Monday Move - Curl to Press!

You did it! Today is the last Monday Move, and I hope you did all 5 of these!!! .

For our final move is the Curl to Press, an upper body powerhouse move that will get things burning even if you don’t add any weight! Start with a bicep curl and then push to an overhead shoulder press. This is a compound move, so start with a light weight and move up if you feel ready.

You can do it! 3 sets of 10 curls, 3 sets of 10 chest presses, 3 sets of 10 bent over rows, 3 sets of 10 deadlifts, and 3 sets of 10 squats. Whew - let’s get to work! Comment below if you did all 5. If you didn't, maybe you catch up today!

Monday Move - Bent Over Rows

It's Monday 3!!! We are switching it up to upper body this week with a compound move that brings the burn - bent over rows! .

There are many variations of the row that you can do to work your back, but today we are going to focus on the bent over row with two dumbbells or one single barbell (or no weight at all!) More important than weight in this move is form; check your posture and tighten your core to support you through this move.

Add a round of bent over rows to your lift today! Try 3 sets of 10 basic squats, 3 sets of 10 deadlifts, and 3 sets of 10 bent over rows. What weight did you use for today’s bonus circuit? Celebrate your strong below!

Another burnout - this time I'm focusing on triceps!!!

Lets get tank top ready because ready or not, summer is coming!!! Nobody wants their arms flapping in the wind, so try these moves with the suggested repetition range and see how many sets you can do. Aim for at least two sets, but if you can do more, DO IT!!! You’ll tank me, and be even more proud of yourself, tomorrow. You might not like me today, but I’m ok with that. I’d love to hear your feedback! Subscribe to my channel so you don’t miss any more challenges!

Time to burn out our ARMS!!!

Zero weights, all on the floor, and still 100% burn. Throw away old thoughts that you have to be lifting heavy to get results! That can be the case if you’re going for Muscle Strength or Hypertrophy, but you can gain Muscle Endurance by high repetitions of low to medium weights! Trust me on this and lets get to work :) Please share your comments on You Tube so I know how it felt and what you’d like more of! I’m here to help you!

Brownie Batter Recover

If you’ve been in my Virtual Fit Club community long enough, I would bet you have seen someone’s #sweatyselfie with Energize in hand. This is a pre-workout must-have and if it is not a part of your workout routine, then you’re missing out on results during your workout.

But, today is about Energize’s big sister, Recover. She doesn’t get as much screen time, but her benefits are just as great and, together, they are an unstoppable duo for serious results.

Recover helps fight post-exercise muscle soreness and jump-start recovery so you crush your next workout with the same intensity as your last. Take Recover after every workout to help combat exercise-induced muscle soreness, speed muscle recovery, support muscle growth, and restore your strength. In Chocolate, Orange, whey and plant-based formulas, there is a Recover for everyone!

Brownie Batter Recover

Ingredients

¼ cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp peanut butter (almond butter works, too!)
1 scoop Beachbody Chocolate Recover
Chopped almonds or granola (garnish, optional)

Instructions

Pour milk into a bowl. Slowly add and mix Chocolate Recover, making a paste. Work the peanut butter into the mixture until you have a moussey, brownie batter consistency. Add more milk if needed. Top with a sprinkle of nuts or granola and enjoy!

This recipe makes 1 serving.

Portion Fix Containers: ½ yellow, 1 blue
2B Mindset Plate It: This is a great protein rich snack!

Pilates Move of the Day - Pendulum Abs

Friend, you are building some serious strength here! I’m so proud of you for sticking with it so far. If you' started at the beginning with me, you’re on the 4th “Pilates Move of the Day”. How are you feeling? Challenged? Easy? Wanting more? Just let me know which body part you want to focus on (ie light on fire!!) and I’ll send you 1-3 moves stat! Have a great day and lets get after it!!

New piece of paper to hang on my wall!!!

Big shout out and THANK YOU to everyone that pushed me, encouraged me, knew I could do it even before I believed (and listened to me complain) ... I DID IT!

Most don't know this about me, but I went to college with dreams to work for the Big 4 accounting firms (was the "Big 6" when I started at Elon University) and I did it!! I thrived at KPMG, had success, money, and passion, but was missing "helping people".

Fast forward 10 yrs, when Tyler was born, I stayed home 7 yrs before doing a complete career change, one that I never saw coming! I started a health and fitness business over 5 yrs ago, which stemmed from my mom being diagnosed with Breast Cancer. You can say my perspectives changed quite A LOT!

Then I wanted more! I didn't want to have only 1 way to help people or just be a motivational coach (although I hope I'm motivating), but I wanted to have answers for specific questions and really BE THE CHANGE for people. Personal Training seemed the solution, but it was expensive to obtain, a long process, and intimidating -if I'm being honest. But, as the saying goes, "suck it up buttercup!"

I'm stoked to announce I'm a Certified Personal Trainer with National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and am proud as hell.

I hope if you're still reading this and thinking about something you've always wanted to do, but said you didn't have time because you're a parent, caregiver, spouse, whatever... I HOPE YOU DO IT! It feels so rewarding on the other side and I still parented, honored my spouse, did all the things, but instead of TV , movies , scrolling FB or Insta , I studied . I studied a lot. My butt got sore from studying more than it did from exercise, but I'm all the wiser for it now.

What's on your bucket list that if you had more time you'd ______?

Form Corrections for these 2 common exercises

We've all done it, especially at the end of our workout when our muscles start getting tired or we get lazy with form. I’m not perfect either so this applies to me too!!

Here are two ways to ensure you are using proper form and help force yourself to be in the right position. If you use these tricks, it's almost hard to cheat! Let me know if there are specific exercises you need help with and I’ll try to do a video specifically for you!

Bowflex and PowerTrain demo

I’ve been asked about the weights I use so much that I want to designate a post to it! These are not cheap, but in the long run, they are so cost effective!!! I spent about $340 AU on mine, which included the stand and 2 weights and was so worth it! I’ve never questioned this purchase once.

I’ve explained how it all works, but if you do the math of 5, 7, 12, 14, 17.5, 20, 22, 25, 30, 35, 40, 44 and 48 lbs weights, you’re getting ALL of that in this little set and the best party - ITR TRAVELS WELL! I know it’s bulky, but I put this in the trunk of my car and pack around it and when I’m on vacation, I CAN DO ANY PROGRAM!!! NO NEED TO GO TO THE HOTEL GYM OR SKIP A WORKOUT. Do you get me??? Cost savings, time savings, goals non-interrupted. You’re welcome :) Shop around, I think these are the best brands (same product just called different names in different countries) and watch for the shipping costs when you check out. They are heavy because they’re 48 lbs x 2, plus the stand, so you want a free shipping deal!

message me if you have questions! I love talking about weights and helping clients save!

My Story!

Wow, this was soooo hard to do, and even after I’ve shared it on You Tube, it took me a bit to share it here for all to see! I’m pretty raw here, I’ve shed a few tears and I’been open about it all, not just telling you the pretty stuff :) You might be able to relate to some of the things I was told, some of the eating disorders I experienced, or some of the fad diets I tried. There’s no judging here, I just hope that I’ve inspired to share your story with me, or other, or both! It’s time to move forward and end yo-yo living forever!!!

Chocolate Recover Shake

After you’ve done your actual cooldown, what is your post-workout routine?

For me, I like to make my Recover shake (cools me down, literally) while checking in here! Recover speeds muscle recovery, combats exercise-induced muscle soreness, reduces muscle breakdown, and improves your muscle strength recovery. The fact that it tastes like a Frosty is an added bonus 🤣 If you’re in a rush, you can just “shake” it up in your blender bottle that you got free with your order, but if you have 60 seconds, blending it is OH-SO-GOOOOOOD!!

Here’s my current go-to recipe to cool down post-workout!

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or soy milk)

• 1 scoop Chocolate Recover (I use vegan formula so it’s dairy free)

• ½ large banana (for men, use 1 full banana post-workout)

• 1 cup frozen cauliflower

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. Combine almond milk, Recover, banana, cauliflower, and cinnamon in a blender; cover and blend until smooth. That’s so stinking easy, amiright??

Yield: 1 serving.

Portion Fix Containers: 1 Green, 1 Purple, 1 tsp (does not count as a Red if you drink it within 30 m minutes of exercise. any other time it is 1 Red)

2B Mindset: For more information on how to incorporate Beachbody Performance into 2B Mindset, see the “2B Mindset and Exercise” video in the 2B Mindset Program Materials section on BOD - incorporating Recover will vary based on the intensity of the program you’re doing!

Pumpkin Spice Latte Energy Balls

These Pumpkin Spice Latte Energy Balls are the perfect thing to whip up on the weekend and snack on during the week!

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-natural smooth almond butter (TIP - make sure it’s clean! no added oil or sugar)

• ¼ cup honey (try to buy local, helps with allergies)

• ¾ cup dry rolled oats (not quick)

• ½ packet of Cafe Latte Shakeology and ½ packet of Pumpkin Spice Shakeology (or full scoop of Cafe Latte if no PS left!)

• ½ cup sliced almonds

Instructions

1. Combine almond butter, honey, oats, Shakeology, and almonds in a medium bowl; mix well with clean hands or a rubber spatula.

2. Shape mixture into 24 small balls; place in an airtight container. 

3. Put in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving.

4. Eat immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Yield: 12 servings (2 energy balls = 1 serving)

UPF Containers: 1 Yellow, ½ Blue, 2½ tsp
2B Mindset Plate It: Enjoy as an occasional treat - be sure to track!

Intensifying #mbf and #mbfa

If you’re like me, you’ve already completed a few round of #mbf (Muscle Burns Fat) and #mbfa (MBF Advanced) because they are so short (only 21 days each). It might be time to intensify things so you keep getting results and don’t plateau. Each time I repeat I try to perfect form and increase my weights, but here are a few other tricks too! Let me know which resonated with you the most!

10 Minute abs on Stability Ball

Don’t be intimidated by Stability Balls. They are a great modality to take your workout up a notch and you’ll increase balance and stability at the same time as working your core. Who doesn’t love multi-tasking in the gym!!??! If you can do over a 2 minute plank, it’s worth going out and buying one of these because you’re wasting time on the floor in ISO prone plank position, when you could be challenging yourself more in the same time, or even half! Trust me, you’ll feel it.

My personal challenge to you — try this today and keep at it for 30 days. Then try it again and see how much strength you’ve gained in your core. I’d take pictures too, if you’re planking every day, there’s going to be some visible changes :)

Salted Caramel ShakeO!

I cannot resist the decadent taste combo of savory sea salt + sweet, rich caramel… with all the nutritional benefits of Shakeo! If you weren’t one of the lucky ones to get the Vegan Salted Caramel, I’ve got you covered!! We will just have to create it on our own :)

A teaspoon of caramel extract and a dash of sea salt make this simple smoothie taste like a gourmet salted caramel milkshake 😍 You’re very welcome! There are more Salted Caramel recipes here!

Ingredients
* 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
* 1 cup ice 1 scoop Vanilla Shakeology
* 1 tsp pure caramel extract
* 1 dash sea salt or Himalayan salt

Instructions
Place all the ingredients in the blend and cover. Blend until smooth.

Portion Fix Containers: 1 Red, 1 tsp.
2B Mindset Plate It: A great snackional or enjoy as part of breakfast.

11 workout hacks --> get out of bed and get shit done!

1) Get enough sleep - sounds so easy right? Who doesn’t love sleep, but this is a major issue for most of my clients whether they’re up through the night with little ones, awake from drinking caffeine too late in the day, or wine disrupting their REM sleep. 7-9 hours is the suggested length of deep sleep and the best ways to get this are:
a) make the room as dark as possible - I love black out blinds,
b) use a white noise machine (this is my FAVORITE and under 70 decibels), a sound machine, or white noise app on your phone. The differences are: White Noise Machines offer a steady sound, simulating a fan, it’s doesn’t have a repeating pattern so your brain doesn’t get trained to listen for it, which is stimulating for some. A Sound Machine will have an “ocean”, “outdoor sounds”, “wind”, “babbling brook,” “white noise,” etc and they are usually repeating patterns. Honestly the crickets make me feel like there are things in my bed and the babbling brook makes me want to pee, so neither make me drift off to sleep, LOL, but the kids seem to like them and it works.
c) invest in soft sheets, these sheets on Amazon are my favorite, I have 4 sets.
d) keep the room temperature between 60-67 degrees,
e) drink a warm cup of tea when you start winding down, but make sure it’s herbal, not green or black tea, as those have caffeine and produce the opposite effect,
f) you’ve heard this one a million times, but I’ll remind you again, limit screen time. It stimulates your brain and eyes and sends you to bed with lots of thoughts swirling around and lastly,
g) journal things you're thinking about. When I have a lot of things to do the next day, I worry I’ll forget and it keeps me up thinking / stressing about it. If I make a list of everything I need to do / am thinking about, I’m able to put it at rest and fall asleep much faster.

2) Lay out exercise clothes the night before - I especially do this when I travel because it’s very easy to wake up on vacation and talk yourself out of it. But if everything is ready and staring me in the face, I remember I had intentions of getting moving and I’ll be thankful later. I’m 99% more likely to follow through with my workout plans. Some even wear them to bed, I might have done that before, just make sure if you do this, that your workout bra doesn’t have underwire in it.

3) Put alarm out of reach - the snooze button can be the devil and ruin your day. I never would have believed it till I listened to this podcast on the snooze button by Mel Robbins. Check it out and you’l be moving that alarm clock tomorrow :)

4) Schedule coffee maker to go off at a certain time - the smell wafting from your kitchen will give you just another incentive to get up and crush your workout and it’s been proven that small doses of caffeine on an empty stomach can help you push harder, thus get more, out of your workout,

5) Let the light in - expose yourself to natural light as soon as you wake up. Getting blue light from the sun turns off your brain’s melatonin faucet, which in turn can erase any morning fog you feel and give you energy to get going,

6) Sniff Peppermint oil - a small study found that drinking 500 ml of mineral water spiked with peppermint oil improved power and performance and lengthened the time to exhaustion. Young Living oils are the only oils approved by FDAA for consumption.

7) Fuel up / don’t sit down - chose a bite to eat that’s carb-focused and 100-150 calories. ½ banana and peanut butter or Shakeology stirred with water (as a bowl) are my two favorites, both with 16-20 carbs quickly available for your workout.

8) Drink up - dehydration can have a huge effect on physical performance since you lose ~ one liter of water during your sleep through sweat and breathing. I have a lot of ideas for ways to flavor your water without adding extra calories, so try to drink 16 oz. water when you first wake,

9) Stay accountable with a group - telling yourself you can’t work out is easy to do; making that excuse to someone else is a whole other story. studies have shown those that check-in with an accountability group are 20% more likely to succeed and get better results than those that go at it alone. I offer BOD Groups every single month and you’re always invited to join so make that commitment to show up every day and let do this together,

10) Download a new playlist - create a “wake-up” list of energizing songs to get you motivated to move. Research shows that music can reduce the perception of effort and increase endurance up to 15%! Beachbody Super Trainers shared their favorite playlists if you need some new ideas; now go crush that workout,

11) Workout @ home - you’re more likely to workout when your living room, playroom, study is your workout space and you walk by it and hear it call your name. You’ll save money, miss out on germs and save the commute time so there’s really no reason you can’t fit it in. Beachbody on Demand has programs from 10 minutes up to 90 minutes so there are plenty of options to fit the time you have available.

10 Minute BOSU Abs

I’ve started creating some “bonus” videos for my Personal Training clients and you’re free to try them too. Abs are one muscle you can work every single day. If you need to regress the move I’m doing, put your knees on the floor, if you want to progress the move, you can flip the BOSU so the ball-side is on the carpet. If you don’t have a BOSU and have a stability ball, use that, but know it’s much harder because your stabliiation is challenged. For cardio planks - don’t use the ball please! You’ll go flying 🤪 If you try this, please comment ON YOU TUBE!!!

Physical therapy isn't easy, but it works!

Leg Extensions - 50 each side, twice (200 total)

In January 2020 I injured my achilles skiing in Japan. By the time we returned to Australia, Covid was in full effect and treatment options didn’t feel safe. I know this won’t require surgery, but it will require lots of rehab, time and dedication to get better. It’s amazing how quick doctors are to operate when quite often, a good trainer and give you the exercises and stretches to keep you away from the knife! That his it’s own recovery time, plus medication we don’t want to expose our bodies to if we can help it.

To make matters worse (and more exciting), we then learned all four of us had parasites, likely from the water in Singapore. B U M M E R! We all took very strong medication for 6-8 weeks to kill the bugs, but during all this, my achilles got put on the back burner. Fast forward a few months and Covid is sort-of under control and we are parasite free, I’m finally getting treatment!

It is soooo hard to “unlearn” a habit. Whether it’s related to nutrition, fitness, things you say or do, etc; your brain is used to a certain way of doing things. But, that doesn’t mean it’s not possible. This is just one of the 6 exercises I do to work on my quad strength and am back to squatting low and lifting heavy.

I’m excited to be able to help clients work on compensations, posture issues, flexibility constraints, and more! Assessments are a great starting place so you can experience the same JOY I have been fortunate to experience, in being healed.

Pre & Post Natal Fitness is here!!!

Pre & Post Natal Channel

Did you know we have an entire channel dedicated to preparing your body for carrying a baby, labor and postpartum recovery??? Beachbody on Demand keeps adding amazing programs and all these resources are included in your membership, at no extra charge! Elise Joan, Super Trainer behind Pre & Post Natal Barre series (20+ videos), Barre Blend (Barre, Pilates & Yoga blend), and 3-Week Yoga Retreat, Autumn Calabrese, Super Trainer behind 21-Day Fix, Country Heat and Active Maternity series (5 videos), and Desai Bartlett Super Trainer behind Pre & Post Natal Yoga series (6 videos) break down workouts between 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimesters, postpartum recovery and even a Diastasis Recti 101 video.

Why perform specific workouts for this stage of life?

Prenatal and postnatal workouts are designed for the extra weight around your midsection, the increased pressure to your pelvis and back, posture and stability challenges, and omit contraindicated positions during pregnancy. You don’t want to hurt yourself or cause undo pressure or stress to your baby. These workouts improve your health while helping build strength and endurance before, during, and after pregnancy, while also preparing your body for labor too. Beachbody also has videos on breath work and ADLs (Activities of Daily Living).

If you don’t have Beachbody on Demand, message me.

Transform :20 | Week 6 | Day 7

As Shaun T says, you’re done, but you’re never finished - AMEN TO THAT!!! There are 365 days in the year, 52 weeks. This was only 6 of those 52, what will you do the other 45 weeks between now and Feb 25 2020?

In a lot of ways, your transformation is all about getting stronger, faster, and more able to KEEP GOING on your fitness & nutrition journey. What does that look like for you? Will you do another round of Transform :20 or fire up Beachbody On Demand to see what other programs peak your interest. Need some guidance? Reach out and I’ll help you pick, or we can create a hybrid together - this is my speciality!!

Now for the fun part!! Today it’s time to take our “after” pictures and take our new measurements. You’ve earned your progress and it’s recognize all your hard work! You can enter the Beachbody Challenge Contest, and you’ll not only have the chance to win big cash prizes, but you will even receive a free gift (while supplies last - 1 per year). Go to BeachbodyChallenge.com for details.

Don’t forget to film your final 1-minute challenge like you did way back in Week 1. The idea is to submit them side by side, so we can show off to each other how far we’ve come.

One final thing: THANK YOU. Thank you for joining me, supporting each other, motivating me on hard days, showing up for yourself every day and for not letting life get you down, or stop your progress. Life is busy, it’s surprising, but it’s ours and how we chose to live it out impacts our health, our mindset, and other’s health and mindset in our house. You can’t change other people or their habits, but you are in control of yours.

So, which program are you doing next? I can’t wait to hear below!!