21 Day Fix On the go!!!!!!!!!
How to incorporate 21 Day Fix into everyday life!! What to do when you’re on the go?
Get Fit in the Gym but Lose Weight in the Kitchen
One of our Beachbody slogans is Fitness – Nutrition – Support. The fitness is provided on DVDs from some of the very best celebrity trainers such as Shaun T, Tony Horton, Chalene Johnson and Autumn Calabrese. Support is provided by Team Beachbody coaches who help to motivate and guide people with the programs. Nutrition is provided by the well thought out nutrition guides. However, I find that the nutrition guide is often never read or lost. I did the very same thing when I started my journey with P90x over three years ago. The nutrition guide seemed overwhelming. I didn’t want to change my eating style. Now that I have multiple food sensitivities, most nutrition guides are not that useful to me, until I met the 21 Day Fix nutrition guide. Now I could eat what I am able to eat, but learn proper portions. My portion sizes were actually pretty spot on. The difference for me was increasing my protein and eating more frequently during the day. Even though I am very close to my ideal body weight, I lost 2.5lbs with the 21 Day Fix!! This included getting that curve in my waist line again! AWESOME!
What gets me so excited to share information about 21 Day Fix to all my friends? First, it’s 21 Days!!! Most people can commit to something for 21 days. It’s less than a month! 90 days, even 60 days can seem out of reach for most people.
Second, while Beachbody has come out with some awesome new programs such as P90X2, P90X3, Focus T25, Body Beast, these are quite intimidating for newbies. Yes, T25 is labeled as a beginner program and there is a modifier but Shaun T does move fast and I still found doing only the modifications quite challenging! So I was very happy that Beachbody gave us 21 Day Fix!!! While many of the moves can be found in some of our other programs, the 20sec break between moves allows you recovery time. Autumn does a wonderful job of explaining proper form. And even though I am fit, I just love watching Kat, the modifier. She always has such a positive, happy look on her face and she brings it! With the broad range of cardio, resistance training, pilates, yoga, plyo – something new every day – there is something here for everyone to love.
Third, did I mention the workouts are just 30min? Continuing with the phenomenal success of 25 min a day with Focus T25 and 30min a day with P90X3, 21 Day Fix is also 30min. It seems people are willing to work harder for 30min and therefore get same or better results than if they had worked out for an hour! Now you can workout at home in the time it would take most to get to the gym and back!
And last, while you still have to curtail purely junk food, learn how to eat the proper portion sizes for weight loss, and then once you reach your goal, learn how to adjust it maintain your weight and fitness levels with the simple nutrition guide. I also have other tools available to help you track your portions using the 21 day Fix system!!!
Quotes from my 21 Day Fix online support group:
“I lost about 12 lbs in the 1st round. I feel lighter. I’m never hungry. I was never hungry in the past before I started the program. I just did not know how to eat right. I would just grab something that was easy to prepare to satisfy my hunger. That something was usually unhealthy. Now I know how to plan a healthy meal with the appropriate portion. I was looking at Dr. Oz the other day and he had meals planned similar to the 21 day fix but he did not go into portion size. It has made a difference to me to know how much I need to eat and what to need to eat.”
“Ok, based on my journal I just finished my First Round. I spent most of the first with a sinus infection and struggling to get into a routine. This week I am down 4 pounds and 4 inches for a total of 8 pounds and 9 inches this round. I am looking forward to starting a new round this week and feel much more comfortable with where workouts and food prep fits into my schedule. Off to pack my containers! Have a great day everyone.”
“Well, I’ve been up and down for a few weeks, then leveled off for a bit and finally broke that cycle with a nice loss. Down 3.5 pounds, 3 inches this week for a total loss of 13 pounds, 8 inches so far. I still have a lot of work ahead of me but getting past being ‘stuck’ feels pretty good. My water intake has been the biggest change, increasing to at least 75 oz daily (I try for 120). It’s so much harder to do as we get older…but I’m all in.”
“I was drinking too much almond & coconut milk, and not drinking enough of water. I was eating too many nuts & sweets (Snickers Almond Bar) cookie bars, tortilla chips, and bottled salsa. I was eating bad. With this system I eat healthier and I’m not even hungry. I don’t even think about what I’m going to eat because my hunger is satisfied 24/7. I see why they call junk food empty calories, u always looking for something else to eat. With this program u r not craving for food. Your body is satisfied.” – See more at: https://sybilcooper.com/fitness/results-21-day-fix/#sthash.DWTDM4W5.dpuf
If you want more info, fill out the form below!!!
I wish I had had 21 Day Fix post-baby
I am one day shy of finishing my first round of the 21 Day Fix. Even though I have done most of our other more intense programs such as P90X, P90X2, P90X3, Insanity, Asylum, the 21 Day Fix was still a great workout for me because it’s easy to take it down a few notches with the wonderful modifier, Kate, or to take it up a few notches. I was telling a pregnant
friend of mine that I wish I had had the 21 Day Fix after I had my kids. My youngest is 7yrs old so it’s a bit late and I’m 46 so that ship has sailed for me, ha ha ha. It is so hard to find the time for yourself after having a baby but most of us can squeeze in a 30min workout that is efficient while the baby naps. Then, as you get stronger, the program grows with you!
I was quite pleased when a good friend of mine posted the same thoughts today in our 21 Day Fix online support group, which she kindly gave me permission to share. Someone in the group had asked about losing weight before vs after the baby is born – which is better.
I’ll be honest…I think it just depends on you. I was a fitness instructor, teaching 15 classes per week and probably the best weight of my life when I got pregnant. I continued to teach until I was 7.5 months (imagine that…on a spin bike, doing burpees, yelling at people to push through lol) and then my doc put me on bed rest. I’d gained only 12 pounds at that point, was ALL baby and the baby was super healthy. My doc knows me well and was concerned that I wouldn’t do ‘half work’ during classes for the remainder of my pregnancy. I took full advantage of the time off, lounged around reading, eating whatever…I craved comfort foods like homemade mac & cheese, mashed potatoes and because I’d had such a good pregnancy I didn’t really think about it. I gained 20 pounds before birthing my boy, lost a few right after of course. Lost some more while I nursed but honestly…I gained most of that back because my heart wasn’t in the workouts. I was SO into my baby and being a mom that I kept saying, ‘I’m just gonna enjoy this time…I’ll get back to it next month’. Well that month turned into 8 years and here I am, wanting to lose 50 pounds and wishing I’d made better choices back then. That said, I wouldn’t give back the bonding time I had with my boy. I do however wish I’d had an easy plan like 21 Day Fix to follow…this is a program that the busiest person can be successful with. Pregnant women can easily follow it by increasing their caloric intake as needed and reducing after. I guess my point is, losing weight is never easy. I don’t think it matters if you do it before or after, I think you have to just make the changes in your life that you know will make you feel better and go from there. Don’t think of it as a big diet, or that you are doing the program to lose pounds…get it in your mind that you are doing the program because you want your body to be at it’s best performance, you want to feel healthy! The rest will fall into place. It’s going to be work on either end and for me it was harder to get to the gym or get out for a run when all I wanted to do was look at my precious boy. I hope that’s helpful…sorry so long. lol Good luck!
I wish I had a dollar for every time I told someone, “Don’t think of it as a big diet, or that you are doing the program to lose pounds…get it in your mind that you are doing the program because you want your body to be at it’s best performance, you want to feel healthy! The rest will fall into place.” As Shaun T said, “If you can go on a diet, you can go off a diet.” You have to think about this as a lifestyle change. Sure, for a short time, you can change your eating habits to achieve a specific goal (lean out before a trip), but you have to settle on fitness and nutrition that will allow you to maintain your goal. So many have the mindset, “I want to lose 20lbs” and once they achieve that, they are done, return to old habits and gain back even more. Good nutrition and attention to fitness has to be a lifestyle change!
Results from my 21 Day Fix Group!
The launch of the 21 Day Fix fitness and nutrition program by Autumn Calabrese and Beachbody has been one of our most successful launches. This was surprising to me since she was not a celebrity trainer coming out with her next latest and greatest program. I think the program appeals to several demographics. I think Autumn certainly appeals to the female demographic although men are featured prominently on the set and the program is equally successful for both genders. Also, I think having Kate on the set, someone who is still on her weight loss and fitness journey appealed to many. With the success of Focus T25 and then P90X3, we really got the message that most people can commit to 30min per day for their fitness, but not 45min or 1 hour. And for many, it’s easier to push harder if it’s only 30min rather than pacing yourself for an hour workout! Probably the biggest reason for it’s success is that most people need help with nutrition. They don’t want to learn to buy new foods, they don’t want to learn new recipes. The 21 Day Fix nutrition plan helps you to modify your portion sizes with food that you are used to eating. Sure, Autumn does ask that you eliminate crap food for the 21 Days but you are allowed a bit of chocolate, a few cookies each week, a glass of wine.
I have online support groups that are run through Facebook. We all start the program on the same day and motivate each other to finish. This has been my most successful group in the first week of any program. I have permission to share some of the comments I received in just the first week of the program.
I asked a friend why has she been successful with just one week of 21 Day Fix and unsuccessful with other programs. Here is her response:
“I was drinking too much almond & coconut milk, and not drinking enough of water. I was eating too many nuts & sweets (Snickers Almond Bar) cookie bars, tortilla chips, and bottled salsa. I was eating bad. With this system I eat healthier and I’m not even hungry. I don’t even think about what I’m going to eat because my hunger is satisfied 24/7. I see why they call junk food empty calories, u always looking for something else to eat. With this program u r not craving for food. Your body is satisfied.”
And here are a few more comments:
“First day with the containers and I love it!! So easy, once you have a day planned it’s actually fun to eat instead of a chore. I’m so full and find myself eating at certain times just because I know I need to. It’s been a great day and I still have loads of energy tonight! Normally I would be crashing by now. ”
“Week 1 results: down 4.2 pounds & 2 inches!!!! WHAT????!!!! OK, I’m sold, this program is for real!! And that’s with going out to eat one day, celebrating with a few cupcakes & being that time of month. Sorry for TMI but that plays a factor, too!! Lost 1/2 inch in 4 places. Lower waist & hips didn’t show a loss but I do see & feel a tightness & think I see slimming. So hopefully they will show the inch loss next week. This was a tough week to start a new program with so much going on in my life, but it also pushed me right into real life. And I succeeded!! Can’t wait to see what week 2 has to bring. Finding the new ME…and loving it.”
“During my first week I had to rest for a few seconds when doing a few of the moves, I had to lower my weights at times, and there were times I didn’t use any weights. During the exercise were you lift your leg like a dog I could not get my left leg into position to lift it. Instead of feeling bad about it I just laughed and lifted my left leg up and down. I’ll eventually get it. I made week 1 down 7lb and 6 + inches. I hope my measurements are right. I know I lost something because I feel it in my clothes.”
“In my first week of 21 Day Fix I’m down 2 pounds and 3 inches.”
“The 21 Day Fix has been hands down the best change of lifestyle (it is NOT a diet) I have ever attempted. Within the first week I saw and felt an amazing transformation beginning to take shape. My stomach was down 5 inches of bloat, my abs were feeling tight, my legs and arms stronger. I had more energy, and my bodily functions were improving. This is a journey I am glad I have taken. In two rounds, 42 days, I have lost a total of 15 lbs and 18.75 inches. I have gone from a size 12 to a size 6. And as an added note, I am 45 years old. For years people have just accepted the fact that as we age, we gain weight. It doesn’t have to be that way. With a little effort and a change in our ways of eating and fitness, we can have healthy weight and healthy body.”
If you’d like to join us on your health and fitness journey, click the button to fill out the form below!
Image by Cool Text: Free Logos and Buttons – Create An Image Just Like This
Q&A with 21 Day Fix’s Autumn Calabrese
How to Stop Making Excuses, a Q&A with the 21 Day Fix’s Autumn Calabrese
By Rebecca Swanner
Autumn’s a petite Italian mom from Cleveland, but don’t underestimate the trainer behind the 21 Day Fix™. This single mom with more than 10 years of personal training under her belt has gotten countless clients where they want to go—whether that meant losing ten pounds, a hundred pounds, or getting their body back after becoming a mom. She’s in amazing shape now, but as a teenager, she struggled with her weight and still battles cravings, a tight schedule, and mornings when she just doesn’t feel like working out. Get ready to be inspired by the story of our newest trainer and find out how to stop making excuses and start seeing results.
Ok, let’s cut right to the chase. Have you always looked like a model?
No. When I was a teenager, I was that girl with frizzy hair and braces who got picked on all the time…I don’t want people to look at me and think, oh you don’t know, it’s so easy for you. Because there was a time when it wasn’t.
When did that change?
I started dancing when I was in eighth grade. At first, it was one or two classes a week, but the next year my teacher wanted me competing, which meant I had to take a certain number of classes a week; the more classes I took, the more I wanted to take. Our teacher would talk to us about healthy eating and not drinking soda and that sort of thing so that we could give our best performances. I remember I cut soda out and three weeks after I did it, I walked into dance class one day and everyone stopped and was like, what the heck? They noticed it overnight. I lost five or six pounds, which on my frame, is a lot! But, they would never talk about you should be “this skinny” or say “you’re too fat.” I think that made a huge impact on how I work with people. My big philosophy is learning how to eat clean and enjoying everything in moderation.
How do your experiences as a teenager influence your training style?
I’m not the trainer that is going to scream at somebody and be like, do it, do it, do it. I’m never going to put someone down. I’m always going to be the cheerleader for you and encourage you to reach your goals. I’ve been there. I was the underdog.
How did you get into personal training?
I came to Los Angeles wanting to act and dance. But, I have a bulging disc in my lower spine so I still couldn’t dance as much as I wanted to. I could book a commercial, but I could never book a tour. I could never be on Broadway because my back couldn’t handle that. I pursued acting and have my SAG card and did a commercial here and there, but I was waiting tables the whole time. I waited tables from the time I was 16 to the time I was 25, and was burnt out. I needed to figure out something else to do. I didn’t want to sit at a desk, but I didn’t want to teach dance either. I didn’t want to get burnt out on it. I looked into personal training certifications, got certified through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), and started training. Then a couple years later, I became pre- and post-natal certified.
Speaking of which, you’re a mom. Was it hard for you to lose the baby weight after having your son?
There was a point when I hit a plateau and I was like, OK, this is a bummer, but I stopped making it about the weight and made it about challenging myself in other ways. Could I lift just a little bit heavier? If I was out for a run, could I run a little bit further or a little bit faster? Could I put the baby in the stroller and push him because that’s going to give me more resistance? The weight ended up coming off and I ended up five pounds lighter than before I got pregnant.
Did you try and stay fit when you were pregnant?
I worked out throughout my entire pregnancy. I was in the gym in the morning and went into labor that night. I still gained 36 pounds during my pregnancy and I had a C-section. My goal was to get the baby weight off in 12 weeks, but first I had to recover from the C-section, so it wasn’t like I could go back to working out the day I got home. But, the one thing I could do was go back to my healthy eating. I was breast-feeding so I made sure I was eating enough for myself and for him, but I made healthy choices. When I could get back to working out, I did.
Wasn’t that hard? How did you make the time?
This is the one time you’ll see the tougher side of me. I don’t have patience for excuses. I’ve had a C-section, I’ve had a hernia, and I have a bulging disc in my lower back. For the last 10 years, I’ve worked 12-hour days. And it wasn’t like I only worked out with my clients. I had to find time in between being a single mom. And I still do it. And you can too. You can either make excuses, or you can make results. How bad do you want it? What are you really willing to sacrifice? Yes, there are sacrifices. Yes, there are mornings I don’t want to go to the gym. There are times I’d rather eat chocolate cake than broccoli. But, at the end of the day, I love feeling good about myself. I love having energy to keep up with my son. I love when I put on my jeans and they fit or when I put on a tight dress and it looks good.
You’re making me want to work out right now. Where did the idea for the 21 Day Fix come from?
I started working for Brooke Burke’s site Modern Mom and picked up some celebrity clients. Then two years ago, I had the “aha” moment that I needed to develop something for my clients where they’re going to understand the nutrition side. I was saying, eat three or four or five ounces of chicken. But no one wanted to go get the scale and measure it. I finally sat down with a nutritionist and started brainstorming. We broke down the food groups and came up with 13 different container sizes to fit them. One of my goals was to not eliminate food but teach you how to integrate foods without overdoing it. The goal isn’t to be perfect. The goal isn’t to not enjoy life. Everyone has to have a glass of wine at some point and a girl’s got to have a piece of chocolate. But, the goal is not to do it every single day. America’s problem is we overeat everything…even the healthy stuff.
Not the lack of exercise?
It’s both, but I think at the end of the day, in terms of your weight, it’s more about what you eat. If you’re eating healthy and you’re in the right calorie zone, you should be at your proper weight. Exercise will improve your muscles, your flexibility, and your endurance, keep the weight down, and change the appearance of your body. But I see it all the time. Those people who go to the gym five to six days a week but don’t eat right are all still overweight. They look the same as they did three years ago. I think looking like you’re strong and fit looks better than skinny fat.
What is your cheat food?
I am usually a cookie or a chocolate person. But, I’ve gone so long now without it that when I have it, the sugar rush is too intense. I get headaches and feel nauseous. But, if it’s that time of the month, I want sweets and every so often a piece of pizza, though I don’t eat dairy anymore. But, to be perfectly honest, I don’t keep crap in my house. I know what my weaknesses are. I know if you catch me in a bad emotional state and there are Oreos in the house, I’m not eating one—I’m eating the entire row. I’ll feel sick later and I’ll make myself pay for it in the gym, but if it’s there, I’m going to eat it. And if it’s not there, I’m not going to get in the car, drive to the store, and buy it. So I might go to bed angry about it and be like, I wish I had some damn chocolate, but I’ll get over it.
OK, back to the containers. How do they help?
Autumn Calabrese Working OutWe kept them pretty simple. People don’t have time to cook gourmet meals, so I based a lot of it on how I had to prep for competition. At the very beginning, it was chicken and Mrs. Dash, 5 meals a day. I was like, OK, I can have turkey, I can have steak, I can have fish. I can buy all the different Mrs. Dash seasonings instead of the same one. Or I can make a stir-fry out of it, I use oil and Mrs. Dash flavors instead of soy sauce. I’ve gotten creative, but it takes time. In the beginning, it was like, the recipe says chicken, I’m making chicken.
Some people who might want to do the 21 Day Fix have a lot of weight to lose. Any thoughts on how they can get a good start and then stay motivated?
The biggest thing is to have a support system around you. Have that conversation where you say to your household: This is important to me. I’m trying to make a change. I’m not forcing you to do it, but I need your support. Please don’t try to push me to have things I’m not supposed to have. Or, if you’re the head of the household, you just say, This is what we’re doing. I think it’s important for parents to lead by example. But, at the end of the day, you have to make the commitment to yourself and the only person you have to report to is yourself. That’s a switch that you individually have to figure out how to turn on. Until you can, your weight is going to fluctuate up and down and you’ll find excuses. It’s 21 days. See where you get in 21 days. You may not be perfect. You might cheat. You might have setbacks. But you also can’t let those determine how the rest of the future looks. If you cheat, acknowledge it, figure out what triggered it, and get right back on the horse.
One of the things I loved about the 21 Day Fix was how awesome my legs and butt looked after three weeks. Why the emphasis on the lower body?
The biggest muscle groups are in the lower body, so that’s where you’ll get the biggest calorie burn. Second, it’s important to be balanced in your upper and lower body. And, finally, I’m a leg girl. I’m a dancer. I think strong, toned legs are sexy and appealing. And, a guy with scrawny legs? Come on! You’re out. Out! I shouldn’t be able to squat more than you.
Reposted from: http://www.teambeachbody.com/about/newsletters/-/nli/305#354242573
If you would like to have me guide you and support you through your 21 Day Fix journey, please fill out the form below and I will contact you.
Sjogren’s and Pilates???
Today, I did the Pilates Fix routine from the 21 Day Fix workout program by Beachbody. I am in love with Pilates! This routine worked every muscle in my body but in a relaxing, slow burn kind of way. It felt restorative rather than taxing. So it was quite fitting that a fellow Sjogie should post the following blog post, about a dancer battling Sjogren’s. She also owns and runs her own fitness studio teaching Pilates and yoga!
Tia Cassady writes:
Since Jacqueline’s discovery of Sjogren’s she can no longer professionally compete in ariel fitness. Jacqueline can not train like she used to and can not keep up with the other competitors as her body gets fatigued sooner, her joints are stiff at times, she gets easily bruised and the recovery time is much longer than most dancers and athletes. Jacqueline has decided to not get on medication at this time and is approaching the disease in a holistic manner for now. Jacqueline is taking supplements, made changes in her diet, exercising daily, attending physical therapy, massage, chiropractor and acupuncture treatments. Jacqueline is more determined than ever to continue her passion for dance and helping others.
….Jacqueline decided to rehabilitate herself through safe and effective exercises on her own through methods such as Yoga and Pilates.
As time marches ever closer to my third Spartan Sprint, I am reminded of last years race where fatigue, weakness in my hands compromised my performance. It was frustrating, and yes, I will say devastating, but I pushed past it and finished the race with an excellent time in my age group. I’m approaching this race with the thought of training hard and doing my best. It’s day to day at times with how my body feels. I am hoping with better nutrition and nailing down my supplements that my body will do what my mind wants it to do ….and that’s to climb that darn rope and not have to do BURPEES!!!!
So what is Sjogren’s?
Sjögren’s is a chronic autoimmune disease in which people’s white blood cells attack their moisture-producing glands. Today, as many as four million Americans are living with this disease.
Although the hallmark symptoms are dry eyes and dry mouth, Sjögren’s may also cause dysfunction of other organs such as the kidneys, gastrointestinal system, blood vessels, lungs, liver, pancreas, and the central nervous system. Patients may also experience extreme fatigue and joint pain and have a higher risk of developing lymphoma.
With upwards of 4,000,000 Americans suffering from Sjögren’s, it is one of the most prevalent autoimmune disorders. Nine out of 10 patients are women.
We all have mountains to climb. You just have to find the best path and put one foot in front of the other and get moving!
