INSANITY // Week 5 Plan & Progress Report

Well, it is officially time to try and get back in a routine over at our house. My mom flew out Saturday morning; we were all very sad to see her go. What a blessing she is! She comes right in and takes over helping with everything that needs to be done. She was an extra special encouragement this time as she helped guide, encourage, and reassure me on learning how to take care of my little man and his diabetes. 

Today starts my second month of INSANITY. I honestly can't believe it. The first month flew by, and I am sure this month will too because...

Yes, that's right, we will be moving in a couple weeks! When we moved here 2 1/2 years ago, our intentions were to buy right away, but life kind of threw us some curve balls with my third pregnancy and looking for houses was put on the back burner. My Hunter and I have been going out with our realtor for the past 6 months looking at house after house. I thought we would never find one, because after owning once before, we now had a better idea of what works and doesn't work for us. But two Fridays ago, we pulled into the driveway of this house, and I instantly knew it was for us! My Hunter fell in love too! Needless to say, between homeschooling and packing... and then unpacking and settling in, this second month of INSANITY will probably slip by. 

Okay, so I did get a chance to lay down Friday evening with my girls during our family movie night and plan out our menu for the week. Here is a peek at what we will be having for supper each night. 

Monday - Black Bean Soup with Cheese Muffins

Tuesday - Pumpkin Pasta

Wednesday - Toasted Almond Chicken Salad Sandwich

Thursday - Vegetarian Stew {My meat-lovin' man will love this one when he finds out. ;) }

Friday - Pizza {Whole-Wheat crust! We found that kept Little Man's numbers lower than the week before when we had white crust.}

Saturday - Chili with Cornbread 

Sunday - Crockpot Chicken Greek Chicken Soup

What does my week look like with working out? 

Today will be tough I am sure. I have done two fits tests so far, and that is a workout in itself. I will be pushing to beat the numbers I had from Fit Test 2, you can bet that. Now that I am on month two, Shaun T is upping the game and adding in Max Interval Circuits too. I'm up for the challenge though! ;)

Challenge yourself this week! Whether in your workouts, fighting to get one more rep or with your job, there is always something to improve.

And, if you are up for a whole new challenge, consider joining my next challenge group where we will be detoxing from Halloween and working towards having more energy as we move into the holidays.

I am linking up with Katie today, because it was such a marvelous weekend with us finding our new home. Stop by and check out some of the other fun blogs.

Have a great Monday, friends!

INSANITY // Week 4 Plan & Progress Report

Happy Monday! I hope you are all enjoying a fabulous start to your week. I wanted to update you on my progress with INSANITY. The end of week two and the start of week three went a little different than planned. We ended up in the emergency room with my little guy a week ago this past Saturday. After some blood work and x-rays, it was discovered that he has Type 1 Diabetes. Our world has forever changed in that moment. It has been scary and overwhelming, but at the same time we are finding blessings and trying to focus on some positive. 

We had to spend three days in the hospital, which meant my workouts took a back seat, as they should. My eating has also been so-so. Hospital food? Yep. Dessert? Some. Snacking at night. You bet. Isn't this how it goes at times? We can't all be perfect all the time with our eating and working out. But we don't have to let these moments ruin it all. Get back on track, plan meals, start the workouts back up, and make it go time!

I was ready to start working out again Wednesday morning. I found that pushing myself to the limits really helped with kicking any pity I was starting to feel to the curb. No time for that! I was a sweating machine by the time I was done, and it was sweet to have the encouragement from my oldest daughter as she cheered me on from the couch.

Week three started out with my second fit test. I pulled out the numbers from my first fit test and was determined to beat or at least match those. Here are my week two numbers with week one numbers in parenthesis. 

Move: 

1. Switch Kicks - 57 (48)
2. Power Jacks - 54 (54)
3. Power Knees - 120 (109)
4. Power Jumps - 33 (30)
5. Globe Jumps - 12 (10)
6. Suicide Jumps - 25 (21)
7. Push-Up Jacks - 21 (20)
8. Low Plank Oblique - 38 (38) 

Week four is about to start now. I am sitting here updating and drinking my E&E again. I have been tired in the mornings and have recently been doing my workouts in the afternoons. Getting up to do those 2 AM blood glucose checks on my little man have made me feel like I have a newborn again. I am exhausted. This morning, however, we have a doctor's appointment to get to, so I knew if I wanted to get a workout in, I had to get up anyway. I have goals I want to accomplish so I am just moving things around in my schedule, sleeping in and working out at different times. Here is what week four is going to look like for me: 

Meals have been a bit up in the air and put together the day of. I am trying to redo our meals, just because I now have to count carbs and track those for my little one. We have tried out some new recipes over the weekend and so far they have been given thumbs up from the family. I will definitely be sharing those here on the blog.

Here is a general idea of meals for the upcoming week:
Breakfasts: Shakeology
Lunches: Avocado Quesadillas, Leftovers, Salads
Snacks: Veggies & hummus, Apples w/PB, Nuts and fruit
Suppers: Tacos, Chicken, Chili, Spaghetti

I can't wait to have this whole diabetes thing down a bit more so I can feel prepared for the week. So thankful my MIL is out here helping. Even with her help, our day is super busy and packed as we are adjusting.

How is your week looking? Have you hit some bumps in the road with your fitness and health goals? If so, I challenge you to find some ways this week to work around those and keep moving forward. You can totally do it!

Have a great week, friends!

Tasty Tuesday: Pumpkin Chai Shakeology

If you follow me on Facebook, you may have seen me post last week that I have become *obsessed* with Chai tea. It has replaced my daily cup of coffee. Imagine then how excited I was to find a fall Chai Shakeology recipe! Mmm! Had to share! ;)

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup brewed unsweetened black chai tea, cooled
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup 100% pure pumpkin puree, canned or fresh
1 scoop Vanilla or Chocolate Shakeology (or 1/2 scoop of each)
1 tsp. raw honey or pure maple syrup
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 dash ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. finely chopped ginger
1 cup ice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place tea, water, pumpkin, Shakeology, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and ice in blender. Cover.
2. Blend until smooth.

ENJOY!

INSANITY // Week 2 Plan & Progress Report

Hello Monday! Where is September going?! Seriously! Fall is officially here in our house. We put up our decorations last week and love the cozy feel it gives. Life is in full swing with school, Bible study, gymnastics and all the other activities our family has going on. With the busy hustle and bustle of life, it is important to have a plan to stay on track with your health and fitness goals so you don't fall off the wagon, because we all know that is easy to do too.

I just finished my first week of INSANITY, and I am feeling great! The first day I had to take a fit test. This was a twenty-five minute test, involving eight different moves. I had to try and see how many of each move I could do in one minute. I will repeat this test every two weeks to track progress.

I remember My Hunter doing the first fit test and watching him sweat buckets during, so I knew in advance that this was still going to be a workout.

Move:

1. Switch Kicks - 48
2. Power Jacks - 54
3. Power Knees - 109
4. Power Jumps - 30
5. Globe Jumps - 10
6. Suicide Jumps - 21
7. Push-Up Jacks - 20
8. Low Plank Oblique - 38

The rest day I had yesterday couldn't have come at a better time though. I was starting to feel tightness in places I haven't in a long time.

Week 2 is about to start as I sit here drinking my E&E getting ready to start my Cardio Power and Resistance workout.

I created a vision board last Monday night, and I track my progress there. It is the best feeling to go to bed at night and cross off another successful day. Even better was taking down the "Week 1" sticky note!

Last night I snuggled up on the couch after getting the kids in bed with a cup of tea and my favorite show playing and started planning out my meals for the week. Here is what is on the plan. It's not set in stone. If something comes up, or I just don't feel like eating a certain meal, I will change it. But a lot of my meals are repetitive. I find things I like and I am okay eating them again and again.

Monday -
Breakfast - Proatmeal with berries, almonds and rice milk
Snack - Shakeology (2 scoops)
Lunch - Venison Burger Salad and berries
Snack - Carrots and hummus
Supper - Grilled Salmon with asparagus and squash

Tuesday - 
Breakfast - Yogurt Bowl
Snack - Shakeology (2 scoops)
Lunch - Grilled Chicken Salad
Snack - Tuna Salad in a tomato
Supper - Flank Steak, baked potato, and asparagus

Wednesday - 
Breakfast - Fruit and Cottage Cheese
Snack - Shakeology
Lunch - Venison Burger Salad and berries
Snack - Cold Cut Platter
Supper - Chicken Stir Fry

Thursday - 
Breakfast - Shakeology
Snack - PB&J bread and cottage cheese
Lunch - Venison Burger Salad and berries
Snack - Tuna Salad in a tomato
Supper - Crockpot Chicken

Friday -
Breakfast - PB&J toast and cottage cheese
Snack - Shakeology
Lunch - Grilled Chicken Salad
Snack - Cold Cut Platter
Supper - Pizza Braid

Saturday -
Breakfast - Egg White Breakfast Wrap
Snack - Shakeology
Lunch - Grilled Chicken Salad
Snack - PB&J toast with cottage cheese
Supper - Venison Meatballs and pasta

Sunday - 
Breakfast - Shakeology
Snack - Apple and cashews
Lunch - Tuna Salad
Snack - Cold Cut Platter
Supper - Grill Burgers

There we have it! This is my plan. Bring on week two!! Remember that you can follow along weekly right here on the blog and daily over on my Facebook page. I have a new recipe I will be sharing here tomorrow and hope to get one or two other posts in this week yet with tips, ideas and motivation.

Make it a great Monday, friends!

Insanity // Week 1 Plan

After doing PiYo, I am ready to start something a little more intense. We have had INSANITY at our house for months now, and I have joined in with My Hunter whenever he worked out with it on the weekends. I decided I wanted to commit to doing this workout program from beginning to end and experience the whole thing. I want to see what kind of results I can get if I commit 100% to this program. I feel like I have been back and forth with my eating lately, and I am ready to get back on track, back into a routine. 

What is it? 
INSANITY is a 60-day, cardio-based, total-body conditioning program that’s pretty intense. Fitness expert Shaun T drew on his collegiate track-and-field training, plus his subsequent years of experience as an elite trainer, to create a program that takes total-body conditioning to an extreme level. INSANITY is the pinnacle of cardio training. 

Why is it effective?
Interval training allows you to beat the “stress adaptation response,” which is what happens when your body gets used to exercising at one level of exertion and stops improving. An interval workout includes a set where you perform at your maximum, followed by one of lower intensity, with the cycle repeated to achieve a cumulative effect.

INSANITY uses MAX Interval Training, which replaces your moderate-intensity exercise with maximum-intensity exercise, and your short intervals of intensity with short periods of rest. Adding high-intensity exercise, during which your heart rate increases to 80% or more of its maximum capacity, forces your body to use fast-twitch muscle fibers not normally engaged in cardio exercise. These fast-twitch fibers continue burning extra fuel even during lower-intensity exercise.

This program’s high-intensity activity is likely to have you working out at over 85% of your maximum capacity, instead of the lower rate recommended in other programs. As a result, you’ll experience faster increases in fitness and more efficient burning of carbohydrates and fat—as much as 1,000 calories per hour. 

What equipment is needed? 

I love that you use only the power and resistance of your own body to amp up your cardio, lower your body fat percentage, and sculpt your muscles. You don’t need any gear other than water, a towel, and your own strength of purpose.

Week 1 Workouts:
Monday - Fit Test
Tuesday - Plyometric Cardio Circuit
Wednesday - Cardio Power & Resistance
Thursday - Cardio Recovery
Friday - Pure Cardio
Saturday - Plyometric Cardio Circuit
Sunday - Off

I am ready to start this morning, and I refuse to let the busyness of fall and getting back into school, along with all our other activities and obligations ruin the goals I have for my health and fitness. Who's with me??? I am starting a brand new transformation group on October 6th! More to come on that soon, but if you are interested, be sure to contact me now to reserve your spot on the list!

Transformation Tuesday: Michelle & PiYo

Yesterday I updated you all on how PiYo was going for me. If you missed that post, you can read it here.

This morning I want to share with all of you some success that one of my challengers just posted. She looks fantastic, and if this isn't proof that PiYo works than I don't know that anything will convince you of PiYo. ;)

Here is what Michelle is saying:

"1/2 way done with my first round of PiYo! Ecstatic with my results so far but mostly with how I am feeling physically... Less foot pain, back pain, and feeling leaner and more flexible than ever! I even was able to do a back flip on the trampoline again!"

She went on to say: 

"These groups are fabulous for encouragement, motivation and accountability!! Which is just what I need!!" 

Great job, Michelle! I am beyond proud of your hard work! It truly does pay to work hard and chase after your goals!

If you are interested in joining a support group like Michelle is in, please feel free to contact me in the comments section or by email.

PiYo Update // Weeks 2 & 3

Sorry I am late on getting updates up on how PiYo is going. I have completed weeks two and three and will be starting week 4 today.

So the question you may all be wanting me to answer... what do I think of PiYo so far?

I will be honest with you and admit that I have had a hard time slowing down to do these workouts. I am so used to pushing myself with cardio and lifting weights that this has been a challenge in the sense that I have to clear my mind and really be present in these workouts. However, I do feel my core getting more defined, which has been really encouraging!

Week 2 Workouts: 

Monday - Sweat

Tuesday - Define: Lower Body

Wednesday - Core

Thursday - Define: Upper Body

Friday - Rest

Saturday - Sweat 

Sunday - Core

At this point my two favorite workouts from week two are Core and Sweat. When I do the core workout, I can feel it working *every* angle, and I love that because my stomach is not my strongest area after having three kiddos via three c-sections. 

I have found that Define: Upper Body and Define: Lower Body are quite short so I have been adding in a cardio, usually one of my 21 Day Fix workouts, on those days as well. What can I say, I love getting my sweat on. ;)

It's summertime, so sticking to my meal plan each week has honestly been a challenge for me. I have no problem getting each workout in; that is the easy part. I try to stick to what I have planned for breakfast, lunch and snacks, and then when it comes to dinner and we are out and about for gatherings, I make the best choices I can. All three of my kids have summer birthdays, two of them were last week, and I did have cake and a few other treats.

The thing about PiYo is that you don't burn a ton of calories so you have to be diligent about staying within your calorie range if you want to see results. Making sure I eat less carbs and more protein is what I have found I need to do, and that is a challenge because this girl *loves* her carbs! 

Portion sizes are a bit different than what they are for the 21 Day Fix program. For example, with the 21 Day Fix I could have 12 almonds whereas with PiYo it calls for 6. No more reaching in my almond container and mindlessly snacking!

I have my week three meal plan to share, but I will warn you that I am a creature of habit and tend to eat the same things over and over so it's not super exciting. I pick foods that are nutritious and that I love to eat, and then I incorporate those into my plan.

Week 3 Workouts: 

Monday - Define: Upper Body

Tuesday - Buns

Wednesday - Core

Thursday - Define: Lower Body

Friday - Rest

Saturday - Sweat

Sunday - Strength Intervals

For week three, two new workouts were added, Buns and Strength Intervals. I would say these two were my favorite this week. Buns in no joke! I could feel the work it did on me the next day as I was walking up and down our stairs. 

Strength Intervals is a great workout too. It is a 25 minute calorie burning, body sculpting, no weights  workout. 

I am off to start week four now and am super excited! While the first three weeks have been enjoyable, I felt like I was trying to learn the moves and form, as well as build up my strength. I have noticed that I am starting to sweat more during my workouts now that I am getting more familiar with the program. 

A question I have been getting asked so often is, "Is this workout going to give me results?" My answer to this is that you have to give the program time and try your absolute hardest. You have to trust the program and Chalene Johnson! The workouts do get harder as you move along and you will be pushed more and more as you move through the PiYo program. Just because you aren't sweating buckets by the time you are done with your workout does not mean it's not working. You are building strength, burning calories and getting rid of fat... maybe in a different way than you are used to. Another way I look at this program is by thinking of yoga masters. Do they look overweight or unhealthy to you? Heck no! They look amazing! They are lean and flexible! There is more than one way to get results and PiYo is one of those ways.

Meal Prep 101

Today I want to go over how I meal plan and prep. I think it is absolutely crucial for success, whether you want to lose fat or build muscle, whatever your goals may be, if you don't prepare your meals for the week, you will just set yourself up for failure. You may be thinking, "I don't have the time to spend planning and prepping; it takes too long!" That is why I want to go over what I do. When I started, it took me about 4 hours, but now that I have it down, it takes me less than two hours. It saves time in the end because I don't have to think about what we are having for lunch or come home and try to get supper all ready. This is a great way to stay on track with your eating during the week. If you spend the time making healthy food and pre-portioning it out, you will be less likely to binge and be likely to grab the healthy goodies you prepared!

What To Do

• Pick one day for planning and one day for shopping. I plan all my meals and snacks on Saturdays, and then I shop and prep on Sundays. 
  
• Be sure to have enough storage containers. You are going to need storage for all this food, and you want to be sure to get something that isn't going to crack after a couple uses. For those of you on the 21 Day Fix, Target has colored sandwich bags that are perfect! You can measure your food and snacks out in the containers that came with the program and then put them in the coordinating baggies so they are ready to go for your week ahead.
  
• Use your measuring cups or the 21 Day Fix containers to be sure you have accurate serving sizes.
  
• I have a food scale as well. This has been a great tool to have on hand as I am measuring proper portions. I bought an electronic one from Amazon, and I love that I can zero it out and measure my food with the tupperware right on there.
• 
• Cook everything you can at the same time to save time.
• I cook a lot of chicken breast, and you could do turkey as well. These are meats that keep longer. If you make seafood ahead, you will want to use it the first day or two before it goes bad.
• Keep it simple! You don't need to make all these exquisite meals. If you check out my meal plans, you will see a lot of repetition throughout my week.

Prep Tips

1. Head to the store and pick up all the groceries you need for the week.
2. Place all veggies in a water/white vinegar bath and leave them to soak for 10 minutes. {To create the "bath", fill your sink with cold water and add 1/3 cup white vinegar.} Drain, rinse and set aside.
3. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. While that is preheating, you can start peeling and cutting the veggies you just washed. If you want to bake any of your veggies, I toss mine with coconut oil and sea salt, throw them in the oven and bake for 40 minutes. 
4. If roasting any veggies, chop those with olive oil, sea salt and any other dry herbs you desire. Place in the oven, along with your sweet potatoes and bake for 30-40 minutes. 
5. Boil any chicken breasts you will be using. Poach for 15 minutes or until cooked through. I shred or cut those up and place in a container.
6. Hard boil eggs.
7. Wash, cut up and portion out any fruits you need on hand for the week.

Good luck on prepping! Comment with any questions; I am happy to help!

Introducing PiYo

In less than one week, Chalene Johnson, one of my favorite trainers, will be releasing a new workout program called PiYo! Have you heard about it? If not, I want to fill you in on what this program is all about and how you can be one of the first to get your hands on it.

Who is this for?

Anyone and everyone! This program is so much more than just yoga and pilates! This is a *high* intensity, low impact program that can be modified to meet anyone's needs. You will improve flexibility and burn calories, all while getting in the best shape of your life! There is no equipment required, and for those of you that want to go easy on your joints, I have to tell you, there is no jumping involved!

What are the PiYo workouts?

Align (46 mins): The basics

Upper Body (35 mins): Strengthens and stretches your entire body 

Lower Body (25 mins): Tones and strengthens your lower body muscles, glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves in a gentle yet effective way.

Sweat (35 mins): Fast paced, traditional PiYo workout with bodyweight strength training and ab work

Core (30 mins): Targets all back and ab muscles

Drench (45 mins): Total-body workout burning calories and firing up your metabolism.

Strength Intervals (25 mins): Tones the whole body, all without any weights!

Sculpt (30 mins): Intense full-body workout, again, all without weights

***When you order through me, you will get a *bonus* workout, as well as get this program two weeks earlier than Beachbody's launch date! SIGN UP HERE to have me as your coach.***

Be the first to have this PiYo Challenge Program on June 23rd, and you will also have a spot reserved for you in my exclusive PiYo Test Group. This will be a select group that will commit to completing this program from start to finish to get the best possible results. You must be willing to invest it all, knowing I will be there to meet you half way!

What is a test group? How do I join?

A PiYo Test Group is a committed group of people that will be working to finish this program in a private, online area. You will submit your before and after photos to me. We will be posting in the group daily, and I will be there to give you all the support you need. I will be providing meal plans and daily tips as well.

If you would like to join, please email me privately at rundebriana at gmail dot com. I will follow up within 24 hours to discuss. 

Beachbody Summer SALE!

Oh my goodness, everyone, I am *so* excited to share this news with all of you! Beachbody is offering a SALE on some amazing fitness products!

The offer is valid for a LIMITED TIME ONLY starting today, June 4th at 12 PM PST until Monday June 9th at 12 PM PST. Offer quantities are limited and we’re expecting that some items will sell out quickly, so be sure to get your order in asap!

Have you have been thinking of joining one of my challenge groups?? This is your chance to commit! I have a challenge group starting up at the end of this month that you could get in on, and what better time to join than when things are on a big discount????

TO SEE ALL SALE ITEMS, CLICK HERE!

Let me break down what is on exactly on sale during this time though.

Fitness Programs Sale prices will be reflected starting June 4 at 1 pm MST 

• P90X  Originally $120  Discount 50% off = $59.90  (Coach Price $44.93)
• P90X2 Originally $120  Discount 50% off = $59.90  (Coach Price $44.93)
• Les Mills Pump Originally $166  Discount 50% off = $82.93  (Coach Price $62.20)
• Les Mills Combat Originally $60  Discount 40% off = $35.91  (Coach Price $26.93)
• ChaLEAN Extreme Originally $90 Discount 34% off = $58.95  (Coach Price $44.21)
• Tai Cheng Originally $120  Discount 50% off = $60 (Coach Price $44.57)
• Slim in 6 Originally $39  Discount 37% off = $24.95  (Coach Price $18.71)
• Hip Hop Abs/Rockin' Abs Originally $20  Discount 50% off = $9.95  (Coach Price $7.46)
• Insanity: The Asylum + Free Chin up Bar Originally $149.70  Discount 40% off = $89.87  (Coach Price $67.39)

Equipment & Gear

• Barbell Weights 5 lbs Originally $16.90  Discount 50% off = $8.45  (Coach Price $6.34)
• Barbell Weights 10 lbs Originally $31.90  Discount 50% off = $15.95 (Coach Price $11.96)
• Les Mills Combat Gloves Originally $40  Discount 50% off = $20  (Coach Price $14.95)
• P90X Chin-up Bar Originally $60  Discount 33% off = $39.95  (Coach Price $29.96)
• Stability & Medicine Ball Pack Originally $130.85  Discount 85% off = $19.95  (Coach Price $14.96)
• Foam Roller Originally $30 Discount 40% off = $17.95  (Coach Price $13.46)
• Team Beachbody Apparel : Men/Women - Prices vary and free shipping! 

Please feel free to contact me for *any* questions you have about these products or if you need help ordering!

Also, I want anyone that may have thought about becoming a coach, now would be an awesome time, because you get a 25% discount on any products, and with these sales, you get to take an additional 25% off the sale price! You don't need to feel like you have to sell and there are no monthly requirements, so you could just join for the discount. If this is something you are wanting to do, contact me before placing your order and I can help you get going on that.