Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Healthy, Clean Eating Recipe: Quinoa & Flax Muffins!

Just made these this morning and BOY-O-BOY are they yummy!! 

The recipe is on the back of the Hodgson Mill MultiGrain with Quinoa & Flax Hot Cereal box. I made some of my own adjustments to the recipe that you can see in the picture. :) Next time I'm doubling the recipe for sure! These are just sweet enough and will make a perfect breakfast/snack on the go. 

Sending some for my husband to take them to work and keep by his desk.



Let me know what you think and if you bake them, how did they turn out? 

Friday, April 4, 2014

NEW!!! Coach SNEAK PEEK!

HOLD THE PHONE! I have an announcement!

What if I told you that our TEAM of coaches is going to start holding FREE 5 Day Sneak Peek into Coaching groups for anyone who is curious about coaching? Well, WE ARE! (I think I hear your roar of applause and celebration emanating through the blog-o-sphere!) These groups will be geared towards answering your questions, giving you a glimpse of what we do as Health Coaches with Team Beachbody (how coaches earn money, free trips, etc), and helping you decide whether coaching is a good fit for you!



Ok, here are the ONLY requirements:

1- Must have a desire to improve your own health.


Oooops, did I say requirements? Plural? I meant requirement. There's only one, and that's it! Many people are under the false impression that you need to be in great physical shape or that you have to know a ton about nutrition... but that is not true! It's all about you wanting to be a healthier YOU!

Our first group is starting SUNDAY so let me know ASAP if you want to give it a shot! Hey- it's FREE. It's FIVE DAYS. What have you got to lose??

**********The first 3 people to sign up with a challenge pack get a gift card toward their purchase and focused coach training!***********

Contact me at audrey.goff@gmail.com
or pm me at fb.com/audrey.goff.3
or comment to this post! :)

Coaching has changed my life more than I could have ever dreamed. I have been able to help so many people become better versions of themselves, all the while growing myself as a person and contributing financially to my household income in a way that will make it possible someday for my income to be our primary income. I love my job. I love my life. You need to give this a try.


Thursday, April 3, 2014

10 Reasons to Get Your Workout in Early


Ok let's set a couple things straight here... I am a mom of two little kids and I am NOT a morning person. I've heard all about the benefits of waking up early to do your workout, but I could never escape the "sleep-deprived-mom" mentality. I mean, SURELY that extra hour of sleep in the morning was better for me than waking up to an alarm and working out. Right? 

Well, I decided to give it a shot this morning. I set my alarm for 5:27 AM and when it went off... I was tired. I didn't want to get up and it was SO tempting to just fall back asleep. BUT, I repeated this to myself over and over and over and over again: I'M UP! I'M UP! I'M UP! I'M UP!!!! 

Literally. Over and over. It took me a couple minutes, but I got out of bed and next thing I know I was at the path at the park by 5:45 doing my workout. Dawn was just starting to... dawn... when I was finishing my 4 miles and headed home so my husband could go to work. 

I felt great! Actually, this was only a couple hours ago now, so I can say that I FEEL great. Present tense. :) 

I am normally a zombie and pretty cranky for the first hour or so in the mornings- at least, according to my husband. I don't think I'm that bad. But this morning I was in the kitchen preparing food and coffee before he came in. This is VERY different from the norm in our house. I can laugh at it now, but the contrast is quite obvious. I am AWAKE. I feel energized. I feel inspired. I feel ready to tackle the day with my children. BRING IT ON, THURSDAY APRIL 3rd! 

Who wouldn't want that kind of energy and motivation EVERY DAY?? My guess is no one. 



Ok- here we go with
10 Reasons Why You Should Get Your Booty Out Of Bed & Workout in the Morning:

1. Over 90% of people who exercise CONSISTENTLY, exercise in the morning. If you're wanting to make exercising a habit, odds are in your favor if you get it done in the AM.

2. Exercising early in the morning kick starts your metabolism so you burn more calories all day long!

3. Research shows that exercise increases mental acuity and productivity lasting four to ten hours! Yes please!!

4. Exercise first thing ensures that something else won't crowd out your workout. We all know days get busy and exercising typically gets the boot when in a crunch. 

5. When you exercise in the morning you'll be ENERGIZED for the day! 

6. Many people find that morning exercise helps regulate their appetite for the day. They find they aren't as hungry and that they make better food choices. It gets your mind and attitude more focused on being healthy.

7. If you exercise at about the same time every morning, and ideally wake-up at about the same time regularly, your body's endocrine system and circadian rhythms adjust to that. How cool is THAT! A couple of hours BEFORE you wake up, your body begins to prepare for waking and exercise because it "knows" it's about to happen. How does it know this?? Because you do it on a regular basis and have taught your body what to expect.

8. For many people, their morning workout becomes something they look forward to. It's "me time." 

9. Getting up 30-60 minutes earlier so that you can exercise is a solution to the "I don't have time" problem.  Anyone can get up earlier to workout Also, research has demonstrated that people who exercise on a regular basis have a higher quality
of sleep and thus require less sleep!

10. You'll feel AMAZING! Just do it! 

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

What in the world is a Challenge Group??


What is a Challenge Group??

Ooooooo!  Good question!  You might hear me talk, from time to time, about my Challenge Groups.  Sometimes I call them Support Groups or Accountability Groups, but they are all pretty much the same thing.  I do vary the format a bit, but for the most part, it’s DAILY ACCOUNTABILITY and MOTIVATION to help you stay on track towards your goals. 
The biggest obstacle people face when they want to lose weight is losing focus or motivation.  This is often times due to a lack of support and accountability.  If no one knows or cares that you’re trying to lose weight, then you can give up and you’re not disappointing anyone.  Except yourself.  But you tell yourself that you will get over it and it’s ok because… after all, it was IMPOSSIBLE for you to resist that piece of cake at the party and if only you hadn’t had houseguests for the weekend!!  And you move on and say you’ll start over next Monday only to fall off track and give up again. 
Ever heard the saying:


That’s the objective of my Challenge Groups- to keep you from giving up and help you succeed!  You get everything you need!
1.     Fitness
2.     Nutrition
3.     Support
4.     Accountability

            The group operates inside a PRIVATE facebook group, which means that only the people in the group can see what is being posted in there.  Not in the group, then you cannot view the posts.  Why??  Because this group is a place for you to share your struggles and triumphs, and ask your questions.  It’s a safe, judgment-free zone.  My groups are generally small, only 3-7 people participating, to keep it intimate.  This is about YOU.  I don’t want you to get lost in a big, intimidating group. 

            Through these groups is primarily how I help my clients and coaches.  However, if you give it a try and find that it’s not for you, we can work something out so I can support you the way YOU need support.  J

I'm a Beachbody Coach


Sooooo, I’m starting a blog! Now… where to begin? Not sure how these things are typically done, but I guess I’ll kick off by introducing myself. Hi! My name is Audrey Goff and I am a mother of two, with number three on the way, married to my high school sweetheart, who also happens to be an Air Force Pilot. I have over 10 years experience in the health and fitness industry and I am currently running my own home business as a Health Coach, helping people all over the world reach their goals in fitness, nutrition, and even with their finances! I LOVE WHAT I DO!!! But guess what…. When I was in college, and after I graduated, I had no clue what I wanted to do and never thought I’d end up in this field. So how did I get here? 

If you’re like I was, wondering what you want to be when you grow up, my advice is to start with what you love to do.  One of my favorite sayings is: “Allow your passion to become your purpose and it will one day become your profession.”  In order to do this, you have to really think about what it is that you are PASSIONATE about… and then, you must BELIEVE that you can do that for a living.  Most people have very limited belief systems about their careers and success. I’m here to encourage you to think outside the box.  If you feel stuck in a rut at work, waiting for your boss to recognize your efforts and praying for a promotion… just know that there is another way!  That’s all I’m going to say for now, but just THINK about it. ;)

My degree is in Communication, but I couldn’t think of anything related to that field that I wanted to do! I didn’t have PASSION for the list of jobs that followed that degree. 
           
            My husband, Erik, and I moved to Georgia for his training and I continued to struggle with my purpose in life. I got hired at Applebees and decided I would at least make some money as a server while I pondered about my dream job.  Surely God has a plan for ME, right?

            I was working out one day, (as I did almost every day), and I had an epiphany: “I LOVE fitness and nutrition!  I’m always talking about it with my friends and helping them reach their goals… I’ll become a personal trainer!” YES! I thought, this is what I really want to do! I registered for the certification, studied my butt off, took the test, and passed! Ok.  Now I have a starting point. 

            My husband fully supported me in this decision and could feel my excitement about my new direction in life.  My parents on the other hand…. Well, let’s just say they smiled and nodded when I told them.  I can’t blame them for their reaction.  It’s not like there’s a ton of money in personal training, and few trainers were truly SUCCESSFUL.  But I didn’t care.  I BELIEVED that this would take me somewhere greater than I imagined.
           
            Okinawa, 2008.  A month after moving there, I was hired to work at Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS) in the Health Promotion department as a Fitness Coordinator.  It was a full time position with great pay- my ONE qualification was my personal training certification that I had acquired only a year earlier.  THANK YOU LORD!  This job was an explosion of new training and information about everything health/fitness/nutrition.  I was a sponge.  I soaked up everything I could.  Not only did they pay for me to get certified in spin, functional fitness, bosu ball, TRX, and others, but I also got to work directly with active duty marines; taking them through PT (workout) sessions and briefing them on nutrition, fitness, stress management, tobacco cessation, suicide prevention, and other wellness related topics.

            And that was really just the tip of the iceberg!  I still to this day am so thankful for the opportunities that this position gave me.  I learned from everyone.  My one, seemingly small decision to become a personal trainer allowed me to expand my expertise immensely.  I now felt confident that I could help people with their health, inside and out!

            Then… my son Barrett was born.  He changed our lives for the better in so many ways, as children do.   <3  I decided I wanted to be at home with him.  End: job.  Begin: SAHM.


            Since giving up my position as a Fitness Coordinator, I eventually started to teach a couple fitness classes per week, just to get out of the house and do something for me.  If you’re a mom, you know what I mean.  My husband says it is necessary too, so I don’t “go crazy.” I also became fascinated with CLEAN EATING at this time.  I wanted to be able to nourish my son and I knew that clean eating was the way to go.  Eating real food, lots of fruits and veggies, and avoiding processed foods and chemicals.  I read tons of books, articles, searched things online, and became submerged in nutrition and what it meant to REALLY be healthy. This was actually a shift for me, since I had previously been fooled (like most people) into believing the “Fat Is The Enemy” lie and consumed “light,” “diet,” and “fat free” products; thinking I was doing my body good. 

Fast forward to Mississippi 2011.  Pregnant with baby #2.  J   Continue: SAHM.

I started to think about life after my daughter was born.  I knew I’d be tied down again and I was ready and willing to fully accept this new phase of our lives.  TWO KIDS!! At 6 month pregnant, I was starting my own 6-week Boot Camp program.  It was to be my last hoorah before the baby came and I had to slow down.  

A friend from Okinawa, Kattleya Sommerfield, contacted me with a question.  She wanted me to look at a meal replacement/supplement that she and her husband had started drinking.  She wondered what I thought.  Did I approve??  Immediately I was skeptical.  Everything I knew about products like that taught me to STAY AWAY.  They are filled with chemicals and additives and nasty ingredients. 

She sent me some samples so I could try for myself and she told me all about her friend, Tarah Carr, who is a mom of two little boys, and helps people lose weight and get in shape.  Tarah is a Health Coach with Team Beachbody.  I thought, “What?  Huh???  What is Team Beachbody??”  I like to help people lose weight and get in shape, too.  My interest had been piqued. 

I set out to find some dirty info on this shake that Kattleya had sent me, but I was surprised that everything I found was actually pretty awesome.  No chemicals.  70+ super food ingredients.  Organic.  Raw.  And after mixing up one of the samples, I found that I LIKED it!  I decided that I wanted to be drinking this amazing-ness in a glass, called Shakeology!  Woa.  Did NOT expect to have that reaction. 

One week later: BAM.  I was a Coach with Team Beachbody!!  6 months pregnant and I didn’t know what the heck I had gotten myself into.  All I knew was that I loved the Insanity home fitness program with ShaunT, as it helped whip me back into shape after Barrett was born, and I loved Shakeology, knowing that it aligned with all that I had learned about nutrition and truly nourishing your body with whole foods… and somehow I was going to be able to continue helping and inspiring people to be healthy!!!  That’s really all I cared about: that I was going to help people.  And I could do it from home, even after my daughter was born. 


Fast forward again to March 2014.  My son, Barrett, is four and my daughter, Josie, is 22 months old.  I am still a Health Coach with Team Beachbody, LOVING WHAT I DO.  J  After not even making enough money to cover the child care to teach my fitness classes (pre-coaching), I am now earning enough to pay our mortgage in ONE WEEK’S PAY as a coach.  And it’s only growing from there.  This job has taken me from a timid, new coach, not knowing where this opportunity would go, to a BOLD, goal-driven, motivated woman who is helping more people than I ever could as a personal trainer.  Coaching has impacted EVERY area of my life.  I strive to be a better mother, wife, coach, and friend and I have the tools I need to truly be my best.  We, coaches, help people get their lives back.  We help moms lose weight and feel attractive for their husbands again.  We help diabetics become less reliant on their medications and even come off their meds.  We help people lower their cholesterol and beat the odds that their poor family history handed down to them.  I could go on… People who work with us gain confidence and become better versions of themselves.
                       
How could I NOT love what I do??? 

For more info on how you can start doing what I do, click here:
I think I want a Knockout Life too!

^^^Filling this out doesn't lock you in to anything. It just gets me a little info about you so we have a starting point to help me help you!