1/2 Scoop of Tropical Vegan Shakeology®
1/2 Scoop of Chocolate Vegan Shakeology®/  Chocolate Shakeology®
1/2 cup of Fresh or Frozen Strawberries
Ice to taste. I put 4-5 ice cubes in mine because I like it super cold and I like the small pieces of ice
8-10 ounces of Almond milk if you like it more smooth instead of thick sometimes I even put 12 oz of almond milk

Mix and enjoy! You could even substitute the strawberries for half of a banana and have a Neapolitan Banana Split. YUM!

If you want to get fancy and have this as a healthy dessert you can add non-fat whip cream on top.

Hey how’s your New Year’s Resolutions going so far?

I need to make sure that I take care of myself. I have working out down in my daily routine. However, my son and I live with my family and we haven’t always been eating the healthiest every day. So when I started Les Mills Combat I totally dug into the nutrition guide that came with this and let me tell you these recipes are super delicious. I’ve been posting them at http://fb.com/ilyanaCastanedaLive and on Instagram at ilyanaCastaneda.

I’ve been planning out the week, making the grocery lists, and preparing the meals, lunches and snacks ahead of time. The great thing is I have the family on board so we are working on this together. This week I’ve also incorporated some of the meals from my Team Beachbody Meal Planner because it will plan out my meals according to the amount of calories I should be eating each day. I can also print out the weekly meal list, as well as a shopping list!! So this has totally helped out.

I’ve been posting pics to sort of help out others get ideas and now I’m starting a 15 day Challenge because I really want to help out and share my tips that i’ve been using to make this work.

If you want to eat healthier, please realize the food will still taste great!!!! Let me help you out with this and join me for 15 days.

1. Eating 3 meals a day and 2 healthy snacks a day.

2. Drink Shakeology Everyday. One meal should be replaced with Shakeology (The Healthiest Meal of the Day…Click here to see why http://ilyanasHealthyShake.com

3. Check in with the Challenge group daily on Facebook.

4. Workout for at least 30 minutes a day/follow your Team Beachbody Workout Program. Don’t worry if you don’t have one yet I’ll help you pick the plan that’ll help you work towards your fitness goals and help you save with a Challenge Pack.

Plus all challengers get FREE Coaching from me, Ilyana Castaneda.

So who is the Challenge for?

This Challenge is ONLY for those who:

1. Will commit to the entire 15 days.

2. Are willing to stick to the plan and learn how to eat healthier!

3. Have a positive attitude and are willing to make some changes.

4. Are willing to take what they have learned and continue to apply it to your life.

This Challenge is NOT for those who:

1. Have a negative attitude.

2. Cannot fully commit to the entire 15 days.

3. Cannot check-in on Facebook daily with our exclusive Facebook Group.

4. Have no desire to make positive changes in their lifestyle.

How do you get started and get signed up?

1. Place your order for Shakeology "Home Direct" before January 28th, 2013 at http://ilyanaCastaneda.com
2. Click on Shop
3. On the left hand side click on Shakeology OR Select a Challenge Packs  and get a workout program, Shakeology HD, and 30 free days of the Team Beachbody Meal Planner that I use, plus a program nutrition guide, free coaching from me,  and free shipping.
4. Choose your flavor of Shakeology.
5. Select Home Direct. This will help you save $$$ on shipping and you can cancel at anytime. We even offer a 30 Day Money Back Guarantee.
6. Make sure that Ilyana Castaneda, Coach 29332, is listed as your personal coach.

I’m on a mission to  help as many people as I can become fit & healthy. So if this is your goal, let’s talk because honestly, your health is priceless.  If you want to enjoy your life you have to take care of yourself so that you can enjoy it.

I wanted to start this journal and share with you a little about myself as a mom, a fitness coach, and just myself as a person.

Today I got a really great question from one of my twitter friends, and I get these sorts of questions a lot from my friends who haven’t had children yet, want to have children, or people who just meet me in general. How long did it take you to get back in shape after being pregnant? What do you do to stay fit?

Well first of all, let me be completely honest with you. I’ve always been a thin, and an active girl. My parents were thin. My mom and dad always had us playing outside, swimming in the backyard or enrolled in dance classes. I was also one of those little girls who came home from dance class and made up my own routines. Then I would make my sister and nieces (yes, my nieces; I have a few that are between 4-7 years younger than me) learn the dances at my pretend dance school. Go ahead insert laugh now, but we had a blast.

Back to the question though, I’m a single mom and after I had my son, my mom gave me a VCR tape; LOL, my son’s only 10 years old now, but it was a pretty awesome tape. This of course was before I became a Team Beachbody Coach. My mom told me to continue to make exercise a habit. Get  up, get going, and get yourself back in shape. Do it now after you had only one child and don’t let yourself go. You’re young, healthy, a beautiful person inside and out and attractive; let’s keep you that way. I want you to get back on track. So the day my doctor okayed me to go back to exercise, there was my mom at my bedroom door pushing me to do it!! I laugh about it sometimes because I can still picture the pep talk my mom gave me at my bedroom door with the exercise video…seriously no joke! You better believe she also made me walk when I was pregnant. I’ve never been lazy, but I gained like 50 pounds when I was pregnant. I went from a tiny 104 to like 155. It was a lot for my tiny frame.

My friends all went back to their normal weight quicker. Either that, or it was because they had their babies months before me. I worked my butt off while I was at home. Getting myself in the routine with my son, waking up in the middle of the night, everything that comes with being a mom, but I made sure when I could workout, that I got my butt up and at it whether it was early in the morning or in the afternoon. Working out at home helped because I didn’t have to leave my son more than necessary.

So I tried that VCR tape. It was some prevention magazine workout that included AB routines. It didn’t take long, but it was really effective. One day I went to Target and I got a Denise Austin video..LOVED HER!!  So this is what I did but I didn’t have a calendar or something that showed me exactly what to do each day. It was pretty much do these this many times. So I kinda just mixed the different workouts and did my own thing. I figured working out to something is better than nothing at all!

It wasn’t until like about 3 years ago that my son’s Tae Kwon Do Instructor reopened a new place and he was going to hire someone to teach Zumba and he asked me if I would support the program and join. Sure, I thought! I loved dancing and I missed it!! So I joined. LOVED IT!! My instructor totally inspired me and made me work on my Spanish as well because she didn’t speak English. I then took a class that same year to get licensed as an instructor. I began googling stuff and my instructor was talking about TurboKick so I looked it up and online, I instantly became a Chalene Johnson fan. Seriously, that woman is inspirational. If you’re a mom that needs that extra push, and tips to motivate you. Then I definitely recommend TurboFire the home workout.

Back on track. I bought some of the practice "Go For The Gold DVD’s" and signed up for certification for TurboKick and Hustle. At that training I met my coach and his assistant who later asked me if I wanted to be a coach. I thought yeah, I would love to help others get fit and healthy!! I’m a teacher and I already am used to helping people.

I also was introduced to Shakeology. Which I asked my coach, ok so I’m a thin girl. I really don’t want to lose weight . I would like to make sure that I get more toned and stay that way. Weight wise I’m fine with where I’m at. He said go ahead take it and you can add extra to it like peanut butter or something for extra calories. So I did and Shakeology has really helped. You know that bloated little kangaroo pouch you get post baby? This has really taken it away. It also keeps me healthy and gives my body all the vitamins and minerals I need.

I’ll end this journal here, but I could go on and on…But come back and I’ll share more with you about what’s going on in my journey, in hopes that it will help you!

If you need me to be that person to push you post-baby to get back in shape just click here and message me! I’d really love to help you out! Being a mom is awesome! Not always easy, but totally awesome, and I wouldn’t change it for the world!! Take care moms, new moms, and soon to be moms.  You can do anything you set your mind to!!!

Ilyana Castaneda

1. Weekly Homework Assignments-Don’t worry these assignments are actually beneficial to you! They will get you thinking about your goals and where you want to be!

2. The class will take place online. You will be added to an exclusive Facebook group where you will be able to interact with me and others in the class. You will be asked to interact daily. Almost like Challenge activities.

3. A commitment to working out at least 6 times a week  for a minimum of 30 minutes, Unless you are following a Beachbody Program Calendar and it asks you to take more than one rest day a week. Each participant will take away recipes from the class that they will be able to use after the 4 week Challenge.

The participants who submit their before and after pictures and results will be eligible to enter to win a FREE Shakeology T-Shirt.

Recommended: Participants should keep a journal to reflect on and take notes on discussions that will help them carry forward.

Requirements:

A great attitude and be committed to yourself for four weeks!

Fee: Yes there is a cost. However, it is an investment in yourself see why in this video

Check out the benefits of my 5 and 7 day Challengers and see why I am asking you to invest in yourself:

I’m not saying things will automatically change over night but if you are looking to make a change and willing to invest in yourself. I’m willing to invest my time in YOU!

If you feel like you aren’t quite living to your potential then maybe you need that little extra push!

Whose willing to set up a plan this week?

I know Sunday has already passed and this is generally when I set up my schedule for the upcoming week but you still have time, even if you are not reading this on a Monday. It’s never to late to get started!

Try it out this week and let me know how this works for you! Are you in? Let me know how it goes.

If you want help scheduling your workouts or finding a program to best fit your needs contact me by clicking here.

Here’s to an AWESOME WEEK!

Personally I like to give frustration a smack down. By the way, I’m laughing at myself as I finish typing that sentence. You’re human, so honestly there is no way you can have full control of your emotions.  So do not put yourself down or get upset with yourself when you have moments like these.

A few things that I do is listen to either a spiritual CD or a personal development audio book. I have to refill my glass with positivity. Not a real glass, the glass is just a container that reflects my thoughts.  I have to keep myself full with positive thoughts. What I’m working on is filling my glass to where it’s overflowing so that things don’t get to me.

Working out also helps to change my mindset, and I always feel better mentally and physically after that.

Another great thing is to write down a verse from the Bible or a positive quote and keep it handy to read. When I was completing my Master’s Degree for School Counseling, my mentor and I would have our students write down a quote or  positive qualities the student had on the back of a business card. We would then have them  keep this card in their pocket. Then we told our students that when they felt like they were in a funk or frustrated, they could take out the card and read it to themselves. 

I try my best to surround myself with people with positive mindsets or qualities.  Birds of a feather flock together. I try to be around people who are aiming to achieve goals.  I also attend fellowship and am trying to grow spiritually.

I’m also working on trying to keep my son’s glass full with positivity. So when he goes to bed I give him at least 3 compliments and he also reads his affirmations. Grandma gave him  an audio Bible CD and he listens to the Bible while he falls asleep. He says that it helps him to relax, and it’s great because he’s learning the Word of God too.