Healthy Planning for the Holiday!

Staying on track during the summer holidays can be difficult. BBQs galore and we all know most people are grilling those burgers, hot dogs, and indulging in those sugary treats brought over by your favorite Aunt Edna! "Don't people know about this Lifestyle Change I am on" is all that is running through your head right?! Haha.

It doesn't need to be difficult or require a lot of thinking to stay on track during these fun summer holiday picnics! All you have to do is just "prepare" yourself a little bit and stay in the right mindset! I want to share with you all a few tips of how I plan on staying on track tomorrow for my sister's birthday and 4th of July picnic we're hosting!! :)

So, on our current menu we are planning on grilling some hamburger, hot dogs, having pasta salad, chips, and a fruit salad of some sort! We are totally skipping the cake - ha, my choice! I know it sounds like I am going to have a run for my money, which I totally am, because with all these temptations - it is going to be very difficult to stay on track! But I have a goal & I am totally sticking to it!

So here are my five tips that I want to share with you of how I will be staying on track tomorrow and over the course of the weekend!

1. DRINK WATER: H20 all day, everyday! Drinking enough water throughout the day can actually help you stay fuller! Try adding some strawberries, cucumbers, or even lemon/limes to create a flavorful, refreshing drink! (Drinking water can actually assist in weight loss -- so drink up!)
2. Drink my Shakeology! For those of you who do not drink Shakeology or even know anything about it - it's the BOMB.com! For reals! I drink chocolate Shakeology - sometimes add a little banana, and peanut butter in it for 1 of my fruits for the day, and a healthy fat and it fills me up!! Shakeology also helps with curbing my junk food cravings and keeping me full! GOOD BYE SWEET TOOTH - HELLO SHRINKING WAIST LINE! ;) HAHA. (If you would like more information on Shakeology, click here: Shakeology Information)
3. Commit to my daily workout! Just because it is a holiday doesn't mean it is time to slack! I will probably wake up to do an at home workout as well as doing a 5k in my community! :) A great suggestion I have for you to commit to your workout - SIGN  UP FOR A RUN! :) There is usually always a 5k/10k or some other type of race on the holidays! It is also fun to participate in these!!
4. Make your own healthy snacks/Bring a doggie bag! It is that simple! If you have goals that you are pushing towards, then bring along your own healthy snacks if you know there probably will be very limited options for you - do as you may! 
5. Do not deprive yourself! If you know that you are going to be having a picnic or something on the 4th of July and you would like to indulge just a little bit... save your cheat meal for that day; however, limit what you eat! I will be eating a turkey burger and probably have a little bit of pasta salad or something - but not overindulging! :) My countdown to Nashville meal plan is on point so I don't want to screw up my hard work!

I hope that you have found some of these tips to be useful and you are able to put some of them into play! You don't need to "dread" the holidays or isolate yourself during your health and fitness journey - all it takes is a little preparation and thinking!

I hope you all have an awesome holiday weekend and enjoy your time with friends and family!

God Bless the U.S.A! 

Finances & Creating a Life I Can Be Proud of!

Let's go way back to day one... April 17, 1987... Day 1 of this crazy thing called life. The first day I was welcomed into this world with open arms. Bringing so much happiness and joy to the world, but (obviously) little did I know life was about to get super crazy!


I come from a family where success means so little. Working hard was frowned upon, and well if you had a different vision than what my family believed, you were "acting like you were too good for the family." In my opinion, that was not the case in my situation. I saw my family struggle, the arguments, the lack of money, living in a homeless shelter, it was not your picture perfect family. I had a different vision... I wanted more out of life -- something more than blaming the world for my problems, running scared when things got tough, working at minimum wage jobs, having no clear vision of where I wanted life to take me.... I wanted more, so much more and so I put my head into the game and I was on a mission.

I never really had much of a clear vision of where I wanted to see my life until just last year... I saw so many successful business owners, who worked from home, got to enjoy spending time with their children and never missing out on life. I was (still am) super envious of that.. I wanted that and to be honest, working always had to be an option for me. I never had any real role models growing up or someone who taught me the importance of your finances, college, and a career so I had to take it upon myself to teach myself.

After graduating high school, I was already in a hole, felt like I was falling right into the same footsteps as my parents.. I had maxed out my first credit card, over drafted a bank account and really had no money to pay these collection agencies who would call non-stop call all hours of the day. This is embarrassing, but I want to be real with you. These struggles have helped shaped me into the person I am today. It took me probably about 2 years to get rid of my credit card debt the first time, as well as my over drafted bank account.. but I was getting back on the right track, or so I thought.

Round 2 of getting caught up in credit card debt which occurred about 2 years later, wrecking my car, working at a minimum wage job, and attending college living in the grand city of Pittsburgh..... it was too much. Overwhelming would have been an understatement. I wanted to run away from life, racking up student loan debt, becoming delinquent on credit card payments, and just feeling like I would never amount to anything, my life became a black hole. I never saw a way out.

I had officially graduated with a bachelor's degree in December 2010 from Robert Morris University (first one in my entire family to do so). I was thousands of dollars in debt due to not making much money and putting myself through college, so my last resort was credit cards and that was all I had until I had 4 credit cards at the max and no way to pay them (AGAIN). I couldn't sleep at night, I saw no sign of a light at the end of that tunnel...no help from my parents, no nothing.... I was on my own. Once I started making a decent salary at my first "Real World" job, I finally decided to come up with a budget. Really focus on trying to get my life back on track. It wasn't easy, and to this day, I am still working on ridding my life of credit card debt.


Beginning last year, I was determined to get rid of this credit card debt after my wedding... it was haunting me, and I knew the only way I could stop stressing so much about it was to take charge of my finances. Buying a house was at stake due to my debt to income ratio, so it was a must. I knew that the only way I would feel successful would be to rid my life of this mess I created. I made a better budget plan, sacrificed many of the pointless shopping trips and things I knew I didn't need and soon, I saw a light. I finally had some breathing room, and 4 months later, we were approved to purchase our first home! It was the most amazing feeling ever!

I committed to having all my credit card debt gone by December 31, 2014 - but I fell short with just one credit card (this had the largest balnc). With buying a new house and all the things we needed for it right away as well as Christmas, there wasn't much wiggle room, so I made smaller payments for the last two months but am determined to hopefully have it gone, no later than May of this year!

To give you a better view of what I did over the last 7 months...

In May of 2014, I had almost $10,000 in debt.

With the commission I earned from Beachbody, as well as the practices

of strict budgeting and sacrifices, my husband and I have eliminated almost
$5,000 in credit card debt. CRAZINESS! Even after paying for our
wedding in the Outer Banks, NC!! 

Trust me, It can be done!

If there is one thing I have learned through this entire process, YOU ARE IN CONTROL of your life. You make the calls, you determine the amount of success you have and you make the calls. Everyone is given the same amount of time everyday, some people may make more than you, some people may make less than you, but it is your choice to be successful. It is ONLY your choice.

Even with no guidance, no leadership, no handbook, I committed to creating a life I could be proud of.. and yes it is true, Beachbody gave me this vision. Beachbody gave me the opportunity to find out that I was meant for great things. It may have taken me quite a few years to believe that, but now that I see the endless possibilities, I know that the sky is the limit. This is just the beginning.

If you are having trouble with your finances, or would like help creating a vision of what you want your life to look like. Email me at tbbcoachsteph87@gmail.com! I am here to assist you in all areas of life. Remember, your dream life doesn't exist... you create it!