What's Next !?!?

You  may be wondering what my Beachbody plans are now that I've completed the 21 Day Fix.  Well, after thinking about different options and reading different reviews, I've decided to try out Focus T25.  I have heard so many great things about this program and the results people have been getting.

Shaun T is the trainer and I have never done one of his programs but so many people love him, so I am excited to see how well he can motivate and encourage me during the program.  If you haven't heard of Focus T25, it is a 10 week program broken into 2 parts: Alpha and Beta, which each last 5 weeks.  It is high intensity for 25 minutes but there are modifications available if or when you need them.  Also, this program is only five days so you do have 2 days to rest.  If you follow the nutrition and exercise plan, you WILL get results!!

Shaun T

I have ordered my Focus T25 and hope to start next week.  I plan on following the workout program guidelines.  But, I think I am going to continue following the eating plan from the 21 Day Fix since it is easy to follow and I don't need to count calories, just containers.  But we'll see what the nutrition guide for T25 looks like when it arrives.

Do you want to get in shape for summer or need a new workout to keep you motivated?  If you are interested in trying Focus T25 or any other Beachbody program, let me know!  I would love to help you in your fitness and nutrition.  Contact me and I will help in anyway I can.  I would love to have others join me and together we can complete Focus T25.  Plus, don't forget, the Focus T25 challenge pack is on sale through the end of April and includes a month worth of Shakeology, for only $180.

21 Day Fix Week 2 Review

Week 2 of the 21 Day Fix is done and I'm already several days into week 3.  Sorry about the delay in the review but I have been busy with work for the last 4 days.  Anyways, week 2 went great!

I feel like the workouts went better and I was able to make it through them without getting quite so worn out. Plus, I wasn't sore this week which made life a lot easier.  But, I could still tell that I got a really good workout.  My body felt like it was just on the verge of being sore but wan't actually sore, if that makes any sense.;)  Modifications are still my friend for several exercises but I am okay with that.  I just want to be able to say I did my best and completed each workout.

The eating plan went pretty well too.  I can tell I am getting a good grip on how much of each type of food I am suppose to get a day.  There were a couple days where I had to change my plans for dinner because my husband's plans changed but I was able to adjust pretty well on the fly.  I was able to look at my meal plan for the day and see which container colors I had left and then choose something for dinner that would still fill the required containers.

Week 2 Meal Plan

I do still have some cravings for pop and chocolate but most of my other sugary cravings are gone.  I gave in to the chocolate cravings a couple times and had some dark chocolate chips but I am still motivated to really get the cravings under control.   I also gave in and had a little bit of pop one day but that is still vastly improved from having a couple of cans a day like I had been doing.  Moderation is key and that is what I am aiming to maintain.  Honestly, I don't think that I will ever completely give up pop since that is really the only think I drink other than water.  I have never been a coffee or tea drinker and I really don't like beer or wine either.  So I figure an occasional pop will be a treat that I allow myself.  What is your cheat that you can't give up?

Clean eating is getting pretty easy but I am still interested in reading and learning more about what is considered clean.  In the long run I think I will want to incorporate a little more variety into my menu but still maintain clean eating as much as possible.

April 4, 2014

I am seeing results from all my hard work with clean eating and regular exercise.  My arms are definitely more muscular and defined.  I also feel like I am less bloated.  Clothes seem to be fitting fitting a little better and I am feeling happier with how I look overall.  Can't wait to finish this last week and take my after pictures to compare the results!!

If you are thinking about starting a new workout plan and want to get your nutrition under control as well, I can't recommend the 21 Day Fix highly enough!!  I am seriously in love with the program and how it is helping me create a healthy and permanent lifestyle change.  If you have any questions or concerns, I would love to answer them for you.  Ask away!

21 Day Fix Week 3 Meal Plan

I can't believe I will be starting week 3 of the 21 Day Fix in just a couple days!  I work this weekend so I wrote up my meal plan today so it will be ready for Monday.  I am definitely getting a hang of meal planning. I probably only spent 30 minutes creating my meal plan this time.  I am pretty familiar with what is and isn't in the allowed foods list and am also becoming more familiar with what and how I like to eat.  I like simple and non-complicated foods and don't want to spend much time putting together my meals.  Every now and then I am willing to spend more time and effort in cooking a meal but it will always be for dinner when I am cooking for more than just myself.

One thing I have seen posted about a lot on different Beachbody coach websites is "Beast Meatloaf" from the Body Beast program.  Body Beast is a 90-day program that focuses on building muscle, if you are not familiar with it.  I'm not normally a meatloaf fan but am looking for something different to include in my meal plan.  I have read some great reviews and decided to give it a try and include in my meal plan at the end of the week.  I'll let you know how it turns out.  Let me know if you are interested in the recipe.

Although this is my last week of official meal planning since the 21 Day Fix program will be complete, I do plan on continuing with the use of the containers.  I am going to try to do my best to continue with the meal plan, but it is so hard for my husband and I to stick with the meal plan since we eat dinner at a different time every night and often change our evening plans daily due to what my husband needs to accomplish on our farm.  But, I am committed to this lifestyle change and and will do my best to stay accountable to clean eating and correct portions.

One other thing I think I will try to incorporate more of is smoothies in the afternoon which will help me get in a protein, fruit, and veggie while also giving me some variety.  A smoothie seems like a great way for me to incorporate greek yogurt ( red-protein) since I don't like it otherwise but can't taste it this way.  I can also include some spinach which helps me get a green container.  I have found that I often struggle to get 3 green and 4 red containers everyday but this seems like it will be a great solution.  If summer weather ever comes to Michigan, something cool and refreshing to drink in the afternoon will be welcome. :)

Let me know if you have questions about clean eating or portion amounts.  I'm no expert but I have learned a lot during this program and would love to get you started in the right direction.  Questions about 21 Day Fix? Contact me and I will help anyway I can!  I would love to offer free coaching advice on you journey to health and wellness.

Beachbody Challenge Packs for April

April Challenge packs have been announced and they are awesome!!  The two challenge pack specials this month are Focus T25 and Brazil Butt Lift.  These are extremely popular programs and the special pricing for April is hard to beat!

Focus T25 Details

Get an hour's results in 25 minutes a day! Trainer Shaun T gives you everything you need, nothing you don't. 25 minutes. 5 days a week. 100% results.

Your Challenge Pack also includes:

• Your first 30-day supply of Shakeology®—the superfood shake that helps give you energy, reduce cravings, and accelerate your fitness results.  Shakeology will be delivered in a monthly autoship program.  (The autoship can be cancelled at anytime if needed).
• A FREE 30-day trial membership in the Team Beachbody® Club, where you'll find all the support you'll need to complete your Challenge.
• Plus Super Discount shipping (and SAVE OVER $12) every month.

Brazil Butt Lift Details


Leandro Carvalho, trainer to world-famous supermodels, combines Brazilian dance, cardio, and his own signature lower-body sculpting moves to lift, firm, and shape your behind for a rear view you've always dreamed about.

Your Challenge Pack also includes:

• Your first 30-day supply of Shakeology®—the superfood shake that helps give you energy, reduce cravings, and accelerate your fitness results.  Shakeology will be delivered in a monthly autoship program.  (The autoship can be cancelled at anytime if needed).
• A FREE 30-day trial membership in the Team Beachbody® Club, where you'll find all the support you'll need to complete your Challenge.
• Plus Super Discount shipping (and SAVE OVER $12) every month.

Focus T25 and Brazil Butt Lift can also be ordered without the Shakeology but I would encourage you to order the challenge pack and try Shakeology for 30 days.  Plus, Shakeology is sold with a 30-day money back guarantee.

I plan on starting Focus T25 myself once I finish the last 2 weeks of the 21 Day Fix.  I have heard so many great things about Focus T25 and Brazil Butt Lift!!  Do you want to know more about these programs or have specific questions for me?  I'll gladly answer any questions you have.  Let me know if you want to start one of these programs with me.  I will help keep you motivated and accountable as you get your body ready for summer!

21 Day Fix Week 1 Review

21 Day Fix trainer Autumn Calabrese

Week 1 of the 21 Day Fix is complete!  Overall I think it went really well although there is some room for improvement.  It's hard to change your habits in just a week and there were definitely a few slip-ups over the week.  But again, I feel like it was a great start since I plan on making this a lifestyle change.

As far as the working out went, holy cow, I guess I was more out of shape than I realized.  30 minutes doesn't sound like a long time but you still get a really good workout in.  I can really appreciate how each exercise has a modifier available as well.  I certainly needed to use a few of them.  I always seems to have a difficult time with push-ups and planks ad used modifiers much of the time with these.  But, I'm hopeful with continued practice they will get better.  If you have any push-up or plank tips I would love to hear them!

Day 1 workout: the total body cardio fix was a great whole body workout.  I woke up the next day not actually feeling that sore and thought I had escaped the typical soreness of a new workout, but as the day wore on I got more and more sore.  Tuesday was upper fix which I did okay with.  I was so thankful that I didn't have to do too many leg movements since I was extremely sore by the time I exercised after I got home from work.  If I thought I was sore Tuesday evening, I was wrong.... Wednesday morning the soreness really hit.  I was sore to the point where, anytime I wanted to sit down, I had to brace myself to make it bearable when my legs touched the chair.  Needless to say, the lower fix workout that day was rough but I completed it as best as I could.  Fortunately the soreness slowly eased up and today I am able to move around as normal.  But I'm interested in seeing how my body responds to starting the workouts over again today.

Thursday's workout was Pilates fix.  I'm not really familiar with doing Pilates and need to work on some of the movements.  Friday's workout was cardio fix and Saturday was Dirty 30.  Yesterday, I did the yoga fix.  Like Pilates, I only have limited experience with yoga.  Personally, it is a little slower pace than I like but then again I have to remind myself that it is suppose to be an active recovery day which does seem to describe the workout well.  I will stick with the yoga fix for the next 2 weeks as scheduled, put don't necessarily know if yoga is something I can see myself doing often.

Following the eating plan went better than I would have expected.  I basically stuck to my plan with a couple of minor changes.  One thing that made the week difficult was the fact that it was my birthday last week and naturally we went out to dinner to celebrate.  I stuck with relatively healthy options including a salad and turkey sandwich but did allow myself to cheat and had a chocolate cupcake that came with dinner.  I knew I was going to allow myself dessert and tried to be especially careful earlier in the day while eating.  I also told myself that this is not going to become a pattern but is rather a one-time cheat since it was my birthday.  I also had some pop that day which I had been craving the rest of the week but had not given but since I knew this would be my one cheat day I decided to splurge.  Maybe not the best decision, but I enjoyed the food and and now good for a while without feeling the need for junk food.

Week 1 Meal Plan

Other than my birthday meal, I have pretty much eaten the appropriate containers each day and have been pretty satisfied with the amount of food I have available to eat.  My husband is even doing pretty good with checking in with me about what containers I have left to eat so he can plan dinner when it is his turn to cook.

To be completely honest, I still have cravings for junk food, but I have been able to resist most of them.  I really do think that Shakeology is helping with the sweet tooth I have.  Shakeology gives me a dose of chocolate everyday and is enough sweetness to curb my cravings.  I know that eventually the cravings will subside somewhat but I expect it to always be a challenge.  I will consciously have to tell myself that the small pleasure I get from eating the sweets isn't worth the work it would take to erase it from my body. There will be times I will give in because I don't want to totally deprive my body but moderation is the key!

Wow, that turned into a long and wordy post!  But I do hope it gave you a better understanding of how the 21 Day Fix went this first week for me.  Do you have any specific questions about week one?  Have you done 21 Day Fix before or do you think you want to try it?  Let me know if I can be of any help to you!

In case you were wondering, I don't plan on checking my measurements until the end of the 21 days so stay tuned for results in 2 weeks.

My Motivation For Becoming a Beachbody Coach

I've always enjoyed working out and staying active.  In high school and college I was a cheerleader and also ran and lifted weights pretty frequently.  I made sure I committed part of my day to working out and staying fit.  I was committed to not gaining the "freshman 15".  After college I had to enter into the adult world and was also newly married.  Naturally, and partly out of necessity, my priorities changed and I didn't make exercise as much of a priority.  I'd still run and use free weights at home, but I wasn't always exercising on a daily basis.  Over the next 10 years, the pattern continued.  To make matters worse, I took on some bad eating habits and started drinking pop on a daily basis and regularly snacked on junk food.

Well, as you might expect, I gained about 20 pounds after graduating college and no matter what i tried, it just wasn't coming off.  My husband and I went to Disney World to celebrate our 10th anniversary this past December and had a great time.  However, after coming home and looking at some pictures that were taken of me, I realized things needed to change.  My body no longer had the shape and tone it use to.  I was upset with how I looked.  Sure, when I looked in a mirror I could tell I had gained some weight, but it took that picture to make me realize just how out of shape I had gotten.

I understand that some people might think I still look great and I don't want to offend or upset anyone, but for me, I am unhappy with my body and want to make a change.  After coming to the realization that I needed to make the change I had to evaluate how that change would occur.  I really enjoy running and being active outdoors, but it was winter in Michigan and I am not one that enjoys being outside if it is colder than 50 degrees.  I'm pretty wimpy when it comes to cold weather. So, I needed to explore other options.

I was familiar with Beachbody and had bought Turbo Fire a couple years ago (although never completed it) and thought that trying another one of their programs would be a good option.  For the next several weeks I researched the different program options and at some point stumbled upon the option of signing up to be a coach.  I read a lot of information about becoming a coach and gave it a lot of though over a week or so.  Finally I made the choice and signed up to be a Beachbody coach!

So, what made me decide to be a coach instead of just buying the 21 Day Fix program?  Well first off, the 25% discount on products was too good to pass up.  (There are some monthly coaching fees, but it still makes that discount worthwhile if you plan on drinking Shakeology on a daily basis).  Another reason I decided to become a coach is that I love to help people and am passionate about health and nutrition.  I am committed to making a lifestyle change and want to offer others the motivation and support needed so that they can make a similar change in their lives!  I want to form relationships with individuals and share tips and encouragement with them.  Additionally, it is awesome to be a part of a team of coaches that share my passion for health, nutrition, and working out!  Beachbody is a great company to be a part of!

My journey to losing weight and getting toned while eating a clean diet is by no means finished, rather it is just getting started.  I'm sure there will be bumps in the road at times but I'm not going to let them stop me. Can't wait to share some results as my transformation begins.  I am excited to see where my coaching can lead and how my life will be transformed by Beachbody!

Do you have a passion for fitness and nutrition?  Do you want to lose weight, gain muscle, or just get more toned?  Leave me a comment, I would love to talk with you!