Rest Days & Listening to Your Body

Rest days are important.  Most Beachbody programs have 1-2 rest days per week (or optional active recovery workouts you can do on those days.)  Generally I plan to take 1 rest day per week.  I usually do not follow what it says on my workout schedule and instead let life dictate my rest day.  For example: I use my rest days on a travel day, family day, or day where everything else in the world comes up and I cannot get my workout done.  However, if I spent 6 days in a row doing heavy lifting, then I will absolutely use day 7 as a rest day even if I have zero other plans.  Heavy lifting definitely requires rest days to let your muscles grow.  Otherwise if I feel good, I get in my workout.

Sometimes though, our bodies are telling us that we need to rest, no matter what you plans are or what your schedule says.  Yesterday I woke up and my whole body was exhausted.  It wasn't just the usual busy day mom of a toddler tiredness, but I felt tired down to my bones.  So I took the day off, even though my rest day is not scheduled until tomorrow.  I think it is very important to listen to your body and do what it's telling you so you do not over train or injure yourself.

Just Tired or Really Exhausted?

On most days, that end of day or early morning tiredness wears off 5 minutes into your workout and afterwards you feel fabulous.  Those are days where you just need to push through your tired feelings.  Take some pre workout like Energize, put on those workout clothes, push play and get it done!  If we only worked out on days when we felt like it, we would never get it done!

When you are totally exhausted from training hard, your body just needs to relax and take it easy.  This doesn't happen to me too often, but when I am feeling overwhelmingly tired, I take a look at my schedule and see how hard I worked in the previous week.  Was I kicking butt and getting in intense workouts?  If so, maybe I should take the day off.  Was I skipping workouts and being lazy?  If so, maybe I should get over it and get that workout in.

Sore or Injured?

When starting a new program or upping the intensity or weights of your current program, your body will be sore.  Leg day leaves me walking funny for half of the week.  This is a normal muscle soreness.  A nice recovery drink or a protein drink like Recharge before bed, foam rolling and stretching can help with this.  I also find good old cardio helps my sore muscles loosen up.

If you actually have pain in a joint or feel like you pulled something, well then you really should ice, rest and let your body recover.  A Doctor's visit is also not out of the question!  Earlier this year my sciatic nerve was acting up and I spent 3 weeks just doing yoga, foam rolling, icing and resting.  There is absolutely no reason to push yourself when you are hurt only to hurt yourself worse and totally derail your training!

Sick or Just a Cold?

People often ask if they should workout while they have a cold.  My general rule for myself is yes, unless I am feeling weak.  If it's just a runny nose then I will get in my workout, even if I have to turn down the intensity.  If I feel weak, I put on some comfy clothes and relax on the sofa until I feel better.  Workouts are important for your health, but if you are sick you will be doing more harm than good.

The main thing is to listen to your body.  The more you train and get to know your body, the more you will know when your body is telling you to relax.  You will feel the effects of over training or know when something feels off.

Most importantly:  never feel guilty for taking a rest day!  Whether it's a scheduled rest day or an unscheduled one, rest days are just as important as heavy training days or yoga days.  You cannot perform at your best if you are not allowing your body to recover properly.

Interested in joining my team?

Have you ever thought about joining my team?

That means:

💥Getting fit & staying fit 

💥Keeping yourself accountable 

💥Encouraging others 

💥Enjoying a 25% discount 

💥Earning extra $ for your family 

💥Working with like-minded people 

💥Being free to travel or to stay at home with your kids 

Email me at Lauren.madara@gmail.com with the subject "coaching" to chat about whether you would be a good fit for my team 💪🏼

Beachbody Performance Line Review

I recently ordered the sample pack of the brand new Beachbody Performance Line to decide whether I wanted to order some, or all, of the products. Here's my review of the five supplements.

ENERGIZE - I normally use Progenex Force as my preworkout on days that I lift (which is most days as I'm doing Body Beast). I actually really like the Force, but it makes my face & hands tingle. Maybe too much caffeine? Energize did not have the tingly effect on me, but I still felt like it gave me that preworkout surge of energy to go hard. It was also a nice lemon flavor & contains all natural ingredients.

RECOVERY - Again, I used a Progenex product for post workout (their recovery). I love it but it it isn't all natural. I do try to go natural & organic as much as I can. Beachbody Recovery tastes just like chocolate milk! It wasn't chalky or clumpy like other protein shakes I've tried.

HYDRATE - I've never used anything but water during a workout but I thought the Hydrate might be useful during my killer leg day. I mixed the Hydrate with 8 oz of water. I normally drink a lot more than that during my workout so it went pretty fast.  Of course I still drank a bunch of water after I finished with the Hydrate. It was citrus flavor & tastes like orange juice. I don't think I will use it everyday but it's definitely good for leg day when I'm dripping sweat & exhausted halfway through! 

RECHARGE - I wasn't sure what to think about the nighttime protein drink. You drink this an hour before bed and it's supposed to ease soreness and aid in building muscle overnight. I saved it for leg day & was pleasantly surprised by it. It's vanilla, which normally I don't love, but I liked this one. It also mixed up a little thicker than most drinks. I woke up today not sore from leg day. I don't know if i will use it every night, but I might on lifting days since it has 20 grams of protein. At the very list I will continue to use it on leg day!

CREATINE - Ok I will admit that I did not try this sample. I didn't read that it should be mixed with the Recovery drink until I already finished my Recovery drink. Oops! But I'm not that into Creatine anyway, so I'm fine skipping it!

After reading/comparing the ingredients, talking it over with my husband (since we share the products) and crunching numbers (my discount plus buying a bundle pack of the products make it very affordable), I'm going to get the Energize, Recovery, Hydrate and Recharge bundle. I can't wait to see how these products improve my Body Beast results! I will let you know my thoughts after I've been using them for a month or so!

If you are interested in getting a sample pack of all 5 products to try for yourself, let me know! 

New programs, products & free samples

Beachbody announced a lot of exciting new products over the weekend at their annual Summit in Nashville so I wanted to give you a quick run down of them:

1) FIXATE - This is Autumn’s (21 Day Fix) new cookbook that works as a companion to 21 Day Fix/21 Day Fix Extreme but can be used with any program. In addition to more than 101 delicious and healthy recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner, FIXATE offers fresh new ideas for skinny cocktails and desserts as well as multiple vegan, vegetarian, paleo and gluten-free selections. Eating healthy can be fun! 

2) CIZE - This is Shaun T’s (Insanity & T25) newest program. A month long dancing program that will really make you sweat. If you have Beachbody On Demand, check out the preview workout on there. I did that a few weeks ago and had so much fun! Shaun T breaks down the moves to the choreography and by the end of the workout you are doing a full dance routine. It’s so much fun that you don’t realize you are working out. 

3) Beachbody Performance System - This is the company's first line of premium performance supplements developed by Harvard trained scientists. Beachbody Performance brings together the best natural and plant-based nutrition with the latest research and scientifically proven ingredients to optimize impact. The Beachbody Performance line is designed to amplify pre-workout energy, sharpen focus, delay time to fatigue, deliver super hydration, speed recovery, reduce exercise-induced muscle soreness and optimize overnight muscle recovery. This system has an energizing preworkout, a hydrate for during workout, a recovery for post workout, a nighttime recharge and a creatine supplement. They are designed to increase performance and recovery time. 

4) Shakeology boosts - These are customized additions to Beachbody's clinically proven health and weight-loss shake, Shakeology. Boosts include Focused Energy, a blend of natural caffeine from guarana and green tea; Power Greens, providing a full serving of nutrient dense vegetables that contain phytonutrients to promote a healthy immune system, healthy aging and detoxification of the body; and Digestive Health, which helps to maintain to regularity and digestive health with a proprietary blend of soluble and insoluble fiber. 

4) The Master’s Hammer and Chisel - This program is a collaboration between Sagi (Body Beast) and Autumn (21 Day Fix). With their ability to build muscle and shred fat, I have no doubt it will be an amazing program. It comes out this December!

So as you can see, we have a lot of exciting products either coming out or currently out (Fixate and CIZE are available now).

As always, if you need extra motivation and accountability, I run monthly challenge groups. My next group is starting August 3rd. Send me an email or connect with me at www.facebook.com/crashintofitness to get involved in the group. One of the main reasons why these fitness programs are so successful is because they combine exercise, nutrition and support. These challenge groups are a critical component for successful results.

I also have a bunch of free Shakeology samples available so if you are interested in getting a few, send me a message!

Body Beast Review

Last Friday I officially completed Body Beast!!  I am especially proud of this task because this is the first program without Tony Horton that I actually finished.  I own a ton of Beachbody programs, but before Beast, Tony's programs (P90X, P90X3 & P90X2) were the only ones that could capture my attention for 90 days.  I thought I would share my thoughts of the program with everyone, since I know a lot of people may not be familiar with it.

What is Body Beast?

Body Beast is a 90 day weightlifting program.  The trainer, Sagi, is a bodybuilder and nutritionist and I really found him motivating.  He's not as corny and joke cracking as Tony, but he knows how to keep you going even when you want to give up.  The program has two schedules: lean beast and huge beast.  I did lean beast.  Both schedules have three phases:  build, bulk and beast.  Build sets the foundation, bulk puts on the muscle and beast shreds off the fat.  The main difference between lean beast and huge beast is lean beast incorporates cardio during bulk phase while huge beast does not. Lean beast also spends one less week in bulk phase and instead does that extra week in beast phase.

During the program you lift 5 or 6 days out of the week, do cardio one day depending on the phase and your schedule and rest the other.  Build and bulk have different weightlifting workouts, with the bulk workouts all being around 30 minutes, build workouts are longer; some are 50 minutes.  During the final phase, beast phase, the week's lifting workouts alternate between build and bulk workouts.

The workouts themselves are challenging.  For the most part, each move uses three sets of weights:  heavy, medium and light.  You do the light weights for 15 reps, medium for 12 and heavy for 8.  I never lifted this way before but let me tell you, it gives you results!!  Beast cardio uses light weights (I use 5lbs or nothing when I am in a hotel room) and you do different one minute moves such as squats, mountain climbers and push ups.  That workout is my least favorite, but it goes quickly.  My favorite workouts are the leg workouts because they really kill me.  Build legs in particular has this one move where you step up on the bench, step down and then do a back lunge.  It is HARD!!  

What supplies do you need?

You need three sets of weights:  heavy, medium and light.  Heavy is whatever is heavy to you.  On some moves, 5lbs is heavy to me.  On others (leg day) it's 20.  I use 5, 8, 10, 12, 15, 20.  I have built up this collection over the years so don't think you need that many to start!  Sagi uses a barbell as well, but they have a modifier who just uses dumbbells.  I do not have a bar (yet) so I follow the modifier.  You also need either a bench or an exercise ball.  I use a ball.  Back day involves pull-ups so either a pull-up bar or resistance bands to mimic pull-ups is needed.  The only thing I needed to buy for this program was some 20lb weights for leg day.  

Body Beast is also really easy to take to the gym too.  Don't think that just because you are a gym rat that Beast will not benefit you.  I have easily used it in hotel gyms.  And with Beachbody On Demand you can easily watch the video on your phone while at the gym.  Perfect!

Who would benefit from Body Beast?

Anyone and everyone can benefit from Body Beast!  The DVDs only have bodybuilder type men in them (ugh, we need some women) but this program is absolutely for women too.  Whether you want more muscle or want to burn off some fat, Body Beast will work.  I am a big believer in lifting weights even if you want to lose weight, instead of spending endless time on cardio.  Building muscle increases your body's metabolism, therefore really helps burn off that fat.  Plus, weights sculpt your body.  If you just do cardio, sure you will shrink, but you will still be jiggly!  Weights help prevent that jiggle.  Plus it is very important for us women to lift, especially as we get into our 30s, 40s and beyond.  Lifting weights helps us retain bone density and that is so important! Do not be afraid to lift weights!  Women cannot bulk up like men!  Not to mention, it is HARD to gain muscle!  It takes lots of food and lifting extremely heavy and even then this process is SLOW!

My results

Prior to doing Body Beast I did a round of P90X, 2 rounds of P90X3, a round of P90X2 and another round of P90X.  Obviously, I love those programs.  During X2 and that last round of P90X, I was focused on muscle building.  I had lost all the baby weight by the time I was done with P90X3 but I wanted to build up my scrawny arms and build up my butt.  So Body Beast was the logical choice.  Just a few weeks into the program my husband told me that he could see arm muscles.  Obviously I was thrilled with that!  My arms have definitely put on some muscle during those 12 weeks.  I do feel a little fluffier in my mid section, however, I am focused on growing muscle so that extra food will add some (temporary) fluff.  I'm doing one or two more rounds of Beast and then focusing on shredding down any unwanted fat.  I have already had amazing strength gains with this program.  I am absolutely looking forward to where this second round will take my body.  I still need to take my after pics.

Tweaks I'm making for my second round

I started my second round of Body Beast on Sunday and decided to make a couple of tweaks with the program this time around.  First of all, Beast doesn't have a yoga day or any sort of stretching/mobility day.  I love my yoga and my body really misses it when I don't do it. This round I absolutely plan to incorporate yoga each week.  Even if it's just the 30 minute P90X3 yoga.  I think our bodies need yoga, especially when pushing them so hard each day!

I'm also going to incorporate more butt work.  Beast has one leg day per week but I would like to work my butt more often so I decided I'm going to do Butt Bible workouts on shoulder day (Butt Bible can be found for free on YouTube.  It's fantastic).  

I also want a little more cardio so I will be doing Les Mills Combat a couple of times per week.  I just got that program and it seems really fun so I'll add that in a couple of times when I have time.  I'll probably end up getting CIZE when it comes out and doing that as my extra cardio.

Final thoughts

I love Body Beast and I really recommend it for almost anyone.  If you are a total newbie when it comes to working out, I suggest working up to it.  Perhaps with 21 Day Fix first to incorporate some weights into your workouts.  Otherwise, if you are on the fence about this program I say go for it!!  Weights benefit everyone and anyone and this program is the best when it comes to weightlifting.  Plus, Sagi said he has a special announcement coming soon so maybe Body Beast 2 is in the works!  Fingers crossed!  And here's to hoping that one has some women in it :)

Breaking through a plateau

What do you do when you hit a plateau in your fitness journey?  Well first, make sure you are actually at one. Just because your scale is stuck at a certain number does not mean that you are not progressing.  Check your measurements.  Take a photo and compare it to your before.  See how your clothes fit.  Pay attention to how you are feeling.  Do you have more energy?  Have you been lifting heavier and going harder in your workouts?  It's possible that you aren't at a plateau at all, but changes are being made that are not being shown on the scale.

If you really are not making progress, it's time for a change.  Do you mostly run or do the elliptical?  Then it's time to pick up some weights!  Have you been doing the same home fitness program for months?  Then it's time to try a different program!  Maybe you usually do P90X, take a few months and experiment with Insanity or Body Beast.  Challenge yourself in new ways.  Try out a group fitness class.  Add in some yoga.  Try HIIT training instead of steady state cardio.  Make your body guess!

Sometimes your body just gets stuck in a rut with the same old same old training.  You need to be constantly challenging it.  I don't like to do the same program more than twice in a row (which for those 90 day programs is 6 months).  I also always make sure I'm always upping my weights if I don't feel very challenged on those last 3 reps.

Another huge culprit when it comes to stalled results is your nutrition.  If you have tried everything above and nothing is changing then you need to take a serious look at your diet.  Input everything into myfitnesspal and see if you have not been as good as you can be.  We all fall off the wagon or get used to a treat here and there which add up.  Also make sure that you are eating enough!  For some reason women think that 1200 calories is the magic number and that is crazy low, especially if you are working out.

If you really need to dial in your nutrition, I suggest trying the portion part of 21 Day Fix.  That will really get you back on track.  In fact, I plan to use that as I enter the "Beast" or cutting phase of Body Beast.

So if you feel like you aren't making any progress:  make sure you really are stalled, switch up your workouts and, finally, dial in that nutrition!  Above all, be patient and trust the process.  If you are doing what you need to be doing, your body will get there!

Strong is the New Skinny Challenge

I am looking for 5 busy women looking for a change.  Women with serious goal of being fit and healthy. Women who have 10-20 pounds to lose or women who just want to "tone up."

This Strong is the New Skinny challenge will follow a meal plan that works and a fitness program that fits into your busy schedule. You will also have a private fb group for accountability and motivation. 

If you are interested, send me a message or drop your email below and I will get you started! Everyone who signs up by May 24th gets a bonus gift! 

P90X Live classes!

Brand new P90X Live classes coming to Studio 51 Fifty in Plaza Midwood/Elizabeth in Charlotte, NC ! These 45 minute classes include a combination of fat blasting cardio, resistance training and core work all set to music that will get you moving. The classes are for all fitness levels and everything can be modified. 

Come stop by, check out a class and see how much fun it is to take P90X to a live group setting! 

Schedule (starting May 18th)

Mon & Wed @ 7pm

Tues & Thurs @ 7am

Prices: 

🔹Single class $15

🔹5 class package $60 ($12/class) good for 3 months

🔹10 class package $110 ($11/class) good for 6 months

🔹20 class package $200 ($10/class) good for 1 year 

#p90x #p90xlive #beachbodylive 

Tomato & avocado salad

This is a super easy salad to make & is awesome as a side dish to burgers on the grill.

2 vine ripe tomatoes, chopped

1 avocado, chopped

1/4 cup diced red onion

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinaigrette 

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Salt & pepper

Mix in a bowl and let sit for 5 minutes.

Easy & tasty! 

Moderation

Yesterday I was scrolling through my Facebook feed when I noticed a comment about the recent hummus recall.  The person posted how they were glad that their new diet wouldn't allow them to eat hummus anyway.  Not allowed to eat hummus?!  What?!  Hummus is full of healthy fats!  I've read a lot of crazy things pertaining to weight loss on Facebook over the years.  One person was on an extremely restricted carb intake (under 25g per day).  Another was only eating weight loss bars and drinking weight loss shakes, both of which were full of chemicals.  Yet another was worried because they were going out to dinner with their family but were on a new eating plan and didn't know what they should do...so she just drank water.

To me, all of that is ridiculous.  I don't believe in going on diet.  I believe in moderation.  If you restrict yourself from ever eating hummus, or pizza, or burritos, at some point you will most likely "fall off the wagon" and have a weekend where you eat everything in site.  Then feel massively guilty about it and probably quit your diet all together.  I eat real food and try to watch how much I'm eating.  I also try to make smart choices.  For example, when I go out to a restaurant I will get a side salad instead of fries.  But guess what?  I will also have a craft beer.  I like Mexican food and pizza and sushi.  Do I eat it every night?  NO!!!  But believe me, I do eat it.

Any meal plan you are on should really be something you can do long term.  It has to be something you can LIVE with.  That you can be on during the Holidays and when you go out to dinner with friends.  Can you really see your self just drinking water at a restaurant in 10 years or not eating hummus?  Make healthy choices about what you are putting in your body, watch how much you are eating, get in some exercise and the weight will take care of itself.  No crazy diets needed.  Granted, the weight might not fall off like somebody who is severely restricting their carbs or just eating diet bars, but you will be more likely to keep it off because your diet is realistic long term.

Food should be something that fuels your body, not something that you look at as the enemy.

Last Call!

Last call for Bikini Bootcamp! Preseason week is going on right now!  

You give me 21 days of commitment and I promise you, I can help you change your life. Simple eating, home fitness for any level, and giving yourself good nutrition is what it is all about. YOU will see SERIOUS results if you follow the plan. I have lost over 65 pounds and know exactly what it takes to make a real transformation for yourself happen and YES, You can totally do it too!

I will help you pick a fitness program that will work for you according to your goals, fitness level and how much time you can commit on a daily basis. It doesn't matter how much you have to lose or if you are just looking to tone it up, there is something for you!

April 13th is GO TIME. I will give you nutrition help, workout motivation & a place to hold yourself accountable to be sure you don't miss out on anything!

Preseason week (open now!) will get you all set up, educated and on track for the Challenge! I am here to support you, guide you and help you ensure SUCCESS with your health and fitness goals!

Space is limited and I will only be taking 5 more ladies, so to be sure I can give everyone all the attention they need so...Let's Do This!

Are YOU ready? Message me so I can get you started today.

Bikini bootcamp - starts April 9th!

Summer is coming and the window of opportunity to get yourself into bikini shape is closing fast! The April challenge group will be a bikini bootcamp to get you feeling confident enough to rock your bikini this summer.

Bikini bootcamp will have:

- One on one support from me, your coach, whenever you need it

- Motivation and inspiration from the other women in the group

- Recipes and tips

- Fitness program of your choice

- 30 days of Shakeology

- 30 days of Beachbody On Demand 

If you invest in yourself and meet me halfway by eating healthy and getting in your workouts, you will be rocking that bikini in no time!

I have space for 5 women. 

First person to sign up gets a special gift!

Email me for details! Lauren.madara@gmail.com

P90X Certification

Yesterday I became a certified instructor for the new P90X Live!! If you know anything about me at all, you know I am obsessed with P90X. I have been doing it off and on since 2010 & I lost all 67lbs of baby weight by doing a round of P90X, two rounds of P90X3 and a round of P90X2. It's my soulmate workout.

I was extremely excited about getting this certification and was not nervous at all. Yesterday morning at 8:45 I showed up to get certified. Twenty-three of us were there to become instructors and as far as I could tell I was the only one who had no experience teaching classes. The best part about being the least experienced is that you have something to learn from everybody! I swear I learned just as much from the people in my class as I did from our Master Trainer Steph. (Steph is amazing & also did my TurboKick training last week.)

The first thing we did was go around the room and introduce ourselves and then Steph talked a little about this new P90X Live format. The classes can be structured to be 30, 45 or 55 minutes. They have a warm up, 12 minutes of cardio X, 12 of lower strength, 12 of upper strength, 12 of core and a cool down. One of these blocks can be removed to make a 45 minute class or remove two for a 30 minute class.  The class itself is SO MUCH FUN!! We all got our butts kicked as she led us through the master class. It has awesome music and everything can be modified to make it easier (or harder!)

After our master class we had a short break to refuel and then we were put into groups of four. Each group was given a move (ours was plank) and we had to demonstrate it to the class and talk about  kinetic checkpoints (ie how to position our bodies to do the move correctly). Then within our groups we paired off and went through every move in this P90X round to make sure we knew how to do it and that we can correct the form of those in our classes. I was super lucky to pair off with somebody who has a ton of experience. I really learned a lot from him. He even helped me with my push-up form!

Next came our lunch break - we were all starving by then. After lunch we got to sit down as we went over choreography notes and listened for the cues in the music. This is already so much easier for me than TurboKick. We don't have to worry about 32 counts or having everybody move together. This workout is all about moving at your own pace. Love it!!! 

Once we knew how to listen for the cues, it was time for more group work. We were put into four groups and each group worked on a block of the workout (cardio, lower, upper or core). In our groups we listed the things we needed to say when we teach our block. I was in the upper group so for us it was talking about setting up the moves, proper form for pushups, curls, etc. Then we formed groups of four with an expert in each block and we had to teach our group. I was a little nervous here because I was the only newbie but my group was so nice! It also helped that I didn't have to worry about keeping the beat of the music, I could just focus on coaching and instructing. After we went through our blocks, it was back to our bigger groups to list more in depth coaching cues we could give and then back to teach our groups of four again. By the end of that final group session we were all dead tired! I swear, that was one of the most physically demanding data of my life!

Now that the physical aspect of the day was over, we got back into one large group to discuss motivational cueing and a final Q&A. Then we were done!! 

This class is seriously so much fun and I am so excited at the prospect of teaching it. I don't have as much practice to do as I do with TurboKick. Honestly, I think I could teach it in about two weeks! It's also something I can easily teach in the park. I just need to buy some resistance bands.

Up next I'm going to get my group ex certification so I can get hired somewhere to teach classes!

Here's North Carolina's first group of P90X instructors:

Bring it!!

TurboKick Certification

As of yesterday I am officially a Certified TurboKick Instructor!  Yay!!!  Yesterday was challenging, a ton of fun and also really took me out of my comfort zone.  I thought I would write a little blog about it because I know whenever I am interested in something I search the internet for any and all info on it to know what to expect.

I've really become motivated to help people reach their health and fitness goals in all aspects so I started looking into fitness instructor certifications.  I love the TurboFire program so I figured I would try out TurboKick.

Before my training I read over my TurboKick manual and highlighted all of the important information.  The night before my family and I made the 3.5 hour drive from Charlotte, NC to Myrtle Beach, SC.  Surprisingly I didn't start to feel nervous until we pulled up to the YMCA for my training.  But my fears were quickly put aside when I met my fellow trainees.  Everybody was so nice!  I was immediately put at ease.  We all wanted each other to succeed.  Five other women were training with me and only two of us had no teaching experience.

The training started at noon and our Master Trainer Stephanie sat us all down and went over a few basics with us about being an instructor and TurboKick in specific.  Then it was time to workout!  Stephanie led us through the whole workout and let me tell you, it was so much fun!!  The music is great and you really work us a sweat.  Stephanie showed us how to modify as we went through the workout, which was good for me since I don't love jumping!

After our master class, we had a short lunch break and then it was time to talk about choreography, counting beats and cueing.  When I read over the manual, this was the part I felt like I would struggle with because I had no idea what a 32 count was and it all sounded so foreign to me.  We listened to the music to hear the beat and how to count.  We also made up our choreography notes for the intro part of the workout.  Each round of TurboKick has the same intro so once we learn it once, we are good to go.

Next, we worked on our punching and kicking skills.  I really feel like I learned a lot during this part of the training.  Obviously it is important that instructors have good form!

Once we practiced our form it was time for us to work on the intro.  We practiced it as a group and then we were paired up to teach the intro to our partners.  As I predicted, this part was difficult for me because I am not yet familiar with the 32 count or cueing.  Thankfully my partner was so nice and helpful!  She teaches Zumba so she was really familiar with counting and cueing and helped me out a lot!  When we each taught the intro, then we took turns teaching the punching section.  I absolutely know I need to work on cueing and counting the most before I can teach classes!  I will fully admit that it is hard for me to mentally count beats, cue the next movement, remember the choreography and keep a smile on your face!  I know this will come with time but man it's hard!

The physical portion of our training was over (thankfully...we were all worn out!) and we were given the option to join Pro Team and receive an additional TurboKick round.  I signed up.  Stephanie told us that as long as we had a tiny chance we might teach, we should sign up so we would have a little library of rounds.  The cool part is we can mix & match the music and rounds together to keep our classes fresh.

We ended the training with a little wrap up and Q&A session.  I think we all felt excited about TurboKick once the training was over. I have a TON of practice to do but I am hoping to be able to start a Fit Club and teach some free TurboKick classes in the park this summer and fall.

Here is the group of new Instructors along with our fabulous Master Trainer in front:

Up next:  P90X LIVE Certification next Saturday.  I will make sure to blog about that one as well since the format is brand spanking new.  I am so excited about that training.  I am a p90x girl for life!

Making time as a Mom

Often times I feel like some women think that don't have time to exercise because they have too many other obligations or that fitness takes a back burner to them taking care of their families.  I think as moms, it is even more important that we carve out time for ourselves to get in a workout.  Honestly, this can be as simple as going for a long walk with the stroller or finding 30 minutes to workout in your home while your husband watched the kids in the other room.  It can be going for a run on your lunch break or finding a gym with child care to hit up a spin class.  I know I feel like a happier person when I have gotten in some physical activity each day.  I have much more patience.  You need to take care of yourself in order to take care of your family.  Otherwise you will be running yourself ragged.

I also think it is crucial for parents to set a good example for their children when it comes to fitness and nutrition.  Especially in times like these when childhood obesity is an epidemic!  My husband and I both workout (he does CrossFit) and my son sees this.  He does squats and stretches with me and yells "Go! Go! Go!" when I'm working out (he's almost 2).  I am showing him that taking care of yourself is important.  For him, he will always have memories of physical fitness.  This doesn't even count all of the sports I play with him each day!

So take time for yourself and set a good example for your kids.  It can be hard to find the time to get it done, but when it comes down to it, you need to make time.  Make yourself a priority for 30 minutes to an hour a day.  If you have 30 minutes to scroll through Facebook or an hour to watch Scandal, you can get that workout in!  In the long run your family will thank you for taking care of yourself.

How does Beachbody On Demand work?

PiYo

One of the reasons I'm so excited about Beachbody On Demand is that it has so many programs that have been on my "to do" list but never actually got around to trying (mostly because I'm obsessed with Tony Horton and love all things p90x). Since I only have just over 2 weeks left on this round of p90x, I figured I would try some workouts and decide what program to do next.

I had p90x yoga on my schedule today so I thought I would try PiYo. PiYo is a combo of Pilates and yoga where you use dynamic movements instead of holding poses.  Think yoga for people who find yoga boring.  It combines stretching and strength movements to give a killer workout.

I was already familiar with Chalene, the trainer, from her awesome TurboFire workouts (so FUN!!) so I knew she would be motivational.

The PiYo workout currently available On a Demand is the 38 minute Sweat workout. Now let me tell you, I totally underestimated this workout! I'm sure it was a combo of me being a total newbie who didn't know the moves and my arms being exhausted from my hardcore arm workout yesterday, but I found this workout hard!!! By the end I was covered in sweat and even had to modify the tricep pushups!

Overall I thought the workout was fun and I would definitely like to do the whole program.  Normally I'm a weights girl, but I liked how PiYo uses bodyweight and it's totally low impact.  That is perfect for somebody who needs to rest their body from all of the high impact workouts.  I think it might be something I do later on in the year.

The entire PiYo program is not On Demand, only the sample workout I described above.  However, if you are interested, a PiYo challenge pack and one of my challenge groups really could be ideal for you!

If you have any doubt that this is a great workout, here's me afterwards:  sweaty and dead tired on my mat!

Vegan jambalaya

This is a big hit whenever I make it. Meat eater & toddler approved!

Ingredients:

16 ounces smoked vegan sausage, cut into 2-inch slices

1/2 large onion, chopped

1/2 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped (I subbed diced bok choy due to allergies)

28 ounces diced tomatoes with juice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup Easy Slow Cooker Vegetable Broth

1 tablespoon miso paste

1/2 tablespoon Cajun or Creole spice mix

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 cup rice, uncooked

Directions:

Add all but rice to crock pot. Cook on low for 4 hours. Boil rice separately. Add rice.

Interested in Coaching?

Did you know that there are three different kinds of Beachbody coach? 

🔹discount coach - just interested in the discount on amazing products

🔹hobby coach - wants to help people get fit while making a little extra cash each month for bills or concert tickets

🔹business coach - looking to help people get in shape while turning coaching into a full time career

Which one are you?

My team is holding a no obligation coaching sneak peak next week so if anyone is interested send me an email: Lauren.madara@gmail.com

3 Day Refresh Review

I did the 3 Day Refresh after the holidays and meant to write a review but kept putting the idea aside.  I figured with the Refresh Challenge Pack being on sale this month, it's a good a time as any to do my review!

So over the holidays I decided to take a week off from working out.  My body was feeling like it needed a rest after going so hard with workouts for the previous 14 months.  My mom was coming to visit us, so I thought that would be the perfect time to take a vacation from my workouts.  During that time we also ate out a ton, visited breweries and had a bunch of Christmas chocolate.  Ugh.  I felt gross when the week was over and so I decided to order the Refresh.

What is the 3 Day Refresh?

It's 3 days (obviously) of small meals of veggies, fruit and healthy fats.  It also involves drinking Shakeology each morning (but I do that anyway - healthiest meal of the day!), vanilla protein shakes and a drink called a fiber sweep.  No dairy, coffee or alcohol.  You can drink 1 cup of green tea per day and a couple cups of herbal tea.  You do only light workouts during that time since calorie intake is pretty low.  It's great for getting back on track after a vacation/holiday, for getting bikini ready before a trip or just to jump start weight loss before you begin a fitness program.

I found the refresh to be easy & exciting on day 1 (Yay!  I'm getting back on track!) but day 2 was a challenge (I'm hungry!  I have a headache!).  The no coffee, dairy or alcohol part was hard for me. I also prefer my ShakeO with almond milk but had to drink it blended with just water on the Refresh.  I added in a half an avocado on day 2 because my body was telling me it needed more food.

The vanilla protein shakes were okay.  You have two each day and the first one you can blend with fruit.  The second one you just mix it with water so that one wasn't as good.  I had read that the fiber sweep was gross but I really didn't think so.  The consistency wasn't the best, but I thought the taste was fine.

Overall the Refresh was more of a mental challenge for me than anything else.  After the 3 days my stomach bloat was gone and I really felt like I was back on track with my healthy eating after coming off the tracks slightly over Christmas.

Some people do the Refresh each month, but I think that's a bit of an overkill.  For me, I would definitely do it again before a beach vacation or after the holidays next year!

The Refresh plus 30 days of Shakeology Challenge Pack is really a great way to kick start weight loss!  It will have you on track and ready to start a fitness program!

Beachbody On Demand

I seriously cannot contain my excitement for the brand new Beachbody On Demand!  I always travel with my computer, DVD player and stack of DVDs.  Now I will be able to get my workouts right on my phone!  Ahhh!  So amazing!!!  It makes working out while traveling so easy!  Plus it pretty much eliminates any excuses!

Don't know what program you want to do?  On Demand makes it so you can get a taste of a wide variety of programs.  Want to try p90x?  Do it!  Find out it's not for you?  That's fine, try another program!  How amazing is that?!  Yes, you can still buy the DVDs to have forever, but this allows you to try more programs without the commitment of actually owning them.

So what is On Demand?

With a Team Beachbody Club membership, members will be able to stream some of Beachbody's best programs 24/7.  The programs currently available are: P90X, P90X2, P90X3, Insanity, TurboFire, Brazil Butt Lift, Ten Minute Trainer, ChaLEAN Extreme, Insanity: The Asylum Vol 1, Tony One-on-One (vol 1), and Hip Hop Abs.

You will also be able to stream sample workouts from a few programs such as:  21 Day Fix: Total Body Cardio, 21 Day Fix Extreme: Plyo, Body Beast: Chest/Tri, PiYo: Sweat, Insanity Max:30: Sweat Int., P90: Sculpt A, Slim in 6: Start it Up, Focus T25: Alpha Cardio.

By the end of March you will also be able to stream 21 Day Fix, 21 Day Fix Extreme and T25 in their entirety with the purchase of those DVDs.

Personally, I have been debating doing PiYo or Body Beast and now I can try a workout from each to see what I like best!

Now that On Demand has arrived, we will be offering On Demand Challenge Packs.  These packs include, 90 days of On Demand access, 30 days of Shakeology, me as your coach and your participation in our private Facebook group, which serves to motivate and inspire all of the challengers.  On Demand also comes free for a month with the purchase of another Challenge Pack, such as one of our Challenge Pack specials of the month:  TurboFire, T25 or the 3 Day Refresh.

Please send me a message if you are interested in trying out the future of fitness right as it starts!!

Broccoli Casserole

This was very easy to make & the whole family enjoyed it! 

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa

4 1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable stock, or water

2 tbsp pesto sauce

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp cornstarch

2 cups fresh organic spinach

12 oz skim mozzarella cheese

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

12 oz fresh broccoli florets

3 green onions, chopped

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 400F.

2) In a 9x13 baking rectangular dish place the quinoa and green onions. 

3) In a large mixing bowl, with a wire whisk, mix the vegetable stock, pesto, corn starch and salt. Heat mixture until boil. 

4) Add the vegetable stock to the quinoa followed by the spinach, parmesan and 3/4 of the mozzarella cheese. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

5) While baking, place the broccoli in a large bowl and microwave on high for 3 minutes. 

6) Take the casserole out of the oven and mix in the broccoli. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the quinoa and broccoli and place back in the oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted. 

Overcoming obstacles and loving your body for what it can do

Over the weekend while at dinner, my brother-in-law turned to me and said, "You're a runner, right?" I had to reply "No, I used to be, but not anymore."

Ever since high school, running was something I loved to do.  I enjoyed going on a nice, long run and working through any problems I might have had.  It made me happy and it challenged me.  A complication after having my son left me unable to run.  For me this was, and still is, absolutely devastating.  I spent weeks crying about it, thinking how it wasn't fair and searching message boards for answers.  I started physical therapy and was frustrated with what my body could not do.

After a couple of months of physical therapy I was given the all clear to work out.  I decided to go back to my favorite Beachbody program:  p90x.  At first it was very frustrating.  Not only was I still carrying around a ton of baby weight, but I there was so much I could not do.  I couldn't jump or work my abs.  It was difficult and humbling to realize that my body could not do everything.

As the weeks went by with p90x, I became stronger and I started to appreciate my body for what it could do instead of being angry about what it could not do.  No, I couldn't run or do what I did before, but I could slowly make progress in other areas.  My weights got heavier.  I could do a few more pushups or do a yoga pose that I struggled with before.

To this day I still modify every workout I do.  I still wish I could run.  But I learned that things could always be worse.  I appreciate my body now.  This challenge has totally shifted my mindset about my body.  I am no longer interested in being super skinny and fitting into tiny jeans.  Instead, I want to be strong.  Now, after 16 months of doing the various p90x programs (including x2 & x3), I am stronger than I have ever been in my life!  Even though I am not who I was before, I think I am a better version of myself.  In all areas.

It's not about being a certain size.  It's about being strong, healthy and appreciative of your body.  That was a hard lesson for me to learn, but I am so glad that I did.

Finding motivation

Recently, I've received a few messages asking me how I find the motivation to work out 6 times per week.  I think a lot of times just getting started is the hardest part.  This is true with anything in life, not just fitness and nutrition.

When I was first starting out on my post baby fitness journey, my motivation was simply to fit into my clothes again!  Just feeling so uncomfortable in my own skin and with so many extra pounds was enough to light a fire under my butt to get started.  It's said that it takes 21 days to form a habit.  Once you make fitness a habit, it will become part of your routine like brushing your teeth. Now this doesn't mean that you will feel like working out every single day.  But if you only did it on the days you felt like it, you'd rarely get it done!  Trust me, some days I just want to snuggle on the sofa with my boy, but those days I just force myself to get my workout in.

Tips for finding motivation: 

1)  Find a reason you want to get in shape.  Is it fitting into smaller clothing?  Setting a good example for your children?  Improving your health?  Looking good in that bikini on an upcoming vacation?  Focus on that goal and hold on to it with a laser like precision.

2) Take photos and measurements.  Seeing changes in your body will encourage you to keep going.  The scale isn't always the most reliable way to determine your progress, so don't let that dictate how you feel about yourself.  As you see your body changing, you will naturally get more motivated to work hard to make even more changes and reach your goal.

3) Find the time of day when you will stick to your workout.  I am not a morning person.  So I know if I scheduled my workouts early in the morning there would be a good chance that I would hit the snooze button and skip them.  For me, the best time is early afternoon.  If I wait until evening, I just want to sit on the sofa with my tea and zone out.  When I worked, I got in my workouts as soon as I walked in the door after work.

4) Put on those workout clothes.  When I am in my workout clothes, I am less likely to skip my workout.  If I'm already wearing my workout clothes, I feel like I might as well just do the workout.  I put on my workout clothes as soon as I wake up.  If you work and are not a morning workout person, change into your workout gear at work so you can get it done as soon as you get home (or so you will be more likely to head to the gym).

5)  Just do it!!  Get the workout started.  Sure you might not feel like it, but once you get your body moving you will feel better.  Before you know it, the workout will be over and you can pat yourself on the back for digging deep and getting it done.

Now stop making excuses and just get started!  Think of how you will look a month, three months, a year from now if you start making changes today.

Taco Tuesday!!

I found (and shared) this recipe on my Facebook page and though I would try it tonight for Taco Tuesday. We are huge fans of Mexican food at my house and often do our own taco nights (ground beef for the guys, tofurkey for me) so I was nervous about making veggie tacos for the family. 

No need to worry though because they were awesome! 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa

1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained

1/2 cup vegetable broth

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup frozen corn kernels

Juice of 1 lime

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

8 corn tortillas

1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced

Directions:

1) Heat quinoa and 1 cup water in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until water is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes; uncover and fluff with a fork.

2) Stir in diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, chili powder, cumin, garlic and onion powder, paprika and cayenne pepper; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.

3) Stir in beans and corn until heated through, about 2 minutes. Stir in lime juice and cilantro.

4) To serve, spoon quinoa mixture into the center of each tortilla. Top with avocado and sour cream, if desired.

We skipped the sour cream (I would have used plain greek yogurt anyway) and the guys topped theirs with some salsa. 

Vegetarian gumbo

This is another vegetarian recipe that my carnivore husband loves. It's toddler approved as well! 

Ingredients: 

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups vegetable broth

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

8 oz. white mushrooms, quartered

1 small zucchini, cut into thick half moons

1 cup frozen sliced okra

2 tablespoons vegetarian worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon cajun seasoning

1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper, to taste

Hot sauce and cooked rice, for serving

Directions:

1) Heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic and cook until softened and just beginning to brown, 8-10 minutes. Transfer veggies to a 4-6 quart slow cooker.

3) Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over the stove. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until it's golden brown, about 4 minutes. Pour in the broth and bring to a boil; once the broth has come to a boil, transfer it to the slow cooker. Add all of the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker except the hot sauce and cooked rice.

4) Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Once the gumbo has finished cooking, remove the bay leaf and add more salt and pepper to taste if needed. Serve over rice with hot sauce.

Super easy breakfast sandwiches

I saw this idea online somewhere last year and like to make it from time to time to switch things up. They are so easy!

 

Just crack eggs into a muffin tin, add salt, pepper and whatever else you desire (cheese, veggies, meat.) Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. 

Stick them in a container in the fridge and then microwave each patty for 30 seconds. Quick & easy morning breakfast. I like mine with a toasted English  muffin and hot sauce. 

Scale Obsession

The other day I emailed somebody who had contacted me via my Beachbody page.  He was asking my advice on p90x & weight loss a few weeks ago.  I emailed him this week to check in to see how he was doing with the program.  His response?  He did p90x for 2 weeks but quit when he stepped on the scale and saw he had gained 5 pounds.  My first response was to send him this article that was similar to one that I found helpful when I started my first post baby round of p90x and had about 40+ pounds to lose:

http://www.beachbody.com/beachbodyblog/fitness/ask-the-expert-why-do-you-gain-weight-when-you-start-working-out

Basically, the article says that initial weight gain when starting a program is due to water weight caused by inflammation.  I also asked this person whether he was taking his measurements and before photos.

Measurements and photos are so important when trying to get in shape.  I can't emphasize this enough!  You can weight 120lbs and be "skinny fat" and be a larger size than somebody who weighs more but lifts weights and has muscle.  The scale doesn't always tell you how much progress you have made.  Yes, it is a useful tool to measure progress, but it is not your only tool.  Your weight can fluctuate so much in a day.  Women especially can find a major fluctuation during their periods.  I was 5lbs heavier when I weighed myself during my last period.  I quickly learned to avoid the scale that week!

People are so obsessed with the scale and judge progress only by what the scale tells them.  It's the worst when you wake up feeling lean and then step on the scale to see you're up a pound or two!  It changes your whole mindset about your body.  I tend to weigh myself every week or two.  I'm more likely to go to my measuring tape and quickly check my stomach, hips & thighs than I am to step on the scale.  My phone is also full of progress photos.  There is nothing more satisfying than comparing a before/after weight loss photo of yourself!

The next time you feel like the scale is ruling your life, put it in the closet, get out your phone & measuring tape, snap a few photos & take your measurements.  Repeat that step again in 30 days.  If you have been working hard and making good food choices, in 30 days you should discover that you are making progress, whether the scale agrees with you or not.

Recipe of the day - Squash & Chickpea Curry

To quote my carnivore husband: "It was pretty good, especially considering how scary it looks." If that's not a rave review, I don't know what is!!  This meal is super easy to make, really good, and  makes a ton so you'll have lots of leftovers.  This meal is also toddler approved.

INGREDIENTS

• • 2 1/2 cups diced butternut squash
  • 1 1/2 cups dried organic chick peas
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 can 13.5 ounce light organic coconut milk 
  • 1 bunch of fresh spinach or kale, rinsed and roughly chopped (I used kale)
  • 1 1/2 cups freshly shelled peas (I used frozen)
  • 1 to 2 large tomatoes, diced
  • 3 cups vegetable broth or water
  • 3 tablespoons yellow curry powder 
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • handful of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped (save some for serving)
  • Rice

• INSTRUCTIONS

  • 1. Rinse and sort through the dry chickpeas. Cut the skin off the squash, remove seeds and cut into 1 inch square cubes. Add all of the ingredients to your slow cooker besides the peas and spinach. Cook on high for 6 hours. About 20-30 minutes before serving add in the fresh peas and spinach/kale, and give it a stir. 
    2. Serve over brown basmati or jasmine rice topped with fresh cilantro, mint or basil and maybe even some shredded coconut.

Recipe of the day - Super Bowl!

7 Layer Dip 

Ingredients:

2 medium ripe avocados

2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

1 dash sea salt (or Himalayan salt)

1 dash ground black pepper

16 oz low-fat plain Greek yogurt

1 packet taco seasoning

1 (15-oz) can nonfat refried beans

4 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 pepper, chopped

1 bunch green onions, ends trimmed, sliced thin

2 Tbsp. shredded cheddar cheese

Preparation:

1. Mash avocados in a medium bowl.

2. Add lime juice, salt, and pepper; mix well. Set aside.

3. Combine yogurt and taco seasoning in a medium bowl; mix well. Set aside.

4. Top serving platter with beans, avocado mixture, yogurt mixture, tomatoes, peppers, green onions, and cheese.

5. Serve with tortilla chips.

Working out while traveling

I travel a lot. Between my husband's business trips and our own adventures, we spent about 2 months in hotels in 2014. Did I let that stop me from working out?! No! Heck, I even got a workout in during our trip to Punta Cana, DR! 

Here I am last weekend, finding a corner & getting it done:

After all of my travels, I do have a method to the hotel room workout madness.

Planning my schedule. About a week to 10 days before any trips, I look ahead at my workout schedule to see what could possibly be rearranged. Often, I will skip an upcoming rest day and save it for my trip. I might even double up for a day or two before leaving. In general, I don't love doing strength training in hotels, so I try to get them in before I go, if possible. I'd much rather do cardio or yoga in my hotel room.

What to pack? I always pack my computer, external DVD player, workout DVDs & resistance bands. I even have something that I can use to hook my bands in the doorway so I can mimic pull-ups. If we are driving somewhere or if I have room in my suitcase when flying, I pack my yoga mat.  Otherwise I just do my yoga without. Not ideal, but you gotta do what you gotta do!

What about the hotel gym?  More often than not it's just easier for me to workout in the room, especially if my husband is working. I have taken my p90x app to the gym and followed along with the movement list to lift. Twice last year I also opted for some "me time" and did the elliptical. Not quite as intense, but still got me sweating.

Don't stress. With travel it's almost impossible not to get off schedule even a little bit. I aim to try not to take more than 2 consecutive days off. A break that's too long will definitely take the wind out of your sails and motivation could be hard to find again. I also try to walk as much as I can so that I'm at least doing something each day. 

Get back into it. When I get back home, I get back into my routine. No excuses, I just pick up where I left off.  I might double up again for a day or two, but then it's back to normal.

This is why I love home workouts so much! You can do them anywhere!

Join us!!

Join my team's February Challenge group! Dust off your old Beachbody programs or order a Challenge Pack from me. We start next Monday. 

Www.beachbodycoach.com/dmblauren 

Let's do this!!

My favorite apps

As somebody who loves her iPhone, I also love a good app! Here are some of my favorite health/fitness apps:

1) MyFitnessPal 

I've been using this app for years and I love it! It's fantastic for tracking daily food intake and weight loss.

2) Fitbit

I wear my Fitbit 24/7 and I love the app that comes with it. I have it connected to my Fitbit Aria scale, MyFitnessPal and a couple of running apps. I really love how it communicates with MFP. When I sync my steps on my Fitbit, they also sync with MFP which updates how many calories I burned through exercise. I also love how I can step on my Aria scale and have my weight sync with both my Fitbit and MFP apps. 

3) P90X 

This app works with P90X, P90X3 and P90X2. It has the schedules, let's you check off each workout as it's completed, keep track of reps/weights and lets you update your photos/weight/measurements. It syncs right to my Beachbody account so my workouts are posted there as well. It's so much more convenient than using a pen and paper to keep track of everything. The app also lists all of the movements that are on each DVD so you can take it to a hotel gym and knock out a resistance workout if you so desire. I've done that before! 

4) Pepperplate

This is a meal planning app. You can put in recipes, schedule your recipes for the week and put everything into a shopping list that you can check off as you go along in the store. Genius! I was using my Notes app for grocery lists (and still do for the basics) but I love this app for my more complicated recipes. 

Those are my most used health/fitness apps. Do you have any "must have" apps that I need to add to my life?

Recipe of the day

Avocado quinoa:

I love this one! As does my meat eating husband and my toddler! It's super easy to throw in the crockpot.

Ingredients:

1 (14 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained

3/4 cup quinoa (rinsed)

1 1/2 cups water

3/4 cup salsa verde (use your favorite brand)

1 bay leaf

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 avocados, diced

1 roma tomato, diced

1/4 cup cilantro

  

Directions: 

1. Combine the black beans, quinoa, water, salsa, bay leave, cumin, salt and garlic powder in slow cooker.

2. Gently fold in one on the avocados that has been diced.

3. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hours or on LOW for 4 hours.

4. Salt and pepper to taste.

5. Serve topped with the additional avocado, tomato and cilantro.

February Challenge Group

Want to get fit & healthy this February? I'd love for you to join my team's February challenge group. Together we will do a workout program and push/motivate each other daily! Let me know if you are interested!