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 | Finished 21 Day Fix EXTREME | National Sprint Duathlon Women 25-29 Champion!

 We've got a lot to catch up on! My last fitness update was on August 19th, two weeks before my qualifying race. At that time I was preparing for one last hard training week and then I was going to tapper off and do race prep one week before my race.

I worked my butt off those last two weeks leading up to my race! It wasn't easy but I had put so much time and effort in at that point, I told myself that it would all be worth it in the end. The pain you feel during training and racing is temporary but the results that you post are forever.

I wanted so badly to post some amazing results at the Edmonton ITU Duathlon race. Not only did I was to post good results for myself personally, I wanted a spot on team Canada for the 2017 World Duathlon Championships.

I finished another round of 21 Day Fix EXTREME a week before the race. I've been using this program as cross training and to help improve my leg strength for racing.

In addition I was able to stay injury free (besides my knee that I had hurt previously). My knee honestly wasn't bothering me too bad leading up to my race but I did decide to throw some tape on it for race day just for some extra support (which was recommend to me by physiotherapist).

The weekend before race day I had to opportunity to head out to Hawrelak Park and practice on the race course. It was a great training day! I got to practice on the hills, I was able to run around the park and get a good sense of what I was in for.

I was able to scope out where transition would be and I even practiced a few transitions just to make sure everything was race ready.

Then 6 days before the day I adopted an eight week old puppy....what!?!?! This was something that was not in the plan at ALL but it happened. I'm going to do a whole lifestyle post on our new puppy this Wednesday so make sure you are subscribed to my blog in order to be notified when that post goes up.

Lets just say it's a good thing that puppies sleep a lot. Even though our new puppy is a lot of work I was still able to do my race prep, get a good amount of sleep and prepare for my race.

On race day it was cold....very cold. I bundled up nice and warm and heading to the race. I was so nervous just before the start. My heart was pounding, thoughts started racing through my head (am I ready for this? Did I train enough? I wonder how fast everyone else is? Do I have everything in transition that I need for my race?)

I took a minuet after checking in the athletes village, I took a breath and calmed down. Racing is so much more than just physical, you have to be in the right mindset as well. Something I've been working very hard at is self motivation and positive talk.

I told myself that I had done everything that I could have possible done to prepare for this moment. I told myself that I had put in countless hours of training and no matter what the results were I was going to have an amazing race. I told myself not to worry about anyone else and to stick to my own race plan I had set.

Well turns out I had trained enough because I took home the GOLD medal in my age category which makes me the National Sprint Duathlon Women 25-29 Champion! 

I just want to take a minuet to thank everyone for all the support I have received here on my blog, Instagram, Facebook and email. I have had so many heart warming comments and well wishes from people cheering me on and supporting me throughout my training....it has honestly been overwhelming! From the bottom on my heart THANK YOU!!!

So what's next for me? I'll be competing in worlds August 2017.

I'll be sure to post regular updates over the next year sharing what I'm doing for training. Please be sure to subscribed if you want to be notified when those posts go up. 

I've been taking it pretty easy this past week and letting my body recover after my race....but it's time to get my butt in training mode and start planning out what I'm going to be doing for the rest of the year.

Thank you again for all the wonderful support!

Fitness Update | Blam Bombshell Fitness

 15 days to go!!! I can't believe my last fitness update was almost a month ago....where has the time gone?

As the end of July I was down in Nashville attending Beachbodys Summit Conference - it was incredible! The weather cooperated and was very hot - our hotel was about a 20min walk away from the conference so we decided to walk to and from the conference everyday. By the time we got there we were dripping in sweat - neither my husband or I were used to that kind of heat.

Regardless we got to attend some great workshops that educated us more about the business, we got to meet some amazing coaches from the team AND we got to attend some awesome workouts.

 If you follow me on any of my social media accounts (Snapchat [mspamblam], Instagram, Facebook) it might have looked like I was down there for a really fun vacation....but nope it was for expanding my business. I honestly came back with over 30 pages of notes and some great new ideas for Blam Bombshell Fitness! I am really looking forward to running some more fitness groups and see how the rest of the year plays out.

It was great because even though I was down there for business we were able to attend workouts held by Beachbody so I never missed a beat with my workouts.

However, when I got home...it was all business. I sat down and wrote out my last and final month of training before my qualification race to make team Canada for worlds in 2017. I decided to kick things off with one last final round of 21 Day Fix EXTREME. I planned it out so I would end my program one week before my race - I like to tapper off before my race and let my body recover. Today marks day 13/21 - I am so proud of myself for NEVER missing a single day....plus I've lost 5 pounds so I really can't complain.

Not going to lie it hasn't been easy. Not only am I doing 21 Day Fix EXTREME but I am have to get in my running and biking workouts. Some days I'm workouting for over 3 hours just to get all my workouts in - other days, like a rest day, just consists of a 21 Day Fix EXTREME workout and I've made sure that something easy like yoga falls onto those days.

Making my own training program has been tough to find that balance of training hard to make me faster&stronger but still allowing me active rest days to let my body recover.

Unfortunately last Saturday when doing some running/biking training and transition training I hyper extended my knee....yes again with my knee. I do have an old knee injury that keeps creeping back into my life. As I was practicing jumping on and off my bike at transition I came down a little too hard on my knee.

Transition is defiantly one of my weakest parts of the race. There are some athletes that just fly through transition...it's defiantly a good place to break away if you are caught up in a pack of people.

On race day it's going to be very important for me to get through transition quickly if I'm with a pack of people during the run because the bike is draft legal. That means if I can stay with a pack of people we can actually help draft each other on the bike so all of us don't have to work as hard as we would if we were on our own.

My transitions have defiantly been getting better but I sure am glade I still have 15 more days to practice. I honestly haven't practiced transition since my last worlds competition in 2013 - oh well they must have that saying "it's just like riding a bike" for a reason.

I have to say I've been putting in a TON of work into  my training and it's really rewarding when people actual start to see the results pay off. Yesterday I was out biking hills and running intervals....my husband has been a good sport and has kept me company on a few of my training sessions. Yesterday he gave me the biggest complement and said my hill climbing was getting so much better he couldn't keep up with me AND  my running had improved dramatically withing the past 2 weeks. Normally he can out sprint me but yesterday I was out sprinting him & my dad....and lets be honest my dad has been training and raced more triathlons than me this year- he even did another half Ironman in early July so he's in good shape.

So what's in store for me these final few days? I have another week and a half of hard training and then I will begin to tapper off. I'll be finishing my 21 Day Fix EXTREME program next Saturday and then I will probably be backing off of home workouts until after the race. I will keep Pilates and yoga from 21 Day Fix EXTREME in my training rotation as active recovery but that's about it.

The most important thing for me right now is get my knee back to 100% and stay injury free on these final few days.

Don't forget to follow me on my other social media platforms - Snapchat [mspamblam] is the best place to find me if you want to know what I'm up to on a day to day basic.

Also remember to hit that subscribe button if you want to be notified when I post my next fitness update.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Marathon Training & 21 Day Fix Progress Update Week 7 | 2016 Goal Races

Set yourself up for success!

When 2016 rolled around I set 9 goals...some life, fitness, work and personal related goals all mixed together. One of those goals was to run a marathon.

If you've been subscribed to my blog you have seen my week 1, week 2, week 3&4, week 5 and week 6 updates. I was committed to train and run the Calgary marathon at the end of May. I was on an 18 week training program and things were going really well until the beginning of February when I got really sick.

I was off training for a very long time, at first I was so exhausted and sick I couldn't get out of bed. Then when I thought I was better enough to start training again my doctor said no running. Even when  my chest infection cleared up I had a really nasty cough that lingered around for a month.

Finally last weekend I was convinced that I was ready to make a comeback! I felt pretty weak but at least I was getting my training done. Then I got a reality check on Saturday when it was time for my long run. In my week 6 update I mentioned that I was supposed to run 16km but because I had missed so many long run I only made it 5km and my chest was really feeling it.

Taking a look at where I am, where I should be, and how much time I have left to train for my marathon I've had to make a very difficult decision.....I won't be racing in the Calgary marathon as planned.

This was a very tough decision for me to make but it's not worth continuing down a road when I know I'm not going to be ready. I've ran marathons in the past so this isn't new for me. I know it takes hard work and dedication...you really can't miss any of your long runs or it's very tough to get back on track. I've taken a look back at my old training log....yes I keep training logs...I was MUCH further ahead by week 7 than were I am now.

Even though I'm disappointed I've decided the best thing to do is try NOT to dwell on it and move on. I've put together a new training plan (fingers crossed this time I don't sick anymore this year). Another goal of mine is to qualify for Canada's ITU World Duathlon team. I made this team back in 2012 and competed in the 2013 World Duathlon Championships....it was an amazing experience.

The qualifying race will be held here in Edmonton Sept 3/4 weekend.

I've made a new training program that combines interval training, Beachbody programs, road biking and mini races through the summer to get prepared for the qualifying race! I have 25 weeks to train which is more than enough time to get ready.

Even though I'm feel a little discouraged for abandoning my marathon goal this year I'm trying to move forward to get myself pumped up for my new training plan!

I'll continue to post weekly updates here on my blog throughout my training so make and you can also head over to my "Follow Me" tab to find all my social media accounts.

Happy fitness Friday!

Marathon Training & 21 Day Fix Progress Update Week 6 | Making A Comeback?

Is it a comeback? If you haven't caught up on my weekly training updates please go check out week 5 blog post....life has been a little crazy these past 6 weeks and training has NOT gone as planned. 

I posted last Saturday on my social media that I was making a comeback. I woke up early just to head out on my long run which I was DETERMINED to complete. My training program called for a 16km run, but if you've been following me you'll know I've been very sick with a chest infection and I've missed my last 3 long runs.

Unfortunately I only made it to 5km...my lungs were really feeling it! This is just my personal opinion but I feel that yes it is good to push your body, but only to a certain point. I know that 16km was a very unrealistic for my Saturday run but I have to say I was disappointed with only getting in 5km.

The rest of the week went pretty well. I completed all my Beachbody workouts at home so I can mark that down as a WIN. I'm really feeling so much stronger since I've started combining Beachbody with my marathon training. Plus it gives my legs a rest from just running, running, running every single day.

The rest of my runs during the week were pretty slow. My goal recently has been just to finish my workouts - without killing myself. I didn't do anything spectacular this week but I got it done.

That's pretty much it for this week! Sorry it wasn't anything too crazy exciting but slowly I am making a comeback.

Please check back next week for my week 7 update! Thanks for stopping by

Marathon Training & 21 Day Fix Progress Update | Week 5

I would love to tell you that I killed in week 5 and just got completely back on track with my training - BUT - the reality is it's been a slow recovery week. I can't believe I've been almost sick for the entire month of February! If you check out my week 3&4 update you'll know that I had a really bad chest inflection and I am still feeling so tiered and run down it's just ridiculous.

Since my last update I've only been able to get in a few workouts. Saturday was supposed to be a long run of 13km...which didn't happen. I spent the entire day cleaning and disinfecting my house. I want this infection GONE. I scrubbed everything that I've touched and washed all the bedding. My energy level was so low, I had to take numerous breaks while cleaning because I got so tiered. I thought to myself - there is no way for me to go out now and run 13km. I would just be setting myself up for failure. Also as per my doctors instructions I am not to be out running while I still have my cough. Unfortunately over the weekend my cough continued. I stayed home and rested the entry weekend and continued to disinfect the house.

Finally when Monday rolled around I was able to do a workout from 21 Day Fix. My energy level was still pretty low. The workout was Piyo Fix which was perfect because I feel Piyo is pretty low intensity (compared to some of the other 21 Day Fix workouts). I got through most of the 30min workout...but I'm not gunna lie it was tough.

Tuesday should have been interval training but honestly I had to sit that one out. I just felt exhausted!

Then on Wednesday I got back on track with other 21 Day Fix workout, Upper Fix.  By the time Wednesday rolled around I noticed that there was FINALLY an improvement with my cough. I definitely wasn't cough as much or as bad as I was before. I managed to get through my workout and most of day with a very minimal cough. I could tell that there was finally some recovery progress being made - which of course made me thrilled.

When Thursday hit I felt confident enough that I could go for a run!! I didn't want to kill myself - keep in mind the last day I was out for a run was February 4th which was 21 days ago. The plan was to run 8km tempo....I honestly looked at that and I thought if I can just run around the block I would be happy. I ended up running 4km...and it was nothing crazy or fast, just a steady tempo run.

Friday I was exhausted and had to take a day off so I could ramp up for Saturday which was my long run! Next week I'll update you on how that went  in my week 6 update. Make sure you check back next week on Fitness Friday.

Thanks so much for stopping by! If you have any questions please feel free to leave them in the comments below.

Marathon Training & 21 Day Fix Progress Update | Week 3&4

Hello!!

It's been a while since my last update.

I have to admit not a lot of happened since I've posted my week 2 update on February 5th.

It's been incredible frustrating and disappointing these past 2 weeks...based on my health I'm really questioning if it's a good idea to continue on my training plan as I currently have it laid out. I might have to make some significant changes in order to continue on.

Basically what happened is I came home from work on Friday and my husband said he wasn't feel well. He rarely ever gets sick so when he admits to not feeling well you know he's REALLY sick.

Because he broke his wrist over Christmas break he's been going for a ton of follow up appointments at the hospital. They've been monitoring his recovery and sending him for follow up tests. Earlier that week he was at the hospital getting some paperwork filled out and we are assuming that's where he caught this awful viruses.

All Friday night be was coughing and coughing. It was really bad and I barley got any sleep. He didn't want to get me sick so he moved to the spare room but I was up about every 2 hours checking in on him. It was a really bad night for both of us.

Saturday morning I was supposed to go out for a 10km run but we were having a maintenance guy come look at our dishwasher....my husband was just too sick and I told him to rest and I would wait. Well it took this guy until about 2pm to show up! Technically I could have gone for my run while waiting for him but I didn't know when he was coming and I didn't want to miss him.

By 2pm my husband was VERY sick and I took him to the doctor that afternoon. Sure enough we had a chest and sinuses infection. Needless to say by the time I was done running around getting his prescription and grocery shopping I was exhausted! My run didn't happen....but I wasn't worried. I convinced myself that I would do my 10km run Sunday instead of taking a rest day.

Well that didn't happen either. By the time Sunday rolled around I had caught my husbands chest and sinuses infection. I have honestly never been so sick!

I went to the doctors so I could also get a prescription, in the waiting room I caught someones stomach bug. My husband & I spent the rest of Sunday in the bathroom sick to our stomachs.

Basically my entire week was a write off! I went from being able to run 10km to not being able to walk down the block. I spent a week home from work and didn't even check into any of my social media accounts.

Finally within the past few days I've been venturing out of bed and going back to work but I have literally no energy.

My doctor has advised me NOT to run until my cough has gets better. So basically this past week all I've been able to do is walk.

With that being said there is a bit of uncertainty on how effectively I will be able to continue my training plan. I may have to sit down and make some alterations in order for my goal to be achievable by the end of 18 weeks.

Things don't always go as planned....but our success lies in how we deal and overcome obstacles that get in our way. At this point I could give up....or I could adjust my plan and continue on!

That's pretty much it for this week. Sorry this update wasn't too exciting as there wasn't much to update you on.

Please check back next week for my week 5 update and I'll let you know how I'm doing at getting back on track!

Thank you so much for stopping by.

Marathon Training & 21 Day Fix Progress Update | Week 2

I am very happy to report that I had a very successful week 2 of training!!! I am dead tiered but at the same time I feel incredibly strong.

If you didn't read my week 1 update please go check it out!! Make sure you are subscribed to my blog so you can follow my full 18 week journey.

Last week when I posted my update I hadn't completely finished my full first week. Friday I still had a 21 Day Fix workout (which went great) and Saturday I had to run about 10km - which I finished but it was difficult.

I started my 10km pretty late in the day - around 11am. It was a nice day for a run and I got to explore my new neighborhood...which I got lost a few times and had no idea where I was lol. But that's ok because I had a blast! If you follow me on Snapchat (mspamblam) I even stopped to Snap a few pictures of my community.

The point of a long run is to just go slow and complete the distance. I wasn't doing intervals, or any speed drills. While running I like to listen to some Beachbody coaching personal development...listening to audio books helps me keep my mind off of "how much further", "I'm getting tired", "my legs are hurting" and it helps me stay in the present and focused on what I'm doing.

Not going to lie thought - it was no walk in the park. After about 8km I went home to drop off my jacket and grab some water..I almost didn't finish my last 2km. Luckily I had a very encouraging husband who motivated me to head out and finish! Which I did and I was VERY happy when I was done.

Sunday was REST DAY! The best day of the week. I think that it's very important to give yourself one day to rest and let your body recoup.

Then on Monday I head back to work with 21 Day Fix. Monday was Pilates....perfect for coming off a rest day and still recovering from my 10 km run. It was great to be able to stretch out my body and slow my training down.

Tuesday was running intervals...these are probably my favorite to do! I love speed drills, which makes sense because I have a sprinting background. Most of them around 5min pace, which was the same as last week. So I didn't get any faster, but I didn't get any slower AND this week I had less rest in between intervals. Overall when I compare week 1 to week 2's times I've very happy with the results.

Wednesday was about 21 Day Fix workout. CARDIO FIX!! This was really tough after intervals but I got it done!! If you follow me on Instagram you would have seen a short video demonstrating 1 of the moves.

Then back to running on Thursday which a tempo run. I was really dreading this workout...I was very fortunate to have my husband come with me! It's so much more motivating going out for tempo and interval runs when you have someone beside you. We really pushed each other during the run, we really traded off who lead...sometimes he was in front and I was falling off the pace....sometimes I was in front and he was falling off the pace. But we managed to finish together and in an ok time - it could have been better. I definitely have room to improve with my tempo.

That's it for my week 2 update!!

If you have any questions about my training/progress please feel free to leave them in the comments below and I will answer them next week.

Happy Fitness Friday

Marathon Training & 21 Day Fix Progress Update | Week 1

If you've been following me on any of my social media sites like Instagram, Facebook, or Snap Chat (mspamblam) you would have heard me talk about my marathon training which started on January 25th!! If you're not follow me go check it out if you want to keep up with my training daily and make sure you subscribe to my blog for weekly updates.

So here's how week 1 went....fail, Fail, FAIL! hahaha okay let me explain what happen. 

The training program I'm follow as created by ME! I like to make my own training plan that works with my schedule and my fitness level. This time around I've taken a free online marathon training program and combined it with one of my old training program and added some Beachbody training programs. Sounds complicated but it really isn't.

Basically twice a week I'm running intervals which will help me with my speed and temp. Three times a week I'm doing a Beachbody workout to help me with arm, core and leg strength. Once a week I'm doing a long slow run which will help with my endurance. Then finally I get one rest day...hooray!! I will be following this training program for the next 18 weeks. 

When I started my marathon journey on January 25th I was EXTREMELY determined! I was so excited to be running again. When I took a look back I haven't done any running training since 2013 and my last marathon was in 2012. I was really looking forward to diving in!!

BUT I forgot about how much of a commitment training is...I got so busy on January 25th that by the time I was ready to train it was 10pm and I was exhausted. I ended up doing NOTHING and going to bed very disappointed.

The next day I got up and all I could think about was my training plan. I check my program and I was supposed to run. My husband even agreed to do my training with me after work. It was all I could think about for the entire day! When I got home we got ready to leave the house and both of us were looking forward to head out and do some training. We opened the front door....and it was POURING rain (freezing rain). We looked at each other and agreed that we would still go. Well - we only made it half way down the block before changing our minds and heading home. It was EXTREMELY dangerous conditions...we weren't even running, it was more like a old man shuffle. There was no way for us to run intervals..there was no way for us to run period! The sidewalks were just too slippery. 

So lets recap...day 1 -fail, day 2 -fail...finally on day 3 I got back on track!

Day 3 - I was supposed to do a Beachbody workout (which I did) but because I hasn't had much success over the past 2 days I ended up doing 2 Beachbody workouts!! (man was I tiered the next day) I ended up doing a total cardio & upper body workout for the 21 Day Fix program. If you follow me on Instagram you would have seen a short video of me working out.

Day 4 - FINALLY the ice was melted enough that I was able to go out for a run! I ended up doing 6 intervals...I was so energetic and excited to be out running I was doing most of the intervals sub 5min/km!! Although I was so tiered the next day I'm not even sure where I found the energy to get out of bed and go to work (I could barley walk down my stairs).

Now this blog post is going live January 29th which means I haven't completed a full week...but I wanted to get this up for my "Fitness Friday" post. 

I still have to complete a Beachbody workout today and tomorrow I have a long slow run (of 10km). I'll let you know how things go next week in my update!!

If you want more daily updates please check out my Instagram, Facebook, or Snap Chat (mspamblam) accounts.

Please subscribe to my blog so you can keep up with my 18 week progress. Next week I will have my week 2 update!

If you have any questions about my training/progress please leave them in the comments below and I will answer them in my week 2 update.

Thanks for stopping by!! 

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

P90X Update Week 9

Just a couple pictures from my Saturday workout. I know its been a while since I've posted pictures but I always forget to set up the camera when I'm working out. Its not the easiest thing to remember because I'm usually trying to focus on the workouts.

Week 9 is complete!! Whoot whoot!!

Not a lot to update this week, I'm very excited that I'm almost done. I've really enjoyed doing P90X but I am also looking forward to trying out a new BeachBody workout.

The main thing I have found difficult about this program is the time commitment. The workouts are about 1 hour to 1.5 hours everyday for 90 days. It's a huge time commitment to take on...especially when it falls over Christmas.

I have definitely enjoyed the program and I'm loving the results. I will say that I wish I would have had more commitment to complete more workouts as I think I would have seen many more results.

I'm still seeing lots of toning and every week I'm finding that I am able to life more weights or do more reps than the previous week. Not to mention I feel stronger from week to week. Along with feeling stronger I also feel more energized! It's a definite bonus to doing the program.

If you have any questions about the program or my progress throughout the program I would be more than happy to answer them. Just leave your question in the comments below.

Check back next week for my week 10 update!!