22 Minute Hard Corps with Meal Plan

I am so excited to share my 22 Minute Hard Corps journey with you.  I ordered it last week but because I had access to Beachbody on Demand I was able to start the workouts almost immediately.  I have never been a huge fan of cardio, I love resistance training, but I figured this was one program I really wanted to try.

I am a big supporter of the US military, so when I heard that the people on the video with Tony Horton are actual vets from all branches, well that just pushed me over the edge!


I love how quick and easy the workouts are.  Each day is either a cardio or resistance workout and it only lasts for 22 minutes. So for us busy people, well that takes care of one of our excuses right?

Each workout starts with Tony giving a directive.  They are simple saying to help you complete the workout.  Like modify to finish.

I am starting week two and I love the program.  Resistance days are still my favorites.  Last week, I did well with the workouts but not so well with the eating.  So, I figured to help with that I would need to work on meal planning for this week. Today, I sat down and created a very simple meal plan that I could use for the rest of the week.

Workouts this week are:

Today:  Cardio 2 and Core 1

Wednesday:  Resistance 1

Thursday:  Cardio 1 and Core 1

Friday:  Resistance 2

Saturday:  It is Super Saturday this week.  So I will be doing a workout with local area coaches.  So I will consider this my day off from 22MHC

Sunday:  Resistance 2

I am committed to going strong this week.  I did have results last week, even with my nutrition issues.  BUT this week is going to be so much better.  I am focused and ready to go!

Hard Corps....Get Some!

How Do You Measure Success?

**DISCLAIMER** I apologize in advance for this long, but extremely honest post. If you have ever felt like you were failing as a coach, if you have ever wondered if you would be better off quitting, if you have ever felt like you are the ONLY coach who struggles with success club or making a commission, then this post may be for you.

I grew up believing that I was a failure and that I could not be loved. I grew up knowing that no matter how hard I tried I would never be able to make anything of myself. And believe me I have tried, but just when I thought I would be successful, I always lost it right at the very end.

When I became a Beachbody coach in August 2014, I had dreams that I would be able to make a difference in the lives of my challengers, and with other coaches. I had dreams that I would make a difference in my own life. I had dreams that I would finally be successful. I have been very up front with my journey. I have shared personal stories that have been a struggle for me to share. I remember the first time, and let’s face it, every time that I post a bikini photo, I shake, I sweat and for 15 minutes I hold my finger over that post it button before I finally hit it and then wish that I could take it back. I am still nervous about it.

One of the things that I struggle with as a coach is tracking my business. I never use a BAT, I think the last time I tried tracking was with the system Adam had created. It was a great system and worked for me for a little while, but eventually I gave it up like everything else. The story of my life, I always start something completely gung ho and then just decide not to bother any more and give up. I am so tired of giving up, which is one of the reasons I have been fighting so hard to remain a coach.

I decided last July at Summit, that if I made just enough money to pay for my business fees and Shakeology I would be happy. I just wanted to be able to help others realize that they are worth it, they are loveable, that they don’t have to live in a world of darkness like I did. I wanted to help them overcome emotional eating. I wanted them to stop being a victim and to empower them. I had a lot of wants. If I could accomplish even half of it, I told myself that I would finally consider myself successful and be truly happy for them. I have helped a lot of women since then. Some have stuck with it, some have given up. Some continue to struggle but they are not alone, we struggle together. I have been incredibly happy, BUT…

I still don’t track my business with a BAT. And the three vital behaviors, well let’s see….1-Invite….umm…I can’t tell you the last time that I actually invited someone to join a challenge group without it being a general post on my facebook wall for everyone to see. 2- Be proof of the product….umm…I have done a few programs and they do truly work, but once I complete them I have a week or two where I slack off, gain weight back and then it seems like I am back where I started. I am proving that you can do the program, have great results and then gain it back. I don’t think that is what Carl had in mind. 3- Personal Development….this one I actually was doing pretty well, but once again I started slacking off and got into reading some fiction books, ok let’s be honest, historical romances and the personal development books were pushed to the side. So that shows you how I have been doing with the vital behaviors. What about following up with people? Well, that’s a no brainer! Without tracking my business, I had no idea who I needed to follow up with. I stopped doing any training, stopped attending team calls and the last time I listened to a national wake up call was last September. :( Are you starting to see a pattern here?

I kept a few receipts from Summit, but they were shoved in a drawer. And I can honestly say that I NEVER kept track of any other expenses or income. So, I really shouldn’t be surprised by what happened yesterday. I had to call coach relations to find out why I had not received any tax info. I should not have been shocked to hear that I wasn’t going to receive any paperwork because I had ONLY made $533 last year. I hit the floor. I felt immediately like crying. How could I spend so much time working as a coach but not make any money? Not even enough to get tax paperwork. I felt like a complete failure! I told my husband what the rep had said and he couldn’t believe it. He said that it was really worth it for me to do this coaching thing huh? Don’t you think it is about time you quit, you obviously aren’t a great coach. Please note that I did not immediately slap the hell out of him because that was exactly how I was feeling too. But to hear those words come out of my loved ones mouth. UGH! I was ready to throw in the white towel and surrender.

I sent a message to Abby, Amanda and my daughter Kaitlyn. I was frustrated, I was scared of what I was about to do but I needed to talk to them first. I guess I needed someone besides myself and my husband to say yes, Darlene you suck! It’s time to quit. It’s time to realize that you are never going to be a good coach. No money. No SC points. I lost my emerald rank again. Failure central.

Abby made me ask myself some tough questions. I had to get back to my why. Remember at the beginning of coaching when you are told to think of a why and make it so powerful that on the worst days you could draw from it. My why was powerful when I first started, but now, it really doesn’t even stir me. I struggled over the last two months to figure out my why again.

I also had to ask myself if I have given it my best every day, what did I learn from my pd, how is it helping me? Did I submerge myself in personal development? Without the positive growth that I gain from reading my pd, then I become this woman who is struggling to breathe but there is no air available. I NEED to read pd every day.

I laid down last night in bed and kept asking myself questions, then when I would give an answer I would just keep asking why. I know that if I start tracking my business that it will make a huge difference in my coaching. I need to invite, I need to be able to follow up with people, I need to be proof that the product works, I need to submerge myself in personal development. If I want to be a success as a Beachbody coach, then those are all no brainers. There is no room for anything else. It's not up for debate. They have to be done, otherwise I will remain in a little pond with nowhere to go. I will never be able to grow as a person or as a coach.

When the day comes that it just seems like you are never going to grow, you are never going to be successful, then you have to look back and draw on your why. Why are you wanting to be a coach? What do you want to gain from it? Is it all about the all mighty dollar? Or helping yourself and others. Success isn't measure by numbers, for me it is measured by how many peoples lives I can help change. How many can I inspire, that's success to me.

There are definitely things that we can do as a coach that are just window dressing….instagram, beautiful picmonkey collages etc, but I truly believe that when I stop focusing on all the shiny things around me and start focusing on the basics again that I will become the person and coach that I want to be. My journey is not over, no matter what my husband and son think. This is just the beginning and if I want to do better this year than I did last year, then I need to make a commitment to myself to go back to the basics. Once I have become successful at that then I can move on to the shiny window dressings. It’s all about the baby steps and learning how to walk before we run.

I heard a call last night and the gentleman said one of his favorite quotes was this...

NEVER quit on a bad day. I think that is great advice.

Another one of mine is...

Never give the power of your future, your success or failure to someone who does not believe in you.

Sink, survive or thrive...it's all my choice.

F.L.Y. Into Your New Life by Overcoming Hopelessness

It won't happen for me  I shouldn't even bother trying.  This isn't for me it's for everyone else.  

There have been many times in my life when these thoughts would run rampant in my head.  I felt like there was no reason to strive to achieve anything because nothing good would ever come from it.  I was surrounded with negativity and I felt completely hopeless.  I had absolutely no confidence that future events would ever be positive.  My life was a constant source of negativity and I was miserable. 

I would see opportunities and wish that I could reach out and grab it.  I wished that I could just believe that I would be successful at it.  But I was always so afraid of failing that instead of trying something new, I would just give up.  I didn't have to worry about failing, I had already failed before I even began.

Many times in the last year and a half of being a coach, I was afraid of failing.  I wouldn't invite people to try what I knew was working for me.  I would share what I was doing on face book but I didn't actually say, hey you, I truly want you to come do this with me.  I knew it would help them, I knew I had the secret to gaining happiness and in how to be successful but I was afraid of hearing the word no.  

How many times have you seen an opportunity that was available to you, get super excited about it and really wanted to join but you didn't?  Maybe you even said to yourself, yeah I have a friend who tried that but well I just don't think that it will work for me.  It's not that you didn't see that amazing opportunity staring you in the face but because you felt hopeless you provided yourself with an excuse of why you shouldn't even try.

It is time to stop making excuses and stop being fearful of change.  It is time to fill yourself with new beliefs, stop dwelling on the negative or the fears AND surround yourself with the those who lift you higher.   Surround yourself with positive people who are heading in the direction you want to go, focus on the changes that you want to make in your life and in others.  Be the type of person you want to meet. Don't wake up thinking you just want to lay in bed because it's another dreary day.  Wake up, put both feet on the ground and conquer the world.  Think to yourself...who can I inspire today.

Becoming Hopeful...how?

Surround yourself with positive.

Maybe that is listening to some great music or an inspiring message daily.  Spend at least 15 minutes each day in personal development.  There are some great free resources out there along with some that are definitely worth the price of admission :)

Take a moment to stop and the smell the roses.

There is always something going on in the world that could bring you down.  Before you let that happen, stop and count your blessings.  Are you breathing?  Is the grass growing?  The sun shining?  Do you have a loving family?  Friends to be thankful for?  Take 15 minutes to stop and jot down ten things to be thankful for today. 

Find something that you have wanted to try and as Nike says....Just Do It!

So what if you fall down or if it isn't perfect from the get go.  Does that really matter?  At least you tried.  And who knows, maybe with practice you can become the next Picasso or whatever.  The thing to remember is that you started, you tried.  You are NEVER a failure for trying something and not doing it  perfectly.  That is a learning experience, something that you can grow from and get better because of.  You are a failure, when you let your fears prevent you from even starting.  This has been an extremely difficult lesson for me to learn. 

F.L.Y. - First Love Yourself

Stop in front of a mirror and find ten things that you love about yourself.  You matter and what you have to offer this world matters too.  Practice positive affirmations, it may not be easy to do at first, I still struggle with it.  But this is a step that I strongly suggest that you don't skip!  Repeat after me...I am unique and special. I love my smile. I love my mind. I love my body.  I love myself.    Repeat this every time you start to feel doubt creep in and remember that you are loved!

Thank you so much for the support and your interest in this blog!  If you haven't already, please make sure to check out my DarLeanFitness Page where you can find more recipes, fitness tips, motivation and information on upcoming Health and Wellness Accountability/Challenge Groups that I offer. 

Do Beach Body Programs Really Work?

Have you ever had one of those days where you look back at things you have done and wonder...why did I do that or why haven't I done that?   I mean seriously!!!

I have been working on my own health and fitness journey with Beachbody for almost 2 years.  I did my first round of the 21 Day Fix in May 2014.  Since then I have completed additional rounds of the 21DF, I have also completed the 21 Day Fix Extreme, PiYo, the Ultimate Reset, 3 Day Refresh and Hammer and Chisel.  I have done CIZE and tried some other workouts. The weight and inches come off when I am doing a program but as soon as I complete it, and take some time off while I am figuring what to do next, I start gaining again.

This isn't because the programs don't work...THEY DO WORK!  This is because of me.  I look back at my results and think, wow, that was awesome, but now I am going to go out to eat with this person and now I am going to let my guard down and eat this.  Oh I will take a few days off from working out...It's okay, I can make it up with the next program.  UGH!  It's not the fault of the programs but my own mindset!  Have you ever had that happen to you?

There are three things that you must do to lose weight/change yourself/become healthier

1.   Workout daily
2.  Change your nutrition
3.  Change your mindset!

I am so tired of getting amazing results and then screwing it up by not being as focused as I should be and continue on.

With that said, I have decided that today is the day!  NO more of the flip flopping.  I am going to focus on MY journey because I KNOW I am important and I deserve this.  IN the process, I hope to be able to help others to focus on their own journeys.  In order to do this there are some things that I need to change.

1.  Workout daily and watch what I eat (NO EXCUSES!)

2.  Keep myself accountable by posting daily about my journey, (ALL I CAN SAY IS BE PREPARED, I will be posting daily!)

3.  CHANGE my mindset!  This means positive reinforcement with Personal Development books and recordings.  If you have any suggestions I would love to hear it, post below.

4.  Help others by helping myself first.  This means doing some trainings on how to be a better coach, how to take it to the next level, possibly by taking some nutrition classes, becoming a CIZE instructor, Oh yeah here we go!!

5.  FIND OUT MY WHY...I always thought my why was my son and my husband, but it has to go deeper than that.  My son is graduating soon and I won't be able to use him as part of my why any longer.  So I really need to find out what my reasons, my deeper reasons are for myself.  Something that I can grasp a hold of and keep myself motivated with, even when the days of struggling to continue are pressing in on me.  I NEED TO KNOW MY WHY????

Today is Day 1 of 22 Minute Hard Corps.  I am getting ready to go work out now and then it is time to start getting organized, create a to do list and figure this puppy out.  I am tired of being a second rate coach, NO MORE!  My customers are going to know that I am giving it my all and that I am completely there for them!  They won't wonder why they have me as their coach, believe me, they are going to KNOW!

Follow me at:  DarLean Fitness to follow my journey or contact me to start your own.