How To: Grab Life by the Balls

Step 1. Decide right now you're worth it

Wait what? What am I worth?
Every risk, failure, rejection, heartache, accident, embarrassment, frustration, downfall, misstep, EVERYTHING. You are worth it. Those mistakes MAKE YOU who you ARE! And you are on a very special road called life and you're meant to experience those things so that you can accomplish your dreams.

YES, I'm talking to you!

I know you have dreams. & you're going to accomplish them. You're not destined to aimlessly walk through life kinda experiencing a small degree of success when your 40. NOPE, you're gonna do better than that because you CAN and you're MEANT TO!

Now that we've agreed your mistakes are awesome and they were MEANT to happen we can move on to..

Step 2. Make a list of the things you want in life

Go ahead! I'll wait. Just write it down even if it feels silly. Do you want a boyfriend? A mazzerati? (Did I spell that right?) A HUGE house on the water in Mexico?

Some of those might sound silly but seriously, allow yourself to dream big for a second and write them down.

Step 3. Go for it!

What?! This is the worst advice ever!

I know what you're thinking. And it sounds crazy but it really is that simple.

Let's say the car is your biggest and wildest dream. You know what you need to do to get it, but you just don't want to do it because your afraid of failure. And that fear of failure holds you back because... if you actually go for it and fail then it would mean it'll never happen, so it's better to just stay back here doing nothing to ensure there's still the "possibility"... right? WRONG! That's LAME! You can do better than that!

If you go for it and fail, then you go for it again. and again. and again. until you get the car.

Do you catch my drift here? (haha, get it? drift?)

You are seriously the only thing holding you back.

You need to bust a#$ at your job, and work your tail off so you can get promotions. You need to save money so that you have the down payment. You need to brainstorm ideas to start your own business. You need to whatever. You have the power inside of you to do it. But you need to first realize that power and then actually ACT on it. THAT's how you get the car, the boyfriend, the job, the body, etc.

You feel me?

It sounds simple and that's because it really is! But most people don't actually do it because they allow the fear of failure to hold them back. Here's some good news for you: you're gonna fail. And then your gonna succeed. Success doesn't come without failure first. So, what's it gonna be? The safe life avoiding further failure, or embracing that old friend of yours and riding him to the land of success!
That was a lame metaphor but you know what I mean.

Ride it cowgirl!

xo, Jessica

Let's Get REAL & Talk About FITNESS

Hey chicas!

So, you're wondering: What;s the REAL deal on this fitness stuff, right ?
Well, I'm here to tell ya the deets!

The truth is... it's a lot of work. I know some people will be modest and say "Oh thanks. I just did X + Y, and I lost 20 lbs!" And yes... that's what it is on the outside. But on the inside, it takes a LOT more than X + Y to lose weight.

It is a CONSTANT priority that needs be at the FRONT of your mind.

You need to make same the decision to eat healthy 20+ times in ONE day! It sounds so simple to say, "Well, I cut out junk food and stopped drinking soda!" But in reality it should sound more like this "Every second of everyday I was fighting a battle between my old habits and between my new goals. It was a lot of work and sometimes my my new goals didn't win. I worked out regularly and sweat so much I think I could've discovered another ocean. I took baby steps, TIIIINYYYY baby steps, every. single. day. It was hard, and sometimes I doubted myself, but those baby steps all added up to a big leap, and that's where I am today!"

Okay. Is that dramatic? Maybe.
But is it true? Yes.

Weightloss and getting FIT is not a one time decision. You have to CONTINUE to make the same decision every time you eat, everytime you think about eating, and everytime you're contemplating if you should skip your workout for the day. 

So what I'm saying is - it takes a lot of work. 
Should that discourage you? HECK NO! 

I know, I must be crazy right? How could this be motivating anyone? Hear me out:

The work you put in is SO much more than just a push up/sit up/I lost 2 more lbs!
It's about taking YOUR POWER BACK.

When you're on the journey of health you are quite literally changing your outside and most importantly - your inside.

You change. You will be less stressed. You will be more productive. You will be happier.

Yes! Happier. So take that power back NOW.

You've heard about all the endorphins and what not so I'm not going to go into it here, but you will feel like a new person. The same amazing you, but even more amazing. When you start to see changes on the outside, thats when you'll to feel changes on the inside.

Let's be honest here - the inside is WAY more important than the outside.

You may not know it yet, but when you do you'll be happy to be on this side of the fence. Your inside is glowing inside of you like a giant ball of sunshine waiting to burst out! 

So here's the dealio. It takes work. It takes time. But it will be worth every. dang. second. You're practically gonna want to hug your neighbor and adopt every cat in the world - that's how happy you'll be! (jk about the cat thing... or am I?)

Regardless of any cat adoptions about to go down, you need to make it a priority, just like your marriage would be! But you DONT have to go crazy. Small baby steps added up into one giant LEAP forward. If you don't know where to start, start walking and start upping your water intake. When you're ready for more seriousness you can join my challenge group here. But even if you're not ready for that, you GOTTA make it happen, because you DESERVE to be happy. Hard work, yep! Happiness resulted, yep! Love you guys! 

What do you think? Are you already on the fitness bandwagon or are you struggling to get started?
xo, Jessica

Step The F Outta Your Comfort Zone!

So yeah. The title is a little ... um, in your face. But it's only because I LOVE YOU! You know? Anyways, the reason you're reading this is because you KNOW it's time to leave behind the "good ole" comfort zone. Why do you know this? Because we humans have an innate ability to sense when things are getting stale and boring and when we need to kick our lives up a notch.

What exactly does that meeeeeeeaaaan?

I know, right? Kick it up a notch? Kick WHAT up a notch?

YOUR EVERYTHING. I mean it. If you even a little bit unhappy then you have the ability to step it up! I know, I know "Gawd, can she stop being so vague!!?" 

Here's the deal. Are you happy?

I mean really. Are you really happy?

If you're even a little unhappy then you need to hear me out:
You can change it.

"IT" is your weight, your job, your relationship, your friendships, your attitude, your apartment, your estranged father, your whatever. The confusing part is that we think we have no control over the things that are bothering us. 
Reality check: we do. We have TOTAL control over every problem I just listed above ^^.

Did you know that your comfort zone is actually the OPPOSITE of comfortable? You've probably heard this before and if you have it probably was like "Wow! That is sooo true" and then you completely forgot about it and continued life in your "not-so-comfortable-comfort-zone", right?

The universe has this thing where when we try to leave our comfort zone's it sends difficulty our way in an attempt to be like "WOAH, hang on a second! Don't leave the comfort zone!" and of course when something bad happens on our path of growth, we shrink down and go back to our CZ. 

Like when you joined a gym, and then you got injured a week later. 
Or when you thought about going after that new job you were passionate about (which would've been more work) you found out your company now offers health insurance to you (BTW: if you're in America like me, this is a big deal) 

There are so many situations unique to YOUR life that no doubt have happened in a way to make you stay in your comfort zone! But where are you? Are you living each day to the fullest? Are you on the path of making your dreams come true? Are you making an impact in other peoples lives?

When you step out of your comfort zone, you gotta KNOW the universe is gonna send some problems your way, and it's your job to say: 

"Get outta' here petty problems! I'm going for it anyway!"

It's not like you can really TALK to these circumstances, but you need to say it in your head "I'm going for it anyway!" Screw the health insurance/injury/uglybreakup/debtcollector/whateverproblemyourfacing! 
Right?

When you successfully step out of your comfort zone you will SEE your life transform. Not overnight. Not in a week. But after a month of consistently being out there, you will completely surprise yourself at how awesome your life is getting. 
And that's all we really want, right? An awesome life? Snaps for Jessica! (Legally Blonde reference)

When you step out of your comfort zone, I promise you will lose the weight, find the right man, get the job, and all the other awesome things waiting for you. But you HAVE you do it!

I hope this is speaking to you. Because dang it sure spoke to me when I realize how freakishly true this was. Get this:
I finally realized I was tired of half-assing it in my business, so I decided I would stop texting customers and pick up the phone, which was um ... SCARY ... to say the least. Anyways, Saturday night I'm sitting at my desk, phone in hand, and Charlie on my lap. I make my FIRST EVER phone call and I'm nervous (sweaty palms and all that good stuff) I made the call, hung up the phone, then Charlie PEED on me.
YES! He peed on me! He is a 100%, cute as a button, house trained dog! It confused me, seriously grossed me out, and caught me WAY off guard. First I cried, then I showered, then cleaned it all up. But seriously, WHAT?! Ew. The next day I KNEW it was now or never, continue in my comfort zone which was getting me nowhere, or forge ahead despite the major "sign". 

Take it from me: a "sign" to stop something really means you're doing it right and you need to move FORWARD.

So, what do you think? Can you think of an area of your life where you KNOW it's time to leave the comfort zone and experience some real magic in life?! 

What the heck is a Beachbody Coach?

    

    Oh me oh my... where do I even begin?! Its hard to sum up something that can DRASTICALLY change your life so naturally I've been avoiding this post for awhile. HOWEVER, I decided today was the day to get the wheels going since something is better than nothing!

So...

WHAT is a BEACHBODY "COACH"?!?!?

    First and foremost, we help people. It starts with health and fitness, and usually evolves into more. But the MOST important thing we do is help people with their health and fitness goals. I find people who need help losing weight, toning up, ect. and I work with them throughout their program and improve their nutrition.

WHAT program?!

| You know... P90X, Insanity, 21 Day Fix --> THOSE programs! |

    Beachbody is the creator of all those home fitness programs (plus more) and they are basically the MECA of home fitness (LOVE!). I've never been able to find my groove at the gym, let alone get results. I think the gym is great for some people! But for most... I just don't think its the best or most efficient way to get results and keep em!

    Okay, back on track. What does a coach do? We work with them through online challenge groups. The online challenge groups provide support, advice, meal plan, recipes, motivation, and friendships. A group normally consists of 5-10 women and lasts 60-90 days. That's where the magic happens! Well there, and in your living room where you'll be working out ;)

    Anybody can call in and buy a program one late night watching infomercials but how many people do you know who get their package in the mail and leave it sitting in the closet collecting dust?! ... GUILTY! I did it too! As a coach, it's your job to actually help them get through a program, you are their accountability! You’re their friend, their motivation, and their encouragment!!

    Your job is to motivate and inspire people to be the best they can be! There is an endless amount of love and life that can be breathed into people and that is our job! (Best job ever right?) To show them and help them be the best version of themselves, physically, mentally, and financially.

    Is being a beachbody coach sales? Heck no! This is not a sales business, this is 100% a people business. Your job is not to be a sales person, your job is to lead by example and share the products with friends. Let me repeat that, your job is NOT to be a salesperson. 

Let me ask you: When you go to a movie that you really enjoyed, what do you do? You tell people "Hey! This movie was really good!". That's it end of story. You don’t knock on their door, call them obsessively, con them into a "meeting" and ask them to buy movie tickets TONIGHT. *Ahem*... well I HOPE you don't do that. A coach is sharing what they do, and as a coach what you’re doing is improving your own life and using the products! THEY WORK. PERIOD. Tralalallaa! You can go cancel your gym membership now. Okay, but seriously.

    If you know someone who’s had a negative experience with the coaching business it’s more than likely because they got involved hoping to get rich quick! Let me tell ya… not gonna happen! Your income will be a direct reflection of the number of lives you change! If you’re hoping to get rich quick… this is not it! You will only be successful if you actually focus on HELPING people and if you’re patient. Weightloss is not an overnight thing, and neither is improving someones life. Thats why it takes time, and some people quit before they even give themselves a chance to succeed! And HELPING people takes time, hard work, genuine caring, and compassion!

| Your income will be a direct reflection of the number of lives you have changed |

    The magic of beachbody is that most people don’t have an true support group of people in their life who want to lift them up higher and help them succeed. You get to be that LIGHT in their life, the person they come to for help, for advice, for when they have a tough day and want to give up their on goals!

    I get to help people feel good about themselves, but I also get to be home with my fur baby and be home when my man is off work. I don’t have to clock in and out somewhere or listen to a boss, I get to do what works for me whatever and whenever that means!

    I don’t know why everybody doesn’t want to be a coach, because who wouldn't want to help people feel better, look better, motivate and encourage friends, build friendships, and lead an amazing life?! Beachbody is the VESSEL for ALL of that because it all starts with improving yourself and that starts with health and fitness. When was the last time your boss asked you to create your dream life? Have you ever been apart of an organization that does well when YOU succeed and when you help OTHER people succeed? Me neither, until now.

    Since joining beach body the amount of true friendships I have has grown, I’ve lost 22 lbs, and I’m on track to be making a 6 or even 7 figure income in the next 5-6 years, and I get to help others do that too! Caaaaraaaazyyyyyy.

    Sometimes it’s just a matter of helping someone to afford their car payment, or groceries for a month, or to FINALLY lose the last 10 lbs! And that's what you get to do! Help them BE better and DO more of what they really want in life.

| We are helping people and leading by example |

Hopefully this cleared some questions up for you! If you have any questions post them below and I'll answer them ASAP. Love you guys!! xoxox

Are You Interested in Success or Are You Committed?

    

    The secret to success is supposed to be simple... at least thats what were told. Go to school, study hard, graduate, get a job, work hard, climb the latter... and be happy and successful. Right? 

Riiiiiight.

    UM, no not really. Most people are tough that success kinda just happens because its the path of life. do this, do that, voila! So when times get tough and all of a sudden we don't have a job, or are pants are getting reaaaaally tight - we assume "OK, I'll fix it" But all of a sudden, this S$!% is HARD?!

Why am I NOT losing weight?

Why am I still unemployed?

Or if you ARE employed, why am I not getting promoted?

    If you've TRIED to lose weight/emprove your job position you know it takes some hard work. And more than likely... (tough loving coming) you quit when things started to get shaky. Maybe you binged late at night during a movie... every night this week. Maybe you've been clocking in at 9:01 and putting in the bare minimum during your time at work, MAYBE just maybe you're thinking to yourself... "But I did what I could" Did you? Or did you do what you should? You see... there's a difference between what we're CAPABLE of doing, and what we REALLY do.

    Did you go the extra mile? Did you give 110%? It's ok if you didn't... I honestly don't blame you. It takes a deeper level of soul searching to figure out that it takes more than following the status quo to get what you want. 

| This is when you need to ask yourself - Are you INTERESTED in success, or are you COMMITED? |

If the answer was interested, stop reading now. JK! Read below because you need this even more.

If the answer was committed, then keep doing what you're doin' ponyboy!

    The difference between between who succeed and people who don't is not whether or not someone wants it bad enough or got lucky, it's about who NEVER gave up despite bleak circumstances.

    If you've tried losing weight and you're still not at your goal body you know it cause losing weight can be tough ass stuff. BUT, it's only because you were merely interested in losing weight. Maybe you got a gym memberhsip, did some googling on healthy recipes, and got a load of healthy groceries. Right?! (yay, good for you by the way) but did you go 100% in and say "no" to the snacks at the office? Did you use your gym membership 5x per week like you told yourself you would? Did you give up when you had been going a week and weren't seeing any results? IT'S OK!! I've been there too. The only thing you need to do now, is decide that you're not gonna be interested in succeeding anymore. You're gonna be 110% COMMITED. 
When the office hottie brings in donuts (okay, the hottie never brings in donuts but irregardless) when SOMEONE brings in donuts, say "F that!" I've got goals that I'm achieving, and go eat your lunch that you brought! When there's a promotion up for grabs... giiiiiirl, I hope you're getting to work early and leaving late. This is not saying you need to be a workaholic because there's a balance that needs to be achieved BUT you need to outwork your competi
tion. And clocking in late and watching Netflix all night isn't gonna get you there. 

Are you still with me?

    You see, there is a VAST majority of people (still love em') who thinks merely being INTERESTED is enough. But it's not! I'm so sorry guys, I wish it was. But now that you KNOW what are you gonna do next?

    Step #1. Whatever you goal is, decide right now that you're 100% committed to seeing it through. If it takes you 6 months, great! If it takes you 5 years, stellar! No matter what, that goal is YOURS.
    Step #2. Be real with yourself. You're gonna need to work HARD. Ughhhghghghgh. I know girl. JK! You're reading this right NOW because you already ARE a kick ass lady who wants more out of life and you aint afraid of hard work! 
    Step #3. Rinse and Repeat. You're commitment WILL be tested. You're gonna want to throw in the towel. As long as you decided to renew your commitment to your goal every week you will not stray! Before you even realize, you'll be a pant size smaller, your boss will start complimenting you, and maybe the hottie will bring a donut RIGHT to your cubicle! (joking again... seriously. NO DONUTS. Except on rare occasions. You decide girlfriend!)

    In my head, I'm making perfect sense, but we all know how things just don't come out as great as they sound in the noggin' SO what I'm saying is - if you want to learn more you GOTTA read the book "Commit to Win" by Heidi Reeder. Hopefully this made sense to you, I know you're a smart chick so it probably did ;) More soon! xoxoxo

Why You're Not Seeing Results

    Wondering why you're not seeing the scale budge or feeling your clothes get loose? You're eating clean, doing the workouts, still nothing! Whaaaaaa?!

Ask yourself these questions, and I'm not trying to challenge you but instead to move you forward:

    If you eat every 3 hours you re FEEDING your body the energy that it needs to burn off the calories that your using douring your excerisze. It's SO common to not eat enough, food is NOT the enemy. If you're working hard in the gym you need to properly refuse your body otherwise it's gonna be a sentient battle and you're body is trying to say to you "MmmMmm, I am NOT getting rid of this fat. You aint feeding me! So Imma hold onto this cause I NEED it. Mmmmmkay?!"

I'm just saying'!

Your food could look something like this! It doesn't need to be professional, but eat yummy healthy food and eat often!

    If this is your first program of high intensity or if you JUST started hitting the gym really hard, your body could be holding onto water weight like a crazy person as well. So you need to DRINK more water. 1 gallon per day is IDEAL, but if you can make that happen at least ensure you get 8 glasses of generous water. Your body is gonna have a cortisol response to the stress and waters gonna trap around the muscle tot ry to protect it. This happens to women a lot. If it's week 6 and you're still not seeing results than thats not the issue, but if you're on week 2-3 this could be the reason. Don't get discourages, and keep going! 

    Take the body image OUT of the equation and look at your fitness level for a minute. Are you improving? Can you last longer? Are you feeling stronger doing other activities throughout the day? If yes, then you are on your way. Some people will not see "physical" results during the first 45 days of their program and in the last month will lose 30 lbs. You need to trust the process and do the WHOLE program. You can do it!! You just need to give yourself more time. 

- Drink more water.
- Eat more healthy food THROUGHOUT the day, and eat enough.
- Be patient! <-- I know, not fun. But seriously!! You're in this for the long haul anyways, and when summer rolls around you'll be glad you didn't give up.

Much love!! xoxox

THE BEST Homemade Sugar Scrub

    I don't know about you but I LOVE body scrubs, face scrubs, and anything else that makes my skin soft! The only thing is... the really nice ones are expensive! I mean.. we could all go to Wal-Mart and pick up a body scrub for $3 but we booooooth know it's not gonna be doing our skin many favors in the long run. 

    Recently, I discovered my absolute FAVORITE body scrub. It's from Rocky Mountain Soap Factory *ahhhhh, in love* it smells AMAZING, leaves my skin SO SOFT, and moisturized for at least 3 days. The only downside is the price tag *boooo* and luckily my sister, Leah, is JUST as obsessed with their scrubs as well.

    This obsession led her to meddling around with recipes and different ways of making a replica scrub from home and when she perfected it I was doing the happy dance!

Total cost per jar (Rocky Mountain Soap Factory) $24.99
Total Cost Per Jar (Homemade) $2.19

HOLY COWWWWW!! Let's get to the recipe shall we?! (by the way, Trader Joes, Whole Foods, etc are your friends here)

Go and buy:
Course Sugar
Sweet Almond Oil
Grapeseed Oil
Jojoba Oil
Coconut Oil
Lavender Essential Oil
Frankincence Oil

Now mix 1 part Sugar to 1 part Oil

We did it like this: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1 cup of Sugar
1/2 cup of sweet Almond Oil
1/4 cup of grapeseed Oil
1/4 cup of Jojoba Oil
1 tsp of Coconut Oil
5-10 drops of Lavender and Frankincence 

The ingredients will cost you about 20 bucks, but this will last you forEVER. We were able to get about 10 jars out of this, hence 2.19 per JAR!!!

So yeah. Go and prosper in the world as a soft skinned, savvy shopper, incredible woman.
Love you guys!! 

Size 4... and they are LOOSE!

OH MY GOSH! It is a HAPPY happy day in my house when an item of clothing is too big for me.

WHY?!

2 reasons! 1) I get to go shopping! & 2) I'M LOSING WEIGHT!

My goal has never been to weigh a certain number, but it has ALWAYS been to fit into a size 2 (grade 7 doesn't count)

So, yesterday when I tried on an old yet beloved pair of jeans, I was SHOCKED that they were LOOSE! In the thighs, the waist, and even the calves (lol, really?). I knew I was making progress with InsanityMax:30 but I didn't really realize just HOW MUCH this program was changing my body!!

A month ago these jeans gave me muffin top... maaaaajorrrr muffin top. You're probably wondering like... "Why?" Because in all honesty, I used to be a size 6. And I would sometimes be able to cram myself into a size 4. So I would buy the 4 because it felt better than buying a 6 (we've ALL done that, right?).

So basically, what I'm saying is... These pants... that used to be a size TOO SMALL... are now almost TOO BIG!! They look pretty cute already right now, in a "baggy, boyfriend jean" kinda way. 

But ME?! Too small for a size 4?!? SOMEONE - STOP THE MADNESS! Okay but really. SIZE 2 I'M COMING FOR YOU!!!

Rejection Stinks! Or Does It?

I was FIRED from my first job!

Okay okay… baaaaack up.

See these 2 pink sweaters? The one I’m wearing and the one hanging? Well.. while I was in Canada I picked these up from Garage, you know… the teeny bopper clothing store!? 

Did you know that they were my very first job … and I was FIRED by them? One day after school I called into to get my schedule for the next week and they told me I wasn’t on it… and wouldn’t be ever again. Hahaha! So sad though, right? At the time it was. I felt SO REJECTED and DENIED >:'(

As time has evolved I’ve experienced MORE rejection and I realize now how critical rejection has been to my success. Everytime that I’ve been rejected it’s taken me somewhere EVEN better. 

NOW - I have my best friend and soulmate by my side everyday, I’m living in San Diego, and I’m building a business from the ground up AT HOME.

No one can EVER fire me again! It’s the strangest feeling but it makes me laugh when I think about it. No more resumes, applications, clocking in, or phone calls telling me “we’re letting you go”

I think everything happens for a reason and I see now why God took me through all of my previous hard times. He was setting me up for something bigger and better. Shopping in Garage was a full circle moment for me, and it was incredible seeing how much my life has changed since the last time I stepped in there.

So basically what I’m saying is… REJECTION - I love you! Keep it coming ;)

SS Beachboy Cruise - Here We Come!!!

EEEEEEEE!! I can't even contain myself! Today was the registration day for the cruise in March 2016 to JAMAICA AND HAITI!! I know I know, it's over a YEAR away LOL but as we all know time FLIES and now we have a free vacation to look forward to! 

Hold on. Free? 

YES FREEEEEE! Okay, not quite. But as long as I work my job and actually HELP people lose weight and get healthy then YES this baby is FREE! As a coach it's my (dream) JOB to help people get in shape and be the best version of themselves. As long as I consistently help 5 people a month then this vacation is free (they'll let me know at the end of the year how much, if not all, of the cruise is paid for by them).

AS IF I didn't have enough motivation and fun helping people get in shape but NOW there's this?!?! Holy moly, I don't know why EVERYONE isn't a beachbody coach. Friendship, FUN, fitness, financial freedom, and now free vacations!! (Is it just me or did all of those start with the letter "F"?)

AHHH. More to come!!! Talk soon loves <3

So far... ;)

    So far on my journey with Beachbody I've lost a LOT of inches (now regretting that I didn't take measurements) and an exciting 19 LBS!!! -- Most of which came from my thighs (HELLO LIL GAP?!) I'm not complaining, I feel different EVERYWHERE. My stomach, arms, booty, legs, and best of all my clothes feel amazing. I no longer have to dress according to my level of frumpiness each day.

    I wasn't always happy, motivated and into health/fitness... I gained weight during a really hard period of my life but luckily beachbody saved me, not only physically, but they gave me the freedom to work from home and be my OWN boss, pay checks are SMALL but hey we gotta start somewhere right?! HAPPY TEARS!!

    If you want to join me, tomorrow is the LAST day to join the New Years Challenge group and I am SO EXCITED for everyone already on board! Everything has been changed, revamped, and this means --> LIVES are gonna be CHANGED!!

"The question isn't CAN YOU, it's WILL YOU."