What I Learned On My Whole Foods Detox (Plus Before & Afters!)

in ,

I finished up my 21 day whole foods detox almost 2 weeks ago and just last week I took my after pictures. 

It’s true – a picture is worth a thousand words.  Honestly, I felt different – lighter, clearer – and a little slimmer (and my husband kept telling me how skinny I looked), but my body itself felt largely the same.  That’s why comparing my before and after shots was really eye opening.

Over the 21 days, I lost a total of 12 pounds (a lot of which I think was muscle mass) and 8.5” inches – mostly from my waist and hips.  (you’ll note the difference in my love handles and abs – winning!)

weightloss detox
weightloss detox

But more than losing weight and inches, I learned a heck of a lot about myself and my body on this 21 day whole foods detox; THAT was my goal – to refine what I know about what my body needs.  Here are some of my main takeaways (remember: this is for ME and my body; your body might work completely differently).

  • Abs ARE made in the kitchen
    • I have heard (and personally say this) pretty often... this week just affirmed it’s true.  I didn’t do a single crunch, but look at my stomach!
  • My body thrives on VEGETABLES
    • I felt the absolute best during Week 3 – which was limited grain vegan and packed with lots of yummy veggies.  The trick is to keep it interesting with a variety of different colors, textures, and tastes.
  • I NEED exercise
    • Exercise is a major stress reliever for me and as a work-from-home’r it helps to break up my day and get me out of the house and away from my laptop.  21 days without any exercise except some gentle yoga and walking was KILLER – I really need some sweating and straining.
  • Too many grains really block up my system
    • During weeks 1 and 2 of the detox, there are grains at almost every meal.  I love grains and so does my tummy, but the rest of my GI system, not so much.  I’ve experienced this before when traveling to the Philippines; eating rice at every meal leaves me constipated.  I do best with grains every other day or so.
  • It’s OK to give myself a break
    • This was a tough one for me.  I’m a chronic go-getter and those who know me well know I am ALWAYS doing something.  During these 21 days, I made a conscious effort to SLOW DOWN, sleep in, appreciate more, and fill my days with intention and purpose.  Eye. Opening.  This is something I’ve kept with me and plan to continue.
  • I CAN live without caffeine
    • I really lucked out... I only experienced 1 day of caffeine withdrawal (the norm is 3-4 days), but that single day was debilitating enough.  I have no desire to go back to drinking caffeine regularly.  But, I love my morning ritual of coffee and a book, so for now it’s high quality, fair trade decaf for this girl.
  • 70-90 ounces of water is my sweet spot
    • Yowza!  That sounds like a lot, doesn’t it?  And, in all honesty, I’m running to ladies’ quite a bit... but this is what really helped boost my energy and provided me with mental clarity. (For reference, this is about 60-75% of my post-detox weight in lbs...you do the math)
weightloss detox
weightloss detox

If you think this is for you, make sure you check out this post to determine if this is a good fit for you and then let’s talk.

33 for 33: My Goals for the next 18 months

in

A few weeks ago, a fellow health coach posted the 30 things she planned to do before she turned 30.  As I often find with my "tribe" of coach friends, I was inspired and motivated by her list and I wanted to create my own.  The 30 mark has come and gone for me (without much fanfare), but since my "half birthday" just so happened to pass a few weeks ago, I decided to create a list of "33 for 33" - the 33 goals I want to complete in the next 18 months.  There are lots of business goals on here, but life isn't all about work - so I'm also setting specific objectives for my mind, body, and soul.

Business

  1. Match my corporate income through my coaching business
  2. Write an eBook and publish it on Amazon
  3. Be published 5x on notable blogs
  4. Go 5-star diamond with my Beachbody business
  5. Launch the Lifestyle Design Bootcamp, a 5-week online coaching program, in October 2013
  6. Become a Certified Personal Trainer
  7. Start and Finish B-School
  8. Enroll in IIN’s Immersion Program
  9. Launch my Beachbody Income Tracker
  10. Attend Franklin Covey’s Productivity training
  11. Throw or attend 5 coaching related events
  12. Limit work to 6 days a week MAX

Mind

  1. Re-engage in my meditation practice (at least 10 minutes/day)
  2. Minimum of 10 minutes of professional development reading daily
  3. Say NO more often
  4. Unplug – At night and on weekends

Body

  1. Lift heavier weights (I have specific goals here but don’t want to list them all out)
  2. Juice more
  3. Complete Beachbody’s Ultimate Reset with my husband
  4. Run a half marathon in under 2 hours
  5. Be able to do at least 1 unassisted pull up

Play

  1. Read 1 leisure book a month
  2. Watch less TV
  3. Commit to monthly date night
  4. Go to the movies more
  5. Play my banjo
  6. Have more social play dates

Home

  1. Redesign our bathroom and evaluate adding a half bath
  2. Build a vertical garden in my yard (and keep it alive!)
  3. Create a functional office space

Travel

  1. Travel to Hawaii with my parents for Christmas 2014
  2. Go on a yoga retreat (local or international)
  3. Go on a solo vacation with my husband

 

Now, I want to hear from you.  What are you working towards?

Recipe for Success: Lessons Learned at Beachbody Coach Summit

in , ,

I spent 3 days last week at BeachbodyCoach Summit 2013 in Las Vegas.  It was a whirlwind filled with celebrity trainer workouts, team building, and personal development.  I’m honestly still reeling a little from the experience; I felt like I didn’t STOP the whole time I was there (which seems very unhealth-coachy), but the excitement and buzz of the 7,000 other coaches in attendance was contagious. 

Tony Horton
Tony Horton

The theme of this year’s conference was Dream Big- this was a game changer for me, both personally and professionally.  I have always had a hard time looking forward in my life.  When I’d sit down with professors or managers and was asked where I wanted to be in five years, it was rare that I had an answer.  Looking back, it’s clear that I was not in the right place.  I’m in the right place now and my experience this weekend only helps to solidify My Dream.

Since this conference was so powerful for me, I want to share with you some key takeaways - my a-ha moments!  Here are my top five plus some important updates at the bottom:

John C. Maxwell’s The Rule of Five

“You want to cut down a tree in your back yard.  Instead of cutting it down in one swing, everyday, take an ax, swing 5 times, and hit that tree.  It doesn’t matter how big the tree is, just consistently swing at the same tree.  One day, the tree will come down, with what seems like little effort."

-John C. Maxwell (paraphrased)

Best-selling author John C. Maxwell (Daily Dozen, How Successful People Think, and Today Matters) was the Keynote Speaker and I loved every second of his talk.  I wish I could share everything I learned from him, but that could take hours and as he says: Read the Book! 

For the sake of time, I will just share one of my favorite things from his talk: The Rule of Five.  The Rule of 5 is a series of activities that you do EVERY DAY that are fundamental to your success. Through discipline and diligence, you will achieve your life’s work. 

Step 1 to the Rule of Five is identifying your tree.  Step 2 is identifying your five required actions.  For John, his tree is writing books and his Rule of 5 are reading, filing, thinking, asking questions, and writing.  I’m still identifying my tree and Rule of Five.  What’s yours?

Beachbody’s Mission

Beachbody’s mission is so in-line with my own.  And it’s simple.

Help people achieve their goals and live healthy, fulfilling lives.

Unlike many other companies, this is NOT lip service.  After Summit, Beachbody CEO Carl Daikeler posted this on his Facebook page:

"Selling" just for the sake of numbers is for other companies. We are here to help people. So think about how you can "be more creative about showing people you truly care about them" and then get out there and do it.

Beachbody truly wants to change the world and END THE TREND of obesity.  So do I.  Perfect match.

endtrend
endtrend

Finding  A Tribe

Human beings can’t help it: We need to belong. One of the most powerful of our survival mechanisms is to be part of a tribe, to contribute to (and take from) a group of like-minded people.

-Seth Godin, Tribes

tribe
tribe

My Beachbody team is all over the U.S. and Canada, so even though we talk in pretty much every day, we rarely see each other face to face.  It was great to spend 3 days with my team – I feel really connected to these people. We are on the same path of helping people improve their lives.  This is my tribe.

I’m A Customer, Too

During one of the breakout training sessions, one of the trainers said “Don’t forget, you are a customer, too.”  I partnered with Beachbody because I use and enjoy their products and I truly believe that they provide real value.   Even if I wasn’t a Beachbody coach and never earned a penny from them, I would still sing the praises of Shakeology and talk about how kickass P90X and Insanity are... granted, maybe not as often, but I still would.

Productivity is Not Busy-ness

It’s the engineer in me - I LOVE learning about how to be more productive and efficient.  The training focused on being STRATEGIC ABOUT HOW YOU SPEND YOUR TIME, something that even the best of us time managers need to constantly keep in mind.  For more info on productivity and time management, check back next week for the release of my free eBook, You Don’t Have Time to Read This Book: 8 Strategies to Find More Time in Your Day.

Beachbody Product Updates

T-25

Summit was the launch of a brand-spankin-new program from Shaun T, the creator of Insanity and Hip Hops.  In my opinion, T-25 is a game changer as far as workouts are concerned – you see results in just 25 minutes a day!  Here’s the T-25 highlights:

  • Workout 5 days a week for 25 minutes (note: (2) 25 minute workouts are suggested but not required on Day 5)
  • Fully modifiable so ANY ONE CAN DO IT
  • Alpha, beta, and gamma phases are all 25 days (5 weeks) in length

T-25 (alpha and beta phases) is on sale as a bundle with Shakeology for $180 through the end of July.  That’s like getting T-25 for just $50 – a freaking dollar a day!  Intrigued?  Let’s chat to see if this is a good fit for you.

Vanilla Shakeology

Yes, you read that right.  Shakeology has finally made the leap into Vanilla.  The Shakeology team has been searching for years to find a clean, non-GMO, organic, ethically-farmed, sustainable source of Vanilla and they finally found it... in Madagascar! 

Beachbody has really high standards for what goes into Shakeology, so even though they found other products that met FDA guidelines, they went above and beyond to source this vanilla (another reason to love them).  This stuff is so yummy – it literally tastes like cake batter on its own and its a great base for flavor experimentation.  I tried a Vanilla Latte Shakeology and it was delish!  Interested in samples?  Email me.

Perhaps better than the Vanilla flavor, though, was learning that Beachbody has committed to the development of the Madagascar farming community that is supplying the vanilla.  They are providing training to farmers, ensuring fair prices, and helping to build schools.  If you know me, you know that international development is near and dear to my heart, so this really struck a chord with me.

Updates to Fit Club Membership

Staying true to Beachbody’s mission to support people in reaching their health and fitness goals, I have decided to offer the first 30-days of Rockin’ Hot Body Fit ClubFREE. 

Of course, I do encourage you to work with a Beachbody program and Shakeology, because I know these products work and will get you on the right path, but I understand that maybe you can’t afford to invest in a program right now or you’re skeptical about what the Fit Club is all about or you're not sure that working with a virtual coach will help you. 

Trust me, I TOTALLY understand your concerns – I had the same concerns when I joined my first challenge group.  So, try it on for size for 1-month for free.  You literally have nothing to lose and everything to gain.  Email me today so we can talk about your goals and get you started in my upcoming online group (starting July 8th).

Meet My New Business Partner.

in , ,

While I'm really interested in providing one-on-one coaching to clients, I recently decided to bring another dimension to my coaching practice - another "tool in my toolbox" so to speak.  It was a decision I didn't take lately, as I don't believe in endorsing anything I can't 100% get behind, but when I looked at the alignment between my goals for Stephanie Cook Wellness and Beachbody, as a company, and considered the benefits their products have for some of my clients, I decided to COMMIT to building the relationship.

Watch my video to find out the three reasons why I decided to partner with Beachbody.

Want more info on Beachbody?  Follow the links to learn about Team Beachbody and Shakeology.