Truth About The 21 Day Fix

Beach Body's 21 Day Fix touts that you can lose weight fast in 21 days by following the program. You get color coded containers that portion your food and help you to know how much of each type of food to eat. You also get an exercise program that has 7 different days of workouts (plus a 10 min ab workout); you do one each day of the week.

(below is a picture of what you get with the challenge pack. The Shakeology is a great whole food meal replacement protein shake that gives you energy, cuts down the cravings, and helps flatten your tummy... I will write another blog later to go more in depth about it.)

Sounds like a great gimmick, right? For some it draws them in... "I need to lose weight fast, this sounds great!" And to others it turns them off, "I hate quick fix diets...they aren't healthy and aren't long term."

I want to address these thoughts and talk about what the purpose of this program really is.

Ok...yes, it partly is a gimmick in a way. Who doesn't want to have a quick fix for their weight!?!? It takes so much time and effort to lose weight that the title really is a draw. And you really do lose weight and dramatic inches in the 21 days.

But is it healthy? Is it the right way to go?

It is said that it takes 21 days to form a habit. So as you are consistently working out each day and having portion control with your food (and the right types of food), you are actually retraining your brain and forming a habit. So although it is played off as a quick fix, it is actually the beginning of a lifestyle change.

For someone who either never works out or rarely works out, the 21 Day Fix is a great start. It helps you get into a routine. And by having it in your mind that you WILL do ALL 21 days and follow it to a T those 3 weeks, it is much easier to start doing. Then once you get to day 21 and realize you are done, you already have formed the habit, you have seen the results, you feel so much better, and so much stronger that you want to make eating healthy and exercising a part of your daily life. And Beach Body has a lot of other great exercise programs that you can do once you are tired of doing the ones in the 21 Day Fix. (You can also pay for Beach Body on Demand so that you can access many different programs!)

I was hesitant to do the 21 Day Fix, but I was really glad that I did it. I am almost to my goal weight and am stronger than I was before (I completed the Spartan Race, so that is proof enough for me that this program helped me get stronger!) I am planning on doing it again because I have gotten out of the habit of exercising since I hurt my knee at the end of May. I need to re-form my habit!!

So do I recommend it? Yes I do! Not just because my husband and I are Beach Body coaches, but because we have both done this program and love it. We both have seen great results and believe in this program whole heartedly. My husband is unable to do intense cardio because of having a pacemaker, but he is able to do the exercises (there is a person showing you how to modify if needed).

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at journeytoahealthymomma@gmail.com
Also, visit our coach page and check out what Beach Body has to offer by clicking here

I am more than happy to help you reach your fitness goals.

I am Spartan! Aroo!

Last Saturday I completed my first Spartan. My brother, his son, my daughter and I all got free races for volunteering so we raced during the volunteer heat (the last one of the day). We were literally the very last people doing the race....and were the very last people on the course for a long time. We ended up passing quite a few people once we got past the dreaded hills.

I will be honest...I was scared of doing the race. I was scared I wouldn't be able to physically finish it. I figured I would end up doing many, many, many burpees (you have to do 30 burpees for each obstacle you don't finish). There were 23 obstacles and I only had to do burpees for one. The last obstacle before the finish line; the rope climb.

Here is me doing my burpees... haha



The race stared out going up a very steep hill. We decided that we would run up it because we figured one of our spouses was videoing us so wanted to look good. Once we were out of their sight I had to slow down because my tachycardia kicked in and so did my arrhythmia. The first part of the race (a huge part of the race) was a lot of steep hills. We went to the top of a small mountain. I slowed down, but kept going. I finally got my tachycardia to slow down, but then I started getting calf cramps. I had to stop and stretch my calves out, but kept going.

I kept pushing myself. It felt good. I was determined that no matter what, I was going to finish. Thankfully they encouraged team work. So on some obstacles we helped each other. The ones I needed help with were things like the monkey bars because I just didn't have the upper body strength to hold myself up that long.

We got to the barbed wire crawl. This race is done on a motocross course. The barbed wire crawl was done on the "whoops jumps" area. So was a series of mini hills in a row for about 50 yards. It is muddy and long. It wasn't easy to crawl/roll under the barbed wire. My arms are pretty bruised up from it! But what really made it hard for me was that both my calves seized up. The cramp in each calf went from my ankles up almost to my knees. Solid, hard as a rock, cramps. It was incredibly painful! I kept trying to crawl through the pain and it just kept getting worse.



I finally decided to try one of the honey energy gel packs I brought that happened to have some potassium. Thankfully that wiped out the cramp! I was able to finish the crawl and move on to carrying a bucket of rocks up a steep hill. (side note hint: one of the workers told me that to prevent calf cramps in a race like that to take a couple Midol pills before the race. He swears by it!)

My daughter hit her shoulder blade real hard during the barbed wire crawl so was struggling to do much. I had her take a bunch of her rocks and add them to my bucket. It was so heavy and hard to carry since there wasn't a handle. It took us a while, but we were able to complete that challenge (course on the way down the hill, I slipped and fell... hit my bum hard on a large rock and spilled my bucket everywhere. Had to pick up as many rocks as I could and continue on)



After we got done with carrying the buckets of rocks up and down a hill, we had to climb up an insanely muddy hill! It was hard, but pretty fun too. I don't know why, but I do love challenges like that.



Completing this race is a very proud moment for me. I get to check it off my bucket list! :) It was challenging and I didn't give up. I pushed through the pain, I pushed through the challenges, and I did it. It may have taken me 3 hours and 43 minutes to complete, but what matter is that I did finish! I may be bruised...

....But I came out feeling better about myself and my abilities.

It is worth it to push past fears and challenge yourself to complete something you never thought was possible!

3rd Race This Year

When I was a kid I did a race called the Spit Run up in Homer, Alaska. I barely made it. It was pretty long. I think I was around 10 when I did it. That was the only race I had ever done. Then this year happened.

I did a 5k in April with my husband and 4 kids. It was pretty fun and easy. I didn't run because I stayed with my husband (he has a pacemaker and cannot run because it could set off the pacemaker) and was pushing my 2 toddlers in the huge double stroller; also they would get out every once in a while and walk it. Honestly, I wouldn't have actually run though, I don't run... :)

Then in May I did my very first obstacle race. It was so fun! It made the plain ol' 5k seem very boring. I realized just how much I prefer the challenge.

Tomorrow is my first Spartan race.... My brother is on his way from Utah. He, his son, my oldest daughter, and I will be doing the race. My brother has done many (he has a trifecta!), but for the rest of us it is a first! It is a lot more intense than the Mud Stash that I did. The Spartan has harder obstacles and if you cannot complete them then you do 30 burpees. It is going to be a major challenge. I am excited!

But....

I am also terrified!!!

This is going to be the most physically difficult thing I have ever done. (and I have given birth 4 times! haha)

With my health problems comes muscle weakness and fatigue. So that worries me. My arm gets tired just from holding up the hair dryer, so I worry I will have big struggles with the challenges. BUT I also know my personality. When I am determined to finish something then I will force myself to finish it. I will find a way. I don't care how long this race takes me to complete, I just care that I do complete it!

Today I am resting up my body and hydrating as much as I can. Tomorrow is a big day.

I will hopefully be able to post early next week about how the race went! My husband will be taking pictures so I will add those also. Wish me luck!