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!!