Zoom Calls and Play Set

Finally getting caught up on blogs! WOOHOO!

Last Wednesday (April 1st) the kids all had their first class zoom calls. Well Emma had already had one but Isaac had one and Mary did. And lucky for me they were ALL SCHEDULED at 10am... we are blessed and lucky to even have enough devices to set them all up on the call. Of course the tree trimmers came right when I got them set up, so I went to walk them through the yard (we are getting our trees trimmed) while the kids were on their calls.

This guy needed lots of attention too so we played in the basement while the kids were on the call. 

Given that all the playground were going to be closed we decided to break down and buy the playlet that was for sale at Costco. Around lunch time I made a trip there after cleaning out the van and getting the seats down and out. I picked up the last one except they could not locate one of the five boxes so I am still waiting on that to arrive. But got the rest home. The kids are excited... but they're going to have to be patient for us to get it built. 

Photos of the playset at Costco: 

And snack for the day so beautiful I had to capture it. Love getting in our dense nutrition of shakeology everyday, and even more fun when it's in the form of ice cream! 

And yoga for me, with a little Harpo love in the middle. 

Shakeology Recipes

Here is a collection of some of my favorite Shakeology Recipes

Greenberry Smoothie

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 scoop greenberry shakeology

1 banana

1 cup spinach

Girl Scout Cookie

1c unsweetened almond milk
1 scoop vegan chocolate shakeO 
8 fresh mint leaves
1 Tbsp powdered peanut butter 
8 ice cubes 

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!

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.