Time to BEAST UP! {For the ladies, too!}

As y'all know, my third round of 21 Day Fix came to an end on Sunday. It was pretty bittersweet as I said goodbye to my challengers and turned off my last workout. 

But, it was also a moment of excitement as I opened up a new door to a whole new challenge, unlike anything I've ever committed to or attempted before: BODY BEAST!

I have now completed two rounds of P90X3 and three rounds of 21 Day Fix. I absolutely love both programs, but I feel like my body has just kind of hit a plateau, and needs something really different and challenging. I have loved my results, but I want something new.

Body Beast can definitely be daunting for those who have never done a weightlifting regimen before or tried to track their nutrition. It is hardcore strength training for 35 mins-1 hour every single day, and a crazy amount of food for the first two months to build and bulk before the lean phase. I have to admit, I'm really nervous about this. Even as a female who wants to stay lean, I'll be consuming 2,300 calories a day for the first two months. But, that will still be consisting of clean, whole foods, so no junk. Therefore, I don't expect to literally "bulk" that much (since us females don't produce the hormones to do that naturally, anyway).

The whole premise is to seriously build muscle with the strength training exercises. If I was to do the workouts, and then not eat very much and not the correct foods at the correct times, my body would burn from fuel sources that I wouldn't want it to, and break down the muscle building components. So, while I won't be losing weight at first, I will be building lean muscle. The third phase, the Lean Phase, is where the fat scorching weeks will come in. It will consist of much more cardio and way fewer calories. This is when everyone gets seriously ripped and falls in love with the program. I know it'll be hard to undergo such a drastic change, but I'm seriously ready to challenge myself in ways I've never done before!

Before I go into more about Body Beast and my first day, I wanted to share the results from my previous challengers this month and how incredible they did. I am so in awe of their dedication and hard work. Seriously, my job brings me to tears most days as I get to watch women (and men) transform their lives from the inside out. I think these images will speak for themselves. By the way, these pictures are the results of just 21 days in our group together doing whatever program they chose and replacing one meal with Shakeology a day!

Jackie, a coach of mine, who has been in love with 21 Day Fix and Shakeology for quite some time now... I think it shows!!!

My sweet friend who joined me on her 21 Day Fix journey just this past month. I am over the MOON excited for her!

And umm.. this is her husband. OMG, right?! If you thought this program was just for women, you are so mistaken! He blew me AWAY!

This girl just brings me so much joy. She has worked so hard and has left me speechless. Do you see that tummy?! Truly amazing. Nutrition is EVERYTHING, y'all.

The bottom is before and the top is after, on this one! Can you believe the differences from EVERY angle?!! Amazinggggg!

Another coach of mine, Sandi, who has not only been extremely dedicated to her programs, BUT is also breastfeeding and ADDING calories onto her meal plan! And STILL look at her results!

There were even MORE incredible results than this, and I will continue to add them as they come in! You guys... the time to start is NOW. Don't wait for the perfect moment, the perfect day. That's what I had to learn. Who care's if it's on a Wednesday in the middle of the summer? You deserve to do this for YOU. You are worth this life change.

{If you are ready, sign up here and we will talk about the different options!}

And as for my FIRST day of Body Beast... I'm currently dying from food overload just in the first half of the day. haha!!! But, I'm pushing through and hoping for the best!

My first workout was Build:Chest and Tri's! 45 minutes of chest and tricep strength training exercises. Post workout meal was eggs, turkey sausage, and bread! Here we goooo!

Forgot to take a photo til I was halfway done, lol! This was a burrito: lean ground turkey, homemade taco seasoning, refried beans, cheese, whole wheat tortilla, lettuce.

Shakeology snack! 1 scoop shakeo, 1 banana, ricotta cheese, peanut butter, ice, almond milk.

No joke... I still have 1,300 calories left for the day. Y'all pray for me as I go through this crazy ride!!!! :O



With love,

Amanda James

21 Day Fix Day 4!

21 Day Fix Day 4: Pilates Day!

Thursday was one of those days in which I woke up and every ounce in my being wanted to stay in bed and not work out. Are we noticing a trend here?! ;) It's such a common misconception that since I'm a Beachbody coach and preach on exercising and eating well that I actually want to all the time, and that is just so false! I have bad days and weeks just like everyone else. I guess the difference is that I lived in darkness for so long- hating my body, hating how I felt, and making up excuses day in and day out of why I didn't want to start my journey back into health. When I finally found the mindset and tools I needed to get started and stay consistent once and for all, I don't let myself fall back into those dark holes anymore. I recognize that just because there are days I wake up and don't feel like exercising, doesn't mean I actually shouldn't exercise on those days. There's a difference between your body physically telling you you need a break, and just flat out feeling lazy, lol. Exercising and eating healthy has become such a habit to me, that it would be VERY hard to break me of it at this point. Sure I take rest days and cheat meals, but it's not what it used to be. 

Point blank... I got my work out in. And like always, I felt like a million bucks afterwards. We need to sweat and get our heart rates up every day! It's what we were meant to do and how we were meant to feel! I encourage you to join me and reach out if you ever need any help on starting. Starting can be the hardest part. But once you do, I'll bet you'll be hooked and on your way to a new you!

Yesterday was a bit too many smoothies and not enough cool meals to show you guys, so I'm going to do better! Already making a salad for lunch today! Haha. As always, I'm putting real, raw fruits and veggies in my smoothies though. I am just always on the go and trying to work to help my challengers and coaches, so sometimes the meals that I can slurp down are the easiest!

I woke up to a grumbling tummy, so a protein shake was on the menu!
A scoop of whey vanilla protein, scoop of powdered PB2, and ice.
{1 Red, 1/2 Tsp}

Pilates Fix and 4th workout DONE! It was nice to lengthen and strengthen my sore limbs for 30 minutes! One of our active recovery days in the 21 Day Fix series.

Post workout smoothie! This was a big ole guy because I tend to not eat til later in the day, by accident!
1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology, 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt, lots of spinach, mixed frozen fruit, PB, unsweetened cocoa powder!
{1.5 Red, 2 Green, 1.5 Purple, 1 Tsp}

For lunch, it was a bit of leftover egg salad on a whole wheat wrap with sriracha drizzle and a piece of cheese!
{1 Yellow, 1 Red, 1 Blue}

I stocked up on food and had to show off my glorious goodies... this coming week I have so many options!
*Maybe turkey burgers, spaghetti squash lasagna, grilled italian chicken, potatoes, and beans... so many possibilites!*

To finish off my carbs for the night, I tried to replicate a delicious Columbian dish I used to get all the time at Super Perros in Tallahassee! That was our Seminole hot spot. :)
Rice, black beans, with a fried egg on top! Don't worry- I didn't eat all of this! lol
{1 Yellow, 1/2 Red}

Since I only had half a protein left for the day but lots of veggies and fruits, I just did half a scoop of my Shakeo but added some more cocoa powder to it, since it's a freebie!
1/2 scoop Chocolate Shakeology, spinach, fresh berries, 1/2 tsp PB, ice!
{1/2 Red, 2 Greens, 1.5 Purple, 1/2 Tsp}

I only had a few bites of the cookie dough flavor, but I had to share this with whoever is following me on this health journey! Guilt free ice cream stuff. Lactose free, gluten free, and 150 calories for the ENTIRE pint of cookie shake, and 300 for the cookie dough! Such a win for the sweet tooth!

That's all from me today, so I hope everyone has a blessed Friday! Enjoy one cheat meal this weekend and don't let the rest of the time ruin your hard work from this past week!

With love,

Amanda James

21 Day Fix: BACK in FULL Force!!!

So, I'm pretty stoked. 

Since it is officially the month of May, that also means it's OFFICIALLY getting dangerously close to my husband getting back from his deployment! :) I am beyond excited but that also means, needing to get my booty into gear and tip top shape to welcome his arrival!

As most of you that have continued to follow my Facebook and Instagram know, I have still been eating clean and exercising very regularly, but I haven't been following a super strict workout schedule or meal plan. I pretty much always try to go by 21 Day Fix guidelines, but when I don't follow something full force, I let cheats slip here and there a bit too much.

Therefore, to hold myself extra accountable, and also give everyone an honest feel of what it's like to go through the 21 Day Fix program, I'm going to document my meals and workouts here for everyone! Posts will likely be short and sweet, but you will get the idea and hopefully understand why everyone loves this program so dang much and almost ALWAYS gets incredible results!

So today, as Day 1 of my journey, was Total Body Cardio Fix as the workout! Yep, we all get to start each Monday with this... "pleasant" workout. lol! I only say it like that because I'm not the biggest cardio fan, and it's also cardio with weights which is even more tough... but my gosh, does it get every part of your body! And it's only 30 minutes, so who can really complain that much?!

I personally plug my headphones in with my favorite music and the workouts FLY by. I'm very thankful for that! In and out and on with my day!

I'm on the 1,200-1,499 calorie bracket plan (the lowest one- yep, you don't get below 1,200 calories around here!) so here's my food for that! This is NO starvation plan and I seriously feel like I'm eating all day. Lots of people on calorie brackets above this have a hard time even consuming all of the food they're supposed to in a day, so I can assure you... you won't be hungry if you're eating the correct foods on this plan and drinking plenty of water!

Sometimes I wake up SO starving and have to get a little preworkout snack while I'm getting some work done!
1 slice of whole wheat toast with 1 tsp. of all natural peanut butter
{1 Yellow, 1 Tsp.}

Stoked to be done with Day 1 workout: Total Body Cardio Fix! 30 minutes of cardio with weights- a crazy full body exercise!

Mid morning tea! English Breakfast with a bit of Stevia. Total freebie, thank goodness!

Post workout snack!
Brown rice with some grilled chicken wings marinated in herbs & seasonings.
{1 Yellow, 1 Red}

This salad was DELICIOUS! I'm going to be munching off of it for a couple of days!
Spring mix with feta cheese, organic craisins, sliced almonds, and homemade balsamic dressing.
{2 Greens, 1 Blue, 1/2 Purple, 1 Orange}

Dinner is served!
Turkey meatballs and steamed broccoli with a tiny bit of homemade salsa.
{1 Red, 1 Green, 1/2 Purple}

Needed a little something sweet... :)
1 scoop Vanilla Shakeology, handful of frozen mixed berries, a tiny bit of plain Greek yogurt, and ice!
{1 Red, 1 Purple}

And another shake a few hours later- I always have to have it for dessert, and it's typically the only thing that appeals to me late at night!
1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology, 1 tsp. peanut butter, tiny bit of ricotta cheese, handful of spinach, and ice!
{1 Red, 1 Green, 1 Tsp.}

And the magical system itself! These containers are what keep me sane, and know that I am PERFECTLY portioning out my food every time! And the worksheets help me cross of containers throughout the day as well! I just love it.

As you can see, even on the lowest calorie bracket, I am by no means robbing myself of any food group or any amount of food at all! There's no calorie counting, nothing. I still get carbs, cheese, chocolate, peanut butter, wine, you name it! It's just all about the right portion sizes. Just like any other aspect of life- balance is key!

If this is something that interests you, and you'd like to hear more about it, please never hesitate to email me or fill out this application form to join our next 21 Day Fix online fitness group!

I'm out to finish out DAY 2!

With love,

Amanda James

Shrimp Fried Rice

I may be most excited about this recipe find, because I am a huge lover of some Asian cuisine! Fried rice is one of my guilty pleasures, so this is the best thing since sliced bread to me! I have no idea who the original creator of the recipe is to give them credit, but here was what I came across on a 21 Day Fix approved meal site with my own little spin on it!

*Extra awesome factor- it is 100% MAN APPROVED! Stephen gobbled this bad boy up!

Healthy Shrimp Fried Rice

Image from damndelicious.net

What You'll Need:
-4 cups (2 cups uncooked) brown rice
-1/2 pound of frozen, already cooked shrimp
-1 cup of frozen peas and carrots
-1 white onion, chopped
-2 cloves minced garlic
-2 eggs
-3 tbsps. sesame oil
-1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

Preparation:
*Cook brown rice according to directions. While rice is cooking, thaw frozen shrimp in warm water.
*Heat sesame oil in large sauce pan, and stir in peas, carrots, onion, and garlic. Stir fry until peas and carrots are cooked and onion is transparent.
*Crack eggs into pan and scramble them, mixing them throughout vegetable and oil mixture.
*Once rice and shrimp are ready, add them to sauce pan along with soy sauce. Stir until evenly distributed.

One serving of this would be 1 YELLOW/1 RED/0.5 GREEN/1 TSP/0.5 ORANGE

I hope y'all enjoy this dish just as much as I do! Can't wait to hear some feedback!

With love,

Amanda James



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Healthy Taco Salad

I love any chance I can get to have a Southwestern meal without a ton of unhealthy carbs and fat! Taco salads are also one of my go-to meals at restaurants (and have them hold the sour cream and nachos, of course!)

Here's a delicious and SUPER cheap recipe you can make at home in a jiffy, that everyone will love!

Healthy Taco Salad

What You'll Need

-1 lb. lean ground turkey
-1 bag of frozen Southwestern vegetable mix (sold at Sam's) including corn, black beans, onion, red and green pepper
-2 cups shredded low fat cheddar cheese
-Romaine lettuce
-1 packet of low sodium taco seasoning or homemade taco seasoning
*optional: homemade guacamole or plain Greek yogurt in replacement for sour cream

Preparation:

1) Brown ground turkey in sauce pan until all the way cooked. In the meantime, be steaming Southwestern veggies until they are cooked.

2) Once ground turkey is done, drain water and add taco seasoning and vegetable mix. Cook together until seasoned to taste.

3) Make salad with washed romaine lettuce, and portion meat and vegetable mixture on top. Top with cheese, yogurt ("sour cream"), guacamole, and whatever other Southwestern toppings you love!

Devour & ENJOY!

21 Day Fix lovers: 1.5 RED/ 1 GREEN/ 1.2 YELLOW/ 1/2 BLUE



With love,

Amanda James

Fall Eggnog

It's getting to be mid-November, and WHO in this world doesn't want to live a little on Thanksgiving and Christmas? I, for one, totally intend to have my fair share (in proper portions, of course) of stuffing, pumpkin pie, sweet potato casserole... oh man, you name it! Thanksgiving is my FAVORITE!

So in honor of this wonderful holiday and season of giving, I am giving you this delicious recipe! In case you'd like to enjoy all of the fun of the holidays, but cut down on some of the liquid calories in other ways, this is a perfect way to do it!

Fall Eggnog Shakeology

What You'll Need:

1 scoop chocolate (or vanilla) Shakeology

1 cup low fat egg-nog

1/2 cup cold water

1/4 tsp pumpkin spice

Handful of ice to make it extra frothy!

*And, if you're feeling really festive, throw a little bit of fat free whipped cream on the top!

Blend and ENJOY the holidays!!!!

Plus, want to lose up to 1O POUNDS by this Thanksgiving holiday so you'll really deserve a treat?! Sign up for my next 21 Day Fix group below!

With love,

Fill out my online form.

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Cheeseburger Rice

Want to enjoy the delicious taste of a cheeseburger without all of the extra fat and calorie content?! Try this recipe out! It is so easy and quick to throw together, and is ready in a matter of minutes. It will probably be consumed by you and your family in about the same amount of time as well! ;)

Cheeseburger Rice

Ingredients:

-1 lb. lean ground turkey

-2/3 cup sugar free ketchup

-1 tablespoon mustard

-2 cups MINUTE brown rice, uncooked

-1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

-1 3/4 cups water

Preparation:

-Brown ground turkey in large skillet on medium-high heat and drain,

-Add water, ketchup, and mustard; bring to a boil

-Stir in brown rice. Sprinkle with cheese; cover. Cook on low heat for 5 minutes, or until rice is fully cooked.

Enjoy! For you 21 Day Fix lovers, this will be 1 YELLOW, 1 RED, 1/2 BLUE, 1 TSP.

How I FINALLY Kicked My Bad Eating Habits!

Something you may not know about me, is that I have a slight addiction to bad foods. I am not being sarcastic, but totally serious. Honestly, I'm sure about 90% of American children and adults do as well, without us even realizing it. The addicting chemicals in delicious fast foods surrounds us everywhere we turn. Don't lie- you know you can't mistake the smell of McDonald's, even if you just ordered a coke from them and it's sitting on the table! Their smell is just there, and it's there for a reason. They know exactly what they are doing when they make their foods, and it is literally addicting. That is why it is so hard for us, especially adults who have been surrounded by these addicting foods for years, to finally kick the habit.

How many of you, like me, have looked in the mirror horrified at your reflection, and said to yourself, "Ok. This is it SERIOUSLY this time! Tomorrow I'm waking up, eating totally clean, and never eating sugar again!" only to wake up and grab a Starbucks frappuccino and brownie on your way to work? Yeah. Me too. Been there done that at least 100 times. So, what helped me finally kick the bad habit?

There were a few things that played into that fact:

DEDICATION. PERSISTENCE. SHAKEOLOGY. MY FUTURE. MY BODY. MY RELATIONSHIPS.

So, let's start with Dedication & Persistence. Folks, beginning to eat clean is not a walk in the park. In fact, it's not even timed miles in the park, for crying out loud. It is the single hardest thing I have ever done in my life. But you know what? It was also the most rewarding. There are going to be nights that you are on your knees crying to the sky, "WHY OH WHY CAN'T I JUST HAVE ONE PIECE OF PIZZA!?!? Just one piece won't be too bad, right!?" WRONG. One piece of pizza compounded over time is bad news. Say NO. DO NOT eat that one piece when you are fresh on your journey to clean eating. I'm not saying to never eat pizza again. I am saying that when you are in the beginning of your walk to true health and fitness, which starts with your diet, do yourself a favor, say no, and feel CONFIDENT about it. Who cares what people think? Who cares if they tell you you will never succeed with this and you are bound to give up? Who cares if people are jealous of your new lifestyle choice? It's because of who THEY are and the choices THEY are making, not you! The longer you hold out and say no to temptations, the MUCH easier it will become.

It was also all about finding healthy foods and recipes that I truly loved. Eating clean does not have to mean giving up good tasting foods and forcing down disgusting ones! If you cannot stand brussel sprouts, don't think you have to shove them down just because they're healthy. Rather, find your favorite veggies and ways to season them, and chow down on that instead. Hide some spinach in your shakes. Do what you gotta do to succeed. Soon, your tastebuds will change and I swear to you, you will barely be able to tolerate sweets any more. The addiction will be over, and you will be well on your way to a new life of health. And abs. :)

Shakeology. Shakeology is my BFF for real. I am not joking you when I say this: the first morning that I drank Shakeology for breakfast after getting it in my Turbo Fire Challenge Pack, my cravings for sweets (my biggest weakness) were GONE! Shakeology was really the beginning to my everything for being able to eat clean. It was literally satisfying the voids that I had in my life that I used to fill with unhealthy foods. You see, our bodies are more malnourished for nutrients than we realize. There are so many vitamins, enzymes, antioxidants, etc. that our bodies are not receiving in day to day life. When we crave hot fudge sundaes and ooey gooey fatty cheese pizza, it is not because our bodies need those foods. In fact, our bodies need something else- but our brains are so addicted to our easy, yummy fast foods and quick fixes, that those foods are automatically what we revert to. However, when I started drinking Shakeology and actually receiving the nutrients that my body biologically needed, my brain turned off those switches for the bad foods, because it was finally fulfilled, for the first time, like.... EVER. Now, when I crave foods, it is real, whole foods that will serve a purpose and nourish my body, not sabotage it.

Does this mean I eat perfectly every single day and I'm just an eat clean angel sent from above? Absolutely not! In fact, this past week of mine was awful... which is why I was even more motivated to get back to it and write this post! I do still get cravings sometimes, and I do purposefully give in to them once a week! I give myself a cheat meal once a weekend to be able to let loose, and it's really (in my opinion) better for our bodies to feed them some bad every once in awhile. I think it keeps them guessing and get a little more revved up! Also, in case cravings had been particularly bad, I remind myself to hold out until that cheat meal. It helps me know that there's a finish line and time and place to be bad, which is NOT every day!

My Body, My Relationships, & My Family. I hear this phrase a lot: "just eat the damn cupcake" because this is our one life here on earth and we might as well indulge. I have to disagree. Like I said, I give myself times and places to eat "that damn cupcake," but if that was every chance I had, and my excuse was because "this was my one life to live," I would be living an extremely agonizing and miserable life for how unhealthy I know I would be, and how little I would be able to enjoy day to day activities. Our bodies are not meant to process those sugars that way. In fact, one cupcake probably holds more sugars than our recommended serving for the ENTIRE day! Do I judge others that want to eat all of the cupcakes they come across in a day? Not at all, but I ask to not have the same judgement back when I choose not to. I am doing it for my body today, and particularly for the future. I had no idea how good my body was meant to feel, until I truly started eating better and treating it the way it was supposed to be treated with daily exercise.

Which brings me to my family and relationships. I want to get in the best shape of my life that I can now, for my future. I know that may sound a little strange, but I want to have beliefs so firm in my life, that I will pass them to my future children without the blink of an eye. I want be able to bounce back from pregnancies more easily. I want to stay healthy and energized for my marriage and my family. I want to prevent illnesses as much as I can and failed bones, organs, and muscles as much as I can. I want to be that awesome old lady that is still doing her morning walks and yoga and can remember all of her great grandchildren's names.

That is why I do what I do and eat the way that I do. It was a long, hard road for me, and I now want to be able to pass on what I learned to those around me. I want to help them in their journeys, and help hold myself accountable as well!

It will not be easy, but it will be so worth it. I spent years not appreciating what I saw in the mirror, and that is such a dreadful way to live. I am not proud that I ever had negative thoughts, and still do when I see myself, but I am striving to put an end to that every day. I don't do what I do to be skinny, I do what I do to be healthy and fit and be so damn proud of myself at the end of every day, that I know I tried my best in the end!

Losing those first few pounds is priceless. Feeling light and energized has no words. Seeing those first traces of abs for the first time... there is nothing else like it in the world!

Want more help on the track to a fitter, healthier you? Join me as I continue my own journey each and every day!

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