Back on track!

Wow!  It has been months since I have posted.  Like seriously months!  Where has the time gone???? Well, working and being a mom have taken up a lot of time.  And then report cards.  Those take forever.  But now it is a new year, and a new term at school.
I love being back at work.  Yesterday was a bit tough getting in the swing of things getting out the door for 7:20 with Mia in tow.  We made it to daycare and luckily the tunnel wasn't too bad.

I am doing the new workout Hammer and Chisel.  Yes, I took my before photos and plan on posting the photos week by week.  Still working on the tummy section.  But these workouts have been awesome.  Only thing is that is has been pretty cold out these days and I am a huge, huge wimp when it comes to the rain and the cold.  We do have a heater in our garage but I actually did the first half of my workout in my parka jacket.  Yes, I am a big wimp but I did get nice and warm as the workout progressed.  These work outs really burn the muscles.  And I am loving it!  Yesterday was an off day. I scheduled it to be that way because I knew last week when I started that I might be tired after work. But I still did a mini workout.  I did Cize crazy 8s just for fun!  I love Shaun T and Cize!!!

I am going to try and post more consistently now (perhaps a New Year's resolution!).  Perhaps recipes, workouts, videos...not too sure at the moment.  I did get a new phone for Christmas so now my photos won't be so blurry!

Cheers,
Krisitn

21 days complete...and a couple more!

Hello friends!

So my first round of 21 Day Fix is now complete!  That was a fast 21 Days!  I am so pleased with my results.

I am so glad I took before and after photos.  They always say to do it, but it can be a very humbling experience to take photos of yourself before you start a workout program. No one wants to see those photos. But I am so glad I did it as I can really see the progress I made in 21 days.

Throughout the summer I was doing Cize and Les Mills Pump. I was doing sometimes 2 workouts a day and I didn't see nearly the same results as I did during the 21 Day Fix.  It really comes down to what you are eating.  In the summer I was doing all the workouts but I know all my snacking was working against me.  So by having an eating plan and having it be so simple with the containers, it really helped me achieve my results.  I still kept my eating plan on the fridge and I would plan out what I would eat every day.  I found that staying on track really helped when I was at work. As I am teaching, I can't just leave the classroom and grab a snack. I have very specific times when I can eat, so at recess and lunch time I could keep myself in check.

This week, since I dropped down a category, I lost one of my beloved yellow containers.  So now, I only was able to have 2 yellow containers per day. I thought this would be a challenge, but since I planned out my meals, I would have a yellow container as part of my morning shake (milk) and some sort of carb with my dinner. I really didn't miss having a carb at lunch time.  Again, my most difficult time came right before dinner, but now since we are trying to eat earlier with the girls, this has also helped with my my snacking.

So...I am going to take a week off from the 21 Day Fix. I plan on doing another round in October but I want to put some more variety in my daily workouts.  I wasn't sure what I was going to do this week so my husband suggested trying the "Challenge du jour" on Beachbody on Demand.  The Challenge du Jour is a different Beachbody workout from the huge collection of workouts.  Before I left school today I decided to check what the workout was....it was Plyo Fix Extreme from 21 Day Fix Extreme. OMG, I was worried. I had only done 21 Day Fix Plyo and that was tough, but extreme.....that was a different story.  It was tough!  I am curious what workout it will be tomorrow!  Can't wait to see what it is!

Thanks for reading and I will be doing another round of 21 Day Fix in October.  If this is something you would like to try, send me a message.  I would love to have some friends go through this with me.  It is always so much better having a support group!

Take care!
Kristin

21 Day fix- 14 days in!

Hello friends,

So I have now finished 14 days of my 21 Day Fix round.  Boy am I glad that I started this round the week before I went back to work.  I was committed to the 21 days so I didn't have any excuse to not get started each day.  I reminded myself it was only 30 minutes and really that was not a huge part of my day.  I find the hardest part of my workouts is just pressing play and getting going....

So this is me after 14 days. What I have noticed is that I am getting leaner in my mid section (yeah!) and my legs are also getting leaner.  I was noticing that today when doing Total Body Cardio.  I feel stronger all over and I can see more definition in my abs.  The workouts are really helping but I feel the best success is through eating properly.


It is so easy to find excuses to workout so to combat this challenge I come home from work I get changed ASAP and get my workout in right away.  That way no excuses can creep into my head and I can't really talk myself out of getting it done.  I did have to change up my schedule one day and had to workout after putting the girls down.  That was really hard to get motivated because I was really tired after the long week.  This is how I felt!

I am also leading a challenge group of ladies right now and I also didn't want to let them down and not get my workout it.  So....after a long week, I went out to my garage and hung out with Autumn and her 21 Day fix crew and did Cardio Fix. I'm glad I did afterwards!

This week the eating has been going great. The visual schedule continues to keep me focused on what I am eating throughout the day.  I have dropped 5 pounds so I will be falling into a different container category.  So just a couple of alterations need to be done to my schedule.  I am sad that I will be losing one of my beloved yellow containers.  I find that if I eat properly and balance out my red containers I am really not missing out eating all my cereals.

Here are my tips that really help me with working out:

• Schedule your workout as part of your day when it works best for you. I do mine ASAP after work.  Maybe another time works better for you like the morning, but when it is part of your schedule it helps with accountability.  Like a personal appointment every day!

• Find a way to keep your eating in check. I like to print up the weekly calendar and put it on my fridge.  Some people like the app on your phone.  

• Use the containers and measure properly.  Eye balling and guessing can either mean too much or too little.  And they are so colourful too!

• If you are struggling getting going, a friend suggested putting on a timer for 15 minutes.  Once the timer has gone off you should be mid workout and already in the swing of things.

I have also been doing much better with drinking my water at work.  I have been keeping a water bottle on my desk that I try and finish before each natural break.

I plan on doing another round after these 21 Days.  If you would like to join me and be part of a challenge group send me a message mmekrode@gmail.com

Thanks for reading!

Kristin

21 Day Fix- week 1 review

Hi everyone!

So I decided to do another round of 21 Day Fix.  I started the week before going back to work because I needed to be in the middle of a program so I wouldn't have any excuses to get started.  I decided on the 21 Day Fix because the workouts are 30 minutes (which is key for me) and I love these workouts.  But mainly, I needed a good excuse to get back focused with the containers.

All summer I had been working out and getting results.  But I was still hanging onto weight around my mid section.  This weight just wasn't wanting to come off!  And it wasn't because I wasn't active enough.  It had to do with my eating.  I wasn't eating poorly at all.  I was just over eating the wrong food!  I love love love breads and cereal (and granola).  So basically I was working out hard and by sitting on the couch with containers of Shredddies, I was working against myself.

This is me before

So last Sunday I committed to starting the containers again.  I have a calendar that I printed up off the internet and it is on the fridge.  Trust me, if I could make one as amazing as this I would, but I just don't know how.  If anyone knows, please, please message me!  I need help in this department BIG TIME!  Every night I have been writing out my meal plan on the calendar and that way I know what to eat and it helps keep me away from snacking.

After week 1 I am seeing results.  I haven't weighed myself again....yet.  For me, it really isn't about the numbers, but more the inches and how strong and fit I feel.  A dress my husband got for our anniversary back in July now fits with ease.  :)

I am eating everything that I want but with more veggies and fruits.  I found that there were many days in the summer that I maybe had 1 serving of vegetables a day (not enough!).  I am also focusing on drinking more water throughout the day.  My goal is to drink a shaker cup of water between each break at school, one before recess, one before lunch and then one before 3 pm.

This week my favourite workout was Upper Fix. I love working my arms.  It makes me feel strong.  I have also been trying to do the Ab Fix 3 days a week as well.

Looking forward to starting week 2.

Thanks for reading,
Kristin

My CIZE Review

Hi everyone!

So many of you know that since mid-July I have been following the new Beachbody workout CIZE.  Cize was created by Shaun T (you know the guy who does Insanity or Asylum on those infomercials).  Although he has some tough cardio workouts, he is actually a dancer and has made some great dance workout videos in the past…aka Hip Hop Abs.

I had just finished P90X3, I wanted something fun with cardio to switch it up.  I had been doing the sneak peak with Beachbody on Demand and was so excited to try the whole program.  My husband got this workout for me at Beachbody Summit back in July and I was pumped to try it right away!

I had done the 2^nd dance with Beachbody on Demand and so I thought, well the first one will have to be easier cardio wise.  Not a chance!  Once finishing it the first time I took a picture to send it to my hubby so he could see how sweaty I got. I am typically not a big sweater during workouts, so this was a bit shocking to say the least. 

The workout program is 6 dances. There is a calendar for both intermediate dancers and beginners.  I am obviously a beginner, so as a beginner, you do the same dance for a week.

The dances range in time from 30- 51 minutes.  The first dance is 30 minutes, second is 45 minutes, third is 36 minutes, the fourth is 37 minutes, the fifth is 40 minutes and the sixth is 51 minutes. Although I really only like 30 minute workouts, I found that the time just flew by. 

Shaun T really breaks down the moves well and once he teaches you a new move you go back to the beginning and work it back into the routine.  Yes, there were times I was thinking “I can’t do this”, but with the repetition I was able to master even the more complex moves.  And if you know me, I am NO DANCER. I have zero dance moves.  And I was able to complete all the dances, albeit with no dance style, but with lots of effort in the cardio department.

I often did the CIZE abs after most of the workouts.  It was 8 minutes and it was a great to finish up my workout targeting my abs.  At this point I was usually dripping in sweat from all the dancing.  The moves were tough, but not too tough that it made me want to quit.

I got great results from this workout!  I definitely got leaner all over and got better definition in my midsection.  For many of the dance moves you are really engaging your core and I found that I was seeing better improvements in that area.  I can really see how people on “Dancing with the Stars” say that they drop tons of weight, because the cardio and full body movements from dancing really target all parts of your body.

If you are looking for a fun cardio workout where you actually want to get moving then this is a great program.  I am really hoping that more DVDs are made to further this program because it is by far my most favourite Beachbody cardio workout.  I am going to start another round of the 21 day fix for the next month but I will perhaps sub some days in with CIZE.

Here is a beginner calendar of Cize with the time lengths of the dances.

Message me if you think you would want to try dancing it out as a workout!

Thanks for reading!
Kristin

Kale from my garden...a follow up!

Hi everyone,
So the other day I took a picture of my kale that is growing in my garden.  Because of the awesome weather the kale has been growing so well.

The only problem was that I didn't know what else to do with it besides green juice.  And since I am the ONLY person in my house who will eat it, I needed to make something easy tonight that would just be for me (and wouldn't take a long time to make).

So I looked in the 21 Day Fix Fixate Cookbook.  That book has been GOLD for me.  Everything I have made in that cookbook has been awesome. And I love that it tells me the containers it uses for the meal.  You can order a copy of this cookbook HERE.

I LOVED this salad.  I didn't make the croutons, only because I was also making chili for the girls at the same time and I could only multi task so much!  And since my husband didn't eat the other portion, I get to eat it tomorrow for leftovers!  Yeah!!!!! So yummy and I don't need to cook.  Double bonus!

Here is the recipe below:
Toasted Kale Salad with Lemon Dijon Salad dressing

1 slice whole grain bread cut into 1 inch cubes (for croutons)
1 tsp. olive oil
1 pinch sea salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 chicken breast, skinless cut into strips
1/4 tsp. chill powder
1 bunch kale torn into large pieces
1 tsp. finely chopped lemon peel (for garnish, optional)

2 TBSP Lemon Dijon Salad dressing
~1 large egg yolk pasteurized
1 TBSP Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
4 TSBP lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. lemon peel
1/4 olive oil

1. preheat oven to 450F
2. line a baking sheet with aluminum foil
3. combine bread, oil, salt and pepper in a bowl and toss to coat.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.
4. sprinkle chicken with chill powder
5. fry chicken in frying pan over medium high heat
6. cook chicken for 6-8 minutes until chicken is cooked.  Remove chicken from the pan and keep warm
7. Add kale to the pan, cook over high heat for 4-5 minutes.  Cook until the kale is crispy and cooked.
8. Divide kale and chicken between 2 plates.  Top with chicken and croutons.
9. Drizzle with dressing.

Enjoy!
Kristin

21 Day Fix containers

Have you seen these containers?  Have you seen the infomercials for the 21 Day Fix?

I love my containers!!!!  I love the colours and how they help me stay organized with my eating.  Obviously as a cereal junkie I love my yellow container and with this program it helps me see that I can't eat bowls and bowls of cereal and still get results.
What I found most interesting was that I wasn't getting enough protein daily.  I needed to eat 4 red containers, and before I was probably eating maybe 2 servings of protein a day.  So perhaps that is why I was chowing down so much on my carbs (cereal, bread, noodles).
Eating healthy is all about balance.  Eating veggies, fruits, proteins, carbs and healthy fats.  And of course having the daily amount of water to keep yourself properly hydrated.
The beauty of these containers is that you aren't depriving yourself of any foods.  You can still have treats or wine...all you need to do is swap out one of your yellow containers (a hard choice if you ask me!)
You can use the container system for any workout program that you are using.  It isn't just for the 21 Day Fix.
And when I go back to school in 2 weeks my lunch bag will be organized so I can eat my containers throughout the day.
Are you looking to make a change in your eating habits to get better results and hit your goal?  Maybe these containers are for you!
Here is what I will be putting in my containers for me meals for today!  For my daily allowance I can have 4 green, 3 purple, 4 red, 2 yellow, 1 blue, 1 orange and 80 oz water.
This is some of the foods I will be eating today.

Oops... Where is the blue container?

Here it is!

Have a great day!

Kristin