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

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.

Unapologetically ME!

I did something that I wasn't proud of yesterday.

I randomly flexed in the mirror, was shocked at my most recent improvements, snapped a picture, and shared on Instagram. But, I was nervous and didn't share it on Facebook. I was scared of what people may think. I was scared of being judged for being a female with slightly larger than normal muscle mass. 

When I realized that these thoughts were coursing through my head, I then started to think, "WHAT?!?!? Everything you have worked so hard for, the things you have taught OTHERS not to fear, including judgement from others... and now you're going to run scared from the progress you are making because it may not match someone else's goals?"

So, no more. I am firm believer in practicing what you preach. So many of the beautiful women on my team have been nervous to share their progress photos. Either they are not where they want to be yet, or just have not yet become comfortable with the thought of baring skin on social media. I always comfort them and let them know, "You know what? Someone needs to see this. Someone needs to know that you are going through the same things that they are, and you have tools to help them. You have succeeded no matter WHAT stage in your progress you are currently in." They always come to a realization, share their pictures, and draw in the people that NEEDED them in that moment, and needed their help.

Why am I not telling myself the same things? Who cares if someone is going to judge my muscular figure? That's ok. Maybe I will not connect with them. But you know what, I can and will connect with someone that has the same goals as me, that is ready to shed those last few pounds of fat, that is in love with weightlifting and hates cardio, that would be proud to see defined muscles when they flex in the mirror.

Goals change over time for each person. Mine are now to become the most fit, trim version of me with proper diet and exercise. I REFUSE to be ashamed of that. On Monday, I'm even going to restart P90X3 + Shakeology with one of my girls while using the 21 Day Fix containers to maintain portion control. I hope to be even MORE defined by the end of that!

So, this is me. Unapologetically me. I like lifting heavy weights, I have a hard time giving up carbs, but I am seeing and striving for improvements every day. 

I will never stop doing what I love!

xoxo,

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Why I'm GIDDY With Excitement!

Man, SO much has been happening, I didn't even know how to make this blog post about ONE topic! I feel like I haven't been able to just share the random things that have been going on in my life with you guys, so today is better late than never!

21 Day Fix: Round 2!

If you checked out my review of 21 Day Fix the first round, you know how crazy I am about this program!! I have completed a few over the last (almost) year [Turbo Fire, P90X3, PiYo, 21 Day Fix] and I have to say, it is my favorite so far. That's so tough to decide since each program has been so different and what I needed at each point in my life.

Turbo Fire was the most fun, upbeat cardio program I have EVER done in my life. I had about 10 pounds of extra blubber I wanted to shed, and hate hate hate cardio, so I really went out on a limb with it... and fell in love. Well, ok I hated it for about the first couple of weeks lol, but I pushed through and I am SO glad that I did!!! It made me break down walls and barriers that I never had before... like to the point of tears after finishing Fire 40 all the way through- Chalene Johnson is just that powerful. I did shed the weight, and am forever thankful for that program! Even if I never finish it again, I could never let it go!

P90X3 has to be a close second as my all time favorite program to the Fix. It's intense, quick, and combines a TON of different workouts into one- which is what I love! I'm a huge weight lifting fan, I would choose it over cardio any day of the week, so naturally I enjoyed it a lot. But, even the cardio bits were fun because they were never your average cardio, but were MMX, Agility X, Warrior X- a TON of different fun, heart racing exercises in a 30 minute video. It was just a blast and got me the most ripped I have ever been. I lost 8 inches, but gained 2 pounds in lean muscle, and I was NOT sad about it. I'm still waiting to hear if I got accepted into the newest P90X3 infomercial!

Getting ready to record some clips to send in to Team Beachbody for the infomercial!

PiYo was really great. I will be honest and say that it wasn't my typical thing, but it definitely opened the doors to fitness for so many women around me, that when I had my very first PiYo only challenge group, that was one of the closest knit groups I have EVER had. It's an amazing gateway program to fitness for all fitness levels. It really did improve my strength and flexibility, and I had little muscles showing up from places I didn't even know I had muscles, lol! I still like to go to it for active recovery days, and days that my joints just aren't too happy with me, but it wasn't totally me, if that makes sense.

Then... 21 Day Fix came into my life. It is everything I love PLUS some. It's a ton of different exercises, quick to have you in and out, but included one extra thing that NO other program has so far: the. best. meal. plan. EVER. I was honestly super skeptical about it working, but every single person I knew that had finished the 3 weeks of the program before had gotten killer results, so I wanted to try! I had just a few extra stubborn pounds around the belly/thigh area that I was looking to shred, and it totally did that. In 21 days. And while the workouts are so important, I know that the food was CRUCIAL, and that the exact way this program has you eating was fat burning POWER to my body all darn day long! Ask ANYONE you know that has done this program- it is the best!

WHY 21 Day Fix is so important to me right now:

As many of you know, I am military family. I've been living with my Air Force man for about a year, and his job results in him leaving. A lot. To many different places and with VERY short notice! So, when this happens, all we can really do is survive with laughter and try to make a positive out of it. The first time he ever deployed, I decided I was going to get in tip top shape and surprise him when he got back. I was still in school at FSU, so I did what I could at the gym, and did totally surprise him when he got back! But guess what happened?! Happy weight came right back on when he got back. Haha! The second time he deployed, I got really serious about it. I had gained all the weight back at that point, and I felt awful. Many people said I didn't look it, but to me it's not always about how you look- it's about how you feel. Anyway, that's when I did Turbo Fire, and then became a Beachbody coach quickly after that because I was obsessed with what the program and Shakeology did for my life, that I had to spread it to everyone around me!!!

Thank goodness I became a coach, because now I could never allow myself to go back to my old ways- that's just a personal choice. To me, if I am going to be a role model leading others to health and fitness, I need to be the best example of that as possible! So, it's amazing accountability.

Anywho, Stephen has left again for a much shorter amount of time, but this time it is RIGHT before our wedding! So, I'm throwing myself into fitness again! It's how I stay sane, and how I survive. I like to see how fit I can get before he gets back! Luckily since this one is only 21 days long, it'll be just about perfect! Since the food is so important, I know that's why I get in the best shape even faster than any of the other programs- since abs are SERIOUSLY made in the kitchen!

As for my BOMBSQUAD Fitness Team...

I have just recently had some of the most incredible people join my team. They are on fire, have been getting shredded with Beachbody programs and Shakeology, and like me, have become ready to share it with the world! I am so happy for them. I am so excited for the people that they will reach. We are ready to end the trend of obesity and help those that need our help, like we one day did when our coaches found us. Really, I think fitness should always be done with a tribe like mine- we uplift each other, support each other, give each other advice and tips, and never let one another fail!

I've heard some people make fun of Beachbody coaches, saying "why do I need one?! I already have the program and shakes- I already know what to do each day." And to that I say, that is totally fine. If you don't want someone's help and want to do it alone, that is a personal choice and I totally stand by it. To each their own. As coaches, we are not nutritional and fitness experts. We are not going to stand by you and train you when you are working out. We are here to support you and help you through this life changing process. Starting over is hard- making huge life changes are hard. We are just people who have been there and struggled with it too, and now want to help you do the same. We have groups with other people doing the same programs and try to bring everyone together, and there is nothing like it. I will never be ashamed for what I do, because I know I needed it at one point (still do), and someone else does too! You don't have to go through your fitness journey alone!

I am starting a new coach training for a couple of my coaches, and if you think now is the time you'd like to start your own journey and get awesome discounts, or continue your journey and help others, then here you go! Go ahead and fill out the form below and we will chat! 21 Day Fix is on an incredible discount for this month only, so go ahead and get it and join me today!

Love you guys, thanks for reading!

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Vanilla Shakeology Ice Cream

One of my favorite things about Shakeology: while it's the healthiest, most nutritious meal of the day, it's also the key ingredient to making a plethora of guilt free sweets and treats! If you could make ice cream that tastes amazing, is made from all healthy, natural ingredients, and would only aid in your weight loss- wouldn't you do it!?

Well, here you go! Don't waste your whole day's calories on Coldstone or Marble Slab anymore, because this ice cream is AMAZING!

Let me also note that I'm sure this recipe would also be delicious with Strawberry or Chocolate Shakeology, as well! 

Vanilla Shakeology Ice Cream

What you'll need:

-2 scoops vanilla Shakeology

-2 frozen bananas (easier if broken into pieces before frozen)

-1 cup skim or almond milk

-2 tbsps. all natural peanut butter (try crunchy if you like a crunch in your ice cream!)

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in blender or food processor; Blend until smooth. Eat and store the rest in the freezer for when your sweet tooth hits!

21 Day Fix approved: 1 RED, 1 YELLOW, I PURPLE, 1 TBSP.

With love,

21 Day Fix: Round 1!

So, here's the thing about the 21 Day Fix.

We all want to get fit, and thin, and toned, FAST. We don't want to have to workout for hours a day and deprive ourselves of delicious foods, only to consume 1,000 calories a day. In fact, we'd rather be eating ALL DAY; we'd rather have our entire meal plans totally spread out for us, almost like having little color-coated containers for each food group that we could just fill that would show us the EXACT portions of what we need to eat for the food group.

Oh wait...

21 Day Fix does ALL of those things!!!!!

21 days of only 30 minute workouts. Color-coated tupperware containers for each food group. A certain number of those containers per day depending on YOUR personal body. Fill the container with a food from that group, and eat. Seriously start eating probably more than you EVER have before, and LOSE WEIGHT.

How about then losing up to 15 pounds in those 21 days? Yeah. Of course that would vary by person and body type, but I promise, you WILL get phenomenal results if you follow the meal plan and workout videos.

I am a soon to be bride, and with the results I have seen so far from this program, I am ecstatic to begin it ASAP! If you are ready, do this program with me in my upcoming online fitness challenge group for extra support and accountability! Lord knows I'll need it!

Are you in?! Because, honestly, why WOULDN'T you be?! Get it here now and I will contact you with how to start the program together! :)

With love,