Anyone want to be stronger and healthier? I did. Here's how I did it! :)

All of us have had the moments, whether we're in the middle of them now, or they are a thing of the past, where we think to ourselves: I wish I was able to fit into those jeans; I wish I could exercise more often; I wish I could stop eating sugar and snacking so much. I wish I didn't feel so depressed all the time; I wish I felt sexy again; I wish I wish I wish. We've all had them. 

What if I could tell you I found out that all of those wishes were possible after I was willing to put in some time, hard work, and good effort? 

I've had a lot of friends ask me what I've been doing to get into such great shape post baby. 

Well let me tell you: 

Back in the start of September, I saw a post on a friend's facebook account asking if anyone would be interested in learning to live a better lifestyle, eat better foods, and likely gain muscle tone and endurance out of it. I was SO interested, so naturally, I asked for more information. She proceeded to tell me about this awesome program called the 21 Day Fix, which was created by Autumn Calabrese, a mother of two kids, as well as a Beach Body instructor, coach, and model. I'll admit, I was skeptical. This couldn't really produce THOSE kind of results right? 

I did my research. I looked at blogs (http://soreyfitness.com/fitness/21-day-fix-autumn-calabrese/    http://thefithousewife.com/success-stories/) of a person my friend (Noelle Briggs, now my upline coach in Beach Body) new personally who had had success with this program. Don't get me wrong, by September, I was honestly feeling really great about myself. I was maybe 10 pounds max away from pre-baby weight, but I had worked hard to exercise and eat well and had seen enough results to be content. But I LOVE learning, so the more I learned about the 21 day fix, the more intrigued I became. I decided it couldn't hurt to try it (there is a 30 day money back guarantee on all BeachBody programs) and if it didn't do what I wanted, then I'd send it back, no questions asked. 

Click. 

I ordered, and I waited for my challenge pack to come. When it did, I was excited! And then I started reading. And feeling overwhelmed. All my anxiety came rushing back and I worried that I just wasn't the type of person who could do this. I had meal planned before, but this called for attention to detail that I'd never paid attention to before--different food groups, finding foods that would measure correctly in the containers, no processed ANYTHING, etc. 

But since my challenge group hadn't actually started, and wouldn't start for another week, I decided I could start and do a "trial week" by myself. I would try to stick to the meal plan and exercises, but I wouldn't let myself get down if I made a mistake or couldn't do it one day. 

Here is a brief overview of the program, called the 21 DAY FIX: 

http://www.beachbody.com/product/fitness_programs/21-day-fix-simple-fitness-eating.do?e=289045 

Before 1st Challenge

Week one went better than I could have imagined, even in the midst of planning Joshua's first birthday party--with treats....lol. 

Before 1st Challenge

My only regret is that my before and after photos don't show the before I started even the "trial week"

AFTER 1st Challenge

AFTER 1st Challenge

September 28th, I took my own before and after photos. Mostly cuz I was embarrassed to ask Danny to take them for me, cuz I was worried he thought I was silly for wanting to do a program from home and jump and run around the house like a lunatic. (it's not that bad, but my exaggeration side of the brain took over at that point.) So excuse the lack of photography skills in my first set of pics. Cuz I took pics before and after the first challenge. 

Before 2nd Challenge

Dec. 2nd, 2014 POST 2 Challenges (42 days)

After my first 21 day fix challenge, I had lost a total of 9.5 inches throughout my arms, chest, waist, hips, and thighs. I was shocked to say the least, and I felt SO much stronger, more able to do the things I wanted to do, and because of that, I wanted to see what would happen after another 21 days. This next 21 days I wasn't nearly as strict--I ate out and had birthday treats 3-4 times. ;)  

Before 2nd Challenge

Dec. 2nd, 2014 POST 2 Challenges (42 days)

So I took AGAIN starting at the beginning of November, and this is where I didn't loose as many inches, but I toned up. A LOT more than I could have expected. My after picture is actually from TODAY, so it's my current results from keeping up on my exercise, nutrition, etc. (please excuse my odd expressions...)

Since October 20,2014, I've lost an additional 4-5 pounds, and an additional 4 inches! (I don't know why the pics don't quite match....weird stuff happened going from phone to computer...)

Dec. 2nd, 2014 POST 2 Challenges (42 days)

Before 2nd Challenge

Lessons learned: you get out of something what you put into it. When I had  my Shakeology (ask me about that), when I did my workouts, and ate all my food--it's kinda a lot--I saw results. I can do pushups (real ones ladies) for 45 seconds straight, I can plank for a minute no sweat, I can hold my 25 pound baby in one arm and not feel like my back is gonna die, I can DO so much more because I put in the time and effort to MEAL PLAN and EXERCISE. (Pinterest is AMAZING by the way.)

My pinterest board: http://www.pinterest.com/swimwriter312/21day-fixclean-eating/

SO! What does this mean for you? Well, I think it means it's possible, post baby to have your abs back, and for me, the final process of toning up (still going) has taken nearly 60 days. And i don't want to stop. I don't want to be like insane exercise momma. But that's the beauty of the 21 Day Fix. I DID NOT exercise like crazy. I did a 30 minute workout video provided in the plan each day. 30 Minutes and an eating plan to follow to change those eating habits in just 21 days? Heck yes. I'll be doing this when I'm pregnant, cuz it's low impact; I'll be doing this to kickstart myself after the holidays; and I'll be doing other fantastic programs all from home, without the added stress of child care at the gym--cuz that stresses me out. 

Bye bye 2014....

What I wanna know is are you in? Who wants to do this with me starting January 5th, 2015?????????? I'll be your coach and I promise, you won't regret it! 

"When you're tired of starting over, STOP giving up!"-Autumn Calabrese

If you plan to order this program, please use this site! 

www.beachbodycoach.com/SWIMWRITER312