Every. One. Matters. The MisFIT Mama Club & This Week's Intention

This year, Team Beachbody's motto is Every One Matters.

I've been spending some time ruminating on that, wondering how I can model that here in this community I dream of building.

And then I was reminded of The Starfish Story, which you might have seen me post on Facebook a couple weeks ago.

And really, if I could create change, why not start small? Why not take those baby steps?

I still do have every intention of running my Elite Boot Camps and introducing others to programs that could very well change their lives, but why not create something that is literally for every. body?

Every. One.

Literally.

And now, I am pleased to offer the new ongoing This MIsFIT Mama Club. This is a free, private, invite-only group for those of you working toward your own health goals, who want to be surrounded in love and support. Whether you are a runner, a yogi, a lifter, a Crossfitter, following a Beachbody program, just finished a Boot Camp with me, eat clean, paleo, or just don't even know where to start--this is a safe space where it is OKAY to be vulnerable, OKAY to admit you weren't perfect today, OKAY to say that you got through half of your workout before your child/husband/fiance/boyfriend/dog needed your attention NOW, and that tomorrow will be BETTER.

This will be a place to check in on a down day and ask "Someone tell me I can do this!" and you'll get support from like-minded ladies telling that yes, you really can.

My dream is to make this a community of women who are growing in self-confidence and learning to love their bodies through fitness, and supporting each other in the process.

What will you find in The This MisFIT Mama Club?

• Support
• Encouragement
• Motivation
• Positivity
• Advice & Tips
• Recipes
• Weekly progress check-ins
• New product or program announcements
• All Free Fitness Challenges will take place in this group (up to you to participate!), and you'll have first-dibs on spots in my Elite Boot Camps
• The opportunity to try a free 30-day trial to Beachbody On Demand, an online streaming service that gives you access to over $1k in state-of-the-art at-home fitness programs, along with accompanying guides, schedules, and nutrition plans for each workout. Think Netflix for fitness.

To be absolutely honest, I'm looking forward to learning from and being inspired by YOU, too!

What's the difference between The This MisFIT Mama Club and Elite Boot Camps?

The This MisFIT Mama Club will be group open to anyone, at any time. All free challenges will take place in this group, as well as general health & wellness chit chat. This group is what you make of it. You are it's greatest resource as you will be supporting and encouraging other members in their goals.

Elite Boot Camps are for people who are ready to take it to the next level and commit to a program and at least 30 days of Shakeology. In return for their investment, I invest one-on-one time in a closed, private Facebook group with targeted discussion, make myself available via email and phone. These groups are generally smaller, and a much more intimate experience.

What do you need to do to join? 

Simply fill out a request for a free account making me your Coach. Once you're done that step, I will send you an email within 24-48 hours with the link to the private group on Facebook. If I am already your Coach, email me so I can verify and send you the link to the group.

I think this will be a seriously amazing addition to the services I already offer. This is a great way to get your feet wet before jumping all in with Elite Boot Camps. The decision is up to you, and I sincerely hope you'll join in the adventure. 

This week's intention? 

Service. 

I want to reach more people from a servant's heart and cause true, positive change. This week, my focus, meditation, and prayer will be on how to inspire change in others and leave my own agenda behind.

To find my starfish and to guide them to the creation of the best version of life--now, that's a goal.

Fitness Friday: Progress--Not Perfection

My first Boot Camp group in a while is officially kicking off on Monday.

For the first time in a while, I will be doing the program along with them. All 21 days.

The last time I worked out 21 days straight was back in November--the last time I completed 21 Day Fix. I lost almost 10 pounds and about as many inches. I felt like I was on top of the world.

But then I did 60 days of Insanity Max: 30. And after 60 days of IMAX:30, I had all the best intentions of completing 21 Day Fix EXTREME.

I made it three days, and then I started floundering. In my fitness goals, my personal goals, my business goals--everything. I'd work out a day here, a day there. I stopped being consistent. I'd skip meals. I'd eat the wrong things at the wrong times (even if it felt right--WRONG). I had totally stopped making progress, and in some instances, I started setting myself BACK.

Months of going, going, going, I was burned out and s-t-u-c-k. And it was terrible.

After some careful thought and prayer, I finally have my groove back and I am looking forward to getting back into the swing of things.

My first step?: rediscovering my why.

What was I working towards, anyway? I had to remember my "why."

It wasn't because "everyone was watching" (although that's what I was telling myself).

It wasn't because I was trying to prove something to anyone else (even though that's how I felt and still do feel some days).

It was about doing it for ME.

I wanted to be healthier for my family. That is my entire reason right there. I flashed back to the 220-lb. version of me at Disney World, with tears in her eyes from the pain and discomfort she was feeling on what should have been an amazing day for her family, and gently reminded myself that that EXACT moment embodied my entire reason why.

Why I decided to push play on my first program.
Why I decided to pay it forward.
What ultimately led me here, to create a community for women that embodies healthy minds, bodies, and spirits.

I stopped caring about my progress to that better, healtheir version of me, and instead was focusing on doing it all, perfectly. For other people. And while I appreciate and am honored the fact that my journey may inspire similar motivation for others, I had to shift the focus back to me. Shift just for a second.

Progress. There is the sticking point.

Here are a few definitions of the word "progress" from dictionary.com:

1. a movement toward a goal or to a further or higher stage

2. advancement in general

3. growth or development; continuous improvement

4. the development of an individual or society in a direction considered more beneficial than and superior to the previous level.

5. forward or onward movement

Movement.
Forward.
Advancement.
Growth.
Development.
Onward.

This speaks to me in so many ways. Instead of trying to follow every schedule perfectly, instead of making sure my business plan is perfect, instead of worrying over whether or not my house is perfectly tidy...I should be focusing on forward momentum.

Making a conscious decision to get healtheir isn't easy--nor is the journey to get there an easy one. My progress is not the same as someone else's--but isn't that the key? That I continue to make progress?

My personal fitness goal for myself starting on Monday isn't to hammer out the following 21 days and walk away a robot again. This time, I plan to allow myself some grace. Some patience. Some flexibility. I want to set the example for my boot campers that they aren't REQUIRED to be some sort of fitness maniac to participate in my boot camps. They made the first step forward to commit...the rest is about continuing forward motion.

Forward movement is my goal.

Progress, not perfection.

July Goals: Growth

I don't think it's any secret that accountability is something that everyone struggles with at times.

I know I sure do. 

Lofty goals, tasks, to-dos...all kinds of stuff to get you overwhelmed, mentally spent, and then (if you're me) you freeze. You drop everything. Because it's easier to not have to worry about anything instead of worrying about everything.

This is my greatest battle. Balancing what I want to do with what needs to get done to make it happen. If it gets to be too much, I shut down.

When I wrote this post on being comfortable getting uncomfortable, I mentioned that my brain dump of goals and ideas had my mind completely blown. To counteract the creeping sense of overwhelm I could feel coming on, I decided to start writing monthly goals out in order to keep the bigger picture to scale and avoid the inevitable "this is bigger than me" shut down.

I mean, God put this plan in my heart...I need to work my tail off to see it through.

In the interest of keeping myself accountable with all these big, crazy, scary ideas I have, I decided to share these goals monthly. At the end of the month, I can then take a look back, recap, track my progress, and decide if my goals need to be revised for the following month. The entire goal is to move forward. I am not setting a particular pace with everything, but forward motion is the entire premise.

With that said, this month's goal theme is growth. Since I decided to rebrand, try new things, and revive my health & fitness biz, it is time to grow some ideas and concepts, as well as grow personally.

Personal Goals:

Start AND finish 21 Day Fix. 

This one should be easy peasy because, duh, it's only 21 days, and I've got a rocking group put together for the month made up of fierce ladies who are giving it their all. But now that I'm recommitted to building the healthiest me yet, this program will definitely push me. However, it should also be a great foundation and launching point to keep progressing each month.

Get to the beach.

Just once, no stress or pressure for anything more. To be honest, the beach is where I find the most peace and closeness with God...even when we're covered in sand, the tourists have sat their chairs a little too close for comfort, and the seagulls are lurking. I love having my feet in the sand, watching my little girl play in the waves, and just take the time to relax and enjoy the beauty and vastness of the ocean.

Continue my study of Proverbs every day.

I have been doing a chapter a day of Proverbs. Reading, reflecting, and praying. I am going to continue this through the rest of this month.

Lose three pounds.

Do you know what I like about summer? Food. Do you know what's really hard for me in the summer? Working out. Can you guess what has happened since the weather got warmer? I gained some weight back. Boo. Time to get back on the horse and get it done. I set a three pound loss goal each month for the rest of the year. If I meet that goal, I will have lost 18 pounds. That will get me back to my lowest weight since starting my journey, plus a few extra pounds lost. Breaking it down even more, that's only 3/4 of a pound a week.

Have a successful Month 1 of the This Misfit Mama Book Club.

Today we start our read of "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin. I am really looking forward to getting to know the ladies who signed up, read some good books together, share our thoughts, learn applicable concepts, and grow! It's not too late to sign up; click the link above to sign up and join us!

Help three people build self-esteem and learn to love their bodies via Boot Camp.

Okay, maybe this crosses into the business category, but my underlying desire and mission here is to help women become the best version of themselves, body and mind. If I can be the positive catalyst for change and personal growth, then my job is complete.

Business/Blog Goals:

Build monthly calendars to keep me on track and help with planning and promotion:

• Free Challenge Groups.
• Boot Camps (this is technically already done, just need to add some finishing touches!)
• Blog editorial calendar through the end of September.

Spend at least an hour a day, M-W-F, building this space.

I'm a wife, a mom, and balancing my full-time job and my small business. I want to learn how to build this community here in a way that continues to promote balance, but also see tangible growth. This will include research, writing, idea and brand development, and writing a business plan draft.

Start brainstorming ideas for a weekly newsletter.

I already know my newsletter will include posts from my page, but I also think it would be fun to include other newsletter-exclusive tidbits. What those tidbits are remains to be seen, but it's something to work on this month.

Register the domain already.

This Misfit Mama is sticking. I've already launched The Book Club and The This MisFIT Mama Club is coming very soon (announcement Monday!)...so I might as well own it already, right?

$100 a month in program sales.

I lost my hustle in April, May, and most of June. Time to start building a consistently steadier income. I feel like $100 is a good place to start.

200 likes on the This Misfit Mama Facebook page.

I'm thisclose to 100, but I want to begin building up my social media presence to reach more women who are in need of community and support.

Brainstorm what my "Dream Team" will look like.

One of my August goals is to begin building a team of strong women who want to inspire and encourage others to make significant life changes in their health. But first, I think it would make sense to brainstorm and dream about what my team would look like. Who are they? What qualities do they embrace? What are their goals? What will our team culture embody? This will be the entire foundation of Team MisFIT Mama. Coming August 2015!

Create a system to get those new Coaches started right.

Once I know what my team is going to look like, it's time to start developing systems to make sure they get started right and see success. My mentors have developed a strong system of support, so I'm looking forward to picking their brains so I am prepared to provide the same support once I find my wellness warriors. :)

And there you have it.

My July goals.

Not as scary when it's broken down. Completely manageable, less fear-inspiring, and just challenging enough to keep me uncomfortable. Written down, published, and shared. All that's left is up to me to see it through.

Cheers to an excellent month!