21 Day Fix- Let’s try this again!

As you might remember reading in my review on PiYO, I didn’t do so well on nutrition over the summer time.  It wasn’t that is was ALL bad.  It was just all over the place!  I found myself indulging more often in comfort foods and eating out more often since moving… it can do that to you! I knew I was feeling bloated and my pants were feeling snug.  When PiYO was over, I knew what needed to happen.  21 Day Fix!!!

21 Day Fix is a nutrition and fitness program combined in one.  The work outs are not as fun to me as say TurboFire, but they are GOOD, efficient, and get the job done in a quick 30 minutes.  There is a modifier you can follow also.  The work out schedule looks like this for each week..

Monday: Total Body Cardio

Tuesday: Upper Fix

Wednesday: Lower Fix

Thursday: Pilates Fix

Friday: Cardio Fix

Saturday: Dirty 30

Sunday: Yoga Fix

The last week there is an optional doubles work out calendar that you can follow.  Prepare to be SORE the first week!  Don’t worry this is a GOOD feeling! Do not be afraid.  This means it is working and so are you!

The nutrition plan is the KEY to your success in this program.  It teaches clean eating and portion control.  You will use color coded containers to measure out your foods.  Here is a look at some of the delicious meals I had during 21 Day Fix.. a Taco Salad, roasted bell pepper quinoa with spinach and chicken, and cube steak with spinach and cucumbers.

. 

The containers do look small, but you can really fit more in there than meets the eye.  Again, do not be afraid!  You will most likely be eating MORE food than you are used to… it will just be the right foods and the right portions.  It really is amazing how simple it works.

So, how did I do in this 21 Days?  Well, i did near perfection on the work outs.. only missing one day of a yoga fix.  I did not do the optional doubles this time.  I was not 100% perfect on the nutrition plan, but came close this time!  Life happens, and there were a few slip ups, but I just kept going.  Did I see results?

Don’t worry, eventually I will get new work out clothes so you are not always seeing me in the same outfits!!!

We have a crappy scale.  It’s just numbers anyways! I’ve never liked scales much.  I try and stay away as much as I can.  I like to go by how my clothes fit.  So, if my crappy scale was being at all accurate.. I believe I lost somewhere around 5 pounds.  Losing numbers really wasn’t what I was looking for though.  I wanted my pants to be comfortable again, and they are!  I wanted to feel better, less bloated, and have more energy.  Mission Accomplished!

I finished up this round on September 21st, and started the 22nd back on my first love TurboFire, but i’m going to continue to follow the 21 Day Fix nutrition plan about 90% of the time.  It won’t be perfection, but it is a great basis for me to follow and stay on track from here on out.  Did I mention there is a maintenance  plan you can follow?!! If you are new to my blog, be sure to check out my other topics so you can see my progress over time!

I have been running monthly challenge groups to help people with support and accountability during their programs.  It has really been the key to success for some and really helps me out as well!  If you are interested in having me coach you through this program or another one please fill out this short questionnaire.  I’m happy to help!

/

//

Why I Exercise at Home

I have recently been asked many times “How do you have the dedication to work out at home?”. Well, I can’t say that it is always EASY for me to workout at home, but I do have my reasons, and want to share. So here it goes!

My TOP 5 Reasons Why I Exercise at Home:

1. * Time *

As a busy mom, time is important to me. In fact, for a long time, my number ONE excuse for not working out was TIME!! “I don’t have time”, is what I was famous for saying to myself. It was an excuse I used over and over again. While I have learned, you have to MAKE time… I also know there is only so much time to make, right? Well, to me it takes WAY longer to get ready (and get kids ready) to go to a gym, then workout, then drive home. SO much faster to just workout at home and then be done with it, and move on with my day!

2. * MONEY *

Sure, it was a little chunk of money upfront to pay for my workout program that I chose to do. It even took me a couple months of deciding before I went for it and spent the money, BUT it was SO worth it to me. Now I have that workout program forever. I can use it over and over again. No gym fees for this girl! I have been there, done that! I had a gym membership that I was paying for monthly, and I went like one time. I’m sad that I wasted all that money!

3. * Wardrobe *

I’m not really a huge fan of people I don’t know watching/seeing me exercise. If I were to go to a gym, I would feel like I need to be wearing something decent, and have my hair at least brushed in a nice ponytail. At home, I just don’t really care. I can throw my hair up in an ugly bun thing, and throw on my old ugly workout clothes, and not worry about it. This could maybe even fall back under the money category, because I don’t spend very much money on workout gear.

4. * I’m setting an EXAMPLE *

I never said working out at home was EASY for me! Especially, when all the kids are home.. NO it is not always easy! Some days are great, and some days I have to hit pause a few times and go wipe a butt or fix an argument between kids! You are probably thinking.. well that doesn’t sound fun lol! To me, I know that by them seeing me do this and take time out every day, I am setting a HUGE example for them. That makes me feel pretty great, and a little less guilty for taking time out to do that.

5. * I found my SoulMate workout *

SoulMate workout? What is that? It is a workout that you LOVE doing! I had tried working out at home once before, but I was not consistent with it. I realized later, that it was because I had not yet found my SoulMate workout. If you are doing a program that you hate, then of course you will not want to continue. I had been doing one that was okay, but it got boring to me. Then I found my SoulMate workout, that I LOVED doing! This is when I became addicted and made exercise a daily habit. Now it is fueled inside of me, and I just don’t feel right without it. Now I can even rotate between different types of workouts, and not just my soulmate one (although I do go back to it often).

So, really if you put all these 5 reasons together..That is why I’m able to be dedicated to working out at home. It is different for everyone, and you have to find out what works for you. This is what works for me!