Fitness Must Have - FlipBelt

I've recently gotten into hiking and walking a lot outside whenever the weather here in Georgia cooperates with my plans. My only issue when I'm walking usually is with the fact that 99% of my workout capris, pants, and shorts do not have pockets. Hello, where am I supposed to put my keys, phone, ID, snacks, etc.? For awhile I would try to slip my iPhone into my pants right at my hip at the top of the band on my workout pants. However doing that usually ended in disaster with my phone crashing to the concrete ground. Thankfully I'm lucky enough to not have broken a phone yet doing that because of my phone case {knock on wood}. Then I randomly saw an add for a FlipBelt and knew I had to have it. I automatically fell in love as soon as I received my FlipBelt. 

Source

Here are the benefits to using a FlipBelt

1. Machine Washable {and dryable in the dryer} - This is amazing because as you all probably know your workout clothes and accessories tend to get sticky when you're working out when they get coated in sweat. The same thing will happen with your FlipBelt so just throw it in the washer after use and presto it's like new.
2. The FlipBelt fits your iPhone 6+, credit card, chapstick, license, cash, keys, protein bars, epipens, etc.. There's even a key fob on it to hook your keys too then slip inside one of the multiple pockets {4 pockets total - 2 in front and 2 in back} on the belt.
3. No chafing - I have worn mine multiple times and have yet to ever have an issue of it riding up and rubbing against my skin and chafing my skin.
4. As soon as you stash all your fitness goodies and necessary essentials in the pockets, flip it inwards to securely lock in your items for some extra security while you train.
5. Available in 10 different colors to match your wardrobe!

This thing will come in handy hiking, biking, walking, running, park time with your kids, dog parks, running errands, heading to the gym, at the airport, rock climbing, etc. Seriously, check out flipbelt.com for this awesome fitness accessory if you don't already have one. You can also find it on Amazon and REI. 

Body Beast - Measurements and Pictures

Before starting Body Beast we took our before pictures and measurements. This is smart to do so you know how you've changed and when you finish the workout you can send your pictures in for free gear (Body Beast T-Shirt). You want to take a picture of yourself from the Front, Back, and Side. You can have your arms at your sides or flexing in the position I'm showing above. After taking pictures we did the typical measurements of shoulders, bust, waist, and hips. However with Body Beast it also requests you to measure your right/left biceps, right/left quads, glutes, and right/left calves. My main areas I want to work on with Body Beast are my butt, thighs, calves, biceps, and my abdominal area. If you need help with how to measure your body for you bust, waist, shoulders, and hips here is a guide. 

Source

Now that we had our measurements, weights, and pictures {and a basic idea of our meal plans for the weeks, which will change in the upcoming weeks as my dietary needs change} it was time to start our workouts.

P90X3 Month 3 - How to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

OMG Month 3 has had some hard workouts. I think I like this month a little better though because the weeks are switched up. So week 1 has different workouts than week 2. I think I like that better. I also like that I'm actually starting to improve at a lot of my workouts. When you start P90X3 at Month 1 you seriously believe that you'll never even be close to as good as the people in the video. But thankfully as the weeks go on you get more and more confidence as you get stronger and stronger. 

Bow or Boat pose is one of those no joke workout moves that it takes time and consistency to get. During the first month my chest and thighs were barely off the ground. I kept fighting to get higher and higher though and here I am now rocking the bow pose like a pro during P90X3 Decelerator. 

Plyo Push-Ups are also a killer. I started P90X3 doing push-ups on my knees. Then I moved on to push-ups on all fours. I even tried on push-ups on the power stands. Then finally this week I decided to try out the Plyo Push-Ups and I did it. I was so proud of myself afterwards, especially when I saw this picture of me mid plyo explosion. I literally look like I'm floating. That's a huge accomplishment there for me. 

Finally there is P90X3 MMX. This video is seriously the hardest one of the bunch to me. In 30 minutes i burned over 400 calories. I mean, why go to the gym and be bored for an hour on the treadmill or eliptical when in 30 minutes you can burn over 400 calories?!?! That's insane right there. This video was so hard though that by the end after the cool down I just wanted to flop down on my mat and catch my breath. I needed a little extra cool down. 

Source

What are you doing to stay active this holiday season? When you workout your body releases endorphins which help you cheer up and relax. Those endorphins are super amazing to help you deal with the holiday stress that comes with buying gifts and fitting everything into a tight schedule. It also helps avoid the extra pounds you'll get from all the holiday foods. 

If you feel like you’ve tried everything to get your results and still aren’t seeing them, then let me help you. Together we can become better than average, and not be just another statistic. Give yourself the gift of health this Christmas and invest in your future and the future of your family. Comment below or visit my site if you are interested in making 2015 the healthiest year of your life.

Here's a great quick holiday workout from my favorite instructor Tony Horton to help you avoid holiday weight gain. If you aren't already doing so I recommend following Tony Horton on Youtube. He's amazing and hilarious and his workouts are awesome! 

P90X3 Workout Pictures with Explanations

Even after having a blog for about a year, I'm still learning what I'm doing. Lately I'm working on being more consistent with my posts as well as trying to post as soon as things happen. However, like everyone I'm not always perfect. I just realized that since I've started P90X3 I have not posted any workout pictures. If you follow me on instagram then you'd see I've been posting them there, but now I'm going to overload my blog with all the pictures and explanations/thoughts on the workouts. So enjoy... :) P.S. This will probably be a very long post...

Here we completed CVX. This video is full of some cardio with weights. During the video you repeat each move twice. The top photo on the left is March and Reach aka Stiff Zombie according to Tony Horton. In this move you extend your arms overhead then lower the weight and kick your leg out straight. Reverse. I could really feel this in my shoulders. The bottom photo on the left is Crescent Chair. In the first round you start in Chair position from yoga with the weight at your chest. Then you step back into a lunge/Crescent with your arms overhead holding the weight. Reverse. In the second round of doing this move you keep your arms up the whole time. During the second round my hamstrings/quads and shoulders were BURNING. Also in the above picture you can see that I got in my new Jump Mat. I use this when I workout down stairs to protect my feet so I'm not working out on hard floors.

Here we completed The Warrior. No equipment is required for this video. All you need is your body weight. As Tony Horton mentions in the video, this workout was designed for the military. The bottom picture on the left shows me performing Abrinome. Lie down with your arms at a 45 degree angle from your sides and legs straight up in the air. As Tony tells you, bring your legs to the right, center, and left. Legs should be at a 45 degree angle from the floor or higher. I felt this move a lot in my lower abdomen. The bottom right picture was from the Burnout. The Burnout was depth charges where you explode up into a jump, then slowly release back down into a squat for a FULL MINUTE. It was HARD!

This was from when we completed Isometrix. Isometrix is an isometric workout wher eyou hold positions for an extended amount of time. This workout helped me to focus on strength and balance. The balance aspect was great because that is something I REALLY struggle with. The right picture is Chair with Leg Extended Forward. This was hard for me to hold while standing on my right leg since the right leg had the injured ankle from the sprain. Ever since spraining my ankle, as well as having foot surgery on that foot in high school, I've never had great balance on my right leg. The bottom picture on the right shows Moon Dog. You need to stand on one leg with the other leg off the ground behind you. Lower until your leg and torso are parallel to the ground..or the best you can do. Reach your arms out to your ears and hold. I was stumbling a lot in this move so I couldn't get my body to stay fully parallel.

Here we completed P90X3 Dynamix. A lot of the moves in this video reminded me of Pilates workouts I've done in the past. Dynamix is a dynamic stretching workout designed to help with flexibility, mobility, and strength. This was definitely a test for me on my flexiblity, espeically while doing Fifer Scissors (see picture on top right). I'm hoping eventually I will be able to get my nose to my knee in that move. The move on the top left was Superman - Side Banana. As Tony calls it out you switch from superman on your stomach with your arms and legs off the ground to Side Banana on your side with hips stacked and your legs/arms lifted so only your hips touch the ground. I was feeling it in my abs on this move for sure.

This was from when we completed Accelerator. During accelerator each move was 1 minute and Tony would have you slow down or speed up. Accelerator is an amazing cardio strength workout. The top picture shows me performing Swimmer's Planks. It was really hard for me in this move to attempt to keep my butt down. My body kept trying to go up into downward dog when I lifted my leg and opposite arm. In this move you alternately lift an opposite arm and leg. While your arm is lifted you perform a forward or backward stroke motion...aka the reason for the name. On the bottom right I am completing Donkey Kicks. These are killers! You start with your hands on the floor and your feet tucked in a crouch position. You then kick both feet into the air as high as you can into a V. Then you lower one foot to the ground and cross the other in front of it, kicking to the side with the same hand as the supporting leg in the air. Then switch sides after your next kick. This move is HARD!! At first it's hard to get the coordination down. Once you do you can work on how high you can kick your legs.

Here we completed Triometrics. In Triometrics each move has 3 levels. Mainly during the workout I noticed that as the levels got higher you went lower/deeper in your squats. The picture on the top shows me in Warrior 3 Squats. You start in Warrior 3 standing on one leg with the other leg extended behind you making your body parallel to the floor. Bend the standing leg into a squat then straighten. For Level 1 you arms are to the side, Level 2 your arms are in airplane, Level 3 they are to the front and reaching. This again as a balance move was really hard for me on my right side. I stumbled a few times and had to get back into position. Overall this was a pretty good workout. By the end our legs were so tired we laid on my BeachBody Jump Mat for a little corpse pose/Shavasana to relax.

Here we completed Incinerator. My arms felt like Jello after this workout. I thought this would be more of a cardio workout, but it seemed to be focused a lot on strength. During my second week I upped my weights where I could and burned over 200 calories, compared to the first week at 150 calories. In the top picture on the left I was completing a regular push up with Tony Horton Power Stands. I've just now recently been able to start doing regular push-ups compared to modified push-ups on my knees. I like using the Tony Horton Power Stands because they help a lot to minimize the pain in my wrists during push ups. The middle picture on the left I'm doing a Pike Press. I used the Tony Horton Power Stands again to help my wrists. In this move you are in a "pike-up" position, which is similar to downward dog, and you are doing shoulder presses. In downward dog bend your elbows to reach your head between your hands and almost touch the floor then push back up. Finally, on the bottom left I am completing an "A" press. Lying on your back extend your arms straight up with palms facing each other at chest level. Bend your arms and bring them down so triceps are on either side of your body. This move is really similar to a chest press.

Let me know if you have any questions about P90X3! I'd be happy to answer questions or give encouragement to anyone thinking about starting a new workout program. Beachbody has MANY great programs that I love!!!

Sneak Peek into Tony Horton's Workouts

Ever thought about trying out P90, P90X, P90X2, or P90X3 but wasn't sure if it would be the workout for you? Maybe you didn't want to spend the money to buy it without trying it first? Well, you're in luck. First, if you have an XBox ONE you can just go to the Fitness App and there are a few 10-minute workouts with Tony Horton. His workouts are amazing and he's a hoot. Every workout video I am usually laughing, even after doing them a few times. I also  found a few short workouts you can try to decide if you would want to buy the real thing. 

PopSugar has a 10-Minute P90X3 Workout with Tony Horton here. It's AMAZING! I just did the workout this morning for a mini-workout since today is technically my rest day. On a side note I desperately want to buy the her workout outfit. It's super cute and PINK...aka my favorite color!

Here's a P90X3 inspired Total Body Workout

Here's an Accelerated Series Chest Workout with Tony Horton

Let me know what you think! I love Tony Horton and his amazing workouts! Checkout his Youtube page here. All his videos are GREAT! I just wanted to share today some of his videos to help others get motivated to start working out! Here's where you can buy the videos by Tony Horton if you are interested.

<3 Kelly Jean

P90X3 Review -- Block 1 So Far

My husband and I are now at Week 4 with P90X3. OMG! I really can't believe we're still going! This is my first time literally in my life actually continually sticking to working out. I"m waiting to post my before pictures after we fully finish Block 1, which is 30 days from the start. At that point we take progress pictures and get stats. Then I'll have something to post to compare the two pictures. Recently we've started drinking the Results and Recovery Formula after our workouts to minimize soreness and to help us get more out of our workout. It taste like a Creamsicle Popsicle...especially if you add a little ice to your drink.

This was my dinner last night. I threw together a salad with all the veggies we had in our fridge. I also baked some tofu to add a little extra protein and make my meal more fulfilling.

Here is how our first 3 weeks have gone with P90X3.

My favorites from Week 1-3 were Yoga X, Agility X, and The Warrior. My choice of Yoga X is obvious because I have always been a Yoga fanatic. During college when I could scrape the money together I would pay for the trial periods at a Hot Yoga location near my apartment. I love love love Hot Yoga. With Agility X it's not an obvious choice since I sprained my ankle doing that video during Week 2. I blame myself entirely for that accident however. I would never want to warn people away or scare people from doing Agility X as long as you heed mine and Tony's warnings. After pressing play on each video Tony Horton explains stresses the importance of having the right shoes. He tells you every time that you do not want running shoes, because that is not the workout you are doing. I ignorantly chose to ignore that fact. I mean of course Tony Horton has no idea what he's talking about....yeah right. He's 55 and in amazing shape. Finally, The Warrior was another one of my favorites. This workout reminded me a lot of the bootcamp and bodyworks classes I used to attend at L.A. Fitness. Don't get me wrong, I loved all the videos in some way, but I definitely had my favorites that I will continue to fit into my workout regimes even after I finish my 90 days.

Within the next few weeks I will also be adding Beachbody's product Shakeology into my meal plan/healthy lifestyle regimen. I've heard a lot of great things about Shakeology from friends so I'm dying to try it and see how it helps me with my weight loss journey. I've been feeling pretty frustrated because my husband is just dropping off pounds while I continue to struggle. I really hope trying Shakeology helps me!!

Here's a great video on the benefits of Shakeology. I will continue to update on my results and thoughts on P90X3 as well as Shakeology.

<3 Kelly Jean

A Sunday Hike

source

Recently my fiancè and I had our engagement pictures taken at the Roswell Mill in Georgia. I believe most people know it for it's covered bridge. Both times I've gone there I have seen at least 3-4 groups of people with professional photographers taking pictures there. We were no different since we had a few taken on this very same bridge....

It was such a beautiful place so we were determined to go back and hike it. Today we finally got the chance. It was a wonderful day for hiking. Most of the trails are covered by trees so even on a warm day it still feels pretty nice. I think also being by the waterfalls created a nice breeze to make it quite enjoyable. Plus I have to say the views weren't too bad either.. If you're ever in the area I definitely recommend hiking the trails at the Roswell Mill.

<3 Kelly Jean