Fitness Update

Time has flown by since my last fitness update. I had to scroll way back on my blog and found my last fitness update post in February! Check out my February Fitness Update post if you haven't already. 

Since then I have completed my first race and my training has changed slightly. 

I did a 5km race April 9th to work on my running speed. Unfortunately the race course changed two days before race day due to flooding and they had to incorporate a hill! I haven't done any hill training as it is still early in race season so I was 5min slower than I wanted to be. We hit the hill about 2km into the race and up until then I was running under a 6min/km pace which was great. The hill was about 500 meters long so the turn around was at the top and by that time my legs were DONE. I really struggled the last half of the race but I keep telling myself it was the first race of the year and my time will only get better from here. 

Bear is still joining me once a week for training runs. I'm trying to run at least three times a week - that includes a interval run, tempo run and longer run. 

It's still too early to get my road bike out....even though I've seen some brave soles out and about on their bikes...so I'm still just biking at my house inside on my trainer around twice a week.

Of course I'm still keeping up with my Beachbody programs as a cross training/strength training. Right now I'm just using 21 Day Fix and in three weeks I will switching to 21 Day Fix EXTREME. Mainly I've been using lower fix to work on leg strength, upper fix to work on my upper body strength and of course core.

My next race is another 5km in about three weeks. I am also trying to find a duathlon sprint race nearby that I can participate in at the end of May but so far I've had no luck find one. 

Make sure you are subscribed for more fitness updates.

Fitness Update | Coming Back From Being A Victim of Crime

 It's fitness update time!!! It has been a hot minuet since my last fitness update, if you want to check out my last post Fitness Update | Finished 21 Day Fix EXTREME | National Sprint Duathlon Women 25-29 Champion! If you did happen to read it you would know that I qualified to race in Duathlon Worlds this year in August.

I did take a few days off after the qualifying race in September to recover but now I'm back at it. I sat down and made a training plan that lasted to the end of December....which unfortunately I didn't finish and it's a long story...

 ....without going into too much detail as I'm still not sure how much of my experience I want to share I was the victim of crime in December. It was an absolutely gut wrenching experience that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. I honestly lived most of December fearful to leave my house, sleep, anything! I basically sat locked up in my house armed and waiting for our attacker to come back....which he did several times.

It's hard to even put into words what happen, how I feel about the whole situation because I feel like I'm still processing what the hell happen!

My husband and I were so fortunate to have some many amazing family member's and friends that stepped in to help us. We were brought food every single day, people were coming over to my house to walk my dog - no I wasn't even leaving the house to walk my own dog! For me that's a big deal since our little pup usually goes for three walks a day....minimum. I even had people just come over and clean or sit with me to watch some TV to help get my mind off of what was happening.

So basically - as I'm sure you can imagine - my training came to a screeching halt.

Time seemed to just disappear...it honestly took me till about the beginning of February for me to get back to my normal routine - and even then it was hard to even think about how to get back to what was "normal".

If you've even been the victim of crime, you know it's hard to get back to your life. I was told by so many people that it's ok to be all over the place and that it was going to be a struggle trying to return to a "normal" life.

I do want to share a piece of my experience on my blog - my hope is it could possibly help someone who as been affected by a victim of crime...or just provide some support to know you are not alone. I found there wasn't a lot of public support for myself and my husband. Give me about another week or two...I'm going to have to sit down and put what happen into words which I already know is going to be difficult.

 To be honest my training really just started again this February - and yes my body could absolutely tell that I had taken a big chunk of time off. Since the plan that I made ended at the end of December I decided to make a new one instead of trying to finish off my old training plan.....sort of like a fresh start.

Currently I have a new training plan I'm following that includes three times a week of doing at home Beachbody workouts (Piyo, 21 Day Fix Extreme and T25), one interval running day, one tempo running day, one longer running day and spinning at home on my trainer.

It's a busy schedule but I've been loving the variety.

My favorite part of my whole training plan has to be including our puppy, Bear, in one of my training runs per week. If you haven't read about Bear you can read his last 5 month update post. Bear is now almost 8 months and technically he's not supposed to be running with me for another 2 months but he doesn't do my whole workout and I go so slow when he's with me all he does is quick walk beside me while I jog.

I'm planning on doing another update on how Bear is doing on Wednesday so make sure you are subscribe to my blog for notifications. I'll include what sort of training he does with me, how long he runs for and what equipment I use - this is so important! I've tested out so many different running belts, leashes and harness to get the perfect combination. It's not enjoyable if you have to keep stopping your run to untangle the dogs leash or if they are dragging you because they aren't trained properly to walk hands free.

I am so excited to share with you all Bear's update on Wednesday and make sure you are subscribe for to my blog to get notified on my next fitness update!

Fitness Update | Blam Bombshell Fitness

Work, family, life, working out....how do you balance it all?

Over the past few months I have been training for a qualifying duathlon race that will put me back onto team Canada and allow me to compete at the 2017 World Duathlon Championships. My training has been a constant roller coaster fill with serveral set backs. 

My training might seem very different from most duathlets. As a Beachbody coach I strongly believe and has seen amazing results with these programs when it comes to increasing my fitness and leg strength running/biking. Because of this I use a combination of Beachbody programs, interval running, long distance running and biking to train for my duathlon.

 But how do you balance it all? In spring I left my job and became a full time Beachbody coach, which has been a dream come true and blessing....but as I have found out very quickly that working from home is no piece of cake. I'm easily distracted and still somehow manager to run out of time in my day without getting a workout in.

In addition to that this is our first summer in our new house...what does that mean? So many house projects I've lost count. Because we decided to build our first home nothing is completed on the exterior of our home. That means everything from landscaping, fence building, deck painting, ect had to be completed. My husband and I have been very busy in our yard every single day trying to accomplish these tasks - it's been taking up most of our time.

With that being said I am still pushing forward and training like mad! I only have about 42 days left until qualifying! Crazy....my summer has just flown by.

My plan for the next 42 days - be as organized as possible. In order to keep myself on track I'm having to keep myself accountable. That means making a very strict schedule and making myself stick to it! My schedule includes when I'm going to workout, shower, work my at home business, clean, spend time with my family, ect. It means no more slacking off and getting down to business! This next 42 days is really going to test myself to see how bad do I really want this? 

I truly believe that if you want something bad enough you will find a way to make it happen.

I know that balancing it all is so difficult. Trust me I've been there this summer. Trying to jungle home projects, working from home, family, working out, ect....things have slipped through the cracks. I haven't been happy about it but sometimes these things happen.  

 So what's the plan for this upcoming week? Well I'm just coming back from a knee injury...nothing major I just had a fluke accident where I twisted my knee running home night. I've gave it a weekend off and now I'm back training without missing a beat!

This upcoming week I'm planning on doing a Beachbody workouts every single day....time to step it up! I'll be running three times this week - one interval run with 400m intervals, one tempo run and one long run. Plus I'll be going out twice on my bike. One time will be 1min intervals with high cadence for one hour and the second time will be a long ride that will take about one and a half hours for endurance.

The week after that will be a similar training schedule except instead of running 400m intervals I will be running 200m intervals....I have to say I love shorter intervals, it means I get to fly and running a super fast pace! I have to admit I have a soft spot for sprinting since I was a track and field sprinter from grade 6-12.

Wish me luck and make sure you hit that subscribe button if you want to be notified when I post my next fitness update!

Thanks so much for stopping by

Fitness Update

Happy Fitness Friday!!!

It's my favorite day of the week.

Yesterday I posted a quick entry about where I've been...if you read it you know I've been BUSY with life events. With that being said I've really let my fitness go. It's been the hardest thing to set aside my workout time in order to move, build furniture and settle into our new place. I love to workout, it makes me feel energized, relaxed, and just overall amazing! When I miss my workouts I basically just feel like crap.

This weekend my husband and I are going to be setting up our fitness studio - FINALLY!!! It wont be anything fancy since it will be in an unfinished basement but it will just be a nice and large space to burn some calories! Then I can buckle down and start workout out again.

Check back next week and I will show you our basement transformation.

Blogtober Day 9 | 3 Day Refresh Round 2 Update

It's been about a month since my round 2 of the 3 Day Refresh. Good time for an update on how I'm doing and what's been going on lately.

If you are interested in reading about my round 2 experience check out my blog post 3 Day Refresh | Round 2.

I just did another set of measurements and I am very happy to say that I have kept all my results! In fact I've lost an addition inch off my thighs and wist in this past month. The only thing I can't compare is my weight...unfortunately my scale is broken and I haven't replaced it just yet. But weight isn't everything. Sometimes people focus too much on their weight and not enough on their overall results.

Since completing the 3 Day Refresh my energy level has been GREAT! I definitely think that my fitness level has everything to do with how my energy level is on a day to day basics. Energy and how you feel is everything.

If you  have any questions about my results or curious about something I didn't mention please feel free to leave questions in the comments below.

Have you tried the 3 Day Refresh? What's your experience been like? Feel free to share in the comments below.

3 Day Refresh | Round 2

I'T OFFICAL!! I successful completed a 2nd round of the 3 Day Refresh.

I am so excited to share these results with you...even I'm impressed with how things have turned out. So first off I want to share with you so information, my 1st round of the 3 Day Refresh if you are interested in seeing my results please go check out Round 1 3 Day Refresh Results

I completed round 1 a long time ago in April, my results were amazing! So good in fact that my wedding dress I was having altered no longer fit and I had to have major alternations done. I purchased my 2nd kit at the beginning of summer but I was too scared to do it before my wedding because I didn't want to pay for another huge alteration. I decided to wait and I did round 2 Sept 1-3.

From the time I did my 1st round (in April) to the time I did my 2nd round (in September) I am happy to report I did not gain back ANY weight I lost. I did not gain ANY inches I took off!!! I know there are a lot of detox or cleanse programs out there that will help you lose a lot of weight but as soon as you stop the program - you gain that weight back. That is not the case with this program.

I will say that I tried my best to continue to workout as much as I could, although I was busy planning a weddings so I was probably only worked out maybe 3 times a week. However, I NEVER stopped my Shakeology. I've been on my Shakeology for 9 straight months and it is really helping me with my eating/nutrition.

Between April and September here is what happened...

-my weight stayed the same

-I lost 1 inch around my waist

-I lost 1 inch around my thigh

-I lost 1 inch off my butt

-all my other measurements stayed the same

So how did I make out doing my 2nd round? As you can see from the before and after pictures above you can tell a slight difference - or at least I can anyway.

Here are my results for round 2...

-I lost 4 pounds

-I lost 2 inches off my hips

-I lost 4 inches around my stomach

-I lost 1 inch around my thigh

-I lost 1 inch off my butt

TRULY AMAZING!!! I thought with this being my 2nd round I wouldn't get as good of results but turns out I was wrong - and boy am I happy I was wrong!

This program just continues to amaze me and I can't wait to do round 3!

Of course if you are interested in an update in a few weeks I will be posting on my blog how things are going and if I gain back any of the weight. Make sure you subscribe to my blog so you get an update when my blog posts go live.

If you want to try this program please feel free to email me mspamblam@gmail.com and I would be more than happy to get you set up to do your own round of the 3 Day Refresh.

Happy Friday!



May 2015 Favorites

Nume Signature Hair Dryer - I've had this Nume dryer for almost 2 years. This was my first high end dryer that I've purchased, normally I just used a dryer from the drug store and refused to spend more than $20. I noticed that my hair was really getting dried out and damaged using the drug store dryers. When I switched to this one I noticed my hair was super soft and silk after blow drying my hair which NEVER happened before. I highly recommend this when I hear someone say their hair feels really dry and damaged. I purchased my hair dryer directly though the Nume site http://numeproducts.com/signature-ionic-dryer-all

Diorskin Star Foundation - I have been looking for a holy grail foundation. I've tried A LOT of foundations lately and I felt I was still constantly on the hunt. I reached out on Facebook and asked for some recommendations, I had a lot of different recommendations for foundations....after going out and spend quit a bit of money on different recommendations....this one really stood out to me. The color match is perfect which for me is really difficult, I have the color 010. The coverage is amazing and very buildable. The foundation is easily bendable and leaves an amazing finish. I've been using this for almost three weeks STRAIGHT! Next week I plan on posting an entire review just on this foundation....it might just be my first HOLY GAIN FOUNDATION. If you're interested in seeing a full review please check back next Makeup Monday. This wasn't available at my locale Sephora so I picked it up at Shoppers...sorry I don't have a link but I've also seen it at The Bay. 

Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream With Super 7 Complex & Fresh Seaberry Skin Nutrition Booster - These next two favorites really go together. I have EXTREMELY dry skin, I have a tough time with foundations looking cakey on me because my skin is sooo dry. I bought the Fresh face creme back in January and it has last me a long time! This container maybe has 1 or 2 more uses out of it and then I need a new one (which I've already bought last week and I have it ready to go when I run out!). This cream is truly amazing but I find that sometimes my skin and still be a little on the dry side. I went last week to Sephora to repurchase this creme and ended up running into a Fresh rep at Sephora. He recommend picking up the Fresh Seaberry oil and mixing it into the face cream.....THIS IS SERIOUSLY A GAME CHANGER. My skin feels so hydrated and my foundation has never looked better! If you have extremely dry skin I highly recommend this combo. The face oil is on the pricey side but all you need is 1 drop per day. Both of these can be purchased at Sephora

21 Day Fix EXTREME - My workout for the month of May has been the 21 Day Fix EXTREME. I am in crunch time now for my wedding so I've been doing an advanced workout to get me ready for my wedding dress. I am seriously in love with the workout....it's tough but I've noticed a HUGE difference in my abs and arms. I'm still so concerned with my wedding dress because I've never been a fan of my arms. But slowly but surly my chicken wing arms are getting lean and toned up! These workouts have been amazing and I have been coaching a fitness group throughout the month of May doing this program, I have some great participates in my group for the month of May that have just been amazing to work with during this time. These programs can be purchased through the Beachbody website www.beachbodycoach.com/mspamblam

What have some of your monthly favorites?

3 Day Refresh | Results Update 3 Weeks Later

It's been 3 weeks since I've completed my 3 Day Refresh...where has the time gone?


Mainly I wanted to post and update how my results have been after I stopped. For those of you who haven't read my original 3 Day Refresh results/experience you can go to my blog post http://www.mspamblam.com/2015/04/3-day-refresh-results.html . Most cleanse or detox reviews you read people post their results right after they finish their cleanse or detox...what about after people are done? I find there aren't a lot of follow up posts.


I got amazing results after my 3 Day Refresh and I'm happy to report that I have kept off my 2 inches that I original lost around my chest, stomach and thighs. I have lost an addition 2 pounds and feeling full of energy! Immediately after my 3 Day Refresh I continued drinking Shakeology daily and I've been doing a combination of T25 & 21 Day Fix fitness programs at home.


I've been EXTREMELY happy with the way I've been able to maintain my results, I've heard from people who have tried juice cleanse and it seems that as soon as you go off a juice cleanse you gain back all the weight you original lost. I'm happy to report that was NOT the case with this program. In fact I continued to loss weight after the 3 days which took me by surprise.


The results you get are easily maintained but I have had to put in some effort to maintain the results. In addition to working out to T25 & 21 Day Fix I've been following the 21 Day Fix meal plan. In addition I've taken some concepts out of the 3 Day Refresh and incorporated them into my day to day routine for a healthier lifestyle.


Be prepared if you decide to attempt this program, the results that you get are AMAZING! But after the 3 days is over you have to make small changes to your lifestyle to maintain the results you worked so hard to achieve. I will say that they changes I have made aren't HUGE and it wasn't hard. All it takes is for you to be conscious and aware, create good and healthy eating habits and remember to add in some workout exercises.

Have you tried the 3 Day Refresh? Let me know what you thought of the program in the comments below!

3 Day Refresh Results

I JUST COMPLETED THE 3 DAY REFRESH!!!! On Tuesday I never thought I would be able to say that. I wanted to share my experience on how things went, how I found the program and of course my results. Now I know from the picture above you may or may not be able to see much of a difference...I know I sure can! My results weren't huge or drastic like the commercial portrays the program BUT I was slightly skeptical and I never expected these kinds of results so quickly from any program. Remember that everyone has a different starting point so everyone's results will vary.  

I have never completed anything like this before. I have always wanted to do some sort of juice cleanse...I even bought two books which had the juice cleanse program in them but I never did it. I was nervous to try them and go without food just juice for any period of time. I'm a busy person and I don't have 3 days to dedicate to a juice cleanse. I know people who have done juice cleanse and they are all so tiered and grumpy during the three days they are on their cleanse, I didn't want to be tiered and drag around the office. I was skeptical they wouldn't work and always talked myself out of even trying. 

So why did I try this one? Because it was advertised as a cleanse with NO STARVING, sounded like something I could do!!! So why did I do the cleanse? I wanted to break some bad eating habits I had and kick start my system.

First off lets talk about the kit. This program comes from a company called Beachbody. The kit nicely lays out everything you need for the refresh and comes with a program guide. Now when doing this program you will need to use Shakeology, Beachbody has an option for you to just buy the kit by its self or buy it with Shakeology.

 Each day you will need to drink a Fiber Sweep and two Vanilla Fresh drinks. Okay I just want to take a minuet and tell you about the Fiber Sweep....IT WAS HORRIBLE!!! By far this was the worst part of the three days. Now I don't want to scare you away from doing this but I just want you to be warned! It's slightly chunky and has a lemon taste which I didn't like. It doesn't really dissolve in water so I would recommend using a blender to help dissolve the powder and drink it REALLY fast....that's how I did it. Now the Vanilla Fresh on the other hand was amazing! It smelled so good and tasted yummy, I also put this in a blender with water and some ice....it was delicious.

 In addition to the kit and Shakeology you will also have to do some grocery shopping...yes you do get to EAT during the 3 days. In the program guide it will tell you what you can eat and how much. Stick to the program!! It was a little tough because it's a lot less food than I was used to eating but it's only 3 days. The book gives you a couple optional choices, some days I did the options and some days I didn't. I'll take you step by step what I did each day.

Now I did this program Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday....so I tried really hard to plan ahead but I failed a little bit. My tip is shop ahead and buy more than you think you will need. I didn't buy any of the option food and had to run back to the grocery store on Tuesday (which I was trying to avoid) and pick up some of the option food. Also make sure you take you before pictures and measurements before you start, I know I'm sure glad i did.


Day 1
I found the morning of day 1 pretty easy but as lunch approached I was getting a little hungry. Now I get food cravings right away when I smell food so I decided to leave the office during lunch just to make things easier on myself. After lunch I was good for the rest for the afternoon until dinner. During the day you are allowed two optional teas and I took advantage of both. Around 5 I was getting slightly light headed and was CRAVING food but this went away after dinner and that was the only time I felt light headed...the cravings went away after day 2. I was able to go about my normal day at the office but not when I got home. Normally I workout every night but I was REALLY tiered to I skipped my workout for the full 3 days.

Around 7 I started to get hungry again and there is an option to have some vegetable broth at the end of the day which I wasn't planning on doing so I didn't buy any...since I was getting hungry I decided to run out to the grocery store, which I tired to avoid but I'm glad I went and got it. By the end of the day I felt exhausted and it was hard to get off the couch and do anything.

Another tip I will add...clean off your counter! It never even occurred to me how much food we have just sitting around. On the weekend we had made some garlic bread and the leftovers were wrapped up on the counted and it really bothered me. The day before you start the program just go through your kitchen and tuck any food you have lying around away in a cupboard so it wont even tempt you!


Day 2
I woke up with energy! I was shocked, I expected to be really tiered and dragging but I wasn't. Now day 2 was really busy for me at the office, I had a hard time sticking to the eating schedule and I had to stay at my desk and work though my lunch. I had to skip the optional tea because I was too busy to run but I was able to fit everything else in. I found that I had a ton more energy than day 1 and even though I had some slight food cravings around lunch time it wasn't as bad as the first day. Even when I got home it didn't bother me when my fiance ate his dinner in front of me and I even packed his lunch that night. Normally I pack his lunch everyday but on day 1 I told him he had to do it himself because I didn't want to be digging around in the fridge tempting myself.


Day 3
I was a little tiered and hard to get out of bed... but that could also have been because I was up late! As soon as I got out of bed and had my first glass of water had a ton of energy again! Now day 3 was almost an epic FAIL...I was driving to work when I realized I forgot my fiber sweep and vanilla shake at home. Everything else I had but I forgot those two things on the counter. I really wanted to finish the full 3 days I was SO close to being done. I rushed home mid morning to get them so my food was slightly out of order on day 3 but I still fit everything in! I did have the optional tea on day 3. I had absolutely zero food cravings and I had a ton of energy....I don't think I've ever felt that great!


Results
Now for the part you've been waiting for....or you just scrolled down to the bottom to read and skipped the rest. Either way, from the picture above you can tell a slight difference in my before and after pictures. Over the three days I lost 4 pounds, my start weight was 149 and went down to 145. I lost 2 inches around my stomach, chest and thighs! After doing this I was expecting to lose weight and I was expecting to lose weight around my stomach but what really stocked me is loosing fat off my legs...for about 6 years I ran track and field and developed large thighs, which were muscle when I was training but when I stopped running track it turned into fat that I could never get rid of. I stopped track and field in 2006 so I've had this fat around my legs for 9 years!! I know it's hard to tell in the picture but in person I can tell my legs are skinnier. Plus I've also developed a more defined hourglass silhouette!

Would I do this again? Absolutely! I don't think I'll be doing it again right away but now I'm very curious to see what kind of results I could get doing this a second round.

How do I plan to keep off the weight and keep my results? I'm instructing a T25 challenge group starting April 6th which should help, if you don't know what T25 is it's a Beachbody at home fitness program that also comes with a eating plan. I also will be more aware of my eating habits and of course continue drinking my Shakeology!

How do you buy this program? www.beachbodycoach.com/mspamblam or send me an email mspamblam@gmail.com

I took a couple pictures during the 3 days I was on the refresh program and posted them on my Instagram account, if you want to check those out head over to https://instagram.com/mspamblam

I hope you found this review/results on the 3 Day Refresh helpful and interesting. If you have any questions that I didn't answer please leave them in the comments below and I would be happy to answer them!

March 2015 Favorites

Yes, it's that time again! With the end of the month comes my favorites of the month.

1) Estee Lauder Double wear concealer/ Maybelline Fit Me concealer - this concealer combo has been AMAZING! I love the Estee Lauder concealer but it's very heavy under the eye, I love the Maybelline concealer finish but it doesn't give me enough coverage. Put them together and you get the perfect concealers. First I put down the Estee Lauder concealer and then cover it with the Maybelline to get that great natural looking finish. I've also been using Estee Lauder concealer with some translucent powder on my eye lids for my primer.

2) Simple face lotion - I discovered this product late in the month and it is all thank you to Ingrid Nilsen and her "My Skincare Routine!" video. She raved about how amazing this lotion was so on my next trip to the drugstore I deiced to pick some up and she was right! Best face lotion ever! I feel in love right away.

3) Tart clean slate timesless smoothing primer - this is just a baby sample that I got from Sephora and I'm going to be heading back to purchase the full size. I just use a very tiny portion on this primer and i focus the products just on my cheeks and around my nose were I have large pores...it's amazing and just blurs them into your skin. I wear this even if i don't have foundation on that day.

4) Josie Maran 100% pure argan oil - still loving my Argan oil, I've had the regular 100% and light for a few months now. The light has been tucked into the back on my closet but I'm still using the 100% in my hair and mixing it with my foundation to give me a dewy glow on the skin. You can use this very sparingly, this little bottle I use everyday and I still have about half left.

5) T25/family walks - my March fitness routine consisted of T25 and tons of family walks! I love this program because I only have to workout for 25min, great for busy people and I'm so far LOVING the results I'm getting. Now you only have to do this program 5 times a week but I like to be active daily. On the 2 days I don't workout I've been going for long family walks which have been so much fun!

What product favorites did you have this month?

21 Day Fix Review

I've had 21 Day Fix since January, now that I've been through the program twice I feel I can give an honest opinion of what I thought of the program. This is an at home workout and eating plan that is made by Beachbody. For those of you who don't know Beachbody has over 20 different workout DVD and before attempting this program I did go through P90X back in October.

You have a few options when purchasing the program, I decided to purchase the "challenge pack". In the challenge pack you will receive the workout DVD's, eating plan, color coordinated containers, shakeology container and a one month supply of shakeology. The one money supply of shakeology is not included in the picture because I and waiting on my next order to arrive.

First off lets go into what the eating plan contains. The eating plan guide will tell you step by step how many calories you should be taking in everyday. Based on your calorie intake you get to eat a specific amount of each color coordinated container. So to give you an example: my calorie intake based on my weight was 1,200-1,499 everyday. What does that mean? I got to eat 3 green containers, 2 purple containers, 4 red containers, 2 yellow containers, 1 blue containers, and 1 orange container. So what does that mean? Well every color of container falls into a food category. For example the green container is vegetables. The eating plan even gives you examples of vegetables that can go into this container: kale, carrots, cucumbers, celery, ect. The eating plan is very straight forward and even includes recipes in the back of the book to help you come up with meal ideas. The theory behind the eating plan is portion control, this is NOT considered dieting. Many people overeat and it can affect your fitness results.

At first when I looked at the meal plan I thought there is no way 1,200-1,499 is enough food I'll starve!!! But to my surprise that was enough food for me, I cut way down on all the snaking I did throughout the day. I enjoyed eating real food and I stayed away from going out for meals, Its amazing how much it affects your body! I'm also big on drinking calories. What does that mean? Well at my office we get an endless supply of coffee, juice, pop, ect. I head to the kitchen about 5 times a day to get something to drink without thinking about the calories I was drinking. Over the 21 days I stuck to drinking shakeology, water and tea only. Now I will say that the first week is tough. Your shocking your body into making a change and my energy level was low. By the end of the 21 days I felt I had more energy and with my weight loss I felt my self confidence go up! Now that I've done this twice I feel amazing, it's hard to describe but I don't feel weighted down by the extra crap I was eating and drinking everyday.

Now the workouts portion. I've done other Beachbody programs before and they didn't work for me. I was really hesitant about this one but I have to say this is my favorite so far! Each workout is only 30min, it was really easy to fit this into my day. I did my workouts everyday after work, I was finished before dinner time! The trainer on the DVD doesn't rush any of the moves and you get breaks in between each move. It was easy for me to follow along, there is a modifier on the DVD and for my 1st round I had to follower her for the 1st week. By week 2 I felt a lot stronger and just followed the regular moves. Now you do need some equipment to complete this program, depending on what you have in your house already you may or may not need to invest so extra money on top of your purchase. All you need is a yoga mat(or some kind of mat you can do floor exercises on) and 2 sets of weight (a light and heavy set).

In 21 days the biggest place I notices a change was my arms. They are more defined and it got rid of my "chicken wings" that I disliked. Over my first 21 days I've also lost 9 pounds with the workout DVD and eating plan. Mostly I get comments that my face looks skinnier but I've also noticed my hips are slimmer. Almost to the point were I need new jeans which is exciting!

For me personally I think this program is amazing but now that I've done it twice I'm feeling a lot stronger and I'm going to be purchasing 21 Day Fix Extreme next!!

If you want to purchase this program you can head over to www.beachbodycoach.com/mspamblam

10 Reasons I Became a Beachbody Coach

1) It was a natural fit - I already used Beachbody programs before becoming a coach so it felt like a very natural transition


2) I'm a fitness enthusiast - I've done sports all my life and I love sharing my experiences with others. Since I could walk my parents had me enrolled in all sorts of sports. When I was in elementary I feel in love with running and I still run today. My favorite most memorable job was managing a running retail store. I got to help people fitted with the right tools for their running needs and talk about running all day!!


3) Financial freedom - Beachbody allows me to make extra money in addition to my full time job. It's nice to be able to pay down debt, pay off your house or just save for a rainy day.


4) Company perks - Beachbody rewards successful coaches, and who doesn't love getting rewarded for a job well done? You are also invited to events/conferences that Beachbody holds in different locations, and the best part is your trip is tax deductible


5) Discount on Beachbody products - Since I already use Beachbody products it's nice to get a discount for being a coach. Some people sign up just to get discounts off of the products


6) I get bored easily - What can I say, I like to keep busy. Since moving out on my own I have always filled my time with working during the days, school at night and still getting in time to workout. Now that I'm not in school I find myself getting bored after work. Being a Beachbody coaching keeps me busy!


7) It motivates me to keep up with my workouts - Some days it's hard to find the motivation to workout myself, however, when I am responsible for motivating others to stay active it helps me as well


8) Meeting new people - It's always great to meet new people (both clients and coaches). I love discussing and l promoting fitness, nutrition and a healthy lifestyle


9) Maybe I'll be working from home one day - This is something I've always wanted to do. Tons of Beachbody coaches who have worked hard for the past couple of years are quitting their jobs and doing this full time. There's no reason why I can't do the same...maybe one day this will be my full time job


10) I know that these programs work - Everything posted on this blog is my true honest opinion. I wouldn't post something that I haven't tried or don't like. I've used the programs, I know they work and now I'm sharing them with others.

10 Excuses We Make For Not Exercising

1) I’m too busy

Solution: schedule time in!! Did you know that your body only needs 30mins of exercise 5 times a week? We can all squeeze in 30mins a day, maybe you cut out some screen time after work or get up 30min earlier in the morning.

2) I’m too old
Solution: This is no excuse. First of all did you know that that there is an 85 year old Nun that races Ironman triathlons? Her name is Madonna Buder and her profile is far too long to put into this blog post but let’s face it, if she can complete a 17hour race you can work out for 30min at any age

3) I hate going it alone

Solution: So don’t! Find a friend that you can work out with or join a group. Find someone who can keep you accountable. If you can afford it hire a personal trainer.

4) It’s so boring

Solution: Find a more exciting exercise that you enjoy. For some of us it’s going to the gym. If you don’t like the gym workout at home. Need something to distract you at home, workout in front of the TV. Watch a 30min long TV episode while you work out. Go outside you can bike, run, ski, rollerblade, ect. Find something that you enjoy.

5) My kids get in the way

Solution: Include your kids! Kids need 60min of exercise every day. If you like to run have them bike beside you. Or go for a family bike ride, rollerblade, ski, ect. Get the whole family involved. Or the other option is get up 30min early to do your workout or go it after they go to bed.

6) I’m too fat

Solution: First off this isn’t an excuse, this is a reason why you should be working out! If you don’t have enough confidence to work out in public do it in the privacy of your own home. There are tons of workout DVDs that you can purchase check out www.beachbodycoach.com/mspamblam for just a couple that are out there. Find one that works for you!

7) I’m thin already

Solution: Again this is not an excuse. Just because you are thin doesn’t mean you are healthy. I don’t care if you are fat, thin, pretty, and tall, short your body still needs 30min of exercise every day!

8) I’m not a gym rat

Solution: Don’t go to the gym. Try an at home workout DVD and working out at home. You don’t need to be lifting weights in order to count it as exercise, use your body weight to get into shape. Or go for a run, walk, and bike. There is more to exercise than going to the gym.

9) You can’t afford a gym membership

Solution: Did you know you can work out for free? If you have two feet and a heart beat you can walk or run. Did you know there are even free running groups you can join? Check with your local running store to see if they offer this. If you have a pair of skates there are usual outdoor rinks that don’t cost a thing. You can go for a bike ride if you have a bike, rollerblade if you have rollerblades.

10) You’re not seeing any changes in your body

Solution: Mix it up. In order to get results you have to do different exercise. Lifting the same weights every day for the same amount of reps will only get you so far. Try something different.

January 2015 Favorites

 January favorites time!!! Here's what I used a lot during the month on January.

 I love the new year because I get to pick out a new agenda. I picked a really simple one this year with big font. I love it so far!

This week I'm finishing P90X, I loved this workout and I'm moving onto a new beachbody workout. If you haven't tried a beachbody workout yet I would highly recommend them. To purchase you can go to Beachbody's website by clicking here these are great workouts that give you results without the gym. I will be doing a blog post this Friday with my final thoughts on the workout so if you are interested on that check back this Friday.

With starting my new program I picked up some Shakeology. I've been using this in the morning because I do my workouts in the morning. This has been great! It has some amazing ingredients if you want to purchase is go to Shakeology's website by clicking here but I'll let you in on a secret.... Buy this as a "challenge pack" basically its a workout DVD of your choice plus the skakeology, it's a better bang for your buck. To purchase a challenge pack you can head over to Beachbody's website by clicking here.

I've still been using the Fiber 3D mascara, it has been great! I did a whole review on this product so if you want to check that out just Click Here

 This month I've been loving my brows. I've still been using Anastasia products, they have been amazing.

 As always I had to include my Beauty Blender. This always makes my makeup look flawless.

 This is a new product for me. This is argan oil, in both light and the 100% from Sephora. This was a great purchase, each is 15ml and think it was about $25 for both. I am going to do a blog post next week on all the things you can do with argan oil. Check back next week if you are curios.

Finally I've been using my Sensationail LED light a lot. I've been using the color "ocean sparkle". Its a really cool dark green color with sparkle. I did a whole review on this starter kit, if you want to check that out click here

I hope you try out some of my favorites. What are your favorites of the month? I would love to try them out. Please let me know in the comments below.