Free 5-Day Clean Eating Challenge!

We recently just wrapped up a free, 5-day online clean eating group. I LOVE hearing the feedback of happier, healthier clients like this (I especially love the comments that show that people are proud of themselves, empowered, and on board with a healthier lifestyle!!!):

In this group, we provided meal plan guides (plenty of recipe options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner) but we also allowed participants who didn’t want to go full-throttle for the week to just pick one or two things that they eat regularly and could, for the week, replace with something healthier. I gave some suggestions in a “This over that” series (posted below for your convenience)!

I also give plenty of guidelines and suggestions for my own personal tips for healthy eating, weight loss, what “clean eating” really means, and more in this video:

Clean eating video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKrNQGqz7zw

Feel free to follow along with your own challenge to yourself for the next 5 days! You are WORTH it!! If you’d like additional support, you’re welcome to sign up for free coaching with me or check out info on our upcoming groups!

I would be honored to help you with your fitness journey :)  Here is a link to sign up for a free account with me as your coach: https://www.teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/free?referringRepId=183908. Or you can go to www.teambeachbody.com, sign up for a free account, and enter any of my info in when it asks if a coach referred you: screen name: KatelynLesk, coach ID: 183908

Visit https://www.facebook.com/CoachKatelynLesk and http://beachbodycoach.com/katelynlesk for more info!

THIS OVER THAT Series:

"This over that" day 1!

Salads are always a great option for clean, healthy eating but dressing can be a big downfall of this. Lots of dressings pack a lot of sugars, artificial flavorings/colorings, and partially hydrogenated oils. Even "light" dressings have a lot of not-so-healthy stuff in them.

Making dressings yourself is a great way to take back the power and control exactly what is going into them!

If anyone is interested in specific dressing recipes, I have some super-healthy cookbooks that have a LOT of great options for every type of dressing you might like and I'd be happy to share. Beachbody's Ultimate Reset (a 21 day super healthy food program) also includes some dressing recipes that I LOVE and use regularly!

More info on the Ultimate Reset can be found here:

Ultimate Reset: http://teambeachbody.com/shop/-/shopping/URComplete?referringRepId=183908

Ultimate Reset Challenge Pack: http://teambeachbody.com/shop/-/shopping/BCPCLN305?referringRepId=183908

But I find that the more convenient healthy foods are, the more likely I am to use them! So I posted all of my easy, super simple dressing replacement options below. These are also great things to ask for at a restaurant (every restaurant has the olive oil and vinegar option and if you're at a place with any kind of Mexican food, why not shake things up with a little salsa? also super easy to ask for lemon wedges)! My favorites to put on a salad:

- lemon juice and olive oil (this is my daily go-to- very easy, adds some healthy fat and vitamin c, and the vitamin c also helps with iron absorption from the spinach)

- seasoned olive oil- this Tuscan herb one is delicious

- olive oil and red wine vinegar

- salsa (regular or a peach or mango salsa is fun to mix it up!)

- pesto (be sure to check the ingredients to make sure they are all healthy unless you are making your own)

- not pictured: hummus (I also have a super easy to make hummus recipe if anyone is interested)!

"This over that" day 2!

I LOVE making my own yogurt parfaits! It saves you the added sugar (and/or artificial sweetener), flavorings, and colorings that come in regular yogurt and it's so much more filling and satisfying! My favorite combo is plain organic yogurt with strawberries, raisins, and walnuts. Other fruits, nuts, and coconut are also good toppings. Have fun experimenting!!

“This over that” day 3!

It is very difficult to find a pasta sauce without added sugar. For the longest time, I never considered making my own because I always assumed it was a complicated process! Turns out- it’s not!! Majority of the time it takes to make it is just letting it simmer on the stove. And this recipe is DELICIOUS- I like it so much better than jarred pasta sauce!! It is seriously so simple and easy!!

AND, you get a 2-for-1 today because this recipe also includes my recipe for zucchini noodles!!

Recipes here: http://katelynlesk.blogspot.com/2015/11/zucchini-pasta-with-homemade-sauce.html

Here’s my full demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uY5w3dHoyL0

“This over that” day 4!

Better carbs!

Again, here is where single ingredient whole foods win out over things like bread, noodles, and canned baked beans that have a variety of additives and are highly processed. I checked the label on a can of baked beans recently- on top of a lot of added sugar, there is also caramel coloring- why is that necessary?? And why should we be putting that in our body?

My own personal favorite carbs are rice, oatmeal, quinoa, and beans. I much prefer zucchini pasta over regular noodles. And a great alternative for things like pancake mixes are to make your own (if anyone is interested, I have a great recipe using coconut flour)!

These are all things we can control :)

“This over that” day 5: YOU PICK IT!

Since today is the last day of our group, we’d love to be able to help out with anything you’d like to replace with a healthier version but are struggling to find a good substitute! Let’s hear it!!

And in the meantime, let me leave you with this quote from Tosca Reno’s “The Eat-Clean Diet Recharged” book. I hope it inspires you to continue incorporating what you learned and implemented in this group!

Disclaimer Copy: Katelyn Lesk is an Independent Beachbody Coach.

REAL TALK about loving ourselves and weight fluctuations.

REAL TALK.

As a follow-up to my recent post about loving ourselves and quitting the negative self talk (if you missed it, you can find it here: http://katelynlesk.blogspot.com/2016/03/self-inflicted-body-shaming-and-losing.html), I realize that the picture I used might not have been the best to exemplify my point. I wrote that blog post late at night and quickly pulled a workout picture from my phone to use for the quote. While it was a recent picture, it was also taken at a very flattering angle on one of those days where for the first time in a while, my digestive system was not acting up, I was not feeling bloated, and in general I just happened to be feeling great that day. I can assure you that it doesn't exactly reflect my current fitness level! My weight can fluctuate a lot even within a few days. I questioned using this flattering workout picture at the time for fear it would defeat the purpose of the message and after being teased about the contradiction of it by a very good friend, I decided I REALLY needed to set the record straight :)

So here is a more accurate picture, taken less than a week apart - this is what I was talking about in the post about my jeans fitting snugly. I am not in my best shape right now (I've been eating out frequently and the busyness of the past month has caused a few slips in my workout routine as well) but I REFUSE to love myself or my body any less :)

I stand by my original point in the blog:

"In the big scheme of all the problems in the world, having pants that fit a little tightly is an incredibly privileged problem to have. We have clothes, we have seemingly unlimited access to food, we have money to buy pants, and even that picture of yourself that you criticized was taken by a phone or camera that a large population of the world will never even be lucky enough to own."

Who else is committed to loving themselves a little bit more each day??

Visit https://www.facebook.com/CoachKatelynLesk and http://beachbodycoach.com/katelynlesk for more info!

I would be honored to help you with your fitness journey :)  Here is a link to sign up for a free account with me as your coach: https://www.teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/free?referringRepId=183908. Or you can go to www.teambeachbody.com, sign up for a free account, and enter any of my info in when it asks if a coach referred you: screen name: KatelynLesk, coach ID: 183908

Disclaimer Copy: Katelyn Lesk is an Independent Beachbody Coach.

Self-inflicted body shaming and losing weight before a vacation or event

Ladies (and gents): This self-inflicted body shaming has GOT to stop.

I am getting ready to go on a Beachbody-chartered cruise with 6000 of my fellow coaches and my newsfeed has been FILLED with last-minute workouts, vacation eating plans, and other last-ditch efforts to get into “vacation shape”. This isn’t just coaches- I see this frequently when any friends are getting ready to go on a vacation that will include more pictures and less clothing.

I get it! Of course we want to feel our best while on vacation and I also understand the healthy food decisions leading up to a vacation (especially knowing that eating while away is rarely as healthy as being at home and in routine)!

Where it crosses the line in my mind (and only each person individually can know if they fall into this pattern) is when it becomes so make-or-break that it completely sucks the joy out of the vacation. I want all my friends to know that if we are ever on a trip together- I am happy to see YOU! Just you! I don’t care how you look or how you’re fitting into your jeans at that point in time! I’d hate to see any of you incredible souls using any form of self-punishment, deprivation, or negative self-talk. *I* know how special you are. And because I care about you, I want you to see that too!

We have become so fixated on how the external world views us (of course social media picture sharing has compounded that) that we’ve forgotten how to love ourselves and our bodies no matter where we are at!! If you want to get in last-minute workouts or make healthy choices leading up to a trip, GO FOR IT! But whether you succeed at losing those few pounds or not, you should ALWAYS be able to look into a mirror and tell yourself you’re awesome.

Because you ARE.

No matter what, you are beautiful and worthwhile!!!

I am not at all trying to criticize anyone in this pattern- trust me, it is VERY easy to get sucked into! Perfectionism in any form often manifests while we are under stress. For me that often comes out in the form of feeling like I need to get 5 million things that have been lingering on my to-do list done before I go away (are these really life-or-death tasks, Katelyn? Of course not). And on the fitness side of things, trust me I am NOT at my best right now. I GET what it feels like to feel a little frustrated when the clothes you were planning on wearing fit a little snug.

It’s NORMAL for our weight to fluctuate a little bit. And yes it’d be nice if those points where we were feeling our best always aligned with the times we had to fit into a favorite outfit, have our picture taken frequently on vacation, or zip up that fancy dress to go to a wedding. But we HAVE to be ok when that doesn’t happen. We HAVE to know our own self-worth so clearly that NOTHING else can break us. Adding negative self talk in the mix only perpetuates the unhealthy cycles. Loving ourselves no matter what leads us to actualizing our highest potential in life!

So for all you amazing people out there who have been where I’m describing, for all of you, I vow to do this:

- Even though I am not at my best currently, I promise I will not be taking any last-minute drastic measures before vacation. I will be doing my best to make healthy choices but that should be our focus *all the time*!!! And on cruise day, I’m going to love myself so fiercely that nothing is going to shake my soul!

- I vow to have fun on my trip no matter what! I will be grateful for the time I have with people who are incredibly special to me. I will appreciate the opportunity and the amazing places I will be getting to see. I will love every conversation I have and every new adventure. I will keep the things that REALLY matter in the forefront of my mind.
- I will remind myself that in the big scheme of all the problems in the world, having pants that fit a little tightly is an incredibly privileged problem to have. We have clothes, we have seemingly unlimited access to food, we have money to buy pants, and even that picture of yourself that you criticized was taken by a phone or camera that a large population of the world will never even be lucky enough to own.

Let’s stop working out and dieting because we hate our bodies and start making healthy choices because we LOVE OURSELVES! Same actions. COMPLETELY different energy, intentions, and results!!!

LOVE TO YOU ALL!!

UPDATE: Follow-up to this post can be found here: http://katelynlesk.blogspot.com/2016/03/real-talk-about-loving-ourselves-and.html 

Visit https://www.facebook.com/CoachKatelynLesk and http://beachbodycoach.com/katelynlesk for more info!

I would be honored to help you with your fitness journey :)  Here is a link to sign up for a free account with me as your coach: https://www.teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/free?referringRepId=183908. Or you can go to www.teambeachbody.com, sign up for a free account, and enter any of my info in when it asks if a coach referred you: screen name: KatelynLesk, coach ID: 183908

Disclaimer Copy: Katelyn Lesk is an Independent Beachbody Coach.

Now and Then: Slow and Steady LIFESTYLE Changes

I was talking to a super sweet friend of mine yesterday who is looking to make some healthy changes in her life. A lot of what she was saying she struggles with is exactly where I was just a few short years ago. I’ve shared a lot of before and after pics of programs I’ve done but I don’t think I’ve ever done a big picture comparison between what my life was like 3 years ago and what it’s like now. Throwback Thursday seemed like the perfect occasion! :)  It’s been a series of slow, steady, SUSTAINABLE lifestyle changes. A few steps forward, a step back. My healthy habits are not perfect or 100% foolproof but I’ve come along way and I’m very proud of that. My health has always been important to me, but the biggest difference between then and now is that my day to day decisions now are actually aligning with that. Even accounting for the imperfections, occasional missed workouts or overindulgences, or times when I’m off track, the big picture is is a healthy and happy one :) And I FEEL aligned with where and who I want to be.

So in honor of throwback Thursday (and my awesome friend and our great conversation), I thought I’d post some pictures of me from back in 2009-2012ish when I was at my highest weight. I never stressed too much about my weight but I DID feel badly that I wasn’t making time to workout. I felt badly that I was putting some not-so-great things in my body (eating poorly and drinking frequently). I didn’t feel physically at my best either- I was tired frequently, bloated, sluggish. I often felt uncomfortable in clothes- like LITERALLY I could feel pants that I used to wear with no problem now digging into my waist when I sat down (and I’d have to yank them up when I stood up). I switched to flowy shirts and often tried to cover my stomach. I enjoyed running but I could feel soreness way more easily, especially tightness in my knees, because of the extra weight I was carrying and my legs felt like logs. I came down with colds or sore throats multiple times each year. In general, it made it hard to be fully engaged in loving life...

Fast forward to the summer of 2012 when I discovered Beachbody programs. I now had an actual PLAN for my workouts, I learned about strength training through Chalean Extreme, I started eating MUCH cleaner, I started drinking Shakeology daily (which PACKED my system with the nutrients I needed), and I had an AWESOME Facebook-based online accountability group of other women working towards the same goals. I fell in love with it and decided to become a coach. I was far from where I am now, but being a coach and taking others on this journey with me forced me to stay engaged. We had FUN experimenting with recipes, finding ways to motivate ourselves, and encouraging each other to stick with it. I always tell my clients that I rely on THEM as much as they rely on me! Now I have a whole team of coaches to keep me going strong!!

Now I have so much more energy, muscle tone that I had never had in my life, a HUGE tool chest of tips and tricks to stay motivated, and AWESOME support from my clients and fellow coaches. I haven’t been sick ONCE in over 3 years, I feel super fit and strong, I love the way my clothes fit, I feel lean and healthy, and I’m EXCITED ABOUT LIFE!

It’s not about being perfect or reaching some arbitrary “ideal weight” at ALL. My weight still fluctuates and I still have times when I get off track (like this summer, for example). But the difference is, the times that I’m off track are much shorter and much less “severe” haha. I KNOW how to get back on track and I can get back on track easily and quickly with the help and support of my Beachbody friends. I am mindful of what I eat. I keep my health as my main priority and I make sure my choices align with that. I look for other ways to take care of myself like doing my best to keep stress low. I have found ways to LOVE working out! Healthy cooking is my form of zen :)  I’ve made it a LIFESTYLE. It wasn’t overnight. It did take work. But I PROMISE YOU, it’s WORTH IT!!!

I would be honored to help you with your fitness journey :)  Here is a link to sign up for a free account with me as your coach: https://www.teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/free?referringRepId=183908. Or you can go to www.teambeachbody.com, sign up for a free account, and enter any of my info in when it asks if a coach referred you: screen name: KatelynLesk, coach ID: 183908

Disclaimer Copy: Katelyn Lesk is an Independent Beachbody Coach.

21 Day Fix Extreme Final Review!! Weight lost, before and after pics, tips, and recommendations :)

I wrote up my mid-way review originally (you can find it here: http://katelynlesk.blogspot.com/2015/02/21-day-fix-extreme-preparation-what-to.html). That post contains majority of my explanation about the program itself. This post includes my results and final take-aways and tips. Sorry it took me so long to finally get this review up! Hope you enjoy! Please contact me if you have any questions!!

JEANS success!!

I had a HUGE success towards the beginning of week 3. I went out and was super excited because I was actually able to wear these jeans that I LOVE but are super tight. So I have to be in really great shape to wear them or I end up having to yank them up the whole night! I knew my legs, thighs, hips, and waist were tightening up and leaning down with this program because my normal day-to-day clothes (i.e. yoga pants) were fitting much looser. But it wasn’t until I tried on these jeans that I really realized how much of a difference this program was making!!

During the 3 wks of this program, I did the 10 Minute Hardcore workout every other day (in addition to the workout on the schedule for that day). I think that made a huge difference in tightening up my core. All of the workouts challenge the core but this workout definitely gave me that extra push. I could feel SUCH a difference in my abs by the time I was even halfway through the program!

Pilates workout/resistance band update:

Something amazing happened to me. I did 21 Day Fix Extreme's Pilates workout and didn't despise it!!!! This is HUGE progress for me!!! I added what I was saying about it in our facebook group a few wks ago in the pic below so you can get an idea of where I was coming from. My friends can tell you that I recently declared this particular workout to be my most disliked workout of all time (other 21DFX workouts are fine, just the pilates one I hated). BUT, low and behold, this is week 3 so my 3rd and final time doing it, and I actually felt extremely empowered!! I can tell my core is getting so much stronger because I felt completely solid and balanced in all the ab exercises and I guess that gave me the confidence to actually attempt the bird-dog AND the superman at the end!!!! Prior to this week, I COULDN'T EVEN GET INTO POSITION for the superman!! And every time I tried, I would get angry and end up swearing at the band and Autumn haha. This time I sort of flopped into position, pushed my legs back and somehow maneuvered my hands into place so I could push them forward. And I did it!!!!!! Photo evidence below. So I still don't love this workout, however, I was pretty thrilled with my progress today. Maybe I was just extra motivated because I knew it was the last time ever in my life I HAD to do it. Take that, pilates. Take that, resistance band. BOOM! And thank you, Autumn. :)

Tip about resistance band:

For the poses where I was on my hands and knees, I slipped the handle around my wrist instead of trying to hold the band with the hand that was on the floor. It’s not super comfortable but I felt like I had more stability with that hand being flat on the ground.

Money I’ve saved while on 21 Day Fix Extreme:

I have not at ALL felt like I’ve missed out on any social events because of the Fix. I was, however, more careful about what I ordered (or didn’t order) while out. My friends and family knew I was doing this program so they were very accommodating and did not pressure me to “cheat”. Here’s a list of all of the social things I did during the 3 weeks of 21 Day Fix Extreme. These are all places I have been to before or frequent often so I can tell you exactly how much I would have spent had I not been on this program.

The going away party at Mario’s/Acacia, Eat N Park with my family, Pamela’s with a friend, and Kiku Japanese restaurant I wrote about in my previous blog.

New social events included:

- Wedding dress shopping with a friend. They went to lunch after. I skipped lunch but didn’t feel like I missed out because I was there for the important part… when she said yes to the dress!

- Surprise engagement party for a friend at Dish Osteria. This was later in the night so I would not have gotten food. I would, however, have gotten at least one glass of wine. Probably 2. But so as not to overestimate, I’ll leave it as 1 for this calculation.

- Coffee shop with my uncle. I stuck to just my Americano instead of my usual Americano + one of the awesome treats they have.

- Went to Oakland with some college friends to visit our old stomping ground (Pitt’s campus). We did this about a month ago and we got lunch at Uncle Sam’s then went to our old favorite bar, Hemingway’s and got a drink. This time around, I ate before I went and just sat with them while they ate. And they were nice enough to skip the bar for me and just walk around campus instead.

- Out with a friend. Turns out, it’s hard to find nighttime activities in Pittsburgh in the winter that don’t include eating or drinking but since he knew I was doing this program, my friend graciously came up with a plan to skip drinking as well and we just went and played pool and darts at a local bar instead while sipping on water. So our night was reduced to a mere few dollars in quarters

Here’s what I WOULD HAVE bought/spent had I not been on this program and not done what I described above:

Friend’s going away party at Mario’s bar…. 2-3 cocktails + tip… $15

After Mario’s we went to Acacia where the drinks are high quality and fancier (and more expensive)... 1 cocktail + tip… $15

Eat N Park with family… salad bar + tip… $10

Pamela’s diner… eggs breakfast + tip… $11

Kiku Japanese restaurant (I only got sashimi. Normally I would have gotten apps and a roll with that)... $20

Lunch after wedding dress shopping that I skipped… salad + tip… $12

Engagement party at Dish… glass of wine + tip… $12

Coffee shop… coconut macaroon or other treat… $4

Uncle Sam’s… chicken salad.. $8

Hemingway’s… long island iced tea… $8

The Library (bar)... 2 drinks + tip… $15

GRAND TOTAL SAVED: $130

Turns out that 21 Day Fix Extreme is good for the waistline AND the bank account!!

Ironic part is that I SAVED more than DOUBLE what the program costs!!!

And if you include the discount I get as a coach, I only paid a THIRD of what I would have spent for the stuff listed above on the program!!

WIN!!!

Here’s a picture of me attempting to make it rain with all the money I saved haha

Shakeology:

Shakeology is a must. It’s a must for me all the time because of all the benefits I get from it. If you want to know more, I have a video here where I describe that in detail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2loh3aOeBOs&list=PLXiky4MOw2FiVHDk0bsMFDQHIQezD2SuN.

But for the 21 Day Fix, whether we’re talking the original or the extreme program (either nutrition plan on the extreme), I found Shakeology absolutely essential for getting all my red containers in (it counts as a protein on this program). On the days where I didn’t have to eat as many protein servings, I found it super helpful to have shakeology be one of them to keep me full and fueled. On the days where I had to eat a ton of protein servings, I found it necessary to use shakeology so as to not get super sick of eating chicken, eggs, and red meat all day (I was already having enough of those as-is)!

“Fruit day”

On the competition plan, you’re only allowed fruit every 3 days. While there are fruit ingredients in shakeology, shakeology counts as a protein/red container on this program so that I was allowed to have every day. Nutritionally, shakeology is the better bet in my opinion (purely from the large quantity and wide diversity of plants, fruits, roots, and other superfoods and therefore TONS of nutrients you get from it), but I also REALLY, highly enjoy my fruit… especially blended into my shakes. So needless to say, I was PUMPED when it was FruuiIIIT DAaaaYYY [insert Geico Camel voice]

Abs:

I incorporated the 10 min Hard Core video every other day while doing this program. Helllooo abs!!!

I was also really thrilled with the muscle tone in my arms, shoulders, and back!

Just for fun:

When the program was finally over, guess what the first thing I splurged on was? Bananas AND peaches in my shakeology!!! Woooah, I’m such a rebel ;-)

Final Results:

In addition to feeling refreshed, so much stronger, and leaner all over, this program also reduced my stress levels and helped my digestion! I felt SO super healthy and fit and energized throughout this program and beyond!!

In terms of measurements, I lost 4.5 lbs, 3.6% body fat, 2” off my waist, 1.5” off my hips, and 1” off each leg/thigh. Here are my official before and after pics!

More info on the programs:

21 Day Fix Extreme Challenge Pack:

http://www.teambeachbody.com/shop/-/shopping/BCP21E160?referringRepId=183908

21 Day Fix Extreme Base program:

http://www.teambeachbody.com/shop/-/shopping/21DFEXTREME?referringRepId=183908

21 Day Fix (original) Challenge Pack:

http://www.teambeachbody.com/shop/-/shopping/BCP21D160?referringRepId=183908

21 Day Fix (original) Base program:

http://www.teambeachbody.com/shop/-/shopping/21DayFix?referringRepId=183908

*Note that for the 21 Day Fix original and Extreme programs, I recommend the challenge packs that come with the shakeology. For me, I felt like Shakeology was essential for getting through the programs in terms of energy, fuel, keeping me satiated, and to get enough servings of protein in!

Disclaimer Copy: Katelyn Lesk is an Independent Beachbody Coach.

Related posts:

3 Day Refresh Results- Feeling Amazing!! http://katelynlesk.blogspot.com/2015/02/3-day-refresh-results-feeling-amazing.html