Thursday, July 23, 2015

ANNOUNCING my surprise....

ok ok. It has been EXTREMELY sad and heartbreaking to lose my Theo. He was everything to me. He was the first pet I ever owned, and losing him was so much more painful than I ever imagined. That dog was there for me through so much. I have been crying, praying, having nightmares and feeling so lost and sad.

I suppose everyone deals with loss differently. My friends Jenn and Mike who I am currently traveling shared with me that when they lost their dog tragically a while back, they immediately went out and got a new pet. I admit that when they first told me this, I was a bit horrified. I in no way was of the mindset that I could get a new dog. I had a list a reasons:

-betraying Theo and not honoring him
-I travel a lot and am currently on the road and taking care of a puppy would be difficult
-I am homeless until further notice and it is not the right time to train a new dog
-I was worried about what other people would think of my moving on so soon

Laying in my lap
But then Mike told me his friend had teacup Yorkie available and asked if I wanted to go play with him. I figured, well at least it will lift my spirits and give me the puppy love I was craving. So I reluctantly went along.

On the way, we got caught in a hail storm. This was particularly funny because we were in Mike's VERY nice Corvette and we had the top down. We had to pull over under a bridge and the cars were spraying water all into the car. I was laughing so hard at Mike trying to put up the roof and complaining that his car had never touched water. Through the laughing, I realized that my happiness is so important. The laughter released endorphins and I decided to be more open to the new puppy idea. If he made me laugh it may be worth all my initial objections.

We have the same hair color

 When I met him, he was placed in my arms and immediately took the same position that Theo always laid in. My heart melted. I put him down to play with him and he began hopping around and running into walls as he chased toys...and I laughed and smiled. I didn't notice that I was until 10 minutes into it. That was it. It was all I needed to proceed.

I want to announce a new addition to the family. Though he can in no way replace Theo, he is providing me with so much love, happiness and comfort as I grieve my loss and he is a very special puppy. He plays, lays on my lap, is friendly and fun and gives kisses when I need it. Hard to believe he is only 5 months old since he is so well behaved.

All I know is, he makes me happy. Happiness is worth it. Companionship is worth it. Theo lives on in me (and MANY others) always. I look forward to sharing his journey with you.



He still needs a name! Anyone want to put some on the table?


Monday, July 20, 2015

Stage 1 of grieving Theo

Theo 2007-2015
Today I lost my puppy. The only thing I know how to do to cope is write down my thoughts and share them. So I thought I would share my journey on my blog so that I can process. Theo has been my biggest supporter and companion for the past 8 years. That little angel was by me through so much. He has traveled with me, been my companion through some of the hardest points in my life. He sat patiently with me through chemo-therapy and the many sick days in bed, lived through MANY moves across the country in several different apartments, and been a happy constant presence in my life.

Some may say that he was just a dog, but I cannot explain the unconditional love he had for me, and i for him. He was happy to see me every time i came into a room. That constant support for the past 8 years has been magical.

My heart hurts and feelings of guilt over not protecting him are plaguing me. In dealing with immense grief over this, I am trying remember his little wagging tail, his excitement every time I walked into a room, the joy he brought to myself and so many other people that he met, and what it felt like to be loved so unconditionally. 

Theo was the first dog I've ever owned, and if you know anything about me, you know I love animals. I have always watched friends who have to put down their dogs and though I truly felt for them, I could never imagine how much pain they were actually in. The decision to not proceed with his surgeries was devastating. 

So what to do? 

-Allow myself to grieve
-remember all the beauty and joy he brought to me for 8 years
-have strength that I did the right thing for him
-feel grateful and lucky to have had time in my life
-find joy in his memory
-realize that I have so MUCH love, support and friendship and be grateful for the amazing people in my life: family, friends, my Beachbody family. People all over the world that are there for me. 

No matter how devastating everything happens for a reason. I know Theo was not taken from me without a greater cause. So for now, I will sleep, wake up, shower, eat and bask in his memory and the unconditional love he provided me. My biggest takeaway being that he wasn't just my dog. He belonged to many many people and was loved my many. He lit of the faces of everyone that saw him even strangers. He will be forever loved.


Saturday, June 27, 2015

Portobello Mushroom Pizza


WHITE PIZZA. EASY. FAST. MINDLESS.

Ingredients: (One Serving)
-1 Portobello Mushroom
-1 teaspoon Olive Oil 
-Minced Garlic to taste
-Dashes of pepper
-1/4 of your favorite cheese
-1/4 of canned chicken
- Smoke paprika (SOOO GOOD)
- Drizzle of hot sauce to taste

Foil ring
Pre-heat oven to 375. Prepare mushrooms by wiping the tops off with a damp cloth and popping out the stem (if you wish you may chop up the stems and put on top of the pizza). Drizzle Olive oil, garlic, pepper on the bottom of the mushroom . Sprinkle on cheese and chicken, paprika and any other desired ingredients. Place on a cookie sheet with a wire rack, or if you don't have a rack you can make a foil ring to place your mushroom on. This will help it cook evenly and prevent sogginess. Bake for 20-25 minutes, remove from oven and drizzle with your favorite hot sauce.

These ingredients are what I chose to use, feel free to be creative and use whatever you want. I liked using the canned chicken to save time on cooking, but you can really use whatever your heart desires!

YUMMMMY and healthy!



Tuesday, June 23, 2015

How do I stay strong when I feel so weak?

So you are in hard times.
You or a family member are sick, relationships are suffering, maybe you're hurting, you are in financial crisis, or you lost your job or loved one. Your days are dark and heavy and you are feeling hopeless and unmotivated. Reality is that you will come into hard times. It is natural.

 
So what will you do in reaction of those hard times? 

1. Set a time limit
You need to deal with your situation and the emotions you are feeling that surround it. However, dwelling on it for hours, days or months on end will not do much for you. Set a designated amount of time for which to grieve, FEEL, cry, scream or deal with the fundamentals of the situation. 
I set an alarm so I know my allotted amount of time to grieve is up, and when I hear that sound it means I'm done for that session. I must go on. You must go on. Because I am worth it. Because YOU are worth it. 2. Keep perspective There have been good times before. Remember those!! Remember that you have had strength and that power and you WILL have it again. Do not forget gratitude. Every morning, force yourself to write down 3 things that you are grateful for. Even if they are small things like the fact you have a roof over your head, food on the table and the sun is shining that day. Each day observe 3 new things and make them stronger and stronger. As a recovering pessimist, I can attest to the power of positive thinking. When you spend your days thinking negatively or saying "I can't" or constantly worrying about your situation, that situation will get worse. When things used to go wrong in my life, I would make excuses as to why I could not do the things I should or had goaled myself to do. Having changed my mindset, I realized that as soon as you start training your brain to notice the beauty around you, and to be grateful, things begin to get brighter. 3. Take action You feel out of sorts and your normal task seems so daunting. Just getting out of bed at a decent hour seems like the biggest task. I GET IT. But the more you allow yourself to fall into this trap, the longer you will remain there. So take action and set 3 goals for your day. Depending on the day, maybe the goals will be to get up and shower, go to the grocery store and eat a meal. The next it may be a bit more ambitious. As each day passes you it will get easier and these action will propel you forward. I can't tell you how important it is to take action right away to keep yourself moving forward. The action will ignite you, keep you feeling accomplished and release happiness into your brain. 4. Ask yourself "What should I be learning?" You could ask yourself "why is this happening to me?" "Why does everything bad happen to me?" "Why is the world against me?" 

OR

You can learn from it. Everything in life has a lesson that you can learn from if you actively look for it. Be open and grow from it! 5. Re-Focus 

Focus not on your fear of the unknown and what is happening NOW, but instead focus on what could go RIGHT. When we accept that we all must endure times of difficulty we realize that this is a necessary part of life. In his book "Breakout", Joel osteen talks about getting ready for a tidal wave. Whatever you believe in (God, higher power or a source energy) is moving things out of your way to make room for something even greater, something beyond what you could have even fathomed. Though it doesn't seem that way right now, if you have unshakable faith and belief, the right people, opportunities and clarities will come to you. So re-focus. Focus on what will come, what doors will be opened for you and bask in the beauty that is the future. 6. Act like you don't feel It is easy to get sucked into the feeling sorry for ourselves mode. When we do, we exude negativity everywhere. It shows up in our posture, our conversations, the way we move, our faces and then it begins to manifest and transfer into the reality of our lives. I believe that I used to manifest all the negative things that happened in my life. My endless negativity, fear, excuses and complaints resulted in exactly what I was worried about. My career didn't take off the way I had hoped, friendships and relationships suffered because I didn't add value to their lives and was constantly insecure, I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, I was overweight and felt unattractive and useless. I now OWN that I manifested those things myself with negativity. NOW, with complete transformation of my thoughts, I'm clear about what I want and the things I need to do to get there and my life is manifesting in a different, positive, fulfilling direction. So if you're fearful, or hurting or anxious or worried, get UP and walk out of your house with you shoulders back, your head high and a smile on your face. When you start with your exterior and walk with confidence, you begin to change your thoughts. When we change our thoughts then what we project manifests itself into our reality and becomes our truth. And that brings me to 7. Know your "Why" Be honest with yourself for a second. Have you ever really thought about what you want out of life. I mean really and truly sat and thought in detail about what your ideal day would look like. Where you would live, who you would surround yourself with, what you would do with your time, how much money you would have, what your family would look like etc.
Two months ago I spent around 7-8 hours thinking, visualizing and writing down my "why", and what I wanted for my life. It is so clear that I can see, feel, smell and project myself into that life. Because I became so clear, it started happening. The clarity allowed me to make changes that needed to be made. Some were inspiring and positive and others, are hard as hell, but there was no going back or stopping me once I was that specific.

So what is YOUR "why"? I challenge you to sit and think and find your purpose. Declare it out loud with everything you have in you. Your purpose must be so exciting and so inspiring to you that NOTHING will prevent you from fulfilling that. When you visualize your goals and write them down it WILL begin to happen and when you are in times a trial, you will be able to focus on it, and never give up.


***Recently I volunteered to be a guest speaker on our Fit Family Network Team Call. As I pondered about what topic to write about, I searched within myself and browsed facebook for inspiration, I realized that there was a topic heavy on my heart and that there are a lot of people that are hitting hard times that feel alone, or maybe are going through a tough transition in their lives. So as a topic of the call, I decided to be vulnerable and share my process of overcoming that tough time. You can watch the call here:  (starts at 10:49) ****




Starts at 10:49

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

My "just because" shoes

Today I went to the store and bought these shoes. 

Just because...I wanted new shoes. 

Just because...I'm celebrating my business. 

Just because...they are girly and cute and I wanted them.

9 months ago this wouldn't have been the case. Because of this little side thing I do, I can splurge once in a while. 

Just because...

‪#‎beachbodycoach‬ ‪#‎parttimework‬ ‪#‎grateful‬ ‪#‎beyourownboss‬ ‪#‎girlboss‬

Join my team! Earn additional income working part time. Want a manicure? An occasional pair of shoes? maybe save for a vacation? I can help! Email me: jennyabeauregard@gmail.com or find me on facebook!

Friday, May 22, 2015

How I let my thoughts ruin, and then save my life....

Gosh. How far we come in life. Truly everything happens for a reason. I remember this month of May back in 2010. I had a complete hatred for myself. Lacking in self confidence, hated my body, was sick ALL THE TIME, felt I was good at NOTHING. On top of it, I was sick. I was in and out of chemotherapy treatments for ovarian cancer, and in COMPLETE denial. I hid everything as much as I possible could, and crept into a little hole of despair. One afternoon I remember looking in the mirror at myself for the the first time in a while. I really wouldn't allow myself to look very long back then. But this moment I did. I didn't understand how my life had reached this point. I didn't understand why it was so unfair and out to get me. I had an obsession with fast food and I blamed everything on the fact that I had depression, anxiety and cancer. It become a ridiculous crutch for which I used as an excuse for everything. It was the reason for my failures and the reasons I couldn't function as a normal adult. My mind was poisoned with negativity, self loathing and I hated the world and it seemed to hate me. It was an ultimate low and I had finally hit a rock bottom enough to make a change.

Have you ever heard of the compound effect? It is the principle of reaping huge rewards from a series of small, smart choices. Our present reality is an outcome of the little, seemingly innocuous decisions that have added up to your current bank balance, waist line, business success, relationship status, etc."

This compound effect can change your life for the better or for the worst. The first half of my life I let the latter take over. But around this time in 2010 I began to change my thoughts. It was a SLOW SLOW SLOW process. You get to the point where you just cannot live a certain way any longer. You are forced to change or continue to disappoint yourself. It began with my physical appearance. I began to realize that I could not function at the weight I was at and I hated myself for it. But I slowly changed my thoughts to decide that I indeed was WORTH a change. That I COULD be that success story. And so I changed my thoughts.

I began to realize that WHAT I put in my body and what I did with it affected the way it functioned (DUH!). So I began to workout and slowly change my nutrition and I allowed myself to grow mentally to be disciplined enough to change.

But after all that I still disliked myself. I did not think I was enough. You see, I had always envisioned that I would do something GREAT. I was not near living up to that. I was still "a failed singer", and negativity surrounded my thoughts day after day. I remember slowly making decisions to knock it off. It took YEARS. I began to focus on that physical transformation. My cancer went in and out and ironically coming during times of deep negativity on my part. With cancer came the anxiety and depression. However, my weight was coming off, and I was for the first time, becoming consistent with diet and exercise. 

And i began to change. Slowly over YEARS I lost weight and suddenly I looked in the mirror and saw someone I could get on board with. In that SAME month I was pronounced in remission from Ovarian cancer. The SAME month that my thoughts about myself began to change. The same month that I began to see a glimpse of what I knew I could be.

It was still a long road. and it wasn't until I started coaching others on their goals that I began reading personal development. I read them every day. They have made me powerful, and I realized that I HAVE THE POWER TO CONTROL MY THOUGHTS AND MY LIFE! I get to choose happiness. I get to choose LIFE or depression and anxiety. I had made the choice to let me life become what it had become. It was all on ME.

I am posting this workout video from this morning, it is called Friday FIght from Insanity Max 30. The workout is ridiculous, one of the hardest I've ever done. I did this workout this morning with very little sleep and a million things happening in my life that could have pulled me away. But the goal of the workout is to have your MIND take control over your body. When your body wants to stop, it is up to your mind to feed it life and tell it to keep going. You can see at the end of this video that my mind was fighting it. FIGHTING my body that wanted to quit. I realized today that this workout is a lot like my life. I got to choose my fate. It is not always easy, but I have to get up and push and CHOOSE success and happiness. 

 

Now I am powerful. My mind is full of love, and I see people as good and full of life. I see hope, and I feel alive. I am trying things I would never try before. I have proved to myself that I am capable of anything. This credit goes to me. I am finally standing up and claiming my self worth. I am standing up and claiming that I have VALUE, and I can choose my fate. I choose to not let anxiety effect me. I choose to be the best version of myself. I can look at myself in the mirror and be accepting of ME (though we always have more things to work on). The compound effect rewarded me greatly. Those little steps over time have saved my mind and my life. 

So change your mindset. Start small and see the fruitful rewards you can reap from loving yourself.

Be a part of something amazing. Be a part of my team of Beachbody coaches that change lives including your own. We are ranked 304 out of 300,000 coaches in the company. We have passion, drive, and we are going to the top.

Email me: Jennyabeauregard@gmail.com

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Addicted to fast food: intimate stories of my weight gain

About 6 years ago when we were living in Tucson, I was at my heaviest weight. I had gone from 112 pounds in undergrad to 175-180 pounds (and that is only when I actually weighed myself). The funny thing is, I didn't even notice I had gained the weight. I knew I was a bit chunkier than usual, but when I looked in the mirror, my mind played tricks on me, and I was somehow convinced that I wasn't that far off from the 112 pound frame I once carried. I think that I chose to ignore it. I pushed the weight gain so deep within me because I was utterly convinced it didn't matter to me how I looked, and how I felt. I pretended to be ok with it, and I think after so long of telling myself "I am not overweight", "I am healthy", or "size doesn't matter to me,  I actually believed it. It didn't matter how much more weight I had to gain.

I could insert a paragraph here about how looks do not matter and it is about the INSIDE etc, but I am not going to and pretend that I do not care about the way I look. I care now, and I cared then, but chose not to admit it to ANYONE, especially myself. We all care. I think we care so much because when we are ACTUALLY confident in our outside appearance, it REALLY DOES HELP with the inside (for me anyways). My mother would tell me she admired me for my confidence even through the weight gain. But inside I was not. Far from it. 

                                                                                                                                                                

Here is what an average day would look like for me: I would wake up in the morning and look forward only to the food in my day. I would plan out where I would eat and WHAT I would eat and that was the only thing that got me out of bed. I would drive to McDonald's and stop for lunch, order a Coke or a Milkshake (or both) Fries and Chicken Nuggets (the 10 piece). I would eat it in the car in the parking lot before my classes started. Then I would throw away the evidence and pop in a breath mint, and go to school.

Then the whole day I would look forward to what I would eat for dinner.

On the way home, I would stop at Wendy's for dinner, get a double cheeseburger and french fries and another coke and then the same routine. I wouldn't want my Boyfriend to know, so I would throw away the packaging, spray an air freshener, and pop another breath mint.
AND THEN I would go home and eat dinner WITH my boyfriend. 

Not to mention the bagels, the sammy's the ice cream trips etc etc etc.

YUCK. Do you think I just ate away my insecurities? I do, but I also think I wasn't well rounded enough in my life to have anything else to look forward to.

                                                                                                                                            
 
 My insecurities stemmed from unpleasantness I felt physically and mentally. I remember being so extremely uncomfortable especially because it was HOT in Arizona. I had to wear shorts under my dresses so that my thighs didn't chafe and get raw. Even though it was hot, I had to wear Spanx under my clothes to suck in my love handles just to fit into them, as I couldn't really afford to keeping buying new clothes from the weight I was gaining. I was hot all the time. I remember once someone very close to me suggested "maybe if you lost some weight, you wouldn't feel so hot all the time." That STUNG. At the time, I had a wild temper, and I retorted back with something about not being fat and stormed off.

In another instance, a good friend (and now a best friend) pointed out something to me that was completely embarrassing. I cringe as I write this...I was SO UNAWARE of my body growing and of my size, that I neglected to adequately adjust specific articles of clothing...in this case, my bra size. Having gained some boobs (YAY!) from the weight gain, my friend said to me" girl, you are wearing the wrong bra size. It is way too small. You need to go get remeasured." I was COMPLETELY MORTIFIED. I was angry at her, and angry with the world. So, I reluctantly went with her to the mall to get remeasured. The size I was presently wearing was a 34 A and I measured at a 36 D!!! This completely shocked me and I believe it was the first step towards accepting my weight gain. I cannot thank my friend enough for her frankness.



Even though I hid it from the world and from myself, I felt completely unattractive. I didn't even bother to dress up because I thought, "what is the point?".  I would counter that by thinking "I am not really that big. Everything is fine". It was a CONSTANT mind game. I would trick myself into thinking I was fine and then ALL the signs would point to unhealthiness and weight gain. I ignored all the signs that my body was failing me:

-constant low energy
-napping 2-3 hours a day
-fainting spells
-low blood sugar levels and hypoglycemia
-dizziness every day
-nauseousness every day
-vomiting most days for no reason
-high levels of anxiety
-feeling overheated
-my skin on my arms began breaking out into rashes

HELLLLLLLOOOO?????? Wake up Jenny!!! I went to the doc searching for any solution. But it was right in front of me. 

After taking in these clues from family, friends, and how I was feeling I began to accept the weight gain. It took a CANCER DIAGNOSIS for me to really sit down and look at my life, my habits and really truly SEE myself. It all came into focus after a round of chemo where I had lost 10 pounds. I saw a picture of myself 10 pounds heavier and I became overcome with realization of what I had been doing to my body. I had gained 60-70 pounds in 3-4 years, and I sat there with all those symptoms listed above and possible death sentence. 

So one day at a time, I changed. A simple change from soda to water allotted me a 10 pound loss. A slow implementation of physical activity (when I could with chemo), was integrated. I began to research and started learning how to cook and make healthier choices.

Now those pounds are gone. The low energy, fainting, dizziness, vomiting, rashes, napping and feelings of insecurity are gone. The CANCER is gone. 

I am a better person now because I love who I am. I had to feel confident, and my body needed to be healthy to have the energy to even feel confidence, and yes, I needed to feel attractive on the outside to begin working on the inside. Yes, I will be judged for saying this, but I am only saying what I truly feel.

 I am telling you this now because I know others out their can relate. It IS possible to change your life. You CAN break through this! You CAN be healthy, happy and feel good about yourself. It starts with ONE SMALL change.


If I can help you in any way, write to me at jennyabeauregard@gmail.com or find me on FB and send me a message. 

www.facebook.com/fitoperasinger

Sunday, March 1, 2015

OVERWHELMED: 6 steps to getting started with weight loss for beginners (yes, even during girl scout cookie season)

It is a Sunday night and you have ordered a pizza, curled up on your couch with your family and are watching TV. You have told yourself over and over that TOMORROW you will do something about your weight, and your health. Countless Sunday's you have spent saying that Monday begins a new week and you will get on track then. You want to do this because you feel low in energy, are lacking in confidence, maybe your clothes are not fitting the same as they used to. 

Every Monday you wake up with the same determination to do it and stick to it this time! You get up, and make a healthy breakfast and head out the door and are positive this will be the day!!!....and that is where it stops. You get to work and your colleagues invite you to dine with them, or it is girl scout cookie time of year and those adorable girls are looking up at you with puppy dog eyes wanting to feed you endless boxes of thin mints, or someone has a birthday and the office is celebrating with soda and cake. So you feel overwhelmed and you give in. 

Then you get upset with yourself for not being able to commit once again and you come home and order Chinese food and think of every excuse in the book to not continue: "It is ok, I am not that unhealthy. This is a busy time in my life and I'll start again when things calm down. This isn't THAT bad for me. I have had a hard day and I deserve to eat this." So you just binge eat and continue to feel self conscious and out of control.

The problem is probably that you are OVERWHELMED. You decide to commit to a diet and just like most people, you try to change too much all at once. You decide to workout AND cut carbs, fats and eat low calorie foods. You are not going to eat past 7pm, and instead of going out to eat you are going to pack your lunch. 

The key for me, was committing to a new lifestyle and making slow changes that you can STICK to. Here are 5 steps to take to get you started this Monday without the overwhelmed feeling:

1. REASONABLE WORKOUT GOALS Commit to a workout of some sort 3 days a week for 30 minutes. A big mistake that is often made is that we over commit and decide we will go to the gym every day for hours on end. How sustainable is this in the long term? No wonder so many quit after the first week or even the first few days. No one has time for that. Do some research and find an effective workout with a REASONABLE goal. SOOOO many times I have seen people go in full force with nothing but good intentions, but end up stopping all together from not being able to commit so quickly to unrealistic gym goals. So do 30 minutes, 3 days a week for the first month. When this is mastered, move on.

2. CUT OUT SOMETHING. Pick ONE food group to work on. If you are like me and tend to overdo the carbs, dial it in for a month. stick to 3 or 4 healthy carb options in a day. If dessert and junk food is your problem, vow to cut out something for the month.

3. ADD SOMETHING IN. When you cut out something, you must find a replacement. There is nothing worse than cutting out something like soda and not succeeding because you need a replacement drink to help you get through the cravings. So...cutting out soda? Add in more water and drink sparkling water with lemon. Cutting out dessert? Research recipes that are natural ingredients and can satisfy your need for sweets. 

4. WRITE DOWN your goals. You are 80% more likely to achieve them if you write them down. Do not try to go overboard. Make the changes written above, write them down, and just focus on those. Let your body adjust and then continue to make more changes.

5. COMMUNICATE It is important when start your journey to communicate your new goals and reasons to those closest to you and those you spend most of your time with. You cannot expect them to read your mind. Sit down anyone you live with and express that you are going to make some changes and let them know what they are. Ask them to support you in your decision and to help you to stick with it. Do the same with friends, co-workers etc. When you communicate your needs, you can be more successful.

6. ACCOUNTABILITY Find someone you like and trust to hold you accountable in your new journey. This should be someone that you know, but that is not too close to you. An acquaintance or co-worker that you can check in with each day to talk about your progress. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!! Accountability is one of the biggest keys to your success.

Most of all, believe in yourself. Tell yourself everyday "I can, I will".  Don't try too much at once. Change your lifestyle and slowly, overtime, a healthy lifestyle will just be automatic.


I believe in you. Reach out to me for help.

Jenny Beauregard
fitoperasinger.blogspot.com
fb.com/fitoperasinger

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Success comes from the inside: lessons learned from being forced to lie in bed with just my thoughts


Patience
A recent injury to my intercostal muscles (the muscles in between your ribs) has really been a lesson in patience for me. I have spent nearly 2 months doing the hardest workout program in my entire life. I have pushed, cried, sweat, grunted and had to talk myself through several times of thinking I could not continue. I have broadcast my journey all over facebook so that I could keep myself accountable and finish this program. This injury (though not a big deal) is extremely painful and has caused me to discontinue my workouts for the past 3 days. This frustrates my to no end, especially after all the work I have put in to get myself in amazing shape. Normally, I would be extremely stubborn and continue to workout regardless of the injury and I would not listen to my body. I would not have enough patience to just lie on the couch all day waiting for my body to heal. But I realize that I will only further my injury if I am not patient.

And so I am learning patience.

It's ok to Make Mistakes
I am gonna be real with you. I have accepted that I cannot workout and pushed through that disappointment, however I went off course with my nutrition when I should have been eating even more strictly. I tell the people that I coach, "Nutrition is 80% of your progress. Get that under control first and foremost" and here I am eating a cupcake and way too much sushi. So I've decided to listen to my own advice, because well, it is good advice.

Just because I have a slight setback towards my goals doesn't mean it all has to come crashing down. I let myself off the hook briefly, but I am catching myself before it gets bad. I am on track today with my nutrition, drinking my Shakeology, and eating whole foods in moderate proportions. I open a show tonight in which I am singing the lead, and it is all the more important that I eat foods that will help me heal and give me the energy I need to be my best, even with this injury. I am living proof that what you put in your body can make or break you, and hey, I am far far far from perfect and even though I believe that proper nutrition aided my eventually remission from Ovarian Cancer, I sometimes slip up and forget that powerful effect.

And so, I make mistakes, but I learn from them and grow.

Character Growth Comes from the Inside
So instead of wallowing in self pity over losing all the work I have put into my fitness regime, I have had some down time to reflect and do personal development. I have been able to work on myself from the inside, and really remind myself of the bigger picture. Success in any form means building yourself from the inside AHEAD of your outside so that in times of need, you can withstand the situation with grace and a strong foundation. I have reminded myself in this reflection time that character growth is more important than the physical physique I have goaled myself to reach. In these 3 days I have been able to re-focus my attention.

Vanity: wanting to look good is natural, but it isn't everything
So let me be real with you again. I care about how I look. It is what motivated my journey to weight loss from the beginning. It is what prompted my to buy the 21 Day Fix and get me in shape for my wedding. I am not going to sit here and pretend that I am not motivated by the idea of what I want my body to look like. But everything happens for a reason, and in these days of no exercise and I have had time to really look deep within myself and realize that I am much more than the body I want to have. This 3 days of reflection has reminded me that I need to eat well NOT because I have a fear of weight gain, but because my body needs it to function and because I am worth it. I owe it to the cast of La Femme Boheme, to my husband who has bent over backwards to support me in my health journey, and to the people whom I coach and speak to daily about their goals. This is NOT about my body. It is about my overall health and happiness and about helping as many others as possible to have the same. Though I will always care about my physique, I need to remember what really matters.


So I re-adjust my journey. It happens. I will rest until I feel my body is ready and here is what I will do until then and even when I am back to working out:

1. Drink a ton of water
2. Read personal development and keep my mind fresh, positive and engaged
3. Dive in and really reach out and help more people
4. Eat as clean as possible
5. Re-evaluate my deep down reason "why" for ever aspect of my life
6. Focus on loving my husband and appreciating more openly all that he does for me

In my next entry, I'll let you know of my progress with these goals.


Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Beachbody Is going Digital!


This past weekend at the Beachbody Super Saturday event, the CEO of Beachbody announced the biggest news since Shakeology: Beachbody is FINALLY going Digital!!

This means if you are a club member, you can stream workouts from a digital link ANYWHERE without those pesky DVD's skipping and scratching. Forgot your dvd's??? No problem, just use your digital version. Apple laptop doesn't have a DVD drive? PROBLEM SOLVED! This ill be a better experience for customers AND coaches. Watch the announcements here!



Sunday, January 11, 2015

How to prep for 21 Day Fix in 6 steps




Step 1: Look at your schedule
       Decipher your schedule for the week and decide when you are busiest and going to be out of the house. You need to figure out what meals and snacks you need to have planned and ready to take wth you. Mark those in your calendar.

Step 2: Research recipes on Pinterest. Type in 21 Day Fix and explore the endless amounts of recipes available to you. There are several blogs with great options.

Make sure your look at your schedule and figure out how many simple "go-to" meals you need. Make sure your recipes include simple recipes with minimal ingredients that you can make quickly, as well as a few recipes that are fun, and tasty but would take more time to make. 

TIP: Every meal does not have to be different. Make double to amount to have leftovers for the next day.

Step 3: 
 Look at your Fix booklet and make sure you have a balanced mix of all the containers and food groups.

Step 4: Make a list
   From the recipes you've picked out for each meal, make a grocery list of everything you need. 

Step 5: SHOP

Step 6: Prep what you can.

Make rice, quinoa, etc and dice and wash fruits and veggies. Also prep anything that you can have in advance and store in the freezer until you are ready. Do this as SOON as you are home from the grocery store. Then this will be done and off your mind.

ENJOY! You got this!

BONUS: Here is a video about how much you will actually eat!

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Episode 2 "21 Day Fix: Regular VS modified and beginner"

Episode 2 of my 21 Day fix workouts modification series. Anyone can do these workouts and I wanted to show it, so I am not only showing the modifications, but taking it one step further and showing you a even more beginner modifier. The goal is to just get through the 60 seconds doing an activity and it doesn't matter where you start. You have to start at your level and build up.


How to make hard choices

Hard choices. That is what I am struggling with at the moment. It seems the hard choices continue to present themselves, and I spend agonizing hours going back and forth about which option is best or will end up better. Sometimes I just wish I could go into the future and see what would happen to my life based on each individual choice.

A friend recently sent me this video with a talk about hard choices. When he sent it, I thought to myself "oh ok cool. I may listen to that one day." But it is so amazing how the right people just come into your life when you need them. About 3 hours later, I was presented with another hard choice to make. I am so glad I watched it, because even though my friend could not have known the new situation would present itself, he knew that I was struggling with others in my life and I needed to listen to this to once and for all learn how to make a choice.

Your hard choice is hard because in each choice, one is not better than the other, they both have faucets of them that are good and bad. Which is WHY it is hard. For example, in September I struggled with the choice of staying a poor opera singer, or taking a corporate job that would provide a paycheck each week and health insurance. Singing is my passion and my art, but it isn't stable and doesn't pay well. But the corporate job paid a modest income and provided stability, but the work would not be fulfilling. No one answer is BETTER than the other when compared in this way.

Sometimes you will want to take the safest option. When comparing the two side by side, I tended toward the safer option. The paycheck, the steady work, the health insurance. Fear of struggling as a singer for the rest of my life took over.

So how to make this choice? I have always succeeded best when I have clear steps to take to achieve something. Based on this talk I have made of steps to take in order to make these hard choices.


1. Accept. Accept the situation in front of you and learn that this is a great opportunity to learn about yourself, your values and what you really want in life.

2. Reflect. Look at the hard choices, reflect and define what they are. Write down the pros and cons of each, so that they are clear.


3. Define. Now forget the choices for a second. Define WHO you are and what YOUR individual values are. What things make you happy? What does your typical ideal day look like? What things are important to you?

4. Compare. Now take your list from step 3 and step 2 and compare them. Do the pros from each decision match up with the values you've just defined as important? What choice would best represent YOU and what you want from life.

5. Set a date. Take time to do these exercises but not too long. Set a specific date in which you will make your decision. To linger too long is agonizing.

6. Take the plunge. Now you know your answer, so commit and move forward without regret.

In the end I realized the corporate job was not me, I craved the 5 minutes on stage no matter what the cost. I wanted that job because my alternate route was FEAR of the unknown. Fear almost allowed me to take the least risky option.

But in learning to be in tune with, and understand myself has created an unstoppable power in me, and made making hard choices, a bit easier. There is no right answer, and you have to trust that you made the right one for you and not out of fear.

So, reflect and know who you are. Know what you stand for. Make your choice and then become the best version of that choice. Own it and live it.


-Jenny Beauregard

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Episode 1*** 21 Day Fix: Regular VS Modified and beginner

Welcome to the first episode of "21 Day Fix: Regular VS modified and beginner"

Several of my challengers and friends are asking me about modifications for the 21 Day Fix. Some are scared to start for fear it will be too hard. FEAR NOT! I'm here to show you that you CAN do it!!

I am spending this month showing you various 21 Day Fix moves and not only how to MODIFY, but how to modify for an absolute beginner! You just need to keep moving! Go as slow as you need to go to get through the minute!