P90x3 Review

Tony Horton's P90x3 - 16 workouts ~ 30 minutes ~ 3 months.
Granted I started this while I was 18 weeks pregnant (2nd trimester) and ended it in my third trimester at 31 weeks.

This program has a three month schedule, divided into one month segments or blocks. The first block has a week of workouts that you then repeat for three weeks followed by a transition week. The second block is similar with three identical weeks and a fourth transition week. The last block or month mixes it up a bit and has a 1/3 schedule and a 2/4 schedule ending with a transition week they call the victory week. It was nice having just three weeks of the same workouts because I feel like that gives an added boost of motivation.
First week "yah great new workouts"
Second week "this again"
Third week "okay one more time of doing these before we switch it up"

The transition week was hard for me because it was pretty low key but I knew it would be good for my body.

Being pregnant I obviously had to do more modifications than I normally would. This is a heavy push up/pull up program but I kept pushing with those either dropping to one or two knees and using a chin up assist.

I will say this was my first Tony Horton workout full through. Now I do my workouts in the morning while my kids are around and he does make a few (okay a lot) of comments I would prefer my kids not to hear. My son even remarked giddily "I like when he says stupid" ::eye roll:: He also tended to make sexist/racist comments that bothered me but I let roll off my shoulders ::double eye roll:: I thought maybe it was just me but another in my challenge group doing the same program noticed as well. Anyone else pick up on these? Like every woman in his program was a cheerleader or dancer, so he claims?

I did like that each workout had a full unique set of moves. There weren't sets or times you really repeated a move which kept the workout intriguing.

Block 1 Workouts
This month might seem easy or less challenging because it is yoga movement focused but it was still difficult and beneficial to my body.

Total Synergistics This was a lower key full body workout or felt that way at the start; maybe I just had to do more modifications because I'm pregnant. The second half utilizes weights. the first half has more pull ups/push ups. My heart rate never went into cardio range but I was in the fat burning zone the whole time. Great feeling afterwards with some yoga moves thrown in.

Agility X is the only workout he requires the tape on the floor. We put the tape on the floor for the first block. But ended up only doing this workout once. In block 3 it shows up again. I did it again just without the tape. It is basically running around, through, and over your tape lines which can be done without. It was a good cardio workout which my husband subbed out with running a few times.

x3 Yoga This was a good yoga workout. With my growing belly however after I did it one time I decided to sub in a different prenatal yoga DVD I had. Just better moves for me at this stage.

The Challenge I thought this was crazy when I read ahead. A whole 30 minutes of only push ups and pulls ups. Kind of scary. I skipped it the first week and did a maternity workout, but decided to attempt it the second and LOVED IT! I couldn't believe the workout I got from those two moves alone. Granted we were doing different versions of each and working different muscles but a great workout none the less and I felt it the next day, so that's a good sign!

CVX I loved this cardio one, probably got my heart pumping the most out of all the workouts.

The Warrior - being pregnant I really had to modify this workout. I ended up making up my own full body workout on the BOSU to do in place of this one.

Transition week workouts: 
Isometrix is a nice low key workout made up of holding yoga moves. It could almost be considered a yoga day, but holding a move for 45 seconds, lots of balance moves was a little tougher than an average yoga day. It's hard for me to be a fan of these low key workouts because I want more heart pumping, muscle building feelings but in the end I can tell it's doing something because I feel better and my body moves better.

Accelerator is a good sweat. I was a little unsure of it during my 2nd block transition week. Being 25 weeks pregnant I wasn't sure how "a lot of jumping" as my husband said leaving for work was going to work for me. But I tried it anyway and only had to modify a few moves due to my belly. Planks and moves on the floor just don't work for me at this point so I'd either do the move standing, do pelvic tilts, deep ab breathe work, or kegals in place of the plank moves :-) But overall I liked this one. I did it again at 30 weeks and felt good. Lots of modified moves but still made it through!



Pilates X I can't write a review on this one because I totally skipped it. My husband did it and said it was definitely challenging and not something my pregnant belly would probably allow me to do.

Block 2 Workouts
I loved this month because it was more weight focused and I love weights!
Eccentric Upper & Lower These were similar to any other upper body or lower body workout. He used a three count slow movement going into a move and then a quick release coming out of the move.

Triometrics is not what it seems, I thought it would be a lot of plyo moves I would need to modify but it was doing one more three ways, increasing difficulty every 20 seconds for 1 minute per move. The modifier stops at the second move and doesn't advance to the third, which is what I did for most moves. It's a lower body movement with lots of balance/one legged reps. I enjoyed it and actually looked forward to it when it popped up in block 3.



Incinerator When I read this I thought it was going to be more cardio focused and something with crazy moves Tony makes up. But once I did it I was happy to discover it was more of an upper body workout: weights, pull ups, push-ups good mix. Great back workout and I enjoyed doing this all three weeks.

MMX is a typical martial arts workout. Kicking, punching the air. Really not my favorite but a great cardio workout. I did it! Even though I'm not a fan of MMA.

Dynamix I utilized this day as a rest day until one week in the second month. I'd have to say it wasn't my favorite stretch workout and felt like I was doing more work on my body than I would have liked on  rest/stretch day. However my husband enjoyed it and did get a little sweat at the end. His muscles get pretty tight so this entire program has been great with all the added stretch and yoga moves.

The transition week was the same as what is in the first month.

Block 3 Workouts
There's nothing like a final month to bring on new motivation. The entire block wasn't made up of new workouts but there were a few here and there. it was separated into two different week rotations. Week 9 & 11 and weeks 10 & 12.

Decelerator was a good one. Some jumping with slow landing and cardio moves. I was able to do most of it while pregnant. Just a few modifications, especially with the floor super mans.

Complex Upper: this one showed up twice in the third block with the option to do it or The Challenge (from first block). After hearing my husband's experience I skipped it the first week. He said he got a great sweat in but that it killed his toes and he needed shoes and there were just some really challenging moves. He opted to do the challenge the second time it was an option. And in another challengers words "it was brutal". I did end up doing it the third week. It was good, I had to make a few modifications and roughly 27 weeks pregnant I moved from the chin-up max to just doing bands. This workout had five moves that you repeated four times. Very similar to The Challenge and since I was doing modifications it was basically like the challenge for me with a set of military presses thrown in.



Complex Lower: I liked this one, good tough lower body workout. Four rounds of 5 moves. Oh that DS Double L move is a killer. Deadlift, squat, lunge, lunge - great way to get that heart rate up and work those legs! This was a high calorie burn workout for me even with the preggo breaks.

Results
So my results weren't really too exciting. I gain inches in my waist and chest (duh!) but everything else stayed the same. I would say the accomplishment with this program was just getting through the entire thing, beginning to end throughout my pregnancy. Many excuses present for me to stop and many expectant women use those excuses, but for me it was deeper and I knew I was staying healthy for just myself.

(caption of above photo should read 31 weeks not 32 weeks, oops)

Focus T25 Program Review

Today Kyle and I finished up 10 weeks of Shaun T's T25 program. It's a Beachbody cardio/slim & tone program that is split up in three levels and really focuses on your core strength. We started with the Alpha workouts, moved onto Beta, then we ended with strength/weight focused workouts in Gamma.



We had originally planned to do 8 weeks, 2 weeks of alpha and beta then a 4 week hybrid of all three. At the end of eight weeks we decided we should do the full ten weeks and added a week of beta and week of alpha in the end. It was interesting going back to the 'easier' workouts to finish it out. They are by no means easier but they do build upon each other. We sweated just as much finishing up with beta and alpha as we had the first go round or in gamma.



The awesome thing about this program was that each workout was indeed only 25 minutes! You can't  beat that and they were pretty hard core workouts so I know I couldn't get any more calorie burn in that short amount of time. There was a 2-3 additional minute cool down after each one, bringing the total time to less than 30 minutes, usually 28 min.




I'd have to say my favorite workout in the whole thing was Speed 3.0. I think because it was such an INTENSE cardio workout, it was rather hard to forget. It was more of a routine workout with Rounds and Levels. Two routines of moves that you do for a minute-ish then each level you completed it in less time. I loved Speed 1.0 right off the bat, which was really nothing like 2.0 or 3.0, but incorporated stretching into the 25 minute workout.



There was no equipment needed in the five alpha round videos and these seemed to be very much lower body focused. Lots of leg work and jumping/hoping for cardio. Beta had two of the five workouts using weights and seemed to be core and upper body focused. Lastly three of the four gamma used weights and was very much strength focused, full body.

Results

So I took measurements about halfway through to give me a gauge and boy was I disappointed. My measurements had increased as well as my weight and that was my smack in the head to get my nutrition on point. So for the second half I did just that, we ate according to the fix nutrition, continued drinking our shakeology, and halfway through I knocked my container counts down to the 1500-1800 category range. I finished with two days of countdown to competition which eliminates fruit, reduces carbs, and heavily increases protein. I felt good after eating like this but it wasn't easy.
In the end my measurements were exactly the same as my starting point. My photos did show a little more ab definition but the numbers were all the same, even my body fat percentage (I did increase in age during that time, but I ran the numbers both ways and it didn't have an effect). I'm not completely sure how I feel about that. I don't really feel happy about my results but I also wasn't really trying to lose weight either. I was hoping to lower my body fat percentage a little, but then again the first 4-5 weeks were not on track nutritionally. That just goes to show how big of a role that nutrition plays. I think with the workouts being so short at 25 minutes that you have no room to fudge your diet. When I did Insanity Asylum the workouts were a little longer and 6 days a week vs. the five days that T25 was. I think this allowed me for a few more cheat meals and still end up with results with Asylum. I had also just come out of fix extreme so was eating better then than I feel like I have been.

Kyle's results showed some difference, he lost weight as well as inches in his chest which he isn't too happy about. He missed the weights from hammer & chisel and is going to be doing Body Beast next. I am excited to try out body beast as well but I also have Insanity Max 30 to do so I'm not sure if I will do a little of both or commit to one completely. Body Beast has a much different nutrition plan, which I think will be GREAT, but also more work because you have to plan and learn a new style of eating. Fix nutrition is just so EASY! And it works I mean I got to my goal weight fast and have stayed there since last spring.

Hammer & Chisel Review

I was really excited to start the Master's Hammer and Chisel program because I love weight lifting. It's my comfort zone, I always loathe cardio workouts but power through them because I know they are good for me and give me great results. I was really looking forward to building some muscle and defining my body. This workout is categorized as muscle building/ slim & tone and intermediate to advanced skill level. There is more equipment needed than other home programs I've done; well recommended I guess. They recommend a bench and chin-up bar. They do show ways to modify without those but I think they played a big part in moves and I highly recommend them. Of course dumbbells are required, no way to really get around that and a band is helpful and used in just a couple moves.

This program alternates between the Hammer (workouts led by Sagi and tend to be more body building focused) and the Chisel (workouts led by Autumn and tend to be more full body cardio and 21 day fix type workouts). Both were awesome. There are a total of 15 workouts which kept this 60 day program interesting and appealing. I wasn't doing the same five workouts over and over and there were sometimes weeks that went by between doing a repeat. One downfall was that there was no specific day designated for stretching. There was one rest day a week so I guess if you wanted to stretch on that day you could, but would have been nice to have a specific stretch video workout. Once the rest day came along that is all I wanted to do and needed it after a week of lifting!

I highly recommend printing off the worksheets that go along with this program to track your dumbbell weight progress. I started off low, not super low, but probably lower than I needed to because I wanted to gradually work my way up. So my lowest weight was mainly 8 pound dumbbells. On one or two complex moves I did pull out the 5 pounders, like when Sagi was using an 8 pounder for fly lunge twists in Hammer Conditioning I used the five. I had a goal to bump up weights every time I repeated a workout, so having the worksheets to refer back to were crucial.



The Workouts!

Hammer Plyometrics (28m): this one doesn't pop up too often throughout the program but it's a good one. It wasn't easy to do in the basement with a short ceiling so the last time I ended up taking equipment upstairs to complete it. A good cardio workout and I loved the 30 second intervals; felt like I could push harder knowing it was only 30 seconds. This workout was tied with Hammer Conditioning for the top 3rd workout in the program to give a peak cardio workout.

Iso Speed Hammer (25m): I loved that this was a short one. It's amazing what even ten minutes difference feels like. This was straight and to the point. Ten slow concentrated reps followed by ten fast reps, then the move was over and onto the next.

Total Body Hammer (45m): This a great whole body workout. You do a move for 10, 8, 6 reps using the same weight finish a couple more moves in the round then repeat the 10, 8, 6 reps of each move before advancing to the next round. There are three rounds total. My biggest dislike of this workout are the background people. Both girls quote their used weight as combined dumbbell amount instead of how you are suppose to state your weight in what size the dumbbells are. So they say "20 pounds" when they are using 10 pound dumbbells in each hand. Wish they would have used some girls that actually lifted weight and were motivating to other women doing this workout. I could have also done without the eye rolls the far right lady kept giving Sagi. I know his jokes are corney but they aren't bad and keep you amused through the workout.

Max Hammer Strength (36m): This is a great weightlifting workout and it's pretty whole body (with more focus on the legs of course because it seems like every workout is a leg workout). You do a move for sixty seconds with no weights then you do the move 8 reps with max weight. Pretty straight forward.

Hammer Power (40m): I loathed this one at first. Too many deadlifts and not a fan of the jerk move. But the more I did it the more I liked it. I think I like the people in this one the best. And I liked that it was light, medium, and heavy weights. Once I bumped up, I worked on spacing out the weight. So I left my light weight at ten pounds for some time and worked my way up to 15 and 20 for medium and heavy. Felt great after this workout! It did prove to be difficult to do in the basement and probably the worst one to do with little children running around. It was fast moving and I had to push myself to keep up but it was great not to feel like the workout dragged along, like some of the others.

Hammer Conditioning (30m): Glad this was a short one. Seemed like days I needed it most a shorter workout would pop up on the calendar. This one had some good dynamic moves, only eight moves doing 12 reps each, twice. I liked the burpee renegade upright row. My least favorite move was the fly lunge twist; you know it's tough when Sagi is using an 8 pound dumbbell. I stuck to a 5 pound weight for that move. Once I got my weights high enough this was a real sweat fest. And ranks pretty high compared to others for being a cardio, calorie burning workout. My Fitbit said it was 60% cardio, making it tied with Hammer Plyometrics for the third top workout in the program to give a good cardio workout. 

10 min Ab Hammer (10m): There are ten moves and they are all done on the floor. Lots of oblique work. Pretty straight forward.

Chisel Balance (40m): I think this is the very first workout in the program. I remember liking it after the first time and a few following ones. However toward the end I started to dread it. The final move of renegade rows with a pistol squat.... seven total minutes of this move. Your legs and butt will be screaming! I do like that this one has a move, you do it twice and then move on and you don't come back to it. I bumped up my weights in the beginning but once I was at what Autumn was using I stayed put. I wanted to work on balance and not dealing with a heavy weight causing me to topple over.

Iso Strength Chisel (35m): This one changed things up a bit by not having a cool down at the end but instead incorporating the stretching after each individual move. I liked that for a change. You did a ove 10 reps then held for ten seconds then repeated the round three times. It was pretty intense and definitely gave those muscles a good burn.

Chisel Endurance (35m): This is a two round workout where you do each move for sixty seconds. Lots of work on the bench. Step ups and step overs, decline push-ups, incline press, and balanced rows were all done on the bench. This would probably be considered a cardio workout however it is kind of slow moving so I was able to bump up my weights quite a bit and it still wasn't one of the more cardio workouts. But it was good and got the job done.

Chisel Cardio (40m): This was a real sweat fest and according to my fitbit readout it was peak performance over any other workout. I bumped up my weights the first two times in a couple moves, ended up getting to what Autumn was using then didn't really see a need to increase as it was mainly a cardio workout. Easier to push myself when I'm not weighted down with an excessive dumbbell in my hand. I liked that this was a 2 round workout, so once I hit the mid way point it was easy to push myself through the second round saying "just one more time of this move then done". The sword pulls are killer. It does start off a little slow with her explaining moves but those breaks are welcomed during round two when I needed to catch my breath.

Chisel Agility (40m): This workout was #2 for performance according to my fitbit readout. This is the only one that utilizes NO EQUIPMENT! So a great one to do if you're traveling (unfortunately it didn't pop up on the schedule when we were traveling). It has two rounds each round with 10 moves you do for 60 seconds. Overall I liked this one, a great cardio and a change from using all that equipment. You do need some space to bounce and move around for the grapevine shuffle and various lunges. Here's the list of moves:

• High Knees
• Plank X Tap
• Grapevine Shuffle
• Lateral Squat Hop
• Multi-directional Lunges
• Rotating Squat Jump
• Skater Triangle
• Diagonal Jump Lunge (because of a bad knee I modified this differently by just doing straight jump lunges)
• Circle In and Out
• Directional Squat Jump

Total Body Chisel (36m): this was three rounds where you did three reps of 10 for each move. Pretty straight forward lifting program. The first round I was able to use just two different weights. The second I felt like I had a different weight for each move, which isn't bad I guess just a pain to keep track of and my workspace got cluttered. This video ended with tricep dips which was the only isolated tricep move in the whole program (besides kick backs in another hammer video).

10 min Ab Chisel (10m): Seven different ab moves mostly all done on the bench. I did it a couple times without a bench and I think it might have been harder without. A good ab workout that had my core burning.

Master's Cardio (18m): this is on an extra DVD you can get from ordering through your coach (or um... ME!!) I like that it's quick. I did it twice when it was mentioned as an optional alternative. It is the only one led by both Sagi & Autumn and they are quite goofy with each other which is rather distracting. I just started the workout instead of waiting for their banter to finish. I don't feel it gave me much of a good workout and only did it the days I was really short on time just so I could say it was done for the day.

Of course I would have loved to have had the additional deluxe workouts. I believe there are four additional ones. I did get to do Hammer Build Up one time as it was offered on the CDJ when it was mentioned as an optional workout.

My husband and I used a variety of Beachbody Performance products. Our favorite being the post-workout Recover. It was easy to drink as soon as we were done and know that our body was getting the amino acids it needed to build and repair those muscles. We started off with the nighttime supplement: Recharge. While I really liked it and it encouraged me to get to bed since you need to be sleeping within 30-60 minutes after drinking, we often forgot to drink it. I do think it helped combat soreness the most. We switched to recover about midway through and I noticed muscle soreness creeping back in. But we were also going up in weight so who really knows if it was the lack of using Recharge or the increase in weights.

Halfway through we also started using energize. This is an AMAZING product and my husband rarely does a morning workout with out it! It's a citrus powder you drink in a cup of water right before you start. It has beta-alanine, low-dose of caffeine from green tea, and quercetin in it. Way healthier for you than an energy drink. If give you just that boost you need to push you through your workout and give all you got, which is turns gives you amazing results. Who can't utilize that!?!

I also had some Hydrate on hand but honestly used it maybe twice because it tasted good and was a change from water. But Hydrate is a during workout powder that is great at replacing electorlites. I did a good amount of sweating during hammer and chisel but I'd say hydrate is a better product for a more cardio focused program like what we plan to do next: T25 or Insanity Max 30.

Results! 
I definitely saw my progress as the program went on, I was increasing weights every time I repeated a workout and got up to using 20 pounds! I preferred to increase in 2.5 pound increments because I wanted to be able to complete the reps and have something to work toward each day.

We both ate above our calorie plan in hopes of building muscle. I ate in Plan D (until the last week when my daughters stopped nursing I dropped back down to Plan C) and my husband ate in Plan D/E when he could muster it all in. We both maintained our weight. We were familiar with the nutrition plan since it is the same as the 21 day fix: colored coded portion containers. 
I lost 1.5" off my waist and a half inch off my hips. I dropped 0.6% body fat. Was hoping for a little more drop in body fat but it's all about progress not perfections.
My husband dropped 1.2% body fat and gained inches in his upper body (an inch in his chest and quarter inch in each arm) while losing 0.75 inches off his waist. We could definitely see more muscle definition throughout the program. Being that it is 60 days, it was hard to eat 100% on track. We listed and sold a house in that time (showings and meetings causing us to eat out a little more than usual), we had a 10 hour road trip, and just a crazier life in those 60 days. I know we could have done better with nutrition but it is what it is and I think we did pretty damn well for what we were going through. We did not miss a single workout and that's something to be proud of!

I would reach for this workout again. I think I would do a hybrid of this with another cardio focused workout such as T25 or Insanity Max 30. If you're in a slump and need a challenging workout then definitely get yourself a copy, you'll love it!

Insanity Asylum Review

If you've been following me on social media, which I hope you are (Instagram or Facebook) then you know I recently finished doing a fitness program called Insanity Asylum with Shaun T. I first discovered this program though Beachbody On Demand's (BOD) challenge de jour. BOD is an online streaming site that allows you access to hundreds of workout videos. I pay only $12 month for the membership and I can do the workouts anywhere anytime; from our smart TV, a computer, my phone or tablet. Makes working out super convenient. A lot of beachbody's popular programs are available complimentary with the membership, like Insanity, P90X, and TurboFire. As well as exclusive workouts from popular trainers. The premium programs are added to your BOD once you've purchased them. So it really makes taking workout on the go easy; I have access to 21 Day Fix Extreme, PiYo, and next up will be Hammer & Chisel.

When I realized Insanity Asylum Volumes 1 and 2 were available on demand it made that program even more intriguing. What I initially liked about it was that it was different. It's sports focused so I was getting a workout in by doing moves I am familiar with from earlier life days of being involved in sports. And I was excited to take part in a Shaun T program because I had heard great things about how motivating he is. And he was! The workouts were a little longer, but I didn't let that hold me back. I had been used to the 30 minute fix workouts and while that fits in my better with my busy life, I was willing to take a step up and attempt 45-60 minute workouts, and I'm glad I did.

Since there were two volumes I really wanted to try them both out and I wanted to do it in 30 days. There was a provided hybrid schedule in the Volume two packet but it was a 60 day program. So after inspecting each workout I created my own hybrid of one and two packed into 30 days.

Volume two was definitely more advance and pushed myself harder than volume one. But I really enjoyed volume one so I'm not sure I could point out a favorite. From all the workouts I think my favorites in volume one were back to core, strength, and relief . In volume two I really liked upper elite, power legs, and back & six pack. Each volume offered a rest day stretching workout. I preferred relief over volume two's off day stretch. My hubby even enjoyed doing them and they are great for improving flexibility. So even if you're not doing the program check them out someday on an off day or after a workout.

I ordered an agility ladder ahead of time. They also use a jump rope and then strength bands in volume two. I didn't use the jump rope because I was doing it indoors, but I did pull it out for some stretching moves in volume two. I also didn't have the strength bands, but wish I did so highly recommend those.

The ladder was fun to use and mixed it up a bit. As with many of Shaun T's workouts there was a lot of jumping. Here I am after Vertical Plyo and remembering how much of a relief it was to do pushups because my calves were working it hard. But hey, I came out smiling.

I could tell my strength was increasing just after the first week and I really enjoyed the agility assessment test. I stuck with the fit test from volume one because I felt like it provided a consistent measurement throughout by doing it three times: day one, day 15 and day 30. Volume two's fit test is thrown in at the end of the Championship workout and in my opinion didn't measure improvement as well. You can totally see my scores improve in my photo below.

Going into it my goal was not to lose weight but instead to lose body fat percentage. My overall goal is to get to 22% body fat and I hoped this program would get me closer while also building muscle.

So as far as my results. In addition to this program I drank Shakeology everyday and followed the fix container nutrition clean eating plan. I did not eat at a deficient, actually I tried to eat above my calorie category, which is difficult to do when you're eating clean. Take me to Olive Garden and I could eat a couple days worth in one sitting... not so much when you're eating clean fuel to build a healthy body.

The end results were:
lost 3 pounds
lost an inch on my waist
lost an inch on each thigh
dropped 3% body fat bringing me only 1% away from goal.



I would love to hear other's feedback; if you have completed this program or any questions you have! Let's connect!

Mason Jar Salads

If you haven't been following me over on my Facebook like page, you should! Go check it out and share/invite with your friends :-) I'm always excited about new likes.

I thought it would be good to collaborate my collection of mason jar salads from over the past few weeks (I have three to share with you today). These are our favorite go to thing for lunches. At the start of the week I make 4-6 jars and then Kyle and I have them to grab throughout the week. I don't make 10 because we don't want to eat them every day of the week. Instead they are made and ready when we don't have something else. We typically have left overs in the mix so it adds some variety to what we grab for lunch. And if I have a kid day activity I can toss one in and know I'm taken care of while either the kids eat out or I fix them something not so healthy but quick. 

Burrito Bowl Jar Salads recipe can be found here. 

Chickpea Salad with Minty Yogurt Dressing
Makes 4 jars

Ingredients:
½ cup reduced-fat (2%) plain Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
¼ cup fresh mint leaves
2 cups chickpeas, drained, rinsed
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped cucumber
4 cups baby spinach
⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
½ cup chopped flat leaf (Italian) parsley

Preparation
1. Place yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, and mint in a blender; cover. Blend until smooth. (I made a double batch because I didn't have a smaller blender at the time)
2. Season with salt and pepper if desired; mix well. Evenly divide dressing between 4 pint Mason jars. Set aside.
3. Evenly layer chickpeas, bell pepper, cucumber, spinach, cheese, and parsley on top of dressing in jars. 

Fix container count: 1 green, 1 yellow, 1/2 blue

Nutty-Apple Jar Salad

Makes 4 jar salads

Dressing: (place all ingredients in small jar, cover and shake until mixed) 

3 T almond butter

1 T rice wine vinegar

1 T pure maple syrup

2 T water

1/8 tsp salt

2 tsp sesame oil

Other ingredients:

1 Apple (presoaked in salt water & rinsed to prevent browning) chopped in bite size pieces

1 c celery chopped

1 c radishes chopped (I couldn't fit these in, bigger jar next time)

1 1/3 c walnuts roughly chopped

3 c chopped chicken breast

4 c leafy greens - I used a power blend (kale, spinach, arugula, baby chard)

Place in mason jar in order listed: 

Orange container of dressing, 1/4 of the chopped apple, 1/4 c celery, 1/4 c radishes, blue container of walnuts, red container of chicken, green container of greens 

Fix container count:

1 Orange, 1 blue, 1/4 purple, 1 red, 1.5 green

What about the honey? 21 Day Fix Extreme

No matter how thorough you read the materials, there are still questions that come up. When I started the 21 day fix extreme I was learning it all a little backwards. Since I started with the extreme version there were some holes. I understood a lot more when I went back and read the basics first and then realized how the extreme version differs.

The biggest question that I had was about HONEY! Agave included in this honey talk. The (extreme) booklet states it is not allowed when sweetening coffee however it can be found in recipes and Autumn herself even talks about adding it to her oatmeal while doing the extreme fix herself. What's up with that?!?

In the regular fix you can find it mentioned on page 15 of your booklet when it states 1-2 tsps can be used to sweeten your tea or coffee. I saw a lot of talk on message boards and people were counting it as a grey spoon. Honestly I wasn't happy with that solution. I still wanted to know how to count it. The spoons are for oils and nut butters which both contain fat. Raw honey doesn't contain fat, but is mainly a carbohydrate and sugar; which are configured in the yellow container and purple. I only got two spoons a day so I didn't think it was fair to count a carb/sugar as a spoon when I should be getting the benefit from oil or nut butter.

Finally through searching and message boards I found that honey up to 4tsps can count as a freebie. Moderation is key to everything right. SO I'm NOT counting it as a grey spoon. Now I just gotta finish out my eight remaining days of Extreme and honey is making it's way back into my diet.

21 Day Fix Extreme

So we're on day 12 of this clean eating/fitness program and I am really impressed. When we started this challenge my goal wasn't really to lose weight but instead to get back into shape and feel better overall.

Back around Halloween I bought the PiYo program from Beachbody (mixture of pilates and yoga), it was a great start and way to ease back into working out. It's a low impact work out which I wanted for my knee since it has been so long since I've done any activity. I loved it! Kyle did the majority of the workouts with me and he also enjoyed pushing his own flexibility. 

The PiYo program introduced me to shakeology (aka: shakeO). ShakeO is a protein drink packed with dense nutrients. At first I was kind of suspect to all the hype but after trying a few samples from a friend/my coach I experienced what all the hype was about. Kyle typically grabs a protein shake on his way to work in place of breakfast, when he's in a hurry. He even noticed the difference between our old protein powder and ShakeO; he mentioned to me that ShakeO kept him satisfied longer before lunchtime. It's designed to first help clean you out and then let your body work to it's full potential. When we first started drinking it we had major gas, which is normal. But since then we've noticed our digestion really improve and it's a great recovery drink after a workout. Enough about shakeO; I don't want to sound like an infomercial, the product pretty much speaks for it self. 

Back to this current program. The 21 day fix is nutrition plan and fitness schedule in one. I have DVDs with 8 different workouts and they provided cute little containers for managing portion control. Depending on your weight and activity you are given a designated number of each container to eat. And since I am still breastfeeding I am bumped up to the next container level (score!). The containers are color coded per food group which makes this program a breeze. No more counting calories!! (Don't be fooled the containers look small but it is quite a lot of food - purple fruit container not pictured)

I've done weight watchers in the past, which I love and highly recommend, but as I said I'm not really trying to lose weight but get healthy and toned. I've also done the whole counting down to the last calorie which also worked great as I prepared for my wedding eight years ago, but SO much work!! This allows me to get results I want without as much effort. And I'm only a week and a half in! I'm excited to see the outcome. I'm not gonna lie, meal planning is still a lot of work, but I have more energy, I am in a better mood, and can be a better mom so it's all worth it!! 

When I purchased the program I decided to start with the extreme version. I knew I was going to give it my all so I wanted a 'no BS' kinda program. I'm glad I did because I love the harder work outs! I dragged my feet for a while because I wasn't sure when I was going to find time to workout. But the girls' sleep became more consistent, they still aren't sleeping through the night but they are entertaining themselves in their cribs longer. Mary will usually walk up anytime between 4 and 5, I go down to nurse them back to sleep and then I go back to bed as well; Isaac then gets up at 7:00am. He used to come upstairs and lay in bed with me on the iPad while I caught some more zzzzz's. I figured that is the perfect time. So when I started the 21 days he has become my 'workout buddy' and comes up at 7 and wakes me up to workout, the workouts are only 30 minutes so I am able to tend to the girls before 8. This also gives us an earlier start to our day so I don't feel so rushed getting everyone out the door for preschool drop off. He is quite motivating saying "It's seven zero zero, get up! Get up! Time to workout!" I wouldn't be able to keep at it without him. Especially the last couple of days when I really would just like to lay in bed for another hour. This has been my motto the past week:
"Exercise in the morning before your brain knows what you're doing"

The main differences between the regular and extreme program are advanced workouts and a little stricter eating plan. But it's only 21 days and I really wanted to give it my all if I was going to do it. Honestly our meals haven't changed that much. We've always been pretty healthy eaters it is just completely clean eating now. Simple switches from white pasta/bread to whole wheat, carrots instead of potato chips, and learning to drink my coffee without sugary flavors. I even got some fun seasoning recipes that I've made to give an extra zing.

We are saving money by not eating out and not buying junk at the grocery store. Since our portions are in check we also aren't eating as much therefore the food we do buy lasts longer. All-in-all it's been a great change. And after these 21 days we plan to continue on the regular fix nutrition with a couple cheat meals here and there. And my daily latte, that will be coming back! (Just without the vanilla syrup) :-)

So what's the catch, why am I writing this blog? Well one because I have a couple other posts I wanted to write but they wouldn't quite make sense without the back story and two if I do decide to share my progress photos you're in the loop as to what I'm doing. And thirdly I decided to sign up to be a coach. I'm not looking to make money, although it is a MLM business, my main reason is because I save money as a coach buying shakeology and other workout programs so in the end it was financially worth it. A perk that could happen is helping to motivate others just as I have been motivated. I don't like being sales-y and I don't plan to recruit people, but I do think it's a wonderful product and something I have already seen a lot of benefit from in the few months I've been exposed to this company.

If you're interested in looking into it more here is my coach link: http://www.beachbodycoach.com/daisyjsimpson

I was not sponsored to write this blog, all thoughts and opinions are my own.