21 Day Fix: Cardio Fix

After several days of toning with the 21 Day Fix, I was excited to see what kind of cardio Autumn Calabrese had in store for me. Today was my "Cardio Fix". Similar to the previous workouts (minus the Pilates Fix), this half-hour workout has 4 rounds of two workouts each for one minute (repeated), with 20 seconds of rest in between. She starts you off with her usual 3 minutes of warm-up, followed by these cardio rounds... after just one set of the first round, I felt totally winded. It was a challenge for me as I've just been getting back into my workouts in the past month. Of course, there are modifications that can be made, but I wanted to push myself and keep going.

The first two rounds were serious cardio exercises. In the third and fourth round, she does give you more of a recovery with one lighter (not easier) move followed by one heavier cardio move. By that I mean it's not going to wind you as much for that one move, but she will follow it with a butt kicking... which in one of these cases is a minute of burpees (yes, you read that right... and don't forget, you get to REPEAT the round, so TWO minutes of burpees!!)

And in true 21 Day Fix fashion, you get a bonus workout at the end that will make sure you feel like you worked your butt off. I got a great calorie burn doing this workout (with a few breaks doing some of the moves since I couldn't power through as much as I would have hoped just yet). 242 calories in 32 minutes. I have a feeling that the next workout, "Dirty 30", is going to be even more intense than this one. But that excites me because I know in another week or two, I'm not going to need to take the breaks I had to take today, and that is going to feel awesome!

'til next time!

~ Aly



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21 Day Fix: Pilates Fix

Ok so I've never been big on Pilates (or Yoga for that matter). I think I remember having an MTV Pilates workout DVD many moons ago (does MTV even make workout DVDs anymore???) I literally JUST finished the Pilates Fix from the 21 Day Fix program from Beachbody and am sitting here typing as I drink my super yummy Shakeology that I have become addicted to in just four days (thank you to my coach Kristina @ Racing and Saving Mama). My arms feel a little shaky and my abs feel like they should be rock hard already.

I'm hooked on this 21 Day Fix. As much as I've loved Brazil Butt Lift, TurboFire, and my Jillian Michaels' "Ripped in 30" workouts, this program is just plain awesome. What I realized as I was doing these moves that, again, seemed to be so easy at first but by the time I was done with the sets, seemed nearly impossible, is that every day is a different focus. It's not pure cardio. Which I will be honest, I have always assumed that cardio would be best every day because it gives the most calorie burn (which is how you lose weight!). But I loved the Ripped in 30 DVD from Jillian Michaels because it mixed cardio with strength. Well it seems like ALL of these workouts with the 21 Day Fix so far have plenty of strength but also gets your heart going to burn some calories in the meantime too. I've never felt so energized working out before without totally busting my behind doing cardio (like 45 minutes of TurboFire).

The moves in this Pilates workout aren't always timed. Some of the moves require you to complete a certain number --- most seem to be 10. Some of them are in fact timed like the previous workouts have been. There is no repeating any of these moves though like past workouts --- you just progress with each type of move (like doing three different moves in plank position for the allotted time) and then you move on to the next focus area. The abs and butt get a lot of attention in this workout. Whew! I'm excited to get back to some cardio in my next workout tomorrow... I'm already dreading the burpees that my guide to this program promises to include in the Cardio Fix. 'Til next time!

~Aly



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Friday Food Frenzy 21

Sometimes I feel like I'm my own worst enemy... I pin so many recipes that my kitchen can't keep up! Growing up, I can always remember my mom making stuffed cabbage (and I always refused to eat it). Well I found a fabulous (as always!) recipe on Skinnytaste for a Stuffed Cabbage Casserole. I told myself it was time to suck it up and try to give into cabbage. I'm so glad I did!!

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This recipe took a little more time to prep than I had anticipated but it's definitely easier than making stuffed cabbage the traditional way. And let me tell you --- this was a delicious recipe to add into our dinner rotation. I love trying new recipes but always preface dinner to my husband with, "I hope it's good!" You basically cook up the beef mixture and then cook up the cabbage and layer them in a Pyrex dish, cook it in the oven, and if you would like, add some cheese on top and then cook a little longer to melt the cheese. I love cheese so I went for it, and YUM!!!

I know every oven is different but my suggestion is to keep a close eye on the cheese if you decide to add it. The recipe calls to cook for 40 minutes covered with foil (before adding the cheese) and then 20 minutes uncovered (after adding the cheese). I actually took it out after 15 minutes and to be honest, I wish I had checked it sooner because the cheese dried up a little bit (10 minutes might have been enough) but it was still delicious! I actually plan to give this to my toddler to try next time. Hopefully she will love it too!

Bon Apetit!

~ Aly

21 Day Fix: Lower Fix

HAHAHAHAHA and I thought I was going to be able to double up today? Not happening, at least not today --- maybe in a few weeks. Autumn means SERIOUS business in the "Lower Fix" workout from the 21 Day Fix.

You know that feeling you get when you haven't quite over-worked a muscle... like you think if you did any more of whatever you were doing in the first place that it would make that muscle group feel like total jello? I can remember getting a foot and a half of snow a few years ago in one storm. My husband and I went out to shovel and when we got back in, my entire body felt like mush. Sorry if this is TMI but you ladies will be able to relate: you're so sore that even squatting to go to the bathroom hurts. :)Well, get ready. For the first time doing this Lower Fix workout, that's exactly how I feel.

This workout has 4 rounds of 2 movements each (and you repeat each movement so essentially, you do each move twice before moving onto the next round). Beware: Some of these movements you do for 50 seconds... and then HOLD for the last 10 seconds. What I thought was funny was that as I started many of these moves, I thought to myself "this isn't going to be challenging enough". Hah trying doing Sumo Squats for an entire minutes with weights at your shoulders! There are several squat and lunge variations in this workout. And for the first three rounds, you have your heavy weights in your hands for each move, so I even feel like this workout worked my arms and shoulders quite a bit too.

And just when you think you've reached the end of the fourth round, Autumn hits you with a bonus workout!!! I don't want to totally ruin the surprise for you, so I won't tell you any more but I will say this: I felt the burn the entire 30 minutes, so reaching that bonus move definitely did me in, but it's awesome because my thighs are a key focus area, so I have no doubt that this Lower Fix is going to be an awesome workout for me. And it makes me wonder how much more challenging her "Barre Legs" is going to be when I get to that workout.

Because of all the movement and intensity with this workout, I actually burned a lot more calories than I expected: 180 calories in the 30 minutes. Of course, everyone burns calories at a different rate depending on their weight/muscle/how hard they workout/etc, but that is just to give you an idea of the intensity of this workout. Thank you for my "Lower Fix", Autumn! I'm not quite sure how I will manage "Pilates Fix" tomorrow, but I will have to find a way!



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21 Day Fix: Upper Fix

As promised, I wanted to check in on the next workout in the 21 Day Fix program that I tried. Yesterday, I give the Upper Fix a try. For this workout, you need two sets of weights (a light and a heavy). I definitely need to invest in more weights because I had 3lb and 5lb to use --- I probably could have used the 5lb for my light but I didn't have anything heavier to use for my heavy weights so I stuck with the 3 and 5 to have variety.

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Upper Fix has two separate rounds of five workouts --- so you do the five workouts, repeat, and then move onto the second round, for a full half hour of focusing on your arms, chest, back, shoulders and abs. Almost the entire second round is done on your back so make sure you have a mat for this one too. They show modifications if you use a resistance band instead of weights, as well as how to modify with doing the exercises only one arm at a time (alternating arms) if using both at the same time is too challenging for you.

Don't expect a big calorie burn for this workout --- I burned 107 calories. But it's a great workout for the arms. I just finished the workout less than two hours ago and I can feel that I worked out in my biceps and back especially. In my (totally unprofessional) opinion, a workout should leave you feeling energized and feeling worked, but not totally wiped out, and that's exactly what this does. I love Autumn. I think her quote is "you can do anything for 60 seconds"... there are times I want to tell her, "Yea, right!!!" but I know it's just because I'm building up my stamina right now.

Next up: Lower Fix! Getting ready to feel the burn --- and maybe I will double up and do another workout if time permits (and by time, I mean my toddler). :)

21 Day Fix: Total Body Cardio Fix

OK so as I mentioned in my anniversary post, I am going to be sharing my thoughts on the new Beachbody 21 Day Fix program with you. Yesterday, I tried the Total Body Cardio Fix workout. It was 29 minutes long. And I must admit... I'm sore. Not yet sore to the point where it hurts to walk, but my muscles feel like I worked out (and can still workout today). Ironically enough, while my legs do feel sore, I think my shoulders feel the most sore of all my muscles (and I lug a nearly 30lb toddler around everyday!!!) Which means I must be doing something right here! :)

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So this 29-minute workout starts with a warm-up, like all workouts. Basic moves, nothing out of the ordinary. The actual workout consists of 4 rounds... there are 2 different movements in each round that you perform for a minute each with a 20 second break in between and then repeat. So essentially, you're doing 8 different movements in this workout. Sounds simple... and it is. No crazy movements... just crazy muscle working!! She starts you off busting your butt from the very beginning. You need a set of weights (I used 5lbs and might actually get a set of 7 or 8's to try to kick it up a notch) and a mat if you're on a hard surface because the fourth round is actually focused on the abs so you will be on your back.

I could feel my muscles burning doing these workouts and did need to stop to catch my breath a few times. What I absolutely LOVED though was that when I pushed play and Autumn Calabrese showed up ready to workout with her team, there was a variety of people working out. Not everyone was super fit like Autumn, which tends to be the case for most of the workout DVDs I've seen (with the exception of the Biggest Loser DVD I purchased in December which had former contestants working out). This was comforting because it showed people at virtually all workout levels can do her workout with modifications. And there is someone showing you how to modify the moves (which usually meant less jumping and not using weights as you are starting out). I burned 189 calories with this workout (and that was with a few breaks). I'm sure I can make it to 200 as I get stronger and am able to push myself a little harder. Considering how I feel right now, I think 189 is a pretty good burn. I feel like I worked a lot harder than 189... as long as I see results, that's all that matters to me! :)

This was a quick workout, but certainly not easy. This has me super excited to see what the other workouts are like!! I will share each workout with you as I get through them. But for a preview, here are the other workouts in this program:
Upper Fix (focuses chest, back, shoulders, arms and abs)
Lower Fix (focuses on glutes, quads, and hamstrings)
Pilates Fix
Cardio Fix (not sure how this is different from Total Body Cardio Fix as this post covers, but I will let you know!)
Dirty 30 (4 rounds of 8 exercises --- again, not sure how this is different but I'm sure it is and I will let you know!)
Yoga Fix
10-Minute Fix for Abs (this is noted as a bonus workout --- it's not noted on her workout schedule so you just add it in as you would like)

In addition, there are two "Ultimate Workouts" that are suggested on the workout schedule to substitute in place of workouts on the schedule... these are:
Barre Legs (suggested in place of Lower Fix, this is based on ballet movements)
Flat Abs Fix (suggested in place of Pilates Fix... this is a half-hour of pure abs... yikes!! BRING IT!)

I also received a bonus DVD in my package called Plyo Fix (6 rounds for a half hour that is noted on the package to be "intense but easy-to-follow drills"). Sounds intense... again, BRING IT! :)

Please bear with me as I work to get through all of these workouts. Hopefully within the next 2-3 weeks, I can get a review up on each of these workouts for you. I can't wait to see the kind of results the 21 Day Fix gives me! Want a preview? Check out this link from YouTube!

Wish me luck... time to get fit!! :)

~ Aly

One Year of Blogging!!

It's hard to believe that February 10 marks one year since my very first blog post! It's been an absolutely crazy year to say the least but I'm never one to say "I wish I had done (ABC) differently" because every decision --- the good, the bad and the ugly --- have brought me right here to where I am today. I do my best to learn from the past and move on --- dwelling is a downer and I'm trying to make my life as positive as can be. Since starting my journey to living a healthier lifestyle (which I officially kicked off on 1/2/13, though I didn't start blogging for another month), I'm down nearly 20lbs! I actually did lose a few more pounds that were gained back this past fall and over the holidays, but it's a new year and I'm back on track.

To show my commitment, I've decided to take on a new workout... the brand new Beachbody 21 Day Fix!! I've been seeing posts all over Facebook about this and am excited because these workouts that Autumn Calabrese has put together for this program are each only a half an hour long and comes with a diet plan to follow for 21 days. It's not meant to be a crash diet because you're eating healthy foods, but it's meant to jump start your journey and help retrain your body to eat right and exercise --- after all, they say it takes 21 days to break out of a bad habit. I am a serious TurboFire lover, but now that my daughter is a full blown toddler (translation: her daily routine is a little less flexible and predictable), it's hard to fit in more than one of the short TurboFire HIIT workouts. A half an hour will be perfect so on the days where waking up early may not work for me as easily (or if my daughter decides to wake up earlier than usual), I can still squeeze these workouts in during naptime and get things done around the house.


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I wanted to note one thing that really caught my attention with this program... many of you may not know Autumn Calabrese. I know I didn't before I started to hear about this program. She's a celebrity fitness trainer and a national-level bikini competitor (not what I'm aiming for, of course). While she looks amazing now, she struggled with her weight when she was younger. I love hearing these inspiring stories because clearly she (like Jillian Michaels who also struggled with weight growing up) has done something right to turn her life and health around. And she wants to share her story and workouts with us!

In addition, I've decided to finally jump on the Shakeology bandwagon. I've been skeptical about a daily shake but I know I don't get all the nutrients I really should get plus have heard all about the other perks of Shakeology (increased energy without any caffeine --- and increased regularity)... maybe I can kick my coffee and fiber bar habits with these shakes. I've struggled since last summer (for those who have been following me) with reflux and some foods now just turn me off because I know they will bother me, so I'm hoping this will be a great way to get some hidden fruits and veggies (and lots of nutrients) into my daily diet.  I will be sure to keep you posted!

My challenge pack with the 21 Day Fix and Shakeology just arrived yesterday --- I plan to test some of the workouts out before the challenge begins with my Beachbody coach next week --- as well as try some Shakeology. So look for upcoming posts about my thoughts on the workouts and shakes. I can't wait to share more about this journey with you. (Note: I was able to order the 21 Day Fix last week through my coach. This program sold out so quickly that they're anticipating, as of what I'm finding online at the time of this blog post, that they will not be able to fill all the orders until perhaps late March. So if you want to pre-order this program, you may have to wait a little while, but I wouldn't be discouraged because this seems like it's going to be an amazing workout.)

~ Aly