#HHHyoga30 Challenge Day 5 Pigeon and Childs Pose

Here's todays video! Pigeon and Childs Pose

Hey crusaders! Here's just a quick post with my newest video in my #HHHyoga30 series. 

Today is Pigeon and Childs pose! 

Check out the video, and if you're new to either of these poses, try them out and leave a comment on what you thought of them. 

They are two of my favorites! 

Enjoy!

-Leah 

#HHHyoga30 Yoga Challenge! 8/31-9/30

Who loves yoga and has two thumbs? THIS KID!!!

Over the past few months, I've been focusing more on cardio, weights, running etc. and I love that stuff, do NOT get me wrong. The 21 Day Fix has changed my LIFE...seriously....for realzzzz.

.....But, I missed my good, ole buddy, Yoga.

Generally, I am a pretty high stress person. I mean come on, I am a Gemini and we are basically thinking about 5,000,000 things all the time. It gets a little crazy up there. Yoga, is not only an amazing workout, its so good for your body, mind, and spirit. When I do yoga, I am calm, and relaxed, but still getting my butt kicked at the same time. THAT my friends, is magic.

Since there is NO WAY I will EVER stop drinking my Shakeology (that sh&t is the greatest stuff ever and I would Rick Roll you and post that song, but I wont.....but its true. shakeology, "I am never going to give you up, never going to let you down....") I decided to do my own shakeology and 30 days of yoga challenge and see just how HEALTHY I can get from those two amazing buddies of mine.

So far, I am in my first week and can not tell you how amazing I am feeling! I have the shakeology to give me all my superfood amazingness to fuel my body and yoga to help keep me grounded, balanced and fit.

I am a happy girl!

Each day, I am trying to share some clips/videos from my challenge so If you're new to yoga, you could learn some, nice easy poses. Day 3, I had the request for something that was a nice stretch for your back and shoulders so I chose "Thread the Needle".

This is one of my FAVORITES!!! I learned this one years ago and its totally one of my "go to's" after a long day at a desk or in front of the computer. Its an amazing stretch for your back and shoulders.....ahhhh........Glorious.

So for day 4, I showcased a couple other favorites, downward dog and plank. Plank position is seriously one of my favorites. Its a TOTAL body exercise and its amazing. It works your arms, your core, your legs, back....the whole thannnng! 

 Downward dog is another great stretch for your back, shoulders and legs. Plus, downward dog is so easy to learn, I think everyone should know how to do it. There have been many an afternoon when I needed to bust out a little DWG to relieve some stress and back pain.

I love it.

This is going on all month and I would love you to join me either "officially" or "unofficially". lol To officially join me, just use the hashtag #HHHyoga30 with a photo or video on either Facebook or IG.

 Lets YOGAFY social media!

Stay tuned here and on my other social media platforms for more yoga-tastic, superfood fun and updates!

-Leah

Facebook- www.facebook.com/leah.merrill.9
IG @healthhappinesshippiness
email- health.happiness.hippiness@gmail.com
YouTube- Health Happiness and the Pursuit of Hippiness

Mexican style crock pot pork with egg- 21 Day Fix Approved

Yes. It DOES taste as good at it looks. 

Ok party people.....this is da bomb. Yes, I just used the phrase..."da bomb". NO JUDGING! Its just THAT good!

Earlier this week, I posted another crock pot recipe that was more of a "paleo-esque" recipe. This COULD be paleo-y, but, meh...its still amazing....and EASY. My crock pot has once again proved its worth. 

To make the pork, it couldn't be easier. Basically its the following ingredients....

-approx. 3 pounds of pork roast
-approx. 20 ounces of any good quality salsa verde
-1 medium to large yellow onion, chopped. 

Just add all the ingredients to the crock pot (you can certainly sear the pork prior, but I didn't. I was tired, and wanted to get the show on the road), and cook everything on low for about 8 hours. I just threw everything together before I went to bed and woke up to the amazing aroma of NOMS in the morning. 

For this tasty breakfast treat, I just busted out my mixed greens, cooked an egg (I used sunny side up but you can do fried etc as well) and added a little grated cheese on top.

Voila!

Thats it. 

Now, for my 21 DAY FIXERS, this is totally something you can have. Be mindful of your salsa (salt content/sugar) and make sure to factor in your cheese. I'd say, this would count as a GREEN, meh, probably a RED and a half (depending on how much pork you add), and about half a BLUE. This would also make a delightful breakfast burrito using a sprouted grain tortilla. Going the burrito route, you'd add at least 1 YELLOW depending on how much you gorged yourself....

I never do that. 

Oh wait. 

Anyway, I hope you try this and enjoy it! Let me know of you do by leaving a comment and as always, feel free to share and subscribe! 

Talk to you later!

-Leah 

Hi! I'm Leah

Yup, this is me! Hello! 

Hello world! Thank you for checking out my blog! After going back through all my posts, and obsessing over them..which I do often....I realized that I had never really introduced myself. 

I guess you might want to know who this crazy girl is who wants to change the world.

Well, to start, I just turned 40 a few months back (which is terrifying still) but I certainly don't FEEL 40. To me, I am still young, goofy and weird. The difference between me 20 years ago and the person I am today is that I am OK with being that weird and goofy person. Also, through Beachbody and becoming a coach, I am HEALTHIER and HAPPIER that I was so many years ago. 

Aside from loving my job as a coach, and the physical transformation that I've gone through, I have a lot of amazing things in my life that I am so thankful for. 

One of those things that I am thankful for is my husband. This man is a saint. lol He has more patience than Mother Theresa and more tolerance that Gandhi. He is also my BIGGEST supporter in life and in me building my team of other coaches (or what I call, my "crusaders") and creating the life of our dreams. 

Our Wedding kiss 

Most people I know who venture off the normal "corporate path" who are married, get a lot of negativity and push back from their spouses. This is sad, but common. Luckily, my husband wants me to be happy and supports me in all that I do. Plus, he's starting to see me grow as a person and grow our bank account...thats always a good thing. 

We live in the amazing Pacific NW with our two cats, Brady and Finley. When I talk about them, I always find myself saying they are jerks (which they are, but come on, aren't ALL cats?..lets be serious here) but man I love them so much. As of right now, they are our babies and I am totally fine with that. I don't have to give birth, I don't have to ay for them to go to collage, they don't eat much, and zero diapers to change. FUR BABIES FORTHE WIN!!!!!

Brady is the "stair cat" and Finley is the one laying on the floor. 

 
I am also so thankful my amazing team that I work with. Beachbody has brought so much into my life, but one of the greatest gifts has been all the amazing, motivating, inspiring women I have met. They are all so different, and I love that about them. They are beautiful, strong, funny, smart and motivated. They have helped shape my life and have been there for me through some really tough times. I am so lucky and just love them!

Miranda, Lauren and I at Beachbody's Summit this summer

I truly love my life and for the longest time, that wasn't something I was able to say. Because of all the amazing things that my husband, my friends and Beachbody have brought into my life, I have truly been able to see that a "life by design" is more than just a dream. My husband and I are buying our first house, my "job" is something that I truly feel passionate about, and the future is looking pretty darn amazing. 

My main Beachbody "squeezes" after one of our sushi "meetings" :)

If you were like me, and was unhappy, unfulfilled and always felt like there was something ELSE for you....something was MISSING....I encourage you to join me and my team and look into coaching. Its TRULY brought so much empowerment, joy, health and friendship into my life, the only thing that can make it even MORE fulfilling is to share this opportunity with others. 

If you'd like to join my team or are interested in joining my fitness and accountability group on Facebook, feel free to email me @health.happiness.hippiness@gmail.com, or find me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/leah.merrill.9

If you're interested in joining my team and the coaching opportunity, you can fill out my coaching application here..

https://lthompson75.wufoo.com/forms/q16ka3216nr7wk/

Anyway, thats a little bit about me. :) Please subscribe and I will promise to keep you entertained, informed, motivated and inspired to live life to the fullest! 

-Leah 

Easy Paleo Crock pot Pork with Sauerkraut

   
Ok, I am not a big "meat eater" but since I've been trying to prep both my meals AND my husbands meals, I have gotten desperate.

     Out of my desperation, I've busted out my old BFF...Mr. Slow Cooker  or what I like to call him, Mr. Crock pot. He's always there to basically do all of my work for me.

 I love him.

This recipe is pretty paleo friendly, just be careful about your sauerkraut. Some have a lot of sugar. Rinsing the kraut can really help cut down on the sodium content as well. I personally DONT rinse mine just because I don't add any other salt to the dish so I think it just works better for me.

Ok, here are the "deets" so you can get busy. Or should I say, Mr. Crock pot can.

-1, 2-3 pound pork shoulder
2, 16 oz cans sauerkraut
2 tbs stone ground mustard
1 tbs dried dill

Add all ingredients to the  crock pot and cook for 6 hours on low.

Enjoy!

Turbofire 30 Day Challenge.... Day 1

Alright folks.... I'm making this happen. Today, I bought my copy of 21 Day Fix Extreme!!!!!! I'm.....so.......excited!!!!

 So, in preparation for the 21DFX, I need to bump up my fat burning. My "winter coat" is still lingering and needs to get thinned out a bit for my new CRAZY muscles that are going to start showing up as of March 2nd. "Move over bacon......"

That means I need to focus on my least favorite 6 letter word... CARDIO. UGGH!!! The horror!!! But I hate cardio? Does that mean I need to jog endlessly on a treadmill for hours and hours... Traveling to nowhere? Or will I have to sell my soul to the endless stairclimber like some messed up M.C Escher painting?

Nope.

I've found a secret weapon and it's smokin' hot..... Turbofire.

Turbofire has actually been around for a while and honestly, on paper it was terrifying. Dance, cardio, kickboxing with some blonde SUPER amped instructor?!? That sounds like one of the levels of hell to me. Guess what? It's.......AWESOME!

This workout is so fun. Even if you're not coordinated (much like myself) it's awesome. Charlenes energy is not annoying...it's contagious! You may look like a jackass, but you don't care. In your mind you're a bada$$ dancing/fighting machine that is ready to rumble! I highly recommend it!

Like I said I'm doing 30 DAYS of this to prep for our 21 Day Fix Extreme "test" group that starts in March 2 2015. In order to stay motivated, I'm committing to videos, before and after (mostly the after) photos and posts here to check in and hold myself accountable.

Follow along my children. Hold my hand... Maybe give me a little push along the way... And together we will be fat burning balls of fire.... TURBOfire!

Follow me 
IG @healthhappinesshippiness
Facebook www.facebook.com/leah.merrill.9
Email health.happiness.hippiness@gmail.com
"Like" page Health Happiness and the Pursuit of Hippiness

Why work for a living when you can work for a LIFE?

A few days ago, in one of my challenge groups, I spoke about gratitude and shared what I feel grateful for right now and honestly, got very emotional when I really thought of just HOW MUCH I'm thankful for right now. 

Aside from my amazing husband, who will ALWAYS be my number one, I'm soooo grateful for the opportunity I've gotten from becoming Beachbody coach. I currently work for a job that pays well, but does not leave me fulfilled in any way. After my work day, I'd come home, drained and tired and stressed. After doing it for about 10 years now, I've been looking for something else.

That's when Beachbody came into my life.

I bought a challenge pack for the 21 Day Fix, and joined a challenge group. Halfway through the group... My life had changed. I felt and looked better than I had in months, and realized this company is for REAL. It was an eye opener! LESS than 3 months later, I've already advanced to the rank of emerald and have seen my income grow, helped people get healthy.... and I feel GOOD about what I do!

Never have I been part of a company where helping people is #1. Their mission statement is "To HELP people achieve their goals and enjoy healthy, FULFILLING lives"... and they mean it.

I've finally found a company that gives me what I'm looking for, and honestly, what a LOT of people are looking for, but have a hard time finding. They were like me. They search, and search working at a job they HATE because it pays the bills... But that's it. There is no fulfillment and they are depressed, stressed and miserable.

That's where being a Beachbody coach comes in guys. Ask yourself the following...

Do you....

1) Want to earn your living doing something GOOD for others?

2) Work for a company that has an A+ BBB rating?

3) Rewards you with free vacations/bonuses incentives on a regular basis? *Ive been a coach for less than 3 months and already won a free ticket to the Nashville event this year, and NEXT years free trip is a CRUISE to Jamaica!!** yeah, we get spoiled. Lol

4) Want to set your OWN hours, and work from home? ...In you PJ's if you're like me... Lol

5) Become financially strong with endless earning potential?

6) Want to ENJOY your "work"?

7) Or maybe you just love Shakeology and want to be a Discount coach and then see what comes next?

If this is speaking to you, DONT ignore it. I am looking for the dreamers, the people who have been searching, and people who are ready to make a change in their lives! Be part of an ELITE team! This team is going to be the top 1% of all BB teams this year and into next!

Remember, we all have to work for a living to be able to live. Why not do it in a way that makes you feel... ALIVE!!!

Come join me in this opportunity! Message me or comment if you want be part of our fantastic team

-Leah

Facebook- www.facebook.com/leah.merrill.9

Or you can find me on my "like" page on FB - Health Happiness and the Pursuit of Hippiness

Or on Instagram - @healthhappinesshippiness #tripleHlifestyle

smile emoticon

21 Day Love Story

We all need a little support now and then to reach our goals. I know I do....woah. LOL  Those goals may be fitness/health related or just personal LIFE goals. For me, and for a lot of people I know, our goal is to LOVE ourselves and our bodies. We all have a different vision for that though. 

- It could be to lose some weight to get HEALTHY.

- You may want to feel STRONGER physically and emotionally.

- You may want to look and feel good at the beach or on vacation this year

- Or you just want to say "hey! I gave my fitness 100% focus for 3 weeks straight... And I ACCOMPLISHED that!" 

I know for me, signing up for a challenge group was the answer. If you don't know what  challenge group is...let me tell you. LOL 

Basically, its a 3 week group on Facebook land where people from all over planet Earth come together to share a common goal....to get HEALTHY and feel HAPPY. Each day, there is a daily "challenge"to help keep everyone engaged and to have fun! One day can be something like "Tasty Tuesday" where we are tasked to share your favorite, clean eating recipe with the group. Or maybe its "Progress Monday" and everyone shares how much weight the may have lost, or inches they've lost, how much STRONGER they feel (I know that was the big one for me!) or jut how much BETTER they feel. Either way, every day we engage with one another, sharing in our journey... and let me tell you, having that support is AMAZING. 

To be part of a challenge group, all you need to do is get in contact with me, so I can give you instructions on getting started, and then from there, we can talk about what your goals are and determine what is going to be the best, most effective program for you! Trust me when I say, we have a LOT of great deals and options right now! 

Whatever your goal or vision is, my team and I are here to help! We start this group on 2/2/15 and have limited spots available! Contact me if you want to be part of it! We'd love to have you!

Woo hoo! 

Have FUN with us and fall in love with fitness and yourself!

-Leah

Facebook- www.facebook.com/leah.merrill.9

Or you can find me on my "like" page on FB - Health Happiness and the Pursuit of Hippiness

Or on Instagram - @healthhappinesshippiness #tripleHlifestyle