3 Day Shakeology Cleanse: What I learned, What I lost, What I gained

Why  the 3 Day Shakeology Cleanse?

For me it was to boost a few pounds of weight loss I'd been looking for and to re-energize myself after a busy weekend in Las Vegas.  I'd heard about other people doing it, and I know Shakeology is filled with such goodness that it couldn't hurt.  So I gave it a try and this is my story (and I'm stickin' to it).

Click here to learn more about Shakeology.

See below for a snapshot of what the cleanse entails.

What I learned:

The first day was hard because I didn't get my coffee and my body was a little shocked by the decrease in calories for the day.  I survived.

I have to have coffee in the morning.  Yes, it's true.  I'm an addict and I'm not willing to change.  So, to try and keep it as clean as possible I swapped my creamer for honey and that did the trick.

I also learned you must consume your calories on a very scheduled basis or your gonna be a cranky pants :)  This includes making sure you eat dinner no later than 6pm! Yikes that can get ugly. 

I never lacked energy or felt sleepy.

What I lost:

3 pounds overall and 1 inch off my waist. Who doesn't love that?  Hello bathing suit season!

What I gained:

A reminder of what good food is for my overall health.  What I can still cut back on (I heart Dutch Bros. lattes but I don't need them more than once or twice a week) in the way of processed food...and the beloved bread!

The knowledge that I don't need creamer in my coffee anymore!  I've made the switch to honey...It's better for me and my wallet!

A new favorite dinner recipe:  Turkey burger with spinach and mushrooms. OH.MY.WORD.

Flavors include:

Chocolate

Chocolate Vegan

Vanilla

Strawberry

Strawberry Vegan

Greenberry

To break it down quickly:

• Green Tea in the a.m.
• Shakeology mixed with ice, water, & fruit for breakfast
• 1 serving of fruit for a mid-morning snack
• Shakeology mixed with ice, water & fruit plus a cup of green tea for lunch
• Shakeology mixed with ice and water for afternoon snack
• White/lean meat, veggies, and salad for dinner
• Drink a lot of water throughout the day

Glorious Bodies

It is very important to me to balance my Facebook page with a variety of posts, and while health and fitness are a big part of my life there are other areas that have priority as well and deserve the same attention.  My page is called "The Balanced Life" for a reason. How easy it is to get so hyper focused in one area that the others fade into the background.  

One of my intrinsic priorities is to be "fit" in my relationships starting with my walk with God. This morning I was reading Philippians 3 and verses 20-21 really popped out at me:

But there's far more to life for us.  We're citizens of high heaven! We're waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthly bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He'll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him.

I don't know about you, but I kinda took a deep breath when I read this.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy challenging myself physically, and seeing the results of how I feel and what it does for my body.  There was just something satisfying about knowing that it doesn't end there.  What an incredible moment to pause in the thought that one day Christ will transform my body, no matter what shape it is in, into something my mind can not begin to comprehend!

So, I will continue to be a good steward of this earthly body God has granted me for this time on earth, and look forward to the ROCKIN' body that is yet to come!  Can you imagine running on streets of gold?

SWIM * BIKE * RUN

I completed my first open water triathlon this past weekend.  It has been a goal of mine for a couple of years since I watched my husband compete in them.  I decided this year that I would make it happen. At the invitation from my friend Steph I signed up for the Blue Lake My First Tri in Portland, OR.

On the drive home Steph asked me two questions, and although I gave her an answer right away the questions are still rolling around in my head, and my answers have evolved, so I decided to write it out...

What could I have done better?  

• The day of the race I needed to eat a better breakfast, but I had been nauseous during the night so all I could stomach was dry toast and half of a 7-Up.  Needless to say I was really hungry on the bike, which made the nausea return in a big way.  I need to work on anti-anxiety techniques for pre-race jitters!
• Leading up to the race I should have been attending the Masters Swim class to strengthen my weakest area.  I will now put my intimidation of that class aside and start swimming with them once a week.

What did I do right?

• The day of the race I really felt I left it all on the course.  I had never swam in a wet suit before let alone swim that distance in open water.  My goal was to not panic in the water and I didn't!  Another goal of mine was to finish in 1hr 30min and possibly come in the top 10 of my division.  Not only did I hit that goal, but I came in 5 minutes faster and got 3rd in my age group!
• Leading up to the race I trained well in the bike and run, figured out what nutrition while racing worked for me, and stuck FIRMLY to the training schedule my wonderful trainer, Khiva, put together. She also ran us through a mock-transition which enabled us to be calm and organized in both the swim/bike transition and the bike/run transition.

The best part of this experience was completing this with Steph.  She had some obstacles to over come herself and knocked the race out of the park!  She's hooked I think.  Steph, thank you for pushing me out of my comfort zone and inviting me to do this with you!  

We all need people in our lives to challenge, encourage, and partner with us and I feel so blessed to have people like that in my life.  I have to say I didn't feel the same elation that Steph did upon finishing that day, but now as I look back I feel good about accomplishing something I set out to do. It's like child birth, it doesn't take long for the pain of the moment to disappear to want to do it again :)