Muscles are a girl's best friend (A Girl's Guide to P90X)

As most of you know I'm a 2 time P90X grad and I just started a 3rd round this month.  I love almost everything about P90X. I love the fact that I feel like I got an awesome workout every time. I love the fact that I see myself getting stronger every time. I love the fact that I can eat!! One of my favorite parts of P90X is the meal plan and the fact that I can eat around 2000 calories and not worry about it.

The thing is a lot of women (and some men), just can't wrap their mind around what's going on with their body during P90X or how much they really need to eat.  Just the other day a friend of mine texted me asking if she should take 500 calories off of the meal plan (which was 1800 and that was low for her). I pleaded with her not to.  She would most likely "peter out" during her workouts and she might actually not lose weight doing that.  So I really hope she listened.

I found this article a few months ago in the Beachbody Newsletter and had to share it.  Please read below:

A Girl's Guide to P90X
By Whitney Provost

Muscles are a girl's best friend. Not only do they raise your metabolism and help you burn more calories, they also keep you living strong. And they look beautiful. Well-sculpted shoulders and lean, tight legs carry clothes better and allow you to power through everyday activities with strength and stamina. How do you get a body like that? A program like P90X will do the trick.

I know this because I'm a P90X graduate. I can vouch for its muscle-sculpting, fat-blasting, and body-shrinking powers. Before I ever started working for Beachbody®, I finished two rounds of P90X and incorporated P90X Plus into my fitness routine. I still do P90X regularly, and Plyometrics is consistently in my cardio rotations.

I'm not a world-class athlete. I'm just a regular at-home fitness junkie. P90X has been helping me get the body I want—lean, tight, and strong but not bulky—and it makes me feel good.

Not sure if you're ready to tackle the X? Here are a few things to keep in mind.

Do your best and forget the rest. You'll hear Tony say this a lot throughout P90X, and it's important advice. All you have to do is lift as much weight as you can, and that's it. You're not in competition with anyone else. Don't worry if you can only lift 5 pounds while the women in the workouts are hoisting 15. Every time you Push Play, you'll get stronger, and before you know it, you'll be able to lift heavier than you ever have before. And don't be surprised if you find that you can do a few pull-ups at the end of 90 days.

Eat enough. A common mistake many active women make is undereating. With a program as intense as P90X, it's important to fill your body with enough healthy fuel to power through your workouts and help your muscles recover afterward. If you don't eat enough, your metabolism will slow down and your body will burn muscle for energy. Follow the P90X nutrition plan and take your supplements. They're designed to help you get the best results. (note by Jessica: please follow the nutrition guide! Don't skimp on the meals, it will backfire on you.)

Don't be a slave to the scale. During a program like P90X, your body will go through a lot of metabolic changes. At first, your muscles may retain water as they react to the shock of the workouts and the recovery afterward. You may notice your weight going up for a short time before your muscles shed the excess water. As you continue with the program, you'll be building muscle and shedding fat, but the scale might not move downward as much as you want it to. Don't let that deter you. A pound of muscle is denser than a pound of fat, so your body may shrink even if your weight doesn't change that much. Keep in mind that muscle is a metabolism booster, so the more you have the more calories and fat you'll burn all day long. (note from Jessica: use a tape measure and go by that. And only check measurements after each phase. The scale will give you too many different numbers each day and drive you nuts.)

You're not going to get bulky. Look at the women in the P90X workouts. They're all lean, strong, and feminine. Because women don't have enough testosterone to build massive amounts of muscle, it's nearly impossible for them to bulk up by lifting heavy weights. When women complain about feeling bulky, it's usually because they're new to a fitness program and their muscles are retaining water. If this happens to you, don't give up. Stick with your meal plan and workouts, and soon the extra bulk will go away.

You're going to love the way you feel. OK, maybe not when you're sore from working out, but as you get stronger and leaner, you're going to love how easy everyday tasks become, like lifting heavy objects, walking up and down stairs, or picking up children. And I can pretty much guarantee that you'll find yourself admiring your shoulders in the mirror or poking yourself in the belly to feel your tight abs. I do it all the time. (note from Jessica: even though you might not lose a lot of weight, you will look so much better with a toned, lean, sexy body)

I'm here doing this program with you if you just started.  I'm going through some of the same frustrations you might be going through.  But just stick with it and realize that you need to throw out some of the old opinions and info you had on weight loss and getting a sexy, lean body.  If you need help with P90X or any other program, you can sign up for free online fitness coaching with my by clicking here.

I'd love to hear from you!! Please, please, please leave a comment below:) xo

A day in the life of my eating plan

Everyday someone wants me to make up a meal plan for them.  I used to do this for my personal clients for free. But honestly I stopped because it was time consuming and I wasn't getting paid for it. 

Don't get me wrong, I do love to offer free help and advice, but sometimes you have to put limits on what you do for free and what is a service that should be paid for.  Since I'm not a registered nutritionist, I feel funny charging people for meal plans that I do create. So that's why I stopped.  When I became a Team Beachbody Coach I found a great alternative and problem solver is the Team Beachbody Custom Meal Plan Wizard that comes with the upgraded Club membership.

What I've also found to be a great tool for planning my meals is the nutrition guide books that come with almost every Beachbody workout program.  P90X, Insanity and Brazil Butt Lift are the 3 programs in my library. Each one of those came with a nutrition plan that's easy to follow and if you like to cook, you can totally modify the recipes to suit your taste buds.

So here is a sample day for me from yesterday.  I'm in Phase 1 of the P90X Nutrition Plan.  Phase 1 is a lower carb phase, meaning 50% protein, 30% carbs and 30% fat.  I'm taking in about 1800-2000 calories per day, eating 5-6 small meals.  These meals are inspired by or taken from the P90X Nutrition Guide.

Post workout snack

small recovery drink and a cup of non-fat yogurt

Breakfast

Spinach & mushroom omelet with 8 oz milk, 1/2 a grapefruit and a cup of green tea

Snack

P90X Peak Performance Bar (wildberry yogurt)

Lunch

Grilled chicken over baby spinach with tomatoes, celery, baby carrots, avocado and balsamic/rice vinegar. And 1 TBS of vanilla whey protein powder mixed with water.

Snack

Chocolate Shakeolgy mixed with 4 oz chilled coffee, 4 oz milk and 4 oz water, and a dash of cinnamon

Dinner

Roasted chicken breast with oven roasted veggies, spinach salad and one slice of whole wheat bread.

If you're really serious about changing your ways in order to lose weight, burn fat and gain muscle, or just feel better, you need to get serious about your eating habits too.  But getting serious doesn't mean it doesn't taste good or your starving yourself.  As you can see I had a lot of food yesterday.  My big treat was my Shakeology:)

For those of you who think its too expensive to buy a workout system like P90X or do the Custom Meal Plan Wizard, I say divide the cost by number of days in a month.  For instance the Meal Plan Wizard comes out to about 50 cents per day.  Considering what kind of junk we buy through out the day that costs more than that, I think the Custom Meal Plan Wizard is a bargain.

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

A girl can change her mind, right?

Okay, I know my original plan was to do 4 more weeks of Brazil Butt Lift, trust me I loved the results (click here to read about them and see pictures).  But I had this overwhelming desire to do another round of P90X (this is round 3 for me).  It was like this nagging voice in my head kept saying "go back to Tony..."

I guess we sometimes return to our first love.  And I do love P90X! I loved Brazil Butt Lift too, and I liked (not loved) Insanity, but there's just something that really draws me to P90X. 

Maybe its the fact that I can eat around 1800-2000 calories while doing P90X.  I do love to eat!!!  And that's one of the reasons I exercise as much as I do.  I'm not a kid anymore where I can eat all I want and not gain weight like I used to.  Now it has consequences.

So this morning I popped in my Chest & Back dvd and did my push ups and pull ups (I'm going to be sore as heck tomorrow) and then I did my Ab Ripper X. And it was like being with old friends :-)

Well, I'll keep you posted on this journey too. I hope it inspires you to get up and get moving. 

I'd love to hear from you, feel free to leave a comment below.  Or you can send me an email to fitwithjessica@live.com

As a Team Beachbody Coach, I can help you achieve your health and fitness goals.  Why not sign up for a free account by clicking here.

Think its too overwhelming?

I've been a big fan of my to-do list for a some time now. Every night at 8:30 pm, I write up the items I need to do the next day.  I'm also a big fan of Fly Lady.  So I check my inbox for my "flight plan" for the next day and add my daily "mission" to the list.

When I looked at my list today, I felt a little overwhelmed because my "mission" was to wipe down the kitchen cabinets and the appliances. I've done this before, and  so why did the task seem so daunting?

Well, that's when I remembered to follow the Fly Lady's instructions and set the timer for 15 minutes.  You can do anything for 15 minutes!  And guess what? I had the whole job done within 7 minutes!! Yay!!

I was able to relax for a few moments, enjoy a cup of green tea and play with my kids.  This got me thinking... Once I got it in my head that the job of cleaning the cabinets would only take 15 minutes (and no more), I felt a lot less intimidated by the idea.  And I kicked booty and did it in half the time!

So what is overwhelming you?  Is it organizing your home office? Maybe its clearing out the clutter of your closet?  What about the clutter on your dining room table? What about exercise? Does that seem overwhelming?

Even exercise can be tackled in 5 to15 minute increments.  Did you know you burn almost the same amount of calories if you do three 10 minute segments of exercise compared to one 30 minute session?

Set you timer for 5 minutes and jog (or walk) up and down the stairs.  Sock skate on the wood floor for 5, or do as many push-ups, jumping jacks and crunches for 5.

There's even a cool workout called 10 Minute Trainer by Tony Horton where you can do 10 minute segments of resistance training and cardio.  It even comes with the resistance bands! Plus a nutrition guide! So right there its not overwhelming because it comes with what you need to succeed.

I know how hard it is to start something.  Our minds play tricks on us and force us to fear something and make it bigger than it is.  But if you can break it down into blocks of time for 5, 10 or 15 minutes and promise yourself you will stop when the timer stops, then that task shrinks and looks a lot less scary.

If you need help taking on exercise and bringing it down to size, email me at fitwithjessica@live.com .

I'd love to hear from you! Please feel free to leave a comment:)

Woo hoo! Brazil Butt Lift end of week 4 results!

Okay, this was my last week of round one with Brazil Butt Lift.  After 4 weeks of working the bum bum (pronounced boom boom,and Brazilian for booty), tucking the tummy, sculpting the body I'm quite pleased with the results.

I know my results would have been a lot better if I didn't start Brazil Butt Lift during the holiday season.  I'll admit that I indulged in some holiday goodies.  So I'm going to do another round, but this time really behave.

Here were my measurements on Day 1/Week 1:


Waist 28.5"
Hips 36"
Thigh 20.5" each

And here are my measurements on Day 6/Week 4:

Waist 26.5"
Hips 35"
Thigh 19.5" each

I lost a total of 2 inches off my waist, 1 inch off my hips and 1 inch off each thigh.

Even though my nutrition wasn't the best, it wasn't the worst either, so that helped.  Shakeology played a big part in me not totally blowing it with my nutrition. 

I made sure I pushed play every day I was scheduled to workout, even Christmas Day.  If you want results you need to commit yourself to sticking with a plan. And a structured plan works the best.  Trust me I know.

If you would like more information on Brazil Butt Lift or any of the other Beachbody workouts email me at fitwithjessica@live.com.

I'd love to hear from you, feel free to leave a comment below.

Things that made my life better in 2010

I wanted to share some of the things that made 2010 a little better than 2009.  I plan on using all of them in 2011 too.  Some of them are fitness, others are nutrition, some beauty/health, and others are just stuff to help you get things done or get better organized.  So here is my list in no particular order:

• P90X - this really changed my life in 2010.  I was starting to pack on some pounds, the long winter also made me feel really down. P90X helped me get back into exercising in an organized way.  Before that I would just teach my classes here and there, or just do what I felt like.  But having an organized approach really makes all the difference.  Plus there is also an great nutrition guide to help you get that part organized too.  Its like getting a personal trainer and nutritionist for $119.
• Fly lady - Okay, this is like having a coach to help you get your home clean and organized.  You get emails everyday (I warn you a lot), and you are given assignments/missions to complete. The whole concept is to not spend a lot of time being a perfectionist.  Just set your timer for 15 min and FLY!! Its really helped me get the clutter under control and have a house that's ready for visitors anytime.
• Team Beachbody - whether you decide to join for free, as a club member or a coach, you get online tools to track your workouts, you get an online coach to help you reach your fitness goals, and you also make a lot of new like-minded friends who want to see you succeed.  I've made a lot of new, cool friends, have helped a lot of cool people, and have also built a nice online business doing something that I'm really passionate about.  And I don't have to hire a sitter to watch my kids.  What's better than that?
• Burt's Bees Pomegranate Lip Balm - I love this stuff.  I don't wear a lot of makeup, but this is a must for me.  Smells nice, gives a slight hint of color and helps keep my lips soft.
• Avon's Moisture Effective Eye Makeup Remover - You really need to email my friend Cheryl Ann and order this.  Its awesome stuff.  Super gentle, takes off all mascara, even water-proof.  It won't cause eyelash breakage either.  Good stuff.  Her email is cagavon@hotmail.com.
• Shark Steam Mop - I totally love my Shark.  It makes mopping floors super fast and super easy.  Nuff said.
• Brazil Butt Lift - I started this almost 4 weeks ago, and I just love the results I'm getting from it.  Its a fun workout that will tone and strengthen your whole body, with emphasis on your bum bum (pronounced boom boom).  Plus the nutrition guide that comes with it has some yummy, easy recipes:)
• Using a meal plan - If you don't use a meal plan, you really need to start.  I scoffed at the idea in 2009, but now I love it.  I use the Beachbody Custom Meal Planner as well as the nutrition guides that come with P90X, Insanity and Brazil Butt Lift.  You can make your own meal planner, but if you need healthy ideas, I suggest check out the Beachbody one. Meal planning helps you save money, have less food waste, and takes the stress out of what you will have for dinner.  My kids love knowing in advance what I'm making.  And I have them help me pick the meals for the week.
• Shakeology - This stuff is great! Its all natural and so yummy.  I was very skeptical about trying it, but I'm hooked (so is my husband).  I use this mostly as lunch.  I don't have time to prepare lunch some days, and I don't want to grab a frozen dinner, or fast food lunch.  Shakeology is less expensive than a Starbuck's coffee and has all the nutrition you need.  Its rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and flavor.  I even brought it with me on vacation.  You really need to try the chocolate.
• Online grocery shopping - I actually started using this in 2007, but continue to use it.  If your grocer offers online shopping, you really need to take advantage of it.  You save time, money and aggravation.  I love it. I place my order online and pick it up later.  Very simple.

Well, there you have my list of things that made my life a little better in 2010.  As I find new things that help me out, I will share them with you.

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