Hey ya'll!  It's April!!  Can you believe next month we stare Memorial Day Weekend right in the face?!  I'm so ready for summer and warm weather, aren't you?!  OK... where do I begin this post... Well let me start by announcing that I completed my first round of P90X2 last week!  My results.... I'm gonna tell ya right now they weren't drastic, but they were plentiful.  I definitely feel stronger and toned up quite a bit in my upper body.  My main goal that I wanted to reach with this round was to lower my overall body fat % and I'm so excited to say I did just that!  At the beginning of the program my BF% was at 24%, now it is at 19%!  I'm definitely happy with those results.  My next fitness venture..... Of course one that is going to get me in prime shape for bikini season, none other than Brazil Butt Lift!  The program is designed to give your booty a lift and to give you amazingly slender and shaped stems, PERFECT!  AND YES PLEASE! 

Definitely looking forward to the program, I did the Bum Bum workout this morning and it is NO JOKE!  58 more days of this and I'll be walking the runway with those VS models!  Ha! Kidding :)  But, it's totally true, the trainer in Brazil Butt Lift, Leandro Carvalho, works with these models personally, so hey it could happen! 

Ok moving on ;)  Aside from my love of TurboKick, I've discovered a group fitness exercise, CROSSFIT!  Have you heard of it??  I went to my first class last night and WOW!  Talk about intense!  The class itself is not long at all, for me 13:01 min to be exact.  Let me just give you and idea of what I did yesterday in 13:01 minutes.  Here goes.....

21 reps - Dead Lift squat
21 reps - Overhead 20lb med ball shots
21 reps - TRX lower body pull ups (where you hold on to rings over head and bring your feet up to the rings, kind of like you are swinging down and up on a set of rings)
21 reps - Military burpees

Repeat each exercise with 15 reps, then repeat again doing 9 reps...... HOLY. WOW.  Yeah, my body is screaming sore today!!! But I LOVED it and def. hope to do it at least once a week going forward!  If you get a chance def. try it out!  That's all for now fit friends!! I'll keep ya posted with the BBL workouts!  Have a fantastic week!  OH!!! P.S.  5 more days of no more make-up!!!!!

Happy Valentine's sweeties!  Like my heart that my little Mari made for me last night :)  Actually she made one for each of us in the family, she's such a lovie!  So today's the day!  Not only is today a day of love (as is everyday!), but TODAY the new Tropical Shakeololgy is available for purchase!  Mine is in the mail, can't wait to try it out!  Go ahead.. give yourself a nice Valentine's gift, click on the image below and get ya some!

So yeah!  Let me rewind and recap my WONDERFUL weekend!  Spent the whole weekend with my loves; Friday Mari cheered at her very first basketball game!  She did great and was so super cute!  Check her out, she's a natural... HAM!

Saturday.. Tony and I hit up Nagoya for a quiet little date night, instead of the usual hibachi, we opted for a high table in the bar area.  I was a good girl and had ONE pomegranate martini, and let me tell you, that was enough!  Whew... strong stuff :)

For dinner, Tony got shrimp, scallops and salmon with mixed veggies, very good!  And I stepped out of my comfort zone and got the sushi.... and to my surprise there was some raw fish that came with the order!  Ahh u should of seen my face LOL!

I LOVED the california rolls and was only able brave enough to try the raw salmon, which was quite good!  The other two I has weren't really raw to me, the shrimp and the crab I also ate... Tony had the rest!  The weirdest one... THE SQUID!  Eeek, don't think I could ever bring myself to even try it!  But all in all, two thumbs up for dinner!

We finished out our weekend with a nice relaxing day at home on Sunday.  After early church we came right home slipped into some comfy clothes and Tony made us an awesome brunch... have ya ever had sweet potato pancakes?  YOU MUST... DELISH!  We got the mix from Cracker Barrel, probably our most fav breakfast spot :)  Soooo good!

The rest of the day was spent snuggled up on the couch with LOTS of puppy time :)  Love these pups, gonna miss them when it's time for them to go to their new homes!

So, it's a new week, I'm finally back on track with a normal fitness routine... back to X2!  Now that I have TurboKick Round30 down I can get back to my P90X2 workouts, I did some serious thinking and am going to modify the program a bit since I do teach Turbo 3 days a week so here's what my workout schedue is going to look like for the next few weeks!

Sundays & Mondays = REST DAYS
Tuesdays = X2 Chest/Back/Balance or V Sculpt + Ab Ripper
Wednesdays = TurboKick
Thursdays = TurboKick
Fridays = X2 Base & Back + Ab Ripper
Saturdays = TurboKick

And there ya go!  Tackled Chest and Back this AM and what a butt kicker of a workout!  Challenging for sure, but I'm sticking it out, been out of the lifting game for 2 weeks, but I'm back and am bound and determined to condition back up!  Have a great week everyone!

Are we really info February already?!  Is it just me or is this year going too fast already!?  Either way, I'm totally excited for February, so many fun things happening this month, my baby girl Mari will be doing a cheerleading camp and cheering at the high school basketball game (aww!).  Valentine's day of course, but not because I'm all lovey dovey and a big old sap for this hallmark holiday, but I do LOVE to make it a big deal with my kiddos, it's fun, they like it and it's something we can do activities around as a family :)  My fav activity... making cupcakes and using the heart-shaped cake pan, LOL, it literally only gets used ONCE a year!  Ohhh and how can I forget, the new Tropical Strawberry flavored Shakeology comes out on Valentines Day, Feb 14th as well.  I have my order all set to receive it this month, can't wait to try it!

Had a really great weekend, spent some time with my loves, celebrated one of my girlfriend's 30th birthday (there's gonna be ALOT of 30th bday postings this year LOL!) and of course enjoyed the Super Bowl at home with some friends.  My fav commercial... the 'naked' M&M dancing to LMAFO, 'Sexy & I Know It'! LOL!! Classic! 

So, let's talk fitness real quick... I'm suppose to be doing the program P90X2, I still am technically, but I'm having to take some time off from it to learn my new round of TurboKick.  I tried to do both and ended up exhausting myself physically, NOT GOOD FRIENDS!  Don' over do the workouts.... YES, IT'S POSSIBLE!  So... I'm almost there, my goal is to teach the new round this week at starting with my Wednesday class, hold me accountable ya'll!  I've been diligently workin the TurboKick all last week and this weekend..... 

So, that's about it for now gang!  Have a blessed week, keep sweatin!  Only 90 more days this swimsuit season ;)

_ Well hello there!  How was the weekend?!  Mine was just fabulous!  Seems like as we head into week two of the new year, everything is starting to fall into place and routine is starting to become habit… this is a good thing!   Saturday, I traveled to Toledo for the Beachbody Super Saturday event.  Learned so much about what is to come with the company in 2012.  A new program is about to be released called Tai Cheng, Tropical Shakeology will be available on February 14th and The Beachbody Challenge is taking off!  Are you currently in a Beachbody Challenge Group?  If so, sound off in the comments below, how do you like it so far??  I’m currently in a my own Beachbody Challenge with a ton of other people who have made the commitment.  I’m doing P90X2, others are doing TurboFire, Brazil Butt Lift & Insanity, just to name a few! 

_ This will be week 2 of the challenge and I already feel like I’m starting to get stronger.  In P90X2, there are phases.  Phase 1 is the Foundation Phase, building the core.  And wow, does it ever!  I’ll be on this phase for at least 2-3 more weeks.  Here’s what my weekly workout schedule looks like….

 Monday:  Core

Tuesday:  Plyocide

Wednesday:  Rest or Recovery & Mobility (I also teach Turbo at night)

Thursday:  Total Body (Again, teaching Turbo this evening!)

Friday:  Yoga

Saturday:  Balance & Power (Teach Turbo in the AM!)

Sunday:  Rest or Recovery & Mobility

 Whew!  But, I honestly am loving every minute of it.  So blessed to be able to work this hard.

 n addition to my workout goals, I’ve also taken steps to better my personal goals.  I’m currently reading Chalene Johnson’s book, PUSH.  It’s a 30 day breakdown of exercises mapped out to help you plan out your goals and give you a clear cut path to achieve them.  Love this.  I did her 30 day PUSH video segment last summer in June and it completely changed the game for me.  Looking forward to another ‘PUSH’ this year, currently I’m on Day 7.  So far, I’ve already listed my goals, determined a PUSH goal and am currently in the middle of researching information on how to carefully reach my goals one step at a time.  Progress, I can feel it! 

_ So that’s about it for me this week.  I’ll continue to work hard during my workouts, keep focus on the task at hand to consistently move forward with my goals, both short-term and long.  Have a blessed week friends!

So, my nearly 2 week vacation has come to an end, normally this kind of time off flies by, however this year it seemed just perfect.  Sure, I wouldn't have minded it to be just a tad bit longer, but I really enjoyed my time off, didn't feel rushed, it wasn't a blur, it was just right, I really enjoyed the time with my family and got a TON of other stuff done in the meantime.  SUCCESS! 
Let me rewind back a bit and recap New Years, it was a family friendly kind of night, we headed over to some friends of ours who have small children like us and we broke bread and raised our glasses in the comfort of their home.  The kids ran wild, my  girlfriend and I rocked it on the Kinect to Dance Central 2... of course my fav of the night.... Lady Gaga!  However, to my dismay, I don't think I could ever cut it as one of her back of dancers... yikes :)  But totally fun!  My beverage of choice... Skinny Margarita of course!   Only indulged in one though, still had to keep track of the kiddos ;)

New Years day we were lazy bums, enjoyed being snuggled up in blankets, took a little cat nap, watched a really funny movie, House Bunny, HILARIOUS!  Then for dinner we made our way to my parents house for the traditional New Years meal of pork and saurkraut, YUM, I love that meal!  After dinner Tony and my dad settled into the back bedroom to watch the Browns (no good came from that room, lol), the kids played games with my mom and I headed next door to pay my grandparents a visit.  They are getting ready to head to Florida for a few months and I wanted to get over to see them before they left, plus my grandfather had a bout with pneomonia and I wanted to check up on him.  Which I'm happy to report he's doing just fine :)  Love chatting with them, they have that old fashioned mindset and sense of humor, I love it, and I learn so much just by listening to them talk, I'm incredibly blessed.  Definitely started the year off right :)
That night when we got home and after putting the kiddos to bed, I prepared myself for the next day, January 2, the day that kicks off 2012, that will set the tone for the entire year.  For the first time in 2012, I sat down, scheduled my day, got everything ready for me to start Day 1 of P90X2.  Today was Day 2 and all I can say is WOW.  This program is definitely next level stuff, I'm doing my best and I can def. say I have a TON of room to improve!  Loving it so far.

As I'm also emarking on a new fitness journey, I'm also planning on revamping my nutrition.  In my first round of X1, I didn't really follow the nutrition guide, this time around with X2, I'm definitely paying more attention in that area.  Check out what I had for breakfast this morning, straight out of my customized meal plan on TeamBeachbody.com, French Toast!  Made with egg substitute and whole wheat bread and turkey sausage, YUM, it was pretty good, and I didn't even use syrup with it!

So I think it's safe to say that 2012 is off to a fantastic start.  I started reading my new book PUSH by Chalene Johnson, it's a perfect read right now too because as I'm plotting and planning my plan of attack for my 2012 goals, this book makes for a great outline :)  Here's to 2012, let's make it GREAT!

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!  Ours was just about as traditional as they come... Tony and I played Santa late on Christmas Eve and the kiddos were early to rise before 7AM Christmas morning :)  Santa was good to me and brought me a practically whole new workout wardrobe that included 2 new workout pants from Reebok and Adidas, 2 Nike Dri Fit tops, a long sleeved Under Armor shirt, a Nike pullover and a partridge in a pear tree...LOL, ok just kidding about the last part ;)  The kiddos were knee deeps in  toys and we spent most of Christmas morning making goodies in the Easy Bake Oven and putting together Lego Ninjago play sets!  

I did buy myself a little something for Christmas, Chalene Johnson's book PUSH.  Can't wait to start reading this book, she's been a huge inspiration in my life this past year and I can't wait to use her book as a tool and the foundation for my plan and goals for 2012!

Speaking of 2012, I've been spending my vacation wisely and using the extra time to write out and plan my goals for next year.  Obviously, my fitness is at the top of my list and I plan to take it to the next level with the new program P90X2.  I did the fit test today and I must say I'm pretty impressed with myself, the only area I wouldn't mind seeing a major improvement in is in the pull up department :)  So, there's at least one goal for myself already!  I start on Jan 2, I can't wait!

OK ya'll... that's about it for now!  I'll pop back in later on this week to wrap things up for 2011, have a good week, get those goals churning in your brain and get em' down on paper!

Hey hey all!  Another week closer to Christmas, can you believe it?!  Before you   know it we'll be ringing in the new year, that's right!  New Year means new goals.  With that I'm going to dive right into this post.  Some people question my  passion for this business, heck some even question my passion alone for extreme fitness in general.  My answer to that:  It's what makes me tick, it is the center that revolves around everything that I love  and that means a great deal to me.  Because of my fitness I am a much healthier person and will be down the road as I get older.  I will be able to be there for my family to do things with them because of my health.  By living this lifestyle I also set an example for my family and others around me to follow in my footsteps and to show them that there really is no other way to live life.  I'm not saying you have to go out and train like an elite athlete everyday, but exercise, move, fill your body with the good stuff like minerals and nutrients that give you energy and fuel your body to keep going.  Is that a lot to ask?  Well, I don't think so anyway.  Last night, I had the priviledge of listening to Mr. Carl Daikeler , CEO of Beachbody, speak on our Beachbody team call last night.  I'm sure most of you don't realize that this guy, with a buddy and Tony Horton (creator of P90X), started creating the Power 90 program in Tony's little 2 bedroom apartment years ago.  For 90 days, they created the workouts, tested them on themselves, went back worked out the kinks, went back and revamped it again until they got it right enough to be able to make it public.  They started out with a little website with one little message board and an infomercial.  Now look at what it is today.  An empire.  A world class system of workout programs that have transformed the lives of thousands of people.  And not only on a physical level, but on a financial level as well.  Giving us, a Beachbody Coach, the tools to be able to share our stories and success with the products gives new light to the meaning of giving back.  The support of a Beachbody Coach is unlike no other.  Everyday as a regular person in this world, an upstanding citizen, a wife, a mother, a full time employee and a beachbody coach, I look at myself everyday in the mirror when I wake up to brush my teeth and I ask myself, "Am I going to take action?"  You know the answer.  YES.  Yes, I'm am going to action, I'm going to be responsible for my well being and what and how I use my time that I've so greatly been blessed with.  I'm proud to be apart of a movement so real and so positive.  The Beachbody network is growing at a rate of 75%, just as fast as the company itself, now that is nothing to overlook!  Bottom line is, in 10 years if I keep doing what I'm doing and believing what I believe in then BIG things are gonna happen, and I am NOT just talking about my own gain, can you imagine the people you can reach in 10 years and help them transform their life into a healthy one? Do you realize what that means?  I'll tell you, it means less disease, less heart failure, less medication for diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure to name a few.  You want to fix the healthcare crisis in this country... doesn't start in the White House, this movement is going to have to start in YOUR house.  Make the change, be the change you want to see in this world. 
Since October, I've held 4 Beachbody Challenge groups.  In the past few months I've seen an endless amount of people take the leap to a healthier lifestyle and they've all stuck with it.  Some have lost almost 30lbs.  30lbs!!!  Since October!  How much has that person's life changed since October?!  Think about it... if you lost 30lbs, how would that effect your life?  Would it make you more confident?  Would it make you want to do more in life?  OF COURSE!  And wouldn't others notice that you lost 30lbs and I can bet my bottom dollar that their first question to you would be, How'd you do it?  Wouldn't it feel AMAZING to help others feel as great as you do?  It's an awesome system, one I would never give up for the world.  It has changed me for the better, it has made me better for my family and the lives that I've touched directly and indirectly give me the single more gratifying feeling I could ever know.  Have an awesome week fit friends, you mean the world to me and know that one of the main reasons I do what I do is for you.

"Destiny does not care if you're ready or not, it simply shows up, ready or not."

Hi All!  Did everyone survive Thanksgiving?!  Today is my Monday, I took yesterday off from work because I just knew I would need an extra day to myself to re-cooperate, and  was I right!  So let me rewind all the way back to Turkey Day... I started my day early with the Turkey Trot 5K, which went awesome by the way!  I had a time of 27:45, which is just around the same time I had for the 5K I did back in July, so I'll take it!  I will say that I felt much better running in the cold weather as opposed to the warmer weather, much more comfortable.  Overall, a fantastic time and the 3 mile run definitely felt good to have under my belt before heading to TWO family Thanksgivings that day!  Check out me and my running buddies below, they did awesome!

I was home from the race by 10:30AM, just enough time to get ready to head over to the families' house for Turkey festivities, Tony's Aunt's house at Noon and my parents' house by 4PM! 

By the time we got to my parents' house I was ready for round 2, I made sure to eat reasonable light at both places, grazing the fixings, is a good way to put it.  I am proud of myself because normally I leave Thanksgiving dinner feeling stuffed to the gills, but this time around I felt pretty darn good and managed not to overeat :)  I brought over the game Mad Gab and my mom, aunt, sister, nieces and I played after dinner and I think all the laughing that was going on burned off most of the calories from dinner!  If you've never played Mad Gab... YOU MUST... HILARIOUS!  After all the fun, we headed home because I needed to get some rest because I volunteered myself to help out for the Black Friday frenzy at American Eagle...BAD MOVE!  The mall opened at midnight and can you believe it, there were people actually lined up outside the doors!  Luckily I only had to work 4 hours so it wasn't too terribly bad.  But I am confident when I say, that is the LAST black friday I will EVER work again!

The rest of the weekend was pretty mellow.  Went to yet another Thanksgiving gathering at Tony's grandpa's on Saturday and on Sunday the kids and I made a trip to Detroit to spend a nice dinner with the Italian side of the family, very nice to see everyone :) 

We finally made it to Monday and the rest of the week.  Today actually marks Day 60 of my P90X journey.  I did my measurements and I'm so happy to announce that I lost 1 inch off my waist and an inch off each thigh!  WHOO!  My lower half was my targeted area this time around and I'm so so glad I was able to get some movement in that area!  I took some pics too and I just had to show off the pic below because my arms have always been very easy for me to sculpt, I'm very proud of this pic, some girls may not like this look, but I think muscles are sexy!  Oh! And I did my very first pull up during this 30 days too, GOAL!  Happy with phase 2 of P90X!  Here's to the last leg of the race!  30 days and I will have completed my FIRST ROUND OF P90X!  BRING IT!!!!!! XXXXXXX