Monday, December 27, 2010

Brazil Butt Lift beginning of week 3 results

Okay, I was a little afraid to take my measurements this morning. I wasn't on my best behavior with eating last week and over the weekend with Christmas.  I made cookies, and of course you can't make them without having one, two or a few. Then I made ravioli, had Chinese food, had a big Christmas breakfast, the list goes on.

One thing I made sure of though, was not missing a Brazil Butt Lift workout.  If I know I'm going to be eating worse than usual, I make sure I stick to my workout schedule.  Some people get so upset if they go overboard that they just throw in the towel and give up.  You can't do that!! You need to get over it and move forward. 

So here are my results with Brazil Butt Lift, so far:

Here were my measurements on Day 1/Week 1:


Waist 28.5"
Hips 36"
Thigh 20.5"

Here are my measurements on Day 6/Ending week1
Waist 27.5"
Hips 35.5"
Thigh 20"

And here are my results from today beginning Week3

Waist 27" (down another .5")
Hips 35" (down another .5")
Thigh 20" (unchanged)

I'm pretty impressed with the results so far!  Even after all of the cookies and extra snacks, I still managed to make progress:)

I'm a Team Beachbody Coach and former fitness/Pilates instructor.  But this doesn't make working out any easier for me. I know how hard it can be to find time to exercise or eat right,or just get started.  If you need someone in your corner to help cheer you on, let me help you by clicking here for free coaching and support.

I'd love to hear from you! Please feel free to leave a comment below or send me an email to fitwithjessica@live.com

Monday, December 20, 2010

6 Days with Brazil Butt Lift and my results so far:)

Okay, I am totally stoked about my results so far with Brazil Butt Lift.

Here were my measurements on Day 1:

Waist 28.5"
Hips 36"
Thigh 20.5"

Here are my measurements on Day 6 (I thought I only lost 1/2 an inch in my waist, but when I looked at my Day 1 measurements it was a different story):

Waist 27.5"
Hips 35.5"
Thigh 20"

I got these results with my normal eating and even a few indulgences that week.  I can't wait to see what the next 3 weeks bring!

If you want more info on Brazil Butt Lift or any other Beachbody program, send me an email to fitwithjessica@live.com or checkout my retail site http://beachbodycoach.com/fitwithjessica

I'd love to hear from you, feel free to comment below:)

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Tis the season for a better booty - fa la la la la...

Yep, you heard me! Tis the season for a better booty. And while we're at it, better legs, abs and arms too.  I started Brazil Butt Lift this week,and let me tell you I was quite surprised!  I thought this was going to be an easy workout, but its TOUGH!

Yes, its really fun and the titles of the workouts are pretty funny (Bum Bum, High and Tight, Bum Bum Rapido...), but don't let that fool you. 

What I like about Brazil Butt Lift is that it combines dance, Pilates, and sculpting (resistance training).  The dance moves remind me of my dancing days.  Lots of hip action which totally works your abs without you knowing it. I also like the fact that modifications are included for those who need them.  And instead of labeling it beginner, advanced, etc.., its labeled level 1, level 2 and level 3.  I remember when I was getting my Pilates certification, the instructor stressed the importance of not saying "beginner." Nobody wants to admit they are a "beginner" and most people will skip to the advanced exercises before they're ready so they're not labelled a "beginner."

When you order the workout, you get everything you need to start.  You get a nutrition guide, plus a 6-Day Supermodel Slim Down (warning very low cal, but only for 6 days and optional), tape measure, workouts, booty band and the pencil for the pencil test.  Yes, the pencil test is something you need to experience yourself.

I'm hoping by January 8th I will see some changes in the measurements I took this week.  I will post those later.

So here's to a better booty and total body for the New Year. 

I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to leave a comment below or email me at fitwithjessica@live.com

Monday, December 13, 2010

Ed Reverses his Type 2 Diabetes

Ed Z. absolutely inspired me recently with his story.  I have the privilege of coaching him, but one thing I want to make clear is that he did all of this hard work by himself.  I'm just there for support and answering questions from time to time.  But all of his hard work and determination are his alone.  Ed recently sent me a message with really awesome news and I wanted to share some of it with you.  What I love the most about what he wrote is that when he was first diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, all of his research could have left him feeling defeated, but he refused to give up and I'm so happy and proud of him that he didn't.

Ed works full time as a teacher, is a dad to a really cute kid and brings it with  P90X and running to reach his goals.

"In 9 months I have lost 93 pounds. My A1C, was originally 11.8, IN MARCH OF this year, and now it is 5.6. NORMAL!!!!!!!!!!!! The doctor took me off my medication and my Diabetes is in remission. Can you believe it!!!!!! As long as I continue to eat healthy, maintain my weight, and exercise regularly. I should be fine. I told him that I had no plans to stop, and I am even more motivated to get down to my goal weight of 160. I had a goal, to get off meds when this all began, and I did it Jess!!!!!"

"I've been working out daily, and I plan to begin my second round of P90X, soon. Damn, the doctor was so taken with my results he said he wished I could go in and speak to some of his patients to light a fire under them. Amazing, huh?!?!?!"


"You know, when I was first diagnosed I did a ton of research to see if I could get off the meds, eventually, and at the time there were no posts that I could find about it. In fact, most info I found was just the opposite and so bleak. I suppose that's why so many people assume that once you are diagnosed, it's a death sentence. I had faith that I could reach this point despite the nay sayers, and I can't believe I did it. Having faith and willingness to put forth the effort can bring about miracles. It's not a fallacy. You can get off meds, you can manage your diabetes, and live a long and healthy life. Now I'm under the gun to keep it up and work even harder to stay off the meds. Diabetes is a progressive disease, and there is no guarantee that I'll never need to be on meds again, but I'm going to do my best to ride this wave as long as I can. I'm up for the challenge, and it's going to keep me on the straight and narrow."

If hope you found Ed's story as inspiring as I did.  When and if you're faced with something that seems to big to handle, remember to have faith, surround yourself with a good support system and try to be positive.

I'd love to hear from you! Please feel free to comment below or send me an email to fitwithjessica@live.com

Thursday, December 9, 2010

To lose weight, you need to eat more!

If I had a dollar every time someone (especially women) told me they don't eat or won't eat to control their weight, I'd have a nice little nest egg saved up.  Or give me a dollar whenever someone asks me how many calories they should be eating, and they say "That's too much," then I'd be even richer. 

People, you need to let go of the notion that not eating, or not eating enough is helpful.  Its more harmful than good.  Please read Beachbody's, Justine Holberg's article below:

Eat More, Lose More. (Really?)


By Justine Holberg

You work out practically every day and you're feeling good because you've lost some weight. Until a week or so passes and you can't get the scale to budge. It's like an invisible wrench has been thrown into the works. Now what?

You start second-guessing everything you're doing:

Maybe I'm eating too much?

Should I work out harder?

Do I have to live on parsley and hot water?

So you restrategize. You slash calories and step up the intensity of your workouts. Unfortunately, after another week, you're still not losing. Now you want to give up altogether. But before you throw in the towel, ask yourself this:

Am I eating enough?

Contrary to popular belief, sometimes you have to eat more to lose weight. While that may sound counterintuitive, it often does the trick. Here's why:

1.Metabolism is the key to weight loss. If you don't eat enough, or often enough, your metabolism slows to a crawl and weight loss becomes more difficult, especially when you're exercising. That's why skipping meals isn't a good idea if the goal is to shed pounds.

Tip: Always eat breakfast to kick-start metabolism and try eating mini-meals throughout the day to keep your metabolism fired up.

2.To keep your metabolism up, you MUST eat. Conventional wisdom dictates that when you first start dieting, the less you eat, the better. While it's true that you often should eat less, eating too little can backfire over time. As your body composition changes, your body will think it's starving, which can make it hold on to fat. (The process actually has to do with excessive release of a hormone called cortisol, but you don't need to know the details, so we'll just call it fat.) To avoid this, most experts agree that over time, you shouldn't eat fewer than 1,200 calories per day for women, 1,500 for men. If your daily diet consists of fewer calories than that, consider eating more.

Tip: Keep a food diary to track calories.

3.You need more calories when you work out. If you're exercising while following a low-calorie eating plan, you'll need to take into account the calories you're burning. That's because it's now easier to enter starvation mode. Let's say you're burning 400 calories and only eating 1,200 to 1,300 calories per day. This means you're really only taking in 800 to 900 calories per day before you begin to calculate how your body composition is changing. Muscle burns more calories at rest than fat does, so as your body changes, you need to eat more to keep the weight loss coming.

Tip: Drink an after-workout recovery drink like P90X Results and Recovery Formula®. After hard workouts, its calories are utilized so quickly by your body, some people refer to them as "free calories." They really aren't, but those calories will ensure that your muscles (and metabolism) recover quickly.

And remember this:

Figuring out to what to eat, how much to eat, and when to eat isn't easy. That's why people often refer to losing weight as a journey. It takes a few different paths to get there. Sometimes you have to adjust your ratio of protein, fat, and carbs to start losing again. Or adjust your calorie level, which can include eating more to lose weight.

Tip: Use the Team Beachbody® Meal Planner. It can make figuring out your calories much, much easier. You can personalize an eating plan that takes your workouts into consideration.

Finally, if you're still on the fence about needing to eat more to lose weight: You might be thinking, "How come I know some really skinny people who barely eat?"

The answer is this: You can eventually lose weight by not eating. It's called starving. Reduce calories enough and your body will start breaking down its muscle tissue, and this will result in weight loss. However, it makes your body increase its emergency hormonal responses, which also causes your body to be stressed and hang onto fat, making it.very easy to gain the weight back again.

So I hope you take this thought away with you today: The idea is to keep your metabolism revving and running. This will help you get healthy and stay strong. Eat the right amount of food to help your body continuously burn calories, and you're more likely to shed those unwanted pounds.

I'd love to hear from you! Please feel free to leave a comment below or email me at fitwithjessica@live.com

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

I just want a big, juicy cheeseburger!

I know it sounds awful for me to say this, but all I really want is a big, fat, juicy cheeseburger right now.  My favorite place to get one is PJ Whelihan's Pub.  The Black Jack Burger! So why am I craving something that's really not that good for you?  I've had a stupid stomach bug that's been possessing my body since Thursday night/early Friday morning. 

So its been almost 6 days with nothing but tea, toast, bananas, chicken broth, crackers... I've lost about 4 lbs, but it sucks losing it this way.

I've been in a constant state of nausea and other complications.  It sort of reminds me of the first 13 weeks of pregnancy.  Nothing appeals to you, except...

With all 4 of my pregnancies, I had really bad morning sickness.  Tired and nauseous all the time.  I can only remember one pregnancy where the thought of a salad or fruit was the only thing appealing.  My other 3 pregnancies, in the early weeks, all that I could see myself eating (without feeling sick) was bad stuff.  Pizza, cheeseburgers, calzones. Anything with melted cheese and my body (and baby) wanted it. Luckily that only lasted the first 13 weeks, and I did practice lots self-control, otherwise I would have gained mucho pounds. And it was a good thing I worked out with all my pregnancies.

Well, as soon as I'm feeling 100% I'm going out with my husband (and kids too) and get that cheeseburger. Then the very next day it will be back to clean eating and working out with Brazil Butt Lift:)

I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to leave a comment here, or email me at fitwithjessica@live.com

Monday, December 6, 2010

And my new work out will be...

I'm super excited!! I'm ordering Brazil Butt Lift today! After completing two rounds of P90X, trying Insanity on two different occasions, I decided to go a different route and try something different.

P90X and Insanity are very intense training programs.  I'm not saying BBL will not be effective, but I want to try something fun that will keep my whole body toned, but also work a little more on the lower body. 

Here's my secret. I've always been pretty happy with my legs and booty. But I want to make sure it all stays the way I like it.  As we age, and if we don't work at it, gravity will take its toll on the booty, and muscle will decrease.  This results in a flat, droopy appearance.  I don't want that! Neither does my husband!!!

So in about a week's time, I'll be able to share my excitement about another cool Beachbody workout!

I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to comment below or email me at fitwithjessica@live.com

Saturday, December 4, 2010

When sickness strikes.

Well, its that time of year when all sorts of sickness strikes.  Cold, flu, stomach bug, you name it.

Right now, I'm starting to recover from my least favorite, the stomach bug. Its no fun for anyone when mom gets sick, so I have my own way of shortening the duration of it.  Acidophilus really helped me last year and so far with this year's bug.  I take it acidophilus capsules everyday, but when my kids start getting sick, I take it 3 times per day. Ialso drink plenty of fluids and eat very light until a full recovery.  This little trick has helped me tame the bug to last only 24 hours for me instead of 48 or more like in the past.

But what should someone do with their workout routine when sickness strikes?  Well my advice is to take it easy, especially if you're running a fever, have a stomach virus, or just feel like you can't move.  Get rest! You can always get back into your routine when you feel better.

If you are starting to feel better, you can do some easy exercise like gentle yoga, walking or even light weight training.  But if you start feeling dizzy or tired, stop.

After you're recovered, ease back in to your routine.  If you went without eating for a few days you will feel very weak.  Don't force yourself into a really tough workout right away.  Get back to eating right and then you can get back to normal.

So, don't forget to keep washing those hands of yours, take your vitamins and eat right. Hopefully you can keep the germs away.

I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to leave a comment or send me an email to fitwithjessica@live.com