Zigzag Dieting

Zigzagging is the most powerful tool in your nutrition arsenal for adjusting your diet as your fitness or your goals change.

Whether you want to lose weight, gain weight, or just eat so that you perform at your best, the most effective tool to figure out how much you should be eating is known as zigzag dieting. Also referred to as “refeeding” in bodybuilding circles, it’s a technique I’ve been using for years.

Here’s how to zigzag diet: On 2-3 days of the week, eat the same number of calories you usually would. On the remaining 4-5 days, eat more (or less) calories. The general practice is 4 days of change and 3 days of remaining the same, but some prefer 5 and 2, or even changing daily as shown in the graph below. No matter which plan you follow, your body will tell you if it was a good idea by responding better (or worse) to your workouts. While it’s generally used to add calories (hence, “refeeding”), it works the same in both directions. Continue zigzagging up and/or down until you feel like you’re performing at your best.

Zig-Zagging aka Refeeding

 

How many more (or fewer) calories should you eat while zigzagging?

The bigger and more active you are, the higher number of calories you should add or subtract. Most people move in a 200-500 calories per day range (or more, as you can see in the image above, though that’s more of a deficit than I’d use unless I was well versed in it). Don’t get too caught up in the number. There’s nothing wrong with going too low, and then zigzagging again. Unlike yo-yo dieting, zigzagging won’t negatively affect your metabolism. Instead, if you pay attention to your workouts, and keep zigzagging until you’re nailing every workout, your body will respond by raising your metabolism to handle the stress and gaining or losing weight will become easier.

 

How zigzag dieting can break a plateau
Say, for example, you’re eating 1500 calories a day and you’ve lost weight. But, now your weight loss has stagnated. That’s because the new, fitter you has a different body composition than the former you. You have more muscle and a higher basal metabolic rate (BMR). In order to continue your weight loss you need to eat more, because 1500 calories isn’t enough and your body is reacting by slowing down your metabolism and releasing cortisol in a protective response (this is often called starvation mode because this is how your body would respond to being starved).

For the sake of this example, let’s say your run a calorie calculation and determine that you need to 2500 calories per day. (Here’s an article to help you figure out how many calories you should be eating.) You don’t want to jump straight to 2500 calories. First, it would cause some shock to your system and, second, it might be inaccurate, as those calculators only give ballpark figures. The most effective thing to do is to zigzag your caloric intake. In this instance, I would recommend eating 2000 calories per day 3-4 days per week and 1500 calories on the other days. Note how your body responds. My expectation is you’d feel good on the higher calorie days and famished on the lower calorie days.

You want to be energized but not hungry and not full. So, after a week or two, bump up your calories to around 2200 calories for 4-5 days and 1500 calories on 2 days. Do this for about a week. If I’m still starving on the low days, try bumping them up to 2000 and see how you respond. You can tell when you’re eating too many calories because you’ll begin to feel full, you won’t digest your food between meals, and you’ll feel more lethargic at the beginning of workouts.

Do you have questions about zigzag dieting? Let us know in the comments below.

 

article credit to beachbody blog by: Steve Edwards

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How to save money on Shakeology

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How to Save Money on Shakeology #1:  HOME DIRECT

When you first order Shakeology, be sure to choose the Home Direct option to get free shipping (you can cancel that anytime).  You can also modify your shipping dates and flavor options at any time in your Teambeachbody.com account.

How to Save Money on Shakeology #2:  ORDER A SALE CHALLENGE PACK

When you get a Challenge Pack through teambeachbody.com, it comes with a full program and a month of Shakeology at a reduced rate.  There is usually a Challenge Pack on sale for $140 – just a little bit more than Shakeology alone.  For example, right now Shakeology is $124.95. For just $15 more, you can get one of these challenge packs:
-PiYo
-21 Day Fix
-21 Day Fix Extreme

To me, it’s a no-brainer.  I’d rather spend $15 more to get a program I don’t have already AND Shakeology.  As a customer, you will only have one opportunity to purchase a challenge pack.  However, the best option is below (#3).

How to Save Money on Shakeology #3:  SIGN UP AS A COACH

Beachbody coaches get 25% off Shakeology, so if you’re going to order more than one month you’ll recoup your coaching fee of $39.95 in two orders.

BY FAR THE BEST DEAL:  Your coaching fee is waived if you buy a challenge pack when you sign up.  By far the best deal is to sign up with a $140 Sale Challenge pack, get a program AND Shakeology, and start getting Shakeology at a discount month two.

Don’t let the term “coach” scare you!  Many people sign up to be a coach for the sole reason to get the Shakeology discount.  Beachbody set up the coaching opportunity in such a way that even for those who don’t want to do the business, can save 25% on products like Shakeology.   The Shakeology discount alone is worth it if you plan on using Shakeology on a regular basis. There is a one time fee of $39.95 and a monthly account maintenance fee of $15.95. The monthly fee covers your two web sites that Beachbody provides to you, your coaches online office (COO).

Of course if you’d love to do more with your Beachbody business than just get a discount on Shakeology, I’m here to help you with that as well.  This is why I decided to become a Beachbody Coach.

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How to MAKE MONEY on Shakeology #4: EARN THROUGH REFERRALS

Also, as a coach, if you decide to recommend Shakeology to others you will earn a 25% commissions on every sale.   Once your friends see your success, they will ask you what you’re doing – so it’s easy to just give them your link to order when they do. The commission isn’t just on the first shipment either, it’s for every month your friend continues with Shakeology.  Start referring them to the challenge groups as well, start earning even MORE.

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21 Day fix Tips

You’re on the 21 Day Fix and not seeing results.  What’s going on?  It could be simply that you’re not giving your body enough time to adjust to your new lifestyle change.  Some of my challengers see their biggest results after their second or third round, not their first.  However, there are some tips I do have to keep you headed in the right direction:

“I’m Not Losing Weight!”

First of all, don’t weigh yourself the first week.  This is important.  Let me repeat: DO NOT STEP ON THE SCALE THE FIRST WEEK.  If I had my way, challengers would only weigh in once every 2-3 weeks.  Short-term fluctuations are not only demoralizing, they’re usually not an accurate measure of progress.  Now, go read this post:  Why you should ignore your weight.

Also, take a long hard look at a few things:

  • Your expectations.  It’s unrealistic to expect a 15-lb. weight loss in three weeks if you’re close to your goal weight, already working out, etc.  My challengers who have big weight loss during the Fix are usually the ones who start with the most weight to lose.
  • Are you giving the program 100% effort?  Are you sticking to the program, drinking your Shakeology, and giving your workouts your all (if they’re easy for you, you NEED to increase your weights or move up to 21 Day Fix Extreme).

“I’m Not Hungry!”

You do not have to eat all of your containers if you’re legitimately full.  I always want my challengers to eat according to their body’s cues and signals.  However, I’d rather have you leave out a yellow container than a green.  If you’re not getting all your greens in, try blending spinach or kale into your Shakeology.  Your body needs the nutrients, especially while working out.

“I’m Always Hungry!”

If you are hungry, eat.  Simple.  Again, this is part of eating according to your body’s cues.  It could be that you are trying to maintain a lower calorie bracket than you should.  Try adding a red first, as protein can help curb hunger.    Also, in my opinion, you can never have too many veggies.  Add greens.  Are you drinking your Shakeology?  That also helps curb cravings.

“What if I’m breastfeeding?”

Breastfeeding mothers should go up a calorie bracket since they require approximately 500 extra calories per day to maintain their milk supply.  However, they should always consult their doctor or OB/GYN before starting any diet or exercise program.

“What if I am exercising more than normal?”

If you do doubles for the ENTIRE 21 days of the program then you should use the formula on page 76 of the 21 Day Fix Guide book that accounts for harder/longer workouts. This will put you in the appropriate calorie bracket. If you are only doing doubles for the last 3 days or the last week you should not need to adjust the calorie bracket.

Other 21 Day Fix Tips and Modifications:

  • Try eliminating dairy.
  • Eat the foods at the top of the 21 Day Fix Foods List.  These foods provide the biggest nutritional bang for their buck, so to speak.  Are you eating too many foods at the bottom of the list?  Adjust accordingly.
  • Make sure you are not eating anything, especially carbs, 3 hours before going to sleep.
  • Try limiting whole wheat products, substituting other whole grains like quinoa, barley, and brown rice.  Wheat can cause blood sugar to spike and leave you feeling hungry.
  • If you suffer from late-night cravings, make sure you are eating enough throughout the day.  Many of my challengers use their Shakeology as an after-dinner snack to avoid giving in to night time temptations.
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Why does shakeology cost so much?

Why Does Shakeology Cost So Much?

That’s a question that I get a lot. I find that it’s because, like me; most people don’t understand what Shakeology really is. It is not simply a protein shake (although it does contain protein). I wouldn’t describe it as a meal replacement shake either, although that is how it is marketed. I like to call it a Superfood Health Shake.  The superfoods it contains is why I drink it.

My Shakeology story is a reluctant one.  Before I was introduced to it, I was drinking a simple whey protein shake after my daily workouts.  I liked the taste, and I was building muscle – which was my goal.  Why Shakeology?  It costs nearly four times what my current shake cost (I was using the Simple truth brand from Kroger/Dillons).  However, as a new Beachbody coach I felt I should give it a try to see if it was a product I felt I could endorse.  Long story short, I’m still drinking it daily over a year later and would never go back.

What Shakeology did for me was curb my cravings for Diet Coke.  I had a habit of drinking 2-3 cans of soda a day.  Shakeology got me weaned off that, and a few months later I was done with it entirely and didn’t miss it at all. I also have a great way to get rid of my sweet craving! I have a huge sweet tooth and have always struggled with rewarding myself with food. It is how I got to my heaviest and when I finally had to stop and reassess.

Now on to addressing the original topic: Why is Shakeology so expensive?  It’s because of what’s in it.  It’s packed with exotic superfoods scouted from all over the globe  that are known to promote health and wellness.  I was looking at all of these superfoods in the grocery store and boy they are crazy expensive!  Getting them all in one drink instead of buying them separately just makes good sense to me.

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Remember that buying stuff that’s cheap usually isn’t the best strategy.  It’s about finding the best value for your money.  I fully acknowledge that Shakeology is expensive, but to me it gives me the biggest bang for my buck.  If you’re frugal like me, you may also be interested in Ways to Save Money on Shakeology.

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I do encourage you to do your own research on other shakes on the market.  Knowledge is power.  For me, it took learning about Shakeology and trying it for myself to convince me.   It’s also why so many of my challengers continue on with it after they hit their weight loss goals and sign up as discount coaches.  They can’t imagine not having it!

What is YOUR Shakeology story?

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21 Day Fix review

21 Day Fix Review

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So what comes with The 21 Day Fix:

21 Day Fix Eating Plan

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A simple eating plan where you don’t have to worry about counting ounces, cups, and calories.
You get seven color-coded containers that are different sizes for measuring green = veggies, purple = fruits, red = protein, yellow = carbs, blue = healthy fats, orange = seeds/dressing, teaspoon = oils.
You figure out your calorie level, which is based on your weight. There are four different calorie levels and each involves a different number of containers. I was in the 1,200-1,499 calorie range and was supposed to eat 3 servings of veggies, 2 servings of fruit, 4 servings of protein, 2 servings of carbs, 1 serving of healthy fats, 1 serving of seeds/dressing and 2 teaspoons of oil/nut butter per day.
You’re encouraged to drink plenty of water, but you can still have coffee and tea.
There’s room for treats like wine, oatmeal cookies, trail mix and chocolate as well. <— woot woot! Fair warning on this one, for wine the portion size is 4 oz a.k.a 2 sips. :)

The book includes a list of food ideas for each container and a few basic recipes.

For even more amazing recipes Autumn’s new cookbook FIXATE is amazing!

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21 Day Fix Workout DVDS:

Total Body Cardio Fix — Includes moves that keep your heart rate up and your muscles engaged.
Upper Fix — Targeted resistance training helps to shape your chest, back, shoulders, arms, and abs.
Lower Fix — Firms and tone your entire lower body (glutes, quads, hamstrings and calves) while you blast fat and burn calories.
Pilates Fix — Strengthens your core, elongates your muscles, and firms your hips and thighs.
Cardio Fix — Gets your heart pumping and your body moving with body weight movements like jumping jacks and burpees.
Dirty 30 — 4 rounds, 8 exercises.
Yoga Fix — Active rest workout that helps to improve balance, flexibility, and strength.

It also comes with a few extra bonuses like the 3 day quick fix eating plan — Autumn’s secret weapon for losing weight fast before a competition or photo shoot. My package also included the Plyo Fix workout DVD — a tough but awesome workout.

Click Here To get Your 21 day fix!

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Transition Diet

I was going back through the Beachbody blog archives and found this gem. I have done it before and loved it!

Transition diets are one of the easiest ways to become a healthier eater.

It’s often said that no one diet works for every individual. While this is true, you may have noticed that all Beachbody eating plans target a similar goal: Eat more natural, whole foods and less junk. That’s because there are no secrets to healthy eating. There are strategies that can lead to various performance benefits, but 99% of the goal of eating healthy is to minimize junk and get your diet to consist of real food (you know, the stuff nature makes). With this in mind, our Beachbody nutrition guides use various strategies, all designed to lead you to the same place.

While those nutrition guides tend to be detailed, the 8-Week Transition Diet is for those of you who want simple. Outside of a small list of what you can’t eat, you’re free to chow down on anything. How hard can that be? You should also find that by making your transition gradually, the road to healthy eating is pretty easy.

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Week 1

No junk. Eliminate junk food from your diet. That’s it, just junk. Other than this, you can eat whatever and whenever you like. The definition of junk is obvious stuff, like potato chips, candy, ice cream, cake, etc. You may be stricter if you’d like, but for Week 1, don’t be too hard on yourself. Just stay out of the 7-Eleven. For many of you, this step alone will reap huge benefits.

Cheat Days: 2. Since no one’s perfect, you get two days to cheat. That’s right, two days where you can eat anything you want! A trick on cheat days is to listen to your body. At first, it’ll probably tell you it wants whatever you’ve been denying it. However, over time, it’ll start to crave nutrients you’re deficient in. Learn to read your body’s subtle signs. If you’re craving ice cream, you may be short on essential fatty acids. If you crave a hamburger, your diet may lack protein. By listening to your body and learning what it really needs in this way, you can make better food substitutions. It’s a way of getting in tune with yourself that will benefit you for your entire lifetime.

Weekly focus: Water. Not swimming in it, though that’s good, too, but staying hydrated with it. “They” say you should drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water per day, but I say you should drink more. Shoot for a gallon (though don’t worry if you fall short). Yeah, that probably seems crazy but almost all of us walk around dehydrated for most of our lives, which not only hurts the way we function but also makes us hungry when we’re actually thirsty. A glass of water when you feel hunger pangs both staves them off and helps you fill up faster when you do eat. As for other drinks, juices and sugary sodas also (obviously) fall into the junk category. And alcohol should be kept to a minimum. We tend to forget (purposely or not) that alcohol has calories. A lot of them: 7 calories per gram. Mixers can be even worse—not only can they add calories, but these sugary calories influence the way alcohol reacts with your body. When you do drink, try and follow theseguidelines.

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Week 2

Each week’s rules are cumulative, so the “no junk” rule from Week 1 will apply until the end, as will each subsequent week’s rule. Remember that this is a process. Treat it as though you’re in school and the subject is your own body.

Eat small, eat often. Eat every couple of hours while you’re awake and try not to eat anything for about three hours before you go to sleep. Following these rules will keep your blood sugar levels more static and your energy level will stay consistent. Try to keep each snack or meal balanced. Something like a 30% protein, 40% carbohydrate, and 30% fat ratio, though you don’t need to worry too much about it. Just realize that you need a bit from each macronutrient group. Eat based on what you’ll be doing for the next few hours (if you’re working out, eat a little more; sitting at a desk, eat a little less). The three-hours-before-bed rule is important, especially for fats and carbohydrates. By allowing time for all the carbs you eat to get into your bloodstream, your body will sleep in fat-burning mode, rather than in calorie-storing mode. This is important because undigested carbs in your stomach at night are stored as adipose tissue (fat).

Cheat Days: 2

Weekly focus: Carbs are not the enemy. Your body needs them, just like it needs proteins and fats. The trick is to choose the right carbs. As a society, we eat too much refined sugar. Complex carbs, like whole-grain breads, whole-grain rice, sweet potatoes, and legumes are outstanding foods. Even fruits, which have simple carbohydrates wrapped in fiber, are exceptionally healthy. While you don’t want a diet based on nothing but carbs, making the right carb choices will maximize your body’s potential. Try to avoid white rice and flours. Read labels, and try to avoid ones that use the word “enriched,” because this means these products have been stripped of their natural nutrients, overprocessed, and then fortified with a few random nutrients.

 

Week 3

Eat some colorful, low-density food at every meal. These are foods that take up a lot of space without a lot of calories. Veggies are the most obvious example. You can eat a salad bowl overflowing with lettuce and veggies and you most likely won’t exceed 100 calories. By eating low-density foods like veggies and fruits, you’ll keep your portions under control naturally, because they have very few calories for their size. Conversely, high-density foods, like chocolate and butter, are loaded with calories in even the smallest amounts. So beware of salad dressings and other things you add to salads and veggies. Only add enough for flavor; don’t fill up on them. When it comes to live foods, the richer the colors, the fresher the products tend to be. Try to eat a variety of colors in your diet. This simple-yet-random-feeling act will help ensure that you’re covering all your nutrient bases.

Cheat Days: 1

Weekly focus: Protein at every meal. This becomes even more important as you eat more low-density food, because protein tends to be high-density. Many veggies have a lot of protein, but the quantity you must consume starts to become prohibitive. Try to get some protein—meat, dairy, legumes, nuts, or seeds each time you eat, especially when you’re working out hard, because you need to repair broken-down muscle tissue. Since your body can only utilize a certain amount of protein at once, do your best to eat small amounts often (starting to see a theme?) Reading labels is a simple way to learn how to estimate your protein intake. You’ll notice natural foods don’t have labels but once your diet is comprised mostly of these you’ll no longer need them. More on this later.

 

Week 4

Cook at home. One of the best ways to control your eating is to prepare all your meals yourself. Eliminate all fast food (which hopefully happened in Week 1) and most other restaurant food. You may still eat food from certain restaurants where you can be sure of the ingredients (most will be savvy enough to make a point of how healthy their food is). As you may have seen in the news, restaurants tend to use alarming quantities of salt, among other things. This single step will often bring your body closer to homeostasis (its desired state of balance). This can be hard for many of us because we now have to plan our meals and prepare ahead of time, but try to treat it like vocational school—you don’t learn a new “job” without a little retraining.

Cheat Days: 1

Weekly focus: Fat is essential. Remember that fat is a vital part of your diet, not just something that makes you fat. What is not vital is junk fat in processed foods. Healthy fats come from fish, nuts, seeds, avocados, olives, etc.—natural sources. You need to be careful about that amount of fat you eat because it’s very dense. At 9 calories per gram, it contains more than double the calories of carbs and protein.

 

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Week 5

Reduce starchy carbohydrates. Starches include rice, bread, potatoes, corn, beans, and other legumes. While many of these are in no way bad foods, most of us eat too much of them. The goal here is to cut way down on them, if not totally out, and then add them back in when your body feels like it needs energy. This will teach you the relationship you have with carbs. They are vital for energy but eating too many of them leaves us lethargic (and eventually fat). Once you figure this out, your entire relationship with food will change.

Cheat Days: 1

Weekly focus: Sugar is only beneficial after a hard workout or during a long one. Your body doesn’t need processed sugar. But if you really enjoy it and can’t avoid letting some sneak into your daily diet, the one-hour period after you exercise is the best time to indulge. During this window, your blood sugar is low, because you’ve used it up to finish your workout (assuming you pushed yourself), and eating sugar during this time will help you recover faster because it speeds into your system and initiates the recovery process. Adding a little protein, but not too much, will enhance your recovery even further.

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Week 6

If man makes it, don’t eat it. This is likely to be the hardest week of your diet. You want to eat only whole foods and eliminate all processed foods, even good ones, for the week. This includes breads, most salad dressings, all cereal, luncheon meats, cheese, dried fruits, anything with preservatives, and alcoholic beverages. What you can eat are whole foods such as fruit, raw or steamed vegetables, meat (sans any type of sauce), natural whole-grain rice, poached eggs, etc. Since your eating habits have been slowly changing, this shouldn’t be that big a shock to your system, but it will still likely be hard. Try and get creative. There are now many raw and whole food “cook” books that can help keep you entertained.

Cheat Days: 1. The “cheat day” mentality is a good one. Decadent desserts, a night at the buffet, drinking with friends, etc., can be good for you as long as they are rewards and not habits. Studies proving this have been steadily appearing for about as long as we’ve been studying things. All work and no play does, indeed, make Jack a dull boy.

Weekly focus: Nuts and seeds make great snacks. A handful of raw almonds or cashews is a quick and easy snack that goes a long way. Don’t be put off by the high fat count of nuts, because this means it takes fewer of them to satiate you. Nuts and seeds are loaded with important phytonutrients, as well as good fats, proteins, and fiber.

Week 7

Be yourself. No rules—just try and eat as healthily as you can and do it by feel. Trusting yourself might seem like a lot of responsibility, but by now you’ll be up to it. Learning to eat by feeling what your body needs is an important step in your transformation. Consider the way you’ve been eating over the last six weeks, but don’t worry about what you should and shouldn’t do. Just fuel yourself. The point is to take a mental break. Relax and allow yourself to eat in a way that feels normal. You may be surprised to find yourself craving something healthy instead of a candy bar or soda. You’ll be better at listening to your body because it’ll tell you what it needs to eat, as opposed to what you’re used to eating. Your body should feel somewhat transformed.

“Reward for a Life Well Lived” Days: 1

Weekly focus: If you’re so hungry at night that you can’t sleep, try a protein shake. A recent study confirmed what’s been a focus of this diet for two decades; that protein before bed can raise amino acid activity for a full night of rest.

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Week 8

Eat a perfect diet. Let’s get after it. No one is better able to tell you what you should eat than you. Our bodies are all different, and the key to your own perfect diet is learning about how your body reacts to different foods under different circumstances. Your journey over the last seven weeks should have brought you to a new understanding of how food affects your body, both for good and for bad. The time has come to test it. See how well you can eat for a week. In fact, see how well you can eat for the rest of your life. Live and enjoy.

Reward Days: 1, of course!

Weekly Focus: Don’t bonk. Bonking is a state when your body runs out of blood sugar and glycogen for energy. If you feel like your workouts are going backward instead of forward, this is a likely culprit. Use your energy level as your gauge. As soon as it starts to drop, start adding carbs back into your diet until you feel energized all day long. When you feel energized during your workouts and the rest of the day, you’ll know you’ve found the right balance between carbs and other nutrients. Also, remember that as your body puts on more muscle, you will need to eat more. Muscle weighs much more than fat, so as you gain muscle and lose fat, your body shrinks without losing weight. You will also require more calories in order to maintain your muscle. So, when you’re working out hard, don’t be afraid to eat more carbs than you do otherwise.

 

So in conclusion a great way to slowly change your eating lifestyle is to do it with a transition diet!

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Bored Easily

Okay I changed things….if you have followed me for any amount of time you now know that I get bored easily. That actually might be an understatement actually. My husband always jokes with me….oh look a tree…yeah that’s what he will say to me because my train of thought and focus changes so frequently. Hey, I am who I am and I definitely keep things interesting that’s for sure. I can also go off on rambling tangents…probably have noticed that about me as well. Okay, back on point….

Where was I?

Oh yeah, I get bored easily. Well, it has happened again. I was absolutely loving body beast. I have been getting amazing results and starting to really see the definition come in. BUT…my sister is doing the 21 day fix right now. I was also wanting to really zero in on my nutrition and just decided now was a good time to refocus. So, as of Monday I’m doing another round of 21 day fix….and here is the thing, I’m counting on everyone else to keep me on track and focused for the next 21 days. I’m doing this…start to finish :).

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My awesome planner with 21 day fix stickers!

I still need to take my before pictures and measurements other than weight and body fat so those will be posted either later or I will wait until I’m done with this round (or the next one) to post the difference. If you haven’t noticed yet I don’t have any before/after pictures of me up really yet. I know I should, it is just something I’m not ready to do yet. First, I’m still on my journey, I’m not where I want to be or even close for that matter. BUT soon my friends, soon I will get there and post transformation pictures!

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Okay back to the point again….:) see I get off track and bored easily!!! That’s why I’m loving beachbody on demand so much (granted body beast and 21 day fix aren’t included unless you buy the dvd’s). You get to pick which program you want and what workout what day etc. The challenge du jour is amazing too. Each day the people at beachbody “prescribe” a workout for the day jumping around and sampling all the different programs!

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Fix approved lunch!

Wow….eventually I will finish this post! If you don’t follow me on instagram yet you should! abby.siler.fitness is my name. I regularly post lunch ideas that are all fixed approved as well as other tips and workout bonuses as well as some of my random life in there! You should definitely check it out!

So, who wants to join me for a 21 day fix challenge group where we all support one another and keep each other on track!? I will be your coach and help you every step of the way! Lets do this! Sign up below if you want to join in on the fun!

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E-mail:*
Do you currently own any Beachbody Fitness programs?*
Have you ever tried Shakeology?*
My coach is Abby Siler on Teambeachbody.com*
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21 Day fix is on Sale!!

Ahhh I’m so happy/bummed at the same time! One of my favorite programs is on sale right now! The 21 day fix is an amazing program and gets amazing results! It makes nutrition so simple and easy and the workouts are short and effective. What’s even better? Right now the 21 day fix is on sale!!! So that is why I am happy…..Why am I bummed? The sale ends tomorrow……wah wah! I want to repeat the good though….the 21 day fix is on sale!

Why is this sale so amazing? well…..

21 day fix, shakeology, on sale, hurry offer ends July 31! http://www.teambeachbody.com/checkout/-/bbcheckout/challengepack/21-day-fix?referringRepId=432950

let me break it down for you. If you buy a month of shakeology you will get the 21 day fix for $10. You buy your healthiest meal of the day for a month and get a workout program plus a fail-proof nutrition guidelines for $10. Click Here to watch a video and learn more about the 21 day fix! I am starting a 21 day challenge group soon for all of my new participants that purchase this program! It is an amazing deal!

Oh and even more, you not only will get a support team helping you with your journey and me as your coach. You will/can also get 30 days free of the club membership which includes hundreds of workouts that you can stream! That means you can try out some of the other programs and see what other one you might fall in love with as well!!

But remember….the sale ends tomorrow…..hurry, Hurry, HURRY!!!!

P.S. if you want more information on Shakeology and why it is so amazing….go HERE. Words cannot describe how much I love this stuff.

xoxo

Abby

One more time….21 day fix is on sale but it ends tomorrow July 31st! Click HERE to order!!!!

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Budget Friendly Home Gym

budget friendly gym layout

One of the biggest excuses that I get from people who want to get into working out is the cost. They either don’t want to pay for a gym membership or think that having a home gym is too expensive. WRONG. A gym membership is expensive but working out at home is more convenient, cheaper, and no pressure/intimidation. Here I am going to bust the budget conundrum of working out.  

Most of the Beachbody programs require little to no home equipment to get an amazing workout in and get amazing results. However, there are a few that require some weights etc., such as P90X programs, 21 day fix and Body Beast. So, how do you build your home gym/supply the equipment that you need for these workouts without breaking the bank? Basically, in this post I’m going to go over how I have built my Budget Friendly Home Gym!

My first and favorite equipment that I absolutely love and recommend to everyone is to get a good set of high quality resistance bands. Beachbody   has a great set and I love them. The great thing about bands is the wide range of resistance that they provide and also the portability. I love being able to toss my {small} bag of resistance bands into my travel bag and take them anywhere. It means I can get a great strength training workout in wherever I go no matter what! There are different set options for you to get depending on the amount of resistance you need. Or you can get the ultimate kit that has 10 bands with 5-50 pounds of resistance. So, For $40-120 you can have a set of bands that covers all of your strength training needs. These are all anyone truly needs, honestly. I can even do Body Beast with bands instead of weights. Which is awesome!

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Now you might be wanting to progress from bands to weights or you might not like the idea of bands. Hey, that’s fine, to each their own. I feel like there isn’t as much value in weights as the bands so to do a budget friendly home gym bands are the way to go. BUT , if you are like me and absolutely love dumbbells (I truly do) then what I recommend is shopping around for the right price. In my area, Academy Outdoor and Sports has the best price per pound for dumbbells so that is where I am getting all of mine from. Keeping the budget friendly home gym aspect in mind. I don’t recommend going out and buying a full set of dumbbells all at once. A) you don’t get them at a better price per pound doing this so it isn’t worth it and B) you don’t need all of those weights all at once. What I have been doing is I started with buy a pair of 5lb and 8lb dumbbells. After I started to outgrow those I bought a pair of 10lbs. Buy your dumbbells as you need them and grow in strength. Simple as that, no need to go out and spend $200+ all at once for a set when you don’t need them all right now. You will end up spending that much in the end but you will spread it out over a year or two more than likely.

Here is what mine currently looks like:

abbysilerfitness.com, home gym, budget home gym, free weight loss coaching

Keep in mind I have been building mine up for about 2 years now so I didn’t buy this all at once. Also the orange things are my dad’s home creation of a Lebert Equilizer! He is pretty awesome. He also made me my pull up bar that is not pictured as well.

I also have a t-grip bar that I got for my birthday last year. I use this instead of the ez-curl bar. I love it’s versatility. However, it is a little more pricey than the EZ curl bar that Beachbody has. Or click HERE to get your own t-grip barbell!

abbysilerfitness.com, t-grip barbell, workout equipment

t-grip barbell

Additionally to the t-grip bar, weights, homemade equilizer, an resistance bands I have a stability ball which is irreplaceable! They are really inexpensive at Walmart or target….like under $10.

Must Haves:

1. stability ball

2. resistance bands

3. a few dumbbells

that’s it. Nothing fancy. Not a whole dumbbell set. Just a few things that you can probably spend less than $100 on to get you started. That would be less than 2 months of a gym membership. Add in a little beachbody on demand and you are ready to go!

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Healthy Chicken Margherita Pasta

Oh my goodness!  You guys have to try this new recipe. It is amazing! I am always on the lookout for quick, easy, and healthy recipes. Freezer friendly that can be portioned out and ready for the microwave straight from the freezer are also a huge plus for me. Well this recipe has all of those qualities! I found this Healthy Chicken Margherita Pasta recipe on Once a Month meals and tried it out the other day. 

 

Here is the picture that they have of it. Mine looked pretty darn close to this. I only made a few modifications!

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The first modification was to use whole wheat pasta instead of white. I used Barilla Whole Grain Penne pasta.barilla

Second I changed the amount of chicken and tomatoes and increased the number of servings!

Healthy Chicken Margherita Pasta
Author: 
Cuisine: Itallian
Serves: 8
 
A great freezer friendly ready to eat meal that is done in about 30 minutes!
Ingredients
  • 1 box Barilla Whole Grain Penne
  • 24 oz cook and dice Chicken, Boneless Breasts
  • 1.5 tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 1 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons chop Basil, Fresh
  • 2 cup halve Grape Tomatoes
  • 1 cups Mozzarella Cheese, 2%, Shredded
Instructions
  1. Cook pasta according to package directions until just al dente. Drain.
  2. In a large bowl, combine pasta, chicken, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and basil.
  3. Gently fold in grape tomatoes and half of mozzarella cheese.
  4. Transfer to a glass baking dish, top with remaining mozzarella cheese.
  5. Bake, covered, 350F for 15 minutes until heated through.
  6. Divide between 8 microwavable and freezer friendly containers. Freeze
  7. To re-heat, place in microwave for 1-2 minutes until warmed through.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 372 Fat: 10 Carbohydrates: 39 Protein: 36

 

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