So many people have messaged me with questions about Shakeology, so I created this post for a Challenge Group I am running on Facebook (If you haven't participated in any yet, and are interested, just shoot me a message and I can give you all the information-- Challenge groups are FREE!), and I knew I had to share this in a blog post, because it is very important to know what you are putting into this temple of yours....
This is a long, in-depth post-- simply because there is so much greatness to talked about.
Why Shakeology?
I began drinking green vegan smoothie back in 2011
when I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), lacked energy, was
gaining weight at a rapid pace, and for the first time in my life, in my mid
20s, I had acne. I completely overhauled my diet, and spent so much time and
money on these shakes. Here is a quick rundown on what I would purchase: The
Vegan Protein Powder ($50), Wheatgrass ($30), Maca Powder ($20), Green Tea Extract
($10), Spirulina ($20), Acai ($25)...and then I would purchase a multivitamin
($45), probiotic ($15), digestive enzymes ($20), vitamin c, d, b12, b6, magnesium,
calcium... Ya get the point?
After years of drinking this shake and spending so
much time every morning making it, I realized I was not getting the results I
wanted. I was constantly bloated, gassy, still exhausted, and it really didn't
taste all that great...
So In October I ran out of all of my products. My CPA
hubby sat down and calculated how much it would cost for me to purchase all the
products again...
He agreed that the best option for me would be to try
Shakeology. It not only had ALL of the ingredients I was buying separately for
my shakes, but it had everything else that I wanted to put in my shakes but
could not afford--Rose Hip, Chlorella, Moringa, Ginko, among so many others! It
also provided sufficient vitamins, probiotics, and digestive enzymes so that I
did not have to replenish every single vitamin I was taking.
I started the shakes and the most wonderful thing
happened, I had SO much energy! Within a few weeks my skin cleared up, and I
lost a few pounds. Overall I felt amazing for the first time in a long time!
Now I drink my Shakeology every single day after my morning
workout, which is currently the 21-Day Fix Extreme. My favorite recipe is the
Vegan Chocolate with filtered water (I don't even miss or need my nut milk!),
half a frozen banana, and a tablespoon of ground flaxseed.
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| I love drinking my Shakeology after a hard workout. It hydrates and replenishes me-- giving me energy to take on the rest of the day. |
What IS Shakeology?
To be honest, for years I would see the Shakeology ads after my P90X workouts, and just assume it was crap. It wasn't until last winter that my Beachbody coach sent me a few samples, when I really sat down and did my research. Here is what I found and what really made me bite the bullet and purchase it:
In a nutshell, Shakeology is a nutrient dense meal
replacement. It is not a protein shake. It is not a diet shake. Yes, it has 16
wonderful grams of protein, and yes, you may very well lose weight. But the
reason you lose weight is because your body is finally getting ALL of the
essential phytonutrients and minerals it needs—you are consuming "the rainbow" in just one meal. In order for us to
consume all of these minerals and vitamins through diet we would have to
consume 27,000 (yes, I said thousand!) calories a day! Therefore, your cravings
nearly disappear. That dieting rut that we all tend to hit around the second
and third week doesn't happen. So you can continue with your diet, and as a
result continue losing weight!
Now, let’s break down what exactly is in Shakeology
and what it does for you:
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| I was able to convince my hubby to start drinking Shakeology daily. He is a NO-Veggie, NO-fruit, NO-vitamin type of guy, and he loves the energy and regularity Shakeology gives him while I love knowing he is FINALLY getting a nutrient dense meal in his diet! |
Protein and Amino Acids are supplied through Whey (only
in regular Shakeology—replaced with rice and oat in the vegan varieties), Pea,
Chia, Quinoa, Amaranth, Flax, Ahaca Inchi.
What do these proteins and amino acids do for your body? They help you
build lean muscles, improve your skin and hair, support optimal brain function,
improve your mood, and reduce your cravings (hence, weight loss).
Then we have our powerful antioxidants and super-fruits,
which help reduce oxidative damage from free radicals, promote heart health,
supports joint health, and brain health. These ingredients include Cacao, Coconut
Flower Necter, Acerola Cherry, Pomegranate, Camu Camu, Bilberry, Goji Berry,
Blueberry, Acai, Green Tea, Rose Hips, Cinnamon, Luo Han Guo (Wow those are difficult
to pronounce!)
According to Dr. Furman M.D. in his book, Super Immunity, Super
foods should be consumed in “significant amounts and simultaneously”. When you consume these powerful antioxidants
simultaneously, and shift to a diet with a range of immune system strengthening
and cancer-fighting foods, you have “Super Immunity”. As the words Super
Immunity say in it’s self, this is immunity that can help you, “age in
confidence, not fear, and in excellent health.” He then concludes, “We have to
learn that illness and disease are not the inevitable consequences of aging,
and that it is in our control not to get sick.”
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| My little cousin, who battled a brain tumor at 19, and then cancer at 21, has struggled with eating healthy and losing weight. Check out this post! |
These phytonutrients and super-greens (think about those colorful plant foods) help alkalize the body and promote detoxification of the liver,
kidneys, and blood to restore health and vitality. The Standard American Diet
(SAD) is a diet that promotes acidity in our bodies. As a consequence, acidity leads
to illnesses and disease-- to cancer.
An acidic/alkaline diet has to do with the pH (potential
of hydrogen) in our bodies which is measured on a scale from1-14. If a food is
alkaline it has a pH of 7.0 and higher, if it is acidic it has a pH of lower
than 7.0. Our bodies are made to function with a very narrow pH range of 7.365
(slightly more alkaline). As Kris Carr
notes in her book, Crazy Sexy Diet, even a minor fluctuation in the bloods pH
measure creates “distress signals”. Symptoms can be anything from, “a runny nose to skin eruptions, heartburn,
eczema, inflammation, arthritis, poor circulation, chronic fatigue, IBS, a
weakened immune system, cancer.” In addition an acidic diet is a breading
ground for bad bacteria, yeast, and fungi. So you can imagine that a blood pH
below 7.0 (more acidic) is extremely detrimental to your health. By eating more alkalizing foods
(phytonutrients and super-greens) we are actually decreasing our chances of
being ill. However, it is not just diet that affects your pH—but lack of
exercise, anger, drugs, cigarettes, and stress can all add to acidity. Shakeology
contains an array of these phytonutrients and superfoods: Moringa, Spirulina,
Chlorella, Spinach, barley Grass, Kamut Grass, Oat Grass, and Wheat Grass.
Consuming these powerful detoxifiers on a regular basis is one huge step
towards health and vitality.
Next we have the Adaptogen Herbs, which protect our
bodies from stress (in turn also protecting us from acidity), support the
immune system, and balance the endocrine system. Dr. Bertrand Babinet, Ph. D.,
LAc. refers to Adaptogen Herbs as the “key to longevity and optimal health”. In
aging, there are two mechanisms in our body, anabolism and catabolism.
Anabolism is the positive—it is healing, healing, and balancing. Catabolism is
the opposite: active, deteriorating, and stressful. So obviously we need to increase anabolism in
order to age gracefully. When we are stressed, the bodies natural balancing of
homeostasis may cause anabolic and catabolic to function improperly. This is
the reason why we feel tired, depressed, have insomnia, anxiety, weight imbalances,
and a lack of libido while under stress. Adaptogen Herbs restore health and
vitality naturally by hindering stress and aging, increasing stress resistance,
balancing antioxidants, regulating the inflammatory response, and balancing
both the endocrine and neuroendocrine systems. The Adaptogen ingredients found
in Shakeology include Maca powder, Astragalus, Ashwagandha, Maitake Mushroom,
Coryceps, Reishi Mushroom, Schisandra, Ginkgo, and Tulsi.
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| I am a busy teacher by day, and my Shakeology gives me energy, it is easy to make, and accessible so I can drink it in the morning while I teach. |
One of my favorite things about Shakeology is that it
has both Prebiotics and Probiotics. Our systems rely heavily on our intestines.
Sixty to seventy percept of our immune power is in our digestive tract.
Unfortunately the friendly bacteria in our digestive tract can be damaged due
to poor diet—too much sugar, too much animal protein, and too little fiber,
along with alcohol use, drugs, and antibiotics (you read that right!). Pre and
Probiotics promote regularity, they support a balanced micro flora environment
in the intestinal tract (good bacteria), and as a result- improve digestion. In
order to absorb and reap all the benefits of the healthy nutrients and vitamins
we consume, we NEED these pre and probiotics to protect the good bacteria. An added
bonus, with prebiotics and probiotics already in Shakeology- that is one less
supplement you need to spend money on AND also a very important supplement to
help you digest and reap the benefits of all the nutrients packed into this
shake.
Lastly we have our digestive enzymes. Digestive
enzymes help the body break down foods and increase absorption of nutrients—so
you can really benefit from all of those phytonutrients! Consuming digestive
enzymes take some of the load off of your digestive system and in turn allows
your body to divert that energy elsewhere. In addition, digestive enzymes help
the body with elimination. Hence why you may go to the bathroom more often when
you drink your Shakeology, and another reason why you may lose weight!
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| Chocolate Vegan Shakeology taste like brownie mix (in my opinion!), so I am not tempted to even take a nibble of these once loved chocolates that my students brought me for Valentine's Day. |
Now imagine all of these phytonutrients as food, which you should consume
on a day-to-day basis for optimal health. In one regular (non-vegan) Shakeology you
consume $41 worth of food: 3 cups of romaine lettuce, 4 cups of raw mushrooms,
1 shot of wheat grass, 1 bowl of exotic fruit, 3 raw onions, 7 raw carrots, 4
cups of nonfat yogurt, 4 cups of red radishes, 4 cups of raw broccoli, 1 cup of
peas, 1 cups of raw cauliflower.
So there you have it- a TON of information on Shakeology (incase you didn't wanna ask ;) Please, please, please do not hesitate to ask me any questions! In addition, I would to LOVE to connect and help you reach your health and fitness goals so comment below, or contact me:
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Amanda-Liska-Certified-Health-Wellness-Counselor/147155218701641
or friend request me on my personal FB account at https://www.facebook.com/amanda.migliaccio.7
or friend request me on my personal FB account at https://www.facebook.com/amanda.migliaccio.7
Find me on BeachBody: http://www.teambeachbody.com/member/sn/AmandaLiskamandaLiska
Follow me on Twitter: @amandaliska
BeachBody Email: AmandaLiska11@beachbodycoach.com
Personal Email: amandalynne415@gmail.com
Healthy & Happiness,
A
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| It addition to Shakeology, I have been doing 21 Day Fix Extreme-- Shakeology has helped keep my cravings down, my energy up, and my digestive system regulated. In one week I lost 6lbs, 2inches in my waist, 1 inch in my thighs and hips. After the 21 Days I am now down 6lb. and 5 inches bin my waist, 4.5 inches in my hips, 1 inch in each of my thighs. |
