21 Day Fix: Day 7

Week One is Done!

I can't believe I'm already 1/3 of the way done, I already feel so much better.  I have my first weigh in tomorrow which I'm not very excited about. I need to remember how good I've felt the last few days and focus on that more than on the number I'll see on the scale.

Yoga Fix was the perfect way to end the week.  It's active recovery so you are moving through lots of stretches to help loosen up the muscles you've worked so hard in the previous week.  I didn't realize how tense and tight I was until I tried to sink into familiar positions and had quite a bit more trouble than usual.  Flexibility is something I really struggle with so I need to make that a focus of mine.  Maybe I'll start going to yoga a few times a week to try and loosen everything up.  A big problem of mine is that I hate not being good at things.  If I'm not middle of the pack, or better, I get easily discouraged and embarrassed but if there is one thing that exercise has taught me is that it doesn't take long to improve.  And if I really think about it, I would never judge someone at the gym or the studio for not being excellent at something. I'm just impressed that they are out there doing it!

Well, now that Week One is over, I'm going to have to prep all of my meals for the coming week and start this all over again...At least I can enjoy my Chocolate Peppermint Mocha while I'm at it!

1 Cup of brewed black coffee, 1 scoop of Chocolate Protein Powder, and 2-3 drops of Peppermint Extract.
A delicious morning shake and it only costs 1 Red Container!

To health and happiness,
Jordana

21 Day Fix: Day 6

This post is a day late but it seems fitting to write it today because every time I move, I think about yesterday's workout.  I am SORE.  I had no idea what to expect with the Dirty 30: Cardio? Strength? Agility? Core? Stretching?  It's entirely strength and again has four rounds with two exercises per round.  I had to switch to lighter weights halfway through most of the exercises but I ALWAYS kept moving making sure my form correct.  Whenever I used to get tired during my other at home DVD workouts I would either stop and take a break until the instructor and her students were finished or else just pause the DVD until I caught my breath. Now, I make sure that if I am tiring out or giving up I switch to the modifier for a few moves and then back to the original move.  I've noticed that this keeps my heart rate up and lets me feel like I'm taking a break while still working my aching muscles.

On another note, after my workout, my sisters and I, along with my niece and nephew went to the first ever Pride March in Brandon, MB.  It was a ton of fun and it was incredible to see this small rural community come together to support the LGBT community in Southwestern Manitoba.   Not only were we showing our support and having a blast, we were also getting some great exercise in at the same time. A win-win!

Picking up some goodies before the Pride March

What a great turnout!

Pride Mascot!

To health and happiness,
Jordana

21 Day Fix: Day 5

New favourite snack: Smoked Turkey Mozzarella Rolls....okay so it's just shaved deli meat wrapped around a chunk of mozza but man does it satisfy my afternoon hunger!  I usually have fruit for my afternoon snack but it never really satisfies me.  I tried my turkey rolls today and it was great! I felt like I could have packed half of what I did and still be satisfied.

Simple + Healthy + Satisfying 

So remember when I said these workouts didn't leave you doubled over gasping for air? Ya...about that... I lied.  Cardio Fix reminded me alot of my Jillian Michaels videos in that you barely felt like you caught your breath before starting the next exercise.  That being said, today's workout was AWESOME! I was drenched in sweat and it felt so good to finally feel like I really pushed myself.

I've decided that on Sunday I'm going to post a chart of my first week meal plan for anyone who wants to see what a simple 21 Day Fix meal plan looks like and then on Monday I'll post about my Sunday meal prep as meal prepping plays a huge role in this program.

To health and happiness and having a great (healthy) weekend!
Jordana

21 Day Fix: Day 4

Wow, it's only Day 4? Really? It feels like I've been at this for at lease a week or two already...not sure if that's a good sign or not.  Today was Pilates Fix and, if I am being completely honest, I thought today was going to be a joke.  I even wore a sweater at the start of the workout because I didn't think I would warm up enough to wear a tee. The sweater didn't make it through the warm up.

I like these workouts because they are all challenging in different ways but they don't make you want to "Puke, Faint, or Die".  They test your muscles and make you push yourself in each area that you are working out. Pilates Fix was focused on core, shoulders, and glutes and most of the moves I had never seen before so that always keeps it interesting.  My butt is going to ache tomorrow which means I know I got a good workout in.

Apart from the exercises (which I'm loving), and the meal planning (which has been much easier to follow than I initially expected), I have already started to notice a big change in my mood and demeanour.  I am always shocked to realize how much my mood is affected by my health. In the past couple of weeks I noticed myself slipping back into old habits of being negative and unable to find happiness in my day to day life and in just four days of into getting myself back on track I already feel so much better.

Here's to the next 17 Days!
To health and happiness,
Jordana

21 Day Fix: Day 3

LEG DAY! I normally love leg day because I never really find it that challenging.  I'm not sure if it has something to do with all the volleyball I used to play in middle and high school but I very rarely find a workout that drains my legs. Until now.  Lower Fix is packed with a ton of moves I've never seen before and they all target different leg muscles that I didn't even know existed.  I was shaking and quivering and could barely walk up the stairs afterwards. Note to self, don't do Lower Fix in the basement anymore.

Anyway I have some yard work and house cleaning to do and I want to do them tonight because I have a sneaky suspicion that I'll have trouble walking tomorrow.

To health and happiness!
Jordana

21 Day Fix: Day 2

I am really loving these workouts!  There are definitely not as challenging as Ripped in 30 or 30 Day Shred, but there are perfect for what I am trying to accomplish with this new challenge.  Whenever I take a break from my Jillian Michaels DVDs, I am always left pouring sweat and gasping for air when I decide to pick them back up.  Now, this certainly isn't a bad thing but it can be extremely discouraging and makes the thought of coming home after work, or getting up early in the morning to work out, very daunting.  I like to be excited to work out, not nervous and afraid!

Day 2 was called Upper Body Fix and it really was focused on upper body (with a few core exercises thrown in).  Almost every other DVD or fitness program I have tried always combines intense cardio with each major muscle group, but this one did not.  I found that by not focusing on my heart pounding out of my chest or trying to suck in as much oxygen as humanly possible, I was able to really focus on each individual muscle group and to try and get my form as close to perfect as possible.  Another thing I really like about these videos are the modifiers.  I am an extremely stubborn person and nine times out of 10 I will refuse to do the modifiers, which often leaves me completing about 1/2 to 3/4 of the exercise before I burn out.  In these videos, the trainer, Autumn Calabrese, really pushes you to do as many un-modified moves as possible but that if you can't finish to switch to the modifier.  She also gives intermediate modifiers that are perfect for when you just need to take 2-3 moves easier before finishing strong with the un-modified versions.

I'm excited to see what tomorrow's workout will bring!
To health and happiness,
Jordana

21 Day Fix: Day 1

Another year, another challenge.  This year: 21 Day Fix.

I stumbled upon this challenge by complete accident, not realizing its popularity among the fitness community.  I started noticing some delicious and healthy looking snacks on Pinterest, most with the caption "21 Day Fix Approved" and decided to check it out myself.

After obtaining the 21 Day Fix package, complete with food containers I embarked on my newest challenge. I'll have to admit, the containers were MUCH smaller than I expected and I was/ still am nervous that I won't be able to stick to the meal plan due to extreme hunger.

Anyway, back to Day 1.  I was right about the containers, they are SMALL, but surprisingly you really can eat quite a bit, its just not really the food you want to eat a lot of (fruits, veggies, and protein).  There is also no room for snacking, so that is going to be a challenge for me.  The workout however was awesome.  I loved my 30 Day Shred circuits but this video had four rounds each with two exercises which made you really push yourself as you felt like you only had two exercises to do in each round and wanted to finish each one strong.

I am excited to see what the next 21 Days will bring (hopefully some motivating before and after pictures)!

To health and happiness,
Jordana