Body Beast Days 1-3!

One of my favorite things about Beachbody is that they have programs for literally everyone. No matter what fitness level you are at, your background, injuries, strengths, etc- there is a program for you.

I'm so thankful to have had the opportunity to do so many different programs. Every time I open up a new program, study the book, and go through the workouts, I learn so many different new things and my body changes in miraculous ways. It's so fascinating to me!

I knew going in that Body Beast was going to be a brand new, exciting challenge. I am prepared for my body to change in ways that it never has before. I'm prepared that by the end of the first 60 days, for the first time, I'm going to be bigger and heavier, rather than leaner, from where I started. It's going to be scary and uncharted territory for me, but I will just be proud to have made it. Then I know by the end of the 3rd month... if I do this right... I could quite possibly have the body I've always dreamed of.

I am currently going through Day 3 and can barely move any part of my body. LOL. Even with lots of water, stretching, and a TON of food, this program is TOUGH stuff! 

I am doing 35-50 mins of hardcore strength training each morning when I wake up, and eating 6-7 meals a day to total 2,200-2,400 calories. (I'm calculated to eat 2,300 and Sagi says to round up, so I  just fluctuate between the two calorie brackets depending on how I feel). 

This is my glorious meal plan. Yes, yes it is a LOT of food!

Thank goodness I can still drink my Shakeology or else I don't know what I'd do!

My healthy lean ground turkey burritos. Mmmmm. This whole eating a lot of carbs thing may not be too bad...

Leg day! The HARDEST workout I have ever done so far!

Post workout. One thing I learned: immediately after a workout you should only have carbs and protein at a 2:1 ratio! It fuels your muscles and recovery like crazy!

Chicken, veggies, and brown rice lettuce wraps. :)

Another Shakeology FULL of calories, of course! Shakeology has never been more crucial to a fitness program! The vitamins and supplements are essential to my muscle building.

More meals throughout the next day...

This was from Day 1, Chest & Tris! Loved it!

Alright, and here go the BEFORE pics & stats!
Biceps: 11.5
Waist: 28.3
Hips: 33
Thighs: 22.4

So excited to see where this journey leads me! If you'd like to join, Body Beast + Shakeology are still on an amazing sale for the rest of this month! Click on the link to join me and let's go through this ride together!

With love,

Amanda James

21 Day Fix: Days 8-12! Halfway DONE!

I'm going to go ahead and apologize for being a HUGE slacker, yet again, on food pics! Haha this week has consisted of so many lunch dates with sweet friends that I honestly forget to take a picture in the moment, although I included the ones I remembered to or the leftovers afterwards!

It's been a hectic week, but a really great one. I've also been listening to a lot of personal development and trainings from other coaches, and have started to make some big business changes for myself. I'm really excited about them, and it's really more just about time management and figuring out the things I NEED to be spending my time doing, so that for other times I can be having the freedom I've been working so hard for the last year.

Being a Beachbody coach, to me, is all about doing what I love, but also building a life of freedom for myself. I left my 8-5 job for a reason, and it was NOT to be working at my house from 7am-10pm! It usually doesn't really feel like "work," but I was spending so much unnecessary time on things and I'm excited to put an end to it, especially because my husband is coming home (soon) so I want to have this new plan in place by the time he is here! That way, when I'm spending time with him, I'm really just spending time with him (not mindlessly scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed, messaging people back, etc). There will be a time and a place for those things and I so appreciate the patience that I know my customers and team will have with me. It means the world, and that's another reason it's important to me... I want to lead by example and show me team just how easily we can make an incredible income by just doing our "Power Hour" each day and having the rest of the day to spend doing the things we need to do for ourselves, our family, and our friends. I am so blessed.

Without further adieu, here is the past week for you!

MONDAY

Total Body Cardio Fix Day! To the right would be the Move of the Day (#MOTD)- Weighted Surrenders! This workout is killer, man! But such a great start to the week!

I was soooo excited to see this beauty waiting on my doorstep... I think Shakeology shipping day is every Beachbody lover's favorite day!!!! I definitely enjoyed some chocolatey goodness for breakfast with chilled coffee mixed in! Mmmm.
(1 Red, 1 Purple, 1 Green, 1 Tsp)

I ran errands left and right this day, so had a Kashi bar as a snack on the go! That's one thing I ALWAYS have- some healthy snacks in my purse! No. matter. what. Getting hungry and stuck around town is one of the worst things ever- talk about temptation to go get take out!
(1/2 Yellow, 1/2 Orange)

I met my sweet friend for lunch at Zoe's in Destin, and it was AMAZING! I got half of a pimento cheese sandwich and a big Greek salad. I didn't eat all of the bread pictured here... don't worry! Haha! Although my carbs were definitely DONE for the day! I also had some of her hummus shown below!
(1.5 Yellow, 2 Green, 1 Blue)

TUESDAY

Upper Fix Day! I filmed myself doing push ups because I know I need to work on my form. I'll be working on going lower and making sure to keep my head in line with my spine! I have a bad habit of looking down the whole time.

Post workout shake! Chocolate Shakeo, spinach, skim ricotta cheese, apples. PB. :)
(1.5 Red, 2 Green, 1 Purple, 1 Tsp)

Afternoon snack! Corn Tortilla Chips and a piece of pepper jack cheese!
(1 Yellow, 1 Blue)

For dinner was brown rice, black beans, and a fried egg on top. I know it sounds weird, but just TRUST me! lol
(1 Yellow, 1 Red)

See... Jesse wanted some too!

I was bad about posting my last shake and other snack this day, but I definitely finished out my portions!


WEDNESDAY

Lower Fix Day! I added a little bit of extra calf raises at the end! Try doing weighted calf raises at all 3 of these angles for 30 seconds each: toes facing forward, toes facing out (like a ballerina), and toes facing in! You will definitely feel the burn!

Best workout shake! Red, white, and blue prettiness!
1 scoop chocolate Shakeo, spinach, fresh berries, Greek yogurt, PB!
(1.5 Red, 1 Green, 2 Purple, 1 Tsp)

Another lunch with a sweet friend! We went to Fusion Bistro, which is a really healthy, fresh little restaurant here in Fort Walton Beach. This was just part of my leftovers, but I should have gotten a full picture! It was FULL of veggies. I got the veggie stir fry with added tofu, a ginger salad, and a size of zucchini. I probably had TOO many veggies this day, if that's even possible! Haha.
(1 Red, 3 Green, 1 Yellow, 1 Orange)

Night snack was a piece of whole wheat bread with some Zoe's pimento cheese on it. Mmm!
(1 Yellow, 1 Blue)

THUSRDAY: I woke up out for the count and was the whole day. I really injured my neck from Wednesday's workout somehow, or maybe sometime before that, but Thursday is Pilate's which requires a lot of neck action! Holding planks, doing lots of sit ups, etc. So I took a break this day.

FRIDAY (Today!)

My neck is still pretty bad, but I still did my Cardio Fix! #MOTD is "Ups and Downs." Start in a plank position and go down to sphinx and back up to plank, alternating between starting with your right and left arm for 30 seconds each! Killer for the whole body! I definitely need to get my neck checked out today!

Relaxing with some personal development this morning. Just thought it was picture worthy. :) I'm reading Dave Ramsey's EntreLeadership and it is phenomenal!

Post workout shake and work time!

That's all for me today and possibly the rest of the weekend. It's time for some relaxation and friends! I hope everyone has an amazing weekend! I have some pretty incredible groups coming up, including our new Fitness Challenge to be bikini READY for the Summer! Click below to apply to be in it today and we'll go over details! Can't wait!!!!

With love,

Amanda James

Days 5-7: The 21 Day Fix Weekend Struggle!

This weekend was an absolute whirlwind! 

I am proud to say, however, that I stayed true to the workouts and meals except for a couple of slip ups: my sister's bridal shower was on Saturday and I had a little cup of dessert, and I didn't make it back home until late with a pretty gnarly migraine last night, so I didn't get to do my happy yoga. However, today's Total Body Cardio Fix got done and I'm about to double up with yoga after I drink my Shakeo! I am NOT letting myself or anyone else down. :)

I also wasn't very good about taking pictures of my meals this weekend.  I hate it since I try to really share everything with you guys, but it was actually nice to have some moments when I was lost in the presence of family, friends, and food- enough to forget!

Friday was Cardio Fix, and the cardio days are always the most difficult for me. I don't know what it is... cardio and I just don't get along. But I always plug my headphones in, slurp down some preworkout, and get the 30 minutes over with. And, of course, feel AMAZING afterwards. I know the benefits from the inside out are so much more important than my complaining and not wanting to do it, so it always gets done! Luckily they only come around twice a week!

Saturday was rough, because I went to sleep very late Friday night and had to get up very very early Saturday morning to get my workout in, get some work done, and drive from Mary Esther, FL to Mexico Beach, FL while dropping my dog off at my parent's house. But, I was really proud of myself that I finished Dirty 30 strong that morning- NO excuses! Dirty 30 is pretty brutal, but a lot of people's favorites, including mine! 

I am really looking forward to making up for Sunday's yoga. This is one of my favorite yoga videos. It's so relaxing and I could honestly almost fall asleep every time. It's also just very stretchy and flowy. It's not filled with super tough moves that make you sweat bullets. Now, I love advanced yoga as well, but for the week we go through with 21 Day Fix videos... I always look forward to this easy yoga day!
FRIDAY

I tried my best to start waking up early... I really did! This is one of the worst habits I have picked up since working at home: going to sleep late and waking up late. It just gives me anxiety and makes me feel lazy even if I worked hard the whole day after I woke up! lol. It's one things I'm really trying to shift and fix, just to give myself more peace.

However... this new preworkout I found is BOMB. It wakes me right up. Probably not great for my heart haha. But really, if you're not used to caffeine, definitely start with 1/2 a scoop. This is one I just stumbled upon at Walmart, and it's even 0 calories! I don't know how since it tastes pretty good and really works, so I'm going to have to look more into it... #whenitstoogoodtobetrue #itsprobablybad

Dreaded Cardio Fix that made me feel SO GOOD afterwards. I'm sure you can just tell by the look on my face! High 5 for Day 5 done!

I guess I forgot to take a picture of my Shakeology, but I remember this was lunch! One of my faves: craisin, sliced almond, feta cheese salad on romaine lettuce and homemade balsamic dressing.
2 greens, 1/2 purple, 1 blue, 1 orange

For dinner, I made stuffed peppers! Mmmm mmm. I just had one this night, though.
Each pepper was stuffed with brown rice, black beans, and lean ground turkey browned in homemade taco seasoning.
1 Green, 1 Red, 1.5 Yellow

Somehow the rest of my day went missing... I'm telling you, whirlwind weekend! lol

SATURDAY

Saturday I woke up on barely any sleep for Day 6 Dirty 30, but I DID IT! Super proud hehe. Here's one of my favorite moves, although one of the hardest! Side planks with leg lifts are SO good for the gunk on our midsection, sides, and glutes, it's not even funny! Try 30 seconds on each side.

Post workout shake and tea for the drive! This tea has become a favorite now, too. Earl Grey with a tab of honey, almond milk, and Stevia. My cheap, not even close, rendition of London Fog but it's still delicious!

Shakeology was 1 scoop chocolate, spinach, mixed fresh berries, & PB.
1 Red, 2 Green, 1 Purple, 1 Tsp

And of course, I had to pack my personal development and Shakeology for the weekend away!!! Keeping the mind and body sharp, even during travel!

I thought I would include this because I'm fairly positive anyone following my blog hasn't seen me in anything but sweaty workout selfies... haha! Here's me with makeup- it exists!

It was a GORGEOUS day for a bridal shower on the beach!

For lunch we had breaded chicken breasts, salad, crescent rolls, and really yummy pudding stuff for dessert. I had one chicken breast, a huge salad, 1 roll, and a bit of pudding.

My beautiful sissy and I. She will be Mrs. Le on June 20!

Ok so I've been hearing all the rave about Quest bars and had to get some myself. I may get a lot of hate for this, but I was honestly NOT a fan. The cookies & cream one was ok. I can just never get on bored with the taste of protein bars. Yuck.

SUNDAY

So this was naughty, but I'm just being honest! We totally had Micky D's for breakfast. It was really sweet though, because this used to be a family tradition. Growing up, every Sunday morning my dad would wake us up to their little pancake and sausage meals before we all went to church. We LOVED it. Of course as we got older, he stopped because it's just really unhealthy lol... but for him to have surprised us with it as we were all together again for Mother's Day, it was REALLY sweet. I just had 1 pancake and 1 sausage so...
1 Yellow, 1 Red

Before we did some boating, I got my Shakeo in!
1 scoop chocolate with strawberries and ice. "Chocolate Covered Strawberry"
1 Red, 1 Purple

The view from my parents' dock. So beautiful. I will always miss my childhood home!

My niece Lizzy and I about to get out exercise on! Jet ski time!

She loved that darn raft! lol. Too cute, huh?

My pup, Jesse James, and I heading back home after church, lunch, and Mother's Day fun. For lunch, we had gone to Chili's and I got shrimp and chicken fajitas. The tortillas were super small and I ate 2 of them. I ate all my veggies and protein, so it counted as a couple of containers each, I'm sure!
1 Yellow, 1.5 Green, 1.5 Red

I got home way later STARVING and ate my other stuffed pepper! I added fresh pico de gallo to the top and plain greek yogurt in place of sour cream.
1 Green, 1 Red, 1 Yellow (totally went over yellows today, UGH), 1/2 Purple

I'm also super excited for things going on business wise for my team and I! We are growing strong, people are leaving their full time jobs and able to spend more time with their families to coach full time, and it's just been a huge blessing.

There are two groups I have coming up that I would really love to extend an offer to anyone interested to join us!

On May 18th, I am starting a 5 Day Sneak Peak into Beachbody Coaching group. It is free and purely informational to see if coaching could be the right fit for you. If you have been in a sneak peak with me before, this one will probably be a bit different. I'm stepping out of my comfort zone and making all of the posts and videos myself for the topics so yeah, I'm a bit nervous but really excited to share everything with you guys. If you'd like to join us, just click on the picture here and it should send you to our Facebook page where you can just click "join group" and I'll approve you!

On May 25th, I'm starting two new online fitness challenge groups! This picture shows the special one I am running this month for military spouses only! I am getting serious with my fitness while Stephen is deployed and I know so many others want to do the same. However, I'm also starting  a group for anyone else interested, so please ANYONE feel free to click the picture below and fill out the application, and I will be right in touch with you about the details!

I hope everyone has a blessed and safe Monday! Remember to breathe and let's get through this week, strong!


With love,

Amanda James