Report on the 21 Day Fix

Last week I finished the 21 Day Fix. My verdict, I'm sure that this workout and eating plan are very effective, but between work and the start of my hardest semester of school yet, I did not have enough energy to be totally committed. I missed several workouts. I ate too many carbs. (I discovered that when I am exhausted I crave carbs so hard!) I ate large quantities of chocolate because I was really stressed. I gave up my hopes of getting results in 21 days, and then I noticed that despite my half-hearted attempt I had still made progress. I continued to lose a little weight and get more toned, despite not being as dedicated as I expected myself to be. This was my first workout program that required weights and halfway through I had to buy a new set because it was too easy. Imagine how much progress I could make if I were more focused. I think I may give it another shot in the future.

The 21 Day Fix is a program with 7 different workouts (one for each day of the week) plus a 10 minute ab workout that you can throw in as you please. The workouts are designed to rotate and work different muscle groups so you are making progress without over-using any muscle groups. The program also comes with several colored containers to make weight-loss simple. (Green for veggies, purple for fruit, yellow for carbs, red for protein, orange for seeds and dressings, blue for cheese, nuts, avocados and hummus) How much you eat of each container depends on your personal caloric needs (The instruction book comes with a formula.) It takes some of the stress out of a meal plan, and if you do the workout and meal plan together, you will see changes in your body in 3 weeks.
There's a few problems with the plan. It is very heavy on the protein. I'm a vegetarian, and I track my protein so I know that I'm getting enough, but not according to the 21 Day Fix plan. I felt like it was a big change for me, and one that my stomach didn't always agree with. Another problem, food items I normally consider protein, like beans and quinoa are classified as carbs in the plan. I've seen charts like this one:

However, they just moved the high protein carbs to the protein category. This does not change the nature of those foods. If the plan classified those foods as carbohydrates, then counting them as proteins is going to be far less effective for toning muscles than eating cottage cheese, eggs and lean meat. And veggie patties are considered a protein? I find that highly suspect, depending on the patty, many of them are held together with bread crumbs. So if you're not a vegetarian, I'm sure this workout/plan would work better than for someone like me whose body (and natural flora) scream "We are not making enough enzymes to handle all of these animal-based proteins that you are throwing at us! This is not going to end well for you!!!" If you are the average meat-loving American doing this program in an effort to get a 6-pack, you'll probably be just fine. Yes, I realize their is tofu, but I really can handle only so much of that.  If you are a vegetarian or vegan, you will probably have to just do a little more planning and preparation to make this work. This plan also made me realize my normal diet is pretty carb heavy, even if they are healthy carbs. I eat lots of whole wheat tortillas (filled with veggies), sandwiches with high fiber bread, brown rice, various potatoes and LOTS of sweet potatoes. When you're only allowed 2 servings of carbs a day, it forces you to evaluate what you are eating. 

 I also have to say that I wasn't really in love with the workouts. Maybe because I didn't have a big motivator to drastically change my body in 3 weeks. No wedding, no high school reunion, no beach trip. And that is really the focus, put in a lot of effort for 3 weeks and you will change your body. I was just looking for a new workout to change things up. I do LOVE the 10 minute fix for abs. It's the perfect workout to do before a 12 hour shift at work. I feel like any workout with weights I have to be alert or I'm going to hurt myself. When I workout before work I am NOT alert. With the 10 minute ab fix I can lay on the floor half conscious, tired tears running down my face as I do 10 or so kinds of crunches and by the end I feel more awake and ready to hit the day. I also really enjoyed the pilates and yoga workouts on the active recovery days. Maybe I just don't like doing reps with weights because it's really repetitive. Ok, basically I enjoyed every workout except the 2 cardio workouts. I hated those. But you have to work if you want the results.

Here are a few of my Instagram collages of my  21 Day Fix workouts: (Another bonus is that my kids love to do these workouts with me too)

The Lower Fix

The Cardio Fix

The Dirty 30 Fix

The Upper Fix

The Yoga Fix

And here are my results at the end. It's not a huge change, but I lost another 2 pounds, and all of my clothes are looser, and my abs are definitely firmer. Progress, people. Progress

Reaching For a Better Version of Myself

This morning I popped in my 21 Day Fix workout dvd, and started arranging my equipment to work

out. My husband asked "So is your goal to look like that? (Gesturing to Autumn Calabrese) Is that the body that you're going for?" I thought for a second and said "No!" I am not interested in looking like Autumn Calabrese. (Not that she doesn't look amazing, because she does.) I know that I am never going to look like her. I have more booty and more hips than she does and I am perfectly fine with that. I'm not interested in changing my body so drasticly that I look like someone else. I exercise because I am reaching for a better version of myself. Because exercise makes me happy and gives me the energy to get done the things that I need to. Because I want to be around for my family for a long time. I exercise because I believe that inside me there is a powerful person who can make a difference in the world and exercising is going to help set her free. And if I get killer abs in the process I will not complain. :)

Balance Rewards- Earning Credit for Walgreens Purchases for Tracking Your Workouts

It's a fair assumption that all of us could use a little extra cash. Here is an easy way to earn some, just

by tracking the exercise that you are already doing through the Walk with Walgreens/Balance Rewards program. This isn't the kind of extra cash that will pay your bills, but it will help you cover your drugstore purchases like ibuprofen and cold medicine, or photo prints. Most of us are walking everyday anyway, so why not get some credit for it? Here's how it works:

1. You sign up for a free account at Walgreens.com
2. Track the miles that you walk, run, bike, hike, etc. Each mile logged gives you 20 points.
3. 5000 points = $5 to spend at Walgreens
4. You can also get points for recording other healthy habits, like tracking your blood pressure and blood sugar values, losing weight, making fitness goals or making steps to stop smoking.
5. If you have a fitness tracker like Fitbit, you can sync it to your account and then you don't even have to think about recording your miles. Fitbit can do it for you for you automatically.
6. You can also earn points by buying certain products at Walgreens, but those vary depending on what the weekly ad is.

2015 Goals/Resolutions

It's a new year. Here are my goals to help me be a happier healthier person.

1. Wake up at 5 am- 6 days per week I want to be able to get my workouts done before my kids
   
   get up.
2. Pay off debt- I have specific plans on that, but most people will probably find them boring.
3. Run 4 fun races this year with friends or family- Because exercise is more enjoyable when you do it with someone you care about.
4. Keep up my good grades- I like my GPA where it is, and I want to maintain it. Keep doing my homework. Keep reading my textbooks.
5. Take a vacation with my family- Take a few weekend getaways or day trips too. Make some good memories with my kids. 
6. Keep up the good exercise/eating habits that I have developed over the past few months- I've made some great changes to my habits in the past little while, now I need to MAINTAIN.
7. Try a new exercise program or two.- I'm going to try the 21 Day Fix. I've heard good things about it and it looks fun. And sometimes you need to mix up your workouts to prevent boredom. (Plus it's on sale this month.) This will help me do #6. And if anyone wants to join me, it's going to be AWESOME.
8. Get rid of stuff-  We have too much stuff. Last year I had 2 yards sales, sold stuff online, gave away mounds of stuff, donated mounds of stuff. We still have too much stuff, we need to cut it down. It's amazing how much stuff you accumulate with 3 kids. I plan to get rid of toys and clothes that the kids have outgrown and get rid of things that are boxed up and we don't use. The less stuff we have, the easier it will be to keep our place clean.
9. Read 25 books- I'll count audio books for that too.
10. Continue to volunteer at my kids school- I started doing this in November because my oldest was getting bullied and I wanted to be aware and involved in what was happening in the class room. Then my middle child felt left out so I started going to his class too. It seems like a simple thing for me to be there helping their teachers, but I have found that it is really important to my kids. I want to make sure that I set aside an hour each week so I can keep doing this, plus it's fun. :)
11. Take time everyday to be grateful for something. Last November, many things in my life were not going my way and I did not have the best attitude about it. So I thought I would jump on the Facebook wagon and share something that I was grateful for, and it really helped my attitude. I really felt better when I was focusing on the good instead of inwardly grumbling about the bad.

So there we go. I may tweak some of these, but that is my plan for the year, more or less.  I think 2015 is going to be a great year. What are YOUR goals and plans?

13 Ways to Encourage Your Kids to Be Active in the Winter

Recently we moved from southern Utah to the Denver area. It has been quite the climate change. One new challenge for me has been keeping the kids active when it is frigid outside. And I don't just say it's cold because we have become soft desert bunnies. -8 degrees Fahrenheit is still cold, even by Denver standards. Here's some ideas that I have found to be effective.

1. Be an example! It is certainly less hassle for me to exercise when my kids are asleep, but some days I don't get up before them to do my workouts. I want them to see that exercise is an important and regular part of my life. And many times they jump in and do my workouts with me.
2. Bundle up and go outside- There are winter days where this is impractical, but there are times when this is exactly what my kids and I need avoid cabin fever. If there is enough snow, go sledding, build a snow fort or make snow angels.
3. A small indoor trampoline- A friend recommended this and it will be waiting under the tree this Christmas. It doesn't take up a lot of space, can be stored against a wall in the closet and can help them get a fun cardio workout.
4. Dance with your kids It has become a habit in our household that when a Disney movie ends (especially Wreck It Ralph), that the kids and I dance around the living room until the credits end.
5. Limit screen time- The official recommendations are that children should not spend more than 1-2 hours in front of a screen per day. I will be the first to admit that that is really difficult to enforce, especially when I have homework to do. Here are our house rules, before screen time my kids must 1. Have homework done 2. Do one small chore for every 20 minutes of screen time.
6. Visit museums- This can get pricey, but keep an eye out for free museum days and coupons. Another good route is a museum membership. This year our museum membership of choice is the Denver Art Museum. $80 for our family for a year and it was worth every penny. And museum trips involve a lot of walking.
7. Zoos & Aquariums- Same benefits as museums, but it's easy to add in some imaginative

   

   The Lions at the Denver Zoo (late October)

   movements. 'Let's walk like an elephant', or 'Show me how a monkey moves' Even in the winter there are sunny days that permit this with a hat and a jacket. (Denver can get really cold, but we've had several good weather days scattered throughout.)
8. Plan family walks- Even if they are short. Take notice of  how the trees change, or the birds migrating or other wildlife. (Around here, there are tons of bunnies and groundhogs. My kids like to see who can find the most.)
9. Visit the mall- Most have indoor play areas, and if nothing else it can offer an indoor place to walk a few laps.
10. Roller skating- This one is hard for my toddler, even with the trainer and me supporting her. However, it is a favorite activity for my older kids. It's an exercise that builds strength and balance. (For those in the Denver area, there is a Living Social deal for it.)
11. Have contests- My son loves to see how many push-up he can do, and he isn't really competing against anyone other than himself  "I want to see if I can do 25 push-ups this time!" Other indoor ideas include jumping jacks, bending over to pick up toys, touching your toes, knee lifts. You teach your kids to do many simple exercises this way
12. Lessons & Team Sports- Karate, Ballet, Soccer, etc. These can become time-consuming and expensive, but just remember that you are investing in your child's health and well-being. A fantastic low-cost option in this category is Girls on the Run. It's an awesome program for girls 3rd-8th grade that teaches fitness and healthy habits.
13. Take time to play with them- Most young kids love to play with their parents. As parents, most of us are busy, but try to make it priority to spend a few minutes with them. Get on the floor and play with them, or build blanket forts or play tag with them at the park. You are building your relationship(s) with them, you are encouraging their development and you are teaching them that being active is fun.