7 Day Self-love Challenge!

Hi, everyone! In honor of Valentine’s day, I’m hosting a free 7 Day Self-Love Challenge on Facebook! It starts on February 13th, so if you’re interested in joining in, contact me through my Beachbody page (http://beachbodycoach.com/katelynlesk) or my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/CoachKatelynLesk). We run fun groups like this every month! They are free and everyone is welcome!

If you don’t have Facebook or are catching this at a later date, you can still get all of the good tips and challenges for how to love yourself a little bit more in each of the videos below!

Day 1: The Challenge

https://youtu.be/d3vXL6dd9q4

Day 2: Awareness

https://youtu.be/5P2qiS3CnVA

Day 3: Self-love for the body

https://youtu.be/KPHhZebhpSA

The blog posts I referenced in the Day 3 video:

Love yourself to where you want to be:

http://katelynlesk.blogspot.com/2015/09/love-yourself-to-where-you-want-to-be.html

A follow-up about self-love and weight loss: http://katelynlesk.blogspot.com/2015/09/a-follow-up-about-self-love-and-weight.html

Day 4: Win list

https://youtu.be/P2CHY1CgQII

Day 5: Choosing self love

https://youtu.be/ptMdjuUAwVA

Day 6: Focus on others

https://youtu.be/ybFEjE0Cf6U

Day 7: Beyond the challenge

https://youtu.be/6449Wd-J61A

I hope you enjoyed this challenge! Sending lots of love your way!

Katelyn

Visit https://www.facebook.com/CoachKatelynLesk and http://beachbodycoach.com/katelynlesk for more info or to contact me about future 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

Disclaimer Copy: Katelyn Lesk is an Independent Beachbody Coach.

A reminder about course-correction and not being able to do it ALL

I posted these 2 pictures on social media recently. The picture from the Ab Challenge post (left) was from about a year ago. The picture in the blue sports bra (right) was from a few days ago, and whether you can tell or not, I’m actually about 10 pounds heavier currently than I was in the Ab Challenge picture.

Here’s the thing. I often hear people talking about how they’ve gained weight as if they’ve somehow “gone backwards” in their life progress. My philosophy is this: YOU HAVE NEVER GONE BACKWARDS! Impossible! I CHOOSE to believe I’ve never been better than I am today. And neither are you! And you know what else? We just keep getting better!!! With each new day comes more experience, wisdom, memories, and life lessons!

I might not be quite as fit as I was at this time last year but we HAVE to stop looking at this as an isolated category. I’ve grown light years in my own personal development, my business, and new friendships. I’ve gone on several amazing trips and made AMAZING memories! I saw 2 new countries in this past year. I joined a leadership group, a toastmasters group, and a business mastermind group. I’ve made incredible new friends and built upon the friendships of the awesome people already in my life. I’ve learned some good lessons and some tough lessons and I’ve GROWN because of it. I’ve been exposed to new experiences, connections, and opportunities. I’ve been able to coach more people than ever and hopefully have helped them see their OWN WORTH (which means more to me than anything)!! I’ve watched the Pens win and Stanley Cup and got to celebrate with the whole city! I’ve spent time in nature! I’ve spent quality time that I wouldn’t trade for the world with my family! I’ve tested my limits physically and tapped into my adventurous side. I’ve made mistakes, I’ve failed, I’ve learned, I’ve succeeded, I’ve EXPANDED! I’ve met new people who have given me new perspectives of life and what’s possible! I’ve done lots of great work on my health and my digestive system. I’ve read books and listened to countless hours of motivational personal development! I’ve expanded in my meditation and prayer practice and grown my faith because of it. I’ve laughed, I’ve cried, I’ve had fun, I’ve made incredible memories, and I’ve been grateful about ALL of it!!

If you aren’t exactly where you want to be in your health and fitness, I want you to take a second to think about all the EXPERIENCES you’ve had, what you’ve LEARNED, and what you’re GRATEFUL for! A number on the scale pales in comparison to what really makes up a LIFE WORTH LIVING!!

Any time I feel a little too far off track with my health and fitness, I remind myself of these things that I’m grateful for. I also remind myself that it is OK TO NOT BE ABLE TO DO IT *ALL*!  We HAVE to stop holding ourselves to that impossible standard then crumbling under the pressure then feeling guilty if we don’t succeed at being EXACTLY where we want in ALL areas of our lives. Let’s start being gentle with ourselves and loving ourselves right where we are! Then, once we are in that space of love, we can evaluate where we want to COURSE-CORRECT! In my book, it’s not about perfection. Sometimes I need to reel things in a little in certain areas of my life, let go of things in other areas of my life, and remind myself that I’m doing the best that I can. For example, after the Pens playoffs, I had to let go of eating at restaurants (and drinking wine) so frequently and focus a little more on my workout routine. Was it an extreme, drastic change? No. Just a little course-correction! If we’re gentle with ourselves, we can make this whole “life” thing EASY!

No matter where you think you’re at in life, remember, you’ve never been better! Keep on shining, rock star!!!!!!

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.

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.

Zucchini Pasta with Homemade Sauce

One of my favorite recipes! Growing up, I always assumed pasta sauce HAD to come from a jar, or at the very least, be made using canned tomato paste. I love this recipe because I can control exactly what’s going into my sauce (no added sugar like most jarred pasta sauces, including organic ones) and the flavor is absolutely incredible! The sauce recipe is based loosely on a recipe from my beloved Kris Carr’s, “Crazy Sexy Kitchen” cookbook, which is amazing!!

Ever since going gluten-free in August of 2014, it’s been great to have this recipe that makes me feel like I’m still eating some of my favorite foods. In fact, I like it BETTER! And I feel great at the end of the meal (not stuffed like after wheat-based noodles). Delicious and nutritious!

I typed the recipe below but full demo can be found on my YouTube channel:

Zucchini Pasta and Homemade Sauce

Serves 4

Pasta:

3-4 medium zucchinis (thin works best if using a Veggeti)

minced garlic (optional)

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Use a Vegetti (or other veggie spiralizer) to make zucchini noodles

Add olive oil (approx 1 Tbsp) to a pan over medium heat

Optional: add minced garlic to the pan

Saute' zucchini noodles to desired noodle texture

If there is extra liquid in pan (from the zucchini), drain noodles

Sauce:

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

minced garlic (optional)

1/2 medium onion cut into chunks (optional)

3-4 fresh tomatoes, cut into chunks

spices such as red pepper flakes, oregano, Himalayan sea salt, pepper

fresh basil (optional)

Add olive oil to a pan over medium heat

If using garlic and/or onions, add to pan for 2-3 minutes until onions are translucent. I also add some red pepper flakes to the pan at this time to release extra flavor

Add tomatoes and desired spices (I go heavy on the oregano and I also add additional red pepper flakes if I'd like it to be extra spicy)

Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking/burning

Add additional spices as needed

Time of cooking depends on desired consistency. I like my sauce to be really thick so I usually simmer it for about 40 minutes

The last 2-3 minutes of cooking I will add fresh basil if I have it

Pour sauce over veggie pasta, add Parmesan cheese if desired, and enjoy!!

Football or holiday party tips

For me, when I walk into a party and food is EVERYWHERE, that is the toughest situation for me. I easily get caught up in picking at things and going back and forth between salty and sweet (I can literally FEEL dopamine and other brain chemicals kicking in)! It's REALLY tough to maintain will power if the food is going to be out for an extended period of time. These are what I call "high risk situations". I still haven't mastered them but I have learned some tricks that have helped me in these situations:

1. Bring something healthy to the party (at least you know you'll have one healthy option!)

2. Sip on some coffee or tea- it keeps your mouth occupied

3. If I know I have a party like this coming up, I make SURE to do as much as I can around it to stay on track. I eat EXTRA healthy a few days leading up to it, I get my workout in that day so I go into it feeling good, and I have a plan in place to make sure I eat well in the days following (stocked up on healthy food, healthy meals already prepared, schedule a yoga class or other workout meet-up with a friend for the day after)

4. I use my client accountability groups (on facebook) to encourage me and help me devise a plan! Knowing I have to report back to them keeps me on track!

5. I find an accountability partner- preferably someone AT the party, but it also works to have someone on hand that I can text (I've even posted in my facebook groups FROM the party to ask for extra encouragement).

6. Wait as long as possible to eat. The later you start, the more will already be eaten and the less time overall you'll have to maintain your good decisions. Try eating something healthy before the party to keep you full and satisfied for as long as possible before digging in

7. I remind myself that I don't need to try EVERYTHING. Find the indulgences that look the most "worth it". There's nothing worse than eating junk and realizing it wasn't even that good. And by all means, throw away anything you take that ends up not being "worth it"! We don't need to go for clean plate club here.

8. Position myself as far away as possible from the food (preferably in another room)

9. Instead of focusing on what I'm missing out on, I focus on the good, non-food aspects of the party! Here's a perfect chance to get to know your friends and family on a deeper level! When was the last time you asked a relative what were some of their biggest lessons they've learned in life? When was the last time you got down on the floor to be in awe of a cardboard box with your little niece? I had a FANTASTIC business discussion with my mom's cousin's husband at our family reunion recently. Sometimes when you're around people from the time you're little, you forget that they have other interests and skills outside of the family. We both learned a lot from each other and it kept me engaged and not thinking about food the whole time we were talking!

10. Good or bad, don't beat yourself up for anything that happened haha. Guilt will only add to the stress that can trigger us to continue on an unhealthy track. Tomorrow is a fresh start. Get back on the wagon!

Any other tips to add?? I'd love to hear them!

World peace day: make peace with OURSELVES

Yesterday was World Peace Day and it got me thinking about how we could apply this also to our health and well-being. The question from the official video (link at bottom of blog), “who will you make peace with?” triggered the immediate intuitive response inside of me saying, “ourselves.” How much of our day to day conflict is self-imposed? What can we do right in the here-and-now to create more peace in the world by making our OWN energy more peaceful? Here were some thoughts that came to mind:

The scale. That number has the power to elicit an emotional response in us. Why not try this week to make peace with whatever number shows up, reminding yourself that that number also contains the weight of your heart pumping your blood; the lungs breathing the oxygen you are currently inhaling; the weight of your eyes that allow you to see your child or a flower or a beautiful sunset; the weight of your arms that can embrace someone you love; the weight of your hands able to grasp another in a sign of respect, high-five a friend, or create beautiful works of art.

Food. So often we associate food with guilt or deprivation but it is something to be cherished for the nutrients it provides our body! This week, practice mindfulness with your food. There is a type of zen that comes with eating leafy greens or a juicy piece of fresh fruit :)

Workouts. This is not punishment. This is training your body to be more efficient and getting you to a healthier state! This is a chance to appreciate moving your body and all that it can do! Your body is in it’s highest glory when it is moving joyfully!!

Our bodies. How much are you appreciating your body and truly loving yourself? I wrote a blog on this recently to explain how much of a critical role this plays in our journey and progress:

http://katelynlesk.blogspot.com/2015/09/love-yourself-to-where-you-want-to-be.html

Work. Make peace with looking at how we get to SERVE. If you’re someone who desires to help people, you can do this no matter what your job is. Here are some ways I have trained myself to APPRECIATE what I GET to do rather than viewing it as a “should do” or a “have to do” dreaded obligation (this applies to workouts too):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJb-OAJSjE8&list=PLXiky4MOw2FjF0FZLuTXQeT__IwOADo3n&index=15

Other people. Sometimes this may be an apology or a conversation to work things out. Sometimes this may be setting boundaries or expectations. Sometimes it may be letting go of relationships that no longer serve us or being more intentional with who we spend our time around. It can also be making peace with other people in our own soul. If the other person is not ready or willing, a conversation or resolution may not be possible. But hanging on to resentment, uneasiness, unforgiveness, guilt, hard feelings, or general bad vibes does not serve us. It causes stress and reinforcement of the negative patterns and contributes to the overall negativity in the world. Working on forgiving the other person and ourselves for any wrongdoing, having compassion for how the other person might be feeling, recognizing that we don’t know their full story or what pain and fear might have been driving them to act the way they did, recognizing that any wrongdoing to us has nothing to do with us and everything to do with their pain, accepting and forgiving ourselves for any hurt we may have caused and learning from it moving forward, mentally releasing toxic energy, and sending love and blessings to that person can literally CHANGE YOUR LIFE!! We cannot control other people, but we do have power over our own thoughts, emotions, actions and reactions as well as the energy that surrounds the situation. Instead of feeding the situation onward with negative energy, let it resolve with your own peace and love about it. Say a prayer of gratitude for any tough situations like this, recognizing that even seemingly unwanted situations like this are all for our greater good, growth, and expansion.

Gratitude for the tough stuff: http://katelynlesk.blogspot.com/2015/09/gratitude-for-tough-stuff.html

Our time. Let’s make peace with time knowing we only have so much time in a day and be gentle with ourselves, doing what we can, surrendering to the universe what we can’t. Let’s ease our minds with the mantra: time expands, life is long.

Our life. This has a LOT to do with what I described in the video above: accepting what is and recognizing that the “wanted” stuff and the “unwanted” is all working for our greater good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsur7nrcsxc

Not to mention, we have a TON of things in our lives to be grateful for! No matter how bad things might be right now, I know you have at least SOME things to be grateful for! For example, right now, I know you have fresh air to breath, you woke up this morning, you have electricity and internet access, and you have at least one person who cares about you and your happiness and is rooting for you (me!). Start with those little things if that’s all you can muster! And build up to the AMAZING things that completely surround us with beauty and wonder in this world!!

How to create a gratitude practice:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xa0oqC1aCzw

Ourselves. What are you not forgiving yourself for? What resistance could you let go of? In what ways could you be a little more gentle with yourself? In what ways could you be a little more accepting of yourself, flaws and all? In what ways could you take a little more of a chance on yourself? We can at times be our own worst enemy and critic. Make the world a little more peaceful by starting with yourself!! In doing this, you also give others permission to the same!! How can you be a little more authentically YOU today??

World peace day official video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3_dl-yl74s

A follow-up about self-love and weight loss

As a follow-up to my post the other day about loving yourself to where you want to be rather than guilting/shaming/self-hating your way there (full post here: http://katelynlesk.blogspot.com/2015/09/love-yourself-to-where-you-want-to-be.html), I wanted to add some additional questions/ideas that will hopefully provoke some good thoughts and allow you to solidify for yourself why it is so important to try to be a little more self-loving. A HUGE thank you goes out to my friend, Evonne. A lot of these points came from an awesome conversation with her and I want to give her due credit.

She pointed out how often we link happiness to the weight we were at during a certain great period of life while completely neglecting that there were probably a whole bunch of other reasons that were much more the ACTUAL cause of our happiness! Wow, what a great point. There have been times when I was at the lower end of my normal weight range but my relationships, career, faith, etc were not aligned and I was completely miserable (another fantastic Evonne-ism, “Standing alone and thin is no fun”). Then there were other times when I was on the upper end of my weight range but life was stellar and I was living up every moment of it (see picture)! True freedom is learning how to love yourself and appreciate life and enjoy what you’ve got no matter what the external circumstances are!!

As Evonne so brilliantly put it, “I didn’t get thin and get happy, it was the other way around.” How true is that?? Often times they go hand in hand. As we eat better, the healthier food improves our mood (I also now NOTICEABLY recognize not-so-healthy food negatively effecting my mood). As we workout more, we feel stronger, we feel more vitality, and the endorphins boost our mood as well. We also typically feel more in alignment of what we WANT for our lives. But there are also other ways to lose weight in the short-term that don’t necessarily involve these healthy methods and certainly don’t produce these feel-good effects. More often than not, as we FEEL GOOD about ourselves, LOVE ourselves as I spoke of the other day, and find appreciation for what we have in the here and now, that is NATURALLY going to translate to our physical appearance. Think of the GLOW that radiates from someone who is really excited about life! In those states of flow, it is much easier for those healthier habits to fall into place rather than being stressed, frustrated with life, and putting pressure on ourselves to lose 5 pounds because we are unhappy with our lives and we think that will make us feel better. Truth is, it might. Temporarily. But it’s not going to fix the bigger issues that can ONLY come with a lot of internal work on ourselves and on our outlook on life. What we resist, persists. And whether that be resisting self-acceptance and self-love because we are 10 pounds heavier than where we want to be or resisting doing the TRUE work that we know we need to do on ourselves (internally- mentally, emotionally, spiritual), those circumstances will persist on. It’s only when we enter a state of acceptance do we release the blocks and pressure that have been holding us back and enter into a state of allowance. EVERYTHING happens more easily there because it happens from a place of love. It is the changes we make on the INSIDE that show up in our external world.

Finally, I would like to offer you a chance to take the next couple minutes to pause and meditate on how it would really FEEL to not care about your weight. Some of you may think that you would let yourself eat whatever you want and end up gaining weight. Well, that would be based on the assumption that it is only your pressure, guilt, and shame that will help you lose the weight you desire. I beg to differ. I have seen countless people attack weight loss with such pressure and rigidity that they end up quitting altogether. I have also seen people take the slow and steady route, allow themselves indulgences along the way, and still get to where they wanted to be. Think of how you would feel if the pressure was finally off. If you weren’t worried about how people would judge you. If you could solely base your decisions on your own happiness and love for yourself. Where would that lead you? ** Picture the difference in the energy if I locked you in room with a canvas, some paints, and a Da Vinci painting and told you that you had to recreate it PERFECTLY to the exact specifications. Now picture walking through a garden on a beautiful day and stumbling upon a blank canvas, a glorious selection of colorful paints, a variety of intriguing brushes, and flowers all around you for inspiration. Which situation do you think would create the better work? Take the pressure off. You are still YOU even without the weight pressure. You will still WANT to do what’s healthy for yourself… probably more so without the pressure of the results and instead a focus on what feels good and what is most loving for yourself. Sometimes that may be the salad, sometimes that may be a delicious cup of ice cream (which I promise will be way more satisfying when it isn’t followed by guilt and regret). It doesn’t matter. Live with love and let your heart guide you to your best. **Create a masterpiece today**


More about making peace with our selves, our lives, and each area of it: http://katelynlesk.blogspot.com/2015/09/world-peace-day-make-peace-with.html