Why YOU should buy what WE'RE all selling! {wink}

Do you feel like lately everyone and their sister is selling something? 

Wanna know why? 

It's because WE ARE!! 

We are all busting our butts from home trying to sell you everything from Candles to Oils to Skin Care to Hormone Drinks to Fitness Programs to Weight Loss Supplements to Nail Wraps to Makeup to Boutique Kids Clothing to Upscale Jewelry and on and on and on!!!

I agree, its a little overwhelming. Its a little uncomfortable too sometimes.

-You may not want what we are selling.

-You may not want to host a party.

-You may feel guilty buying from one person and not another....

or then feeling like you need to buy from her too!

-You may not TRUST that the product works!

For some, they just sell it because they want the discount, someone told them it would bring in a good income or because it is something to do. But then there are the rest of us that do it because we have become A PRODUCT OF THE PRODUCT! We have tried the products as customers and fell in love!! We saw the results first hand. We believe in what we do! Now, that doesn't mean that what works for one person will work for you. It just means that if it worked for me, I sure do hope it will work for you too!

When you go into Target to buy skin cream, what do you base your selection on? 

- a commercial or advertisement?

- a rating in a magazine?

- a friends' recommendation?

- real life testimonials or possibly photo shopped results?

I know that I have always been a very skeptical person. I always feel like I am getting duped. Every time I get my oil changed I expect to be told about something else that needs to be done and I never know if they are being honest or not. Its a sucky feeling. I used to feel that way about the fitness infomercials on TV too. But this new program PiYo {my soul mate workout!} caught my eye on Facebook over the summer. It not only opened my eyes to the program but to how this whole Network Marketing Business World works!

Its not all smoke and mirrors. It can't be. 

Why? How? 

Because (at least for the most part) we are selling what we are selling because whatever it is WORKED for us! Most of us (again, for the most part) are in this 'thing' because we love 'it' and we believe in 'it' and we want everyone to experience whatever 'it' is that has changed our lives! We don't want to lie. We don't want to encourage our friends and family to spend their hard earned money on something we don't believe in.

We want to help other people. From home. On our own time. With help and incentives from someone else. And we want to be paid for endorsing their products, the ones we believe in. And we want the opportunity to move up in the company if we do well.

But wait, there's more!

While we want you to 'buy what we're selling' because that product worked for us, the bottom line is (here's that for the most part again) we want you to feel what we have felt. For me, I don't mind if you don't use what I use or do what I do. I do not want to sell anything to anyone just to make a buck if I don't believe in it, because that person will tell the people they know about the product I sold them that doesn't work!!

 I just want you to know that we are all out here because we truly believe in our products. 

For example, I drink Shakeology every day. I love what it does for me and I love what it does for other people I know. I own and use the Beachbody programs PiYo and 21 Day Fix, because they are great workouts. They are easy to do at home and for me and my schedule currently, that works!  One of my closest friends chooses to use Advocare for her health journey, and you know what? I am really happy for her because it is working for her! She goes to the gym and is not interested in working out at home. No problem. Are my feelings hurt? Not at all. On the contrary, I am so happy for her that she has found something that works! And she will spread the word about what works for her, because she wants other people to experience what she has experienced! 

I have seen a lot of negativity about 'competitors' and also about people thinking that these things don't work. That is why I wanted to write this piece, that I thought would be a few short paragraphs. Oops! We are all out there just trying to be better for ourselves, our friends and our families. So if its your neighbor selling something she thinks is great, just listen and see what she has to say. I think its better to hear first hand about results than to trust a product just because a beautiful model or celebrity says you should.

Now, you can stop reading my ramblings unless you want to read more about how I chose to get into Network Marketing!

 It is something I never really saw myself doing, #1 because I do not like sales and I don't think I am very good at selling things. The other main reason was that I didn't want to seem 'salesy.' I didn't want to sell a product that claimed to do anything for the body because I am not a doctor. I didn't want to sell fashion because I would hate for this casual girl to give poor advice to someone looking for glamour!
But then I took a little leap back in May and (again, stepping out of my good ole comfortable comfort zone) got out my credit card and bought the Start-Up Kit for Jamberry Nails.  I thought it was a pretty cool product and for just about $120 I could get the nail wraps I wanted to order anyways, the nail heater to make the application easier, samples and marketing materials. Not too shabby. What I didn't expect was the education I would get! So, that right there was my money well spent. In learning about Network Marketing through their 'Jamberry University' I learned a lot about myself, my style, how to present things, how to find confidence and how to 'go for no', because for every 'No' there is a 'Yes' waiting somewhere. I eventually chose to leave Jamberry to focus on Beachbody.

When I discovered the 'Coaching Opportunity' with Beachbody I realized it was very much something I wanted to do and something I would enjoy. I also realized that once again you should "Never Say Never." Here I was signing up to sell vitamins, supplements, energy supplements, protein bars, meal replacement shakes and this drink called Shakeology that the company claimed to be 'The Healthiest Meal of the Day,' Those thoughts of, 'who am I to say if this works or not?' weighed heavily on me. In the beginning I actually just planned to sell PiYo because I was just so amazed by the program. And then I started noticing how Shakeology was actually affecting me. I started getting to know the products and realizing that those infomercials are real. They are really cheesy, but they are real. Those people are not actors. They are real people who did the programs, took before and after photos and applied to a casting call for the infomercial. I wanted to apply for the upcoming PiYo infomercial but I didn't have any 'before' pics left that I didn't edit my head out of.

<Side note: Ever wonder why the people in the 'after' pictures always seem to have better posture, better tans and bigger smiles? There is a secret to those after pictures. They have better posture because they are A: proud of their bodies and B: their new stronger muscles are begging to hold things up where they belong!  And those tans? The people most likely know they are doing their after picture and they want to look GOOD! Everyone looks better with a little color...and everyone looks better with a SMILE!!!  Now you know the secret!>

Anyways, back to my 'WHY!' So now I am a few months in and I really do love what I do. I am not making a fortune, yet! But I am so happy because I am helping old friends get back in shape. I am helping 'old' ladies feel young again. I am helping people find their 'Soulmate Workout.' 

On top of all of those awesome things, I am able to work from home. Everything I do also compliments my path to getting my Personal Training Certification next year! Everything I do with my Beachbody business helps me to stay focused on the Personal Training aspects. Its as though everything is coming full circle for me. Without discovering Beachbody I never would have found my beloved PiYo and obviously I never would have even known about getting certified to teach it, which I can not wait to start very soon.

The part about all of these Network Marketing companies that is so different from mainstream jobs is that everyone has the opportunity to advance. Yes, there is still just 1 CEO etc. But as far as the sales force goes, we all have the opportunity to rise all the way to the top. There is no limit. You are not held back from advancing in rank just because the person that signed on before you has not done as well. 

If you are interested in finding out more about the products Beachbody offers, participating in one of my Challenge Groups or the Beachbody Coaching Opportunity just shoot me an email. I would love to answer any and all questions that you may have. And, of course, I would love to have you are my customer or as my team member!! ;)

Comment below to request my email address!

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My Beachbody Page

Dreams coming true!~

This time last year I was planning to go ahead and get my teaching certification...to teach elementary ed.  Something in me said to follow my dreams instead and to do what I was passionate about, what I went to college for, what I have always studied even when it wasn't necessary! This certification I received today is such an emotional piece of paper for me!!  Its just one little step in the right direction.

That's me in the white!

 I joined about 40 other women a few weeks ago in Orlando at Breakin' Sweat Fitness Studio to get certified by Beachbody Master Trainer Alli Upham to teach PiYo because when I discovered it over the summer I fell in love! I got up early Saturday morning and drove myself the 2 hours to Orlando. The sun was rising and there was a low fog in all of the fields. It was beautiful. When I arrived I found that I wasn't the only one to travel for this class. There were girls from all over the state of Florida, one woman flew down from Virginia, one flew in from Barbados and get this....one woman flew in from LONDON just to get her PiYo and Turbo Certifications. Seriously, a special day!

We began the day with introductions and quick review of our manual, which I had already studied front to back multiple times! Then we got into the full workout! You could see the smiles on (most) of our faces as we realized just WHERE we were at that very moment! For a lot of us, this wasn't just another certification or just to get Continuing Education hours. This was a life changing day. This was an inconceivable moment for some of us back in early July when we began our first PiYo home workouts and heard that you could get certified to teach it live. The emotions of how powerful this program is all came rushing in as we were powering through our Sun Salutations!

The rest of the day was a blur of practice, technique, practice, technique, cueing, practicing, doing lots of push ups and Chaturangas, drinking lots of water and feeling the beat!  At the end of the day we were ready to head home and practice! The drive home was again, beautiful. It was an amazing day!

 This is a huge step for me in pursuing my dreams! One of the songs from the lesson we practiced says "I don't want to dream, I just want to live it!"  How fitting!

I can't wait to begin teaching PiYo LIVE soon!! Stay tuned for my schedule.....

**If you want to know more about PiYo in general, becoming a PiYo Live Instructor or how you can get the PiYo home workouts just let me know!! I would love to be your personal Beachbody coach. I am always running fun Challenge Groups on Facebook for accountability, meal plans, tips, motivation and support!! My passion is helping people work towards and ACHIEVE their health and fitness goals!!**

My 3-Day Refresh 'Mini Cleanse' Experience

About a month ago I ordered The 3-Day Refresh. 

 I had all intentions of starting it on the following Monday because Mike would be in meetings most of the week so my lunchtime and midday temptations would be less.  I woke up that Monday morning ready to go.  I had my first tall glass of water instead of my coffee and realized that I just was not feeling it.  I went ahead and made my first Shakeology of the day with just water and ice.  Yep, I was dizzy and had a headache.  Allergy Season.  So I decided by 10:00 that my awesome 3-Day Refresh was not happening, not today at least.

Flash forward about 3 weeks and I wake up on a regular Wednesday morning and decide today is the day!  The words "Cleanse", "Caloric Restriction", "Fiber Sweep", "Refrain from drinking coffee" are all a little scary to me.  But I thought, its 3 days.  I can do just about anything for 3 days,  My grandmother once fasted for something like 3 weeks to 'starve' a tumor.  (Which apparently worked?) 

I can do this!  

So here I go on my 3 day adventure!

First things first...the booklet only SUGGESTS refraining from drinking coffee.  So I did have a small cup of black coffee on that first day.  After that here is how my days went:

#1 Lots & Lots of water.  My goal was to drink a gallon a day, on its own, not as tea or part of my Shakes.

#2 Breakfast: Chocolate Shakeology with 1/2 a banana, water and ice.  

{In the mornings I would rather have a delicious and thick smoothie than eat the banana so I added it in the smoothie.  Without the banana it was a little too thin for me....I learned that from my first attempt a few weeks prior.}

#3 Fiber Sweep: Boy, did I dread this the first day.  But it wasn't so bad.  I mixed it with only about a cup and half of COLD water and drank it quickly.  The longer it sits, the more it sets.  It was 'texturey' shall we say, but had a nice sweet lemony flavor.  Its only once a day, big deal.  (And the dreaded results you would expect from something called Fiber Sweep are nothing to write home about, if you know what I mean!)

#4 Lunch: "Lunch?" you say?  Why yes!  I took out my next cute little packet from the box of Vanilla Fresh and mixed it with ice and water in my NutriBullet.  I drank that and had a serving from the veggies list (usually just celery and carrots) and on the first day I had just 1 1/2 teaspoons of unsalted, unsugared almond butter.  That left me hungry.  But on days 2 & 3 I switched to hummus!!  2 whole Tablespoons of hummus to be exact!  Not so bad!

#5 Afternoon Snack: I was a little boring here, but again, I had celery and hummus or almond butter.  The veggies list is long, I just migrate towards celery sticks!!

#6 Afternoon Tea: La-Ti-Da!  So fancy!  

#7 Dinner: Another delicious (seriously) Vanilla Fresh Shake....but I treated this as dessert.  So for dinner I had my "optional" cup of organic vegetable broth to really fill me up with chopped scallions, dried tarragon, garlic powder and/or parsley.  The first night, I was not prepared, or inspired so I just added some kale from what I had cooked for everyone else to my broth.  I had a few almond slivers on the side.  (I was not really hungry that first day either, even though I skimped.)  So on the second and third night I made better choices and had an entire spinach salad one night and cucumber and tomato salad on the next night.(recipes below).  I barely had room in my belly for the Vanilla Fresh Shake!!

#8 Evening Tea: I had a cup of good ole Sleepytime Tea!

So, wanna know what happened? Well, I lost 5 pounds and 1.5 inches (overall)...in 3 days! Without starving myself!

I did not do it to lose weight, mind you.  I did it to lose the bloat and to tune things up on the inside. I didn't notice the weight loss until the 4th day.  I always try to weigh myself around the same time of day with the same type of clothing on, and on the same scale. I think those are important things to keep in mind. 

I have never done a cleanse or fast before, so this was something I was a little afraid of at first.  It really was not bad at all.  The hardest part for me was the actual action of not eating.  If I do it again I will make better choices and really plan it out.  Like I said before, you can do pretty much anything for 3 days.  I think its a great choice for doing 4 days before an event or after the holidays to rid your body of some of those built up toxins!

Here are my 2 favorite recipes from the plan that I incorporate into our normal menu quite often!!

**Full disclosure** I am a Beachbody Coach however I chose to do The 3 Day Refresh because I was interested in doing a mini-cleanse on my own.  If you are interested in hearing more I would absolutely love to help you out on your personal journey.  Fitness and Health are my passions and I am committed to helping people achieve their own health and fitness goals!!  fb.com/DarbyCam