21 Day Fix Extreme Review

Today is my last day of my first official round of the 21 Day Fix Extreme! So, in celebration of that, I wanted to bring you my official review of the program! This is my fourth Beachbody program, and i must say, they set the bar high, and I love it. My other programs are T25, the original 21 Day Fix, and Les Mills Combat! The 21 Day Fix sets have been fantastic, so let's go ahead and dive into the review!

Here are some specifics about the program, in case you were curious.

21 Day Fix Extreme

Length of program: 21 days, but can be repeated as many times as you want.
How many days do you work out: 7 days a week, one of which is yoga (love it!)
How long are the workouts: 30 minutes
How many workouts are included in the program: 8 full 30 minute workouts, and a ten minute ab
Equipment needed: set of light and heavy free weights and a resistance band
Fitness level needed: You need to have a base level of fitness. If you have completed any other Beachbody program you should be good
Nutrition aspect: portion control containers and an extremely doable eating plan
Helps with: losing that last ten pounds, toning up, getting extreme, getting fit for an upcoming event, and getting healthier!

Alright, so now you have some of the bare basics of the 21DFX (21 Day Fix Extreme) program down. Let's get into the nitty gritty.

Pros: 
-I loved this program even more than the original 21 Day Fix. Specifically I loved the challenge that the workouts gave me.
-I really enjoyed using my weights in most every workout. I feel like it really gave me a lot of great strength training.
-I can do more push ups on my toes now than ever before! For reference, before I started my journey last year I couldn't do a single push up on my toes. After this program I got past 15!
-The eating plan is absolutely doable and sustainable. You do not go hungry with this!
-The principles of the eating plan really nourish your body and give you a good balanced diet. You aren't skipping out whole food categories, and you aren't depriving yourself.
-You have the option of doing the "countdown to competition" eating plan, which is a super clean eating plan to help give you maximum results! I didn't do it this round, but plan on it in the future!
- As with the last program, I love the 30 minute workout length, it's perfect for me.
- I like that they have a modifier on the screen and I could easily follow along if I needed to modify a move.
-I feel like I gained a lot of energy and more over all body strength doing this program!
- Planning ahead and using the eating plan really helps you to succeed with this program.
-I love that it is a 21 day program. It helps you establish a good healthy habit, and gives you a quick win, AND because it is NOT a crash diet, you can continue on with it!

Cons:
-You eat a lot of protein, (or red containers), especially if you do the countdown to competition. It's not bad, but I personally struggle with my red containers anyway, there's only so much chicken and fish I want to eat in a day. But, it is healthy!
-It's not so much a con, but a challenge that I worked through. There is a plyo workout that includes a lot of jumping. I definitely grew in strength but boy did it challenge me!
-It was an extremely comical "con" but I definitely had to get used to using a resistance band for the pilates workout. I wouldn't say it's a con, more something you have to get used to and be careful not to snap yourself in the face with the band while changing positions.
- Not personally a con for me, but I know for others it can be a challenge when you start out to meal plan. If it's something you are not used to doing, it can take time, BUT it is absolutely worth it, and I love helping people through that process.

Overall thoughts about my experience with 21DFX
As I stated before, I really enjoyed this program. If you haven't been doing a higher intensity program or working out at all in a while, I would suggest doing the 21 Day Fix as a god start up point. But people who have been working out can absolutely jump in on this. It is a fantastic program and has taught me so much about nutrition and how key and critical it is to overall health.

Nutrition brings about 80% of your results, so it really is that important. With the 21DFX (and the original) you are focusing on eating clean and nourishing your body with foods that fuel you. That in turn helps you gain more momentum on the fitness side of things and helps you just shred out your physique! I have become more and more aware of just how important nutrition is and I want to shout that from the rooftops.

Using the 21DFX helps you learn those principles and gives you a great foundation to continue that on past the 21 days, and also gives you great workouts that are doable and build your energy and strength. This program is a 10++ in my book!

Who wants to join in another round of the 21DFX with me and get some results of your own?? I have several groups starting soon, so if you are curious at all, or want more information, please don't hesitate to ask or reach out for more information! I would love to help any way I can.

Who is ready to get Extreme?? Stay tuned for my results too!

21 Day Fix and the 21 Day Fix Extreme

Maybe you have heard the buzz about the 21 Day Fix. I did this program several times this past year, and absolutely love it. It has completely changed how I look at my portion control, and given me a fantastic base line to know what I need to eat to nourish my body and fuel my body.

One thing that I love about the 21 Day Fix is that it is not a crash diet. This isn't something that can only be for twenty one days and never be sustained. The principles taught in the 21 Day Fix are applicable beyond the 21 days, and can be repeated over and over. The emphasis on twenty one days is that that is how long it normally takes to create a habit.

And who doesn't want to make a habit of having a healthier lifestyle?

Now the game is shifting again as the launch of the 21 Day Fix Extreme happened on Monday of this week. What is the 21 Day Fix Extreme you may ask? Well, it's the 21 Day Fix turned up with a punch of intensity.

Today I just wanted to share a little bit about the differences between each program, so that whether you are looking to get your fitness started, or take your fitness to the next level, you will know which one is for you.

Let's start with the similarities of the 21 Day Fix and the 21 Day Fix Extreme.

• Both come with a detailed eating plan and guide to help you get the maximum amount out of your nutrition for 21 days.
• Portion control containers come with both the 21 Day Fix and the Fix Extreme. These containers represent each food group, and your nutrition guide tells you how much of each container you have each day.
• Container sizes are the same.
• 30 minute workouts, 7 days a week.
• A bonus workout
• Amazing results from focusing on nutrition and exercise together.
• You need a set of light and heavy dumbells or a resistance band for both workouts.

Now's lets cover the differences of the 21 Day Fix and the 21 Day Fix Extreme.

• The 21 Day Fix is for people at ANY level of fitness. There is a modifier with low impact moves for each workout. 
• The Fix Extreme has a modifier as well, but the moves are still at a higher level of intensity. 
• 21 Day Fix Extreme takes it up a notch, and Autumn (the trainer and creator) recommends this program for people who have done the 21 Day Fix, or completed other extreme or intense workout programs before, or for those who have a base line of fitness already.
• You can have treats on the 21 Day Fix. Things like chocolate and wine are worked into your eating plan over the 21 days, if you want to.
• The 21 Day Fix Extreme has an extremely cleaned up meal plan, and no treats are allowed. But the good news? It's only 21 days!
• The container COUNT is different between the two programs, the 21 Day Fix Extreme kicks it up a notch. 
• The 21 Day Fix Extreme comes with a "Countdown to Competition" guide that gives you Autumn's specific plan to a T for how to prepare for an event or to get the most extreme results in the twenty one days.

So, in short, the 21 Day Fix Extreme follows up the original 21 Day Fix, and kicks it up a notch. But, at the same time, it is a stand alone program in and of itself. If you already have done intense workouts before, and tend to go to more extreme workouts, you could absolutely do the 21 Day Fix Extreme right from the beginning. 

Both of these programs will challenge you and stretch you, you just choose your intensity level, and dial in. The 21 Day Fix has taught me so much about nutrition and portion control, and how to eat to fuel my body. I am excited to see what the 21 Day Fix Extreme does over the next month, and to share that journey with you as well!

If you have any other specific questions about the 21 Day Fix, or the 21 Day Fix Extreme, please contact me and I can give you all the details you need. If you need a personal coach, tips or recipe ideas, just reach out and ask, and I would be more than happy to help you.

So, who's ready to go EXTREME with me?

21 Day Fix Meal Planning

As I come to the beginning of my last week of the 21 Day Fix before Thanksgiving, I want to share some of my tips with you all! First of all, if you aren’t sure what the 21 Day Fix is, or you want to know my thoughts about it, check out my honest review in this blog!

Now, one of the biggest factors of the 21 Day Fix is the nutrition. As with all health and fitness, nutrition is really 80% and exercise is 20%. What we put into our bodies is incredibly important! And that is not something I realized right away, and am still learning now.

The 21 Day Fix has simplified nutrition for me in so many ways! I don’t have to count calories (which I hate doing), I know exactly how big my portions are supposed to be, and I know exactly how much I’m supposed to have of each food group! It takes all of the guess work out.

That being said, meal planning can be something completely new for most people! Today I’m going to share about going through the food lists and using it to help you meal plan. Later this week I will share a few of my sample meal plans that you can look off and borrow from!

Since you are eating from each food group in the 21 Day Fix, it comes with a handy list of what you can have from each food group. You have your green container that you fill with veggies, purple for fruit, red for protein, yellow for carbs, blue for healthy fats, orange for oil and dressing, and teaspoon for nut butters.

You can look at this quick guide from some ideas! Even if you aren’t doing the 21 Day Fix right now, this is a fantastic list to work off of for clean eating principles! The higher up on the list the food is, the more nutrient dense it is.

Tip #1 … Make sure you know how much of each container you are supposed to have every day! Write it down at the top of your meal plan so you don’t forget (I do this constantly).

Tip #2 … Go through each list of foods and circle your top ones that you enjoy and are willing to eat. Of course you can try new things, but make sure you are getting things you actually LIKE in there so you’re not making it more difficult on yourself.

Tip #3 … Plan your most “creative” meal of the day first. For me, that’s dinner! Breakfast and snacks are pretty basic for us, and for lunch we take the previous night’s dinner leftovers! So start with the most complex recipe, work out the containers, then plan the rest of your days meals!

Tip #4 … If you are on a tighter budget, repeat your fruits and veggies. Instead of having a different fruit and a different veggie every single day (and thus buying A LOT of produce that could possibly go bad before you use it all), buy a bigger bag of carrots and use it throughout the week. Or get a bag of frozen blueberries and use it in your Shakeology for the week!

Tip #5 … Make a LIST and stick to your LIST at the store! And also, don’t go hungry. It’s much better to go shopping with a PLAN. You will save money and time when you have a list and when you go when you’re NOT hungry. Don’t have time to eat before you go? Great time to grab your Shakeology and drink it on the way!

These are just a few tips that I’ve learned along the way doing the 21 Day Fix and learning to eat better and actually fuel my body instead of mindlessly eating like I was before. If you have any questions about meal planning or clean eating, please don’t hesitate to ask me!

And if you’re considering doing the 21 Day Fix, I would love to have you join in our December pre-holiday Support Group! It will last for 21 days and we will be doing the 21 Day Fix together so we all feel amazing for Christmas. You can fill out the contact form on the bottom right corner, or find me on Facebook or Instagram!

If you need a few 21 Day Fix approved recipes, check out the ones I've made and LOVE! 

Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

Revamped "Cookie Dough" 

Sesame Chicken

Healthy Lasagna Rolls

Zucchini Burgers

And more to come! If you want more, you can scroll through my "Recipes" tab at the top! 

Let me hear from YOU…what are some of your favorite foods from the list above? Can you find three foods that you love on there? Share them below!

The Couple That...

Finish this sentence!

"The couple that _____________ together, stays together!"

While you can fill that blank with a variety of answers, let me be clear in saying that marriage is not simply held together by one single activity done together. It's an intricate, deep and complex covenant in life.

But, there is absolutely some validity in the fact that doing things together as a couple can bring you closer together. Whether it's a shared interest, the interest of one, or something entirely new to both, it can be a wonderful bonding experience. Today I'm going to fill in the blank with "the couple that sweats together, stays together!"

I have to give my husband props because when I came to him in January, laying my heart out and telling him that I wanted to workout, that I had to get healthy, he listened, and he supported me whole heartedly. He did the entire ten week program of T25 with me to support me, keep me motivated and keep me going while I made exercise a new part of my life.

That motivation, support and accountability meant the absolute world to me, and was the key that I had been missing the whole time when I had attempted to do different work out programs before. I had no accountability, no real motivation, and so I fell off the wagon time and time again before. But not this time!

Zach and I pushed play every day for ten weeks, and at the end I was so incredibly proud of both of us for going through the program and finishing strong. He stood by me, encouraged me, let me cry and spill my heart of why I wanted to get healthy, and helped me push play every day. That accountability was the key to the change in my health that is still continuing now.

And that is why I am passionate about accountability. That is why I lead challenge groups every month. That is why I invest my time, heart, sweat and tears into my challengers and these groups. Because I know the power of accountability and motivation, and it is life changing. Truly. My husband is the inspiration behind my coaching, and the reason I am passionate about helping others- because of his choice to help me and keep me accountable.

So now, I'm paying it forward. If you feel like you are stuck in the place I was at the beginning of the year, wanting to get healthy, but not knowing where to start, how you were going to get it done, not wanting to fail (yet again), and feeling overwhelmed by it all...you're the one I'm looking for. You're the one I want to help succeed.

And challenge groups are where we make all the magic happen! The motivation, the accountability, the knowledge, the goal setting. If you're serious about this, I have one more spot in my 100 Pound Challenge  that starts tomorrow. Comment or message me and we can get your journey to health started, and I will work with you to come up with a plan to make it happen!

So, are you going to be the one who makes the change?

Finish Your Broccoli First!

“May I be excused?”

“Not until you eat all your veggies!”

How many of us grew up hearing that at least a handful of times in our lives? I’m sure there are a fair few of you out there, including myself. I have never really hated vegetables, but I never loved them either or specifically asked for them. Unless you count stuffing grape tomatoes in my mouth straight from the garden when I was a kid (there’s photographic proof of this).

Growing up, particularly through middle school and high school, I never really was keen on eating all my fruits and veggies. Fruit didn’t appeal to me unless it was the only option, and a veggie was just an afterthought with dinner for me sometimes. Then there was the occasional salad thrown in just to look cool.

But as a whole, I didn’t really make it a part of my daily nutrition. That has carried over into my adult life, and fruits and veggies were more of an afterthought for me rather than a staple or main food group in my life. And thus, I found myself packing on the pounds and lacking a lot of nutrition that I needed, leaving me tired and weak a lot of the time.

This past April, everything changed. I was introduced to the 21 Day Fix, which laid out for me how much fruits and veggies (and every food group for that matter) I was supposed to have each day, and just how big each serving was supposed to be. “What?! You mean I have to eat multiple servings?” I thought. Veggies was one of my biggest category for daily nutrition and to that point it was probably my lowest next to fruit.

How about you? Do you struggle to get your fruits and veggies in? Do you ever get that random bag of broccoli because it seemed like a good, healthy choice at the time, only to find it three weeks later rotting in your forgotten veggie drawer? That definitely happened to me. Though now I am happy to say those drawers are used daily now.

So, how have I turned my habits around to getting 5 servings of veggies and 3 servings of fruit in per day? (Which in all honesty that is a liberal estimate of what I had per week before of those things) For one, the 21 Day Fix has taught me how to plan it in, and actually enjoy eating vegetables and fruit. It is now a daily staple in my life.

Another big way I make sure to get my fruits and veggies in, especially in a pinch, are smoothies! You can stuff those things full of fruit, and veggies! Did you know that you can add kale or spinach to your smoothie and you can’t even taste it? Try it out! You get a punch of nutrition and you don’t have to feel like you’re eating like a rabbit (as my husband would say).

The moral of the story is, eat your fruits and veggies! Find a way to incorporate them more into your diet through planning. Plan snacks, make smoothies, sneak them into your dinner. I promise you that you will start to notice a difference in your energy and how you feel when you fuel your body with the right nutrients.

So what’s your favorite way to sneak in fruits and veggies to your diet? Share some of your tips below!

Honest Review of the 21 Day Fix

“Just one more bite and I’ll be done.”

“Oh just a little bit more."

These were thoughts that often ran through my head while eating, justifying myself to keep eating when I knew I should have stopped. My portion control was out of control, and I wasn’t sure how to stop. Because of that, I packed on the pounds, grew weaker, and felt awful inside and out.

Most of you know by now that I started my health and fitness journey this year around February. I committed to doing T25, and loved it. I lost around thirty pounds doing the program, and finally finished one for the first time ever. Trust me, it felt good.

But, even though I was working out and getting stronger, I was still filling my body with the wrong foods. I was eating like I was before I started working out, not getting enough fruits and veggies, and just lacking any sort of portion control. However, my body started to crave these things. I started to realize how important good nutrition is, and decided I needed to find a way to work on my nutrition.

I meal planned a little bit, mostly for what lunch and dinner were going to be, and just as a general idea at that. The thought of getting into nutrition and correct portion sizes was intimidating. The idea of adding in fruits and veggies every day, multiple times a day was daunting. And thoughts like, “how do you even cook eggplant or cauliflower?” entered my mind regularly. I knew the nutrition had to change, so I pushed ahead.

Enter the 21 Day Fix.

A workout program with great exercises for thirty minutes, and even more importantly, an amazing nutrition guide and plan. I talked to my husband about it and we decided I could go for it and start this program now that I had finished with T25.

So, what did I find from the 21 Day Fix? In short, amazing results (I lost over 6lbs and 7.5 inches my first round), and even more so, I learned so much about portion control and nutrition.

Here are my PROS and CONS from this program.

Let’s start with the CONS, the list is much shorter.

-It can be intimidating to meal plan at first, and plan out your whole day of eating, which it really is key to do on the 21 Day Fix for the best results.

-It can be overwhelming at first looking at all the foods to eat and trying to figure out HOW to plan from that.

-As with anything health and fitness related, change can be difficult, and learning a new habit comes with ups and downs, good days and hard days.

-It can take a little bit to get into the groove of the meal planning and prepping.

So, not too many cons. Really, overall, there were not a lot of drawbacks on this program for me. I prepared myself mentally for the change ahead, so it wasn’t too bad, but it might be difficult and overwhelming for some people to step into a new way of meal planning and preparing. But, the good news is, it is totally doable, and gets easier over time!

Now for the PROS! Because there are a lot.

-The workouts were the perfect amount of time for me. 30 minutes is my sweet spot!

-The workouts also were great because they cater to all levels of fitness, and are all simple but effective exercises. If you need to go slower, follow the modification. If you want to pick it up a notch, go for it!

-I finally started to understand PORTION CONTROL. This is huge.

-The colored containers were easy to follow and keep track of.

-It’s not a crash diet, you’re eating from every food group, because your body needs the proper nutrition from each group.

-I wasn’t hungry (or hangry). People usually assume if you’re on something like this, you’re starving all day. Not the case here!

-I now know how much of each food category I need to be eating every day, and it’s SO much easier to incorporate fruits and veggies into my diet every day now.

-I have a lot more energy because my body is being properly fueled

-I got great results from it!

Honestly, I could go on for a while about this program. It really has been incredible, and such a huge learning tool in my health and fitness journey. I now feel like I have a much better handle on nutrition, how my body uses food as fuel, and how to eat to nourish my body, not just eat because I’m bored or it looks good.

Another great part of my experience with the 21 Day Fix was being involved in a challenge group. I led a group of a few other ladies who were going through the same program, and we all kept each other encouraged and accountable so we could reach our goals and get results.

I’ve learned that if you put in the consistent effort and work, you’re going to get results. And that’s an amazing thing, and can truly be life changing- it has been in my life. So if you want to join in on one of my challenge groups in the near future, comment or message me and I’ll get you more information! I have a special group happening soon specifically for the 21 Day Fix, and a special deal for it as well.

So let me hear from you now, what’s the hardest thing about nutrition for you?