No Longer With Beachbody

I know - I've been a big time advocate for Shakeology, Beachbody's superfood meal-replacement shake. It's a wonderful product that can play a key role in helping people live and eat healthier. It has many benefits and is a very unique supplement. In my teaming with Beachbody as one of their Coaches (or distributors), I've been sharing it with everyone. But it didn't take very long for me to start feeling uncomfortable sharing it with people and it really took awhile for me figure out WHY. This video will explain what I came to realize.

To put it in ultra simple terms, I didn't want to encourage people to spend too much money on something like this. The idea of that just didn't sit well with me. I hope this made sense and wasn't unnecessarily confusing. If you have any questions about the Facebook group, Beachbody, or anything at all, feel free to leave a comment or message me on Facebook.

In Christ,

Caroline

FREE Shakeology Samples!

Do you ever feel like you don't have time to be sick or run down? As a busy college student, I've experienced that feeling. Fortunately, a healthy diet and a good dose of exercise is enough to keep my health and energy where it should be. Unfortunately, keeping those things in check isn't always easy. That's why I'm so excited that someone introduced me to Shakeology. This amazing and delicious nutrition shake fills in all the gaps in my diet. In fact, I have yet to become sick since I started drinking Shakeology. I have energy to approach the day, do what needs to be done, and not be too tired for my husband, friends or family. I’m such a believer in it that I will send you a sample on my own dime if you’d like to try it.
It really takes a month or so to really feel the full benefits of Shakeology on your body — from reduced cravings, to increased energy, improved digestion (this list could go on and on). All of that being said, my disclaimer is this: One sample won’t transform your life! So if you are considering Shakeology and are hesitant to buy it before you taste it, that’s what this sample offer is for. If you aren’t serious about ordering Shakeology, please don’t ask me for a sample because it costs me over $5 of my own money to send each sample out. Thanks! :)


If you want to learn more about Shakeology, please take a moment to watch the brief video posted below.

The requirements for receiving a free Shakeology sample are:

1) You must be a member of my team. If you haven’t made me your coach yet, that’s easy, and free.
You can join my team by clicking HERE! Then just follow the insructions to fill out the form for a free team beachbody account.  If it asks for your coach referral enter username “carolinehoag” Then you will show up on our team. Simple! If you already have a teambeachbody account, you already have a coach.  If you do not know your coach, we can talk about transferring you to my team –   simply send me an e-mail at carolinehoag@beachbodycoach.com and we can talk about it.
2) You haven’t tried Shakeology before and are serious about ordering Shakeology if you like the taste.
Please indicate which flavor you would like (Chocolate or Greenberry). I personally like the Chocolate much better, so that’s my recommendation! Also, PLEASE agree to try the sample within the first 48 hours of receiving it, and let me know what you think after you try it!
When you have signed up for your free profile, simply send me an e-mail at carolinehoag@beachbodycoach.com.
In the e-mail indicate:
1. Your Name.
2. Your full mailing address
3.  Your preference (chocolate or greenberry)

Thanks for joining my team!

Grace and peace,

Caroline

The Breakthrough: Shakeology

If you're interested in learning more about Shakeology, look no further!

Simple Frozen Fruit Sorbet

This takes about 1 minute to make and is the most yummy refreshing summertime treat!

If you have a bullet blender, Ninja or some food processor with a small cup, that works best.

Choose a frozen fruit. Any frozen fruit.
Raspberries
Blueberries
Peaches
Mangos
Strawberries    

My favorite right now is frozen Bing Cherries.

Put about a cup (give or take) into the blender cup

and then add a tablespoon of water, juice or milk for a sherbet-like quality.

You're looking for a thick, smooth and creamy consistency.

Keep adding very small amounts of liquid until the fruit and liquid have created

SORBET!!!

I love to add lime juice to the cherries for the initial tablespoon of liquid 

and then keep adding water until I have a nice, thick sorbet.

Cherry Lime sorbet is a really delicious treat that is very healthy and low in calories.

What flavor combination are you going to try?

Comment to share!

~Caroline~

Why Confrentation is a Good Thing

This scene from The Office cracks me up! But here's the thing...

If I'm honest, I would have to say that I totally level with Michael Scott on this one. 

It's becoming more and more clear to me how much I desire to be well-liked.

And when I say more and more clear, 

I mean uncomfortably clear.

Disturbingly clear.

I don't even know if 'disturbingly' is a word;

But this wanting to be liked thing

Can really hinder me showing true, sisterly love to the people in my life.

Let me explain.

The pastor and Chase's and my church here in Emporia 

spoke on the topic of confrontation a few weeks ago.

He talked about why we don't like it

But how it's a very good thing.
Here are a couple questions from my notes over this sermon.

"What happens to the people you love if they are never, ever confronted?"

Answer: tradgey.

Think about it:

"How much do you have to hate someone

to let them persist in their sin?

To not tell them about Jesus Christ?"

Answer: Either we love others 

or

we seek to have others love us.

Big thought? Yes.

True? Absolutely.

Convicting? You bet.

How often do I rather seek to be loved by others

rather than love them?

I fear confrontation because I fear loss of relationship.

I don't want to be disliked, or worse, hated.

Another thing the pastor said,

"The Christian understands that confronting someone 

is not about our preference versus theirs.

Confrontation, when done in love,

is redemptive and the most loving thing we can do.

In the sermon, the example of Moses, Aaron, and the golden calf was used

to show how to go about confrontation as demonstrated in God's Word.

When Moses came down from the mountain,

saw the idol that was the golden calf,

he first gives his brother Aaron the benefit of the doubt.

He doesn't say, "You idiot! Do you see what you've done??"

No, Moses held Aaron accountable, but did not directly accuse nor condemn him.

After Moses learned what happened,

he didn't wait for the perfect moment to have a little heart-to-heart with Aaron.

Rather, once he learns the truth of the matter,

he grabs the calf and destroys it.

Is there someone in your life

that claims to be a Christian, but needs to hear the Truth?

They may hate you for it at the time.

But, in love, do it anyway.

We confront people for the honor and glory of God,

that His name may not be defamed.

We must point to Spiritual Truth (Galatians 1:8).

The most unloving thing Moses could have done in that situation

would have been to allow the idolatry of the golden calf to continue.

Because if it did, the people of Israel would have been consumed by God's wrath.

Instead, he destroyed the calf so that

1) God's name would not be defamed

and

2) The people would not be destroyed themselves.

Bringing it back to my conviction of so loving to be liked,

I need to realize that avoiding confronting someone in a loving way

is the least loving thing I could do for that person.

Letting it roll off my back and

hoping someone else will speak up

is not looking out for that person nor is it loving them as I ought.

Rather, I must first pray for the Holy Spirit to use me as a tool

(because I have plenty of issues to work on myself, to say the least)

that it would be His words spoken in love trhough me.

Then I gotta put on my big girl boots,

forget about being liked

and lovingly point someone to Spiritual Truth.

Not because I'm great.

On the contrary, I am the least of these.

But because, with the Lord speaking through me,

I am able.

What happens to the people you love if they are never confronted?

Shakeology Cleanse - Update!

Shakeology Cleanse

Ahh. What a relaxing week it was.

I'm now back at school after a refreshing spring break.

I got to spend lots of time with family, my mom and sisters in particular,

my wonderful fiance, Chase, and his family

and even my grandma!

I also got the chance to really focus on wedding plans

and am pleased to say that Chase and I covered a lot of ground last week.

I packed my trusty Ten Minute Trainer DVDs

and planned to hit the workouts hard over break.

I'm sad to report that this only happened

twice

over the course of ten days.

Not because I didn't have time.

Not because I don't like them.

I simply got lazy about sticking with my routine.

Two days of workouts is better than nothing,

but my exercise routines and healthy eating were seriously rattled.

In response, I am looking to my dear friend, Shakeology,

to help me get back on track, boost my energy,

kick the wacky cravings, and just FEEL better!

There's a nice little 3-day cleanse that has been created for Shakeology users

to do anything from kick starting new health habits or weight loss 

to helping one get back on track after falling out of habit for a bit.

(The latter, of course, is me. :))

It's nothing too intense -

I'll be drinking three shakes a day

and eating some other much needed, nutrient-dense calories.

It's three short days

and I know I'm going to feel so much better.

I'll hop back on here when it's over to share my experience.

Excited. :)

Grace and peace,

Caroline

Take Heart

"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulations. But take heart; I have overcome the world."

John 16:33

I so often find myself worrying. Too often. I worry about things that are happening now. I worry about things that are yet to come. Shoot, I even worry about things that are done, over, have already happened and come to pass.

Christ does not call me or any of us to worry. In fact, He tells us, commands us even to "not worry about your life." (Matthew 6)

Christ has overcome the world.

That means that the things of the past, what's going on now, and all that is yet to come in the future are under His control, under His sovereignty, and that He's bigger than all of it. ALL of it! Everything. Totally, completely over and above and in control of all things. 

I'm memorizing John 16:33 this week along with my Scripture memory class, and I am so thrilled to have this promise written on my heart. What peace to know that when I face trial or tribulation Christ has already overcome it. God is in control.

*Exhaling*

Praise the Lord. 

Frozen Banana Slices

I love little tips like this. Thanks, Emma!

My favorite Shakeology recipe:

(I put the ingredients in my blender in this order)

Ice 

About 5 frozen, overripe banana slices (I use a whole banana if it's fresh)

1 Tbs. natural peanut butter

4-6 oz. milk or almond milk

4-6 oz. cold water

You can also use chocolate protein powder. I personally love Shakeology because it has 18 grams of protein, plus 70+ other natural, whole, super healthy foods that add up to more than a day's servings of fruits and vegetables. Simplicity. :)

In case you've been curious about that banner on the right ------->

it's not there by chance. 

I purposely put it there because I LOVE this stuff!

I've been using it for a little over a month, and here are the changes I've noticed:

-I have more ENERGY

-Increased focus

-I have better regularity

-I haven't been sick despite the flu and viruses going around

-I just feel BETTER!

If you're interested in how you can get this stuff, please message me, call or leave a comment! I'd love to introduce you to it. 

Grace and peace,

Caroline

Jesus, our Great High Priest

Before the throne of God above

I have a strong and perfect Plea

A Great High Priest whose name is Love

Who ever lives and pleads for me.

My name is graven on His hands,

My name is written on His heart

I know that while in heaven He stands,

No tongue can bid me thence depart.

The Lord has used this hymn to melt my heart of stone time and again.

Jesus, the Son of God, was crushed by His Father

So that I might escape the wrath of God.

After Jesus was risen back to life 

He returned to His Father in Heaven.

Now, He stands in Heaven pleading my case

on my behalf. 

Jesus is interceding for me every day.

The words of this hymn put this vital truth so beautifully

my heart cannot help but melt in humility and gratitude

to my Savior. 

My God.

My Friend.

My Maker.

My Great High Priest.

Lord Jesus, You are going before Your Father on my behalf

that God would find favor with me 

because of what you have done on the cross.

Forgive my prideful heart that likes to believe that I earn my salvation

by the things that I do or don't do.

Forgive me when I'm lazy and put off time spent with You

or time spent reading your Word.

Forgive me, for I have been unloving, judgmental, callous and angry.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, 

and renew a right spirit within me.

In Jesus name, the name above all names,

Amen.

10 Minute Trainer!

Forgot to mention something!

Another really good reason to hop on teambeachbody.com and get your free account is, not only to have me as a coach for free, but you get access to all kind of articles, videos, diet and fitness tools, AND the WOWY SuperGym. 

WOWY stands for Work Out With You. It's a really cool system! The WOWY gym creates that "gym community" atmosphere that a lot of folks find really motivating. When you log on, you can enter your workout and see who else is in the SuperGym with you. You might notice someone in WOWY that's using your same program and you can add them as a buddy. You could then message them and ask them how they're utilizing the program, what's working for them, etc. 

And as an incentive to get people moving, Beachbody gives away money to Team Beachbody members EVERYDAY just for working out! There's a $300 daily prize, a daily electronic giveaway (like a camera or iPod) and a weekly $1,000 giveaway. BOOM! That's a pretty nice bonus for someone who was going to workout anyway. :) 

If you've got a free account, you do have to fill out a little form online each day to be entered, but you have just as good a chance as any of the Club members who are entered automatically every time they log their workout.

 So, if that floats your boat

 I encourage you to get your account by going to my website http://beachbodycoach.com/cmark519

and click "join" (lower half of the page) and then you won't have to worry about entering my profile name like I said earlier.

***********************************

My new 10 Minute Trainer program from Beachbody (that I WON) came in the mail today! Yay!

Couldn't wait to try it out and share about it with you.

If this program is something you'd be interested to invest in, don't hesitate to get in touch with me. Leave a comment, shoot me a Facebook message, an email - anything!

As a Beachbody Coach, I've got the hookup. :)

Grace and peace,

Caroline

Women Equipping Women

What an incredible blessing this day has been!

God brought me to an amazing Women Equipping Women conference today at Flint Hills Christian Church, in Emporia. Lisa Hughes, author, speaker, pastor's wife, mom and a beautiful example of the Christian woman, talked about living with unmet expectations.

Now, I could probably write pages and pages of everything that this conference taught me and what opened up in my heart today. I was so moved and convicted. It was a breath of fresh air. It brought me so much peace. 

Here are some of my favorite thoughts from Lisa's sessions:

• At the root of unmet expectations lies discontentment - wanting something "better" or different.
• The fruit of unmet expectations/discontentment can look like many things:
• bitterness
• anger
• impatience
• irritability/a grumpy attitude
• depression
• sorrow/moping
• disunity/conflict
• "Grown-up pouting" (the classic: -How are you? -FINE.)
• Jealousy
• distrust in God/others
• covetousness
• hypocrisy 
• Fear/anxiety
• These are all symptoms (fruit) of a deeper heart issue: discontentment. 

• Remember: The Lord, who is sovereign over everything, allows everything in your life to happen. Even that which is difficult, uncomfortable or painful, He allows to happen for our good.
• Remember: The Holy Spirit is transforming your heart and your life, and this is a process. God is in complete control over your spiritual growth - the timing, everything.
• Contentment is being satisfied, not needing/wanting anything else in order to be happy/fulfilled
• How we think affects our life. Wring thinking, namely wrong thinking about God and Christ, must be corrected.
• Every sin we commit can be traced back to a wrong view of God. We must build a foundation of right thinking.
• I am a sinner and deserve everything that happens to me.
• My trials are fewer than my sins.
• If I am experiencing unmet expectations it is because God has deemed it good for me.
• The Lord will never disappoint me.
• Sometimes we think we'll get to a point in our life where we won't struggle. This is not true. The deeper God works in us, the more yucky stuff there is to dig up. We continue to grow.

• He doesn't allow anything to happen that He hasn't deemed good for us.

 Love it.
I deeply encourage you to make the time to listen to these sessions and allow God to work in your heart by them.

Flint Hills will be posting Lisa's sessions on their website very soon - keep an eye out for the link!

Lisa also has a book that I'm very excited to dive into: God's Priorities for Today's Woman, [Discovering God's Plan for You].

I could not wait to hop on here and share these wonderful truths with all of you. 

Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord, Jesus Christ!

No matter what has happened, what I am in the midst of, and whatever is to come, I can rest assured that the God of the universe has deemed it good.

Have a blessed night, everyone. 

Grace and Peace,

Caroline

A Word On Physical Energy

We've all experienced it.

Days when we're dragging...and have no idea why.

I got a great night's sleep! 

I've been eating healthy! 

But have I been moving?

When it comes to physical energy, sometimes we gotta give a little to get it.

It seems backwards to me.

And yet, I've experienced it time and again.

When I'm tired, feeling run down, but I know I'm not getting sick, 

getting active

not only wakes me up for the time being, 

but it pushes me through the rest of my day.

Take a time-out.

Pick a verse. Dwell on it.

[Don't fall asleep!]

From there, get your second wind and get moving.

Jog around the neighborhood.

Grab your favorite workout DVD, and PUSH PLAY!

Can't catch a break?

Do calf raises as you wash dishes, do squats while you sort the laundry, tighten your abs and focus on breathing as your drive here and there.

Question:

How do you get moving?

What are your multi-tasking fitness moves?

Favorite workout DVD?

Have a wonderful day, everyone!

In Christ,

Caroline 

 

Spiritually Fit

Question of the day:

What makes you THRIVE in this life? 

How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.
With my whole heart I seek you;
let me not wander from your commandments!
I have stored up your word in my heart,

 that I might not sin against you.

Psalm 119: 9-11

I am so blessed to have become part of a wonderful Scripture memory group this year. My fiance, Chase, and I both meet with this group every week. Memorizing new Scripture every week has been a humbling experience. God is teaching me self-discipline as I strive to recite His word daily. It is now written on my heart - how cool is that?? If you have been trying to memorize Scripture on your own but have found it extremely difficult, I encourage you to meet weekly with someone. Whether it's your spouse, a friend, or a family member, find SOMEBODY that will partner with you to memorize a new verse each week and commit to reciting them to yourself daily and to one another at least once a week. Start a group! I have been blessed beyond belief by meeting with a small group from my church every Sunday night to recite our Bible verses to one another and discuss what God teaches us through these verses. Hiding God's precious Word in our hearts is one of the most important things we can do. By His mercy and grace, these verses will come to you in times of joy and in times of sorrow, in times you need to encourage someone but your words just aren't enough, in times of plenty and in times of want. It's not about just getting it done and being able to know and say that you did it - it's about thriving in God's word every day, living and breathing it. Think about it as a way of gaining spiritual fitness. The Bible lays it out: "How does a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to Your word....I have stored up Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you."

Grace and peace,

Caroline