21 Day Fix Extreme Challenge - Review

This past Sunday I finished my first 21 Day Fix Extreme Challenge.  The 21 days were up faster than I was anticipating even though it seemed like some of the days lasted forever.  Did I like it? Yes.  Would I do it again? Yes.  Was I perfect every single day? No.  Did I see positive results? Yes.

I'm starting a challenge group if you are interested in joining!

The Workouts

The first week the workouts seriously kicked my butt and left me feeling quite sore!  Which is a GOOD thing because that meant my body was waking up and finally being used again in a way that pushed me to my limits.  The first week I used mainly my light weights (3 lbs) or no weights at all in most of the workouts.  True to form they were all right 30 minutes long which is a very doable amount of time.  Long enough that you definitely feel it but short enough that you can really push yourself.  

Feeling accomplished after doing the cardio fix workout!

The second and third week of the program I was less sore after the workouts and I slowly began to use more weight ending with always using at least my light weights and sometimes my heavy weights (10 lbs).  The easiest workout for me was the 10 min hardcore because I LOVE having a strong core and have some leftover strength from years of gymnastics and pole vaulting.  That being said the hardest workout for me was definitely the cardio fix extreme because I was not in very good aerobic shape to begin.  I did improve from week 1 to week 3 in this workout and though it is hard I feel SUPER ACCOMPLISHED afterwards.

My light (3lbs) and heavy (10lbs) weights.

There was a minimal amount of equipment that I needed to do my workouts some of which I already had.  I used a yoga mat, light weights (3lbs each), heavy weights (10lbs each), and a resistance band.  If you are into saving $$ wherever possible I found the local thrift store was a good place to pick up some cheap weights and resistance bands.  If you want to be deluxe you can also order them or go to the store.  

I did a swim workout today and noticed that I felt stronger than last time I swam which was before the 21 Day Fix Extreme Challenge.  Awesome!

The Meal Plan

The simplified meal plan that came with 7 different color coded containers made knowing what to eat super easy!  My cravings for chocolate and baked goods made the application of the meal plan much harder.  I found that if I prepped my food once a week and had it ready to grab and go when I ran out the house I was much more likely to stick with the meal plan.  Initially I thought it didn't seem like that much food to eat but there were days where I actually fell short on what I was supposed to eat. 

An assortment of meals and meal prep from the 21 Day Fix Extreme Challenge.

The meal plan also got me to branch outside of my routine meals and explore different taste combinations.  Including the Shakeology as a breakfast most days instead of my typical 400-500 calorie muffin gave me more energy in the morning and just made me feel healthier because I knew it was good for me.  I was skeptic of the shake at first but will definitely be continuing to drink it every day!  The cost of eating a ton of fruits and vegetables wasn't too bad because all of the meal prep really cut down on my quick food purchases throughout the week.  Ross was on board for eating super healthy with me as well but didn't do any limiting on quantity that he ate.  It really helped that he was on board and super encouraging! :)

One thing that did fall through for me was my tracking.  :(  Did not stick with it through out the entire 21 days.  I did really well the first 7 days and kind of fizzled out after that.  I will be working on keeping better track next time I do a challenge!

The Results 

Overall I lost 4lbs going from 153 to 149 and 3.5 total inches going from 180 to 176.5 inches (measurements taken include waist, chest, hips, right arm, left arm, right thigh, and left thigh).

Below are my before and after photos with the before photo being on the left.  I can see a difference in how I look.  The most noticeable difference is that I feel STRONGER and have more MOTIVATION to get outside the house and do things like go for HIKES or SWIM.  My skin has improved as well and is much clearer than normal!  Not going to complain about that perk at all!

Left: 153lbs, Day 0     Right: 149lbs, Day 21

Left: 153lbs, Day 0     Right: 149lbs, Day 21

What's Next?

The next challenge that I plan on tackling is the new workout from Beach Body called 22 Minute Hard Corps which is a boot camp style workout that lasts for 60 days!  The meal plan that it follows is essentially the same as for the 21 Day Fix Extreme so I will be ahead of the game on that!

☆ Stephanie Ann

Depression, Emotional Eating and Meal Plans

Seven Layer Bars

It took a seven layer bar to get me out of bed today.  At noon.  Part of my struggle with depression is wanting to stay in bed when life feels too overwhelming.  I tried to convince myself a number of times to get up and going with my day:

• "You get to have your chocolate shakeo!" 
• "The dogs would love a walk outside" 
• "You can do this"
• "Staying in bed won't make this go away"
• "It's sunny out" 

None of these were enough though.  I wasn't excited about a freezing cold shake, I definitely didn't want to leave the warmth of my bed to walk the dogs, you can do this turned into no I can't, staying in bed won't make it any worse, it's sunny out but it is still cold.  The powers of negative self-talk when fighting depression can be incredible.  It wasn't until I gave myself permission to stray from my meal plan and go have a seven layer bar that I was able to drag my butt out of bed.

So what was it about that sweet treat that got me going?  I'm an emotional eater.  Sweets give me a sugar rush and make me feel better.  They make me feel better quickly.  That sugar rush is enough to get me a burst of energy to actually start my day.  Enough energy to make the healthy breakfast (today it was a pear, almonds, a rice cake with almond butter, and a coffee).  Once I've got that healthy breakfast in me I'm *usually* able to have a somewhat productive day and not crawl back under the covers where I can wander off into dream land.

I'm an emotional eater, I struggle with depression, and I'm doing the 21 Day Fix Extreme Program which includes a relatively restrictive meal plan.  How am I going to balance this?  When I'm doing well, like the first week of the program, eating healthy comes a lot easier and doesn't feel overwhelming.  I still have my cravings for sweets but I can push through them.  When I'm doing less well, like today, eating healthy feels like climbing Mount Everest and all I really want to do is hang out at base camp and drink hot cocoa.

"And then me will conquer that moment!"

I've spent the last hour or so trying to figure out how I can eat as healthy as possible while allowing myself treats when I need them to get going.  I think the first thing I have to do is accept that yes, I'm not going to be perfect with this meal plan the first time I do it and that is okay.  Change takes time.  Change of one aspect of my life is also not done in isolation from the rest of my life.  Physical, mental, and spiritual health are all linked together and influence one another.  Long term, increasing my physical health will ideally help my mental health and give me more energy to tackle the world and battle my depression.  Short term, if a seven layer bar will get me out of bed at noon when nothing else will, I will be enjoying that seven layer bar thank you very much.  Right now, the give and take, the compromise I am making with my healthy eating (my physical health) in those moments is worth the small boost I get in my emotional health (my mental health).  What I am hoping for is that, as my body gets used to eating much healthier and as these new healthy lifestyle habits really start to form I will have more good days where eating healthy comes easy than not so good days where eating healthy becomes a scary monster.

Balance is everything.  Not judging my own struggles and choices, accepting them for what they are and also accepting I can change them over time, will only help me be successful.  If I constantly deny having a meal plan is hard for me, I won't be able to face which parts of it are hard, or why those parts are hard.  I won't be able to work through those challenges and won't be able to successfully change my habits.  Along with this is taking credit for all of my meal plan victories both big and small.  On days when my depression is less intense and following the meal plan feels easy it is a huge victory!  On days when my depression is intense and I manage to get in all of my protein, veggies, and fruits plus some sweet extras, that is a huge victory as well!

I may have had some sweets and strayed from the meal plan but I DID eat my veggies, fruits and proteins.  I DID give my body good nutrients through these healthy foods.  I DID have my shakeology with all of its amazing health benefits.  And that is awesome, because I could have stayed in bed all day.  I could have not had that healthy breakfast after the seven layer bar.  I could have never taken on the 21 Day Fix Extreme challenge.  But I did.  And that my friends is something worth celebrating.

"Every person has three aspects:  the physical self, the mental self and the spiritual self.

The physical self is the easiest one for others to perceive.

It is about the health and fitness of your body.

When you are at your optimum in this area of life, you find that you can easily maintain your idea weight,  you rarely get sick, and you possess abundant energy.

The second aspect is your mental self.

It is about your mind and your work.

When you are at your optimum in this area of life, you find your work is challenging and satisfying, you are able to make use of your creativity and skills, and you are steadily advancing in your career.

The third aspect is your spiritual self. 

It is about your inner-most being and your concern with other souls.

When you are at your optimum in this area of life, you find that you are blessed with great friends in your life, and you are deeply immersed in a loving relationship with your soul mate."

taken from The Tao of Joy Every Day by Derek Lin

artwork - Transformation by Diane Fergurson

☆ Stephanie Ann

21DFX Week 1 Review and Falling Off the Wagon

Wow!  One week done, two more weeks to go!  I'm sure you have noticed that for each day I am posting a photo of my tracking journal which includes, when and what I ate (note the color coded container reference after each meal), and some notes on how I felt/what went well/etc throughout the day.

If you look at them you will notice that Monday (1) went well, Tuesday (2) went well, Wednesday (3) went well, Thursday (4) went well, and then came Friday.  Not so well.  I had run out of a lot of my prepped food, woke up late and sprinted out the door, and then traveled down to Boston and had my first eating out experience of my 21DFX Challenge.

Not my finest hour.  

Oh MY!  I gave into my somewhat constant DONUT craving (they were free for the taking at work... busted).  It would have helped if I had brought prepped meals to work with me and hadn't been as hungry when I saw those free donuts but alas, I did not.  And you know what?  That is okay!  I'm not perfect and it is NOT the end of the world that I ate a donut, and half a scone.  I went out to eat in Boston and chose a relatively healthy meal of a grilled chicken sandwich with avocado, swiss cheese, and bacon along with a side of chips.  What I didn't get while out to eat was a beer or soda or dessert so I'm counting my eating out experience as a win!  After that I headed to the Big Air Competition at Fenway Park and froze my butt off watching some AMAZINGLY talented athletes fly through the air on skis!

Talk about inspiration and motivation!

Saturday morning it was back out to eat and needless to say, by this point I was barely holding onto the meal plan wagon.  I went with an omelette rather than the waffle with chocolate chips.  I may have spoiled myself but I knew that Sunday was Valentine's Day and I was going to spoil myself then with a little champagne and steak!  I skipped my workout on Sunday due to having taught 6 hours of snowboarding lessons out in temperatures below 5 degrees F and I was exhausted!  Needless to say, the steak, champagne, and chocolates enjoyed by all on V-Day were delicious.

Definitely off the wagon.  Time to reset, reprep, and get back to work!

Why'd you fall off the wagon Mom???!!!?

Welcome Monday:  

• Got in two workouts, Dirty 30 and Yoga 
• Drank adequate amounts of water
• Followed my meal plan
• Went to bed on time

Just because I fell off the wagon didn't mean I could not chase it down, do some make-up work, and hop right back on!  

 
☆ Stephanie Ann

Day 8 - 21 Day Fix Extreme

Day 8 - Tracking Journal Entry

Day 7 - 21 Day Fix Extreme

Day 7 - Tracking Journal Entry

Day 6 - 21 Day Fix Extreme

Day 6 - Tracking Journal Entry

Day 4 - 21 Day Fix Extreme

Day 4 - Tracking Journal Entry

Day 3 - 21 Day Fix Extreme

Day 3 - Tracking Journal Entry

Day 2 - 21 Day Fix Extreme

Day 2 - Tracking Journal Entry

Day 5 - 21 Day Fix Extreme

Day 5 - Tracking Journal Entry

Take a deep breath and GO!

I'm officially starting my journey as a Fitness Coach by participating in my first challenge group!  Not going to lie, I am a little overwhelmed right now about the onslaught of information I have received about being a coach in the last few days but I am also SUPER excited! :)

I want to have a record of my triumphs and struggles as I complete this first challenge so when I am a coach I will be able to share this with people who are just beginning their own fitness journey.  They say that looking back you have 20-20 vision and I want to be able to give beginners the real thing, not watered down memories of what it was like when I was starting.

To make this post as easy to navigate as possible I'm going to break it into three sections.

1.  Who I am and where I am currently at in my fitness journey
2.  Why I want to be a Fitness Coach
3.  My vision for my coaching business, Stephanie Ann: Accept Yourself Fitness #StAAYFit

What makes me, me!

My name is Stephanie Ann and I like to consider myself a "Jill of all Trades," as in, I don't like to be put in a prelabeled box!  I'd really rather not be in any box at all!  I grew up in southern Rhode Island (Go Rhody) and was a bit of a tomboy, nerd, and athlete.  I guess you could say that I still embody those characteristics.  In college I studied chemical engineering and pole vaulted for the track and field team at my school.  During the summer, I spent most of my days life guarding on the beach and soaking in the rays.  Being physically fit and succeeding academically came easy.

Pole vaulting junior year of college.

Enter the real world, aka grad school.  No more set practice hours, no more set work hours, no more easily accessible dining hall, no more Rhody.  More gaining weight, more depression, more junk food, more stress, more sedentary activity.  I did my best during this transition including purchasing a road bike and mountain bike, growing a garden of my own etc but my overall wellness always managed to be the last of my priorities.  I felt lost in my own skin.

Two plus years after graduating with an MS in Engineering, my general fitness routine includes:

• Eating relatively healthy, except for breakfast.  Breakfast is definitely my least healthy meal of the day
• Instructing snowboarding two to three times a week
• Weekend hiking, skiing, or skating adventures with my dogs and partner
• Spending hours wishing I had more energy, or still fit into my old clothes, or was stronger
• Occasionally lifting at the gym

Ross and I when we got Altai this past September.

Needless to say, I found myself lacking structure and consistency in my lifestyle habits.  My current fitness journey status is: Ready for a POSITIVE change!

Why a Fitness Coach?

Consistency, accessibility, accountability, and helping others while helping myself!  I like the idea of using social media in a constructive way that helps others accept themselves and become the best them they can be.  I've always enjoyed coaching and tutoring and wanted to bring it to the next level.  I'm super excited to participate in my first challenge group and can't wait to start one of my own!  I'm also working on becoming certified as a personal trainer as I do this!

Stephanie Ann:  Accept Yourself Fitness #StAAYFit

A HUGE part of my own struggle with fitness and a healthy lifestyle post college has been accepting who I am as a person.  I struggle with depression which makes it hard to love myself all of the time and especially hard to find the motivation to change the parts of myself I want to improve upon.  It is one thing to say you are going to do something and another entirely to accomplish it while battling depression or any mental illness or exhausting/stressful situation.  Through my business I hope to inspire others who may be struggling mentally or physically to push past the voice in their heads telling them it is too much, too hard or not worth the effort.  I truly want to give people a chance to share their journey with a coach who understands where they are coming from with compassion and encouragement.

~~I believe that the first step to changing anything about yourself is accepting and embracing who you are today.  Without judgement.  Just acceptance.  If you have the ability to accept yourself, flaws and all, you will be unstoppable!~~

And so, I invite you to join me on my journey either by reading my blog and Facebook Page or joining a challenge group.

☆ Stephanie Ann