Wow hey everyone!! Things have been super crazy lately so sorry I have been a little MIA!

I hope you all (all who celebrate) had a great Easter or Passover holiday! I wish I had some delicious food pictures of our dinner for you but sadly our oven broke (on the bake function) and we had no way to actually cook dinner the whole way!  Luckily we figured it out Saturday and ended up going to get a Boston Market ham, which was delish but I was so bummed I didn't get to make my Pap's recipe! But thanks to my lovely boyfriend we really made the best of it and just enjoyed the day together. Easter isn't a big "gift" holiday for us so we agreed to no gifts and guess who was actually tricked this year! Yup, me! Mike ended up making me a big basket of chocolate with a gift certificate for my fish for our saltwater tank (not sure if you know but I am SUPER excited and obsessed with the tank. I would really love to get a lion fish...side not, not important but maybe one day!).

The weird thing about all of this is remember how I mentioned I was sick? Well weirdly enough it keeps coming back! We think it might not be the flu anymore but might be something else we keep passing back and forth because we keep getting it at exactly the same time and same symptoms!! So that came back Sunday evening but I pretty much just decided to not deal with it because I'm sooooo over being sick! That and a little ibuprofen did the trick!

So why have I been so MIA? WELLLLLLLL.... *DRUM ROLL PLEASE*

Well I can finally announce it as of next week I will be full time personal trainer/fitness coach/nutrition consultant! I'll fill you in on how I did it but I am so thrilled to say that I hit my big goal for 2013 "to be a full time fitness professional" in 3 months!! I'll explain how in a couple posts :-)

While I am so sad to leave my work friends I know that I will still see them and this is a really smart move...even if it is such a tough one. In the words of Adele "who would've known how bittersweet...this would be"? From the bottom of my heart I love my friends and all that I have gained from my job but I am just so excited to fully dedicating myself to my passion!!

Coming soon this week...end of Bulk Phase of Body Beast and then on to leaning...stay tuned for the results :-)

Last week of Body Beast: Build Phase

So this is my last week of Build phase of Body Beast and I can honestly say I am LOVING it still!

My review so far:

Build is 3 weeks of single sets, super sets, drop sets, pyramid sets, and compound moves. The goal is mass gains and really getting stronger.

Within those 3 weeks you work: Legs, back and bis, shoulders, chest and tris, as well as an ab workout and cardio or total body. And the work outs last about an hour (usually just under).

For equipment all you really need are some dumbbells, a pull up bar, and either a bench or a ball to sit/lie on.

The nutrition/supplements:

The break down for nutrients is 50/25/25 (carbs/protein/fat). The reason being if you want to grow you need to keep the body consistently fueled with carbs in order to spare your muscles from breaking down.  You can pick any of the foods from the list/meal guide as long as it meets your caloric needs (the guide helps you break it all down depending on phases).

For supplements:

I am taking creatine, shakeology, whey protein, and fish oils (first time ever using creatine and i have not experienced any of the sometimes side effects thankfully!!)


From this entire program my biggest goal is to really add some muscle and then focus on leaning down come spring time just in time for bikini weather and competing. For me usually my goals change with the seasons and how "exposed" my body actually is, so winter = gain muscle and warm months = lean out and let's see the abs!

The hardest part about all of this is not even the lack of cardio but I USED to be one of those people who cared about the scale so watching the number would have ruined me before...right now I know the goal is to grow and also the carbs and creatine cause water gain too so looking at the number is not going to help and honestly, at this point my jeans fit the same for the most part (my stomach is where I notice the water gain the most) so I am not going to let it bother me. I know it will all go away once I stop the creatine next week and switch in more cardio.

Results so far:

• I know for a fact I have gained at least 2lbs of muscle (pretty good for only 3 weeks!)

• I have increased what I lift ever single week
• I am noticing more size and definition in almost all areas
• Even though my stomach is not as cut as before I can still see my abs so I know I am not gaining much if any fat (balancing muscle growth with not gaining fat is tricky but doable!!)
• I am loving the work outs and it is really bringing Mike and I closer working out together!
  

Have any of you ladies ever tried creatine?

Do your goals tend to change with the seasons and what will be out?

Happy Hump Day!  Whew I cannot figure out why but I cannot get enough sleep this week!! I really think it has to do with the muscle building and the need for more sleep but more on that later. I have received a lot of questions asking what I am eating, how often, and why I am doing what I am doing so I figured I'd give you guys the insider scoop!

Right now I am trying to add muscle to my body with a program called Body Beast. It's an at home work out built to add muscle to the "scrawny guy" in all honesty. The program was designed by an ex body builder Sagi and he is HUGE! So funny and one of my favorite trainers from Beachbody (Tony Horton will always be number one!). And since I have always been the scrawny girl it seemed fitting. I'm 5'8 and I have always had a thin-esque look (Even though I was a total skinny fat girl for most of my life) but the plan is to add some new shape to this body! I am a lot leaner now than in the past so I am only doing cardio1-2x a week to really give my body the chance to grow! But more importantly than that I am eating the proper way to actually build muscle.

Fact: you cannot "lean out" and gain muscle at the same time. The 2 are opposing ideas so right now I am thankful it is sweater season and in bulk mode.

My diet right now is between 2000-2500 calories per day (that is sooo much for me!!) with 50% of those calories being from carbohydrates such as fruits, veggies, and complex carbs and starches. The key is to eat a little over what your "maintenance number" is so that the calories go mostly to muscle and very little is stored as fat.  The other 50% of my diet is broken into roughly 25% protein and 25% fats though it varies a little day to day. The kicker here is that I really need to sit down each week and lay it all out so that there is no guess work but I haven't done so well with that as of yet!

So my meals range from the minimum of 300 calorie snacks to 500 calories. I am eating 5-6 meals a day and also I haven't been super strict. If I want a little chocolate I allow it and so on. I am by no means going over board but for me if I deprive myself now I will only over eat later!

For supplements I am doing a few new things... Pre-work out if I am tired or low in energy I take a supplement called Energy and Endurance...great stuff but it packs a punch so I try not to use it too often. And most importantly post work out nutrition, for this I do 1 packet/1 scoop of chocolate vegan shakeology (YUM!!! First time trying this and I love it!), 1/2 scoop vanilla whey, 1/4 Greek yogurt (plain), 1/4 oats, 1 TB Pb, some ice and almond milk and water, and my creatine. This is my first time using the creatine...ever so I am curious to see how it will help. I can already notice a difference in my lifting (the whole purpose is to increase endurance during the work out by helping the body store more creatine). The only downside to all of this is it can upset stomachs (has not for me) and also causes water retention. Like I said though...it's sweater season so not too problematic right now.

At first the scale freaked me out but then I just stopped checking because in all honesty it does NOT matter!! I am trying to grow and add muscle so hey if I look better, fit into clothes better, and feel better who cares about the scale?

Any ways that is pretty much where I am right now but more on the work outs a little later I have already talked your eat off a ton!!

So what am I doing any ways? Well my life is mostly back to normal now…this week will be the first “normal week” since my accident and I am pretty pumped honestly. It was nice being driven around but I am ready to drive my car and have my usual schedule back.  I am feeling 100% better…no more headaches, no more pain, no more anything. I still get nervous when it gets cold with the roads but all in all and I am super happy and feeling super blessed!

The other thing that has really gone back to normal is my work outs, they have actually gotten even better!! Mike and I are working out together and we are actually loving it! We have tried it before but it just wasn’t for us but with Body Beast it has been amazing and this whole accident plus the work outs have brought us so much closer! Not to mention after not being able to do much for work outs for a month I am just sooooo pumped! I love the soreness, love that I can feel my body getting stronger again, and of course love the challenge that this work out is presenting!!

So that’s my work out now as far as food goes HOLY COW! I get to eat SOOO MUCH FOOD! It’s pretty heavenly honestly. I am currently trying to build and add muscle to my body so I am only doing cardio once a week (but trust me the way the work outs are set up your heart rate still gets up there!) and eating 50% of my diet as carbs, 25% protein, and 25% fats (at least I am trying!!) It is fun but also challenging to eat that much food. When I was on “light duty” I was eating about ½ of what I am now and was just trying to maintain and stick with clean eating. With this program I need to eat a TON of food and often too. My current calorie count is anywhere from 2000-2500 depending on the muscle group/work out plan. I promise I will give you some more details on what the workouts, foods, and s

As far as supplements go I will share a little later what I am doing with those!!

So what are your current work out plans like?

So as you may have read here or on my Facebook page, I recently did the Beachbody Ultimate reset. Now fist off let's be clear I have never been one that was obese but I was over weight as a skinny fat girl--gee thanks genetics of a 5'8 lady! But I have lost all the weight and kept it off so this was more about changing habits and having a better relationship with food and vegetables (see previous post!)

So here are my results!!

I am 5'8 as I said
Before weight: 138
Before body fat: 17.8

After weight: 130
Body fat: 16.8

Not only do I have new veggie recipes but I lost the holiday weight plus some extra body fat!!

Now what? Time to plan and prep for body beast and bring on the muscle!

What is your workout plan like?

How often do you change up your work outs?

1. Coach Summit 2013 5-Year Birthday Package
Possibly the most important announcement coming out of such a monumental Summit is that, heck yes, there will be a Coach Summit 2013! It'll be bigger. It'll be better. And we'll make an even stronger statement for health, fitness, happiness, and success.

Don't even hesitate. Register by 11:59 ET on July 4th to get in on our $555 5-Year Birthday package—which includes the price of admission and 3 nights at the MGM Grand®.

• Get registered

2. Chocolate Vegan Shakeology®
Mmm. Mmm. Delish! Starting Tuesday, June 26th, we're introducing a new member of the Shakeology to TeamBeachbody.com—Chocolate Vegan. The new blend includes 5 new superfoods (such as moringa and Himalayan salt), has more of a natural cacao flavor (sort of like dark chocolate), and is, of course, vegan!

Look for it in the TeamBeachbody.com store this Tuesday, in Challenge Packs this Thursday, June 28th, and in single-serving packets July 5th. All-new Chocolate Vegan sales tools coming

3. Body Beast™ Now Available on TeamBeachbody.com
If you just felt your bicep quiver, you're ready to unleash the BEAST on your friends, customers, and prospects. Body Beast is super tough, will get you super jacked, and the general consensus at Summit was that people are super stoked.

It's available now exclusively on TeamBeachbody.com and through Coaches, so get the word out and take advantage ASAP. We've even provided a whole mess of tools to help you talk shop.

• Buy Body Beast
• View the Tools

4. $14.95 FREE Trial Offer (Limited Time Only)
Starting today, June 25th, and through Tuesday, July 31st, you will be able to try a Challenge Pack before you buy it. If you're not getting the results you desired, you can return everything for no additional fee (or else you’ll be charged). But with ME as YOUR Coach, your odds of success are pretty darn good. Right?

5.  Derm Exclusive® Now Available on Team Beachbody.com
Beachbody's breakthrough skincare treatment, Derm Exclusive, is now available to you at TeamBeachbody.com! This incredibly powerful system of treatments works to fight the four signs of aging—fine lines and wrinkles, sagging skin, dark spots, and diminishing radiance. In other words, your face will love it.

It was one of our best-sellers at Coach Summit and, pun intended, could change the face of your business.

6. Chocolate Shakeology: New Superfood Formula!
You probably know how antsy we get about constantly improving our products. Shakeology is definitely no exception. We've recently upped the ante for our regular Chocolate blend with four new superfoods: moringa, coconut flower nectar, luo han guo, and Himalayan salt. There's also more fiber and less sugar!

Starting in July, you'll begin receiving the new formula in your HD shipments and new orders. We'll be phasing out the original formula, so you may not see this one right away. Keep an eye out for a "New Superfood Formula" stamp on the bag—and enjoy!

7. LES MILLS Body Combat (Coming Soon)
The martial arts are coming to Beachbody via our amazing LES MILLS trainers! Body Combat will be available first for preorder, and we'll let you know official dates as soon as we have them. Meanwhile, ask anyone who was at the Summit Super Workout how they liked trying Combat!

8. INSANITY: THE ASYLUM®, Vol. 2 (Coming Soon)
Because just one ASYLUM isn't crazy enough, we've got Volume 2 in the works, and Shaun T is determined to Dig Deeper® than ever before. Stay tuned for an official announcement!

9. Cordastra™ (Coming Soon)
With the help of Tai Cheng's Dr. Mark Cheng, we're now putting the finishing touches on Cordastra, an herbal energy supplement that helps improve stamina and endurance. News to come!