Best Nine Memories from July

What can I say? July was full of ups and downs. Still though, since I write these as the new month starts I can tell you progress has been made.

One

We’re just a month away from hitting our one year mark in our home and since we’ve been here we’ve very much dedicated our time to the first floor. It’s gotten the most love as it’s where we mostly hang out and where we entertain, but over the past little while, I have been lacking in a peaceful feeling when going to bed. Organization is key, but let’s be honest, we don’t put our clothes away right after it comes out of the dryer, it may linger around for a couple days until we have a giant pile that we sort through. But during those in between days we’re in this constant movement of objects on and off the bed, a lack of order and a place for things made me feel like we’d never make progress. The colours were also so dark that it was hard to feel light and airy. Without thinking much more about it we sold the bed frame, moved out unnecessary furniture, and added a couple new fresh wooden pieces that immediately lifted the place up from its darkness. Now we feel so calm going to bed, draped in white and surrounded by so much less. Also, we’ve been very good about folding the laundry right away!

Two

Our wedding anniversary always stretches into July because of Canada Day and there always being a long weekend which we love. We starting the weekend with hitting some softballs at the range! Catching a midday movie and eating so much sushi. The rest of the weekend had us going to the beach and sleeping under the sun. Playing in the water and then sleeping some more. Some board games to close off the long week with mom and Kike was the perfect way to get back into regular life and back to another work week.

Three

I’ve been a workout from home type of girl for many years now. I found that I wanted to switch things up a bit. My mental health beat me down this month and those home workouts were not getting done, adding to the guilt and horrible feelings I was going through. I figured getting out of the house and making a monetary commitment would push me to break away from this lack of activity and it sure has. I just bought 10 one hour sessions with a martial arts trainer who has been kicking my ass. She leaves me breathless and sprawled on the floor in disbelief it’s over but also feeling so energized, strong, and proud of what I just accomplished. After seeing her for a couple weeks I started working out at home, and slowly my motivation has been coming back.

Four

It’s kind of cool how organically and easily your family grows. For many immigrants with little to no blood family around you create this wonderful chosen family. Sure, some of it comes through marriages and children, but it’s kind of wonderful how easily close friends become part of the ‘family club’. Our Latin roots pull us close and the shared pain and history of leaving our loved ones behind keep us leaning on one another. We had a wonderful day at the park with lots of our family. It was a huge event with the typical mountains of food and adorable babies, though this time they featured cute swimming suits to play at the splash pad! Lawn games, good chats and sharing together was a great reminder how many great people we have close.

Five

So, have you heard of Zombies Run? It’s an award winning app that has an incredible story line and incredible voice actors. As you run you get to hear parts of the story, where you’re a key part! You collect items to help the township continue to survive the Zombie outbreak. It’s actually quite entertaining, and a huge motivator to get out there running, jogging or walking, but boy can it be creepy. The sounds of zombies in your ears means you have to run faster or they’ll catch you, and if you manage to hold them off you’ll evade them. I was so motivated I went on two runs on the same day! When you’re having a rough month when it comes to motivation you have to use it up as soon as you get it!

Six

Camping. We thought we’d give it another try. Happy we did, because now we really know we don’t enjoy it 🙂 We had an amazing time hanging out with my closest girls and their husbands, but we had another guest… mosquitos. Hundreds of them. And I’m not exaggerating because Azra had like over 80 bites so… The beach times were great, and talking and sharing with them was wonderful, it always is, no matter where we are. Though sadly, this time we were outside haha. It’s actually quite shocking that we dislike camping that much, so we got right down to it and realized it’s not the sleeping in tents, that part is so nice, and it’s not the fact you have to cook things over a fire, it forces you to slow down which is a great thing to be forced to do. It’s the damn bugs! Who knows… Maybe a fall time camping experience is still in the books and who knows, we may love it! I have my doubts though… The best part of the trip was celebrating some wonderful news we got from our friends, so if there was something to highlight from that trip it was how happy we all were!

Seven

When Sofia, my niece, was a few days old we spent the night with her. (This is also why we pushed off having kids… hahah) but in all seriousness, looking at that tiny human being, it would have been impossible to realize how much more you could love her. As she has gotten older and talks about everything and anything we’ve been able to get to know the special little girl we love so much. Stealing her away to go for ice cream was a nice treat but it also made me think about all the future moments I can’t even imagine that we’ll get to share together. What a joy it is to be an aunt.

Eight

We had a wonderful day visiting Grandma Carmen. Christian’s grandma has Alzheimer’s, the same disease that eventually took the life of my paternal grandmother. I never got to be with my grandma during her illness as she lived in Colombia and soon grew nervous and scared when video skyping with people as she couldn’t recognize us or understand how we were inside a little metal box. I’m grateful for the memories I made with Grandma Carmen. I know how funny she was and she still manages to be! We loved hugging her and getting her to dance and clap along with her childhood tunes. So much love for this old lady.

Nine

This is supposed to be a ‘best memories’ recap. And I will say, this month it was hard to see anything as the best of anything. Days blurred together. My motivation hit the lowest of lows. I struggled with feelings of worthlessness, failure and an overwhelming cloud of sadness. With how much I have learned and read about these things I thought I could fight it off, I thought it would be like a bad cold. I’d be down for a few days and then bounce back up after some long naps. But those naps became all I wanted to do. It’s been an incredibly challenging mental month. I’ve got a road of work ahead of me, I know it. It’s not going to be easy, and right now, everything seems very dark. I felt like I needed to write this blurb to keep this as a part of my history for the month. The goal of these recaps is to be able to have them to look back on and remind myself of how many wonderful moments I was able to experience. Although this is a hard moment, it’s something I hope future me can look back on and feel like a whole new person.

In July I was grateful for…

  • Having a long weekend to celebrate our anniversary, every year haha.
  • Dressing up our room to make it feel very relaxed and calm.
  • Apples and cinnamon. All day every day.
  • Meeting with a nutritionist to figure out why I get bloated so often.
  • Seeing my body get toned.
  • Softball. A work in progress.
  • Being surprised with another day off and going on two runs that same day.
  • Starting with a personal trainer to help push me beyond my comfort level.
  • Although I struggled a lot with my mental health this month, many friends and family were there to support me, I’m grateful for them and the impact they have in my life.
  • Packing up for vacation with friends.
  • Friends who are fun and silly and love having a good time.
  • Bug Spray.
  • Sweaters.
  • Costco food shopping.
  • Grateful kike got to go visit Daniel and Michelle in BC.
  • Making crafty things to help keep my motivation up.
  • Christian for his endless support and his help during a very hard month mentally.
  • Having the fitbit to keep me accountable and competitive even on days I didn’t want to move.
  • Sofia being adorable and old enough to take out to ice cream dates.
  • Visiting Christian’s grandma and seeing her light up at the sounds of her childhood music.
  • Pool day at a friend’s house and fun times with board game people.
  • Wearing a headband and not hating it.
  • Finding a positive way to look at my constant failures at hitting the ball with a bat.
  • Spikes in motivation that help pull me from moments of inexplicable sadness and defeat.
  • Congo being super photogenic.
  • Homecooked meals.
  • Beautiful views as we drive home and to work.
  • Surviving an Insanity workout.
  • Mango and Ice.

Look out for another Best Nine next month to hear all about August!

Mariangelica

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vegetarian, pescatarianVegan, Vegetarian, Lacto Vegetarian, Ovo Vegetarian, Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian, Pollotarian, Pescatarian, Raw, Rawtil4, Flexitarian.

Say that five times fast. You can learn more about what each of these are here. But the point is, wow. There are so many ways to label what we choose to put into our bodies. I’ve come to think about this topic because just this past March I hit 24 months of making a conscious decision as to the food I wanted to consume. My family isn’t vegetarian, or anywhere close to it. Back in March of 2015, we were a typical latin american family who gathered for parties and events to eat because really, we’re all there for the food, aren’t we?

Christian and I have this joke (but true story) we tell of one day early in our marriage when I got home to have my sweet husband tell me he had already made dinner. Steak! Yum. Oh and what else? No, just steak! We laugh about it now because of how much we have both grown and learned along the way. Food is something we experience many times a day, every day.

It is astonishing how little we used to think about it in the past. My mom always tried to get me to eat my veggies. I just wouldn’t budge and the colourful food was always left on my plate or I’d sneak it into one of my brother’s plates! Now as a married couple, cooking on our own, it didn’t seem so hard. Steak tastes good, pasta tastes good, extra cheesy hawaiian pizza with bacon tastes good. What is there to think about? Just follow your taste buds!

My sister though, who grew up elsewhere with her mom, was my first glimpse at a different way of eating. I also have a joke (but true story) I tell about how the first time I visited her in my teens I opened her cupboards to look for food and could only find what I called “rabbit food” Just seeds, and things in jars with gasp no labels?! And the fridge? A sea of mason jars with interestingly coloured things inside.

I walked over to the corner store purchased a loaf of white Wonderbread, a tub of margarine, Coca-Cola, and white cheese. Heading back up to her place with food, I put things away. But not after I made myself a nice grilled cheese sandwich with an ice cold coca cola to go with it. Food. I’m sure my sister was horrified, but she hid it well. While helping her with dinner I saw how she pulled out jars, seeds, some eggs, vegetables, and beans. No meat for this meal. How could something be a meal without meat? Instead, there were mushrooms and chickpeas and things I had always said I didn’t like, even when I hadn’t even given it a try. Typical teenager.

Through the years I continued to eat my way, with the additions that flourished when my mom made something delicious and then when I was done eating told me there had been carrots in it. Whatttt. Or when my yearly visits to Montreal to visit my sister would always end up in me trying something new that I actually liked. I didn’t try a pineapple or avocado until I was 20!

Somehow, somewhere, I started to think about food, and how there were all these things I never tried and assumed wouldn’t taste good. They were delicious, and interestingly, nutritious! If I look back, I think what I ate was never a concern because I wasn’t a large girl. I wasn’t overweight and didn’t look unhealthy. It’s a common mentality, and a wrong one, but regardless it is likely why food choices were not a common topic in my life.

In March of 2015, almost two years into our marriage, scrolling Netflix at home while waiting for my husband to come home from work I stumbled upon a documentary that changed my life. Forks Over Knives. I watched it in awe. I was horrified, alarmed, worried, interested, curious, and by the end, I was on my laptop researching many of the topics I had only just heard about for the first time in my life.

That very same day I decided to become Vegetarian. I just couldn’t unlearn what I had learned, I couldn’t unsee what I had seen. The numbers didn’t lie. Earlier in my life, I had seen those PETA videos, with the mistreatment of animals, and although I was horrified then, it didn’t make me stop eating meat. This though, data, information, and a new way of thinking for me made something happen, something click.

Originally, it came as a shock to most of my family. There were no vegetarians in our family, and it took a while for them to realize this was here to stay. “Oh, you don’t eat chicken either?” “Are you doing this to lose weight?” “You need protein, how are you going to get any protein if you don’t eat meat?” “This won’t last” “You need meat to be able to grow a healthy baby” “Think about the health of your future children” “Will your children eat meat?” “So what are you going to eat now? Salads forever?”

My mom came around quickly and to this day anytime we have an event or a gathering she’s always mindful to make something vegetarian, and to me, this is such an expression of love, love her for it. Naturally, Christian being the superstar he is supported me from day one and even made a plan to only eat meat if we were out with friends or out on an event but he would refrain from cooking it at home.

Through these last two years, he and I have learned more about food than in all the years of our lives prior. I have become obsessed with learning and trying. We have set foot in health food stores and regularly shop locally at farmer’s markets. I understand the value of food as a form of energy, health, and medicine. I have experienced incredible changes in energy, drive, motivation and positivity in my life. I had energy to begin exercising regularly, something I didn’t do often. I started helping other women in changing their life through the use of food and movement. I became passionate about helping others lead healthy lives, no matter if they ate meat or not.

Fish has been reintroduced into my diet in the last few months, and it’s actually interesting how natural this addition came back into my life. Through my research into things that I cared about, fish never made any appearances, thinking back, there were things in the first documentary I watched that I wasn’t following.

They spoke of the evils of anything that came from cow’s milk, yet although I don’t drink cow’s milk, I do consume cheese, butter and sometimes yogurt. They didn’t mention fish as a cause of many of the diseases and issues the documentary brought up yet I wasn’t eating it because it didn’t fall under the Vegetarian umbrella.

This was my lightbulb moment. In an age where we feel like we have to define ourselves to the world, labels help keep us in line and in check, because how hard would it be to explain that you’re not a vegan, but you don’t consume cow’s milk directly, and you are vegetarian, but you eat fish here and there, and you had that marshmallow during the campfire and yes it has gelatin, but… Do you see what’s happening?

The feeling to have to justify to your family, to the world, to yourself what you are is tiring and completely unnecessary. I have recently grown to understand that I am none of these labels. I choose to eat what brings me joy, and I choose to avoid some foods always or as often as I want to (looking at you gluten!)

So eat what you want to eat, but learn a thing or two about your food, whether you choose to care or not is up to you, but there’s nothing wrong with learning. I’ve been recently letting go of things that were bringing my life invisible stress and this issue had been one of them. I write on this blog for many reasons, but writing is one of my ways of getting my feelings out, and this is something I felt had to come out.

I’m happy doing me and to the person who judges or pokes fun at anyone for foods they put into their body, I simply feel sorry for you and wish for you to take a step back and rethink how to better add value to the world and to others, there are kinder ways of educating. Likewise, to those who choose to follow a strict diet and have your reasons as to why, know that not everyone is ready to change when you are, that everyone’s make up is different and although this has worked miracles for you, it may not be right for them and sometimes, just being an example to others of a healthy and happy life, how my sister was to me, does more to intrigue or help someone than flat out shaming or trying to convert everyone you meet to your way ever could.

You do you girl, label or no label.

Love,

Mariangelica

 

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Do you have a car payment? A line of credit? A mortgage? Do you have student loans? If you said yes to any of those questions, this post is written specifically for you.

I can’t figure out when or how I came across Dave Ramsey, but I am so grateful I did. Dave is the voice of debt repayment. Every day for three hours a day he hosts a radio show that is broadcasted live on youtube, facebook and is later offered as a podcast anywhere you listen to your favourite podcasts. He teaches millions of people how to get out of debt and how to be debt free. By following Dave Ramsey’s baby steps it is possible for anyone to become debt free. The hubs and I are on his plan and are currently on Baby Step 2 and crushing our goals hard.

So why should I worry about debt? I make my monthly minimum payments, I’ve never been late on a payment and my credit score is awesome.

Well, with most debt, the longer you have it the more money you throw away in interest payments. Banks WANT your money, and interest is their bread and butter. As Dave says, your greatest wealth building tool is your INCOME, and debt makes this number lower the more you owe! Imagine having no car payments, imagine keeping all the money you make? Yeah, it’s possible, and the Dave Ramsey Baby Steps will get you there.

Baby Step 1: $1,000 to Start an Emergency Fund

Sell anything that isn’t attached to the floor, make a budget and cut back on expenses. Save the $1000 as FAST as you can. If you already have a savings account, take everything out of it and leave $1000 in it and put all the rest to your debt. The idea for this fund is that it’s an EMERGENCY fund. A birthday is not an emergency, because you knew it was coming up. With this in the bank you won’t have to go into debt if something were to happen.

Baby Step 2: Pay Off All Debt but the House

List all your debts from the littlest one to the biggest one and list your monthly minimums. Every month, make a new budget with your partner and attack that little debt with a vengeance! Throw every last dollar you can at the little one until you pay it off. When you do, take all the extra money you were putting towards the debt AND the minimum payment you were making and add it to what you pay to the second debt on the list! This is his snowball method and the idea is that the motivation of knocking off the small debts will inspire you to keep going while freeing up more money to pay off the larger debts!

Baby Step 3: 3 to 6 Months of Expenses in Savings

Now you are debt free! Congratulations!! Time to build your emergency fund to a full fund. This means, add up all your expenses for the month. Mortgage, food, utilities, insurance etc and multiply that number by how many months you want to save. He recommends 3-6 month’s worth. Now this is your new savings goal! This will allow you to be prepared were life to throw a huge wrench your way. This and all his steps are also available on his website.

Baby Step 4: Invest 15% of Household Income Into Retirement

Now that you have no payments and a fully funded emergency fund, time to make that money work for you. Invest!! Take 15% of your gross household income and invest it into a Tax Free Savings account, your work’s matching RRSP etc. Remember, time is of the essence and you will benefit from compound interest when it comes to this step. Stay consistent and soon you will be a millionaire. It’s just math!

Baby Step 5: College Funding for Children

Now that your future is taken care of thanks to investing it’s time to start saving for your kid’s post secondary education! The Canadian government has something called the RESP and by contributing to it the government matches 20% of your contributions up to $500 a year. (aka, free money!) This is a great way to start saving for your child’s education.

Baby Step 6: Pay Off Home Early

Now, there’s just one more debt standing between you and a truly debt free lifestyle. Can you imagine not having a mortgage payment?! I’m freaking out over here just thinking about it! Any extra money you put towards your mortgage is going to shave off so much interest and so many years off your mortgage! This is a huge one, and usually, especially in Canada, we don’t often find mortgages for 80 or 90k like our neighbours to the south do, so our debt here is quite large. Just keep at it. You have no payments, your life is well set up after following all the baby steps, so enjoy your money while paying down your house faster!

Baby Step 7: Build Wealth and Give

Max out your RRSP and TFSA investment contributions per year, and have FUN. As Dave says, you live like no one else so that later you can live and give like no one else. Become incredibly generous, and do whatever you want. You have done so well. Congratulations!

All the baby steps and more on the entire idea behind Dave’s plan, including his own personal story, is detailed in his book the Total Money Makeover, which I could NOT recommend more. I actually wrote about My Top 5 Personal Development books and you better believe this was on that list!

Best of luck on your journey. Are you following his plan? What baby step are you on?

 

 


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LAZY DAY WORKOUT

Let’s face it, we all have that one lazy day. Maybe you’ve had many lazy days that have turned into weeks or months. We’ve been there, and the idea of starting again can seem daunting. I’m more of a head-first type of girl, but if you want a slow build up because well, maybe you’re just not mentally ready to start any sort of program. Here are a few ways I get a little burn during my day when I’m feeling too lazy to workout:

1. Watching Netflix?

netflix - lazy

Back in the olden days pre-Netflix, there was something called ‘commercials’ and it was the perfect time to get up, move around, maybe even fit in a few squats. Now, there aren’t any commercials, and although I am loving the easiness of binge watching shows I have found that I could spend two hours watching tv in the same position without complaint. Scary. So there are two ways I like to shake things up and force my butt off the couch.

  • I set a reoccurring timer on my phone every 20 minutes. Every time the phone goes off while I’m watching the show I have to workout for 5 minutes! I usually do two sets like this one: 30 seconds of push ups, 30 seconds of bicycle crunches, a minute plank hold, and high knees for 30 seconds. Once I’m done, and only then can I continue my show. By the end of an hour-long show, you will have done a 15-minute workout! How’s that for sneaky!
  • Another game I like to play with myself is more specific to what I’m watching. Nowadays people have made these for almost every show and movie out there, but here is a list of 43 of the most popular tv shows and how to turn them into your favourite workouts!

2. Cooking Dinner?

cooking - lazy

I find making dinner the best and funniest time to get a few reps in of any type of fitness into my lazy day. Funniest because I must look hilarious doing it!

  • You now can’t walk and must now only lunge to get to places.
  • Every time you close the fridge you have to do 10 squats.

3. Going to bed?

You can actually do some wonderful yoga poses in bed to help with any aches and strains on your body from the day. 

  • My favourite pose in bed is ‘Happy Baby’ it always feels so good on my lower back and it does wonders for opening up my hips.
  • Knees to Chest is another relaxing pose I like to do before bed, plus, it warms me up to be tucked into a little ball.

 

No matter how you get fitness into your lazy day, try it this week and fit it in the cracks of time you encounter while going about your normal day, every little bit counts!

 

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core de force week one review

So as you may or may not know. I have a goal this year to workout for 100 days in a row! To make the number less daunting, I’ve broken it up into smaller goals by picking a variety of beachbody programs to complete and review. My first 30 days are going to feature Core de Force, the newest workout program by fitness gurus at Beachbody headquarters. This program is unlike any other program I’ve done in the past. It’s a mixed martial arts (MMA) style program with lots of the one thing I have never enjoyed. CARDIO!

Somehow, Core de Force has managed to sneak cardio into some sweet combinations that I don’t even notice I’m doing cardio at all because I’m too focused on being a badass super hero fighting off baddies, or at least, that’s how I feel. True to its name, Core de Force has done more for my core than anything has ever done before!! The leaning out I’ve noticed in just one week of working out AT HOME is UNREAL.

My middle section has been my one trouble area for… ever. Although I’m not as large as I once was, it’s just soft looking and has weird bumps (lower pooch anyone?) and dips that have always made me pretty self conscious! I just want a toned tummy! Now with Core de Force I honestly think this is finally a possibility!! Here’s how my week looked like.

Starting Stats:

Measurements are my favourite way of tracking progress. Though I do weigh myself simply because I have a scale and I don’t have anxiety about the number on the scale, though if you do, stick to measuring!

Starting measurements 7 days of Core De Force
Neck 12.75″ 12.5″
Chest 35.5″ 35.5″
R. Arm 11.25″ 11″
L. Arm 11″ 10.5″
Waist 35.25″ 32″
Hips 41.5″ 41″
R. Thigh 20.75″ 20
L. Thigh 21 20
Total Inches 189″ 182″
Weight 150lbs 145lbs

Total Inches LOST: SEVEN INCHES DOWN! 3.25 INCHES AROUND MY WAIST! WHAT.

Total pounds LOST: 5 pounds!

 

What I ate:

I want to share with you my complete meal plan so that you can see every step of the journey. This is a meal plan with the Portion Fix Containers in use that come with this program! It’s super simple so my portions are easy to follow with these colour coded containers!

Monday:
Breakfast: Shakeology | Snack: cucumber slices and cherry tomatoes | Lunch: tomato Soup x2, tuna and quinoa x2 | Snack: asian pear | Dinner: avocado, salmon, cucumber salad, quinoa x2

Tuesday:
Breakfast: Shakeology | Snack: cucumber slices and cherry tomatoes | Lunch: zucchini salad, lentils, corn x2, dressing | Snack: asian pear and cashews | Dinner: sauteed kale, mashed potatoes, lentils, corn

Wednesay:
Breakfast: Shakeology | Snack: cucumber slices and cherry tomatoes | Lunch: mixed greens x2, hard boiled eggs, quinoa x2 | Snack: asian pear | Dinner: lentils, steamed veggies x2, avocado, sweet potato x2

Thursday:
Breakfast: Shakeology | Snack: cucumber slices and cherry tomatoes | Lunch: mixed greens x2 , lentils, quinoa x2 | Snack: asian pear | Dinner: veggie stir fry, shrimp, sweet potato x2, avocado

Friday:
Breakfast: Shakeology | Snack: cucumber slices and cherry tomatoes | Lunch: mixed greens x2, tofu, corn, mashed potatoes | Snack: asian pear | Dinner: lentils, quinoa x2, asparagus

Saturday:
Breakfast: toast x2, eggs, stir fry veggies | Snack: asian pear | Lunch: mixed greens x2, quinoa | Snack: shakeology | Dinner: salmon, quinoa x2, stir fry veggies x2, avocado

Sunday:
Breakfast: pancakes x2, cheese| Snack: shakeology, carrots | Lunch: mixed greens x2, gluten free pasta x2, tofu | Snack: asian pear | Dinner: salmon, quinoa, stir fry veggies x2

 

If you want to see some of the meals in action, here are some of my instagram shots, for more of these and to follow along in my journey make sure to follow my instagram account @coachmariangelica !

core de force pescatarian meal plan

The workouts:

  • MondayMMA Speed (27 minutes) – Upper body and no surprise, it’s core-focused. Short workout but boxing inspired so it’s super fun.
  • TuesdayDynamic Strength (47 minutes) – Low on impact, but high on intensity. You can really feel yourself carving out your shape with all the twists!
  • WednesdayMMA Speed (27 minutes) – You’ve done it before, now it’s time to perfect those moves!
  • ThursdayPower Sculpt (36 minutes) – A total-body burner. You will feel this everywhere and with the mixture of interval training, Endurance will be built!
  • FridayMMA Shred (37 minutes) – Kick things up a notch with Muay-Thai-inspired elbows and kicks for a head-to-toe shred. Prepare to sweat!
  • SaturdayDynamic Strength (47 minutes) – You’ve done it before, now it’s time to perfect those moves!
  • SundayActive Recovery (21 minutes) – 10 minutes of slow conditioning work that definitely made me break a sweat, quickly followed by the most relaxing stretch session ever for the remaining 11 minutes. It’s the shortest workout but not one to skip over lightly. 

 

Non-scale Victories:

NON scale victories of core de force

  • Although measuring is great and speaks to my physical body, I also like to think about things this week that have felt different than before.
  • The second time we did MMA Speed I noticed I was able to breathe a little easier through the workouts and focus on my form!
  • Drinking Shakeology for 7 days and eating according to the meal plan means my bloat has completely DISAPPEARED. I feel like I lived constantly bloated and bloat is no more.
  • When I go to bed now my stomach looks similar to how it looked in the morning, where usually I would avoid the mirror before bed.
  • Later in the week I have found I have been actually sleeping through the night and have had the energy to wake up without feeling like a zombie.
  • My nutrition has been pretty much on POINT and I’m not used to following anything this strictly and it’s been surprisingly easy because I actually feel full all day and haven’t felt hungry since I’m eating every three hours!
  • Found I absolutely love having my Shakeology in ‘ice cream’ form with some almond milk, and lots of ice! 

Get your Core de Force:

Join me:

If you’re nervous about starting this alone, here’s the deal, you don’t have to! I run monthly challenge groups and I’d love to help you through it and share tips I learned during my first go at it! If Core de Force looks too intense for you, fill out this form to tell me what kind of goals you are trying to reach and I’ll help you find the perfect program for you, and work along side you as your accountability partner!

 

 

I hope you found this review helpful and that if anything it gets you excited about starting a new fitness program where the hard work has been done for you in calculating when to work what muscle group and what to eat and how much. All you have to do is show up, and by show up I mean press play! Workout at home, get amazing results. It’s possible.

Love,

Mariangelica

 

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