My 90 Days

Here is a glimpse of what my next 90 days will look like...

Why do a hybrid?

I decided on this program because honestly, I get bored easily. It just makes more sense, to me, to mix things up a bit. It allows me to follow two programs and get used to them, but still benefit from each. I already did Turbofire and know that I love it. Honestly, P90X scares me. So I figured if I add in a program that I love, it will make it less intimidating. I hear all of these crazy things about P90X... Tony Horton is annoying, it's only for men, it's way too hard. That is enough to scare anyone away! So with the help of Chalene Johnson, I plan to conquer it! That way I have the attitude that I can do it, so when I want to go back to it, it won't be quite as intimidating.

My other favorite hybrid is Turbofire and Brazilian Butt Lift. Something about putting the two together is just so much fun. Towards the end of my 90 days with Turbofire last year I added in some BBL classes and it really cranked things up a notch! If you are looking for an extra challenge, give it a shot! Plus it doesn't hurt that it is helping your core, legs, and booty a little bit more!

These worksheets can be found at TeamBeachBody.com. They are really helpful and it is interesting to check out each program to see what it is all about before purchasing it. I actually had no idea about doing hybrids until I checked out the worksheets section of the website. 

teambeachbody.com > get fit > worksheets

ugh.. post baby belly!!

Like every woman, or at least most, after having a baby, our biggest focus is our belly!

Everything is all about the belly for almost a year. From the minute you find out you are pregnant bump watch officially begins. I certainly "popped" a lot earlier this time around. I thought to myself, "oh my goodness I am going to be HUGE!" But it turns out this pregnancy I gained less weight and never grew bigger than I did with Kirsten. Honestly, my belly was probably a lot smaller.

Even though I got lots of compliments on how tiny I was, I knew there was still a lot of hard work ahead of me. Sure I had a cute little belly while pregnant, but that little bump turns into saggy skin pretty quickly once the baby is born!

At the moment, almost 6 weeks after having Charlotte, I feel like I am carrying a tire around my middle. It wiggles when I walk, hangs over every pair of pants (even my loose maternity leggings), and just looks strange. I stare at it every time I get dressed. I put on at least 4 pairs of pants before settling on my compression yoga pants that suck in my belly. I keep saying, "this can't go on forever!" But deep down I know, it will if I don't put in the hard work!

I am starting first with drinking more water, eating less salt, and drinking my Shakeology once a day. I am boy shaped, which means I have no waist, so all of my weight goes straight to my middle. I have that pooch under my belly button that is almost impossible to get rid of, and gets exaggerated when I put on weight or eat really fattening foods. First things first... controlling what I eat!

My first fitness focus is my belly. And here are my accountability photos. We all have to start somewhere... and hopefully this is the last time the tire will be present for the whole world to see!

Goodbye belly! You were cute when you had a little baby inside you... but we really need to part ways!

I will be posting about my DAY ONE OF TURBOFIRE/P90X HYBRID experience tomorrow! :)

Why Participate in a Challenge Group

So you want to be in my Challenge group? Well lets get started with some info first!

I post a lot about Challenge Groups. Its the best way, as a Beachbody Coach, for me to get a group of people together and have a great time doing these amazing programs. I could easily coach people individually, which I do, but it is way more motivating in a group setting. 

We all say, "my biggest issue with fitness or eating healthy is holding myself accountable." We are our own worst enemies! I am there with you... it's easier to just cheat or not do it or watch another episode of Friends (its on 24 hours a day, seriously!) than get up and go to the gym, turn on a DVD, or plan out healthy meals for the week. It takes WORK! We all have jobs and want to come home and just relax, why would we want to torture ourselves with fitness programs and eating healthy when we get home??? Well the answer is easy, because YOU want to!

But deciding that YOU want to is the first step. Deciding to be serious about this journey is just the beginning. Actually doing it, doing it well, and being consistent is a whole other thing.

That's where the beauty of a Challenge Group comes in! It is like having a group of cheerleaders (the very nonjudgy kind) standing right there with you. But you don't have to get in your car and plan workouts with other people. You do this all on your own, on your own time. We as a team are just there to help guide you, lift you up, and cheer when you achieve a goal!

The sweetest part about a Challenge Group?? THE PRIZES!!!! Who doesn't love prizes!?!?

TEAM BEACHBODY CHALLENGE

Because you will already be a member of Beachbody you can enter, for free, to be apart of the national Challenge. They give away REAL CASH PRIZES each month to real people getting real results!

Anything from $500 - $100,000!!!!!!

Only requirement is to send them your before and after photos! How easy is that???

There are multiple ways to enter a Challenge Group...
1. You are new to Beachbody and purchase a Challenge Pack through me. It includes everything you need.. program, tools to complete program, Shakeology, and information on healthy eating. It also gets you complete access to beachbody.com for 30 days!!!!!!!
2. You own a Beachbody program. GREAT! Whether you already started, did it before, or bought it a long time ago and just never used it I'd love to have you apart of the group doing your favorite program! We can discuss Shakeology and get you on a home direct program so it comes right to your door to help you receive MAXIMUM results from the program!
3. You own a Beachbody program and get Shakeology. If you already have a coach but are not satisfied with them we can always do a coach switch to make me your coach. I can get that info to you ASAP! It is required that I am your coach for the Challenge.

Head over to http://beachbodycoach.com/erikalevarse to sign up for FREE and make me your coach..
click JOIN then the FREE MEMBERSHIP link
if you need to purchase a Challenge Pack, Shakeology, equipment, or anything from the store and have questions please notify me ASAP! It is important that you sign up to have me as a coach BEFORE purchasing!

Suggested Reading Material (Just like how you will be changing your body, you will be changing your thinking and attitude as well)
Push by Chalene Johnson
The Clean-Eating Diet Recharged by Tosca Reno
The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life by Hal Elrod

If you promise to give me 100%... I promise to be there for you every step of the way. It can be overwhelming, you'll have days where you want to give up... but that is why we create a group (a tribe) around us to lift us up. We would be lying if we didn't say we had the same issues or concerns or bad days. That is the beauty of a Challenge Group... it's your time and your journey, but with the added bonus of some amazing people helping you along the way!

I can't wait to see the results and get started!

OWN IT

I am not yet 6 weeks from having my 2nd child, so I OFFICIALLY have not started my workout programs. I have however done a ton of prep work! Prep work to workout? Really? Can't I just stick in the DVD and start right away?

Sure you can. And I am sure after 90 days you will get some really great results. But when it comes to REALLY taking charge of your fitness and health you need to plan. Think of it this way, you are taking your body from being a Toyota to a BENTLEY! Would you hop in the first luxury car you see and drive it home (well when I think of it, I totally would, IF IT WAS FREE!)??? Well it's not free, it's a huge investment. You do research, you check your finances, you shop around, you test drive. Then you make the purchase.

That is exactly what it is like to start a Beachbody program!

I know because I was there. I signed up for free, bought a program, bought a bag of Shakeology, and just dove right in. I didn't keep to any sort of schedule. I went to the gym and ran/lifted some days, took a class at the gym the next, did a DVD program two days in a row, drank my Shakeology every so often, but never truly changed my eating habits. I assumed I was doing enough and would be fine. 

I was so wrong!

I did see results. I really leaned out and gained some muscle in my legs and arms. But I wasn't FEELING healthier. I didn't feel like I was truly taking charge like my fellow Beachbody friends. They OWNED their journey and earned their transformations. I was taking the easy way out. It was time for a change.

First thing I did was look at the program I was doing, Turbofire. I went online and read tons of testimonials, watched youtube videos of Chalene explaining the program, and flipped through hundreds of transformation photos. I needed to WANT it. I wasn't doing it for the right reasons before, just to do it and say I accomplished a 90 day workout program. That is a totally bogus way of thinking. It's not about you, it's about the SHOW. This wasn't for anyone else but me, so I needed to want it more than anything. 

Basically imagine Facebook doesn't exist. You can't post photos and brag in status updates. Would you still be doing the program if no one could see you?

I then turned to reading material. I went on amazon and chose Chalene Johnson's PUSH and The Eat-Clean Diet Recharged by Tosca Reno. There is no way in the world that I could pretend to know what I am doing if I don't do my research. So I turned to my inspiration, Chalene Johnson, and read up on how to get into the proper mind frame for turning my life around. If you don't own this book... GET IT! I also had no idea what clean eating even was! How could I change my habits if I don't know what direction to go in???? Get a good clean eating book with recipes. Start with ONE MEAL a day. Don't go in head first all at once... you'll drown! I did! When starting all over again I decided to take it one success at a time. Dinner was easy because I could plan it out during the day. I would flip through the book and choose something yummy and make it. Boom. Success! Ride that success and make it a habit. Once you are used to changing that one meal, move onto something else. Maybe breakfast? I wasn't eating breakfast, I always got a coffee and waited until lunch. BAD IDEA! Especially when you see how EASY breakfast can be when done right! The easiest thing for me to make was oatmeal and add sliced apples to it. Super yummy and totally made me feel full until lunch. BOOM! SUCCESS!

See how easy it is when YOU take control? And not let the program or diet control YOU!?!

Today's challenge... do your research!!!!! Buy a book. I recommend a physical copy so you can highlight and take notes. I love Kindle but I save that for pleasure reading. But the book and totally ruin it with notes! It will get you excited. Plus it will keep you honest and force you to really read it and not skim.

GO GET EM TEAM!