We all have dreams

Hello Friends!
I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving Holiday! I spent my long weekend with my kids and despite all the whining about who of my 5 kids would get the 2 turkey legs, it was fun!  Yesterday (Sunday) we all went to see Disney's newest movie Tangle which is the retelling of the Classic Rapunzel.  We all went, even my oldest (17 year old boy) and none of them came out complaining about the movie, so I will assume that they concur with me in that it is a fun movie! As always there are several good messages in the Disney movies.   I won't get into all of the messages in Tangle, but the one that applies to everybody, is that we all have dreams.   I have several dreams, but to stay true to the theme of my blog I will only share a couple :)

My First and foremost dream is to show my kids how to live healthy.  I really don't want them to get heart disease, diabetes, etc.  They must learn how live a  healthy lifestyle, my ultimate goal is to have them automatically choose the healthy alternative without any prompting or nudging from my part! I can dream can't I? lol

My second dream, is to become healthy myself, I can't achieve dream number 1 without accomplishing this dream, so maybe this dream should be first?  Anyway I want to be in a healthy weight range, and I want to look fit.  This dream goes hand and in hand with being a beachbody coach.  Most coaches will tell you that they are coaches because they want to help other people...which is true I do want to help other people, but what drives me is that 1st dream...teaching my kids to be  healthy.  I don't want them to go through open heart surgery like my grandma.  I don't want them to feel limited  because they feel weighted down by how they feel and how they look. 

We all have dreams, being a beachbody coach is an action that I do everyday to achieve my other dream.  What are you dreams?  can Teambeachbody help you achieve those dreams?   Do you want to get fit and healthy?  Do you want to help others achieve their goals?  Do you want to get Financially fit?  Teambeachbody can help you get closer to your dreams.  Now, I am not saying it isn't hard work....well it really isn't if you really think about it.  Most of you already are doing workouts, trying to eat healthy.  Being a coach will help you stay accountable.  Your own journey will be an inspiration to others.  They may embark on the same journey you are traveling.  You will get to know fun and caring people.  Is it scary?  my biggest "scary" thing to overcome was time.  Did I really have the time to be a beachbody coach?  the answer was (and still is)  yes.  I don't spend a lot of time really.  I workout for an hour a day.  I do another 1 or so on social media making friends and talking to others of what is working for me.  Truth be told, to be successful, all you have to do is be consistent.  If you only have an hour to devote to being a coach, that's all it takes, just make sure you devote that hour everyday!  Its the power of the slight edge! 

We all have dreams, I hope you go and live them because they really shouldn't be just fantasies :)  I know I want you in my team I know we can be successful together. 

I am not Terrified :)

Hi Friends!

Well this week is Thanksgiving week.  For many of us, this means a Happy Week looking forward to spending time with family and friends with good food!  however behind all the warm feelings, there might be some underlying fear of what all this might mean to our waist line.  I say don't fear.  Most of us do not eat like this all year round.  Definetly strategize, but hey!  like Chalene says, "who likes the Food Police?" I know I don't! and hopefully I won't become one.  My only strategy for this Thursday is: eat and taste everything! I will not feel deprived and  it will also help me be mindful of portion control.  If I am going to taste everything I can't over indulge in any one dish ;) 

With that said, this year I am going to strive to making a healthy dish and I really doubt the kids will even notice it! This year I've choosen to add Quinoa Pilaf with Cranberries and Pecans as a new  side dish to our feast:

Quinoa Pilaf Ingredients:

2 cups dry whole-grain quinoa

4 cups water

2/3 cup dried cranberries

4 to 6 tablespoons finely chopped red onion

1 cup finely chopped celery

2/3 cup toasted pecan pieces

Citrus Vinaigrette Ingredients:

4 tablespoons lemon juice

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

 

Directions:

Add quinoa and water to rice cooker and cook until quinoa is soft and water has been absorbed. Add quinoa to large serving bowl and let cool about 15 minutes. If you don’t have a rice cooker, bring 4 cups of water to a boil in 4-quart saucepan. Add quinoa and bring back to boil. Cover saucepan and cook over medium heat for 12 minutes or until quinoa has absorbed all the water.

Stir dried cranberries, red onion, celery, and pecans into quinoa.

In a small bowl, combine citrus vinaigrette ingredients with a whisk. Drizzle over quinoa mixture and toss to blend ingredients. Cover and refrigerate pilaf until ready to serve.

Yield: Makes about 12 side servings

Per serving: 227 calories, 5 grams protein, 27 grams carbohydrate, 11 grams fat, 1.1 grams saturated fat, 7 grams monounsaturated fat, 2.9 grams polyunsaturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 3.3 grams fiber, 58 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 43%. Omega-3 fatty acids = 0.2 grams, Omega-6 fatty acids = 2.7 grams.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Grr - On a Standstill with P90X

Hello Friends,

Well, I must admit and come clean that last week I did not follow P90X.  Now don't get me wrong, I did workout! just not with the X man...well I lie, I did do a Power Half Hour routine last week.  The deal is this, my husband is working major overtime.  So he asked to me to wait for him until his overtime is over.  So I am.  I did do other workouts and this week we were going to re-start where we left off.  The penalty was going to be to repeat week 3 before we went unto our recovery week, which is what it would have been last week.  But now it turns out that he will be working overtime all this month! now there are some mix feelings on this.  The positive note is that we will have extra money for those holiday expenses coming up! On the negative side, in the evenings it will be me...just me with 5 kids, prepare dinner, and workout...all by myself. Well no, to be honest Will is a great help so I am sure I can count on him.  However, he still does need to do his own homework, he still goes to his self defense class..so for the smallest fraction of a second I wanted to be like "oh poor Carmen" but if I do that I know I will drop the ball in terms of food and exercise schedule.  It will be really really easy to rely on the drive thru for dinner this week, or simply stop exercising until Angel can join me again. So NO! I am not letting myself feel sorry about how tight my evening schedule will be the upcoming weeks.  I've decided to make a special workout rotation for this week since I am  postponing P90X until Angel's schedule gets back to normal.  In times like this, I will not begrudge him his overtime, we need that money! So I am planning on doing the Slim Series with Debbie Siebers and doing the Slim Training (difficult) rotation! Starting today my evening  workouts will consist of:

Monday - Shape it Up
Tuesday - Firm it Up
Wednesday - Mix It Up
Thursday - Tone It Up
Friday - Cool
Saturday - Tear it Up
Sunday - Stretch

In the AM, if time permits I will be focusing on Turbo Fire workouts! will alternate between Class 30, 45, 45ez and the HIIT workouts, the one I choose will depend on how much time I have to spare that morning. 

To avoid any meal pitfalls, I've already scheduled my dinners:
Tonight: - We are having Enfrijoladas (with spinach and cheese inside)
Tuesday - Whole Wheat Spaghetti with turkey meatballs, and steam broccoli on the side
Wednesday - Black Bean Soup (yes I am obsessed with Beans :)
Thursday --Its my day off! Brother in Law cooks!
Friday - Homemade Chicken Soup - loaded with zucchini, carrots, chayote, green beans and I will go easy with the potatoes.
Saturday - Homemade Turkey Burgers
Sunday - Quesadillas

If need be will repeat the same "Menu" the following week....I have a plan! and I can't wait for Angel to stop on this overtime madness so that we can get back on our P90X schedule!

At what stage of your weightloss are you?

Hi Friends,
I came across this informative article about the stages of weight loss, however what I was really searching was an article or a blog about what to do when you are still in the middle of your weight loss, but the people around you now tell you that you look good and that you should stop.  Granted these are friends or family members that are patting your back for loosing weight and with good intentions are letting you know that you look good, and without any bad intention in their part are kinda sabotaging your journey.  You still haven't reached your goals yet, but when they say "You look fantastic! you shouldn't loose any more" I always get a panic feeling.  There are different emotions/questions that I go through.   Am I getting too skinny?....the answer so far is no.  I still have plenty of fat to burn, however because of the compliments it feels like I fall into a false sense of security...I start skipping workouts, or indulge a bit  more.  That's a big No No on my books.  Just because I am 3/4 of the way from my goals, it doesn't mean I can slack off.  So for the 1st time in my eternal weight management battle I am able to catch myself from getting too comfortable....I've re-committed to my goals.    Its almost feels like I am renewing my vows LOL, but I truly think its something that we must do to stick with our goals..be that weight loss or whatever, after awhile of doing the same things over and over again we sometimes forget our original whys (see the Weight watchers article linked above) and our motivation gets lost, and before you know it our focus gets shifted.  So, right now, I am recommitting myself to my weight loss.  I only have 20lbs more pounds to go...I've done the hardest part! Now its time to really go for the extra mile!

I did it!

Hi Friends!

I did it.  I completed my mud run, and I can honestly say I gave it my all.  There are still some things I would like to work on.  Specifically I would like to run/jog the full 5k as well as be able to propel myself on some of the obstacles.  I joined a great group who told me it was okay for me to tag along with them!  When our wave took off from the start line, we all started jogging.   Maybe about 5 to 8min we stopped, but quickly Connie (my new friend! imagine that :) and I started jogging again.  For most of the run, we did a combination of walking and jogging.  We mostly jogged on the uphills, and the low hills as they were pretty steep.  Connie was kind enough to hold my hand on the steep downhills as well as boost me up to go over the obstacles, I am grateful to her for her words of encouragement, and making me believe I could do it.  And I did.  I finished the race with a relative good face.  I will be proud to wear my shirt and know that I actually did it. Next time I would like to be in Connie's shoes and help another person like me to be able to complete the run.  My husband was there to support me as well as my kids.  My husband  got some footage of me...for that I am grateful to him.  It was nice having him and my kids there at the end of finish line.  Now,  we didn't stay for the post run BBQ...we are a shy family and my husband really doesn't like the process of meeting new people; We are however slowly opening up and truly making new friends.   I told my husband "I am addicted to this!" he gave me one of his sarcastic laughs and ask me if he should set up the back yard with a mud pitt and some walls for me to climb over...you know what?  I am going to hold him to it! LOL.

It was an awesome weekend, hopefully soon you will experience something that you've never dreamed you could...its a great feeling!

Here is some footage and pictures from my run I couldn't help myself and had to add some Survivor to the clip :)

Tax Benefits of having a Home Based Business

Hey Guys,
This is a great BLOG post done by Barbie Decker, one our Team Beachbody's Leaders.  It has great information on why becoming a coach makes sense in the financial side of it.  I want to acknowledge her research and proving us with this great information that we all can use, even if our home based business is not with Beachbody.  Do with it as you will, but let me tell you if all of a sudden you have the urge to join Beachbody after reading this, please join my team...I am here for you to help you start your business :)

Why You Would Be Brain Dead NOT To Start Your Own Business - By Barbie Decker
Dear Boys and Girls,




I have said this many times before: I became a coach because I simply wanted to help people; I enjoyed helping others with their meal plans; being a motivator. I never intended to make a dime. Today, I have nearly quadrupled the income I make as a university professor and without hesitation, I can say that I expect that figure to double by the end of next year. My love of fitness, my knowledge, my confidence, and my desire to help others change their lives has only grown with time. The desire to help others has expanded to include both the physical and financial realms. I am living my dream.



If someone would have told me when I became a coach three years ago that I’d be reading (BY CHOICE ) a book on taxes on this lazy Sunday morning, I would have insisted that they had me confused for someone else. But now, as an independent contractor making real money, I want to take charge of my finances and learn how to keep the money I work hard to earn. Tax expert Sandy Botkin insists that “you will never get rich until you learn to get your taxes down to the legal minimum.” Well, I intend to do so!



Even though I have been a coach for three years now, I was not fully aware of the tax benefits that come with owning your own home-based business. I do now and I feel compelled to share this with you. If you are a coach, it’s time to start getting informed by picking up Botkin’s book: Lower Your Taxes Big Time. If you’re not a coach yet, but are looking to make a difference, earn a second income, and lower your taxes BIG TIME, then this post is for you! I invite you to join my team!



The title of the first chapter in Botkin’s book?



“Why You Would Be Brain-Dead Not to Start a Home-Based Business (If You Don’t Already Have One)



If this chapter title doesn’t capture your attention as it did mine, then I would say to stop reading right here! Really!



I learned that there are two sets of tax laws in the United States: one for employees and the other for small and home-based business people. There are huge benefits to falling in the second category. By starting your home-based business as an Independent Beachbody Coach, you can save thousands of dollars in taxes. Sandy Botkin explains:



“In addition to the tax deductions employees can get, small business people can deduct, with proper documentation, their house, their spouses (by hiring them), their business vacations, their cars, and food with colleagues. They can also set up a pension plan that makes any government plan seem paltry by comparison and deduct most their ‘vacation’ trips if they combine them with an appropriate amount of business” (3).



Okay, so what if you don’t make any money your first year or if your business produces loss the first year or so?



It’s still win-win!



Why? Botkin explains that you can use that loss against any other income that you have (6). In other words, the loss produced with your home-based business can be used against “wages earned as an employee, dividends, pensions, or interest income, or against your spouse’s earnings if you filed a joint return” (6). She gives the example of a woman named Lori who brought in $20,000 with her regular job. She took home $1,112 after she deducted all her work-related expenses such as taxes, car expenses, child care, lunches at work, and business attire. But, get this: she “could have netted the entire $20,000 had she earned it in a home-based business. This is an increase of almost 18 times her take-home pay as an employee.” I’m really not a numbers girl, but I get this!



What made me wake up to the incredible benefits of being a home-based business owner and of being well-informed? I was ready to fork over thousands of dollars in taxes on October 15th (the cut-off date for late taxes) until that very morning, my boyfriend Jason Diebold told me his tax REFUND equaled $14,000. I literally started sobbing on the treadmill when I heard the news. Within an hour of working with my itemized list, he was able to turn my amount owed into a nice refund. All because I am a coach and because he had done his homework. Knowledge and action are power!



Some of the reasons more and more people are deciding to go into a home-based business or become consultants go beyond the awesome tax benefits. Among these include:



No commute (all my commutes are centered around my own needs and desires, or those of my dogs!)

No boss

little if any chance of lawsuits

much less overehead, such as rent (and any overhead as a coach for me has been tax-deductible)

no employees (when the time comes and you need to hire an assistant, you won’t be complaining!)

no licensing

So: What will determine your success or failure in this business as an Independent Beachbody coach? Take a guess? It’s you! Beachbody is a solid company with $400 million in revenue this year. It has been around for more than 12 years.Entrepreneur Magazine rated Beachbody 69th in its list of the 500 fastest growing companies in the country. More than ever before, Beachbody has all the tools and resources you need to succeed. As one of the top leaders in the country, I can help you make coaching what you want the it to be if you are willing to do what it takes. Here is what Sandy Botkin has to say on what determines your success:



“Reasearch has consistently shown that it is rarely the business that determines success or failure. It is usually the business owner. Why does one person succeed and another fail at the same business? Two words: knowledge and action. Some people want the benefits of having their own business, but they don’t take action. The result is business failure. Then there are the people who are always working. They take action all day but still fail. The reason is that they are not taking the correct actions, the knowledgeable actions that will bring the desired results…[M]any people quit before they acquire through experience the knowledge that they need–and also realizing that they are getting substantial tax breaks” (8).



So: Are you going to stay in the first tax category, for employees? Or are you going to join me in the second, the one for small and home-based business people?



The choice is yours. It’s always yours!



To our success,



Barbie Decker, PhD