Day 4

I'm on day 4 of ChaLEAN Extreme. I've modified the schedule a little to better fit my schedule, so I'm really feeling it today. I've also been drinking Shakeology every morning for breakfast (the chocolate is soooooo much better than the greenberry, but I'll still drink the greenberry because I paid for it). I'm really exhausted as I'm not used to my early morning workout just yet, but it should start to get better soon. I've absolutely noticed a change in my weight (mostly due to the scale), but on Sunday my weight was up to 156 and today I'm at 153. That's a big change in just 4 days. I'm sure that it won't continue to go down that quickly, but (and this is still a post for later) I'm currently taking Dr. prescribed Phentermine, so when I'm not taking that it will likely slow down a bit. This is ok as you really should only lose a max of 2 pounds a week if you are being healthy and all that. It can be hard to only see a pound or two of loss a week and a lot of people feel like they need to eat less or workout harder, but that's not the case. You should always make sure that you are eating at least 1200 calories a day. And those should be 1200 healthier calories (as in not 1200 calories of cake and icecream). That keeps your body in a place where it can function the way that it should, but you can still lose weight.
Anyways, I'm loving the results thus far and I already feel stronger and I love when I'm checking my form in the mirror (yes my form, I'm not that vain) and I can see muscle definition. It's a great feeling. And always remember that if you don't want to commit to quite as much time as the ChaLEAN Extreme workouts call for (usually I'm working out at least 45 minutes every workout day), then Jillian is a great way to go. Her 30 minute workouts kick your booty and the fact that I had been doing her workouts has really helped with how much I can do with the Chalean workouts. So I encourage you to start some form of workout as it really is beneficial in so many ways. I also think that you should give Shakeology a shot. The new Tropical flavor is scheduled to be out anytime and I can keep you posted on that. I'm stoked to try it out and will absolutely be getting a bag as soon as it is offered. They will likely offer it to coaches first, so if you are interested in becoming a coach contact me through here and I'll help you get set up or go to the beachbody website and request me as your coach. As a coach you get a discount on all the beachbody products, which is great if you regularly buy shakeology or any of their supplements, it really helps you save quite a bit overall.

M.I.A.

Yes, I have been missing for the past.... oh.... month. There isn't a good reason for it, but there is a reason. For the past 3 weeks I haven't even been following my own rule for exercise. I haven't made it a scheduled part of my day to be working out. As a result I came up with plenty of excuses for why I didn't have time to get my work out in. See, it happens to the best of us. I have re-commited myself, however, and today I started one of my favorite programs- ChaLEAN Extreme. It is a 90 day program (and can be life-long if you want it to be) and has 3 different circuits that each last a month. I've decided that I'm going to be working out in the mornings now as that's about the only time that my almost one-year-old will allow my to do it as she is still asleep. So far so good, but it is only day 1. I'm confident that I can get used to this schedule.
Just wanted to let people know that I haven't fallen off the planet (not that I'm even sure anyone has even read this blog, but we can pretend for now). In the very near future I will be posting about a topic that seems to be somewhat controversial in the world of health- diet pills. So stay tuned as I give my take on the diet pill.

Welcome!

Now, let me start off by saying that I am no expert on fitness. I do try to stay up on all the latest and greatest in the fitness world. There's a lot out there and I'd like to try and help people find something that works for them.
I'm a working mom and I am trying to work, take care of my child, clean my house, cook dinner, stay organized, and stay in shape all at the same time. It can be incredibly overwhelming and it can be easy to say that you have absolutely no time to stay fit and healthy. Trust me, I've done it for years- even before becoming mom. I always had school work to do, something to clean up, or any number of excuses- good, bad, and in between. Let me just say one thing to those of you who may feel the same way... you have to treat exercise as a part of your daily "chores". If you treat it as though it is an optional activity then you will never find the time to do it. Now, some people truly enjoy the opportunity to workout and wouldn't consider it a chore, but there are plenty of people out there that feel that working out is absolutely a chore. Just think of it this way, you don't love doing the dishes or the laundry, but once they are done you feel better and things look better. The same goes for exercise. It is absolutely necessary that you take some time out of your busy schedule to make some time to improve yourself. Exercise not only burns calories and tones your body, but releases those all important endorphins that help boost your mood. I don't really care when you workout. There are several opinions out there on when the best time to workout is, but not everyone can do it when the experts say is "best" so here is my philosophy- workout when you can. For some that may be at 6 am, others may be 3 pm, and yet others my not get a chance until 11 pm (which I have done several times), but make sure that you get that time in.
A lot of people don't have time, money, and/or desire to join a gym. I am one of those people. A gym is not necessary to exercise success. There are plenty of workout DVDs out there, online support systems with workout ideas, and equipment that ranges from cheap to so expensive it almost makes you want to cry. I am a DVD person. I like to have someone motivating me through the tv and showing me how to do the exercises. Plus I don't like to have to focus on numbers of reps or time doing a cardio interval, etc. For the most part the trainers on the DVD count that out for me leaving me the ability to focus on proper form and flexing the muscles that I am using. Find what works for you and use it.
There are also supplements and shakes and everything under the sun to assist in weight loss. Some things are great and some things are just a lot of hype. I am not all knowing on this subject but I do have some recommendations based on my own use of products. I am a huge fan of "Shakeology" by beachbody. For those of you who are not familiar with beachbody they are the company behind workouts like P90X, Turbo Jam, and Hip Hop Abs (to name a few of the more familiar titles). I actually just signed up to be a coach for beachbody. The main reason I did this was to get a discount on the products I use and the ones that I'd like to try out as well. Now, I don't want you to feel like I am pushing any specific products, I am here to be honest about what I've tried and attempt to help others in the process. Just to prove it to you I'll start by listing a few of my favorite workout DVDs- and they aren't all from the beachbody line-up. My all time favorite workouts for effectiveness and time are the Jillian Michaels workouts. I love "Ripped in 30" and "6 week 6 pack". I'm excited to try her new DVD that comes out on Sept. 6. I haven't tried her "No More Trouble Zones" DVD, but it looks like it would whip you into crazy good shape. I hated "30 Day Shred" probably because I started with "Ripped", but I couldn't even handle finishing the 30 days of the "Shred". I also really like a few from the beachbody lineup like "ChaLEAN Extreme" and "Turbo Jam". I would really like to try several others from beachbody, but I'm not a huge fan of "Rev Abs" (the dude is weird). They do have the "10 minute trainer" as done by Tony Horton (P90X dude) and it is supposed to be pretty good and each workout only lasts 10 minutes.
As far as supplements go, I've mostly tried a lot of protein/weightloss shakes. I honestly really do like Shakeology the best. I ordered a bag of greenberry and while I really don't like the flavor (it's pretty much a love it or hate it flavor) I actually feel really good when I drink it. The chocolate is supposed to be amazing and I have that on its way to my house now. They are also releasing a new Tropical flavor very soon and everyone who had the chance to sample it said that it was really good. I'm excited to try it out. They also have a ton of other supplements which I have yet to try,but will probably try here in the next while.
If you are interested in purchasing anything from beachbody just click this link http://beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/nickers# and it will take you to my website where you can purchase these products (and help me make a little extra $$). Or if you think that I suck because you think I'm pushing products then you can also go straight to www.beachbody.com and buy it from there. I won't make a dime, but you will still have the opportunity to try out some really great products. WalMart, Costco, Amazon, and Target all sell the Jillian DVDs and they are usually about $10-$15, so they are super affordable (and again, she's my favorite).
If you have anything that you would like to share on this about fitness in any form please leave a comment with your email address or you can email me at nickers@beachbodycoach.com :)