What 10 months of coaching has taught me

Happy Friday all! I hope everyone had a glorious week...just one week left until Christmas and I couldn't be more excited! I can't wait to spend time with family and my husband on our first Christmas together! 

Today is actually a special day for me because it's been 10 months since I decided to take the plunge and become a wellness coach! On February 18th, right before church, I impulsively decided to sign up as a beach body coach because I was in LOVE with the program I was doing at the time (piyo!) and wanted to pay it forward. Little did I know that becoming a coach would completely change my life in the best possible way. I've learned so much these past 10 months and could probably gush about coaching and our team for HOURS, but for now, I thought I'd talk about a few things I've learned from my 10 months of coaching: 

1. I can do hard things. Since becoming a coach, I finished my first fitness program and went on to finish others. I've NEVER seen fitness programs through and for once, I held myself accountable and did what I said I would do! I used to self-saboatage myself into failure and stop programs mid-way, but becoming a coach helped me stay accountable to myself and the team of coaches I am a part of! Which brings me to #2...

2. I can just be me and be accepted for who I am. When you sign up as a coach, you typically join a team of coaches and have a mentor coach. I stumbled upon Team Inspire Joy and literally thank God every day that I am part of this particular team. These women empower me every day and accept me for who I am, flaws and all. This confidence has helped me be more real with others through this blog, Instagram, and just in my every day life in general. Who I am is good, and who God made me is beautiful. So I CAN just be me! :) 

3. I am a true entrepreneur. I've always wanted to have my own business and work from home, but I always thought, "that would never work for me." Well I'm here to tell you that it has! I'm officially an entrepreneur and am my own boss. I decide when and where to work on my coaching business, and I decide what kind of business I want to have. I am making a substantial side income and I can't wait to see where 2016 takes me on the business side of things! Full-time coaching here I come! 

4. I absolutely love supporting and empowering other women to take control of their health. This job seriously sets my soul on fire and I love being able to connect with people who have had the same struggles as I have, while helping them grow and reach their full potential. It's been amazing to see my Joyfully Fit Bootcamp ladies take charge, set goals, and then conquer them with the support of our awesome community! 

5. I love coaching coaches!   This part of the job has been such a rewarding aspect of coaching! I never saw myself as a leader, but now I am leading other coaches and helping them do what I do, all by strengthening them to be themselves, share their story, and grow their own coaching business. I'm growing a team of my own personally-mentored coaches called Team Joyfully Fit. They are a group of strong and confident women, and I could not be more proud of each and every one of these ladies! 

My heart is so full right now as I look back on these 10 months. God has blessed me with this opportunity and I am so excited to pay it forward, not only in my clients, but to my team of coaches as well! I can't wait to see where God takes this business.  I've grown so much as a woman and as a daughter of the King, and I have confidence in Him that this is what He has created me to do: to empower others to live vibrant, healthy, and confident lives. 

Interwsres in in doing what I do and joining our team? Email me at TveenRD@gmail.com for some info, or comment below with your email address and I will get in touch with you! 

It's Finally APRIL!!!

I CAN'T BELIEVE APRIL IS HERE!!! And yes, that statement deserves all caps because April is the month that I am getting married! In 18 days, I will be Mrs. Verano, and I seriously can't wait. Literally, I am having trouble waiting. I'm just so excited, nervous, stressed, tired, energetic, and every possible spectrum of emotion right now. For me, a new month means new goals. I've gotten into the habit of setting daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals after reading "PUSH" by Chalene Johnson (I highly recommend this book!) and this morning, I got a chance to reflect on March and set some goals for April. March was a big month for me. I became a Beach Body coach at the end of February, so March was my first full month with Beach Body. It's been such a growing experience, and I am loving everything I am doing! I also launched my own private nutrition counseling business! I am currently running my first free clean eating challenge through Facebook with a group of AWESOME women. I am so excited for all of these blessings and opportunities and pray that God uses all of these endeavors as a way to glorify HIM and show others His love. I am just so very blessed.

With that said, April goals may seem a little different than my typical goals. Since I get married on April 19th, I will be on my honeymoon for the last 2 weeks of April (PRAISE THE LORD!) But, I still want to make April an awesome month for myself, my personal goals, and my overall health!

1. Obviously, my most important goal is to get married. Can't forget that. Nope. I am beyond excited for this day, and for our marriage afterwards!

2-3. I am in my 7th week of the 8-week PiYo program through Beach Body. I have also been drinking their superfood Shakeology drink daily and have noticed a HUGE improvement in my health, energy, skin, ahem "movements," and cravings. My goal is to continue with PiYo to the end (something I have NEVER done with any other fitness program) and continue drinking Shakeology everyday! If anyone is interested in purchasing PiYo or Shakeology, or any other Beach Body program for that matter, please email me at TveenRD@gmail.com. You can order the programs through me and I will be your personal coach and support you as you go on your healthy lifestyle journey! I would love to partner with you in this process and am so passionate about these products! So please don't hesitate to email me, and I'll help you get started!

4. I am a Tone it Up girl for life. I love their workouts, recipes, and the Instagram community. These past few months have been SO busy that I haven't been able to be as involved with the awesome resources and community that Tone it Up has to offer. I plan on incorporating more of this lifestyle into my daily life, workouts, and food plans!

5. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Or should I say, CONTINUE eating a lot of fruits and vegetables. I have been a fruits and veggie machine lately, and I am loving the way these foods make me feel. They are so filling and yet low in calories. They are overflowing with nutrients. They are superfoods and we should be eating SO many of them throughout the day!

6. Lastly, I need to learn to stay calm. With everything going on right now with the wedding, work, my side business endeavors, and overall life, it's been SO easy to get anxious and worried. I need to daily, hourly, and even by the minute, give all of my burdens to the Lord. I wasn't meant to carry these burdens on my own. Jesus says His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:30). I encourage us all to surrender our cares to Jesus every day, and He will strengthen us and pull us through!

That's all for my April goals. I am SO excited for this month! Have you had time to write out some goals for April yet? Write one thing you want to accomplish this month in the comments!

Self-Sabotage, Fear, and Freedom

Those three words speak volumes to me as I sit here trying to gather my thoughts. Self-sabotage has been on my mind for a while, and it completely baffles me. I often wonder how we as humans, who are pretty self-centered and out to better ourselves, can actually be our own worst enemy. We try to blame those around us for our short comings and failures, and sometimes yes, life is rough and things happen that we don't have control over. But so many times, WE sabotage our own efforts. I wonder if it is fear of failure, fear of success, fear of the unknown, or all three meshed into one confusing mess. I think back on my life (yes, I'm only 26 years old, but things have happened to me too!) and I see so many patterns that I wish I knew how to put a stop to at 15 years old. I'd like to share my thoughts and experiences with this topic and hope to inspire those around me that it is not a pattern we have to get stuck in!

Growing up, I always had a lot of goals and lists. Finish a certain number of books in a week (I was a huge bookworm), getting certain grades, practicing piano every day, etc. And for some reason, as a child, I always accomplished what I set out to do. However, starting in high school, I started to almost fear accomplishing my goals. I would get SO close to reaching a goal, and then at the last minute throw in the towel, give up, and even move in the opposite direction of where I was headed. The best example I can think of is my journey with my weight.

I was always a thin child but once I hit thirteen, the pounds started to stay with me. I couldn't do sports because of a knee problem, so my sedentary lifestyle and my love of goldfish and cookies lead to gaining 30 lbs in high school. It was a roller coaster for me: restricting to lose weight, then gaining it all back when my "diet" was too hard to follow. I finally got out of the resticive pattern in college and was able to lose weight in a healthy way. But even then, the minute I started getting into the "groove," nourishing my body, and actually feeling proud of myself, I would slam the breaks and turn towards my destructive food habits, gaining the weight back.  Even things that should motivate a person, such as an event or vacation, would only motivate me for a while. But then, literally 2 days before the event, I would give in to all my cravings and feel like I backtracked on all of my progress. It was a vicious cycle, and I've finally realized that I'm not alone in it.

Many of us sabotage our own health journeys because of fear. We fear being uncomfortable because we are "used to" the way we live. We get comfortable not reaching our goals and we think we are destined to be stuck in a destructive cycle.

It's time to stop this cycle! We deserve happiness. We should fear being complacent and NOT fear success! I've realized in this past year, and more so even in these past few weeks, that I am worth success. I am worth reaching my goals. There is nothing scary about achieving what you set out to accomplish. There is so much freedom in finally doing what you have always said you want to do.

But how do we do that? I think it really starts with a decision in our mind. We have to choose to believe that we are worth it. I believe God created each and every one of us. The Bible says we are more than conquerors in Christ. That means we were made for more than defeat! Believing what God says about you is the first step.

Then, it's changing your inner dialogue. I don't know if you've noticed, but there is always a script running through our minds, and our words can either be our best friends or our worst enemies. And guess what? We have the power to decide! God has given us a brain to think and decide things, so let's choose today, right now, to see ourselves as successful. To tell ourselves that we CAN resist those treats in the breakroom, or that it IS physically possible to fit in that 20 minute walk somewhere in our busy day. The more times you tell yourself you can, the closer you get to actually achieving your goals.

Lastly, I think you absolutely must have a plan. Take pen to paper and jot down your goals, then jot down all the ways you can think of to reach these goals. Do you have to set aside a couple hours during the weekend to meal prep? Do you have to go to bed a little earlier so you can get your workout done in the early morning? Do you have to look up some healthy recipes to change up your diet and not get bored? Write it all down, then DO THE THING! You deserve to be known as someone who follows through, attacks the day, and reaches his/her goals.

Now, if all of this seems a little daunting to you and you want some additional help, support, and guidance, please feel free to contact me! I am seeing clients and I would love to get to know you and more personally help you reach your goals. I even do Skype consultations if you aren't in the area. I am so passionate about helping people find freedom from the things that are holding them back. So, if you have any questions or want to work with me, please email me at TveenRD@gmail.com.

I hope someone out there was inspired by me pouring my heart out today! What is one thing you took away from this post? And what is one goal or task you will focus on achieving? Remember, you were made for success, and deserve every bit of it!