"What is that?!" I said with weird disgust. "It's a spaghetti quash." Explained my roommate. "Why? Does it have spaghetti inside?!" Now I was getting excited. "Well, no. It's a squash. But after you cook it, it looks like spaghetti." "Oh. That's gross." That was the end of that conversation a mere five years ago... until two weeks ago, when on a whim, I purchased a spaghetti squash from the super market. The scariest food purchase I've made, to date (I'm just not ready for beets yet). What to do with this thing? Can I made it taste like spaghetti? Forget cooking it, how do I open it?! My Facebook friends seemed to have a lot to say. Some hate it, some love it. Some swear it tastes like spaghetti, some told me if I expect it to taste like spaghetti, I'll be disappointed. Some told me to bake it, some to microwave it, some to cut it first, some to cut it later. I became very confused. Then I became sick with a cold. So the spaghetti squash sat patiently on the counter. Until last night.
Armed with a lot of how-to pictures, I preheated my oven to 400 degrees,
carefully and somewhat awkwardly sliced my squash in half,
scooped out the centers (like a pumpkin!),
placed both halves facedown in a baking dish with some water, covered them with foil, and cooked them for 40 minutes.
The sensation of being able to scrape the insides of the squash with a fork and have it come out like spaghetti was strangely satisfying. Dan got half a squash and I got half. Covered both with sauce and meatballs. The moment of truth.
It was ok. Yup, just ok. I didn't love it, BUT I didn't hate it. It didn't taste like spaghetti. In fact, it didn't really taste like anything. Dan and I were amused by it's tastelessness. So instead of focusing on my tepid review of the taste, let's focus on the amazing things that happened last night:
-I tried something new and out of my comfort zone -I found a VEGGIE that I would eat again -I got Dan to try it with me All wins in my book! Tell me, how do you like to prepare and eat your spaghetti squash?!
I was so excited when I woke up on Sunday morning for my 9 mile run!
And no, it wasn't because I was about to run 9 miles. That would be crazy talk!
Back in July when I went to Beachbody Coach Summit in Nashville, Tennessee, I purchased a sample pack for the brand new Performance Line. There was one serving of each of the five new formulas in the pack. The main purpose of the sample pack is to make sure you like the taste of each formula, since supplements do their best work when used consistently over an extended period of time. HOWEVER, I wanted to make sure that if I used them, I was using them in a way which would maximize their ability to work. And what better time to use supplements than before, during, and after a 9 mile run? So, I was very excited! First up, the pre-workout formula Energize. Energize is a combination of three main ingredients: Beta-Alanine, which inhibits muscle acid buildup; Quercetin, which is known to increase the production of mitochondria and therefor improve exercise performance and recovery; and finally, low-dose caffeine from green tea. I mixed one packet with 8 oz of water and drank it about 30 minutes before I started my run. I had already had a bowl of oatmeal. It was really yummy... it tasted like thicker lemonade, but it wasn't gritty AT ALL. During my run, I put the during workout formula, Hydrate, in one of my water bottles with 8 oz of water. Like a sports drink, Hydrate is a combination of carbohydrates and electrolytes to help keep your body hydrated during sweat loss. Unlike a sports drink though, Hydrate has much less sugar, allowing the formula to be absorbed more quickly and easily into the bloodstream. This was also delicious and tasted like a thicker citrus gatorade, but didn't leave my mouth feeling sticky and like I needed to keep drinking... which is the effect gatorade has on me.
Finally, after my run, I enjoyed the post-workout formula Recover. Recover is essentially a protein shake, made with a variety of different proteins (whey isolate, pea and macular casein protein) and branched-chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) which help to promote muscle synthesis. There is also pomegranate extract in it, which is being studied as a natural non steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAIDs)! All in all, I had NO negative side effects with any of these products! Yay! If we are being 100% honest (and we are), I didn't feel much different after I took the Energize. And I'm not surprised. First of all, I don't need energy to workout... ever. Second of all, caffeine has no effect on me. There were many times in my former life that I would fall asleep half way through a can of Coke. So... yeah. But if you're someone that needs your morning cup of caffeination, I bet you'd really like Energize. And like I said, it was tasty! I'm not quite sure how the Hydrate worked for me. I don't think I felt much different... that being said, it's been five months since I ran nine miles and almost two years since I was running that much consistently... and I felt really good! So, I may be looking into a container of that! Finally, I LOVED the Recover. Loved it. I actually thought it tasted better than my chocolate Shakeology! I didn't blend it, I just shook it with water. You are supposed to drinking it within 30 minutes of finishing exercising and usually, I don't feel like putting anything in my stomach that quickly. But the Recover was SO easy to make and drink, that I had no problem. I also felt fantastic the rest of the day, as well as the next day. No sore muscles! Was it the Recover? MAYBE! That's definitely going on my list!
All in all, a VERY positive experience using the Beachbody Performance line. I know they are meant to be used with Beachbody workouts (duh), but they are even more valuable to me if I can use them as a runner as well. Looking for more information? Just fill out the form below! I'm excited to talk to you!
If you know me at all you know that there is only one thing I EVER order when I go out for breakfast: FRENCH TOAST. Only one time in my entire life did I order something different. October 4, 2014. And that was because I had already tried the french toast at the restaurant we were eating at... and it was disgusting (#amiright? #lauraandjendoyoureadthis?). I can't say I'm as good at making french toast as I am at ordering and eating it. Although there was this one time I made a Paula Deen Overnight French Toast recipe. I don't want to tell you how much butter was in that thing. But my god it was amazing.
Enter FIXate, Autumn Calabrese's new cookbook. It's perfectly aligned not only with her 21 Day Fix and 21 Day Fix Extreme nutrition programs, but it also lists other information for each recipe, such as calories, fat, protein and carbs. When I saw there was a healthy french toast recipe in it, I about nearly died. So this morning, I made it. It DID NOT disappoint!
Healthy French Toast from FIXate
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 6 minutes
Total time: 16 minutes
Yield: 2 servings (I ate them both!)
Ingredients:
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp. unsweetened almond milk
2 tsp. pure maple syrup, divided
1/2 tsp. group cinnamon
2 slices low-sodium sprouted whole-grain bread (I used Ezekiel Cinnamon-Raisin bread)
1 tsp. extra-virgin organic coconut oil (I used Pam coconut oil cooking spray)
1 cup fresh sliced strawberries
Instructions:
Combine eggs, almond milk, 1 tsp. maple syrup, and cinnamon in a shallow pan; whisk to blend. Soak each slice of bread in egg mixture for 5 minutes, turning halfway. Heat oil in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat (know your stove, mine had to be a little hotter than medium, but it's good to start lower). Add bread; cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Top with remaining 1 tsp. maple syrup. Serve strawberries on top or on the side!
Review time! I am just finishing up 90 days of P90X3, and I have a lot to say! Mostly because there are A LOT of different workouts in this program, especially if you take advantage of Beachbody On Demand, which allows you to access the Deluxe workouts, a HUGE bonus, as the Complex Lower Body workout is probably my favorite in the whole program. I chose P90X3 because I loved the original P90X and I loved the idea that these workouts were only 30 minutes. With my added coaching responsibilities and the intense meal prep I do in the morning, I don't have the time that I used to. But let me slow down and start from the beginning!
What is P90X3?
P90X3 is truly a total body workout, dare I say even more so than the original P90X (I haven't done P90X2, so I can't comment on that). While the original P90X spent a long period of time (usual an hour per workout) on weight-lifting for very specific parts of the body (back, shoulders, biceps and legs), most of P90X3's workouts focus more equally on the "four powerpoints of muscle gain and results": Resistance, Power, Cardio, and Core/Flexibility/Balance. There are quite a few moves that are cross-over moves, considered appropriate for some or all of the four areas. The easiest example I can give is the pushup: it is used in almost every single workout, including X3 Yoga. Research shows that the most dramatic body transformations happen in the first 30 minutes of a workout, and a lot of Beachboy's newest programs are taking advantage of that. P90X3 is not different. There are very few water breaks, the cool down is NOT part of the 30 minutes, and if Tony finishes the program before the 30 minutes are up, he makes you do a bonus round!
How does P90X3 work?
Like most of the Beachbody workouts, P90X3 relies on muscle confusion. The program comes with 16 (!) different workouts used over the course of a 90 day schedule. Just when your body becomes used to the workouts, they change and your body is required to do something different and even more challenging. The schedule has you completing the same weekly schedule for 3 weeks in a row, with a 4th "recovery" week. For example, here is what the "Classic" schedule looks like:
There are also options for a "Lean" workout schedule, a "Mass" workout schedule, and a "Doubles" workout schedule.
Who is P90X3 for?
Pretty much anyone who is a fan of Tony Horton. Personally, there's nothing I'd rather hear more at 4:30 in the morning than Tony's cheeseball commentary. ALSO P90X3 is for people who want an extreme workout, but don't have a lot of time. You are going to need weights. For a beginner or someone who has never lifted weights before, 5-15 lbs is probably good. However, if you want to go hard, especially if you're a man, you are going to need upwards of 30-50 lb weights, especially for the lower body workouts. You'd be surprised how much your legs can handle. You'll also need a pull-up bar or a place up high to attach a resistance band. I did the entire P90X with no pull-up bar and no resistance band and while I still got a good workout, I had to skip A LOT of moves. One of the videos is only pushups and pull-ups. Although this isn't advertised, P90X3 (and all the P90Xs) are fantastic for cross training. The weightlifting builds strength and muscle endurance while the power and cardio workouts build power (shocker!), stability and agility. Any workout that includes a jump squat IMMEDIATELY improves my hip strength which allows me to run long distances pain-free. I love it.
What comes with P90X3?
I'm glad you asked. My favorite thing that comes with P90X3 (other than all the workouts) is the Fitness Guide. This guide tells you exacts what moves are in every workout and how to do them. If for some reason you don't have Beachbody On Demand (which has the entire P90X3 program including the Deluxe workouts and is stupid cheap), you can bring the guide with you while you are traveling and workout that way. Let's talk about the workouts:
Resistance Workouts
Total Synergistics: A full-body resistance workout featuring compound movements, which utilize multiple muscle groups in every exercise. With compound movements, the increased force to the body stimulates the body's natural ability to produce performance-enhancing hormones, such as testosterone. This triggers powerful metabolic changes and is one of the fastest ways to change your body composition. The Challenge: You'll be stacking push-ups and pull-ups, two of the most effective upper body exercises. The result is not only increased muscle size and strength, but stabilization and functionality. Incinerator: This workout is designed for muscle fatigue. If you don't burn out, you won't get the best results. It is another push-pull routine, but this time, the push-pull moves that follow each other work the exact same muscle group. So you'll work one muscle group doing either a push or a pull move, and then you'll work the exact same muscle group again doing the opposite exersize. The Warrior: This is a total-body workout, free of equipment. You'll circuit upper- and lower-body resistance with core and cardio work, essentially touching on every area of fitness in one workout. Eccentric Upper and Lower: These are classic weightlifting workouts focused on the theory that "time under tension" is the key to inducing muscle growth. In these workouts, you'll slow down the eccentric (or negative, lengthening) half of each movement. The eccentric part of a move recruits more muscle cell motor units than the concentric (or positive, shortening) half, resulting in the biggest band for your buck. These workouts will really pump up your muscles. *Deluxe* Complex Upper and Lower: These "complex" workouts focus on efficiency in all areas: musculoskeletal strength, muscle elasticity, dynamic movement patterns, core functionality, and mobility. Each workout is comprised of five rounds of four exercises that require a weighted resistance exercise followed by an explosive movement.
Power Workouts:
Agility X: This is a full-body workout that requires floor targets to dictate movements to focus on precision, power, flexibility, balance, and strength. As opposed to traditional cardio workouts, these targeted movements force explosion, deceleration, and proprioceptive adaptations, the sum result being an increased ability to move effortlessly for extended periods of time. Triometrics: My favorite! Why? It is the perfect cross-training exercise for running. It's plyometrics, or "jump training", which are explosive moves that are highly effective at training muscular efficiency or power. However, with Triometics, each move has three levels, and they are not all focused on jumping. Some moves focus on stability, some focus on the landing. Each of the three levels of every moves increase your range of motion, your stability, and your strength and power. Decelerator: Decelerator focuses on the landing, not the jumping, because studies have shown that most athletic injuries occur on landing, not takeoff. You'll use strategic angles to force loads on different parts of you body, which allows you to increase your ability to stabilize and protect muscles, connective tissues, and joints.
Cardio Workouts:
CVX: This is an interval cardio workout done entirely with a weight. Each group of three moves is done twice, and the second time is always focused on speed. Combining both resistance with intervals increases the impact across every energy system. MMX: My other favorite! This is a Mixed Martial Arts routine that combines karate, keno, jiu-jitsu, judo, and tae kwon do. The moves will not only give you a cardiovascular workout, but you'll be taxing your upper-body strength, core power, leg endurance and flexibility. Accelerator: This cardio workout has you exercising at two different speeds, which allows you to increase your cardiovascular and muscular efficiency. It also eliminates downtime associated with power-based workouts, while maximizing the consistency of traditional aerobic workouts.
Core/Flexibility/Balance Workouts:
X3 Yoga: X3 Yoga improves your musculoskeletal flexibility, balance, stamina, body awareness, and core strength. Improving in these areas allow you to recover faster, get less injuries and even build stronger muscles. Pilates X: Pilates focuses on controlling the body through its core while centering on breathing and balance. Pilates X takes this philosophy to build core strength and muscle elasticity, stabilize the joints, and create a solid human platform to perform any activity in life. Isometrix: Isometrix means every "move" is actually a position that you hold for 45 seconds (isometric contraction). Adding instability to the mix requires your body to fire its stabilization muscles. When training these two simultaneously, you create an unshakable platform to work off, heightening the affects of movement training that you'll target in other workouts. Dynamix: Dynamix is stretching with constant movement. The moves allow you to actively increase range of motion, flexibility and stabilization. These systems are your keys to free and easy moment with daily activity and other exercise. *Deluxe* Ab Ribber X3: This 15-minute workout focuses on all areas of your abdominals: your rectus abdominus, transverse abdominus and internal and external obliques. Lucky for you, the P90X3 Challenge Pack is on sale this month. As with all Challenge Packs, you receive a month of Shakeology (worth $130) and the entire P90X3 program (worth $120) for a total of $180 (originally $205). Now is the perfect time to talk to me about ordering, because my next Challenge Group starts on Monday, May 4 (May the Fourth Be With You, har har). I feel very comfortable talking about P90X3 and supporting you through the program. You have two great options. If you are 100% sure P90X3 is right for you, you can order here. However, if you'd like to talk to me about your options or even getting a FREE ONE MONTH TRIAL of P90X3 (or a variety of other workouts) fill out my Challenge Group Application below and I will contact you! And if you REALLY want to get pumped up, check out the infomercial!
This is not an April Fools joke: I am forever grateful to my very best friend, Rachel, for writing this review of T25 for me. I have tried all of the workouts, but Rachel just completed the entire program. Don't let her downplay her results... they are awesome!
When it comes to making a commitment to a fitness lifestyle,
there are many excuses and complaints. Probably the most common one I hear is
that people can’t find the time to fit exercise into their busy schedules. I’m
not going to get into how your health should be a non-negotiable; I’ll leave
that for Michelle to tackle. But I AM going to get into how T25 is the workout
for your busy lifestyle.
Ok, fine, I know. My life isn’t that busy. Even though I work
full time at a job an hour away that often requires more than the 40 hours I
get paid for, the fact is that once I get home, I have no one else to worry
about but myself. Being single and childless, I don’t have much else to do
except workout and eat some semblance of dinner. But, I have a very short attention
span when it comes to exercise. If the workout is more than 30 minutes, I lose
interest quickly, get a mental block, and start slacking on the moves (don’t
even get me started on PiYo Drench…). One day, over a bottle of wine (duh), I
complained about this to Michelle, and being my wonderful coach, she recommended
I give Focus T25 a try. Since I’ll basically do (almost) anything Michelle
tells me to do, I clicked on over to www.TeamBeachbody.com and ordered myself a
brand new workout.
Having completed PiYo as my first Beachbody workout, I wasn’t
accustomed to high-cardio/impact exercises. It was difficult at first, but now having
completed T25, I feel very strongly that PiYo and T25 complement each other
very well. Both are high-intensity workouts and increase strength but T25 aids
in building your cardiac endurance while PiYo really improves your flexibility.
Strength, endurance, and flexibility - three things that everyone needs!
What is Focus T25?
Focus T25 is a high-intensity, 25-minute, full-body workout
created by Shaun T, the same guy who created Insanity. It is considered Focus Interval Training, where every muscle group gets worked, and then worked
again. With this plan, you get the benefits of an hour long workout packed into
a short 25 minutes, and there are NO water breaks. It’s no joke… it’s hard work and there’s lots of sweat, but
after 25 minutes, you’re done. That’s ONLY 1.7% of your day! You still have
98.3% of the day to do whatever else it is you need to do.
How does it work?
T25 is broken down into two blocks, Alpha and Beta. There is also
a Gamma cycle that can be purchased separately (I did not do the Gamma cycle,
so no review of it here). Each block is 5 weeks long and has a different focus.
For every week, you do one workout Monday through Thursday, a double on Friday,
rest on Saturday, and stretch on Sunday. Shaun T recommends doing the double on Friday for maximum results, but if "T50" (as I like to call it) does not fit into your schedule,
that’s ok. You can do the second workout over the weekend. I don’t have the
patience for Friday doubles so I always spread it into the weekend. For every
workout, there is a modifier who shows you how to do low-impact versions of the
exercises. Don’t be fooled though. Even though the modifier is low-impact,
you’re doing just as much work as everyone else (sometimes even more because
you don’t have the momentum from the jumps!). After every 25-minute workout,
there is a 3 minute stretch/cooldown to help your muscles recover.
What do I get?
You mean, other than a hot, fit, bod? So much! You get 10
different high intensity workouts, a Stretch workout, a Quick Start guide, a
5-Day Fast Track guide, the Get It Done Nutrition guide, an Alpha-Beta wall
calendar that shows you which workouts to do on which day, and a pro-grade
resistance band. If you order through Michelle, you will also get a bonus Core
Speed workout.
What else do I need?
The right shoes! Do not wear running sneakers to do T25. Your
feet will cry. You might cry too. T25 has a lot of quick,
lateral movements for which running shoes will not give you the proper support.
I learned this the hard way when my wide, flat feet started cramping and
burning within the first 10 minutes of every workout. Don’t make my mistake. In
the end, I found that doing the workouts barefoot was actually the most
pain-free option for me. This won’t be the case for everyone, but it's definitely something to consider if you're having some foot pain. I also purchased some interlocking foam exercise mats (http://tinyurl.com/p4wfj7g)
to cushion my landing and the world was right again. For the rare instances
that I do decide to put shoes on, I found a pair of low profile New Balance
cross-trainers (http://tinyurl.com/ougb9bh)
that give me good lateral support with minimal cramping. Look for a
crosstrainer that gives you support for side-to-side movements and is also
flexible, allowing your feet to move naturally.
Some other optional equipment you might want are a soft workout
mat and a set of dumbbells. The workout mat comes in handy for some of the
exercises on the floor to cushion your back and knees. Dumbbells can be used in
the Beta cycle in place of the resistance band that comes with the program.
Choose a dumbbell weight that is doable but also challenging.
You should also know that for the entirety of T25, you should
be focused on form over speed. Sometimes, those people on the screen with the perfect six pack abs and ripped arms will be going so fast, and you are doing your
darndest to keep pace with them. But, it does you no good to keep pace with bad
form. You end up cheating yourself of the proper focus and could also cause
injury (to yourself and/or your pet/person/tiny person/tv). Stay with Tania the
modifier when you have to and go at your own pace. With practice, you will work
your way up to speed.
ALPHA - Focus: The
Foundation
In the Alpha round, your main focus is building a strong
foundation using just your body weight. The workouts are Cardio, Speed 1.0,
Total Body Circuit, Ab Intervals, Lower Focus, and Stretch.
Cardio - A full 25
minutes of non-stop cardio. Get ready for heavy breathing!
Speed 1.0 - This is
the only workout in Alpha that does not give you the option of turning off the
music. This is because it’s a workout focused on improving your speed and
agility with interspersed stretching intervals. Speed 1.0 is one of my
favorites from the Alpha cycle because it feels like a dance routine as opposed
to a workout.
Total Body Circuit -
TBC is, I think, the hardest workout of the entire program. It makes me want to
lay down on the couch and start thinking to myself that maybe having some
extra fat padding and a subpar cardiovascular system really isn’t that bad. You
certainly work your entire body and there are, what feels like, endless planks
and pushups. I had to follow the modifier the most for this workout and take
breaks as needed, but by the end of the Alpha cycle, I was able to take less or
no breaks and only follow the modifier for a few moves or when I got really
tired.
Ab Intervals - Shaun
takes you through a slew of ab work with cardio recovery in between. You will V-sit like a pro after this video.
Lower Focus - Leg
day is here. You will definitely feel the burn with Lower Focus as you work the
largest muscle groups in your legs and glutes.
Stretch -
Confession… I have never actually done the Stretch video. But The Google tells
me that it helps you lengthen, stretch, and recover the body. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Sure, ok. That's what PiYo is for.
BETA - Focus: The Core
After you’ve
built up a good foundation in Alpha, you move on to the Beta round where your
main focus is your core. You will notice that for every video, Shaun puts an
emphasis on keeping your core engaged even if it is not an ab-based exercise.
The workouts are Core Cardio, Speed 2.0, Rip’T Circuit, Dynamic Core, and Upper
Focus.
Core Cardio - Another non-stop cardio workout. I personally think
this is the hardest Beta workout just because it’s so cardio heavy and your
heart rate never really goes down.
Speed 2.0 - My (and Michelle's) favorite of all the T25 workouts! Just like Speed
1.0, this video focuses on your speed and agility with repeating sequences that
build and are done in shorter and shorter intervals as you progress through the
video. Also just like Speed 1.0, it feels like a dance routine, and I can bring
out my inner hip hop dancer.
Rip’T Circuit - When I first saw the name of this video, I
groaned because I thought it was going to be TBC x1000. I was pleasantly
surprised that I did not want to kill myself the first time I did Rip’T. In
this video, Shaun takes you through intervals of CULA - Cardio, Upper, Lower,
Abs. It is the first instance where you will use your resistance
band/dumbbells. It’s not as tear-inducing as TBC, but you still work hard using
a lot of muscular and cardio endurance.
Dynamic Core - A great core workout using seven standing exercises and seven floor exercises. You also get to witness Shaun T punch a girl in the
stomach. That’s my favorite line from T25 - “Now watch, as Jen goes by, I’m
gonna punch her in the stomach.”
Upper Focus - The most difficult part of Upper Focus is trying to
figure out why Shaun T is wearing a polo shirt. Who works out in a polo shirt?
Anyway. If you’re a lifting junkie, this video will probably be your favorite.
The resistance band/dumbbells are heavily featured in this workout to build
your upper body strength.
Results
In doing
Focus T25, I lost 2.6 lbs and 4 inches overall. I know it’s not a super
impressive drop in weight, but let me tell you… I fit into so many clothes that
I didn’t fit into a year ago. Talk about reclaiming my closet! I also saw
improvement in strength and endurance as I progressed through each week. Things
that were hard to do in Week 1 were not nearly as hard in Week 5. In reminding
you, dear readers, I am also reminding myself that the numbers don’t tell the
whole story. Stick to it. Show perseverance and persistence. It’s only 25
minutes a day. Do the work and then you can enjoy your results for the remaining 23
hours and 35 minutes of your day.
A year ago, if you had asked me the likelihood of me a) getting some kind of fitness certification or b) getting pulled over for speeding, I would have said, hands-down, getting pulled over for speeding would be much more likely. Just shows you that the more things change, the more they also stay the same. Or something like that. Rachel and I took the plunge and decided to sign up for PiYo certification back in December. You may remember I described it as my "soul workout," helping me rehabilitate my knee after surgery and lose two inches around both my waist and hips. Both Rachel and I love it, finding it challenging, fun, and a necessary component to our fitness routines. I had a little familiarity with the concept of being trained to teach a Beachbody (or any) scripted program, because my coach is certified to teach Insanity. Rachel and I really didn't have any concrete plans to teach in a fitness studio, but the idea of spending a day learning about our favorite workout, along with the option to continue to receive new workouts in the mail, was really appealing.
Concealing our excitement.
We traveled about an hour to the gym where the certification would be. Our Master Trainer, Kara Buono, was awesome, and we found out that she was the number 3 Master Trainer in the country last year! She is certified to teach PiYo, Insanity, TurboFire and P90X. If you get the opportunity to take one of her classes or go to one of her trainings, take it! At first, Kara introduced herself. When she asked the group how many people were certified to teach other scripted programs and/or were ACE or AFAA (group and personal trainer) certified, I was shocked that Rachel and I were two of the only ones who didn't raise their hands. It was a little awkward. I think people were wondering why we were there! However, I was also surprised to see how many people there had not tried PiYo before! We definitely had an upper hand in that area, but I was excited to see, as the class progressed, that there was really no need to have much, if any, prior knowledge about PiYo. We discussed the program and reviewed some of the most common positions and moves in the program. We had all received an electronic copy of the manual, which some people printed and some accessed on their iPads and laptops. We talked about what the script for each lesson looks like and how to read it. We talked about the music and how to count and cue.
Then we got to take an actual class with Kara. The live classes are usually 30-60 minutes long in a gym, but the script and music that Beachbody sends you is longer than an hour, so as the instructor, you get to pick and choose what sections you want to do with your class. The Warm Up is always the same (which was awesome for me and Rachel, because it was basically the same warmup as in the videos). Then comes Heat Building, Lower Body, Full Body Fusion, Flow, Core and More, Stretch and Strengthen, and Cooldown.
Kara took this picture of me while I was instructing the class.
After lunch, we split into three groups of eight in order to really learn the Heat Building section of the most current routine. Kara played the music over and over as our group discussed the different moves, how to remember what came next, and how to count and cue them. We were told to pick one person from our group who was not already a group fitness instructor to lead the ENTIRE CLASS in one round of Heat Building. Guess who won that game? It was pretty great actually. Everyone was so supportive of one another! There was one part I kept forgetting, and my group offered to call it out to me while I was in the front, so I wouldn't forget It was challenging to remember to do everything. Not only what moves came next, but what they were called and then to announce them to the class before they happened so everyone would know what to do. I tried to insert some form tips and modification suggestions, most of which I have internalized from doing the videos so much. I knew I had been successful when the music ended at the exact moment that our routine was finished. Big #win of the day.
#Epicfail of the day? Getting pulled over for speeding on our way to get some dinner. The cop was nice enough to let me off, only writing me up for my break light that was out.
In the end, it was a great day. Rachel and I came home, poured a glass of wine, and popped in the instructional DVD for the lesson we received to get an idea of how the lessons are taught. While I don't know that I'm going to run out and knock on the door of every gym in town to see if they will pick up a PiYo class, I already know that we will get to teach it at our local Super Saturday (Beachbody event) in April!
As always, let me know if you'd like more info about PiYo, or maybe want to be my guinea pig if I want to experiment with teaching!
When I was 21, I went white water rafting 88 miles down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon with my parents and a bunch of strangers. We would raft during the day, and at night, we camped in sleeping bags in the open air. We didn't shower and we definitely didn't use toilets, although the guides packed amazing food options and portable stovetops and grills to use for dinner. On our 5th and last day, we docked our rafts at Phantom Ranch and proceeded to hike the 9 miles out of the canyon up to the South Rim. It was over 100 degrees. There was little to no shade. We were carrying all of the gear we had used over the last five days. I drank over seven liters of water and there were only two places to go to the bathroom. I had blisters on my feet and on my shoulders where my bags were. In the beginning it wasn't so bad, but by the end, I literally had to talk myself into continuing, placing one foot in front of the other. Nothing I have ever experienced was as difficult mentally or physically, as that hike. Until the 3 Day Refresh. Ok I exaggerate... a little. Here's the breakdown:
Morning 1 weight: Here we go!
I ate the same things all three days. A shake and fruit for breakfast, a fiber shake for a morning snack, a salad, fruit and a shake for lunch, veggies and hummus for an afternoon snack, and a salad, a shake and veggie broth for dinner. The shakes are special for the 3DR and are all provided for you in the 3DR package. Also included is an info booklet that tells you what fruits and veggies are allowed. I followed everything to a T. I even did light workouts on Day 1 and 2.
Day 1 ended up being a snow day. Sooo the whole day I just sat in the house and stared at the Chex Mix on the counter in my kitchen. I would say Day 1 was the hardest mentally. I wanted to eat #ALLTHETHINGS. I wasn't even that hungry! Honestly, the meal plan up until dinner is a lot of what I already eat on a daily basis, minus the animal protein. Also, I was peeing like an animal the whole day AND (tmi right here) I got my period. So that was awesome. Dinner... was a different story. When I first decided to do the 3DR, I looked at the food options to make sure there were enough veggies that I could stomach (I am NOT a veggie girl. I like about 2.5 veggies and I eat them every day.) I saw a tomato cucumber salad that looked eatable and decided on that. Problem was, I had never actually had a cucumber before. Cue shocked faces and mild mocking. Whatever. I tried one a few weeks ago just to make sure and affirmed that they were not deadly. Until I tried to eat an entire salad of them. I was literally gagging them down. Rachel came over and was pleasantly chomping away on her spinach, tomatoes and sprouts while I was making a scene next to her, whining, "I just can't do this, Rachel! I just can't do this!"
Dinner, before I realized the agony it would cause me
Drama city over here. I managed to ingest ALMOST all the salad. I probably left 3 or 4 bites at the bottom. Rachel told me if I lost more weight than her, she was going to blame it on the fact that I didn't finish my salad. That night I slept like a log. I don't remember sleeping like that in a long, long time. I woke up feeling refreshed (haha) and ready to start Day 2, the memories of my gag reflexes of the night before having all but faded away.
Morning 2 weight
Day 2 was definitely the worst day physically. I was back at school, so that kept me occupied as I tried to figure out how to time my food and shakes with my schedule. I was never hungry, but I had a slight headache throughout the day, which progressively got worse into the afternoon (the meeting I had to go to after school probably didn't help). Then dinner time rolled around and I was faced once again with my arch nemesis: the cucumber. I manned up, and managed to get down the same amount of salad as I had the day before, which I considered a #win. Again, I slept like a log.
Morning 3 weight!
Day 3 was a roaring success. While I still wanted to eat #allthethings, it was only because I wasn't allowed to, not because I was hungry. I never had a headache and never felt tired or lethargic. I had a great day at school, followed by a fantastic meeting with my coach AND a long call with a new coach who I know is going to do great things. My husband was home from a business trip, so we were able to spend some time together and catch up and I wasn't an angry mess. AND my biggest success of all?! I FINISHED THE CUCUMBER SALAD. Take that!
I learned a lot about myself during these three days. I learned how important accountability is. I truly believe I would have never gotten through without a cheat if I hadn't blogged and posted about doing it. I knew that everyone was watching me, waiting for my results and an honest update. I also feel like I was able to put myself in the shoes of someone who is truly trying to change their eating habits cold turkey. My eating habits have adjusted and improved over the course of years, as I noticed my body changing. The way I eat now, which is pretty healthy, is something that I have grown into. However, people who never ate healthy before or have never made exercise a priority and who are jumping into an entirely new way of life probably feel a lot like I did these last three days. They see temptation everywhere. They feel like they are eating foods that they don't like, or aren't satisfying them. Maybe they feel like it's not enough food or that they are tired or have a headache. But just like my Day 3, eventually my body adjusted and I felt fantastic, AND I even acquired enough taste to finish the cucumbers! The 3 Day Refresh is NOT the way that you should eat every day. But it was a huge change from the way I had been eating, and so that was a struggle for me. Obviously you're ready for my final results, taken this morning:
After!! Bye bye bloat!
A total of 5 pounds lost (even during my period) and obvious bloat from my stomach gone (hopefully) forever!
*****
When I woke up the morning after my hike out of the canyon, besides being wildly excited that I had free range of a toilet, I remember thinking, "Yeah I could probably do that again," despite the incredible struggle I felt during the actual hike. The brain is funny that way. Maybe it's because you would know what to expect the second time around. Would I recommend the 3 Day Refresh to someone? Absolutely. Would I do the 3 Day Refresh again? Maybe once I get a better handle on my cucumber game :)
On January 9, Beachbody made a HUGE announcement at their Super Saturday events (of which I was in Pittsburgh for!). Beginning in the spring, Beachbody would offer instant digital streaming of ALL of their fitness programs! You can choose workouts by fitness level, type of exercise, or celebrity trainer.
Obviously, this is huge for so many reasons. The ease, mobility, the SAVINGS! No longer do you have to cart around a set of DVDs, or even MULTIPLE sets of DVDs if you’re not sure which workout you want to do. You don’t need to remember to bring them on business or vacation. You don’t need to be this guy:
Yeah. This was me. Bringing my LAPTOP to the gym everyday for years. Because that was the only way I could workout with my DVDs and use the weights at the same time. It was the only way I could have the space and ability to jump around and not bother the people on the 5th floor. If I could’ve used my phone instead… Yeah, that would’ve been much better.
Instead of paying sometimes over $100 for every workout program, you could pay a quarterly fee that is LESS than $100, and have access to thousands of dollars worth of Beachbody’s most popular programs.
You could be THIS guy instead:
Previewing my workout for the day in bed!
See my phone?! That's Tony and P90X3 and the Dynamix workout!
I was lucky enough to be able to test out On Demand for the month of February, as a reward for hitting a goal in my business during January. There are so many amazing features of the program. But, in order to have access to Beachbody On Demand, you first have to become a Team Beachbody Club Member.
What is Team Beachbody Club?
• Team Beachbody Club is an online membership community that offers expert nutrition, fitness, and support tools to help you reach your goals faster.
What are the benefits of Club (also known as VIP or paid) membership?
• Access to Beachbody® On Demand, where you can stream hundreds of workouts in the Beachbody digital library. That means you'll never miss a workout, because you can take them with you! It allows you to work out anywhere you have an Internet connection: at home, at the gym, outdoors, even on vacation.
• Online access to all the step-by-step program guides, workout calendars, and nutrition plans that come with the streaming workouts. You get the workouts PLUS the materials that make Beachbody programs the #1 home fitness programs on earth.
• Personalized meal plans that you can customize for your lifestyle and preferences. Learn proper nutrition to help you reach your goals and maximize your results.
• 10% discount on purchases in the Team Beachbody store. Yes, even Shakeology®!
• VIP access to live monthly chats with your favorite trainers, like Shaun T, Tony Horton, Autumn Calabrese, and Chalene Johnson.
• 3 FREE bonus digital workouts as a members-only gift for joining the Club (a $70 value). Sample workouts from some of our hottest programs.
• Your own personal Coach for guidance and support (That's me!)
• Access to the online SuperGym®, where you can schedule and log your workouts and easily track your progress.
• Message Boards and chatrooms to help you find new friends and workout partners, and get advice and support from the entire community.
Why should you join Team Beachbody Club?
• With unlimited access to hundreds of workouts in the digital library, Beachbody On Demand is a one-stop shop for all your fitness needs.
• You can stream workouts from Beachbody's massive collection of world-class programs, such as P90X® and INSANITY®. And you get access to all the program guides, meal plans, and workout calendars that make these programs the best in the world.
• You can choose workouts by fitness level, type of exercise, and celebrity trainer, then stream them right on your desktop, laptop, tablet, or mobile device.
• Never miss a workout! Now it's easy to take your workouts anywhere you have an Internet connection—at home, at the gym, on vacation, even outdoors. Plus, you can try out fitness programs before buying the DVDs!
• New content is added each month, so there will always be fun new workouts to try. That means you can keep getting results, and never get bored!
• Beachbody programs are proven to deliver results. Millions of people have gotten healthy and fit with Beachbody products, and millions more are staying fit every day.
• You save 10% on purchases in the Team Beachbody store—including fitness programs, gear, and supplements, even Shakeology!
• Team Beachbody Club is your health solution. You get workouts, tons of expert fitness and nutrition advice, Message Boards to help you connect with thousands of other members for friendship and accountability, and meal plans customized to your specific goals and lifestyle.
• People who join the Club often get better results than those who try to go it alone. That's because you get so many tools and great support from the entire community, so you're more likely to stay motivated and stick with your program.
What workouts will be available through Beachbody On Demand?
• Beginning in March 2015, Team Beachbody Club members can stream every workout from THE FOLLOWING programs:
- P90X Base and Deluxe Kits
- P90X2® Base and Deluxe Kits
- P90X3® Base and Deluxe Kits
- P90X ONE on ONE® Volume 1
- INSANITY Base and Deluxe Kits
- INSANITY: THE ASYLUM® Volume 1
- TurboFire®
- Brazil Butt Lift® Base and Deluxe Kits
- ChaLEAN Extreme®
- 10-Minute Trainer®
- Hip Hop Abs®
• Club members also get insider ''sneak peeks'' of new releases, so you can sample a workout before you buy the DVD program:
- 21 Day Fix® ''Total Body Cardio Fix''
- 21 Day Fix EXTREME® ''Plyo Fix Extreme''
- PiYo® ''Sweat''
- FOCUS T25® ''ALPHA Cardio''
- INSANITY MAX:30TM ''Sweat Intervals''
- Body Beast® ''Build: Chest & Tris''
- P90® ''Sculpt A''
PLUS, any workout program you purchase that is not included in the Club Membership streaming WILL be available to you! Awesome sauce. Ok, now that I've got you super pumped, you're going to ask me how much this is going to cost you. Frankly, I think Beachbody is practically giving this stuff away. Club membership costs $2.99 a week, billed $38.87 quarterly in advance to the credit card you use at sign-up. Most gyms can cost as much as this or more A MONTH. And you're getting immediate and unlimited access to thousands of dollars of workouts. I wish I had this before I purchased P90X. And Chalean Extreme. And P90X3. And Brazilian Butt Lift. Oops.
THE THING IS, the price is almost definitely going to be a limited time offer. Once On Demand becomes available to everyone, I expect Beachbody to raise the price of this amazing offering. So in order to lock in the Club price, you'll need to sign up now!
Is Team Beachbody Club and On Demand streaming right for you?
-Are you someone who wants to take your workouts on-the-go or don’t want to be limited to DVDs? You can take your workouts anywhere you have an internet connection.
-Are you someone who travels a lot or wants to work out on vacation? You don’t have to pack your DVDs, just use your laptop, tablet or mobile device to stream your workout.
-Are you someone looking to maintain your fitness results and try different workouts? You can choose from hundreds of workouts in the Beachbody digital library.
-Are you someone who wants to try various workouts before purchasing a DVD program? Sample all kinds of workouts before you commit to a specific program. From beginner to advanced, there’s something for everyone. And like I said before: When you purchase a new DVD program, your Club membership gives you streaming access to all those workouts too!
When On Demand finally comes out, it will be available as a Challenge Pack. For $140, you will get 90 days of Club membership, which will allow you access to all the benefits of Club including Beachbody On Demand. After 90 days they will be charged the quarterly Club membership price. They’ll aslo get a 30-day supply of Shakeology, which will convert to Shakeology HD after 30 Days (at 10% off)! But don't forget, the quarterly Club membership price may go up!
I know this was a lot of info. You're probably feeling exhausted just reading and trying to digest it all. So, If you still have questions, or if you got tired of reading and actually want to talk to me about it, fill in the form and get at me! I can't wait!
"What is that?!" I said with weird disgust.
