 am, getting my workout in, and going on with the rest of my day. BOY, was I the sorest girl in the world! This was the most consistent I had ever been with a program in my entire life. I completed the entire thing, 10 weeks! And I felt amazing!! I lost 12 inches all over my body and you could see it in the way I stood and the way my body looked. This program is definitely worth the cost, it's my alltime favorite program, and it will bring you results. I even started a second round of it that same summer.

So, Alyssa...really, what's the point of this blog other than to tell us about a program that you sell?

As embarassing as this is.....Please take a look at my results...CRAZY.

(**this was last summer.)

Well, let me tell you. ITS WORTH IT (it being...the cost, the time, the energy) TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE! Seriously! Start saving your money, start pocketing it away, decide.

My coach posted something the other day: "Stop waiting for the right time, the right time is now."

Amen. Take that leap! It's time to take time to get healthier for you. You can be a more patient Mama, a happier coworker, a more understanding spouse. Taking a little time for you isn't selfish - in fact, it's the least selfish thing ever, because it truly makes you a better person for others!

Food, Glorious Food.

I LOVE FOOD. and I'm pretty sure most people do. My focus used to be on exercise. I would let myself eat whatever I wanted and then say, "well...I just run for 5 more minutes." or "I'll do 10 more crunches" trying to cancel out those calories that I didn't need in the first place!

Ever since the 21 day fix - which let's be real, you have all followed my journey with Jared on that one! My eating has been forever changed. NO LIE. That sounds like such an exaggeration but it's not, it's seriously been changed for the better (even Jared too!) and we couldn't be happier. We haven't gained a single ounce even though we've been off the 21 day fix for a month now! We are training our bodies and that's the most important thing.

Anyways, like I said, exercise used to be my focus. I was so concerned on fitting it in during those 25 minutes a day. But now - I've totally got that down pat and I wasn't seeing the results I wanted, so I'm dialing in on my nutrition. There's this crazy thing that losing weight/toning up/being healthy is 80% food and 20% exercise, they also say that you need to eat healthy 80% of the time and then allow yourself to indulge 20% of the time. We call this the 80/20 rule :) I think it's a pretty great rule! And this is essentially what Jared and I have been doing for the past month - since we completed the 21 day fix.

BUT NOW - I'm hosting my first ever "7 day Clean Eating Challenge". I've made a calendar, invited people, and have set up a meal plan for eating 6 small meals for 7 days. This is a great introduction into clean eating and how it works - and how full you can be on 6 small meals. Why are six small meals important? Because it keeps your metabolism working! It honestly helps it to speed up, you are never hungry, and then you never overload your metabolism when you have a big meal...because you don't have a big meal! I can feel a difference - no lie. (Also, I'm learning about this stuff as I go. I have no idea about anything and I'm no expert, believe me...8 months ago I had no clue! - but I like to pass on things when I learn them to all of you.)

Back to the challenge...I have over 60 women in my group who are changing their lives today, because today is day 1! I'm so excited to hear about their results when the time comes on Day 7! They are slowly realizing how simple and easy clean eating is, and how different it is from their normal eating. Today is only day 1 but we have had so much dedication, so many questions, and so much support for one another along this journey.

Until I post our amazing blog on Day 7, I wanted to share this photo with you.

The left picture is from my wedding day on July 12, 2014. I felt like the most beautiful princess in the world (like a Bride is supposed too.. :) ) The right picture was literally taken right now! In both of these pictures I weigh the exact same. To a T. Only difference? (minus the spray tan of course...hahahahaha) is that I'm now a clean eater! Look - the puffiness is gone out of my face completely! My skin has cleared up A TON (which is hard to see in the pictures) and I (meaning my body) look completely different. You would never guess I weigh the same amount.

So, this goes to say...that clean eating does amazing things for your body and the scale is clearly just a number! Have questions about clean eating??? Message me! I'll help you out and get you started :)

I am not a morning person...

I used to brag about how much I love the morning. There is so much that can be done before 9 am that leaves a day full of possibilities (and typically my possibilities meant crafts, home improvement projects, painting, or other random ideas that popped in my head).

I was a decent morning person, full of energy - ready to kickstart the day - the whole 9 yards. This past summer, without an alarm, I'd get up at 5:30 AM, get a workout in, clean the house, do some laundry, and have an amazing day filled with accomplishments and lists that had been checked and crossed. I felt phenomenal. I was getting 8 to 10 hours of sleep and kicking butt, for lack of a better term.

Then, I got married. Then my responsibilities doubled.  Now I had to get up (later than I normally did, 6:30 to 6:45 AM), pack my lunch, try to look pretty, prepare supper for the evening, maybe get a load of laundry in (unlikely), trip over cat toys...etc, etc. I'd come home and be exhausted because this was my first big girl job after all! I'd get dinner ready and then you could probably call me worthless because that's how tired I was. And my oh-so-truthful husband shattered what I thought had been truth to be proven to lies.

I. Am. Not. A. Morning. Person.

or..at least most of the time I'm not.

Jared likes to put it this way...I'm a morning person if I get to wake myself up, but if the alarm goes off I am not a morning person. You can ask him and he'll tell you embellished tales of him trying to wake me up on school mornings. He'll say that he had to hit me with pillows, drag of the covers, drag me out of bed. He had to lay on top of me, whistle in my ear, tickle me because I couldn't defend myself from my lack of strength in the morning. He'll tell you all of those...truths. None of those are lies, all truths.

I guess it all boils down to responsibility and what I HAVE to do. Because I HAVE to be up and ready for school, I hate it. But this summer, when I didn't HAVE to but I WANTED to, I was up before it was light out and running as the sun rose. Oh what a life...

I'm sure you all can relate. And if you are a morning person, maybe evening's feel like death sometimes and you are ready to crawl into your comfy cozy bed by 7:30 PM. I get it - because that's what I did last night! :) However, there's something about kickstarting your day that changes the whole course of your day!

When people workout in the morning - they are more likely to finish a workout, they feel more energized for the day, they feel ready! Does it take time from sleep? yes! but that means we have to go to bed earlier. Honestly, Jared and I are still working out in the evenings, but that's because our schedules for working are cray cray to the max. I promise you though, as soon as our schedules get back on track, we will be morning people for sure!

I am in NO WAY trying to make you switch up your routine, if morning workouts just don't work for you - but evening ones do, rock it! You Do You! I'm just saying all the good things that can happen out of exercising in the morning. Exercise produces endorphins and endorphins make you happy! Why not work out in the morning (and get it out of the way!) and then be happy all day?! :)

So, let's raise a cup of coffee to those morning workout warriors and hope that someday (very soon) we will all be among the ranks! (I have a dream, that one day work will start in mid morning and everyone will workout before the day begins.)

Make time to Make You!

AHHH...This is probably the #1 excuse out there that I get all the time (right up there with the money issue) and it's..."But I don't have time..."


STOP. NO. DON'T SAY THAT. Because that's a terrible rut to get yourself in and then try to get yourself out of. It's so important to make time for yourself and taking care of your body. Saying you don't have time is like saying you don't have time to shower, you don't have time to brush your teeth, fix your hair, or you don't have time to go to the bathroom.

It's not true! Maybe deep down you know that it's not true, or maybe you really just think it's true. You've got busy kids, you've got a husband, a demanding job, you truly don't feel as if you could add it into your life! I promise you - you can. I did it! I was planning a wedding, babysitting, fixing a house, moving to a new town, and trying to find a new job and I did it!

Well, in this post I'm going to list the things I did to *add* time to my life - rather, what I changed to make things go smoother and work better! I promise you that you have time to make yourself healthy. You have time to cook healthier meals. You have time to spend 25 -30 minutes a day sweating it out to give yourself exercise.

WHAT I DID:
1. I got up a little earlier - was this hard? At first, yes! But then I realized it wasn't so bad and it became such a habit. I got up at 5:30, worked out, showered, and I was ready for the day!
2. I prioritized my TV time - I realized that I was saying I didn't have time when in reality I was spending 3 or 4 hours in the evening after supper watching TV. Instead, after dinner, I'd clean up my food and dishes right away, prep the meals for the next day, and make a to-do list for the next day as well. This way, I still had 2.5 hours of TV time left. And if I missed my morning workout - I could do it now! Take a look at the little minutes of time that get wasted by doing absolutely nothing productive. Organize all that time - you'll have a lot left over :)
3. I made lists! - I made lists of everything, what I was going to eat, what I needed to do that day (in priority order of course), what needed done for the week, and what I was looking at from a monthly schedule point. With lists, I wasn't wasting any 5 minutes of time! I could get everything done, workout, and STILL HAVE TIME to relax. Especially now as a teacher - when a lot of my day is taken up!

4. Multitask!! - Who knew that you could drink your Shakeology and get ready at the same time?! I always blow dry and style my hair while eating my breakfast! It saves me ten minutes! I often check my emails/social media while I start the shower so my water can warm up instead of just standing there for 5 minutes waiting. I make my lunches and all my snacks at the same time. When I'm watching TV, I workout! That way I don't feel bad about missing my favorite Friends  reruns but I'm also getting a workout in. Ladies, let's be real, sometimes our husbands just get in the way! When Jared pops in for a shower or if he's watching one of his manly sports shows, this is the time where I am able to plan for the next day, prep for the next days meals. Food prep took me 45 minutes an evening our first week of clean eating, I can now do it in 5 minutes! You will get used to this, it will take some time, but it will become easy for you - I swear!
5. Make it a priority - I told myself my workout and clean eating was something I had too, just as much as showering, peeing, brushing my teeth. When you make things something taht has to happen it'll make it easier for it to happen. I'm not a morning person, so if I don't make it up in the morning, then I make it a priority to happen at night!
6. I gave myself  a time limit! - Laundry needed done? I'd pop a load in and immediately start my workout. The load lasted 30 minutes in the washer, just like my workout time! I knew my workout was over once the timer went off. I'd pop it in the dryer and then food prep for 30 minutes until the clothes were dry. YOU CAN DO THIS!
7. I included my husband  -  First, it's so much easier to workout and eat clean when everyone you live with is doing it with you. Second, having him participating gave him the right to help me out. Not only did we PLAN our workout time together, but he helps to prepare food and get things ready if I'm busy doing other housework or teacher stuff. I know not everyone is married, but most of us don't live alone! Have your roommate cut up veggies while you do the laundry, have your husband entertain the kids for 25 minutes while you squeeze a workout in! Get people involved, remain accountable, and you will have time!


All of these things sound hard. And annoying. Believe me, I know. And when I gave my coach excuses, she dished all of this right back at me. She is insane and gets up at 4:30 AM!!! AHHH! However, I promise, if you spend a Sunday afternoon revaluating your time, you'll do it! I still get 8 to 9 hours of sleep a night, I workout, I plan and prepare food each day, I have a full time job as a teacher, and I run my own Beachbody business. YOU CAN DO THIS!

It all comes down to how bad do you want?! Are you ready to go through another summer angry at what you didn't do during the winter in order to wear a swimsuit and feel comfortable? Are you ready to continue to feel bloated? If you want it badly enough, you will make time. All I can do is help you along the way! This lady has a great blog about how she made exercise a habit, you can find it right here called How I Made Exercise a Habit