What you get from me: Your coach!

This past week has really taken off with coaching. So many before and after photos have flooded in. It’s incredible to see all of the changes my crew is making. I love coaching for this reason! I get messages throughout the day from people letting me know of their success and thanking me for inviting them to try the 21 day fix program. I have a handful of people who are beginning their second round! These people never thought they’d make it through round 1, but here they are, continuing on. It makes my heart smile so much. If there was any reason for me to continue doing this, these people would be it. I love being along for their journey and sharing in their triumphs. It is such a cool feeling to have!

On top of aiding in others’ success, I’m able to keep myself accountable. Think about it. If you had a large number of people  looking to you for guidance, you’d need to lead by example. That pushes you even further to keep on track nutritionally and physically. I know it helps others seeing me take charge by staying on point with my program. It’s another way that I can ensure I’m keeping up. I’ve been able to push through to higher goals because of that. I can’t complain!  Having support from so many is an added bonus. I don’t know where I’d be without these people rallying behind me. Sometimes, it just takes someone telling you that you can do something for you to believe it. Imagine how powerful it would be if 50 people were telling you that?

When I decided to become a BeachBody coach last month, I was extremely afraid. It was a risk for me. I didn’t know if I’d be able to dedicate enough time to the business because I am a single, working mother. I was also afraid I wouldn’t be able to keep up with my program and I’d failed everyone I was coaching. I took a leap of faith though, sucked it up, and signed up as a coach. I’m so glad I did. I’ve met some of the most amazing, inspirational people along the way. On top of that, I’m able to give myself and my son some financial freedom.  Anything that will aid in providing for my son is A ok in my book!

The biggest misconception people have about coaching is thinking you’re a salesperson. I’m not a salesperson. In fact, I hate sales. I’m not good at it, nor do I want to do it. I share my experience with others seeking out nutrition and fitness guidance. I provide results that prove the program works, then I invite them into a community full of motivation, and support. That does not sound anything like sales, does it? It would be wrong of me to not share a product that can change someone’s life. If I can introduce someone to a program that aids in finding a healthier lifestyle, then why not?

Coaching is a privilege. It’s something that I take very seriously. You’re put into a leadership role to steer others towards a healthier way of living. With so many lives at stake, I do not take it lightly. That’s where I stand out from the rest. I cater to my challengers. I ensure I’m there to answer any question, provide helpful tips, and be a shoulder to lean on if you have a tough day. When you purchase a program, you aren’t just being left to fend for yourself. I’m there every step of the way ensuring your success. I become a friend. Someone you can rely on when things become hard. When you think you can no longer push through, I’m there lending a hand. I care about every individual underneath of me. I am not victorious unless you are. Most importantly, I care. I would never lead someone down a bad path. I look out for you to ensure that you’re guaranteed results, but in a safe and healthy manner.

I greatly appreciate all of you for instilling trust me in and allowing me to join you on your journey. Your dedication is so overwhelming. I cannot begin to tell you all just how proud I am of you. Sticking to your nutrition plans, and plowing through those workouts even when you’re sore. Driving harder than the day before because you want it just as bad as I want it for you. Being a great team and helping someone else to see that they can do this too. Never letting yourself, or any of us down. You all are such wonderful people. I hope you can see just how many lives you’re changing outside of your own.

<3 Coach Ashley

21 day fix cycle

I’ve seen a lot of people transform  over the last three weeks. It’s pretty crazy to look at a huge group of people who are just starting, knowing they have absolutely no idea what they are in for. I’ve been at the starting and finish  line, so I’m already anticipating all of the wonderful things they will experience after completing their first cycle of the 21 day fix. I see the fear, doubt, and anxiety in every single person as they embark on a new adventure, but as the days go on, you can see all of that being replaced by motivation, determination, and  a fire for change.

Something flickers on as people progress during this program. It’s pretty cool to see that switch flip. The first few days are trying. It’s hard. I won’t lie. It takes a special person to continue to push and stay committed through the pain of your muscles aching and your body ridding itself of unnecessary toxins. When you make it through that short process, the sky is the limit. You’ve proven to yourself that you’re tougher than all of that, and you persevere onto bigger goals.

Things start happening quickly. You notice a muscle bulging, while you’re checking yourself out in the mirror. Pants start to fit looser, and you feel big surges of energy. Your appetite decreases and sugar cravings cease to exist. You find yourself looking forward to those 30 minute workouts and filling those cute, colored containers. Meal prep becomes a part of your weekly routine. It starts to become a fun hobby playing with your container combinations and making new meal plans. The science behind the program starts to fascinate you more and more and you realize it’s a neat formula transforming your body.

As time progresses, you find yourself feeding your muscles, upping your weights, and pushing harder. You start incorporating new workouts into your routine to take yourself to the next level. More muscles appear, your confidence sky rockets, and you begin setting bigger dreams and goals.  Your entire demeanor changes. You encompass such positivity that it’s hard to keep hidden. Friends and family feel your contagious excitement and decide to embark on the 21 day fix journey too. The cycle repeats, but now you’re the leader. You’re at the top telling everyone below you that they can do it if they keep pushing. That scared person from day #1 who was so afraid to take risks is now leading a pack of people to a healthier lifestyle.

How BeachBody coaching makes being a single mom affordable

This coaching thing is really taking off. It’s kind of scary though. That sounds nuts, right? How can success be scary? Well, it is. I think it’s more because I can’t believe the success I’m having and the lives that I’m helping to change. It feels too good to be true. Very surreal. I keep waiting for the ball to drop. That sounds terrible. How can I be focused on something so negative when so much positive is going on around me? I hate that I can be a bit of a pessimist sometimes, but when you were skeptical to begin with, it’s hard to not wait for the other shoe to drop.

I have no idea where I will be in a year, but I hope it’s at Summit. For those of you that aren’t aware of what Summit is, it’s a huge BeachBody convention that takes place annually where coaches gather for recognition, motivation, and inspiration. It’s the holy grail of coaching and where all coaches aspire to one day be. I hope I can be amongst the 20,000 coaches that will be attending next year. Seeing all of my fellow coaches post pictures from Summit made me even hungrier for it.

I have to pinch myself sometimes to remember that this is not a dream. I am doing this. I’m running a successful business, but more importantly, I’m showing people that they have the ability to change. No one deserves to be unhappy. It pains me when I hear people express how down they are and the terrible way they think about themselves. Honestly, we all have the ability to change. Sometimes, it just takes one person to help pull you out to see that you can make that change. It excites me that I’ve been that helping hand. I get to watch people grow and move towards a happy, healthier life. It is so rewarding to be in this business. I’m glad I took this leap of faith 50 days ago. I’ve created countless smiles and the pure joy I’ve gotten from that makes it all worth it. Pushing fear aside and trying something new has opened my life up to so many amazing possibilities and opportunities.

Being able to provide for my son and to lessen the financial burden has been a huge perk. There were so many nights I’d lie awake in bed asking how the hell I was going to afford this, that, or the other. I don’t mean luxuries either. I would cry over paying bills and purchasing groceries. Being a single mother is not easy. I have a daycare bill of $800 a month. It’s frightening knowing that all of the finances are on my shoulders. I have no back-up, or help. I will always do whatever I can for my son. I never want him to struggle, or to go without. I have been saddened too many times in his 18 month life over things that we could not afford to do. We missed out on many things his first year because we needed to save that money for food and bills. I’m starting to slowly make up for that. This summer, we have been able to do more things together because I am able to supplement my income as a BeachBody coach. Materialistic things mean nothing, but making memories means everything. I want him to experience as much as possible. I’m glad I can finally start to open that door.

My health was never a priority, but it should have been. I am the sole provider for my son. If something happens to me, he has no parent. I would go without food, or I’d eat Ramen noodles to save on groceries, so that I could afford to pay doctor co-pays and food for my son. I kept a lot of these financial issues to myself. I’m not a “woe is me” type of person. I handled what I need to and if that meant I put my health aside, then so be it. I ate Ramen noodles for 15 months straight 5 to 6 days a week. I’m not exaggerating. A case of Ramen noodles was so cheap. I knew I could feed myself lunch for an entire month for pennies a day. We’d conveniently visit my parents during the week around dinner time, so that I could save on groceries too. No one knew that I was having this hardship. I’d ask friends for hand me downs for my son. I felt shame, but I knew I couldn’t purchase enough on my own. It was ROUGH. I have a good job, but  even a good job can’t compete against an entire household of bills, plus the astronomical monthly daycare bill. I’d constantly have to pass when asked to donate money at work for flowers for funerals, new babies, or congratulations. It was embarrassing to admit that I couldn’t afford $5.

Our struggle was real. It was scary. I feel like I can breathe now and I can enjoy life and my son a lot more. Worrying about money every, single day is ridiculous. I never want to go back to that. Being able to smile and laugh and make plans without worrying about cost is great. Going to the grocery store and picking up a couple extra items without pulling out my calculator makes me giddy with excitement. Putting money into my piggybank and putting money away for my son is even better. We were never able to do that before. I am so appreciative of BeachBody for changing my life. There are not enough tears and words to express my gratitude. If you can relate and are reading this shaking your head, then send me a message. We can talk about the different coaching options. No one should have to struggle though. There is a way to earn extra money while helping others and helping yourself.

10 times the 21 day fix ruined my life

10 times the 21 day fix completely ruined my life:

1.       More dishes! I pack so much food for work every day that I’m literally in Tupperware hell every night. Where the BLEEP are all of my lids?!

2.       Too much food! This is supposed to be a diet?? I’m eating like a king every damn day. I can barely finish all of the food that I’m allotted to eat.

3.       My arms are covered in goosebumps. I refuse to wear sleeves now that I’ve built up some arm muscle. Damn, it’s cold in here!

4.       It takes me longer to get ready for work. I’ve had to add “flexing in the mirror” to my morning routine

5.       It’s bad for the economy. I stopped eating out and buying my morning coffee. Sorry, Obama.

6.       My mom was right. I did need to start eating my veggies.

7.       I’m a food snob. I like my shit fresh. I turn my nose up at processed foods

8.       I refuse to drink out of a regular cup. Everything has to go into my oversized Shakeology shaker cup

9.       I no longer reference food as food groups. Everything is either a green, red, purple, yellow, blue, or orange.

10.   I measure my life in 21 day cycles

21 reasons the 21 day fix is the shit!

I’ve  just finished my second round of the 21 day fix and I’m now on my first official day of round 3. You’re probably all wondering what the hell the big hype is about this 21 day program you keep hearing about. Lucky for you, I’ve put together the below list of 21 reasons why I love the 21 day fix!

1.       My bootie. Yep, that’s it. MY BOOTIE. No explanation needed. Just stand behind me and take a peek.

2.       Energy. Move over Red Bull.

3.       The portions. You didn’t misread. I said “THE PORTIONS” You get to eat…A LOT. In fact, the #1 complaint I get is “Do I really have to eat all of this food?”

4.       Muscles. I’m gunning every day. “Do you have a license to carry those guns?” Yep, I have a right to BARE arms now. 

5.       My mood. No hostile bitchiness here.  I feel good. I look good. Period. I don’t go hungry, which means I don’t go HANGRY (hungry/angry)

6.       Money. I’m saving money at the grocery store. Portion control means less waste and less overbuying.

7.       Short Cycles. I hate using programs that promise results in 60+ days. I ain’t got time for dat! I like that there is an end in sight and I can work in 3 week cycles. It’s a lot easier to achieve goals with a smaller time-frame to work with.

8.       Carbs. Yes. You can even eat carbs. I’ve done the low carb thing one too many times. Dizzy spells, low-energy, and those awful headaches. Pull out that pasta. It’s ON-limits.

9.       Flexibility. You can tweak this program to fit any fitness goal. Trying to lose? Trying to gain? It doesn’t matter. You can partner up with your spouse, children, or anyone else living in your house. The program fits any fitness need. You can do it together without having to purchase separate programs.

10.   No Hate. Anyone can follow this program. Any age, gender, special dietary need. You make the program work for YOU.

11.   Short workouts. I don’t have time for these long, drawn-out dvds. I can handle 30 minute workouts, which is what this program comes with. You get a variety between 6 amazing workouts, but best of all, they run in half hour spurts. I can do a half an hour a day! Can you?!

12.   No calorie counting! Yes! Put away your calculators! There is NO calorie counting on this program. Instead, you portion your food out using these adorable, colored containers. Fill, dump, eat. That’s it!

13.   Support. When you purchase the 21 day fix program, you’re given immediate support and access to others utilizing the program. You aren’t left to fend for yourself, which is usually half the battle, right? I run an amazing support group for anyone that I am coaching, which means you’re constantly being rooted on. What other program comes with FREE motivation like this? Um…yep, I hear birds chirping..

14.   The before and after. I am still astounded by my before and after photos. The results are rapid, which means a BIG change between those pre and post pictures. You’ll be asking yourself who the hell that person is staring back at you.

15.   Inches lost. Everyone is so focused on seeing that number on the scale decrease. NOT ME! I’d rather see inches  lost. That means you’re losing fat, but it’s not being replaced by hanging skin. Instead, it’s being replaced with muscle! You’ll be losing inches and toning up, rather than losing weight and loosening skin.

16.   Lifestyle change. You’ll make a positive lifestyle change and make healthier choices. This will transpire into other areas of your life. Your job, your family. When you feel good, it radiates into every aspect of your world.

17.   Opportunity. With big results, comes big opportunity. I took my opportunity and became a BeachBody coach to help others change their lives. Not only did I change my life emotionally and physically, but I am now changing financially too! All while helping others feel better about themselves!

18.   Confidence. You’ll be holding your head high proud to wear your 21 day fix badge of honor on your sleeve. It’s a big accomplishment. Did I mention the free tank/tee that you get after providing your before and after photos? Who doesn’t love free swag?!

19.   Inspiration. Your transformation story will inspire others to lead a healthier lifestyle and to set fitness goals. What could be better than hearing that YOU changed someone’s life?!

20.   The extreme version. All done with the 21 day fix, but still craving more? It’s your lucky day. There’s an extreme version of the program that you can graduate to. If you’ve already been using the extreme version, you can use the modified countdown to competition to shred yourself even more! The program is so flexible that it can be continued even after you smash your fitness goals.

21.   A better you. I feel so grateful that I went out on a limb and tried this program. It’s changed my perspective on everything in my life. I feel like a better version of myself because I have more energy to participate in life. I have a willingness to try new things and to step outside of the box. I’ve shown myself that I’m stronger and braver than I thought I was.

Thank you, 21 day fix, for giving me a new meaning to life.

The great Beach Body Facebook Debate!

A lot of people have expressed their disgust over constantly seeing Beach Body posts and feeling as though its repetitive. Well, maybe it is, but is that really such a bad thing? Seeing an inspirational quote, or a motivational picture that pushes you to feel better about yourself, or your day shouldn’t be a bad thing. Social media is flooded with so much negativity. People fighting, racism, bigotry. To me, that’s a disgusting and repetitive trend that we need to be changing. Yes, maybe we have a group of people who are all working out and using shakes/fitness programs, BUT that isn’t even what we are all about. That’s just part of it. We are here as motivational speakers. We are leaders who want to show people that there is a BETTER way to live. You can be happy AND healthy. It’s about empowering who you are as a person and strengthening a healthier mindset. Yes, you change physically, but it’s the emotional side effects that really drive change. When you feel better about yourself, you start to change your perspective.  You aim higher and set bigger goals. Your focus is on something good! Why is this such a bad thing?!

It makes me sad for our society as a whole. We’re upset about seeing inspirations posted, but we deem it acceptable to read story after story of child abuse, drug use, and racism. It’s okay to read posts between a girlfriend and boyfriend fighting, watching two exes bad mouth one another, someone venting over their job, or a family feud, but if you put up too many inspirational quotes, you’re called repetitive and then unfollowed. I do take it personally because I care about what I’m posting. I think about my content. Maybe that’s what we all need to start doing. Using a filter for our posts instead of our pictures.

I’m never going to stop inspiring people. If even one person feels that they can change their life from one of my posts, then I’ll take it.  That’s a good day for me and I’ve done my job. It’s hard to be that far gone and pick yourself back up. It takes a lot and sometimes, it takes help from other people. We live in such a cloud of negativity and bullshit every day that we can’t even see when some good is coming our way. I dare you to stop posting all of your negative, personal bull shit and post ONE good thing every single day. Hell, post one good thing every hour, and see how your outlook changes. Yes, you may still be broke, have no job, or living in bad conditions, BUT maybe you start changing your perspective. You apply for a new/better job, you move into a new/better place, and you start making positive changes for yourself. You control your destiny and unless you believe and start thinking that you can make changes, then you won’t. I’m just here to remind you that you can!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is why I coach!

This weekend, I reached MANY goals. In fact, I reached all of my July goals 3 days into the month! What?! It’s insane to me that I was able to do that, but with some consistency and perseverance, I was able to  make it happen. Now, I’m working on setting even bigger expectations because I still have an entire month left! Going goalless would be insane. What would I have to work towards?

So, what were some of those goals? Signing two coaches and becoming Emerald! That’s right, folks! You’re now talking to an EMERALD coach. Well, unofficially until the system updates on Wednesday night showing my new rank! I am beyond excited to welcome my best friend to the team as a new business coach and my mom as a new discount coach! My best friend has been using the program since May and has gotten stellar results! I’m glad she decided to join me in this journey. I feel like our business is going to grow ten-fold because we know the program works so well, we love using it, and we want to share it with all of you!

My mom has actually baffled me! Expressing a desire to get healthy was something that came out of left field! I cannot express how delighted and happy I am to hear that she’s finally ready to prioritize her life and put health at the top of her list! She’s a great lady and I want her around for the long haul. It makes me feel so good that I was able to inspire her enough to not only try the program, but to sign on as a discount coach too! I’m hoping she is a great motivator for the rest of our family. Between the two of us, we can make anything possible and I’m glad to have her along for the ride with me!

Dreams do come true if you work hard enough to build them. Yes, it takes time and effort. Nothing in life is easy, but if you put some dedication behind it, you can do it! We all can! Becoming a coach was such a great decision in my life. It has fulfilled me in so many ways. Seeing pounds and inches fly off of my challengers is incredible! They motivate me so much to keep going and to never give up! It feels good to have an entire cheerleading squad behind me every single day. Even when I start to doubt myself, I know that I’ve got a great crew pushing me to never give up! To me, that is priceless.

Today, we start a new 21 day journey with many eager faces. I am so excited for them to hit that finish line! It’s incredible to watch people really change and grow as a person throughout this entire experience. It’s so much more than a superficial change. It really grows your confidence and motivates you to start exploring other areas of your life that might need changing too. Maybe it’s a new job, a new home, a new relationship, or just bettering the way that you communicate with others around you. Whatever it is, I hope you all find it over these next 21 days. Keep pushing and never give up on yourselves. I’ll always be there if that little voice of self-doubt starts whispering in your ear.

<3 Coach Ashley