Week 3: PiYo Casting Call Results

And, just like that I finished my 3rd week of this PiYo Casting Call! Just 5 more weeks to go until I submit my FINAL results!

I am still LOVING the program and I've been doing it for a few weeks even before I started this Casting Call challenge! :-) But, I also have to tell you that if you really want results in fitness, nutrition is really KEY! They say abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym! With that I have really had to take a FOCUS on my nutrition because that is the hardest part for me! But, is it possible! Of course it is!

Focusing on your nutrition does not mean you never get to have a cinnamon roll or ice cream, french fries, or pizza ever again! You can still have those things but it's all about moderation in life! You eat clean 90% of the time and then know that when you work hard to eat clean the remainder of the week you can have that treat meal where you have whatever you want and not feel bad about it. :-) There is a quote that says, "One bad meal won't make you fat, just like one good meal won't make you skinny!"

The first two weeks I cut out all cheats or treats not because I necessarily wanted to deprive myself but I wanted to prove to myself that I was strong enough to do it and I DID IT! This last week for my 3rd week I allowed myself a treat meal of pasta with my husband and did I have to feel bad about it? NO, I didn't! Because I still worked hard and ate clean the remainder of the time!

The PiYo Nutrition plan isn't hard to follow! It's really easy and it if you take the time to meal plan and meal prep it is even easier! You have a list of all the foods you can eat and then you know how many of each foods you can have and there you have it! You aren't starving! I am plenty full and satisfied following the plan. It is the basics of living a healthy lifestyle to implement and make a habit in your life!

With that are you read to see my 3 week results!?!

Here you go!

And, here are my three week stats:

Weight: 132.7 (-3.5 lbs.)
Chest: 33 (-1.5")
Biceps: L 11 7/8 (-1/8") R 11 7/8 (-1/8")
Waist: 28 (-1")
Belly: 32 (-1.5")
Hips: 38 (-1")
Thighs: L 22 (-3/4") R 22 3/4 (-3/4")
Calves: L 14 (-1/2") R 14 1/4 (-1/4")

I am very proud of the results I have had in knowing that I have done it by consistently eating healthy and getting my workouts in! But, the best part is I don't have to starve myself or workout endlessly! I get to eat plenty and I only have to workout for 20-50 minutes a day! PiYo is a low impact but high intensity workout. I'm not beating up my body to get these results! Do I work hard! YES! Are some of the workouts hard? YES! But,is it worth it? YES! :-)

Happy Transformation Tuesday!

PiYo Casting Call: Week 2 Results

Well, my second for this PiYo Casting Call journey is complete! Yay! Two weeks down, six to go! :-)

I was feeling a little defeated and frustrated because it seems my wrist didn't completely heal before I decided to stop wearing my brace and I'm back in that brace and no bearing weight on that wrist. So, you may ask how the heck am I doing PiYo? I just MAKE IT WORK! :-)

When it's time to do push ups I go into a forearm plank and either hold it or lift my legs one at a time. When we are in down dog I am on my forearms as well. I do the best I can and KEEP GOING! I have learned that there will always be another excuse as to why you "CAN'T" do it. But, in reality, it's not about if you can...it's about if you WILL! So, you have to make some adjustments...SO WHAT! Keep going! ;-)

And, here we have my two week pictures and progress! (If you can't tell I took these by myself with my phone propped up on a chair, boxes, and a book with two kids running around...haha...it worked...kind of!)

Two week progress front view

Two week progress side view

Two week progress back view

:Measurements:

Weight: 132.7 (-3.5 lbs.)

Chest: 33 3/4" (-.75")

Waist (smallest part): 28" (-1")

Belly (biggest part): 32 1/4" (-1.25")

Hips: 38" (-1")

Thighs: L 22.25" (-.5")  R 23" (-.5")

When you commit to reaching a goal and stay consistent things will happen! My next group starts Monday, September 1st! Are you going to commit?

I'm ready to take September by storm and keep going! Are you? ;-)

Why I Love Shakeology: Reason #3,296

There are quite a few reasons why I love Shakeology and I could go on all day about them! I'm passionate about it because it has changed my life and I have seen it change the lives of countless others!

Shakeology is widely known to help with weight loss and yes, it helped me lose weight but more than that it helped me with my health. It is not just a weight loss shake...it is a health shake! With over 70 super foods in the formula it is designed to fuel your body with the best nutrition in a natural, safe way without all the fillers and nasty chemicals other protein shakes or weight loss shakes contain. There is just nothing else like it on the market and it's clinically proven to help you lose weight, reduce blood sugar levels, and reduce cholesterol.

It's AMAZING the things that happen when your body starts getting the nutrients it actually craves. Part of the reason we are so overweight in this society is that we don't understand the difference between fullness on a volumetric level vs. a cellular level. We keep feeding our bodies because it never gets what it actually needs. With Shakeology, your body gets a daily dose of dense nutrition that it is impossible to get in a day otherwise and you are feeding your body the stuff it actually needs. Your cravings subside because the body realizes it's full of what it needed.

My Personal Tranformation

Besides that, there are a million more benefits including reducing blood sugar levels, increasing energy, reducing cholesterol, reducing blood pressure, improving digestion, balancing out hormone levels, and so many more. It has changed the lives of people with Chron's disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Diabetes, Insulin Resistance, Depression, Constipation, and so many more frustratingly debilitating illnesses.

Today I want to talk about Migraines and headaches. I don't think I've shared too much that I use to get a headache every day! Some days they were debilitating and turned into migraines. I couldn't focus and I was not able to function well. I'm lucky I've never had chronic migraines, but chronic headaches, I had them! I was taking ibuprofen ALL THE TIME and we all know what that will do to your liver and more! It was not one of the initial reasons I started drinking Shakeology but after a while I noticed  those daily headaches went away! I can say now that the only reason I get headaches now is if I am dehydrated or I need an adjustment from the chiropractor from issues due to previous back injuries.

Lindsey, another coach on the great team I am a part of struggled with chronic migraines. She said:

Not to mention she's had an awesome tranformation!

"I can't remember a time when I haven't struggled with migraines. I have gone to the hospital, been in bed for days, thrown up, literally not been able to stand up, etc. I have been this way for YEARS. I finally went to a doctor over a year and a half ago and was put on a daily Verapamil. I would also take Imitrex on the days that I did get a migraine. 

The insurance company only allows 9 Imitrex per month though. Every month I would max them out and I would have taken all of them before the month was up. Since taking Shakeology, I have never taken all 9. I ONLY have a migraine when I don't get a good night sleep. I no longer have unexplainable, random migraines. For me, this is ONE of the many benefits I have had from Shakeology. I can't imagine not drinking it daily. It literally has changed my life."

Tracey, another coach on my team said:

 "I have not popped on single tablet for migraines, headaches, or insomnia since I started the shake in March!" 

There is a reason I drink my Shakeology every day and there is a reason Lindsey, Tracey, and so many others do as well. IT WORKS! I wasn't fully convinced until I decided to try it myself for 30 days and get my money back if it didn't work. I didn't get my money back...IT WORKED and now I make sure it's a daily part of the nutrition I put into my body because I know it needs it. If you knew the difference it made you wouldn't miss a day either!

Do you want to try Shakeology? Why not? There is a 30 day money back guarantee even if you drink all of it! And, if you don't want to commit to 30 days yet let me know and I can send you some individual one-serving packets to get you started! What do you have to lose besides maybe those migraines and/or headaches? You might just save some money as well when you don't have to pay for all your medications and doctor's visits! Lindsey is saving money!

PiYo: Days 1-2

I decided to start PiYo yesterday on a Tuesday but just double up on today's workouts to catch up. It worked better for me to start on the first of the month so I did. I love that I can start on my own time! :-) I have a challenge group starting up on Monday, July 7th so I wanted to be a week ahead so I could experience and know what to expect to help my challengers!

I got my Week 1 Meal Plan all figured out and I'm ready to finish out this week strong! The nutrition plan with Piyo is very similar to the 21 Day Fix without the containers and some of the foods that are allowed in the categories vary but it makes things very simple to follow! After you calculate your calorie intake you are put in a certain tier where you are allowed a certain number of serving from each category.

I am in Tier 1, which allows 1,200-1,399 calories. The thing I love about this program and many of the other nutrition guides with Beachbody program is you don't have to count calories. If you follow the food list and serving guide you should be falling in that calorie range. It's perfect because I LOATHE COUNTING CALORIES! I know I'm not the only one! ;-)

In my tier I am allowed 4 Lean Protein, 4 Primary Vegetables, 3 Healthy Fats, 2 Secondary Vegetables/Grains, and 2 Fresh Fruit.

Here is my Week 1 Meal Plan for a great example on how to balance those categories out:

It's so nice to have these meals all planned out because I can prep them for the whole week and spend hardly any time in the kitchen! Yay! All I need to do is check out what I have planned for that meal and then follow the serving size in the book and go for it!

Day 1 workout, Align: The Fundamentals was a good review to help get oriented to the different moves being used and how to do them correctly!

Day 2 (yesterday), nutrition wise, for me went pretty good but not as well as I had hoped because my day exploded and got busier than I anticipated. I wasn't completely prepared with my meals prepped and so dinner ended up being off and I didn't get all my snacks in. I am committed to getting some of my meals prepped today and following the meal plan today!

Today is double workouts to catch up and this morning I got in Define: Lower Body. I definitely felt things working but I didn't have to jump and run like crazy to get a good workout. Perfect and refreshing! Tonight I am going to be doing Define: Upper Body and I will let you know how that goes tomorrow since it is considered part of Day 3 and I'm only reviewing the first two days right now!

Sorry, I have no music for the video today. It's boring without any but I'll have some going for the next one! :-)

I am really excited for this journey and for my group to start on Monday so we can experience this awesome program and rally together to start it out strong!

My PiYo Journey

It's the morning of July 1st and a Tuesday. I know it's not the start of a new week but it just worked better for me to go ahead and start my PiYo journey today. I will be starting today but doubling up on my workouts on Wednesday to catch up!

What is PiYo? It is an incredible 60 day workout program that you get without beating yourself up. It is the perfect mix of Pilates and Yoga that come together in a fast paced workout to help you get results with low impact training and it comes from one of my favorite Beachbody trainers, Chalene Johnson!

I will be starting this program today with the PiYo nutrition guide and Shakeology to help me along the way! I am excited about starting this program because I have been dealing with a hamstring and wrist injury that have been very frustrating the last few months. They are very close to being healed completely but I still have problems every once in a while. I've heard great things about this program helping to heal your body and be gentle on you while still getting great results. I think this might just end up ranking up there as one of my favorite programs!

Please join me on my journey! I will be posting reviews regularly about both the workouts and nutrition plan and sharing my progress with you, complete with weight, measurements, and pictures! And, if you have any questions or are interested yourself please comment below the post or email me at fitnessempowered87@gmail.com. I'd love to have you join in on my next challenge group!

Okay, I'm off to work on my meal plan! If I were to say I am excited it would be an understatement! :-)

My Journey to Finding Joy in the Trenches

In October of last year I decided to make a change. I was really struggling. I was unhappy, tired all the time, and still struggling with depression after having my little Kaliana Brooklyn. I needed something to work towards. I LOVE being a mother but I needed something for me. At first mention I thought I was being selfish. However, I realized quickly that taking care of myself would seriously change the whole dynamic of our home and my efforts in motherhood.

I started living a new healthy lifestyle that consisted of good nutrition and regular exercise. It became my outlet of sorts and a way to be proud of myself. I was accomplishing something great which I wasn't sure I could do. I was scared I would fall flat on my face but honestly, I'm pretty sure I had already fallen flat on my face so what could it hurt?

I lost about 20 lbs. and around 18 inches overall in the span of about 4-5 months by working out 25-30 minutes a day, drinking Shakeology, and eating clean so I decided to start running online fitness challenge groups. These are what helped me stay on track and keep working towards my goal even when it got hard. I was accountable and I had support from others working towards similar goals. I started Fitness Empowered on Facebook and shortly after on Instagram to help inspire others to realize their own potential and to find a place of empowerment. I truly found that there could be joy, even when we were deep in the trenches of a long, hard day.

Finding joy in those trenches inspired me to share even more. Fitness was a huge part of finding my joy but it also came through my faith, my family, and my divine calling in life as a mother. I wanted to share it all and well, that brought me to this spot. I worked on the idea of a blog for a couple months until this little blog of mine, Finding Joy in the Trenches, came to fruition. This is my place to share it all and help inspire others to start finding joy in their own trenches.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to share with so many through blogging, Facebook, and Instagram. Social Media can be a tool used for great good! So, in an effort to keep everything consistent all across the board Fitness Empowered on both Facebook and Instagram will now become part of this journey to Finding Joy in the Trenches. I founded Team Fitness Empowered in an effort to help others on their own journey to better health and there will be no changes to that team. It will remain that way and if you want to learn more about my team and how you can join it as a customer or a coach please comment or email me at bensshar@gmail.com.

I have found that the most important callings in my life are also those that require sometimes a great deal of time spent in the trenches and they are not separate in my life but they all run together and without one I would not be the same person. Please join me in the journey to Finding Joy in the Trenches of Faith, Family, Fitness, and Motherhood.

You can find me on Facebook at:

https://www.facebook.com/joyinthetrenches?ref_type=bookmark

I am also on Instagram at:

 http://instagram.com/joyinthetrenches

I honestly pour my heart and soul into this and I would feel honored to have you be a part of it! Please come follow me and share your stories with me as well at bensshar@gmail.com. I am truly inspired by all of your stories and I would love to share them with others alike.

Carry on. Find joy in the trenches!