I’m a Sweat Pink Ambassador!

Happy Holidays everyone:) I’m in full Christmas mode and have so many updates!

I can’t believe how long it’s been since I’ve posted!  It’s been a crazy few weeks with finals and wrapping up the semester.  Things are finally settling down and I’m ready to get back to blogging:)

I want to update you all on my progress so you can see that this ACTUALLY WORKS (not ready to post pictures yet though).  I told you a month ago that my goal was to lose 15% body fat.  Well, I’ve been training and following a pretty detailed nutrition plan for the past four weeks and have made some progress!  So far I have lost 5% body fat (lost six pounds of fat and gained six pounds of muscle).  I feel so much better than I did last month and am even more motivated to keep up with my plan through the holiday season.  I went all out for Thanksgiving dinner though:/ Luckily, I went out to dinner with my dad and stepmom, who were visiting from Socal, which meant no seconds!  I still ate SO MUCH though.  I literally ate myself sick, no fun:(  Kind of makes me not want to cheat again!  Kinda:)

However, I do have a little extra motivation to stay on track now that

I AM A SWEAT PINK AMBASSADOR!

I got the email yesterday and I am so excited to be a part of such an incredibly supportive community. So what does it mean to be a Sweat Pink Ambassador?  It means that I have even more people to share with and learn from within the fitness community.  I’ll have opportunities to get connected to incredible women who are passionate about fitness, and can then pass along what I learn to you!  I’m just a work in progress to become an even better resource for all of you:)

My first order of business as a Sweat Pink Ambassador was to sign up to receive a free Bulu Box!  It’s a monthly subscription that sends you a box vitamins and supplements to try:

“A way to discover vitamin, supplement and health products. Each box is filled with 4 to 5 premium products selected to help you feel your best. Look forward to a new mix monthly for both women and men that include: vitamins, weight loss, energy, protein, digestion, sleep support and more.”

These monthly deals are a great way to try new products and learn what works for your body without breaking the bank.

AND you can get your first box free if you enter this Sweat Pink coupon code! Fit411

See, the perks are already coming in:)  Once I receive my box, I  will be reviewing all of the products that I’m sent so look forward to that!  I’m also working on some healthy Christmas recipes for you all:)

Have a good week!

Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram @BBBhealthy.

My Secret Weapon

BIC BANDS!

I know, I know, they are just headbands right? SO WRONG!

I heard about these amazing headbands when I took an Xtend Barre workout with my stepmom a few weeks ago.  The magic of them is that they never slip!  Seriously, EVER. They have a velvet lining that keeps them on!  Not only are these headbands just so handy for workouts, but they are sold by a pretty inspiring company.

BIC stands for “Because I Can” and they were created for a run with Team in Training.  Each month they choose a new charity to donate some of their proceeds to.  This month, $1 from each sale will be donated to the victims of Hurricane Sandy.  So go buy some  😉

My stepmom sent me a few, and they have a ton of designs to choose from!  I’m coming up with a challenge for the new year, and am hoping to include some BIC Bands in the prize because I just love their message!

I also have been going a little pancake crazy lately.  I always forget how they can fit perfectly with my macros and still taste delicious!  Here’s a carb-free recipe that I’ve been loving.

Almond Pancakes

1/4 cup almond flour (make your own! Just grind almonds in a food processor)

1 tsp baking powder

4 egg whites

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract (optional)

1. Heat a small pan on medium heat.
2. Combine the almond flour and baking powder together.
3. Whisk the egg whites and extracts.
4. Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture.
5. Cook like regular pancakes! Flipping when the top is fully covered with little bubbles.
6. Top with protein powder frosting (pp powder and water) or a little greek yogurt!

Happy “No”vember!

Let’s start this month off right!  I have a little challenge for you…

That’s right, I don’t want your crap!  We’re going to make this month our b*tch!  I know everyone waits for the New Year to set their fitness goals and (maybe) start them, but there is no time like the present right?  Let’s get skanky-new-year’s-club-dress-ready together:)  I’d love to make this an official challenge and offer prizes, but I need a little more feedback from y’all first!  Leave me a comment on this post, on Facebook (BBBHealthy), Twitter, or send me a message if you want to see some sort of contest evolve.  I know that some of you are working really hard to reach your goals and I want to reward you for that!

This weekend, I had the amazing opportunity to attend the Exercise & Nutrition Works Fast Start to Success Workshop hosted by Lucho and Lisa Crisalle.  They are two incredibly inspiring fitness experts with over 20 years experience in this industry.  I’m currently studying to become a Certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist through their certification program, and this weekend enhanced my knowledge of how to build up my business!  Hopefully soon I’ll be able to take on some clients and change lives through their meal plans.  I’ll be taking body fat and designing plans like I was born to do it:)

Today, I volunteered to be the case study for the meal plan software demonstration.  Which means I had to get up and get my body fat tested in front of everyone!  I admit, it wasn’t the best experience.  I haven’t been as 100% as I aim to be, and a lot of personal things in my life have set me back.  So it was a bit of a wake up call when I found out that I need to get rid of 15% body fat to be where I want to be!

My new toy!

So now I am heading home SUPER MOTIVATED and ready to stay on track!

Not only did I get to spend the weekend meeting new people and learning from Lucho and Lisa, but I also got to speak with Lisa about competing.  She is an inspiration and started competing later in life, and was extremely successful!  One thing that really made an impression on me was how much support she had.  It made me realize that I need that if I want to reach my goals, I need the support of those close to me.  So this is my request to all of my friends and family reading this (should be everyone right?):

Please,

-support my healthy and fit lifestyle

-encourage me

-don’t ask me to “cheat” with alcohol or food

-keep judgment to yourself when I bring my own food everywhere

-respect my goals (I am NOT going to look manly!!!)

I can’t do this without the support of those whose opinions mean the most to me.  I’m serious about this lifestyle and, someday, competing.  I hope to do that sooner or later, so I want to stay on track:)

Thank you and have a great week!

Powermeal: Clean Fried Chicken

I hope you all had a great weekend! I came home to a house full of family and a fridge stocked with clean food, so it’s been pretty awesome:)  We had a bbq the last night and wanted to make Little B’s coconut chicken, but were out of coconut.  So I came up with a quick fried chicken recipe to replace it!

Clean Fried Chicken

1lb. chicken breast tenderloins

1/2 cup oat flour

1/4 cup almond meal

2 tbs. nutritional yeast

1tbs. Bragg organic sprinkle seasoning (or any spices you’re feelin’!)

3 egg whites

1/2 tbs. coconut oil

1. Cut the chicken strips in to halves.
2. In one bowl, combine the flour, meal, yeast, and seasoning.
3. In another bowl, place the egg whites.
4. Heat 1/4 tbs. of the coconut oil on medium in a large skillet.
5. Dip the chicken in to the egg whites, and then the flour mixture.
6. Let the chicken rest for a minute or two in the flour mixture.
7. Fry the coated chicken in the oil for about 8-10 minutes per side
8. Add the remaining oil to the pan for the next round of frying!

Don’t forget to check out Powercakes blog for more #powermealaweek recipes!

Apologies & Food Prep

It seems that all of my posts have started with “Sorry” lately.  I’d like to be able to post every day or couple days, but it’s just hard to get online and jot something down!  All I’ve done this week is unpack and work (eat and workout, of course), and I’m finally settled in!  After a long night of desk and desk chair assembling, I’m pretty sure that I’m a home improvement expert;)  Now, I’m heading back home to the valley for a quick trip…more traveling!  Luckily, I prepared a TON of food on Wednesday so I was ready for a 7 hour trip home.  It felt so good to be back in the kitchen prepping my food for the week.  I cooked all summer, but there is something comforting about having all of your meals prepared ahead of time that makes it so much easier to stick to clean eating!  It took away the anxiety of having to figure out what I was going to eat.

After hours of prep, I ended up with:

–Little B’s Buffalo Chicken (SO GOOD)

–Little B’s Tomato Basil Rice

–Little B’s Blueberry Protein Muffins (It was a Little B week for me)

-Steamed veggies

-Red bell pepper strips

-Sliced cucumbers

-Hardboiled eggs

It may not seem like a lot, but that’s because that’s not counting breakfast, dinner, pre and post-workouts, or an evening meal!:)

It takes a lot of planning to stay clean for every meal, every single day while ensuring you actually get enough meals.  I wouldn’t be able to just stroll in to the grocery store and pick up whatever I think I need, because eating healthy obviously requires a lot of food.  Which is what makes it so awesome right?  I personally LOVE to go grocery shopping (even if I’m just grabbing something, it takes forever because I like to browse!), and you’ll rarely find me buying something that’s not on sale.  So, yes, I am the annoying person in the aisles doing price comparisons and matching up coupons.  Even though eating clean can be less expensive, it’s still not as cheap as the diet of apples and pretzels that I use to live on.

Sunday has been my chosen prep day, and I like to go through some of my favorite blogs and websites to find recipes that are:

Appetizing

-You want to enjoy the food that you eat! Yes, many people in the fitness industry do eat boiled chicken, potatoes, and steamed broccoli.  That doesn’t mean you have to!  This is a lifestyle and you need to actually like it:)

Balanced (fits with my macros)

-Macros (macronutrients) are the three main compounds that you need which provide energy: protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Everyone has a different balance of macros that works for them.  I’m still looking for mine, but right now it seems that I work better with 40% protein 40% carbs 20% fat.

Clean

-duh:)

So when you’re meal planning, don’t forget those ABC’s of a recipe!  Here are some of my favorite sites:

Powercakes

Clean Eating Mag

Little B’s Healthy Habits

Busy But Healthy

Once I decide what I’ll be eating for each of my 7 meals per day, I make a list of everything that I’ll need.  I’m a bit of an organization freak so I section things off by produce, protein, and dry goods.  This ensures that I won’t need to linger in aisles that tempt me with Oreos or candy or ice cream!  I can just go straight to what I need and bypass temptation:)

Then I get home and dive in to prep!  Remember, you’re making a week’s worth of food so allow yourself some time to make everything and try not to taste test too many dishes:)

When you’re done, you’ll end up with nutritious and delicious meals like these:)

Egg whites and spinach topped with organic ketchup, nutritional yeast, and ground flaxseed with ezekial toast and homemade orange-lime chia jam!

Buffalo chicken wrap with spinach, red bell pepper, cucumbers, lime greek yogurt spread, nutritional yeast, and flaxseed

Steamed veggie and spinach salad topped with a turkey burger (I’ve been lazy with dinner), chia, nutritional yeast, and a lemon greek yogurt dressing

Peanut butter chai protein shake!

And then when you’re done with the meals, you’ll end up with abs like these:

Maybe not exactly like the lovely Rita Catolino, but hey a girl can dream right?:)

Check back tomorrow for another recipe link up with Powercakes!

July Foodie Pen Pal

WOW.  I cannot believe that July is already over.  At the beginning of the month, I saw a picture that said, “Make July your b*tch.”  Though I haven’t been the cleanest or strictest with my diet, I do feel that July was mine.  I enjoyed every last bit of my summer in DC, right down to the last bite of burger or delicious homemade oatmeal cookie, and I don’t regret a second of it! It’s great not feeling the guilt that I used to associate with eating something that may not be the healthiest.  I don’t feel anxiety when I can’t get to the gym and I don’t think the world is going to end if I eat a piece of cake.  I really think it’s important to indulge and have those off-meals because nobody is perfect.  I know that it’s hindering my progress, but I’m also really happy with the progress I’ve made and where I’m at right now.  I’m so ready to keep pushing myself harder once I get back in to my routine though! Just because I’m not at the gym doesn’t mean I don’t miss it!

It’s important to decide whether or not your goals allow for little cheats like I’ve taken.  I know that once I get back to my diet and exercise plan that I’ll be on my way to reaching my goals.  I’m not afraid of falling completely off the wagon; I’m just stopping it for a little bit!  If you’re the kind of person who can’t limit yourself to just a one cookie, then you should definitely assess your own choices when it comes to off-meals.

The end of the month also means that it’s Foodie Pen Pal time!  My June Foodie Pen Pals were Jocelyn and Judy.  Check out what I sent at Jocelyn at her blog: Peace Love Nutrition.  Judy sent me some unique items, from her hometown in Oklahoma, that are also clean!  I was so excited to see local brands in the box, and Judy actually knew some of the owners.

-Taboli Salad Mix: This bag of dehydrated bulgar, parsley, and onions doesn’t look like much, but it seems to be one of the best kept Oklahoma secrets to me!  A restaurant in Bristow, OK sells these bags of their taboli salad to mix with fresh vegetables.  Tabbouleh is one of my favorite Mediterranean dishes and I’m so excited to try this super healthy carb!

-Nature’s Bakery Whole Wheat Peach Apricot Fig Bar: I am a super fan of Fig Newton’s so this was a perfect on-the-go snack for me:)  The short list of natural ingredients was very exciting because it’s hard to find bars that actually taste good and are clean without making them yourself.

-Whole Foods Parmesan Crisps:  Okay, I may have had a small bingefest with these on my last night in Virginia, but at least they are clean!  I’ve made Parmesan crisps at home before (it’s SO easy and they look so fancy to me!), but mine are never this thick and crispy.  We were sure that there had to be some bread crumbs or something involved in these, but after checking the ingredients we were surprised to just see good ol’ cheese on there!  Whole Foods never failsJ

-Eden Organic Wild Berry Mix: I have to admit that I was kind of worried about this.  Only because I am a HUGE lover of trail mix and can tend to go a bit overboard at times.  I’m also trying to cut down on sugar, and dried fruit packs a lot of sugar in a little tiny piece.  However, not only has my will power increased, but this stuff is awesome!  It’s not too sweet and just a palm full gives me that little boost of energy I need on my way home from work.

-The Prairie Gypsies Blackberry Sage Jelly:  Haven’t had a chance to try this yet, but anything with fruit and herbs sounds good to meJ

I hope you all made July your b*tch and are ready for August!

Sunday Blog Fail=Life WIN

So I’ve realized that there’s no way I can post such a long blog on Sundays! At least not for right now.  So my apologies to the both of you reading this. There has to be at least two of you right? 🙂

This weekend was crazy busy since my time in DC is coming to an end.  We had planned on hiking Old Rag in Shenandoah (an 8 hour hike) on Sunday.  Shenandoah is one of my favorite places to be, but so far I’ve only gone tubing and wanted to check out the awesome trails that they have!  Our plans changed when we found INCREDIBLE Sugarland tickets.  That was an easy decision to make:) Instead of Old Rag, we chose a shorter hike in Great Falls, Maryland.  Billy Goat Trail was rough and rocky, but I recommend it to anyone looking for something a little more challenging than a nature walk.  The views of the Potomac were spectacular and it was so nice to sit out on a ledge and enjoy our clean chicken sandwiches:)

Acting as the geniuses that we are, my aunt and I decided to visit Cracker Barrel and eat back all the calories that we had burned rock scrambling!  I definitely wanted to treat myself, but it was hard to go completely nuts.  I had multi-grain pancakes, scrambled eggs, turkey sausage, grits, and REAL BUTTER AND SYRUP.  I’ll admit, sometimes I do miss refined sugar and cream:)  After we hefted ourselves from our table, we headed on over to Sugarland!! 

The concert was absolutely amazing!  They are one of my favorite bands and it was such a surprise to get to see them:) I’ll post some pictures later tonight!

Speaking of pictures…..I’m now on Instagram! Follow me @BBBHealthy 🙂

I’ll leave you with a quick and easy recipe for lazy summer days and a Sunday Powermeal!

 

 

 

 

Clean Chicken Salad

4 pieces of chicken, diced (I used leftovers from Little B’s coconut chicken recipe)

1/2 bell pepper

1 cup greek yogurt

2 tbs. chopped fresh basil

1tbs. dried cilantro

3 tsp. grapefruit juice (or lime)

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

Pepper to taste (I used TJ’s flower pepper)

1. Mix it all together and enjoy with whole-wheat or ezekial toast and squash chips!

Thirsty Thursday and Squats!

Hope your Thirsty Thursday has been more successful than mine!  Work is still crazy so I’ve been trying to chug these little mini water bottles, but it’s hard to keep them on hand while I’m running around making sure everyone else is hydrated:)  So far I’m at 60oz, where are you?My 4:50am wake-up call was not very welcome, and around noon I needed coffee.  Not my favorite, but taking a nap at my desk isn’t really my boss’s favorite so I had no choice!

Week 5’s workouts are pretty fun, but I’ve really been pushing myself to lift heavier lately and it’s making me so tired!  I’m always a stickler for form (I’ll redo a whole set if I think that my form was off), but lately I’ve been extra cautious to keep my back straight or fully extend my arms because I don’t want my hard work to result in injury.  Or worse, lack of progress! Gasp!

I’ve found that there is one, extremely important, exercise that people have the most difficulty with.

THE SQUAT.

I love squats.  Squats, squats, squats, squats, squats, everyyyybodyyyy!  Squats are definitely my favorite exercise, and it’s taken me a long time to be able to do them correctly.  I love how they are also an incredible core exercise (compound ftw!), and they make me feel strong, the many different variations, the cardio-squats, everything! I even love how sore they make me! I’ve also attempted (and succeeded in some cases) to teach some of my friends how to do a squat correctly.  Well what I should have been doing is showing them THIS video!

This little exercise (pushing a medicine ball out while you squat) is great because it helps you overcome that hardest part of the squat: letting your hips go back.  I’ve had this described to me in many ways-you’re sitting down, you’re mooning someone, you’re making a table top with your quads-they are all great analogies, but it’s hard to put all of the different motions together.

1.  Keep your back straight! This doesn’t mean it has to be perpendicular to the ground, but it shouldn’t be curved or rounded.
2. Don’t let your knees go past your toes.  This is possibly the trickiest part because we want to go as low as possible, but it’s difficult to allow your hips to move back far enough to go low.
3. Keep your knees in line with your toes.  So when your knees bend, then should move in the same direction that your toes are pointing.
4. Chin up! It’s never a good idea to look straight at the ground when doing a squat, but don’t overextend your neck either.  Keep your neck and shoulders loose while you let your core and lower body do the work!
5. The ultimate goal is to be able to squat all the way down and lift yourself back up, with perfect form of course:) It’s a lot harder than it seems, especially with a barbell across your shoulders!

 

 

Amanda Latona-She is a prime example of the miracle of squats!

I hope this little intro in to squats helps those who are intimidated by the gym!  The squat rack is your friend, and don’t be afraid to jump on the leg press to ease yourself in:)

Six-Pack Sunday/Tuesday

(I realize that it’s Tuesday, but I had some problems with posting! Kept losing drafts 😦 )

 

Well it’s been an eye-opening week for me!  I had a minor (read: major) freak out because I haven’t really been seeing progress the way I’d expected.  I’ve been getting way stronger, but was worried that maybe my diet was off.  I found out that the progress that I’d seen from JE’s was because of the unmanageable carb-cycling and that I’m just gaining muscle right now, not losing fat.  It just goes to show that you can do everything you’re supposed to and be where you want to be, but you still have to work your a$$ off to maintain it!

 

Though to be honest, I haven’t been the best at limiting my off meals 😦

 Hey, I’m on vacation! Kinda….sorta…ish?

 

I also want to say good luck and keep on keeping on to those who have decided to start JE’s program or to just start living healthier!  If you have any questions, feel free to comment, email me at bbbfitandhealthy@gmail.com, or ask on facebook!

 

Now for Six-Pack Sunday:)

 

1. A reason to be motivated
2. A fitness myth
3. A new recipe
4. A fitness trend
5. A website
6. A product review

1. A reason to be motivated

STRENGTH

“Strong is the new sk*nny.”

Hell yeah! Lifting weights and eating right won’t make you shed fat immediately.  You’ll gain muscle so that when you do begin to lose fat, you’ll actually have some definition underneath!  You’ll come out of this with more muscle and a strength that is unbelievably empowering.  I’ve always been called fragile (not even delicate, just fragile ugh), and to me that always implied weakness.  Now, I can lift a case of sodas at work like it’s nothing and impress my coworkers with my man-like strength;)  Having the ability to carry something heavy or lift yourself out of the pool with grace and ease is an amazing feeling.  Mundane tasks become small little accomplishments because you couldn’t have done them before.  It makes you feel even more independent and able to do absolutely anything:)

2. A Fitness Myth

“If I lift heavier weights then I’ll bulk up, so I’ll just do more reps with lower weights.”

WRONG.  As usual, your body is largely reliant on your diet.  If you stay with lower weights and never increase the weights that you use, you will just stay stagnant (ladies that means no more 3lb. weights!) While doing more reps in a circuit can increase you heart rate and keep you in a fat burning zone during strength training, if you continue with lower reps and languidly move from exercises you won’t hit that mark.  Leaning out can occur from increasing cardio, decreasing your carb intake, and many other methods, but doing any or all of these in excess will only hurt you.  The way to a tight and toned body is through lifting weights and improving upon your performance every day.

A JOKE.

3.  Recipe

Tomatillo Steak and Eggs

2 oz. flank steak (I used leftovers so it’s already cooked)

2 egg whites

1 whole egg

1/4 cup homemade tomatillo salsa (grilled tomatillos, grilled poblano pepper, roasted garlic, chopped onion-blended)

1 tbs. flaxseed

1 cup of raw spinach

1. Cut the steak in to small, bite-size pieces and toss in a pan just to heat up for a minute or so.
2. Whisk the egg whites, whole egg, and tomatillo salsa together.
3.  Add the salsa-egg mixture to the pan with the steak.
4. Cook until done, about 4 minutes-ish.
5. Serve on a bed of spinach with a piece of whole-grain or ezekial toast, and top with flaxseeds!

SO EASY.

Calories: 259

Protein: 32g

Carbs: 4g

4. A Fitness Trend

Crossfit

Crossfit is a strength program that has been around for awhile, but seems to be becoming more popular among housewives lately.  This means that it’s popping up on every stay-at-home mom fitness/cooking/craft blog usually in the form of boot camps.  That’s how it should be!  While some think that the Crossfit lifestyle may be a bit cultlike, it’s an awesome way to stay fit.  The workouts are similar to those of the military and police academies (think pushing heavy objects and running until you fall over), but are easily adaptable to anyone by adjusting the weight or intensity.  There are a lot of my favorite exercises involved like squats, clean and press, and of course a lot of RUNNING!  The difference is often the equipment.  Since you aren’t slowly moving from machine to machine, equipment such as sandbags, kettleballs, plyoboxes (for box jumps, so terrifying!), sandbags, tires, etc.

If you hate the gym, then a crossfit program might be the perfect thing for you!

The Crossfit Games just ended, check out this video to see how freaking cool you can look doing it.

5.  Bodybuilding.com

I’ve spent hours on this website! When I was first looking in to weightlifting, I was pretty much going off of nothing.  I think I actually googled “women’s bodybuilding” 🙂  I found this incredible resource and used the Find A Plan app, which lead me to JE’s LiveFit Program.  Since then I’ve used it not only for the program, but for recipes, support, supplement reviews and purchases, exercise references, and so many things! It has about a million different resources from articles and interviews to online community called Bodyspace to connect with others who have similar goals.  I highly recommend you utilize this website and all of the free tools that they have to offer!

6. A Product Review

Nature’s Best Isopure Zero Carb Protein: Cookies & Cream

It is with great regret that I write this as I am no longer a user of this product.  The regret comes from the fact that I absolutely LOVED it!  It has zero carbs and high protein, which is great for leaning out, but i’ve realized I’m not quite ready to stop building muscle yet so I need those carbs:)  I also am trying something a little more clean (yes protein powder can be clean!), MRM.  I’d give the taste of Isopure a 9, it mixes really well with anything and is more cream than cookie which is perfect to me.  There were no side effects and the only problem was that I ran through it wayyy too quickly. 

I hope you enjoy the rest of your week!  The highlight of mine so far as been the smoked salmon in the cafeteria, whoop dee doo!

My Take On Jamie Eason’s LiveFit Trainer

Monday. Eh.

Today started off pretty well; I woke up at 5am to go to the gym, but because of a storm it was still pretty dark outside.  Do you know how easy it is to convince yourself that a zombie apocalypse had occurred and you’re the only human left on earth?!  So the dark and creepy walk was no fun, but I did get in an awesome workout and I’m really feeling it right now.  Every single muscle in my body burns!  Anyone get in a good workout yet today?

Anyways, I’ve had a few people come to me saying that they’d like to start Jamie Eason’s program and I want to give my thoughts on it.

LiveFit is AMAZING.  Not only is Jamie Eason just wonderful (I’m a little obsessed with how cute she is), but I think that it is a perfect starting point for those who want to get serious about taking control of their body, as long as you stick to the plan strictly.  Don’t just half-a$$ do it because you don’t want to change your eating habits or exercise routine.  It’s a FREE 12-week program that outlines your daily meal plan, workouts, and supplements.  That being said, it is not a diet plan.  It’s called LiveFit because it is a lifestyle that you continue to maintain even after the 12 weeks.  While it is probably going to be a change for those who decide to do it, it is also relatively easy to make most of the transitions.

For example, everyone seems to be stuck on the “no cardio” part of the first month.  No, it’s not a typo, do not do cardio during phase 1! Jamie goes in to detail about this and explains that doing cardio (especially before a workout, like I used to do) will not only burn the muscle that you do have, but will also deplete your energy.  If you think about it, it does make a lot of sense.  If you run excessively every day and then lift weights moderately after, then maybe (BIG maybe) you’ll lose some weight, but what do you expect to be underneath that fat?  Nothing if you don’t lift!  Cardio will come later in the program after you’ve built up some muscle, don’t worry:)

I also get the impression that some of you may not be interested in the meal plan aspect of this program.  Well then don’t even waste your time with the workouts. If you are planning on working your body to the ground at the gym and then not fueling it properly, then email me so I can set you straight!  It’s not that this is a super intense, all or nothing, take it or leave it, bodybuilding program, I just want to see you succeed and be the best version of yourself!

When I finally got to Phase 3 of the program, I found it extremely difficult to maintain the workouts and meal plans.  It requires almost two hours of gym time including cardio and the carb cycling (eating more carbs on some days, less on others) made me feel tired and I became less motivated for the long workouts.  I, personally, don’t plan to do phase 3 again, but would be happy to repeat phases 1& 2.  However, I did complete the entire trainer because it’s really important to me finish what I’ve started:)

If you’re all set and ready to go, you’ve got your food prepped, your supplements in your shaker, and workouts written down then I just want to say good luck!!  I hope that you decide to make a change for the better and lead a healthier lifestyle with Jamie’s help!