Monthly Archives: April 2016

2 weeks of 22 Hard Corp complete! 

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Just finished my second full week of Beachbody’s 22 Hard Corps program and I’m loving it still!  The workouts are quick, hard and over before you quit.  I missed yesterday so I had to do a double this morning. The best part was that I still finished in less than an hour. One of the workouts in Cardio 2 is called a water bug. The final set is 25 reps! When working out at home I have the tendency to stop before the workout is actually done. To give myself an extra push I recorded the 25 rep set and finished! I gues I’m stronger than I thought. Push yourself further everyday and you will be amazed at how far you will go! 

20 Minute Calorie Blast

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Short on time but need to fit in some cardio? Well, I have the perfect 20 minute high intensity workout for you that will have you sweating in no time! My favorite piece of cardio equipment at my gym is the stepmill. If your gym does not have one then I suggest cranking that treadmill up to an incline of 10 or more and work those hamstrings and glutes!

Workout Speed Time (Minutes)
Warmup 5 0-2:00
Climb 8 2:00-3:00
Climb 9 3:00-4:00
Climb 10 4:00-5:00
Climb 11 5:00-7:00
Climb 12 7:00-9:00
Max 13 9:00-11:00
Descend 12 11:00-13:00
Descend 11 13:00-15:00
Descend 10 15:00-16:00
Descend 9 16:00-17:00
Descend 8 17:00-18:00
Cool-down 5 18:00-20:00

22 Minute Hard Corps Workout Reveiw and Sample Meal Plan

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So far I have completed the Cardio 1, Core 1 and Resistance 1 workouts for the 22 Minute Hard Corps and I am loving the program!  I do not have much coordination so the simple, basic workout moves used in this program are perfect for me.  The workouts are easy to follow, effective and over just when I think I might need to modify or take a break.  I definitely recommend having a pull-up bar for this to get the full benefit.  I put my feet in resistance bands attached to my bar so I can follow along with all the repetitions.  My back is very sore after only one 22 minute resistance workout.

The first two days on the diet went pretty good but I didn’t plan my carbs very well and went over by one container.  Last night I sat down with a pen while packaging my food for the day and dialed my nutrition in.  Here is an example of what I ate today:

Meal 1: Oatmeal Banana Protein Bake with Chia Seeds(1 Red, 1 purple, 1 Yellow, 1 Orange)

Meal 2: Beef Stew over brown rice and spinach (1 Red, 1 Green, 1 Yellow)

Meal 3: Egg Muffins, Romaine Lettuce Salad with Bell peppers, Reduced Fat Shredded Cheddar and Salsa for Dressing (2 Greens, 1 Red, 1 Blue)

Meal 4: Gala Apple and 4 tsp Almond Butter (1 Purple, 4 Oil)

Meal 5: 6 oz. Grilled Chicken Breast, Broccoli, Sweet Potato (1 1/2 Red, 1 Green, 1 Yellow)

Meal 6: 1/2 Scoop Chocolate Casein Protein powder mixed with 1/4 cup unsweetened cashew milk and decaf coffee with 1 packet stevia (1/2 Red)

Totals:  5 Red, 4 Green, 3 Yellow, 2 Purple, 1 Blue, 4 Oil, 1 Orange

 

I am following plan 2 for nutrition because my goal is to maintain my weight while building muscle.  I think the biggest key to success is planning out your nutrition the day before.  You cannot out work a bad diet and figuring out how to fit in all your colored containers is easier when done a full day at a time.  It is kind of like building a puzzle.

 

 

Quick and Easy Egg Muffin Cups

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I love eggs but find it hard to find time to make them in the morning during the work week.  I eat a lot of oatmeal muffin cups but wanted something a little more savory. This weekend while food prepping for my 22 Minute Hard Corps challenge, I tried out a new way to cook my eggs and loved the results.  To make things a lot easier, I buy my peppers and onions pre-cut in the freezer section or fresh food section.

Here is what you need:

  • Diced peppers, onions and some fresh baby spinach
  • Cooking spray
  • 12 whole eggs
  • Seasonings of your choice (Mrs. Dash, Salt, Pepper, Red Pepper Flakes, Garlic Powder, etc.)
  • Muffin Tin

Instructions:

  1. Heat skillet over medium-high heat.
  2. Spray generously with non-stick cooking spray and add veggies (no spinach) IMG_6768[1]
  3. Sauté veggies until cooked and add fresh spinach
  4. Continue sautéing until spinach is wilted and cookedIMG_6770[1].JPG
  5. Spray 12 muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray
  6. Evenly spoon vegetable mixture into each muffin cupIMG_6771[1].JPG
  7. Add one egg to each cupIMG_6772[1].JPG
  8. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 20 minutes or until egg is cookedIMG_6775[1].JPG

Enjoy with whole grain sprouted toast or corn tortillas!IMG_6778[1].JPG

If you are following the 22 Minute Hard Corps or 21 Day Fix this would equal 1 Red, 1 Green and 1 Yellow.  Serve with the cheese and add one blue.

 

 

Day 1 of 22 Hard Corps

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Today marks day one of an eight week fitness challenge I’m starting. We are following beachbodies 22 minute hard core program.

I’m leading a challenge group on Facebook of over 15 individuals following the same program and we all started today.

My plan is to blog my journey and give an honest review of the program. The challenge pack we purchased included the eight week fitness program DVDs, access to all of our workouts online through beachbody on demand, a detailed nutrition plan with portion control containers and one month supply of shakeology. We were able to get all of that for only $140 on my beachbody website. The added bonus for all my customers is me as their personal coach!

Day one starts off with the PT test that includes jumping jacks, push-ups, pull-ups, squat thrust and a plank hold. You had one minute to complete as many reps as possible in each exercise with the exception of the plank, which you had to hold for your maximum time. I completed 30 push-ups, 40 squat thrust with a 10 pound dumbbells, one pull-up, 75 jumping jacks and a two minute and 18 seconds plank hold.  My husband and kids also did the PT test with me so it was a lot of fun!

Today’s workout was a 22 minute cardio video and then an eight minute core video. I completed it on lunch with some friends at work in only 30 minutes.  I meal prep yesterday and planned out our food for the day. It’s 6 PM and we’re still on track with our nutrition for the day. If you’re curious what I eat each day you can find me on MyFitnessPal username Nicole_J.

So far I really like the program. The workouts seem quick and effective in the nutrition is easy to follow.

 

getting ready to start day one workout streaming it on demand

 

Took leftover beef stew and put it over spinach and brown rice. Equals one red container, one yellow container, and one green

 

This is what our fridge looked like Sunday night after I did all of our food prep

 

My Second Competition was a Success!

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Last weekend I competed in my second NPC Bikini Competition.  I went into it with much more confidence and determination.  I turned 35 since my first competition so I was excited to compete in the Master’s division (35 and up).  The goal I set for myself was to take first in Masters and top 3 in Open.  Well, I concurred that goal!  I placed 1st in Master’s and 3rd in Open.

Because I had competed before the fear of being on stage and being judged was completely gone.  At my first competition I spend a lot of time looking around and comparing myself to others.  I counted how many girls were in my height class and let their appearance bring my confidence down.  After the show I looked at the pictures and videos and realized that I had nothing to feel insecure about and that the only person on stage I should have been focused on was myself.  This show was completely different.  I didn’t even look at the line up or know how many girls I was competing against.  When my friends arrived and asked how many girls were in my class I simple said “I don’t know, I didn’t even look.  Who cares, I am going to go out there and rock the stage.”  I was competing against the girl I was last time around and no one else.

It has been a week since the competition and I kind of feel a little lost without that goal.  I didn’t go crazy with food after the competition but I can say that I have overindulged on red wine.  Tomorrow I am starting the 22 Minute Hard Corp challenge with my husband and a challenge group I am leading. The program is 8 weeks log, comes with a balanced nutrition plan and 22 minute workouts.   This will allow me to focus on my fitness and nutrition again without completely consuming my time and energy.  I will be blogging about this challenge so others can see what it is like.

Here are some photos from my competition:

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This is the top 4 in Master’s Division

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This is the Open line-up.  I placed third.

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Bikini Competitor Banana Protein Oatmeal Bake

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During the last few weeks of my competition prep I began to cut many things out of my diet and stick to the basics that I knew my body could handle and digest well.  This means my meals were very repetitive because I didn’t want to chance anything not agreeing with my body and halting my progress. For breakfast this was your standard oatmeal and egg whites.  I wanted to add some moisture and flavor to them so I incorporated ripe bananas and my favorite protein powders to make a super simple and quick oatmeal bake.  It yields six servings so my husband and I have breakfast ready to eat on the go 3 days in a row.   I have made it three times now and each time I love it more so I decided I just had to share the recipe.

Ingredients:

DSCN1105.JPG Continue reading →