Holiday Goals!

Here we go! The countdown is on for the holiday season and I am not AT ALL ready! I'm usually pretty good about being prepared for this time of year, but this year I'm not. Top it all off with the fact that my youngest has a Christmas Day birthday and it's very easy for me to begin to feel overwhelmed.

The time between Halloween and New Years the average American gains anywhere between 7-12 lbs. I was starting out the holiday season with the goal of NOT putting on any weight. But I have finally broken a plateau (that I was stuck at since September!) and I have decided to up the ante! In order for me to stay accountable, I'm sharing my goals WITH you! When I announce my goals I am more likely to stick to them. So here I am sharing my goals WITH you and inviting you on my continued journey.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER/JANUARY GOALS

1. Lose 5 lbs. This is the last of the weight I am looking to lose. I also know that I shouldn't obsess over the scale but my ultimate goal is to lose 5 lbs of FAT and then start gaining lean muscle mass. Which means I need to lose a little more and then can start some serious weight training (Body Beast is on my radar as my next Beachbody program!).

2. Complete P90X3. If I stick to my plan and according to when I started, I should be entering my final week of P90X3 January 6th. This will be HUGE for me as I have found this program more challenging than 21 Day Fix AND I am not digging getting up at 5:00 a.m. since winter has settled in.

3. Workout 6 Days a Week. P90X3 has one rest day a week (or you can do a workout that is mainly stretching). I have been playing with my rest day but really need to stick to the P90X3 schedule and take my rest day when it is scheduled. I know the schedule was made for a reason the way it is and that way os to give tou maximum results over the 90 days. Making whatever day a rest day is NOT going to get me to where I want to be when I am done is January!

4. Increase my dense vegetable intake when I am hungry. Sounds simple, right? But for me when I'm hungry I'd MUCH rather go for seconds for a carb than a veggie!

5. One plate at Thanksgiving. I don't plan on excluding certain items this year. After all it's not about eliminating the things you love. It's about learning to have proper portion sizes and not overdoing it! So there won't be any seconds for me (unless they are nutrient dense vegetable!)

6. Limit my holiday baking. This will by far be the toughest one for me. I love to bake! And I love to bake at Christmas. I would typically make 5-6 different types of cookies and sweets for the holiday. This includes sugar cookies, sweet breads, chocolate chip cookies, fudge, candied pecans. The list goes on. And on. And on! This year I only plan on making sugar cookies with the kids. Cranberry orange bread and of course cupcakes for my sons birthday.

So there you have it. My 6 goals to see me through the holiday season! I plan on spending less time in the kitchen (baking and eating) and more time concentrating on healthier habits and spending the time with my family.

Today is the Day!

This time of year for me, seems to move very quickly! Before we know it we'll be ringing in the New Year.

Like millions of other people some of us will attempt to make a New Years Resolution. For me every year was the same. THIS is the year I am going to lose all the baby weight. I would start off great and then slowly reality would settle back in and I would fall off track.

And in typical fashion I would wait until January 1st to try and figure out what the heck I was going to do to lose it all. Join a gym? Walk for 30 minutes twice a day? Go on a diet! Yes! I am going to deprive myself of all sweets. Once all of this holiday junk is out of the house I'll start!

Why wait until January 1st to have a plan? Why not get your action plan in action today? So maybe you don't want to start until January 1st? That's fine. But why not decide what it is you are going to do BEFORE January 1st?

Contact me TODAY to get started on the road to health and fitness. Message me on facebook. Sign up for your free Beachbody account at my site and together we can find a fitness and nutrition program that will fit your needs and your lifestyle. My challenge groups will help keep you motivated and accountable. 

And I will be right there alongside you working out and eating right! Together we can reach our goals.

It's the season of Giving and giving back. I truly feel like now 
would be a great time to give back to all of my followers, friends 
and family with a 7 day FREE clean eating group. Get back to the 
basics, get support and learn how to start eating clean.  

I really have found my life transformed by clean eating and Beachbody 
workouts. No crash diet, we are going to find what works for you 
to make this a lifestyle. 

It takes determination to kick bad habits like carb overload and 
pizza addiction!  It is not about giving up everything you love. 
It's about cutting down the crap and finding recipes that the
 whole family will enjoy.  But together we can learn 
that this process does not have to be hard!  

If you are serious about learning how to eat clean get
 the book:"EAT CLEAN RECHARGED" by Tosca Reno. 
 It completely changed the way I looked at food!

What are the requirements?

1.  You must make me your official Beachbody Coach by going 
to my site and creating a free profile.  This way I can send you recipes, 
meal plans and monthly motivation and tips to keep you on track with
 your lifestyle.

2.  You must participate for the next 7 days in our 
online closed facebook group each day!   

3.  Commit to checking in 1x per day, rating your day and charting 
your progress.

4.  Invite 2 friends to join!  Why not bring a few friends along for 
the ride! There is nothing better than having an accountability 
partner in the next 7 days!!!!  You are more likely to stick with it 
if you have someone by your side.

What do you get for joining? 

1.  You get a free 7 day meal plan.
2.  A grocery list
3. A place to check in daily, ask questions, get support and motivation.
4.  Daily tips that have worked for me.
5.  Strategies to handle emotional eating and temptations.

Are you ready to get started?  We will begin the group on 
Monday November 10th so please reserve your spot today!

>>>>>Email me at melindabutkus@gmail.com or 
 send me a message on my like page at 
www.facebook.com/beachbodywithmelinda to get enrolled in the free group!

*Note-  This is for new and existing customers.  If you are already 
a coach or have a coach you are working with please contact 
your coach for details on their next group!

What Are You Waiting For?

I know I've said it before and I'm going to say it again. I LOVE Beachbody! 

Before Beachbody I struggled to fit it all in. And in order to get it all together day in and day out, the first thing to go was my commitment to myself. Hitting the gym 5 days a week dwindled down to 2. 

And when I did make the time to get to the gym my workouts were ineffective. Sure it was a great stress reliever but my hard work wasn't paying off. I simply wasn't seeing the results I thought I should see for the amount of work I was doing. Ok, so maybe it was just two days a week, but I was working REALLY hard on those two days!

And then I found Beachbody. Specifically 21 Day Fix. I promised myself this was the last dime I was going to spend on getting back into shape. I had gym memberships, I juiced, I did cleanses. If there was a "method" of losing weight out there, I tried it. Sure I lost some weight here and there but I was still tired, hungry, still running around like a crazy person to get my oldest to preschool, the youngest to the play center and myself to the gym. On time. 

So I bought a 21 Day Fix Challenge Pack. Joined a Challenge Group and got to work. When I first started my 21 Day Fix journey I would get up when the kids woke, plop them down in front of the T.V. with a bowl of dry cereal and a cup of milk, then head to the garage to workout. 5 minutes later the kids would be in the garage with me watching me, copying me, fighting with each other. And while I enjoy my children and love the fact that they see Mommy exercising, this simply was not working for me. 

Then I noticed something in my Challenge Group. Some of these other challengers were part of the "5:00 a.m. Club". Getting up at 5:00 a.m. to get their workouts done. What?!? Now THAT'S crazy talk! I don't have to get up at that absurd hour. I stay home with the kids. Why in the world would I do THAT?? But my frustration with trying to get my workout done with my children screaming from the other room was starting to interfere with my 30 minute workouts. 

Are you ready for your own transformation?

So I gave this "5:00 a.m. Club" a try... and I LOVED it!!! It quickly became my "me time". It was quiet, uninterrupted time for me. Then after my workout I was able to have anywhere from a half hour to an hour of peace and quiet before the kids got up. It was like a little slice of heaven.

My early morning commitment combined with the 21 Day Fix portion controlled eating guide and Shakeology gave me results within the first week! I was shocked and very happy to see my commitment to myself starting to pay off. And I was feeling amazing. I wasn't tired, I was NEVER hungry and I was happy.

My final results amazed me!

Then I decided that I simply could not live without my Shakeology. And the truth is it's expensive. So I debated how I was going to make this a staple in my life without breaking the bank. I told myself that Shakeology is cheaper than getting sick (since it's so nutritionally dense I know I'm getting all of my daily fruit and vegetable requirements!). It's healthier than all those silly high priced coffee drinks that are loaded with stuff I can't pronounce and fattening. So If I cut out all those lattes and ask about the coach discount, maybe we can afford it. And sure enough we could!

As I was loosing the inches and the weight other people started asking me what I was doing, I was so excited to tell them about 21 Day Fix, challenge groups and Shakeology and then they were asking ME how they could join. Before I knew it I was no longer a discount coach but an active working coach, making money! Now my Shakeology was paying for itself from the money I was making helping other people meet their health and fitness goals.

I was just a mom simply trying to lose the baby weight. Looking for a way to be the best "me" that I could be. Beachbody provided a solution to my problem on a variety of levels. Beachbody helped me get into the best shape of my life. At 43 years old I am healthier, fitter and trimmer than I was at 23! I am able to pay for my oldest daughters pre-kindergarten from what I make each month helping people get into shape. We don't have to rely on my husband income to put gas in our cars, pay for our Shakeology OR our daughters pre-kindergarten tuition.

These 2 are the reason for my commitment to my health!

So what are you waiting for? I know, I know, who "diets" over the holidays? It's not about eliminating EVERYTHING you love over the holiday season. You can still have that slice of pumpkin pie, just decide what you aren't super crazy about and eliminate that instead! Get your 30 minutes of working out in and that pie won't matter. Best of all it's not a diet. It's just retraining your brain to make healthier choices on a consistent basis.

Click on the link below to complete my Healthy Over the Holidays Application to be part of my upcoming 30 day Challenge/Accountability Group. Together we will find the right exercise and eating plan for you, so you can succeed! 

This year YOU WILL NOT be making the same old resolution to lose weight! This year you're going to ROCK in the New Year already there!

Fill out my online form.

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