Eat More Food?!

Post by Shannon

When I first started Insanity, I read the meal plan and calculated my calories. I was so surprised that I would actually be eating more food than I normally did! I wasn't sure how I would lose weight doing this, but I decided to try it. I ate 2000 to 2100 calories a day, eating 5-6 times throughout the day, and completed one intense workout a day. It really worked. I had more energy and I lost weight. 
It goes along with this fitness tip-
Fitness Tip: Eat More Food - How many times have you starved yourself into either not losing weight or even gaining the weight back from your latest diet plan. Most diets and most people make a huge mistake and cut so many calories out of their meal plans that they put their bodies into what we call protection or starvation mode. Yes, your body is defending against you starving it. It is a natural occurrence in all people, and it can be the biggest nutrition mistake you can make. Remember to EAT, but make sure that you are doing the following healthy meal plan tips.
a. Reduce caloric intake no more than 500 calories from your maintenance levels.
b. Eat more early and less later - Breakfast should be the biggest meal of the day.
c. Eat 5-6 small meals daily
d. Eat every 3 hours
e. Do not eat at least 3 hours before bedtime
f. Balance is the key - Not too much protein, fat or carbs
g. Eat high quality lean proteins - Fish, lean Poultry and very lean Red Meats
h. Eat high quality Carbs - 100% Whole Grains, high in fiber
i. Drink plenty of Water - Green Tea and Low or No calorie fluids
j. Keep Sugar to a minimum - Use Splenda or Stevia as a sugar alternative
k. Keep sodium in check - No extra salt added to your meal plan
l. Eat foods from the most natural state possible - Processed foods tend to have lots of preservatives, sugar, salt, fat, and those things that make you gain weight.


Not sure how many calories you need? Visit this link to calculate your calories.

P90X vs. Insanity

Post by Shannon & Patrick

We have both tried P90X and Insanity. Since we started the programs people have asked us which one we like better. 

This is what we think.

Facts about P90X:

-12 workouts
-90 days
-Awesome meal plan with recipes!
-It is a mix of cardio, weights, stretching, Yoga
-You need some equipment (weights, chin up bar, pushup stands & Yoga mat). Some things are optional like the push up stands and Yoga mat.
-The workouts are 60-90 minutes.
-We think this workout is good to get toned and ripped. It can help you lose weight too.
-P90X is more serious.

Overall, we think this one is good if you want to lift weights, get ripped/toned and like a well rounded workout. Each workout is awesome! Patrick likes this one better than Insanity. Patrick didn't like Insanity.

Facts about Insanity:

-It has a lot of cardio.
-60 days.
-It is AWESOME for losing weight.
-10 workouts.
-There are A LOT of pushups!
-You don't need any equipment except for an optional Yoga mat.
-A heart rate monitor is very helpful.
-Workouts are 35-55 minutes.
-It is more upbeat than P90X.
-It has a lot of interval training.

Overall, this is a really fun workout if you like aerobics, track drills, or jumping. This one is for a shorter time period and the workouts are shorter in the first month. This is great for losing weight, but not as good for getting toned or ripped like P90X. Shannon likes this one better than P90X, but is also a big fan of P90X.

Stay tuned for which workouts we will be started in January!

Need motivation? Sign up for our Challenge Groups!

REGISTER TODAY!
1- Create your FREE Profile:  TEAM BEACHBODY SIGN UP (If you already have a profile, you can skip this step)

2- Next:  Email us at golladayfit@gmail.com to complete the registration.

You Can Work Out Even if You Have Kids

photo by mike baird

Post by Shannon

When you're a parent, you're busy. I thought I was busy when I was single, but nothing compares to being a parent!

We have two little girls (4 months and 2 1/2). It seems like we clean all day, and the house is still a mess! We go all day, and we only cross off a few things on our list!

Anyway, if you are a parent, I'm sure you understand.

With everything you have going on with your kids, work, church, community service, etc. it's hard to find time to exercise. Here are three tips to help you exercise when you are a parent.

1- Schedule time each day in your planner, phone, calendar, etc. that is dedicated time for you to work out.

2- Make sure your kids are asleep, being watched by someone or doing something that will keep them busy so you won't have any interruptions.

3- Don't put other things in front of your exercise time. Even if you have 10 minutes a day, you can still get a good workout in.

Don't have time to exercise? Click on this link to take a look at the 10 Minute Trainer by P90X's Tony Horton.

My Favorite Smoothie

Post by Shannon

I love the Insanity workouts, but I also LOVE the Insanity meal plan! They give you a booklet with recipes for each of your five meals for the day. 

This is one of my favorites:  Vanilla Berry Protein Shake

1 cup of skim milk, almond milk, or rice milk

1 scoop of whey protein powder

1 cup of frozen berries

1/2 banana

Ice

Add ingredients to a blender. Add ice to thicken.

296 calories

13 grams protein

50 grams carbohydrate

2 grams of fat

5.5 grams of fiber

Yum!

Need motivation? Join our Challenge groups beginning Jan. 2!

REGISTER TODAY!
1- Create your FREE Profile:  TEAM BEACHBODY SIGN UP

2- Next:  Email us at golladayfit@gmail.com to complete the registration.

Is Lose 15 pounds on your list?

Post by Patrick


What are your New Year's Resolutions? If you have lose 15 pounds on your list, then you came to the right place!

Sign up for our Challenge Groups!

REGISTER TODAY!
1- Create your FREE Profile:  TEAM BEACHBODY SIGN UP

2- Next:  Email us at GolladayFit@gmail.com to complete the registration.

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas!

Don't Get Depressed

Post by Patrick


It's hard to eat healthy and exercise sometimes. Especially during the holidays. There are so many treats and lots of good food. Don't get down on yourself if you eat too much, miss a workout or eat something unhealthy.

Just try again tomorrow!

Need motivation? Join our Challenge groups beginning Jan. 2!

REGISTER TODAY!
1- Create your FREE Profile:  TEAM BEACHBODY SIGN UP

2- Next:  Email us at golladayfit@gmail.com to complete the registration.

When to Eat

post by Shannon


It is important to eat every 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Find out how many calories you need, and then divide that by five. The snacks and meals should be the same amount of calories. By doing this you are giving your body the fuel it needs to burn fat. The worst thing you can do it go hours without eating.

Here is an example of a schedule you could follow:

7 a.m.- Wake up and eat breakfast. Eat a high fiber breakfast if you are trying to lose weight.

8 a.m.- Exercise (wait an hour after eating to exercise)

9:30 - Mid-morning snack

noon- Lunch

2:30 or 3 - Afternoon snack

5:30 - Dinner (it is important not to eat late when you are trying to lose weight)

No Excuses!

Post by Shannon


I've heard them all:

-Don't have enough time (too busy)
-Too tired
-Not motivated
-Woke up too late
-It's not their thing
-Too old
-Don't have anyone to go with
-Don't like it
-Have kids so I can't
-Something hurts or is sore
-I'm too fat so why try?
-I'm thin already. I don't need to.
-Don't like the gym

There are SO many reasons why people don't exercise regularly. The truth is that if you really wanted it to happen, it would. Regular exercise should be a priority like brushing your teeth or eating. Even if you just did something for 10 minutes a day, it's better than nothing.

Need motivation? Join our Challenge groups beginning Jan. 2!

REGISTER TODAY!
1- Create your FREE Profile:  TEAM BEACHBODY SIGN UP

2- Next:  Email us at golladayfit@gmail.com to complete the registration.


Read this post to learn more:  Tired of Not Being in Shape?

Tired of not being in shape?

If you are tired of feeling tired and out of shape, join our challenge groups! It's time to make a new year's resolution and keep it!

Five Groups with five people in each group.

P90X, P90X2, Insanity, Hip Hop Abs or Brazilian Butt Lift

Visit our website to check out these workouts! http://beachbodycoach.com/golladayfit

We can add additional workouts! Let us know which one you'd like to do, and we'll form a group for you!

Note:  Shannon planned on doing Hip Hop Abs starting in Jan., but decided to try Turbo Fire first.

REGISTER TODAY!

1- Create your FREE Profile:  TEAM BEACHBODY SIGN UP (If you already have a profile, you can skip this step)

2- Next:  Email us at golladayfit@gmail.com to complete the registration.

RULES

Workouts:
We will all be doing the same workouts together on the same day.

Daily Accountability:
Post on the PRIVATE workout group daily.
Log your workouts into WOWY (enter to win $500 daily, $1000 weekly, iPods, iPads, and more)
You will write down everything you eat each day.

Shakeology:
We encourage you to drink shakeology for maximum results.

Weekly Accountability:
Each member is required to register for the Beachbody Challenge

Our dedication to you:
A daily email or text and weekly phone call to motivate you.

GOALS:
What are your fitness goals?
What do you want to accomplish in this challenge?
What motivates you?
What or who inspires you to get fit and healthy?
What are your biggest challenges with getting into shape? What has stopped you before?
What are your nutrition goals?

ACCOUNTABILITY:
You will take a picture when you start and then another every 30 days.
You will take your measurements every two weeks.
You don't need to show these to anyone.

The Truth About Calories

Post by Shannon

Most people think that to lose weight you need to eat less calories. It's true you shouldn't eat too many calories, but you also shouldn't eat too few. I got an email from someone the other day who said she was eating 400 calories a day and still not losing weight. 400 is way too few!

Well, the truth is your body needs calories. You need the RIGHT calories. If you are eating too few calories you won't lose weight. In fact,  you might even gain weight because when you are eating your body is storing the food as fat. Your body needs fruits, veggies, grains, dairy, and protein. Your body needs a balanced diet. 

I've been eating between 2000 to 2100 calories, and I've been losing 1-3 pounds per week. I'm 5' 4" and I'm breastfeeding. When you are breastfeeding, you need 500 extra calories a day.

Everyone's body is different, and something that might work for someone might not work for another. For me, I've notice that I have more energy when I am fueling my body with the right kinds of foods throughout the day.

Here is a link to a great site that will calculate your calories for you! It's awesome!

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

Here is an equation from Beachbody's Insanity program that you can use too. It takes your weight, height, age and activity level into consideration to determine your calories. 

Step 1:  Use the Harris Benedict Equation to calculate your caloric needs. 

For Women:  655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)

For Men:  66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - (6.8 x ages in years)

Step 2:  Take the number you got from above and multiply it by the level of exercise listed below. 

Exercise #  Category                Explanation

1.2               Sedentary                Little or no exercise
1.375           Lightly Active         Light Ex. (1-3 days a wk)
1.55             Moderately Active  Moderate Ex. (3-5 days a wk)
1.7               Very Active            Hard Ex. (6-7 days a wk)

1.9               Extremely Active    Hard daily ex. or physical job

Step 3:  The number that you now have will tell you your calorie needs for weight maintenance. In step 3, you'll adjust this number up or down, depending on your weight loss or gain goals. 

See below:

- For weight loss, subtract 500 caolories from your number in step 2.

- For weight maintenance, do nothing just use the number from step 2.

- For weight gain, add 250 to 300 calories per day to your number from step 2. 

It is also important to evaluate your calories weekly. Write down your calories daily at first to see how many you are getting. After a week, evaluate them. Are you hungry? Are you full? Do you have energy? Are you reaching  your goals (losing weight, etc.). Adjust your calorie intake if needed.

Questions? Email us at golladayfit@gmail.com

My Secret to Losing Weight

Post by Shannon

It's weigh in day! Well, at least for us. I used to dread weigh in day, but now I actually get excited since I am losing the weight and feeling great! Patrick just started last week so his stats. will be coming soon. :)

So I have a confession. I'm not happy about this, but it's true. The day I had our little girl the second week of August, I weighed 1956. I'm 5'4"! That's crazy!

About a week later I went down to 178. It was so great to lose some water weight and the baby weight (she was 7 lbs. 7 oz.).

I made a goal to get down into the 150's by Christmas. Even if I was 159. I started doing the Insanity program as soon as I could exercise to help me lose the weight. I started on Sept. 26. It's a 60-day program, but I've made it into a 90-day one. I did the first month twice just to ease myself into it. I just started the second month last week. I love it! It's such a fun workout. The commercial makes it look way intense, but it's really not as hard as it looks. It's interval training.

If you don't want to use weights, buy extra equipment, or workout very long, this is good for you. Also if you like more cardio and aerobics, this is great for you. In the first month, the workouts are about 30-40 min. In the second month they go up to 40-55 min. I love them!

I've done P90X too, but I like Insanity a little better for me to lose weight. I'll write a post that compares the two to tell you what I think.

Anyway, I made a goal to get into the 150's by Christmas! Today I weigh 155 (still planning on going down more). Since I started Insanity on Sept. 26, I have lost:

-23 pounds.
-3% body fat
-6 inches off my waist
-4 inches off my hips
-.5 in. off my arms
-2 in. off my thighs

I'm so happy!! I have lost my weight so much faster than last time I had a baby!

My secret:  eating every 2 1/2 to 3 hours (300-400 calories each time) and working out doing intervals each day.

*** Interested in starting a program? We are putting together some challenge groups that will start on Jan. 2. More info. to come! Email me if you're interested at golladayfit@gmail.com ***

7 Reasons Why...

Post by Shannon

There are lots of reasons why I want to do this Beachbody business, but here are my top five reasons:

#1- Although I love my public relations / marketing job, I want to spend less time working and more time with these two little girls. This job gives me a lot of flexibility and potential to make more than I am now while working less hours. It also gives me the opportunity to use my public relations degree and skills. I think it is the perfect job for a stay-at-home mom. You can spend one hour a week or 40. It's up to you.

#2- We want to be examples to our children and show them how important it is to be healthy and in shape by getting ourselves in shape. We are also really excited about helping others reach their fitness and nutrition goals.

#3- We'd like to have a business going while Patrick is in MBA school next fall 2012. He is planning to quit his job while he's in school, and this will give us income when he's not working.

#4- We both love Beachbody products (P90X, Insanity, Shakeology, etc.) because they work. It is easy to promote something you're using and you love already.

#5- They set you up for success in this business. They give you a mentor. Ours is awesome. He is a personal trainer in Chicago. He knows all about the nutrition and fitness, I know about public relations and marketing, and Patrick is good at sales. It's a good business combo. Even if you don't know about any of these things, you can still do this business because they give you all of the things you need to be successful. Some things I love are: you don't need to buy inventory, they ship everything for you, they build your websites, you don't need to host any home parties, etc.

#6- You don't have to put a lot of money into this to get started. It's only $39.95 the first month, and then $14.95 for them to host your websites (you have four). You get paid weekly. You can also try it for 30 days to see if you want to do it. If you don't like it, you can get your money back. All of their products are like that.

 #7- I love the mission of the company. It is to end obesity in America. It is awesome to be a part of some thing good that helps people. I also love that part of the requirements of the job are to workout regularly and read 10 pages of an inspirational book each day. Click on this link to learn more:  Beachbody Coach or watch the video below. It's an awesome opportunity. We are excited about it!

McDonalds...

Post by Patrick

I love McDonalds. I am one of their biggest fans. This isn't a good thing when you are trying to lose weight and get in shape. So I am taking it one step at a time. The other day I ordered water with my meal instead of a soda. I also ordered a small fry instead of a large one. I thought was pretty good for me! Okay, so I have a long way to go, but I am feeling more motivated than ever before.

My workouts are going good. I like feeling sore afterwards. I really like P90X. It's awesome! So far I've done kempo, plyometrics, and the arms and chest workout.

I'm Dreaming of a Skinny New Year...

Post by Shannon

I'm dreaming of skinny New Year. Just like the ones I used to know...

I'm so excited to be skinny again! My goal is to reach the weight I was in these pictures by February. So far I'm on track. I've been losing about two pounds a week, give or take a little, since the beginning of August.

I'm going to post these pictures on my fridge to motivate me. :) These were taken in 2005 in New York when I was doing an internship there. Back in the skinny days...

Find a workout that is right for you so you can be dreaming of a skinny New Year too!

Visit our website to see the awesome Beachbody workouts:
beachbodycoach.com/GolladayFit

True Story

Post by Shannon

This is a true story.

I thought I was so rich when I graduated from college in 2005 because I had my first "real" job! (I wasn't very rich actually). So I decided to get a personal trainer at a gym. I bought a gym pass that was about $20 a month. Then they talked me into getting a personal trainer for $40 a half hour each week for a year. I couldn't cancel. I had to do it every week for a year. So that's about $2,320 for one year! I wasn't feeling so rich after that.

I wanted to lose about 5 pounds at the time. I think I lost about 3 lbs. that whole year!

Moral of the story... It wasn't worth it!

Flash forward to 2010, six months after having my first baby. I was frustrated and depressed with the weight I'd gained. I'd never been that big in my life! I tried walking every day for an hour and then running as soon as I could, but it wasn't working. Some people told me I would lose the weight easily just from nursing my baby. If I followed that tip, I would have never lost the weight!

I'd heard about P90X from some people. One person I knew lost 80 pounds from doing it! So I thought I'd try it. I LOVED it! It was just what I needed. I started following the eating plan and doing the workouts everyday. Some days I even went running in addition to the workouts.

After 90 days I was ready for another challenge. So I tried Insanity. This was awesome too! After 60 days, my weight wasn't just back to what it was before I was pregnant, but lower and I was in shape too. It's one thing to lose weight, but it is harder to be in shape too.

This time my workouts were about $250 for both programs, and I had way better results than I did with a trainer for a year! I loved my results!

Since then I've had another baby, and lost the weight even faster because I started sooner using Insanity, Turbo Fire and Shakeology!

So instead of buying expensive gym pass and personal training session, get a Beachbody Challenge Pack! That is a workout, plus Shakeology! You save on both the workout and Shakeology, and you'll get much better results than the gym! And... if you want to save 25% on future purchases, sign up to be a coach! The coach fee is waived for the first month when you buy a challenge pack! Awesome!

Click on this link to see all of the Challenge Pack Options:  Beachbody Challenge Packs

WORKOUTS IN THE CHALLENGE PACKS

Les Mills PUMP
Tai Cheng
P90X
P90X2
10-Min. Trainer
Power90
Insanity
Insanity:  The Asylum
Hip Hop Abs
TurboFire
Turbo Jam
ChaLEAN Extreme
Brazil Butt Lift
RevAbs
Slim in 6
Body Gospel

SHAKEOLOGY FLAVORS
Greenberry
Chocolate
Tropical Strawberry (vegan!)

Ultimate reset is also available in a challenge pack!

On our way to Getting in Shape!

Patrick and I are excited to be in shape again! Before we had kids, we were both fit and in shape.

Since we had kids... Well, we're not in shape anymore!

On this blog we will show you are progress and tell you our story. We'd love to help you get into shape while we're add it! Sign up for email updates to stay updated with our progress.

To help you learn a little about us and our story, here are a few pictures.

This is us when we got married in 2007:

This is us after our first baby in 2009:

One year later in 2010. We got back in shape after a year of running, walking, eating healthy, P90X and Insanity:

Shannon right after having our first baby in 2009:

(She's not excited to show you this picture...)

One year later in 2010 (she lost about 50 pounds from the picture above to this picture):

Before our second baby in the summer of 2011:

Today (Dec. 10, 2011).

So far Shannon has lost a total of 21 pounds since starting the Insanity program at the end of September 2011 and a total of 38 pounds from the time she had our baby until now (that includes the weight of the baby). She did the first month of Insanity twice. She just started the second month this week, Dec. 12. Patrick started P90X on Dec. 10.

We will post each day about our progress and also share fitness tips, videos, and pictures.

Have a healthy & fit day!