Megan Thompson

I usually make my list for the month ahead of time but haven't gotten to it yet. That is on my list for tomorrow!  But we now have the first three days done and the kids are loving it :).  I love the creativity of the elf on the shelf and the magic for the kids. Such a great tradition to have.  

With three elves visitng us this year I have a feeling we will be busy!  For their first night back they had some fun with spray snow on the sliding glass doors! :). The kids got a huge kick out of it and wouldn't let me wash it off :)

This morning we woke up to our north pole breakfast and our elf on the shelf...and he brought friends!! The kids were very excited to see the elves and all of the yummy treats for breakfast! Audrey named her elf Sparkle and Aiden named his Elfie Shelfie lol. Everyone keeps checking in on them as we start to pull out Christmas decorations and put up the tree :) and are looking forward to all of the silly mischief they will get into this holiday season!

It has been a week since I finished my shakeology cleanse and after talking to many of you and hearing concerns about what would happen once the cleanse ended I am posting a picture of the scale a week later :).  During the week I followed the 21 day fix, still had my shakeology shake every morning for breakfast and worked out.   Nothing out of the ordinary and I'm happy to say I didn't gain back a thing and actually lost some more! :). If you would like to try shakeology please email me at mvsweeney@gmail.com or find me on Facebook at Megan Sweeney Thompson 

Tonight we made turkey pizza! The kids had a blast making it. It was super easy for the kids to do and lots of fun! I just used target brand pizza crust that was already made. We put the sauce on and then used pepperoni, salami, red pepper and olives to make the turkey! Put it in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 mins and yummy! :) Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Tonight Mark and I went to see Big Hero 6.   It was such a GREAT movie!  It was filled with suspense, humor and I even shed a tear.   Mark was cracking up laughing...which I loved :).  Disney also did a little movie skit before the movie started called Feast.  SO stinking cute and funny.   Great movie and great night with my little guy :) 

Black Friday is almost here my friends and that means SALES!! Beachbody is jumping on board with some amazing discounts on some great products!! The sale begins tomorrow, Tuesday Nov 25 at 7pm CST and ends Dec. 2. Grab some fantastic products while they are at LOW prices!! Beachbody is cutting prices by 40-80%! Products will sell out quickly so make sure you grab them while they are here! If you are interested in ordering you can find me at http://www.teambeachbody.com/mvthompson or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/meganvthompson. Order now and join one of my challenge groups this January!!

Programs for Sale:

* P90x, P90x2, P90x3
* Insanity: The Asylum Vol 1
* Turbo Fire
* Les Mills Combat
* Les Mills Pump
* Slim Series
* Hip Hop Abs Dance Party

We had such a busy weekend!!  Between hockey, ballet, nutcracker rehearsals and birthday parties eating healthy is a tall order.  Being busy usually means being away from home and not having access to healthy food choices.  So what do you do?  How do you handle these situations?   You PLAN!!  :).  We had so much going this this weekend I had to think ahead.   I made sure I ate before we left the house and I brought healthy snacks for all of us while we were out. That way I wasn't tempted to eat something I shouldn't just because I had no other options.  The times when I don't plan are the times I fail to make healthy choices.   Then I'm angry at myself the next day. Every time.

I will admit that now the cleanse is over it feels SO nice to eat!! LOL I am trying to be as careful and healthy as I can be though. After talking to so many people after finishing it I heard a lot of concern about whether or not I would gain any or all of the weight back after the cleanse stopped. SO what I plan to do is take a picture of the scale next Thursday morning...yes before I eat Thanksgiving dinner lol....and show you all what the scale looks like a week after the cleanse has ended!! I want you along for the ride and I want to show you how amazing this cleanse is and that it works to help you feeling healthy and amazing which is what this is all about!! :) I'm so excited to help all of you become the best you that you can be! :) Here is a bit of information that I thought I would share that would be helpful to those of you looking to try this :) And as always if you have any questions please just friend request me or send me a personal message on facebook...Megan Sweeney Thompson!

The three day cleanse is over!   And I feel AMAZING!!  I was curious to see if I would want to eat everything in sight today lol but to my surprise I didn't.  No cravings...no wanting unhealthy food.  It made following the 21 day fix so much easier today.  I lost a total of 8.2 pounds. Bloating is gone.   I feel great!

I survived day 2 :)....I will admit day 2 was much easier than day one. I had more energy and although I stuck to the two shakes a day I felt pretty good. I am thankful that today is the last day of the cleanse but I am also noticing a very big change in my energy levels..which is huge for me...and my general mood. Last night to keep myself focused I decided to do a little research on why exactly this cleanse is so beneficial and why shakeology is amazing for you :). The whole point of this cleanse is to get as many nutrients into your body with as few amount of calories as possible in a three day period. The Shakeology Cleanse is designed to optimized your performance. You should have enough food to fuel you day and your workout. By eating foods that are high in fiber and nutrients it is virtually impossible to overeat. With the high fiber, digestive aids and enzymes your body will be rid itself of excess food and flush out waste.

THE BENEFITS OF THE SHAKEOLOGY 3-DAY CLEANSE

rid body of fat

detoxify body

jump start weight loss

body rejuvenation

Tomorrow I will post my results! :)

Ok so I survived the first day...barely lol. It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. The cleanse says you should drink three shake a day. I just couldn't After drinking two of them the last thing I wanted was another shake. I wanted FOOD for God's sake! I did cave in and had a cheese stick for a snack insted of the shake. By the end of the evening I had a pretty good headache going which I'm assuming is from the toxins getting out of my body and the adjustment of not eating any crappy food. I was exhausted and felt like I was stripped of any energy. BUT the great news is this morning a saw a huge improvement on the scale and I feel like I have much more energy today. Today I've had two shakes and a piece of fruit so far. I plan to use my cheese stick method again for the next snack :) and then a salad for dinner with chicken. Tomorrow is the last day. I will stay the course :) For those of you brave souls I also saw that there is a 5 day cleanse challenge. God speed :).

I have decided to try the Shakeology cleanse. It is a three day cleanse that can help jump start weight loss or break through a plateau. What happens in this cleanse is this....

*Breakfast - Shakeology shake

*Snack - Piece of fruit

*Lunch - Shakeology shake

*Choice of Afternoon or after dinner Shakeology shake

*Dinner - Salad with grilled white fish or chicken and low fat dressing

I will update each day on how the day goes and how much I lose! :)

I know we always naturally show off and spoil our kiddos but for many of us before those kiddos we had a furry little friend who is still by our side today. He/she has gotten lost in the shuffle of diapers and feeding and then onto school and soccer practice. Those long walks are replaced by opening the back door until someone remembers that you're waiting to come back in. Tiny fingers are pulling at him and squeezing him and he's patient and loyal. He had his spot first before they ever came along. He slept on the couch and had his belly rubbed. He got long rides in the car and treats. Lately I've been trying to give my little friend a lot more attention. He has earned it...he's been patient and has never left my side for a second. Even when I was tired and short with him and rushed him along. He's always happy to see me and is the first to cuddle up with me. He deserves my time just as much as anyone else...maybe even a little bit more :).

I know many of you have been asking me about what I eat and how the 21 day fix works.  In a previous post I explained the 21 day fix so I thought I'd give examples of what I eat throughout the day.  I am a creature of habit and do tend to stick to the same things :)

So this amazing little company popped up to my attention a few months ago. It's genius. For $20 you pay a stylist to pick out 5 items for you. First thing you need to do is sign up for a free account and give them some information about you. They will ask you to rate different clothing items and tell them what you love and what you don't love. Then you can tell them if you want a fix once a month or every other month. Then you wait :) Who doesn't LOVE getting actual mail in the mail :). About a month later your box will arrive. I was SO excited the first time (and who am I kidding EVERY TIME) to open up that box and see what's inside! You will get 5 things every time...clothes, jewelry, hand bags...to pick from. You can pick as many as you'd like or none at all. In three days you need to check out online and tell them what you are keeping and what you are sending back. You will have a $20 credit from the styling fee that will be used towards anything you keep! They send you a prepaid shipping bag to put whatever you don't like or want into and just drop it in the mail! SO easy and SO fun! I definitely have kept things that I LOVE and I know I never would have bought them if I were out shopping by myself...and let's be honest I'm the best shopper I know LOL. So give it a try! It's a ton of fun and you may just get something fantastic that you would never have thought of :) Here is a little sneak peak of a few things I have gotten so far in my boxes...some I've kept and others have gone back.

If you do want to give it a try please use this referral code! :) https://www.stitchfix.com/referral/4076189

Well I did it! I ran my first marathon! What an amazing experience. It really is an incredible thing to know that your body is capable of doing such a thing. I set a plan for myself to only focus on two miles at a time. I knew that every two miles there would be a water station where I could walk, drink some water and stretch my legs and knees. So at every station I told myself just go another two miles and see how you feel. This worked very well until around mile 20 LOL. Miles 20-26 weren't so easy to mentally get through. Those miles I had to physically and mentally get myself through a mile at a time. I let myself walk when I needed to and took extra breaks. I would say the last mile was the toughest but seeing that finish line at the end made everything worth it. It was an incredible experience that I will never forget. Recovery is not an easy thing after a marathon and I'm working my way through that now. I'll post some tips in the future :).

Rest days were something I used to look forward to when I planned my weekly workouts. It was something I "worked" towards. Now they are something I dread. Don't get me wrong it's nice to have a day where I'm not trying to squeeze in a workout and getting a little extra time and and sleep but my body just isn't happy. I'm addicted...to the sweat...to the endorphins...to the happy feeling I get when I just kicked ass :) There is an amazing feeling when you know that you're body is strong and healthy and able to push even further. So when rest day comes along I try to appreciate that my body needs a break but I sure do miss that push and those endorphins. This week is especially tough because according to my marathon training plan tomorrow is also a rest day. Granted my brain knows Sunday my sorry self will be running 26.2 miles my body says hey wait a second!! So what exactly does a rest day do for your body?

Raising healthy kids isn't easy. We are up against huge corporations that are constantly advertising garbage to our children. It's on tv and the stores and their friends are talking about it. It's up to us as parents to be a good example. Show them what healthy living looks like. I like to talk to the kids while I'm making dinner and let them try different foods and explain why healthy food is good for their body. Does a little cheat meal here or there hurt anyone? No way and I never want them to think that....but on the other hand I never want them to think McDonalds is a healthy go to meal. Just yuck. So a few weeks ago when the kiddos were sleeping at my mom's she sent me a text saying that she was taking them to McDonald's for a treat. Mark, my oldest son, replied "Mama said McDonalds isn't very healthy but every once in a while it's ok." They are listening....they are watching...they are learning. :)

Just wanted to share my favorite shakeology recipe! I LOVE to blend chocolate shakeology with pbs2 (which is powdered peanut butter) and almond milk. SO good! It fills me up and gives me so much energy throughout the day! I love to have my shakeology for breakfast in the mornings :).

Head on over to my facebook page and vote! I am having a FREE push up or squat challenge. What would you like to work on most? Your booties or your shoulders? Let's get to work!! :) https://www.facebook.com/meganvthompson

6 days away from a marathon run and I dread seeing you every night. Why do you cause so much pain. Everyone says the more time you and I spend together the less painful it will become but that doesn't seem to be happening. The pain in the knee comes from the IT band in my leg and you are supposed to be the magic cure. Runners knee...the tension and tightness of muscles. The idea behind the foam roller is to use your body weight to "self massage" the areas that are bothering you. For me this is a dreaded event and HURTS lol. I know that the more I do it the less pain I will have while running but let me tell you that is not an easy thing to tell myself with that silly piece of foam digging into my legs. So my friend you may have your grips on me for the next 6 days but after that you and I need some time apart :).

48 hours after Halloween has ended and the shelves are PACKED with Christmas items. I walked through Target this morning in disbelief at the amount of people in the Christmas area loading their carts. I must admit I felt slightly annoyed. The Halloween stuff hasn't even been packed up yet and aren't we forgetting a holiday in between? Where are the turkeys? Where is our moment to be thankful for what we already have? I wanted to stop them and say wait, slow down. Why are we rushing things. Let's slow down and take the time to celebrate and be thankful for who we have in our lives and what we have.

Did you know that the average American gains between 7 - 12 pounds between Halloween and New Years. It seems like it starts with those few pieces of harmless candy and then it's Thanksgiving dinner, a holiday party here and there, drinks with friends to celebrate and then we get on the scale. YIKES. How did that happen? It's happened to all of us. Panic sets in...our pants are too tight and we vow to make changes. The new years rush begins. Why do we do that to ourselves? Why not start now and promise ourselves to take better care of our bodies..feel better..look better. Will we have times where we enjoy dinners, candy, drinks? OF COURSE. That's life and we are living it but that can be our exception to the rule. Not the rule. Let's make a commitment to ourselves that we are going feel great, fit into those clothes that make you feel confident, have a brighter smile, healthy hair because we are taking care of ourselves. Join me in a facebook challenge using the 21 day fix program and lose 15 pounds instead of gaining them! You can contact me here for more information! https://www.facebook.com/meganvthompson The challenge begins November 24th!! Let's do this!