Tag: fit moms

3 key ingredients to a successful weight loss journey

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I recently discovered the magic of podcasts (lol, yes, I am a total newb when it comes to that stuff), and I listened to an episode featuring the amazing fitness trainer, Tony Horton. I absolutely loved him in P90X, which was the program that I got started with initially when I was introduced to Beachbody. He has also put out a number of other programs including Power 90, P90X2, and P90. The point here is: HE KNOWS WHAT HE’S TALKING ABOUT!

One of the biggest takeaways from this podcast was the three key factors that he listed as being necessary for most people to be successful on their health and fitness journey. Coming from personal experience, this is definitely true (at least for me).

VARIETY

First of all, the primary reasons that people tend to give up on their health and fitness journeys often involve boredom, injuries, and hitting plateaus. I have been through all three of these at different times throughout my own journey. Luckily, I have been able to bounce back from that and not throw in the towel completely. However, many people don’t have the willpower to jump back on the horse when they fall off.

How did I keep myself on track? Through VARIETY. After two rounds of P90X, I got bored. Instead of letting that be the end of my fitness journey, I started a completely different program: Turbo Fire. It was so drastically different from P90X, and it was super fun and upbeat, so I stopped feeling bored with my workouts. I felt a similar boredom when I was doing LES Mills Pump, because in the final month it just seemed like I was doing the exact same thing over and over. What did I do to rectify the issue? I started ChaLEAN Extreme! Problem = SOLVED.

If you are just running on the treadmill or using the elliptical, or doing the same old exercises day in and day out at the gym, there is a much higher likelihood that you are going to get bored. Most people don’t enjoy doing the same basic things over and over again, and it can lead to feeling of dread when you think about going to work out. You need your workouts to be fresh and fun to keep you interested and coming back. The thing that I love most about Beachbody programs is that most of them switch things up every month, so you are always doing something new and different. In addition, your muscles NEED change from time to time to improve. If you are constantly doing the same thing, your muscles will grow accustomed to what you are doing and you won’t make as much progress.

CONSISTENCY

You need to be consistent with your workouts and with clean eating. If you just do a couple workouts here and there and you are spotty with your nutrition, you’re not going to see the kind of progress that you may be hoping for. If you are serious about wanting to lose weight and get fit, you should be doing AT LEAST 4 workouts a week. You should always be working out more days than you do not work out. Personally, I always aim to do 6. Your body needs a rest period to recover from the intense workouts, so I usually pick my busiest day to use as a rest day. With respect to diet, you should aim to be on track with your nutrition 90% of the time.

“We are what we repeatedly do” – Aristotle

If you eat clean consistently over an extended period of time, you are going to become healthier and you are going to lose some weight. If you work out consistently over an extended period of time, you are going to become fit and healthy, and you are going to experience weight loss. In contrast, if you are eating junk consistently and you consistently skip out on your workouts over an extended period of time, at the very least you’ll stay where you are, but in many cases you just end up packing on more and more weight.

INTENSITY

You need to PUSH YOURSELF. You have to go as hard as you possibly can, without making yourself hate the workout. You don’t have to go totally crazy with this and make it so intense that you almost pass out or you throw up or something along those lines. It can be as simple as just going a little deeper in your lunges and squats, jumping a little higher, going up one pound in weight, adding one or two extra reps, etc. You just can’t keep doing the exact same thing over and over without making it harder, or else you won’t see much improvement.

If you’re lifting weights, you need to be constantly trying to push yourself by going up in weight and/or adding more reps. You need to really feel the burn in the last few reps, but as soon as your form goes south – you’re done. If you’re doing cardio, push yourself by jumping higher, moving faster, kicking/punching harder, etc.

If you keep increasing the intensity of your workouts gradually over an extended period of time, you are bound to see some pretty incredible results! Our Beachbody programs provide you with the tools you need to check off Variety and Intensity from this list, but the Consistency is totally up to you! Our programs are full of variety to keep you interested in your workouts, and the trainers will constantly encourage you to push harder and do your best. If you take this seriously and follow through consistently, there is no telling what kind of results you could achieve!

Click Here if you are ready to get started on your health and fitness journey!

Sick and tired of being sick and tired?

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Are you feeling tired and sluggish all of the time? Are you getting a lot of sleep, but waking up and going through your day STILL feeling exhausted? If the answer to those questions is yes, I would like you to answer these questions honestly – even if you just admit it to yourself. Are you eating a lot of junk food or unhealthy foods? Are you exercising regularly? Are you sleeping more than 8 hours a night?

I know how it feels to be tired and sluggish day in and day out, because I’ve been there. What I have learned over my own health and fitness journey is that it comes primarily from your diet and lack of exercise.  I have found that eating a lot of junk food, failing to exercise, and sleeping more than 8 hours a night actually keeps your mind a bit foggy. It is a feeling that doesn’t really go away, kind of like trying to see through cobwebs. It doesn’t completely block your view (or in this case your mental capacity), but it does keep you tired and drowsy.

I honestly didn’t even realize how bad that fog was until I started eating better, working out, and not sleeping in until noon every day. It was only then that my mind got back to running normally, without those cobwebs keeping me from being my best. Exercise depletes your energy in the short-term, but what it actually does for you long-term is way worth it. When you work out, you are actually releasing endorphins into your body that I like to think of as mood enhancers! If I am mad or upset over something, all I have to do is throw in one of my high intensity interval training or kickboxing workouts and I feel so much better by the time I’m done.

I’m only human, so I have fallen off the wagon a couple of times and gone on binges where I ate a ton of junk food – usually on holidays or vacations. What happens when I do that though is the fog starts creeping back in. I’m not a scientist or a doctor, so I can’t say with any certainty that something in the junk food is causing this to happen, but I would bet money that it is!

Another instance where I feel this fog coming back is when I sleep too much. You need to get a decent amount of rest, especially if you are exercising because that is when your body heals itself from the strain and builds muscle. However, the longer you exceed 8 hours in sleep, the higher the chances are that you’re going to wake up feeling groggy. This happens to me sometimes because I work overnight shifts here and there that really mess up my sleep schedule. I will only get 4 or 5 hours of sleep for a few nights, and I’ll let myself sleep for like 10-12 hours on a day off to make up for it. On days that I have done that I just wake up feeling worse.

My point here is that if you want to get rid of this feeling, you need to start eating healthier, exercising regularly, and only sleeping as much as you have to. Once you start losing weight and you start feeling the positive effects of the exercise, chances are you’ll come to understand what I mean.

Click Here if you’re ready to make this commitment to change your life for the better.

Post-workout treat

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It never ceases to amaze me, but I know that a lot of people actually think this way! Some people will workout and then they think that it earns them a meal from McDonalds afterwards. They will then come to me wondering why they don’t see results. Well, the answer is simple. You NEED to eat clean, and you need to exercise.

If you work out for an hour and then you go to a fast food joint for supper immediately after, you are negating all of that work you just put in. You cannot expect to lose weight by treating yourself to junk food after a workout. The biggest part of weight loss is actually your nutrition, so if you want to be successful in losing the weight you have got to start eating healthier.

Click Here if you would like access to some recipes for healthy meals and snacks.

There is NO elevator to success!

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If you want lasting success you HAVE to be willing to make changes! Sure, you can spend a ton of money on diet pills, wraps, drinks, etc. In the majority of cases, all you are doing is throwing your money away when you buy these types of things, and I know because I have been there, done that. These things may seem to work in the beginning, but chances are whatever weight you do lose, you will just gain it all back shortly after.

Like I said, I’ve been there. I used to waste a lot of money on all types of different diet and weight loss products. After a while though I realized it wasn’t working, and I needed to make a change. I started P90X, changed my eating habits, and never looked back. The funny thing about all of those weight loss products that claim to help you lose a ton of weight with little to no exercise is that they require you change your eating habits. The reps will tell you to get the best results you should eat healthy and drink a lot of water. Well, guess what? If you would just eat healthy and drink a lot of water, you would lose weight WITHOUT wasting your money on weight loss products.

Of course there will be a limit to what you can achieve without exercise, but the biggest part of the weight loss battle is actually nutrition. If you just eat the right foods and hydrate yourself frequently, you will start to lose weight with or without exercise. If you’re serious about wanting to lose the weight though, and you want it to happen as quick as possible, you need to add exercise into your routine.

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Pre-Diet junk food binge

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Does this sound familiar?! This used to be an annual thing in our house haha, but it is no good! All this does is cause you to gain extra weight that you will have to work off during your diet and/or new fitness routine. It does not make any sense for you to eat a bunch of junk food just to get rid of it,  because it is only going to hurt you in the end.

It is better to give it to a friend or family member than to gorge on it right before you start a new diet. It may taste good, but all it is going to do is make you feel pretty crappy and gain weight. Would you rather not “waste” the money it cost you to get the junk food in the first place and deal with the consequences, or get rid of the junk food and get off to a good start with your diet? Personally, I would go for that second option.

If you gorge on junk food before a diet, you are just setting yourself up for failure. You need to change your mentality surrounding the word “diet”, because getting fit and healthy isn’t a short-term thing – it is a lifestyle change. What you need to do is find foods like mimic the meals you typically enjoy, but that are much healthier for you. You don’t have to restrict yourself 100% of the time, but you should try to aim for 80-90%. If you want something that isn’t healthy, just work it into your calorie and macro limits for the day! It is possible to live a healthy lifestyle while still occasionally enjoying junk food, you just have to want it bad enough to keep yourself from junk food on a regular basis. Instead, use it as a treat for progress at the end of the month or something.

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Are fad diets any good?

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Doing super restrictive diets, like many of the fad diets out there claiming to help you lose weight fast, is not a good idea at all! Sure, you will most likely lose some weight, but chances are as soon as you go back to eating normally you will gain it all back. What you lose with fad diets is the water weight, which comes back as soon as you get back to your normal eating habits. You WILL NOT maintain that weight loss, so what is the point in picking a diet that is not sustainable long-term? What is even more important to note is that it is simply NOT HEALTHY.

Instead, find a variety of healthy foods and meals that you enjoy, and then create a new healthy lifestyle around those foods! Eating healthy doesn’t have to mean depriving yourself of junk food 100% of the time either. It is important to have a cheat meal every once in a while to not only help you stay on track, but also because it revs up your metabolism. As long as you don’t completely pig out and you eat in moderation, one cheat meal is not going to hurt you every now and then – it can actually be beneficial! If you deprive yourself entirely of things you crave for a long time, there is a higher risk of going on a binge at some point. If you plan out your cheat meal and use it as a reward for progress, you will curb those cravings for a while and help yourself continue moving forward. 

Furthermore, you can still have “cheat” meals without it entirely being a cheat. For example, when I crave junk sometimes I will have a plate of nachos made with organic nachos, salsa, and cheese. If your kryptonite is chips, try cooking some homemade popcorn and just melting a bit of real butter to put on top with some sea salt. I also like having homemade pizza every now and then, and I just measure out my toppings so that I know how many calories I am consuming and I can organize the rest of my day around it. 

You need to remember that one bad day is not going to make you gain a bunch of weight. That works both ways though, because one GOOD day is also not going to make you LOSE a bunch of weight. Results will come over time, and with effort.

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Hip and Thigh exercises

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Contrary to popular belief, you actually can’t spot train! All of these exercises will work the hip and thigh area, but they also work other areas in your legs as well. If you do any of these, or even many of the exercises in the “butt exercises” note, they will work these areas. One thing I’ve learned throughout my own journey is that you just have to do leg exercises in general, and the weight will come off wherever it feels like coming off lol. I still have fat on my hips and thighs that I would like to get rid of, but doing only these exercises wouldn’t make that happen any faster. It would actually be counter-productive because this area natually takes longer for us as women to lose, so you might as well work all the other areas while you’re at it so that you see progress everywhere else while you wait! The key is that you’ll be building muscle, and the muscle is what is going to burn off the fat.

-Squat with leg lift (Do a regular squat with feet shoulder width apart, then when you are standing up lift one leg out to the side. Be careful not to lean to the other side, and focus on standing straight just lifting the leg up and out to the side. You can alternate legs if you want, or you can do one leg then the other)

-Standing hip opener (Stand straight and bring one knee up so that the top part of your leg is parallel to the floor, then bring the leg out directly to the side but keeping it at the same angle, and then lower the leg back to the ground. Again, try to remember to stand up straight and not to bend into the turn. This will work your legs as well as your core and your abs from balancing and using that core strength to stand straight)

-Bowling lunge (Get into a lunge stance with most of your weight on the forward leg, and then inch the other leg behind you and to the side. You should be able to lift your back toe off the ground and balance on the front leg for a few seconds. It will feel like you’re about to throw a bowling ball. Once in position, lunge down, then come back up slowly. Repeat as many times as you can)

-Sumo squats (Get into a wide foot stance with toes facing outward. Squat down and then come up slowly. Again, repeat as many times as you can)

-Pulsing sumo squats (Same as regular sumo squats only this time instead of coming all the way up when you finish the first one, you only come halfway up. Do that pulse three times, then on the fourth you can come all the way up. This counts as one rep)

-Hip raises (Lie on your side on your mat and hold yourself up with your arm resting on the mat and your foot closest to the ground on the mat on its side with the other foot resting on top of it. Slowly lift your hips off the ground so that the space between your body and the mat forms half of a triangle. You can do this with your knee on the mat instead of your feet if you don’t have the strength to get up, but try it with the toes first)

-Leg lifts (Get in the same position as the hip raises only this time you will lift the top leg up into the air as high as you can)

-Wall sit (Get into squat position with your back against the wall. Your legs should be at a 90 degree angle, with the top part of your leg parallel to the floor. If it starts to burn too much just come up for 10 seconds and then inch back down. If your legs start shaking too much, you’re done)

-Step ups (If you have a stepper or a small stool this would come in handy. Otherwise just use something about the same height or even just a regular stair if you have to, but ideally it will be a bit higher than a typical stair. You just step up with one leg, step back, and then lunge back with the other leg. This is one rep, and do as many as you can on one side before switching to the other)

-Toe touches/deadlifts (If you have weights you can use them to make this a deadlift, otherwise you can use cans of soup or something to make it at least a little more difficult. Stand up straight and then bend down but keep your back straight as you come down and try to bring your hands or the weights as low as you can)

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Butt toning exercises

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Here are some moves you can do to tone your butt. You can add weight to a lot of these to make it harder and work better, but it isn’t necessary.

-Regular squats (feet shoulder width apart)

-Sumo squats (feet further apart with toes pointed outward)

-Pulsing squats (Squat down, then only come halfway up 3 times, then come all the way up on the fourth pulse. That is considered one rep)

-Squat and hold (Squat down and hold position for 10 seconds, then come up)

-Wall sits (Put your back against the wall and squat down so that your knees are at a 90 degree angle. When it starts to burn just come up a bit to give your legs a break, then get back down into it. If your legs start shaking, you’re done)

-Lunges (You can do these as walking lunges where you do one on each side, or if you don’t have much space you can do them standing still in one place doing a full set on one leg and switching)

-Screamers (Get in a lunge stance with most of your weight on the forward leg, then you bring the back leg off the ground with your knee coming up. Pull your hands in as you bring the knee up, it will almost feel like you’re pulling someone down to knee them in the gut or something. Do this repeatedly as fast as you can. You will know why they are called screamers within like 5 seconds lol)

-Leg extensions (Get on your knees on a mat and raise one leg up into the air as high as you can repeatedly, then the other leg. This can also be done standing up, but you have to be careful of your posture and that you aren’t cheating by leaning forward)

-Leg pulses (Get in the same position as above on your mat and raise one leg up as high as you can, then only bring it back down halfway and keep pulsing up)

-Bridge (Lie down on the mat with your feet planted down below your butt, then lift your body up into a straight line)

-Hip thrusts (Rest your shoulders on a bench with your feet planted on the ground and lif your body up into a straight line so that your legs are at a 90 degree angle. I usually do this with a barbell and some plates by resting the bar across my hips)

-Back kicks, aka donkey kicks (You literally just kick straight behind you. You will have to bend forward to do this one, and you probably shouldn’t try this at the gym or you may get some strange looks lol)

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Don’t Hesitate

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So many people say “I’ll start Monday”, or “I’ll start after New Years”, or “I’ll start after I eat all of the bad food in the house so that it won’t be there to tempt me”. and things of that nature. Yet, that day never actually comes. The more you put it off, the less likely it is to actually happen.

If you have the motivation to get started and you WANT to get started, don’t let yourself put it off. If you do, chances are you’ll never get started. If you do get started and you ate all of the junk food in the house so that it wouldn’t be there to tempt you, chances are you will have put on some extra weight. Now you not only will have wasted time you could have been making progress, but you’ll have put on more weight that you will have to work off!

Why not get started early and build the good daily habits that will keep you going during and after the bad days to come? There will be days when you will give in to temptation, and what I want you to remember is that one bad day is not going to wreck your progress. However, by the same token, one good day is not going to give you progress.

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Diet VS Exercise

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I both agree AND disagree with this image.

This is not ALWAYS going to be true because everyone is different in body type. However, it is definitely true that dieting will only get you so far. You can diet all you want, but you aren’t going to get the tight and toned body that you may want just by dieting.

You need to pair the diet with exercise, which is already arranged for you with Beachbody programs! When you purchase a Beachbody program you receive the fitness routine, the meal plan, AND access online to all kinds of information about health and fitness. In addition to all of that, you also get me as your coach and a team full of like minded individuals for support and accountability.

All you’ve got to do is commit! Are you ready? If so, Click Here.