Friday Food Frenzy 24

Raised as a second generation American on one side of my family, I grew up around a lot of ethnic foods --- particularly Greek food given that my family's roots stem from Albania and Romania where the cultures are very similar (as I've been told --- I haven't had to opportunity to visit any of these countries yet sadly). I love to try some lightened up versions of these very hearty dishes that I grew up with.

Enter the "Skinnyfabulous Moussaka Casserole", compliments of Skinny Kitchen. Moussaka is traditionally made with ground beef and lamb, eggplant and potatoes, and is topped with a creamy sauce. Clearly not a heart (or waistline) healthy dish, though it's super yummy! I was skeptical trying this recipe since it only calls for ground beef (I love lamb). Could this possibly be delicious?

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I'll be honest... if you have a Moussaka recipe of your own that you adore, this won't be the same, but it's actually pretty good when you consider that it's lightened up quite a bit. The substitutions: extra lean ground beef (or turkey --- but I used beef), light alfredo sauce, and fat free feta cheese. Now I will be perfectly honest, the thought of fat free cheese of any kind grosses me out, so I opt for reduced fat cheese. Obviously it will slightly increase the calorie count per serving which is 218 for this recipe, but to cut back on the artificial stuff that it put into anything that's made fat free is well worth it in my eyes.

Tip number one when you attempt this recipe: you need a very large pan. Personally, I think it might best if you have one of those large electric frying pans to use it since it will help keep all of the ingredients in the pan while you stir it. This recipe is pretty easy once all the prep work is done. I love this casserole because it does make dinner easy to have prepped in one dish. It reheats great too!

Are you ready to try this yummy skinny Greek recipe? :)

~ Aly

21 Day Fix Extreme: Disc 2 Review

Moving onto Disc 2 of the 21 Day Fix Extreme...

Cardio Fix Extreme: I need to start off by saying I definitely enjoyed this more than the original Cardio Fix. For each round, you will do 2 different moves for a minute each (usually with weights) before doing 30 seconds of a cardio move, then you repeat the round before moving on. I sweat like I haven't sweat in a long time! 

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Dirty 30 Extreme: I have always loved Dirty 30. Since my 21DFX program arrived on a Friday night, I decided to give it a try on Saturday morning, starting with Dirty 30 Extreme since that's the Saturday workout. I immediately noticed a difference: Instead of splitting the moves that you need to do on each side for one minute total (30 seconds each side, as done in the 21DF), you will do each move for a full minute on each side. WOAH!! This is an awesome shoulder burner in particular. I wanted to start with a lighter set of weights for my first week (3lb and 5lb instead of 5lb and 7lb), and after only the first round of moves in this workout, I was so glad I did, or I wouldn't be able to lift my daughter. This is going to really give you some amazing summer arms... YAY!

Yoga Fix Extreme: I'm always up front with you... so I'm just going to say it like it is. This is only my opinion and this really isn't a "review" on this particular workout and I am sure there are plenty of you out there who will hate me for saying this: I don't like Yoga. I tried to get into it with the original 21 Day Fix. I've tried various Yoga DVDs. I am a girl that likes to be on the move (hence why I love PiYo), so I just don't like this workout. It seems like a great recovery workout, but I have trouble staying still... so I will be subbing in Pilates in place of Yoga as I did with the original program. This one definitely seems a lot more challenging than the original from what I can remember. It's just not my cup of tea. My apologies guys, but I don't want to BS you and tell you I love it... I'm sure most of you will enjoy it. I just don't like Yoga. Ok, I'm done.

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10 Minute Hardcore: This is a little different from the 10 Minute Ab Fix from the original since you do each move for a minute rather that just doing 20 of each move and then repeating the round. I personally prefer the original ab workout better for this reason but this will still make your abs burn, I promise!! 

21 Day Fix Extreme: Disc 1 Review

I love Autumn Calabrese. Have I said that before? I was so excited for the 21 Day Fix Extreme to come out since I loved the original. I personally think I get the best results when I mix cardio with weights, so this program is perfect for me. I wanted to share a bit about each workout with you so you can get a better idea as to what you can expect if you're interested in this program.

Plyo Fix Extreme: I'm not going to lie... when I opened the DVD set when this program first arrived in the mail and I saw the title of this workout had replaced "Total Body Cardio Fix", I was freaking out and totally intimidated. The original 21DF came with a bonus workout called "Plyo Fix", and it was a total butt kicker. I only did it a handful of times because it left me so winded that I felt like I was going to die. (Ok, maybe that's a bit extreme, but it really whipped my butt). That being said, I don't want to discount this Plyo Fix Extreme because it is also a serious butt kicker, but I actually really enjoyed this one. Each move is only 30 seconds and then you get a 30 second break to recover, so it didn't leave me feeling quite as winded, though it definitely made my legs feel like jello. You will use 2 sets of weights for this one and it's primarily a leg workout (obviously, given the title "plyo")... lots of jumping! The modifications for most of the moves in this workout are mainly just jumping less (or not at all). There were plenty of times that I had to slow down because I didn't think my legs would make it, but I survived! :)

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Upper Fix Extreme: For this workout, you need your light and heavier set of weights, as well as your resistance band (*note that the program doesn't come with this resistance band so if you have one at home, you're good, otherwise, you will want to get one*). This is different from the original Upper Fix because for the first 30 seconds of each move where you're using weights, you will use your heavy weights, then you will switch out to the lighter weights for the remainder of the minute. Drop sets at their finest! Autumn makes sure that your legs get a good workout too... She loves legs!!

Pilates Fix Extreme: The original Pilates Fix was my favorite workout in the program. Pilates Fix Extreme is still focused on Pilates but unlike the original, this one uses a resistance band throughout the entire workout... 32 minutes of no-joke pilates. There were a few moves where I initially thought "oh my gosh, is she trying to break my band, or me?" She's not messing around!!

Lower Fix Extreme: This follows a similar concept as Upper Fix Extreme except instead of doing 30 seconds with the heavy weight then 30 with the light weight, it was 30 seconds heavy followed by 30 seconds without a weight doing a Plyo move. My legs felt like mush after just the first round!! I felt the burn which means it's definitely working already!

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Stay tuned for info about the second set of workouts, as well as the "ultimate" workouts and eating for the 21DFX.

~ Aly 

Friday Food Frenzy 23

As a parent, I've learned to embrace that sometimes life will throw me a curve ball and to expect the unexpected... like a toddler who had started to calm down a bit of course will start to act up again just when you think you've got your routine down pat. Pass me more wine, please!!

Anyway, I would love to share with you a fabulous recipe I tried from Gina at SkinnyTaste: Chicken and Mushrooms in a Garlic White Wine Sauce. I typically prefer recipes that I can prep ahead of time and toss in the oven because of the aforementioned toddler... it just makes life easier! I had the hubby home earlier one day though so I was ready to tackle this recipe head on (plus I love cooking with wine!!)

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This recipe was absolutely delicious, and only 169 calories per serving! I'm not a mushroom fan, but my husband loves them, so this gave him plenty of extra mushrooms and I just added a veggie as a side dish for me since I wasn't getting the mushrooms from this recipe into me. This was actually a pretty quick and easy recipe to follow. My biggest problem with recipes like this is I tend to let the sauce dry up because I get distracted... there wasn't as much left as I'd like, so I need to be more careful of that next time. If you prefer to cook without wine, I'm sure you could sub the wine with more chicken broth. I served this dish with a side of brown rice.

Enjoy!

~ Aly

Friday Food Frenzy 22

I know what you're thinking... where have you been with the Friday Food Frenzy posts?! To anyone who has ever been a SAHM with a toddler, you can (hopefully) to relate to your days spinning somewhat out of control if you don't have a clear cut plan... and even with a plan, your toddler will try to sway you in his or her direction anyway. So I'm bringing back my beloved Friday Food Frenzy and hopefully am beyond the bulk of my chaotic days with my daughter, plus I seem to have a better handle on our routine now. Which means she will change her routine now, right? HAH

In bringing back my recipes posts, I weeded out some older stuff I'd pinned on Pinterest and found some newer recipes to create a new board to go to for recipes. It's my goal to try something new every week. This will be a challenge so feel free to hold me accountable any time if I start to slack off! In the winter time, I tend to rely on my slow cooker a little more. I love being able to throw everything in one pot and just let it do its own thing. Lazy? Maybe. But it does help make my life easier.

My recipe of the week: Skinny Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie --- compliments of the ever fabulous Skinny Mom. If you are just catching one of my Friday Food Frenzy posts for the first time here, my favorite "skinny" websites for recipes are hands down Skinnytaste and Skinny Mom. They have such a variety and it's easy to sort so if you want chicken, or a slow cooker recipe, you can easily find what you're looking for.

Chicken Pot Pie is a comfort food in my mind, and it's great for the winter. This was super easy to prepare, and you can choose to serve biscuits on the side if you'd like. I opted for the smaller biscuits as they suggest on this recipe rather than the Grands --- helped me cut back on some calories! This dinner was super yummy.

I do want to make a few notes on modifications I made.
- I despise celery (sorry!!) so I omitted that from my pot pie when I made it.
- I'm not a huge fan of thyme, so I did modify the seasonings slightly. Rather than 1 teaspoon of parsley and 1/2 teaspoon of thyme as the recipes suggests, I used 1/2 teaspoon each of parsley, oregano, and basil. I think when I make this next time, I will add a little more oregano to it for a little more flavor.
- I felt like this might have been a little potato heavy, but lacking in the veggies. I realize "6 small red potatoes" may be hard to quantify so I think I will only use 4 or 5 next time. In addition, I would use more veggies. I haven't really decided what would be best --- more mixed veggies or maybe just making my own batch of mixed veggies and adding however much I feel is appropriate as I go along. The 10.8oz bag just didn't seem like enough to me.

On a side note, I felt that this recipe reheated very well so I will also probably double the recipe next time. If you don't mind leftovers (sometimes I'm not a fan, but it depends on the food), you may want to consider this too. 

... Until next week!

~ Aly

Insanity Max: 30 --- Continuing Month 1

Happy New Year!! Excuse my delay in sharing more with you about Insanity Max: 30. I took a short hiatus from working out after my first post about the first three workouts --- the holidays totally wore me down! I officially started this program this week with my challenge group on Facebook and am absolutely in LOVE with it. I'm a competitive person by nature so I enjoy trying to compete with myself. 

This will cover Sweat Intervals and Fright Fight: Round 1, as well as Pulse. Tabata Strength won't be covered for a couple more weeks since it isn't in the schedule until Week 3... why? Because there's NO REST! So we will have to be kept in suspense for a bit longer with that workout... but without further ado...

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Sweat Intervals. This workout rocks my world. It's the same general concept at Cardio Challenge, just with different moves (so you 4.5 minutes of cardio then get a 30 second break). What I love about this entire program is that you really do feel that sense of presence from Shaun T, almost as if he's right there with you. He senses when you need that extra encouragement and really helps to ensure you've got the right form and are pushing to your max so you can get the max results. He makes sure you know that he believes that you can do this, even if you need to modify at first. I don't know about you, but I need that encouragement because it does make me push harder... I don't want to let Shaun T down! :)

 

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I understand the title of this now. Shaun T (as usual) means business!!! Instead of going 5 minutes without a water break, this one pushes you for 15 minutes for a 30 second break. Then you go another 10 minutes before getting another break... Then it pushes you to your final max out. It actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be when I saw the timer bar at the bottom of the screen. He will alternate between some less and more strenuous moves so it's not like you're doing burpee lunges and power jumps for 15 minutes straight.

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Pulse will give you a different take on this program. It's a 20 minute low-impact workout to help you recover over the weekend. Shaun T takes you through a lot of the same moves that you've done in the other Max: 30 workouts, just at a lower intensity (no jumping). You do "pulse" a lot of moves in between stretching. You will still sweat with this workout, but it's a nice change of pace after 5 days of pushing as hard and fast as you possibly can.

Stay tuned for a wrap up on month 1 in the coming weeks! What questions do you have so far about Max: 30? Are you ready to #maxout?

~ Aly

... In with the New!

Maybe it's just me, but I'm not quite sure where the year went. I feel like summer just ended a month ago. Like always, it's been a whirlwind of a year. After having such a crazy 2013, I was delighted to welcome 2014, but I honestly can't say that anything really earth shattering happened this year. It wasn't a terrible year, but it was a year that made my planning skills a bit challenging since it seemed like nothing went the way we planned. I suppose this is particularly common for families with young children.

Toddlerhood is a challenge. The newborn/infant stages of dealing with spit up and reflux seems like a breeze compared to toddlerhood. I can recall some days (particularly over this past summer as my daughter was approaching those dreaded "Terrible Two's") that I literally would just feel like I was going to have a total meltdown. She was starting to understand more every day but that didn't stop her from trying to push me a little further than I wanted to allow her. Fortunately, she started nursery school twice a week this fall as well as dance, and she seems to be making wonderful progress. She still has her moments (hey, don't we all?!) but I feel like some of those really frustrating days when I wanted to crack open a bottle of wine at naptime are already a distant memory... let's NOT venture down that road again for awhile, okay? :)

Amidst this chaos of toddlerhood, I started to do a little less in caring for myself and I went into more of a survival mode. My early morning workouts became less frequent and my meal planning ahead of time became non-existent. Need I tell you any more? That being said... I come to my goals for 2015. I don't want to call them resolutions because we know resolutions were made to be broken, kind of like rules. 

- I've got some weight to drop that I put on the second half of 2014. My goal is to shed that weight and then some. Ideally, I would love to fit comfortably back into my shorts by our vacation this spring. I've got 15 weeks and the goal is 15lbs. I'm confident I can do that with my new workout plus meal planning (the first 5 usually fall off easy... it's the rest that I usually really have to work for).
- I want to wake up early for my workouts at least 3 days a week (preferably 5 days if I can push myself but if I need a little extra sleep, I won't go batty over that... the weekend workouts can be more flexible with my husband home).
- Booze on weekends only. I think we've all had days where we just want to kick back and unwind (and that will probably happen on a few occasions moving forward, I'm sure), but my goal is to primarily keep my adult beverages on the weekends. If I drink on a weeknight, I need to double up on my workout the next day. It seems only fair.
- I want to do more "crafty" things with my daughter. I have plenty of ideas I've pinned on Pinterest, so now I want to do one project with her a week. This will be especially helpful this winter if we get snowed in. :)
- I want to have one date night with my husband a month. We don't have family nearby to easily babysit our daughter, but I think it's so important to get those date nights in for us. Especially before we even think about growing our family. If we can't get a date night out, we need to plan something when our daughter goes to bed aside from just having a few drinks and watching a movie. I've pinned date night ideas at home too... I need to utilize these ideas!!
- Try AT LEAST one new recipe a month. When I started cooking more post-baby, I was trying new recipes all the time. Then that baby became very active and didn't want me in the kitchen which meant I needed easier dinner ideas that required less prep work. Time to figure this out... I'm open to all tips (and healthy recipe ideas too)
- I want to grow my business. I became a Beachbody Coach in February 2014. I set high goals for myself and then toddlerhood set in. I want to really get my business rolling in 2015. I want to help others live a healthier lifestyle and welcome them to the Beachbody family too, because I've heard so many amazing success stories, and I'm ready for us to join the ranks together.
- Read. I use to love to read but with that constant feeling of having 10 balls in the air at once and not being able to catch them all, this usually takes the back burner. I want to read for fun. I think I started to do that less in high school and college because there was always so much I "had" to read for school. I got into the habit of reading more in recent years but with how tired I was feeling at night this year with the aforementioned crazy toddler, I started to read less. So I want to read again. :)
- Most importantly, I want to love more. I feel like I can get so bogged down by the news and drama going on around me. To be honest, I think having something hit so close to home for me (12/14), it made me open my eyes to how fragile our lives are and not to take a single moment for granted. I try not to get caught up in other people's drama and hopefully help them see the good in the world since we are always being shown all the bad. I want to live as positive a life as possible so I can be a good role model for my family. Always tell people you love them. You never know if you'll get another chance.

I think those cover the key points. I'm sure I will add to this as time goes on, but I wanted YOU to know what my goals are for the year so you can help hold me accountable. I would love to do the same for you. What are YOUR goals for 2015? How can I help? :)

Happy New Year!

~ Aly

Insanity Max: 30 --- Getting Started with Month 1

Though my test group for Insanity Max: 30 isn't starting until after the New Year, I thought it would be best to go through the workouts so I can share more about the program from personal experience with you! I'll break the first month up into two separate posts, but you'll have to wait for the second month until I'm actually going through it come February.

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Cardio Challenge. 30 minutes of serious cardio. Shaun T will lead you through several rounds of cardio where you push as hard as you can for 4.5 minutes and then get a 30 second break before going at it again. I followed the modifier for roughly half of the moves, but even then, I still burned 283 calories with this workout. No joke!! I was sweating big time but it felt great to push myself. I can't wait to start tracking my Max Out times when the challenge group kicks off because I can't wait to see my improvement with this workout in particular.

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Ab Attack: 10. I did this workout after I finished the Cardio Challenge workout. Not easy!!! I need to double check the calendar but I think my plan is to do this at least 3 days a week (I really want to get some definition in my abs). I burned 63 calories doing this right after Cardio Challenge.

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Tabata Power. 20 seconds of pushing your hardest before taking a 10 second break, then repeat. Each round focuses on a different area of your body, so while you start by working your legs, there's a round that involves variations of push-ups (don't worry, if your upper body is weaker than you would like it to be like mine, you can do them on your knees), a round that focuses on your core, and a round that will make those triceps BURN! The last 4 minutes, you push straight through and go as hard and fast as you can. I maxxed out around 6 minutes for this workout. I did modify nearly half of the moves as I did with Cardio Challenge after maxxing out. I burned 210 calories doing this workout.

I'm LOVING these workouts so far. As a former sales person in the hospitality industry, I thrived on "competing" with myself... reaching my goals and pushing further so I'd never settle. That will come in handy as I try to beat my own max out times each and every day. Ready to join me yet?

~ Aly

I'm Maxxing Out with Shaun T

Intimidated by the name of Beachbody's newest program, Insanity Max: 30? I was too when I first heard about this program. I had tried a few of the Insanity workouts in the past but found that with a baby at home that I couldn't commit to an hour of working out every day. The thought of this being arguably the most challenging workout that Beachbody has ever released can absolutely intimidate some people, but I look at it this way... it's going to push me places I've never gone before.

Have you ever reached a plateau while trying to lose weight? You keep pushing through your workouts and keep eating right, but seem to be stuck on the scale? And then, the unthinkable happens... you actually start to gain a little bit of weight back... sound familiar? From my personal experience (someone who has always struggled with weight), I am constantly losing and gaining the same 7lbs. Which is just enough so that my clothes don't fit me right.

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Enter Insanity Max: 30. These workouts are 30 minutes a day of pushing yourself as hard as you can. The reason people say it's the most challenging Beachbody workout to date is because it is only a half an hour but it's a half an hour with as little break time as possible so that you continue to push yourself and improve each and every day.

The program is broken down into 2 months. The first month's workouts are as follows:
- Cardio Challenge is 30 minutes of intervals (4.5 minutes of pushing your hardest, followed by a 30 second break)
- Tabata Power is 20 seconds of pushing followed by a 10 second break (each round focuses on a different area of your body to really hit everything)
- Sweat Intervals is another cardio intervals workout to make you sweat to your max
- Tabata Strength... there's no rest in this tabata workout!!
- Friday Fight: Round 1... a fight between your body and mind to push yourself as hard as you can!
* Ab Attack: 10 is a 10 minute add-on workout to focus on your core

Month 2 will build on the workouts from month 1... still only 30 minutes, but Shaun will push you even harder...
- Max Out Cardio
- Max Out Sweat
- Max Out Power
- Max Out Strength
- Fright Fight: Round 2
* Pulse is an add-on recovery workout that focuses on stretching with small pulses

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So why is this workout for YOU?
1. There's a modifier like in most Beachbody workouts, however, there's an option to play each workout with the modifier locked side by side with the main camera that follows Shaun T. This means you can modify each and every workout and watch her every move.
2. Each day, you mark your "max out" time on the calendar so you can see yourself progress and improve each and every day, week after week. It's kind of like it's own "fit test".
3. This is easily a workout that can go beyond the 60 day calendar. This will always be a challenging program, but as you get stronger, you're able to push harder so that you essentially should never plateau.
4. There's great eating tips for at home AND on the go when you dine out with this program, so you will also be working hard to eat right so you don't undo all your hard work maxing out.
5. No equipment is needed!!

My test group will start on January 5th... what better way to start the New Year? If you're interested in joining, visit my Facebook page to get more info. :) I will be blogging about each workout as I get through them to keep you in the know, so stay tuned...

~ Aly

P90: "A" Workouts

When I first heard that Tony Horton was coming out with a new workout called P90 (based off of his P90X series of workout programs, only without the "extreme" aspect), I really wasn't overly excited. As more details were divulged as the release date got closer, I actually got SUPER excited. Tony has talked about how this program is the "on" switch to fitness for those who maybe haven't been active in awhile. After just 3 days, I can see how this would definitely get someone less active into shape, but I also think that this is a fantastic workout for people who have been active but just aren't looking for an extreme workout. Want to work harder? Work harder! It's that simple...

The first month of P90, you will complete the "A" series workouts. Sweat A is more cardio focused, Sculpt A is to work on building your strength, and Ab Ripper A... well, it works on doing just that... ripping those abs.

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On my first day, I did Sweat A and Ab Ripper A. 35 minutes total altogether. I was honestly focusing more on trying to get the moves right than I was on really getting a good workout in, but after completing it a second time, I absolutely LOVE it. The moves are all simple and straight forward. If you're like me and you are generally pretty active, just push harder and faster for a more intense workout... I sweat so much more the second time around once I figured out the moves (and burned about 50 additional calories too!)

I absolutely LOVE Sculpt A too. You can use weights or a resistance band (the kit comes with the band if you prefer to use the band... I want to use weights so I can increase my weights in another week or two, but I started with 5lb weights this week). What I loved about this workout... unlike most workout programs I've done in the past, you have to repeat each round of exercises. This gets those 16 reps in of each exercise and then you move on. I felt that these 30 minutes FLEW because of this.

Month "A" rotates through these three workouts plus you would add the "Saturday Special" cardio workout (stay tuned next week for more about this!), then we move onto the "B" workouts in the second month. I cannot wait to see my results with this program. I'm not following the meal plan but I did see some recipes in the booklet that I plan to try. I've just been tracking my calories in MyFitnessPal and have been following the 80/20 rule of eating clean 80% of the time.

I'm starting a P90 Challenge Group in 2 weeks... if this sounds like this program might be right you, I am looking for 5 people who are ready to commit to living a healthier and more active lifestyle with me! Comment below or message me on my Facebook page... I would love for you to start with me on October 13! Let's hit it! ~ Aly

P90: Get ready to increase your strength, flexibility and balance

Have you heard about the P90X workouts but always been intimidated by the "X" for extreme in the name? I know I have! The workouts include pull-ups... something I would LOVE to be able to do at some point in my life but I'm just not there yet. I've heard Tony Horton's workouts are amazing and the people who complete his program get killer results. But I have never felt like I was ready to brave P90X.

If you're familiar with Beachbody's workouts, you may be aware that Tony Horton's first program was called Power 90. It included only 4 workouts, but people got great results from it, which led Tony into developing his "X" programs. 15 years have come and gone since Power 90 and Tony wanted to revamp the program and bring us a brand new less extreme fitness program that would be more accessible for all fitness levels.

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Enter P90. I wasn't overly enthusiastic when I heard about this program a few months ago. However, as I've been learning more and more about the program and the workouts included, I'm getting VERY excited!! I had a long summer. It tends to be the busiest time of year for my husband at work, plus he had a few ladies out on maternity leave. And of course you know I'm a SAHM to a very energetic toddler. I worked out most days but I felt exhausted and I definitely wasn't eating as healthy as I normally would. So I am SO ready to take on P90 and am looking for some people to join me. Are you a mom looking to shed some baby weight? Shedding for the wedding? Just trying to finally get moving to get yourself back in shape? I want to do it together!!!

Let me give you a quick rundown on what the base kit of P90 is going to consist of and how the program works. There are 10 workouts in the base kit. The program (if you stick with the base kit) runs for 90 days. This is a sectional progressional workout, which basically means each month, there's a new set of workouts you will do that build up on the month's prior workouts (and so each month, the workouts do get a little longer as well). Let me explain...

Days 1-30, we complete the "A" Workouts...

Sweat A: 8 simple and fun moves (25 minutes)
Sculpt A: Foundation for resistance training (28 minutes)
Ab Ripper A: 10 core moves (8 minutes)

Days 31-60, we complete the "B" Workouts...
Sweat B: Ramps up the intensity of the workouts (32 minutes)
Sculpt B: Improve muscular endurance and strength (31 minutes)

Ab Ripper B: Adds 5 new moves to sculpt your abs even more (14 minutes)

Days 61-90, we complete the "C" Workouts
Sweat C: This takes the intensity to a new level to sweat and have fun while working the entire body (36 minutes)

Sculpt C: Strength, flexibility and balance... all in one! (42 minutes)
Ab Ripper C: Get ready for a lot of different plank moves to really define those abs (15 minutes)

In addition, there's the "Saturday Special" workout which is 25 minutes of core cardio. Who loves cardio? I do!

The base kit will include a nutrition guide as always, which gives details on the "6 Day Shred" to jumpstart your weight loss with Tony's best clean eating tips. This kit comes with a resistance band for the workouts, but Tony has mentioned that you certainly could use weights if you prefer. He designed this program so that there are modifiers for those who may have more weight to lose than others, but also made it challenging enough that you could benefit from P90 even if you've done is "X" programs.

This amazing program is going to be available on Tuesday, September 23rd to Beachbody Customers for $79.90!! There of course will be a Challenge Pack available for purchase which is always a fantastic savings if you're interested in starting your journey with Shakeology as well.

For those of you fitness enthusiasts, there will also be a Deluxe Kit available for purchase. I don't have complete details about that kit yet or even what the price will be, however, I do know the workouts will be Speed Sweat, Speed Sculpt, Speed Ab Ripper, and Tony's Greatest Hits. I assume that these workouts will build upon the "C" series workouts.

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Why am I excited for P90? I get bored easily with my workouts, so knowing I will be doing each set of workouts for only a month before moving on to new workouts sounds like something I can definitely handle. I would love to complete this workout (including the "Speed" round) and feel strong enough to take on P90X3. Sure, I may not be able to do pull-ups still at that point but I definitely should feel strong enough to take that chance. I love how fun TurboFire is, I love how strong I feel when I workout with PiYo and the 21 Day Fix, but I'm ready to do something different. Want to join me? Leave your comments below!

~ Aly

Getting "Strong Legs" with PiYo

I've said it before and I'll say it again... the workouts that come with the Deluxe Kits that Beachbody puts out are NO JOKE! I played around with the schedule a little last week so I'm still making my way through the workouts but I finally got to "Strong Legs", which is the other workout that uses the Strength Slides that come with the Deluxe Kit. I honestly think that both of these Deluxe workouts will give you amazingly strong legs. I love these workouts and hate them at the same time because I literally feel myself checking the amount of time left since it BURNS!!!

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And I swear that Chalene has a camera set up in my house. And if you've done PiYo, you may think the same. She always seems to sense just when you're not getting as low as you can go, or when you take a break from that squat. She jokes that she has a camera in your house during several of the workouts but I'm really starting to wonder!! I do feel like she's here with me because she catches me every single time and pushes me a little harder.

So back to Strong Legs. You will do a variety of squats and lunges with those Strength Slides... and those 25 minutes will feel longer than that, but at the end, you will know you got an amazing leg workout in. I know I need to do this workout more often to work on toning my legs more. How do you get through those workouts that you know you need to do and are great for you but you just don't feel like it sometimes? I love Chalene, but boy is she tough!! But as they say, this is how you see change. So bring it on!

I still have one more PiYo workout to report back to you on, and that's Sculpt. Stay tuned!

~ Aly

"Drench"ed with PiYo

I always keep it real. I hate long workouts. Except for TurboFire... I love those long workouts (for the weekends only). But generally, I hate long workouts. As a SAHM, my "me" time is very limited. Even if I wake up early to workout and shower before my daughter wakes, I always run the risk that she will wake up early and then I need to rush through whatever I'm in the middle of. And I just don't enjoy working out at night. That's my time to relax and enjoy some quiet time with my hubby. Which leaves naptime... which is generally long enough for me to get in a longer workout and shower and have lunch, but not always... because if you have a kid at home, you know that "you just never know what to expect!"

So I'm back to my mantra of hating long workouts. I was excited to do "Drench" because of the name. I've enjoyed "Sweat" so figured that "Drench" would be along the same lines. The workout begins, there's Chalene and her crew... and the timer in the corner that says 48 minutes.... WHAT?! I literally groaned out loud in my living room as I began to take my shoes off when I saw them all barefoot, and figured I would suck it up.

This workout FLEW by. I wouldn't have thought it was 48 minutes at all. If you're following the schedule that comes with PiYo, you will see practically every move you've already done in all the other workouts in this one workout. And you know how when you go on a water ride at an amusement park, there's a disclaimer that you "may" get wet on this ride? I assure you that you WILL be drenched before you even reach the halfway point of this workout. I know everyone burns calories at a different rate but I burned 328 calories doing this workout (and that was with taking some child's pose breaks in between moves and not doing every push-up because I'm not quite there yet to hold myself up that long).

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I know I've told you how much I've liked just about every one of these workouts. If I had to pick my 5 favorite workouts of all time, Drench will certainly be on it. Yes, 48 minutes is a long workout, but it's an ah-MAY-zing workout. I couldn't believe how good I felt after I was done. I did feel a little sore in my shoulders when I washed my hair in the shower afterward, but that's to be expected. This is the longest workout in PiYo. Sweat (another one I absolutely love) is 35 minutes, and the rest are 30 minutes or less, so one long workout isn't so bad if it's a great one, right?

Have you done any of the workouts yet? What do you think? Want to learn more? Leave me a comment below or send me a message on my Facebook page!

~ Aly

3-Day Refresh: My Thoughts and Results

I was excited when I learned about the 3-Day Refresh during the 2014 Coach Summit. I wasn't able to attend but was following everyone's posts regularly to keep up with the latest and greatest news. I had been interested in the Ultimate Reset, but 21 days seemed like a long-term commitment for a "cleanse" like that. 3 days: totally feasible. I have been struggling to stay on track eating right so this was a great way to jump start my upcoming 21 Day Fix.

If you're not up on the basics of the Refresh, let me give you a quick overview. For 3 days, your meals will be as follows (note that you must wait at least 1 hour after each meal before having the next):

Wake up: Drink 8-10oz of water
Breakfast (within 1 hour of waking): Shakeology and 1 fruit serving (fruit can be in the shake or eaten on its own)
(Optional) Morning Herbal or Green Tea
Fiber Sweep Drink
Lunch: Vanilla Fresh Shake, 1 fruit serving, 1 vegetable serving, and 1 healthy fat serving
Afternoon Snack: 1 vegetable serving and 1 healthy fat serving
(Optional) Afternoon Herbal or Green Tea
Dinner: Vanilla Fresh Shake, plus one of the dinner recipes from the Refresh booklet, and 1 cup (optional) of organic vegetable stock.
(Optional) Evening Herbal or Green Tea

So here are my thoughts. I ordered the Vegan Chocolate Shakeology with my Refresh since I hadn't tried the Vegan Chocolate yet and Beachbody suggests the vegan with the Refresh since it digests easier. Personally, I wasn't a huge fan. From what I've heard from the Vegan Shakeology lovers, they are best when blended with almond (or other) milks. That's not allowed on the Refresh so to me, it tasted a little more gritty than the regular Chocolate Shakeology I normally drink. It was absolutely still drinkable, but I did taste a difference. If you have tried Shakeology in the past but not the Vegan, this Refresh is a great way for you to try the Vegan without committing to it for an entire month since the kit itself comes with 3 packs of the Shakeo flavor of your choice (if you order it with the Shakeo --- there's also the option of ordering it without the Shakeo if you already have it at home).

The Fiber Sweep surprised me the first day. It has a hint of lemon flavor to it. I wouldn't say it tastes bad, it's just a grittier texture than I expected. I struggled to drink it the first day until I remembered my favorite TV show: Friends. Remember the episode where Chandler and Ross are being bullied at Central Perk and make their own coffee in Chandler's apartment upstairs? They have to stir while they drink... and honestly, I found on days 2 and 3 that it actually worked best this way. Keep stirring in between sips so it doesn't settle at the bottom of the glass and it actually goes down much easier. (Honest!)

The Vanilla Fresh shakes taste very similar to Vanilla Shakeology. I added a few sprinkles of cinnamon as I had with Vanilla Shakeo in the past to give it a little more flavor. Overall, I enjoyed the Vanilla Fresh Shakes. I thought on the last night that I would try a dash of orange extract to change up the flavor --- it wasn't my personal favorite but you can certainly play around with different extracts since they're freebies on the Refresh if you're looking for more variety.

Personally, I tried to wait at least an hour and a half in between each meal/shake/tea. I didn't have the evening tea any of the nights, nor did I drink the optional organic vegetable stock with dinner since my dinner was at 7pm. I also stretched out my lunch (I'm not sure that this is suggested but I did it and still was successful): I noticed I was getting hungry in the 11 o'clock hour so I ate my fruit from lunch to help me push lunch to nearly 1pm. Then I had my 3 cups of lettuce with oil and vinegar (sounds plain but it seemed like the most filling/substantial option on the list of veggies to me) and shake around 1pm (after I would do my PiYo workout of the day).

My plain looking salad --- it was filing though!

Each day, my afternoon snack was carrots and hummus. I accidentally bought the petite carrots instead of baby carrots so I had 12-15 of them since they are super tiny in comparison to the normal baby carrots (I probably should have had 10-12, but I needed to finish my hummus!!) Haha

I drank a lot of water in between meals to help me feel full, not to mention I would squeeze some lemon in for flavor. As for my tea breaks, I opted for a decaf Blackberry Pomegranate Green Tea that Lipton makes. You're not allowed to add milk or sweetener to it (Truvia is allowed but for best results, they suggest plain). I probably should have had plain Green Tea but I'm not a huge fan so I drank this stuff which was pretty good. I never finished the whole cup, it was just something for added flavor in between meals for me.

They also urge that you don't drink coffee. If you MUST, it should be black. I made my morning Shakeology with half a banana the first morning and wasn't a fan of it without my usual PB2, so the second morning, I used chilled coffee and added a teaspoon of vanilla extract (one of my favorite recipes). I had been trying to wean off the caffeine but did feel a little tired so I used Half-Caff coffee. It tastes like a Starbucks Frap (just not as sweet).

My breakfast of choice: Vegan Chocolate Shakeo
(blended with coffee and 1tsp vanilla extract) and 2/3 cup blueberries

Dinner. There are 9 different recipes to choose from. I opted for a Spinach Salad --- knowing my body, it seemed the most substantial and filling, plus it didn't involve any cooking. I actually really enjoyed dinner with my Vanilla Fresh shake and felt very satisfied after eating dinner each night. I added more tomato and cucumber since I don't like peppers.

3-Day Refresh Dinner: "Spinach Salad" ( I added more
tomato and cucumber since I didn't add peppers)

A quick note on working out. I know that Beachbody has said you can still workout while doing the Refresh. I did fine on Days 1 and 2 with "lighter" PiYo workouts, but on Day 3, I was doing "Sweat" which is a 35-minute fast-paced workout where I usually burn 200+ calories. When I got down to the last 10 minutes, I did start to feel a headache coming on and had to turn it off before I could finish the last 3 minutes because I was worried I was pushing too hard and just needed food. I think if I had eaten something and then worked out 30+ minutes later, I might have been ok, but you may want to consider doing lighter workouts on your Refresh days. I've read plenty of people's reviews saying that they still did their usual P90X3 workouts and others of high intensity cardio, but I don't think I could have done it. You know your body best, use your own judgment. I just wanted to share my experience with you.

I'm not going to lie because I definitely pride myself on being up front and honest: I had random hunger pangs throughout the day. More so in the morning because you have Shakeology for breakfast but no other "food" until lunch (just a tea and the Fiber Sweep). I stretched out my food more because I know I have a later dinner due to my husband's schedule. I think it's vital that you try to schedule each meal ahead of time so you know when you're eating and don't get too off schedule so you don't get hungry and have nothing to eat. And of course, there's no cheating allowed. I'm a Stay at Home Mom so there was temptation staring me in the face all day, every day when I fed my daughter (and at dinner time with my husband). If you can, I would definitely urge doing this Refresh with a buddy so you can talk each other through it each day. I did this with a friend (from a distance) and having her going through this with me was so helpful and encouraging.

So, after all of this, are you curious about my results? After my first 3-Day Refresh, I am down exactly 4lbs. I lost 1.75" around my waist, and 1" around my hips. I'm excited!!! My friend who did the Refresh along with me that I mentioned had even more amazing results, and I do want to share them too because it shows how two people can follow the same exact plan (and we pretty much had the same food choices daily) and the results really do vary based on each person's body, metabolism, muscle, etc. My AMAZING friend in just 3 days lost 7.6lbs!

I found this program to be easy to follow, the foods for the most part were satisfying. I just wish there was some sort of actual "food" between breakfast and lunch, but I realize that while I didn't have that, I also didn't starve myself. I obviously was daydreaming about foods I shouldn't be eating (my Facebook news feed was the worst because I follow all kinds of food bloggers --- both healthy and not so healthy). But here I am, finishing up my post about this program, down 4lbs, enjoying a much needed and earned cup of coffee as I begin my first day back on the 21 Day Fix Eating Plan. I would (and definitely will) do the 3-Day Refresh again --- possibly every other month. I feel great, slept better than I had in quite some time, and am re-focused on eating right.

So do you still have questions? I'm always an open book! The Challenge Pack is still on sale through the end of July if you want in on the 3-Day Refresh. :)

~ Aly

PiYo's "Hardcore on the Floor" --- DEFINITELY Hardcore!

Sooooooo let me tell you... the schedule gave me an option of "Core" or "Hardcore on the Floor". I decided to try Hardcore on the Floor to see how it compares to the others. "Hardcore on the Floor" is the bonus workout that comes in a separate sleeve only when you order from your Beachbody Coach. You would think I would have learned by now that these bonus workouts that have come with every program I've purchases is ALWAYS a killer. Greatest HIITs comes with TurboFire and ChaLEAN Extreme. No joke. Plyo Fix with the 21 Day Fix, also no joke. I can't remember the bonus workout from Brazil Butt Lift but I'm sure it was no different.

So "Hardcore on the Floor" is a 33 minute workout that was designed to work your entire core. Personally, I think it worked every inch of my body, including my hair. Chalene takes you through a lot of the moves we've already done, but the pace at which they're done and the length of time that you're in these poses holding your body up definitely made it super challenging. Granted, my core isn't too strong to begin with (in my opinion) so I'm sure this might not be quite as crazy a workout for some of you, but if you're still new at PiYo, you may want to hold off until you're a little bit stronger. I always encourage trying everything, but I also pride myself in being totally up front and honest with you. I definitely need to wait a few weeks before I try this one again.

What's next? I still have 3 PiYo workouts I haven't done yet, so stay tuned for the reviews! Hopefully I don't feel like dying after I finish them. :)

~ Aly

PiYo "Full Body Blast"

If you're not too familiar with the Beachbody programs, you may not know that many of their programs offer a base kit that includes the standard workouts, and then there's a deluxe kit which includes usually a couple more workouts and sometimes equipment as well. You will have the option of upgrading with an add-on kit down the road if you prefer, but personally, I wish I had always purchased the deluxe kit because I haven't done a workout with my deluxe kits that I haven't loved.

When PiYo came out, I was eyeing up the deluxe kit since it came with 2 extra workouts, a yoga mat (I needed a new mat) and strength slides that you use for these 2 workouts. I just did my first deluxe workout over the weekend and let me just tell you... it was a very cool and eye-opening experience. In "Full Body Blast", you still do a lot of the same moves you've done in previous PiYo workouts, but using the strength slides takes it to a whole new level that I wouldn't have ever expected!! As you work on being strong and keeping yourself stable using these slides, I think I was working muscles I've never even worked before. It made everything so much harder!! It's a half-hour workout and I'm not going to lie... though I was able to work my way through these moves, it was definitely a challenge and I kept my eye on the timer (praying it would move FASTER!!!)

These slides come with removable booties so you can use them on
hard surfaces with the booties or on carpeting without the booties!

I'm making myself laugh with each new workout because I no sooner finish it and think to myself, "gosh, if I did this one a few times a week after I get through the 8 week schedule, my (fill in the blank) would look AMAZING"... and then I do the next workout and think the same thing! Translation: this program is awesome. I was nervous since it's not as cardio-driven as my preferred workouts, but I absolutely LOVE PiYo. I still have a few more workouts I haven't done yet from the program to share with you in the upcoming weeks, so if you're interested, don't forget to follow me on Facebook for updates!

~ Aly

Strength Intervals with PiYo

I really wasn't sure what to expect when I started the PiYo "Strength Intervals" workout. I want to start by sharing that I did this workout the first time barefoot, however, I do think that wearing sneakers will be better next time. I think the rule of thumb I'm going to use with these workouts is to wear (or not wear) whatever Chalene is wearing.

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So Strength Intervals is about 22 minutes long. To me, it felt like I blinked and it was cool down time. But Chalene makes you WORK! I'm sure you would have expected that anyway (I mean, come on, it's Chalene!) but this one is a little different too. You will start off doing moves slowly, and work your way up to it being more of a fast-paced move to rev up your heart rate before slowing down into some strength and stretch moves... hence the name, "Strength Intervals".

This is another workout that really isn't like the more traditional PiYo workouts that you start off doing in this program, but I absolutely love it. Each day that I push play, I can tell that I'm working my body a little differently, which is how I think so many people are seeing such awesome results with this program. Your body needs constant change if you want it to change, so mixing it up has always been what I've heard is the best way to go. The PiYo series definitely keeps mixing things up!

I can't wait to share the next workout review with you as it's from the Deluxe Kit and you use the Strength Slides during that workout... that having been said, I would definitely encourage everyone to go with the Deluxe Kit. The workouts I've done that for have been awesome!!

~ Aly

PiYo "Buns"

Let me just start by telling you how much I LOVE this "Buns" workout! While it's really not like the others (there's some moves that start you in plank, but it's not really as "PiYo" as the others I've done so far), it works those buns, glutes, and hamstrings big time!! I'm in serious need of toning in this area. While I admit that my thighs have never been exactly what I would like them to be, they definitely aren't as trim as they were last summer (I have Brazil Butt Lift to thank for that --- sadly, my program got lost in the mail when I was shipping it to a relative to try out so I no longer have that program).

In this 28 minute workout, I burned 160 calories. I broke a sweat, big time. My legs feel a little like Jello. I love that feeling! It wasn't serious cardio but it was an amazing workout. I can tell it's going to help strengthen my legs while toning them as I become more flexible. There's a lot of squats and lunges, not to mention, BURPEES! I use to loathe burpees, but now I just know they're an awesome workout and make you so much stronger the more you do them. Want a peek at some of the moves you'll do in "Buns"? Click here!


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I'm excited to have a couple more "new" PiYo workouts to try out this week on the schedule... stay tuned for "Strength Intervals" later this week! "Full Body Blast" will be done over the weekend so that will be posted early next week.

~ Aly

PiYo "Core" Workout

I forewarned a friend of mine yesterday that I would be doing a core workout today and not to make me laugh because I was probably going to be too sore for laughing. This, of course, was in reference to my first attempt at the 30 minute PiYo "Core" workout. I was excited to try the next workout on the schedule since it's been a week since I've introduced a new workout into the routine. I think Core is the most challenging workout in the program so far. Chalene doesn't just work your abs, but your entire core. So I don't necessarily feel like I'm going to die if I laugh too hard (at least not yet, but it's only been a few hours), but I can feel the burn as I worked to strengthen and elongate my core. (Lord knows I need all the elongation help I can get -- haha!!)

In true Chalene fashion, she works on hitting every muscle in our core. Like is the previous workouts so far, there's a lot of down dog and planking while doing the moves to work the core. I feel like I'm able to push myself a little further each day as my arms and wrists get stronger (along with all the other muscles in my body). I must say, Chalene does an amazing job in breaking down the moves in every workout so far... even moves that I remember seeing in the promotional video clip that I had thought "there's no way I will be able to do that!" aren't quite so bad when she breaks them down for you and shows you how to modify them until you can go all out. I love this!!

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Even with this Core workout where there's a fair amount of work being done on the floor, I was sweating. Not profusely, but I definitely broke a sweat doing these moves (and I couldn't even hold all of them as long as she does). I can't stress enough that this is a wonderful program to really grow with. Whether you're just starting your fitness journey and haven't done much exercising, or if you're a fitness enthusiast in fabulous shape... there's always a way to make every single move either easier or harder. Oh, and I love the music... it's actually pretty upbeat without being overpowering, given the type of workout PiYo is. These workouts fly by quicker than any I've ever done.

It'll be another week before my next post on "Buns" --- I've got 3 new workouts on the schedule next week!! I hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend!

~ Aly

"Sweat" with PiYo

Workout 4 in Chalene Johnson's "PiYo" program is called "Sweat"... and it will make you do just that for 37 minutes! For each series of moves, she breaks them down one move at a time and you will keep adding on until you can do the entire set straight through at tempo. You will incorporate all the moves you learned from the previous workouts and speed them up... and you will feel the burn! This is truly cardio without jumping. It's been 4 days and I can honestly (and shockingly) say that I can already feel a difference in my strength and flexibility. I realize you're probably reading this right now thinking, "There's no way..." I was relieved when I saw other friends on Facebook sharing that they were having a similar experience in their first week.

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For example, I noticed that I was able to stay in the plank moves longer for this workout than I had for the two previous "Define" workouts. I didn't feel as much of a strain on my muscles, and believe it or not, I am definitely noticing that while I'm still struggling with the push-ups (regular and tricep), I definitely realize that they are getting easier already. Which is amazing to me since (as I previously mentioned), I've been unable to do a real push-up since before getting pregnant with my daughter who is nearly 2 years old.

Now, there are some burpees in this workout. I realize to some, that's considered jumping, however, Michelle (who shows the modifications) does not do the burpees "all out". I burned 195 calories doing this workout (not too shabby for the type of workout it is). I'm kind of disappointed that the schedule has you do the two "Define" workouts and "Sweat" again before you move onto the net workout --- so it's going to be a few days before you get another PiYo update from me. If you're on the fence about PiYo, what's holding you back? I would love to talk with you! :)

Stay strong, and push play!

~ Aly