Tag: exercise

The Final Days: A Review of Cardio 3 + Core 2

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Today was my LAST DAY of 22-Minute Hard Corps! “Woohoo!!!” doesn’t even come close to expressing how happy I am to be done with this one!

I will do a post soon with my thoughts on the program as a whole, but I just realized that I never reviewed Cardio 3 or Core 2! So, here’s what you need to know…

Cardio 3 is the same format as the other cardio workouts with different moves. There are seven moves that comprise a circuit. The circuit is completed three times. There’s a very short cooldown at the end. The seven moves of Cardio 3 include the following:

  1. Spider Crawls – These are similar to bear crawls from Cardio 1, but the goal is touch your knee to your elbow and you’re walking forward and backward on your hands and feet.
  2. Skip Flies – These are similar to jumping jacks, but your feet are moving vertically, rather than horizontally like a jump jack. Your arms start with your hands in at your chest, then punching out to the sides.
  3. Cross Climbers – These are similar to mountain climbers from Cardio 2. However, rather than running in place in plank, you are twisting in your core, striving for your right knee to touch your left elbow, and for the your left knee to touch your right elbow, as you run.
  4. Fast Feet, Up/Down – This is a reaction drill. You start by standing with your feet apart, running with your feet like they’re on hot coals. When Tony yells, “Drop!” you hit the floor and hold a low plank on your elbows until Tony tells you to get back up again. This move can be quite hard on your elbows, so be careful when you hit the floor! Here’s a short video:
  5. Sphinx Kickers – Also in low plank on your elbows, run in place you’re kicking your butt. Another move than can get a little rough on the elbows.
  6. Knee Drop Lunges – Starting from a standing position, drop down to your knees one at a time, then come back to standing. These are also known as “Surrenders” from 21-Day Fix. Try not to slam your knees down and be sure to use a mat or some other cushioning so you don’t hurt your knees. Here’s a short video:
  7. Spin Burpees – My favorite! Do a burpee, but when you jump to do a 180-degree spin, then repeat. Here’s what these look like:

A note on Core 2 – All cardio days also include a short (~10 minute), optional core workout. Core 2 includes exactly all of the same moves as Cardio 1. There are two main differences: (1) Tony is not demonstrating the moves for you, so there is less rest time. (2) The most appreciable difference – rather than doing 11 reps of each move, you’re doing a whopping 22 reps. Honestly, when I did Core 1 the first time, I was a little confused why we were doing 11 reps of each move when 22 seems to be a prominent theme of the program. Well, here’s the answer… it’s Core 2. The 22 reps DEFINITELY increases the intensity for these moves.

Interested in trying 22-Minute Hard Corps? Send me an email at distilledjill@gmail.com or find me on Facebook so I can answer your questions. If you’re ready to order, here’s where you go.

Day 22/Week 4 of 22-Minute/Hard Corps!

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I started week four of 22-Minute Hard Corps today!  For those of you who haven’t been following me, I am doing the new exercise program from celebrity trainer Tony Horton.  It’s an 8-week military bootcamp-style workout.  Workouts are only 22 minutes long (hence the name of the program) and range from cardio to resistance to core.

Week 4 introduces a new workout into the mix – Resistance 3.  Up to this point, the workout calendar alternated between Cardio 1 and 2, Resistance 1 and 2, and Core 1.  Resistance 3 is the third of three strength-training workouts in the program.
Here’s the format.  You do a very short warm up.  Then you jump into the workout.  There are five moves in the circuit:
1.  Pump Jumpers – These are plyometric push ups!  They’re crazy!  I could not do the full number of repetitions.  You start in a plank with your hands in a tricep push up position, legs spread apart.  You do a push up, then jump your hands into a wide push-up position and your legs jump together… at the same time!  Then you do another push up with your hands in the wide position.  You’re alternating tricep push ups and traditional push ups with a plyometrical switch in between.  I can do these, but NOT nearly as many repetitions as what Tony was counting out in the video.  Neverthless, I’m proud I can do them and will try to record them for you so you can see what I’m talking about!  This is the only move that I could not complete in full for Resistance 3.
2.  Split Lunge Thrusts – Another plyometric move.  With dumbbells or a sandbag in hand, start in a lunge position… say, for example, left in front.  Jump to switch your stance, so now your right foot is in front.  As you jump, do a shoulder press.  This move happens fast, and it really gets your heart rate up and sweaty.  This move definitely works your legs and shoulders, but it also works your heart for cardio.  This move makes the workout.  Here’s a clip of me doing these Split Lunge Thrusts.  Be nice… this was my first time doing them!
3.  Arm Balance Rows – Holding your dumbbells in hand, start in a plank position with legs wide.  Twist through your core and lift one arm in the air in the direction you twist.  Bring your arms that’s in the air back to the ground and switch sides.
4.  Mountain Squats – These are rough!  Grab one dumbbell or your sandbag, holding it in one hand.  Start in a standing position, dumbbell close to your chest.  Sit down, then lay onto your back, then stand up, using your legs to push you up into standing through a squat.  It’s hard to describe, so I’ll do a video once I master it.  But you’re basically going from standing to sitting, to laying to standing.
5.  Scissor Clappers – This is your abdominal move.  In a sitting position, scissor your legs, clapping under the raised legs.  Here’s a clip:
You end with a cool down, which is actually the longest of any of the cool downs that I’ve done in 22-Minute Hard Corps yet.  I think it was around 3 minutes long.
I’m actually really enjoying these resistance workouts!  And I loved that there were no pull-ups in this one!  😉
Need some motivation, support, and accountability to reach your health, fitness, and wellness goals?  Email me at distilledjill@gmail.com or send me a message on Facebook!  I’m always running an online challenge group, and participation in the group is free with your purchase of one of our awesome challenge packs!

Hard Corps ENERGY!

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I completed Day 15 of 22-Minute Hard Corps today!  I’ve been powering through these workouts with a new preworkout energy drinks called Energize.  I used to drink Beachbody’s Energy and Endurance formula, but I’ve switched to the new Energize drink, which is part of Beachbody’s new streamlined performance supplements.

Here I am with my Energize.
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Energize. Looks pretty nuclear, doesn’t it? That’s the Quercetin!
I drink Energize about 15 minutes before my workout to help give me the energy to make it through.  Because, let’s face it, I am NOT a morning person AT ALL.  If my workouts are going to happen in the mornings (as they must for me, otherwise I’m a zombie all day), then something’s got to give me a boost.
Here’s my review of Energize in terms of pros and cons:
Pros:
  • It tastes a lot better than Energy and Endurance.  The flavor is a lot smoother.
  • It doesn’t make me feel super jittery, nervous, or like my heart is going to explode.  This isn’t such a big deal for me when I take Energy and Endurance formula, but I’ve tried a LOT of preworkout supplements, and I remember MANY of them just made me feel like I was on speed.  Not comfortable at ALL.  Energize gives you energy for sure, but it’s a lot less irritating.  I think that’s due to it having low-dose caffeine, which is equally as effective as higher doses without the jitteriness or inability to focus that accompanies other preworkout drinks.
  • It’s scientifically tested and developed by Harvard-trained scientists using the latest peer-reviewed research and athletic input.
  • It is certified by the NSF, who certifies that there are no banned ingredients/safe for athletes.
  • All natural.  No artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, preservatives, or fillers.
  • It contains quercetin, which is the most researched phytonutrient in sports performance today.  It gives the drink that nuclear-looking color, but it also helps improve exercise performance and VO2 max capacity.
  • No gastrointestinal upset.  I don’t know.  When I took Energy and Endurance, it was not uncommon for it to upset my stomach almost immediately after drinking it.
Cons:
  • Contains beta alanine.  This is kind of a pro AND con.  Beta alanine is a natural amino acid, reduces lactic acid, and delays time to fatigue.  So, it’s great, right?!  Yeah, well, for women or people with lower body weights, beta alanine is often accompanied by a weird tingling or itching feeling.  My husband doesn’t feel it, but I totally did the first time that I drank Energize, and it was really uncomfortable, but it’s gone away with repeated usage.  Energize also contains a lot less beta alanine than many other preworkout drinks (starting at only 800 mg), so if you know what I’m talking about with that tingling/itching, then Energize might be a good alternative for you.  Apparently, the feeling is totally normal, it signifies the beta alanine getting into your system, and it goes away once you start working out, so all the more incentive for you to press play! Beta alanine is wonderful performance enhancing supplement, but I list it as a “con” here due to that weird feeling, which can be a little disturbing if you’re not used to it!
  • It’s a little bit more expensive than Energy and Endurance formula, and likely more expensive than the preworkout that you’re drinking right now.  But there’s a reason for that… it’s BETTER.  (If you want my to prepare a side-by-side comparison of your current preworkout drink with Energize, email me at distilledjill@gmail.com.)  Anyway, back to the costs.  It doesn’t cost THAT much more per serving, though.  Energize is a 40-serving tub, and Energy and Endurance is a 30-serving tub. So, when you break it down, it’s 18-25 cents more expensive per serving.  Here’s a breakdown:Energize v E+E

Yes, by the way, as a coach, I get 25% off all Beachbody products, including Energize and Shakeology!  If you want to learn more about coaching, check out the various ways that you can join my team.  You can totally just sign up for the discount and never do any coaching if that’s your preference.  Email me at distilledjill@gmail or message me on Facebook to chat about it!

Well, that’s Energize!  Questions?

Day 9 of 22-Minute Hard Corps

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Every time I go to press play on 22-Minute Hard Corps, I experience the same internal dialogue.  This workout’s so simple and easy. Only 22 minutes. What am I really going to get out of this? Am I even going to sweat? Psh. Kid’s stuff.

I don’t know WHY I get so COCKY.  At the end of the 22 minutes, I’m always gasping for air and soaked in sweat.  Today was my second time doing Cardio 2.  While I can physically DO all of the moves, I definitely can’t complete some of them at the pace of the video!  The two moves that I find especially difficult are gorilla crawls and waterbugs.  Since I missed my post about it last week, here’s the format:
The format is similar to Cardio 1.  No separate warm-up.  You just jump right into the moves, but the first move is sprinting in place, so it’s kind of like a warm-up.  Then there’s three rounds of seven moves with a 22-second break in between each round.  Unlike Cardio 1, there’s no bonus or burnout in the final minutes (thanks, Tony!).  There’s a very short cooldown at the end.  Here are the seven moves:
  • Sprint in place – Basically run in place with high knees.
  • Mountain climbers – In plank, keep your hands in place, but alternate your legs so that you’re running in place, tapping your toe on the ground each time you bring it forward.
  • Straight leg sprint – Kind of like low straight-leg kicks.
  • Gorilla crawls – These are THE hardest move for me!  I did a LOT better this time than when I did it last week.  I almost completed all of the gorilla crawls, but these really burn out your legs, especially if you do them right – low to the ground with your feet separated and chest up.  Some of the folks in the video were raising their butts a lot higher, which might be a bit easier.  Here’s a short video of me with my bunny as I do them.

  • Jimmy jumps – starting in a slight squat, jump off the ground and raise one arm, alternating arms each time.
  • Waterbug – I’ll do a video for you of these next time.  They’re also brutal.  You start in a plank, then hop your hands and feet off the ground at the SAME TIME, moving side to side.  Yeah.
  • Frog burpee – Do a burpee, but instead of standing up straight at the top, you stay in a low squat.

Repeat #1-7 for 3 rounds total!

You know what helps make this program easier?  Accountability partners!  My online accountability group really helps keep me motivated to stay on track.  Do you have one?  If not, you should join mine!  Send me an email at distilledjill@gmail.com or message me on Facebook if you’d like to join 🙂

Hard Corps Recovery

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I completed Day 4 of 22-Minute Hard Corps (hey, that rhymes!) today.  Since I didn’t post yesterday, I’ll just mention that Days 3 and 4 are repeats of Days 1 and 2.  The one thing that I want to talk about that I did differently today, however, was I drank a postworkout recovery shake after my workout.  Today’s workout was Resistance 1, which is a strength-training workout with lots of push-ups and weighted exercises with dumbbells. So, my muscles were WEAK after this workout, especially since I upped the weights for some of the moves. So, a recovery shake was definitely in order.

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Enjoying my postworkout recovery shake!

The protein shake that I tried is considered to be the most sophisticated postworkout recovery protein shake on the planet.  It’s called Recover, and it’s part of the Beachbody Performance Line of supplements.  It’s what Tony Horton uses.  And if it’s good enough for Tony, it’s good enough for me!

Here’s my review:

Pros:

  • Nothing artificial is in it!  It’s all natural ingredients – no artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners or anything!
  • There are no fillers in it. There are only a couple of ingredients in it that are scientifically shown to help with muscle recovery. If they’re not backed by science, then they don’t make it into the shake.
  • Includes three kinds of protein (fast, intermediate, and slow) and key phytonutrients to help reduce exercise-induced soreness.
  • No high risk or unproven ingredients.
  • Certified by the NSF.
  • Mixed together pretty well.  I just dumped a scoop of Recover into some water and stirred it up with a spoon.  I’d say 95% of the powder dissolved that way.  I didn’t even have to shake it or use a blender.  It wasn’t chunky and went down smooth.
  • The chocolate flavor tastes great!  It would probably be even better blended with some ice and a little milk.  I did it with lukewarm water, and it was fine that way.
  • It’s soy-free!  Soy is so common in other protein shakes because it’s a cheap filler, but it actually loses a lot of its nutritional value after it is so thoroughly processed.

Cons:

  • It’s not vegan.  I try to be a weekday vegan, and this product contains whey protein.  Not a big deal, but I know that some people are sensitive to whey, and I technically violated my weekday veganism pledge.  😉
  • Slight aftertaste, but I think that’s associated more with the whey.  So, if you’re used to consuming whey, then not a big deal.

I know consistent use is best, and that I’m not going to see or probably even feel results after just using this product once, but I’m glad that I tried it!  I’ll definitely be supplementing  with this for some of the more physically demanding workouts in the program!

Interested in trying Recover?  Check out your purchasing options or email me at distilledjill@gmail.com with your questions!

 

Day 2 of 22-Minute Hard Corps

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Today, I completed Day 2 of the new 22-Minute Hard Corps program. Day 2 includes only one workout – Resistance 1.

The format of Resistance 1: A short warm-up, followed by three rounds of the following five moves: Push-Ups, Squat Thrusts, Pull-ups, Chopper Lunges, Sit-up Punches. The workout ends with a Bonus Round of Sprint-Burpee-Push-ups, where you do a football run in place, then drop to the ground for push-ups, and then pop back up and repeat.

The moves are pretty self-explanatory. Push-ups are push-ups, plain and simple. Squat thrusts are demonstrated in my video below. They’re basically a squat with a shoulder press. Pull-ups… self-explanatory. Chopper lunges are alternating lunges with an oblique twist with a dumbbell or sandbag. Sit-up punches are sit-ups with two alternating punches at the top.

You will need a pair of dumbbells at a minimum. I used a pair of 9-pound weights for my first time doing this workout, though I may do heavier weights for some of the moves in the future. You also need a pull-up bar, but if you don’t have a pull-up bar, you can use a resistance band with a door attachment. I have a pull-up bar, but it wasn’t set up for the workout, and I don’t have a door attachment for my resistance band, so instead, I did bent-over rows with the band. So, you can get creative if you don’t have the necessary equipment.

I haven’t done weight training in awhile, but I do consider myself to be a pretty fit person. Having done Body Beast and P90X in the past, I wasn’t expecting this to challenge me too much. I also do not normally bust out into a sweat from weight training. Well, I SWEAT doing Resistance 1. My cardio was up, even though I was just doing strength training. Sticking with Tony’s bootcamp cadence was definitely challenging for some of the moves (like the Sit-Up Punches especially), and I needed to slow it down a little bit and fall behind his pace. My goal is to keep pace with Tony for all moves as I progress through the program.

From Prix Fixe to 21-Day Fix Extreme (and Vegan!)

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Anyone who knows me knows that I love my calories. My favorite kinds of meals are found at fancy restaurants, where I can order a prix fixe menu with multiple courses and wine or cocktail pairings carefully curated to each of the courses. That is my heaven. I thrive in that environment. Give me foie gras, fondue, charcuterie, and any other French word that sounds like a heart attack on a plate, and I’ll wash it down with a martini, Malbec, and Amaro.

Luckily, I’ve learned to confine that type of diet almost exclusively to the weekends, and now I focus on being a 100% clean-eating vegan during the week.  It helps me focus, get better sleep, and feel happier, which all helps with the 9-to-5 universe. Going all out on the weekends definitely keeps the week in perspective and gives me a great outlet on Friday evening.

So what happens when the weekend splurging ends? What happens when bottomless mimosa brunches get replaced with a strict 21-day regimen of carefully calculated meals?  What happens when this city dweller, who thrives on trying new restaurants and cocktails, gasp! goes on a diet?  Specifically, I’m talking about the 21-Day Fix Extreme.

Now, I’m no stranger to diet and exercise programs. Last year, I did the 21-day inner body tune up known as the Beachbody Ultimate Reset. It helped me bust through a weight-loss plateau and really helped transform my perspective on what I put in my body. During the Reset, you are mostly eating vegan and you’re encouraged NOT to exercise, since your body needs to focus on detoxing rather than repairing muscle. That program was wonderful, but I wanted to try something different this year.

The 21-Day Fix Extreme caught my eye. Why? After doing the super-intense Reset, I figured I could do this Fix for 21 days (I can really do anything for 21 days!), it was super cold outside (so bar/restaurant-hopping is less appealing), and I really wanted to see what would happen to me if I really dialed in my nutrition AND exercised according to the program for 21 days.

So, what is the 21-Day Fix Extreme?

The 21-Day Fix Extreme is a diet and exercise program.

Exercise:  You get seven “extreme” 30-minute workouts, one for each day of the week— so your mind never gets bored, and your body never adapts. The workouts feature a unique blend of steady-state aerobics, resistance training, and explosive power moves that target every muscle in the body—to help you get shredded fast.

Diet: For your nutrition, you practice portion control and eat ONLY clean foods (unlike the original 21-Day Fix, which allows its participants the occasional chocolate or glass of wine). No treats. No cheats. No excuses. The program comes with a set of color-coded containers. Each container corresponds to a different type of food group. For example, red is for protein, and green is for vegetables. You do a simple equation to figure out how many of each container you can eat in one day. You spread out the containers throughout the course of the day as you like.

Here is a short video on the 21-Day Fix Extreme.

Promotional Materials: 21-Day Fix Extreme

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What did you eat on the 21-Day Fix Extreme?

Based on a simple calculation based on my weight, age, and other factors, I could have the following each day:

  • 3 green containers (vegetables)
  • 2 purple containers (fruit)
  • 4 red containers (protein)
  • 2 yellow containers (carbs)
  • 1 blue container (healthy fats)
  • 1 orange container (nuts/seeds)
  • 2 teaspoons (oils)

In order to make the program even HARDER, you’ll never guess what I did. That’s right – I made it vegan. On the 21-Day Fix Extreme, the only vegan protein options are tofu and tempeh (and some powders). Luckily for me, I like both.

Breakfast: For breakfast every day, I had chocolate vegan Shakeology (1 red). This is something that I have for breakfast every day anyway; however, I had to make it with water rather than almond/coconut milk, which is what I usually use.  I got one fruit serving in during breakfast by adding 1/2 banana to the Shakeology.  Since vegan protein options are restricted for the 21-Day Fix Extreme, I used two different types of plant-based protein powders to help me get my 4 red containers.  For the second week of the program, I added some pea protein to my morning shake, and in the third week I used hemp protein.  The Shakeology did a great job keeping me full until lunch time, especially with the added protein.

Lunch: I had pretty much the same lunch every day mostly for the sake of ease and convenience.  I made a salad of the following:

  • 1 green = spinach
  • 1 green = 1/3 onion, 1/3 red bell pepper, 1/3 tomato, and/or a little carrot
  • 1 red = tofu
  • 1 yellow = quinoa
  • 1 orange = raw pumpkin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon of olive oil
  • Freebies: balsamic vinegar, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, cilantro

Snack: I had an apple (1 fruit) as a snack every day between lunch and dinner.

Dinner:  Though I had the same breakfast, lunch, and snack every day, dinner was something that I tried to mix up regularly.  I’ll tell you about some of my favorite vegan dinner options.  Though these are vegan, they can be easily made nonvegan by replacing the protein with an animal-based protein (e.g., chicken).

Here’s some dinner recipes I came up with:

Guacamole Tofu

  • 1 red = tofu
  • 1 blue = 1/4 of an avocado
  • 1 green = 1/3 tomato, 1/3 onion, 1/3 peppers (jalapeno, red bell)
  • 1 yellow = black beans
  • 1 teaspoon = olive oil
  • Freebies: pink Himalayan salt, red cayenne pepper, fresh-squeezed lime juice, cilantro, garlic

I essentially made guacamole with the avocado, veggies, and black beans, cilantro, seasoning, and lime juice; cooked the tofu with garlic and oil; and then topped it with the guacamole.

A Typical Day on the 21-Day Fix Extreme

collage of meals

Roasted Tofu, Asparagus, Baked Sweet Potato

  • 1 red = tofu (I mixed it up with a flavored “savory” tofu)
  • 1 green = asparagus
  • 1 yellow = small sweet potato
  • 1 blue = avocado
  • 1 teaspoon = olive oil
  • Freebies: Garlic

I baked the sweet potato; roasted the tofu with asparagus (tossed in olive oil with cloves of garlic); and added avocado before serving. The avocado reminded me of a butter substitute for the sweet potato. It was delicious!

Dinner of Tofu, Asparagus, Sweet Potato

Dinner of tofu SP asp avo

Indian-Style Tofu Curry

  • 1 red = tofu
  • 1 green = 1/2 tomato sauce, 1/4 onion, 1/4 spinach or broccoli
  • 1 blue = coconut milk
  • 1 yellow = 1/2 quinoa or brown rice; 1/2 garbanzo beans
  • 1 teaspoon = coconut oil
  • Freebies: garlic, red cayenne pepper, turmeric, cumin, ground coriander seed, fresh grated ginger

This was my absolute favorite invention from the 21-Day Fix Extreme, and I continue to eat this regularly for dinner even after the program ended! I heated the coconut oil, added the garlic, onion, and about 1 teaspoon of each freebie spice (except ginger, which I added near the end). Then I added the tofu and coated with the spices. If I were doing broccoli, I added that with the garbanzo beans. I added the tomato sauces and coconut milk, and let it cook. Near the end, I stirred in the quinoa and spinach. I used either broccoli or spinach depending on which I had on hand.

Indian-Style Tofu Curry

indian tofu

What were the workouts like on the 21-Day Fix Extreme?

The program includes a different workout for each day of the week – each only 30 minutes long and each with a modifier:

  • Sunday: Yoga Fix Extreme – I am not a big fan of yoga, but I really liked this efficient yoga workout.  It is probably about 1/2 vinyasa sun salutations and 1/2 balance postures. There were people modifying to make it both easier AND harder in the video. The one guy in the video is really amazing – doing headstands and arm balances, but Autumn does NOT do some of the super crazy poses, so rest assured. This is a yoga workout that can be done by almost anyone.
  • Monday: Plyo Fix Extreme – Mostly jumping moves with weights. A great workout to get your heart-rate up.
  • Tuesday: Upper Fix Extreme – A series of upper body moves, mostly done with dumb bells, but also with a resistance band.  I am not normally a big of resistance bands in workouts, but I really enjoyed the moves that used the band, as I feel like it helped me target underutilized muscles.
  • Wednesday: Pilates Fix Extreme – Like yoga, pilates isn’t really my thing, BUT I thought pilates using the resistance band was a lot of fun!  I wasn’t really out of breath at all during this workout, but I did definitely started sweating near the end.
  • Thursday: Lower Fix Extreme – A great lower body workout, also uses both weights and the resistance bands.
  • Friday: Cardio Fix Extreme – Great cardio workout that utilizes weights.
  • Saturday: Dirty 30 Fix Extreme – A total body workout that uses weights. I really loved this one.

The workouts are extreme, but they’re not impossible.  I love Shaun T and his Insanity workouts – those are my “soul mate” workouts – but the 21-Day Fix Extreme is NOTHING like Insanity, which is definitely extreme, intense, difficult, not for beginners, and sometimes complicated.  The 21-Day Fix Extreme can be done by beginners, especially if you modify.  The moves are NOT complicated.  They are pretty basic, tried and true moves, sometimes tweaked to help burn more calories.  You’ll see a lot of simple moves, like lunges, squats, and shoulder presses.  Autumn is not trying to reinvent the wheel.  She is kind of the opposite of Shaun T in that you might not be able to do Shaun’s plyo pushups the first couple of times you do his workout, but you work to get there.  Autumn only has 21 days with you, so she is going to give you moves that you CAN do to be as efficient with your time as she can be.  They’re simple and effective moves that you can make harder by adding heavier weights or putting more into it (i.e., jumping higher).

So, what kind of results did you get doing the 21-Day Fix Extreme?

Okay. I HATE HATE HATE sharing my before-and-after pictures. BUT I took them so I could get my free 21-Day Fix Extreme t-shirt and enter the Beachbody Challenge and perhaps win some cash prizes!  So, since I took my pics anyway, I might as well share them with my readers.

Before-And-After: 21-Day Fix Extreme

before and after collageAs you can see, I lost almost 9 pounds total doing the 21-Day Fix Extreme. On a short 5’2″ girl like me, that’s quite a bit! And I can assure you that was not all water weight, as I have a fancy scale that measures water, and my water levels stayed pretty constant throughout the program (actually, they increased a little, see below). I am most proud of the definition that I got in my abs! (Right?! You can totally see that!)  I was honestly VERY surprised that I got such great results, as I feel like I have done much harder workout programs and have seen LESS results.  I think that the simplicity of the program allowed me to really focus on pushing harder, lifting heavier, and having proper form.

Weight: -8.8 pounds

Fat: -2.4%

Water: +2.3%

Muscle: +1.4%

Would you do the 21-Day Fix Extreme again?

Yes, absolutely!  It is hard for me to find 21 days to block off on my schedule because, as I mentioned, I like to do a lot and often have food/drink-related events on my weekend agenda, but i would definitely do this again if I can find the time.  It would be great to do leading up to a vacation or special event.  It really helped me break through a plateau and helped teach me better portion control.

How do I order the 21-Day Fix Extreme? 

Go here to order the challenge pack, which comes with Shakeology (i.e., one of your meals throughout the 21 days, which is really a huge time and prep saver).  Alternatively, you can order the base kit here, though the challenge pack is really the better deal.

How can I know that I will succeed if I do the 21-Day Fix Extreme?

As with any health and fitness program, you get out of it what you put in. No one is going to do the program for you. You can’t expect to see results if you don’t do the work. BUT I can offer you my free coaching services to help you get through the program just as I did! I can help you stay accountable to meet your health, fitness, and wellness goals. Please go here to sign up for a free Team Beachbody account.  I will become connected with you as your coach, and I will contact you to learn more about your goals and talk to you about how to get started.

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Day 5

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Everything that I’ve been hearing and reading about the Beachbody Ultimate Reset says that days 3 through 5 are the most challenging.  Beachbody recommends starting the Reset on a Wednesday specifically so that you can avoid these difficult days falling on work days (Monday through Friday for most folks). 

I am almost done with day 5 and have not really felt particularly challenged yet.  I went into the Reset knowing that I would be saying no to drugs and alcohol for 21 days (drugs = caffeine. Why, what were you thinking?!).  Resisting caffeine and alcohol is more of a psychological shift than a physiological pain for me.  Despite the fact that I would drink at least one cup of coffee during work days and pump up on Redbull on the weekends, I haven’t really experienced any caffeine withdrawal.  While I would like to be drinking alcohol on Friday and Saturday nights (especially outside on nice days like we’ve had in DC this weekend), I can resist it.  I think that days 3 through 5 might be really hard for people who are coming into the Reset with real addictions to things like caffeine and sugar, and for people who are making drastic dietary changes.  Pre-Reset, I normally ate things like quinoa and seaweed (think: sushi, miso soup), and stayed away from sugar and fast food.  So, I’m lucky in that this isn’t that hard (so far!).  The hardest part for me has really been the planning.  

Day 5 breakfast was supposed to include farina with walnuts, apples, and maple syrup.  Now, when I went grocery shopping according to the grocery list the Beachbody compiled for week 1, “rice cereal” was on the list but “farina” was not.  As a result, I ended up buying a hot brown rice grits-type cereal, not actual farina.  I doubt it’s a big deal.  Also, instead of maple syrup, I used raw agave nectar because I opted not to spend the money on maple syrup that it didn’t seem like we really used that much throughout the program.  It turns out maple syrup is used a lot more than agave nectar, so I am kind of regretting that choice.  But, boy, is agave nectar delicious!  Can’t say I mind much.

Day 5 Breakfast

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Lunch included a quinoa salad and hummus and raw veggies.  I love hummus, so I was very happy to see that the recipe called for a whopping 1/2 cup of hummus!  I was a pretty happy girl for lunch.

Day 5 Lunch

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The Reset recipes are slowly taking out animal proteins.  In retrospect, I don’t think that I had any today (unless there was something in the hummus).  It’s really amazing how veggies can fill you up until dinner time, which I will be having soon.

Today was another beautiful day in the District, so my husband and I went out for a couple of nice long walks.  You are not permitted to do strenuous workouts during the Reset – only walking, yoga, tai chi, or stretching.  Since I am used to doing high-intensity cardio workouts (Insanity is one of my favorites) in mornings before heading into the office, this is a big change for me.  On day 1, I tried the Tai Cheng sample workout that comes with the Reset DVDs.  Tai Cheng is basically a low-impact Tai Chi program developed by Dr. Mark Cheng.  While I could see the value of the workout, it was really putting me to sleep first thing in the morning, and I preferred the 20-minute yoga workout that I did the following day.  The sun salutations really helped wake me up a little bit in the morning, and since I perpetually drag early in the day, that’s essential for me in a morning exercise routine.  Did I sweat?  No.  Did my heart rate go up?  No, not really.  I can’t wait to go back to my normal exercise routines after the Reset.  My goal is to begin with Focus T25, then do Insanity, and then Insanity the Asylum.  I already own and have completed each of these, but I feel like I will really get the most benefit out of them doing them in sequence again after the Reset.  I’d say the next 5 months are pretty well planned.  Can’t wait!

The final meal of today is miso soup (my husband’s specialty!), stir-fried veggies, brown rice, and nori gomasio.  I made an extra batch of stir-fried veggies last night, have a big batch of brown rice in the fridge, and a bunch of nori gomasio, so my evening looks pretty easy!  I’m going to go start prepping for tomorrow now.  No rest in the Reset.