Can You Do It?? 14-Day Drop 10

Admission.  I SHOULD have reported this sooner.  Really cool things are happening at WholeFit and it has been an honor and a ton of fun to watch it all happen.

For the last 7 years I have been coaching and training folks on how to take care of their bodies.  And, until recently, I have taken 100% the exercise angle.

But we all know the reality.  If weight loss, or even overall wellness is your goal, we need to MOVE more AND eat less.  In reality, nutrition is 60% of weight loss.  This year has been WholeFit's time to explore how we can help YOU with your nutrition.

So we came up with a cookbook.  It is fabulous.  And jam packed with healthy recipes and tips for how you can live your best.  It also includes a list of all the things you should and should NOT have in your pantry.

Wonderful.  BUT, some folks just don't cook.  Some don't have time to eat meals.  And all of this leads to vitamin deficiency.  And we all know we should be EATING our vitamins (or at least drinking them).

So enters shakeology. (www.shakeology.com/wholefit)

It's an awesome product and I stand behind it all the way.  Last month we did a little experimentation.  What if we motivated some folks to eat well, exercise daily, and drink their daily vitamins for 10 days.  What happens when we start putting the right nutrients in our bodies?  What happens when we start THINKING differently about ourselves, our body image, our own weight loss.  Here's what happens:

FACTS: 10-day challenge

WHAT: 10 shakes, 10 motivating emails, 7 personal commitments to living their best.

BODY WEIGHT: average loss 5.16 lbs.

BODY FAT: average loss 1.04% body fat

INCHES: average loss 2.66 overall inches.

Whoa.  In 10 days.  That's huge.  It blew me out of the water.  I was shocked.

But it's about so much more than weight loss.  It's about putting the right stuff into your body AND your mind.  It's about realizing how much you are WORTH taking care of yourself.  It's about realizing you are only good to those around you when you are good to yourself.

The participants were given a few writing assignments to delve deeper into themselves.  Here's what a few of them had to say:

"Why am I doing the hard things—getting up early, working out, planning meals, cooking, eating well, etc.?

Because I want my life with food and weight to change. I want them to be elements in my life instead of defining the life I have. I want to stop being so focused on my pants size, how I compare to other women and what someone else thinks about the way I look. I want to be happy with me, to know I am strong, healthy and beautiful- no matter the tag # in my jeans, no matter what society screams a woman should look like or weigh, despite the opposing images of the Hollywood starlets. In this process, I want to learn to be okay with me. If I believe I am worth that – I am going to do hard things, make changes and give up some things. God, let me believe I am worth that much."

AND...tears from Rachel.

Here's another:

"I wasn’t even sure what Shakeology was when I signed up for it.  But something told me it couldn’t hurt to help kick-start my workouts so I decided to go all-in.  I followed the recipes that were given to me and made minor alterations to them and I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed them all.  Some days I drank them in the morning and others for lunch and others in the evening, whatever my schedule allowed for.  I didn’t use them as a “replacement” for a meal or snack…I really just drank them when my schedule allowed.

The most important thing to remember about Shakeology is that you don’t drink them…and then you lose weight.  It is a tool to ensure you are getting all of the right nutrients and vitamins you need every day.  If you are looking to lose weight, couple Shakeology with working out and healthy food and drink choices…and you’ll be successful!!  This challenge worked for me b/c I was informed about watching labels, instructed on some healthier choices, given some great recipes to try and I had a cheerleader with me the entire way…then I actually did it.  I could have let myself off the hook at any time and no one would have been the wiser.  But I committed to the challenge…and I was successful.  Now, this was a 10 day “challenge” but the real challenge is whether or not you will continue on the path to making healthy choices.

I’m so glad I did this and it is still a daily struggle for me not to hit the vending machine at work or order a pizza b/c I don’t feel like cooking.  But I look forward to the day that it becomes second nature to me and healthy is something that I am and not something I’m still trying to achieve. "

These girls are everyday, busy, busy, working girls.

They did it for themselves.  Can you?

New 14-day Drop 10 With a Friend challenge begins, June 16.  More details to follow soon at www.wholefit.org!