T25: Core Cardio

Due to a few missed workouts over the past few weeks, it had been a while since my husband and I done the Core Cardio workout.  This is NOT a workout to skip out on because doing it today, felt like I was doing it for the first time.  And.I.struggled.  

It was one of those workouts where I did NOT miss an opportunity to take a "justifiable break".  Oh, I need to go to the bathroom.  Sure, I'll turn the volume down.  Oops, the baby is getting too close to the DVD player!  Every chance I got, I stopped doing what I was supposed to be doing in order to catch my breath and give my poor, weary, jello-esque legs a break.  

Core Cardio is a bruiser.  There isn't much to dissect here.  Any possible way to kick, jump, lunge, hop, squat, turn, or skip...you do.  You do each exercise for 30 seconds each for the entire 25 minutes.  The only time you aren't jumping or squatting or kicking is during a short plank series near the very end of the workout.  But don't be fooled.  It's not a break.  By that time, just standing up straight is difficult, let alone planking.  

And it's called Core Cardio because besides your legs AND torso will be screaming in unison.  Who's up for the challenge?!  

Tony Horton Photo Opp

P90X3 is the FIRST Beachbody program I have ever done and I LOVED it despite the fact that I wanted to punch Tony Horton in the face half the time.  Not only does he make you work REALLY hard, but he cracks super cheesy jokes while he's ordering you around.  Not a good combination.  

At Coach Summit, I had the opportunity to meet him and take a picture with him.  I had big ideas about how this would go.  I would very casually saunter over, making sure I don't look too impressed or over-awed.  I would take a fun picture with him...you know, something involving me pretending to kick him in the face.  And then walk away, cool as a cucumber.  

This isn't exactly how it went.  I.got.nervous.  Seriously?!  I was nervous to meet that goofball.  I wanted him to like me, and I wanted him to know that I had been pregnant with twins and how P90X3 helped me get back to "ME".  As I walked up to him, he grasped my shoulders and said, "Well hey there, Shoulders McGee!"  Such a Tony-esque line, but it made me feel so good that he thought I had nice shoulders.  I was shocked!  We went on to discuss how I was a pole-vaulter, and I was so flustered that I stood next to him, smiled, and that was our picture.  Side by side, cheesy smiles on both of our faces.  How terribly disappointing to walk away knowing I behaved like a 15 year old girl at a One Direction concert.  {SIGH}  

3 Types of Beachbody Coaches

Did you know that not all Beachbody coaches are alike?  Beachbody coaches make the decision to become coaches for different reasons, approach the business differently, and have different goals.  Most likely, all Beachbody coaches fit into one of these three categories...

Discount Coach: 
You LOVE the products, especially Shakeology, and you want to get your 25% off every month. You don't have to build a team, you don't have to sell a thing. If people do purchase from your website, you still receive the commission.  You love a good deal and saving some money.  

Hobby Coach:  Beachbody products changed your life, and you want to pay it forward!  
You want to help others reach their fitness goals, and if you can make a few hundred extra dollars per month doing it...great! You aren't TOO interested in building a team, but wouldn't turn anyone away either. You want to start slow, and go at your own pace.  You start out running challenge groups with your upline coach until you are ready to branch out on your own.  You love the products and want to share them with others!  

Business-Building Coach: 
You have been completely inspired by the lives Beachbody has changed and are ready to go all in. You believe in yourself and this company and you are ready to learn and work towards making a significant income by helping others become the best they can be.  You want to participate and be active in the trainings your upline coach has to offer.  You are ready to build a business.  

All of these types of coaches are great.  Beachbody became the company it was because of these kinds of coaches.  What kind of coach are you?  

T25: Rip't Circuit

I was dreading this workout.  All I could think about was Total Body Circuit from the Alpha phase and how hard THAT was.  So prepared for the worst...I pressed "PLAY".  
It wasn't TOO bad!  The whole time, I kept waiting for it to just get horrible, and it didn't!  

It was a very structured workout, which I tend to like.  We did a cardio/plyo, upper body, lower body, and core exercise for one minute each.  You never repeated an exercise, and the flow remained the same throughout the duration of the workout.  You do need a resistance band or dumbbells and a mat, but that's it.  And please don't get me wrong, it was NO walk in the park, but it also doesn't leave you gasping for breath the way Speed 2.0 does.  I appreciated how balanced and thorough it was in distributing pain to all parts of your body ; ) 

My favorite exercise is the 1-leg burpee.  That's right...1 LEG.  And you thought burpees were hard before!  It starts like every other burpee, but when you thrust out, you land on one leg, and jump your feet back to your hands using that same one leg.  Once your legs are back together, you jump off the ground, and repeat the burped, but using the other leg this time.  It's a blast!  

Beachbody Summit 2014

Shortly after becoming a Beachbody Coach, I knew I wanted to attend Summit.  Summit is Beachbody's annual conference where you are introduced to brand new products, have the opportunity to workout with Shaun T, Chalean Johnson, Tony Horton, Autumn Calabrese, and any other celebrity trainers, learn from some of the best coaches in the biz, and maybe even attend an exclusive party or two.  Needless to say, I was FIRED UP.  

I have to be honest, I was completely overwhelmed the first two days.  I had flown in the morning of (which meant I woke up at 3:45 AM Eastern time), went straight to the conference, and for the next two days my eyes were glazed over in a state of exhaustion!  

There were over 9,000 coaches attending, and I knew exactly 3 people.  I felt lonely and insignificant and exhausted (did I mention that already)? : ) 

Don't worry...my experience was great, but I had to be honest about the beginning.  So this is what I realized...I don't ever want to go to Summit without my team of coaches again.  I want to be there with my friends and teammates and co-workers celebrating our amazing successes together.  I want to go to the training sessions and share notes and gush about everything we learned.  I want to attend the exclusive parties and have lots of people to talk to.

Until next Summit, I will be investing in to my coaches and making sure they know how amazing they are and that they can DO THIS business.  I will interact more with the other coaches in my organization, exchange knowledge and experiences, so I will know even more people next year.  I am determined to not feel insignificant and lonely next year.  I will work towards my goals for the next year and show up to Summit knowing the lives I've changed and people I've inspired.  

My baseball girls, Jackie and Kellie!

Sequins and Studs

Celebrating Lindsay Matway!

T25: Speed 2.0

It should probably be called Speed 10.0.  There are no breaks and you do not stop.  The only  part of the workout that resembles a break is when you jog in place for 30 seconds or less 2 whopping times throughout the whole 25 minutes.  And the only actual exercise that feels slightly easier than the rest is when you are in a squatted position "jabbing" at the air.  At least in that exercise, your feet are not required to come off the ground.  That Shaun T…he's a stinker.  

That being said, I kind of LOVE this workout.  The format is different than any of his other workouts and I like it.  There is no warm-up and you do eight different exercises straight for about 29 seconds (give or take a second of two) each.  Then you repeat those exact same exercises, but the little orange bar moves sightly quicker (about 19 seconds), and then you repeat that same series one last time for about 10 seconds each time.  So what are the exercises?  Hopping, squatting, kicking, jumping, agility footwork…the works.  

After one of you "jog in place breaks", you continue on to do another 3 sets of 8 DIFFERENT exercises for approximately the same time segments as before.  What are THESE exercises?  Hopping, squatting, kicking, jumping, agility footwork, etc.  

Following those three rounds, you start from the first cluster of exercises and work your way through all 16 exercises and you do this twice.  Needless to say, by the end your calves are probably cramping, you are sweating profusely, and you are really, really proud of yourself!  

Just like Speed 1.0, interestingly enough, I feel this workout predominantly in my CORE!  We did not do a single "ab exercise", yet moving your body the way this workout demands, requires your abs to be at full attention.  ENJOY!

Couples Who Sweat Together, Stay Together

Recently, my husband started doing my T25 workouts with me and I can't tell you how much more fun the workouts are, how much quicker they go, and how much harder I work.  

Matt and I have fun working out together (as much fun as you can have sweating buckets at least).  We simultaneously laugh and complain about how hard it is together.  We put on music we enjoy listening to while following Shaun T's cues, we interact with the three children together while we workout (they think watching us workout is hilarious).  

The workouts are only 25 minutes to begin with, but even so…they go by way faster with him by my side, sharing in my misery.  

We are competitive.  I work harder because I have to show off and make sure he knows how physically agile and strong and fit I am!  I press the "pause" button WAY less than when I worked out alone.  

I am loving working out with Matt.  I honestly believe it will benefit our marriage.  It gives us one more thing in common…one more thing to do together.  So do it.  Create the time together.  Make it a habit together.  Your children and future selves will thank you.

There is a great article about this: 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/09/workout-partner-healthy-couples-valentines-day_n_2638571.html

Post-Workout Tough Faces

Family Workouts