Do Something That Scares You

At the end of my trip to Hawaii, my friends asked me what my favorite part of the trip was.  Of course it was seeing them, but beyond that.  I thought about it, but already knew the answer - it was kayaking out to the Chinaman's Hat.

But what about this was so special?  What made it any more exciting than learning how to paddleboard or going to a new beach?  I had to think on this a bit.  I mean, that day I did the kayaking was rainy and cold (we all know how much I love the rain ...) and I had to drive to the other side of the island to get to the meeting point.  When I showed up the guide was not there and I had to call the company to make sure the tour wasn't cancelled.  Not the best start to the experience ... and yet, it turned out wonderfully.

So here is what I concluded.  I enjoyed it the most because it was the furthest outside of my comfort zone of everything I chose to do on my trip.  It scared me a little to think that I was going to be kayaking in open water in the ocean.  There were waves and sharks and who knows what else!!

While I enjoyed so much about my trip to Hawaii, I enjoyed most the things that scared me ... just a little!  :)

Other honorable mentions for favorite parts of the trip include the following:

 Making a sandman at Kailua Beach 

while participating in my team call!!

 A whole morning at the Byodo-In Temple

Waimanolo Beach with friends

 Tea on the veranda at the Moana

Cliff hikes with good friends!

Love Yourself First

Love yourself first and everything else falls in line.  You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world. ~Lucille Ball

Learning to love yourself can be difficult and it does take practice. But loving yourself is going to be your key to success in anything health/fitness related (among other areas of life!)

I recently finished a Love Yourself First Challenge group where participants learned some tips and tricks and participated in activities to start developing self-love.  I want all of you to benefit from the tips shared in the group.  Here are some of them:

1: Begin your day with love (not technology). Remind yourself of your worthiness before getting out of bed. Breathe in love and breathe out love. Ask yourself what you love about yourself today and ANSWER YOURSELF.  Hug yourself tight. (Seriously, do it).  Set your intention for the day.            

2: Take time to meditate and journal. Spend time focusing inward daily. Begin with 5 minutes of meditation and 5 minutes of journaling each morning or each night. Gradually increase this time. 

3: Get emotionally honest. Let of go of numbing your feelings. Shopping, eating, and drinking are examples of avoiding discomfort, sadness, and pain. Mindfully breathe your way through your feelings and emotions. What void are you trying to fill?  Examine it, learn from it, cry through it, and then ... let go of it.

4: Expand your interests. Try something new. Learn a language. Go places you’ve never been. Do things you haven’t done before. You have a right to an awesome life.  Life is RIGHT NOW ... stop waiting and start doing.              

5: Be patient with yourself. Let go of urgency and fear. Relax and transform striving into thriving. Trust in yourself, do good work, and the Universe will reward you.             

6: Become willing to surrender. Breathe, relax, and let go. You can never see the whole picture. You don’t know what anything is for. Stop fighting against yourself by thinking and desiring people and events in your life should be different. Your plan may be different from your soul’s intentions.

7: Live in appreciation. Train your mind to be grateful. Appreciate your talents, beauty, and brilliance. Love your imperfectly perfect self in your perfectly imperfect world. 

8:  Learn to say NO.  Stop participating in activities that bring you down.  Strip your life of toxic people and environments. Love everyone, but choose wisely those who you allow into your life.

9: You attract what you are, not what you want. Whatever it is you want in a partner, start exhibiting more of that.

10: Own your potential. Love yourself enough to believe in the limitless opportunities available to you. Take action and create a beautiful life for yourself. 

We Create the Reality in Which We Live

Which scenario more closely describes your life:

A: I am stuck in an office all day. I don't enjoy what I do, but I do it to make a living. I basically shuffle papers and do not feel like I make a significant impact in the lives of others. I dread Sunday nights because I have to go to work the next day. I am missing out on spending time with my significant other, children, and friends. I am restricted to 2 weeks of vacation per year. I feel stuck or trapped.

B: I can work from wherever I want, whenever I want. I love what I do so much that I often don't even realize I am up at 3 a.m. still "working". I am changing the lives of others in a positive, long-lasting way. Monday is just another day of the week. I am able to say "yes" to spending time with my loved ones instead of telling them I have to work. I have unlimited vacation and often travel on someone else's dime. I am basking in the glow of freedom.

Whichever scenario you chose, is this the reality in which you want to live? 

If you are NOT HAPPY with your current reality, let me show you an opportunity to change it. I will give you a sneak peek into what I have done to go from scenario A to scenario B in less than a year - completely online, completely free, and absolutely no judgment. Email me at kasey.phillips@gmail.com with the subject line "New Reality" I can't wait to hear from you! 

Not CANcun, WILLcun: How I Earned My First Free Trip Abroad

Every year Beachbody hosts a Success Club Trip.  The trip is free for coaches who earn it throughout the year by meeting certain minimum business benchmarks.  The trip has been hosted in Hawaii, Disneyworld, a cruise ship, and in 2015 was at the all-inclusive, Moon Palace Resort in Cancun, Mexico.  Coaches generally register for the event in the January of the year prior to the trip (so January 2014 for the trip in March/April 2015)

I joined Beachbody as a discount coach at the end of May 2014.  I wanted to try a program and shakeology and thought it was absurd to pay full price when there was a discount available.  Long story short, I went from discount coach to active coach by July when people started asking me what I was doing, if they could do it too, and if I could help them.  It was a no brainer for me.

The Success Club Trip 2015 was not even on my radar as a new coach.  I was focused on waaaaay too many other things.  However, in December 2015, I found out I was in the running for one of 2 available spots.  All I had to do was outperform over 400 other people on my team to secure one of the spots. If I focused on that number, I for sure would have been overwhelmed.  Instead I focused on 2 things: (1) being in Cancun and (2) the day-to-day tasks I needed to do to make it happen.

I literally visualized being in Cancun EVERY SINGLE DAY before the trip earners were selected.  I thought about the warm sun on my skin and the sand on my feet.  I envisioned working out with hundreds of my fellow coaches and meeting trainers Shaun T and Autumn Calabrese.  I got my passport.  I went bathing suit shopping and stocked up on sunscreen.  I even researched flights and ground transportation, selecting notifications for my favorite options.  I never thought "I CAN get there," but rather, "I WILL be there."

I know visualizing was a big part of making it happen, but had I not also done the day to day stuff, I would never have earned that spot.  I performed the "three vital behaviors" religiously.  I did DAILY personal development - at least 30 minutes a day of uplifting, motivational reading/listening.  I was a product of the product - I did my workout every single day (sometimes double days) and a did not once miss my healthiest (and favorite) meal of the day.  I invited - I asked people if they wanted to join me in improving lives, theirs, mine, and others.  I was focused and determined and methodical.

Needless to say, I earned the trip.  :)

Sore is the New Sexy

So you guys know I workout right?! I mean, how could you not with all my gym check-ins, sweaty selfies, and other fitness related posts?!

It's been a couple of years now that I have been living a "fitness lifestyle" and it seems like it is getting progressively harder to attain that sore feeling I love after a great workout (you know the one where you feel like the workout actually counted for something).#firstworldproblems, I know. But seriously ...

I am OVER spending hours at the gym ...#beentheredonethat. And I can't seem to find a reliable fitness buddy to spot me when I want to lift heavy (my one surefire way to get sore). So what's a girl to do?!?

I'll tell you what she does ... she skeptically tries out a new, totally innocuous looking 30 minute "extreme" program that is all the rage with her fitness friends. She pushes hard and breaks a sweat, but nothing like the HIIT workouts she is used to doing. She is disappointed ... UNTIL the next day when she is#seconddaysore after less than 24 hours!! (Yeah, tomorrow is gonna be interesting...)

Holy moly I hit the freaking jackpot with this workout program guys!! 30 minutes including warm up and cool down, weights or just body weight, completed in your home, office, hotel room, etc., and guaranteed (by me) to make you second day sore w/in 24 hours!!

As a BONUS it comes with a full, simple to follow, portion control meal plan, and the most amazing superfood, nutritional supplement around!! It promises EXTREME results in 3 weeks, or your MONEY BACK (no joke, no questions asked money back guarantee on this)!!

So uhhhhhh, what are you waiting for?!? Contact me NOW because it's time to get SORE ... I mean SEXY ... I mean SORE ... #soreisthenewsexy

Superbowl Superfood Snack

Normally for me, Superbowl Sunday is about 1 thing ... football.  This year though, both of the teams I hate the MOST were facing off.  I just wanted both teams to lose.  The only thing I was looking forward to was the halftime show and the snacks!!  So I was on a mission to find a super(food) snack for Superbowl.

A friend of mine posted a recipe for Quinoa bites that she found here. While the recipe sounded good, I just didn't have all those things, nor did I want to go buy them, so it was time to improvise!  Here is my quinoa bites recipe.

 Ingredients:
* 2 cups quinoa, cooked per package directions and cooled
* 2 eggs
* 1/2c shredded bell pepper (any color of your choosing)
* 1/4c shredded mexican blend cheese (2%)
* 1/4 - 1/2c diced white onion
* 1 T minced garlic
* 1/4c grated parmesan cheese
* 2 Tbsp whole wheat flour
* garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350F.
2.  Spray mini muffin pan with olive oil.
3.  Mix together quinoa, peppers, eggs, onions, mexican cheese, garlic, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
4.  Fill each mini muffin well, pressing down so that each well is filled to the top.  (They shrink during baking.)
5.  Sprinkle the top of each with paprika.
6.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until edges are golden brown.
7.  Serve with dipping sauce of your choice – honey mustard, ranch, bbq or ketchup.  Or just eat by themselves!

Note: really you can use any veggies in these as long as you grate it into small pieces!

For those of you following the 21 Day Fix, 3 mini muffins is 1 yellow.