I finished it! The entire program is DONE. All 30 days of sweat and heart racing workouts. 30 days of strictly following my meal plan every day at every meal. It’s honestly been a rollercoaster. Some days I felt amazing, and others, I felt like giving up. My husband, shout out to him, did the ENTIRE program with me also! It’s been quite the journey, and we’ve both lost 😉 and gained so much!

This experience has been life changing. To know we can set a goal and commit to finishing it and then achieving that goal has shown us that we CAN do hard things, and that we are stronger together. All the girls in my private fitness group have also hit their 30 day goal and I am honestly SO SO proud of each and every one of them. This online community has been amazing for giving me motivation on days I didn’t have it. We had to send the group our sweaty selfies after each workout and that kept us all checking in on one another!

30 Days are done, and just in time too. We leave on our amazing cruise vacation February 10th and am so excited to rock those bathings suits proudly. There is still a long way to go still, I know fitness doesn’t end because a vacation comes around, so I commit now to starting and finishing the 21 Day Fix EXTREME. I WILL be doing the workouts on the cruise! Though, forgive me if I don’t follow the meal plan as closely while I’m away. Life is about balance you see, and some long island iced teas await me on the ocean. Let’s take a look at this last and tough week!

If you missed week one’s review, make sure you give that a read first! I go into more detail explaining what Core de Force is all about! Core De Force – Week One Review .  Core De Force – Week Two Review . Core De Force – Week Three Review. I have a goal this year to workout for 100 days in a row. And I’m now 30 days IN! I can’t believe I’ve stuck with it every day!  Core de Force is NOW my favourite program.

Here’s how week four looked like.

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 14 days of Core De Force 21 days of Core De Force 30 days of Core De Force
Neck 12.75″ 12.5″ 12.5″ 12.5″ 12.5″
Chest 35.5″ 35.5″ 35″ 34.5″ 34.5″
R. Arm 11.25″ 11″ 11″ 10.75″ 10.75″
L. Arm 11″ 10.5″ 10.5″ 10.75″ 10.5″
Waist 35.25″ 32″ 31″ 30.75″ 30″
Hips 41.5″ 41″ 40.5″ 40″ 40″
R. Thigh 20.75″ 20 20″ 19.75″ 20″
L. Thigh 21 20 20″ 20″ 20″
Total Inches 189″ 182″ 180.5″ 179.25″ 178.25″
Weight 150lbs 145lbs 144.5lbs 144.5lbs 142.5lbs

 

Total Inches LOST since day one: 10.75″ – Guys I’m just in shock. My body changed so drastically in just 30 days. I have no words but just to tell you to do it. Do it, follow all the steps, trust the program, trust the process and you will amaze yourself.

Total pounds LOST since day one: 7.5lbs I’m so happy to be back in the low 140s, I hadn’t been here in years. I honestly don’t foresee much more change in the weight department, My body is now ready to tone some muscle which is why I’m leaving the cardio behind with Core de Force and embarking on the extreme journey that is the 21 day fix extreme. Weights, resistance band. Here we come!

What I ate:

Week 4 we went pretty simple again along with a few favourite recipes from Fixate that keeps the portion fix in mind! I share 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: zucchini, cherry tomatoes and strawberries | Lunch: tomato Soup x2, tuna and quinoa x2 | Snack: strawberries | Dinner: avocado, salmon, cucumber salad, quinoa x2

Tuesday:
Breakfast: Shakeology | Snack: zucchini, cherry tomatoes and strawberries | Lunch: zucchini salad x2, lentils, corn x2, dressing | Snack: asian pear | Dinner: salmon quinoa sushi (recipe from Fixate) x2, mixed veggies x2

Wednesay:
Breakfast: Shakeology | Snack: zucchini,  cherry tomatoes and an orange | Lunch: salmon quinoa sushi, caesar salad x2, dressing | Snack: asian pear | Dinner: stir fry x2, tofu, avocado, rice noodles x2

Thursday:
Breakfast: Shakeology | Snack: zucchini,  cherry tomatoes and an orange | Lunch: maple glazed brussels sprouts (recipe from Fixate), asparagus, tuna | Snack: asian pear | Dinner: greek salad x2, lentils, rice noodles x2

Friday:
Breakfast: Shakeology | Snack: zucchini,  cherry tomatoes and an orange | Lunch: shrimp, mixed greens x2, quinoa x2 | Snack: asian pear | Dinner: cucumber dill salad, lentils, quinoa x2, brie cheese

Saturday:
Breakfast: pancakes x2, banana | Snack: shakeology | Lunch: zucchini noodle lasagna(recipe from Fixate), asparagus, garlic bread, avocado | Snack: dill cucumber salad, 1 hard boiled egg | Dinner: sweet potato mash x2, 2 hard boiled eggs, sautéed kale

Sunday:
Breakfast: eggs, arepas, fruit, | Snack: shakeology | Lunch: salmon quinoa sushi, mango salad | Snack: kale chips | Dinner: zucchini lasagna, gluten free toast

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 !

The workouts:

 

  • Monday – MMA Plyo (47 minutes)Core Kinetics (16 minutes) – Haaard day. Plyo s intense and then those 16 minutes of core work feel like a break after all that cardio! Fat burning day!
  • Tuesday – MMA Power (47 minutes) + 5 Min. Core on the floor (5 minutes) – 12 rounds my friends, 12 rounds of MMA explosive moved. Fast paced cardio, but the rounds fly by. Get ready for some jump rolls! 5 Minutes of core is basically a 5 minute plank with variations.
  • Wednesday – MMA Plyo (47 minutes)Core Kinetics (16 minutes) – Monday repeat, it’s like they know this is the hardest combo.
  • Thursday – Dynamic Strength (47 minutes) + 5 Min. Core on the floor (5 minutes) – Low on impact, but high on intensity. You can really feel yourself carving out your shape with all the twists! 5 Minutes of core is basically a 5 minute plank with variations, some side planks, plank steps, plank everything. Get ready to feel that core BURN.
  • FridayMMA Speed (24 minutes)Core Kinetics (16 minutes) – This is such a nice welcome. We haven’t done Speed since the first week, here’s your chance to see ho much better you’ve gotten! And of course, love that core work.
  • Saturday MMA Shred (37 minutes)Core Kinetics (16 minutes) – Get ready to SWEAT. Shredding everything and it seems like Core won’t get any more breaks!
  • Sunday – Active 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.
  • Monday (DAY 29) – MMA Power (47 minutes) + Core Kinetics (16 minutes) – 12 rounds my friends, 12 rounds of MMA explosive moved. Fast paced cardio, but the rounds fly by. Get ready for some jump rolls! Core Kinetics is intense but so amazing for really forcing you to engage your core, love those 16 minutes just hard after 47 minutes of intense work!
  • Tuesday (DAY 30) – MMA Plyo (47 minutes)Core Kinetics (16 minutes) – Hardest workout for your last day, seems fitting! THAT’S A WRAP!

 

Non-scale Victories:

NON scale victories of core de force

  • I completed something I started!
  • Every day happened!
  • NO excuses were made
  • It happened, I put myself first
  • My husband stuck with it every day and together, we finished strong.
  • I feel like I can accomplish anything now!
  • Bathing suit wearing does not make me nervous! and I actually ENJOYED shopping for one!

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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Core de force week three review

Three weeks down, can you believe it? I’m sitting here completely in shock that these 21 days have flown by! It’s honestly insane how different I feel in comparison to week one. I really do feel that my mental health is affected directly by my activity levels. If I workout, I feel proud, strong, healthy and confident, and when I go days without it, I feel pretty down, defeated and I can be pretty hard on myself. It’s something I’m working on, but it really reminds me how important this is for me. I see how much I change when I’m working on bettering my health.

If you missed week one’s review, make sure you give that a read first! I go into more detail explaining what Core de Force is all about! Core De Force – Week One Review . And to follow that, here’s Core De Force – Week Two Review . I have a goal this year to workout for 100 days in a row. And I’m now almost a quarter of the way there! I can’t believe I’ve stuck with it every day! Basically, Core de Force has slowly become one of my favourite programs. I love the intensity, and I looooove the results.

Week three of the program is rough!! They were just warming us up before. This is the greatest thing I can say about this program. It grows WITH you. You’re not trying to hit 10 reps or 12 reps, you’re trying to fit as many as you can before the bell goes. So in week one, you’re more comonly slower and weaker than in week three. So although it could seem like it would get easier, you now can move faster and fit more reps in, which is extra work you weren’t doing before! Hence why it gets tougher too. Not just that but there are so many variations you learn on how to make something already hard like a push up even harder! Love it. Ok, let’s get to the week review.

Here’s how week three looked like.

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 14 days of Core De Force 21 days of Core De Force
Neck 12.75″ 12.5″ 12.5″ 12.5″
Chest 35.5″ 35.5″ 35″ 34.5″
R. Arm 11.25″ 11″ 11″ 10.75″
L. Arm 11″ 10.5″ 10.5″ 10.75″
Waist 35.25″ 32″ 31″ 30.75″
Hips 41.5″ 41″ 40.5″ 40″
R. Thigh 20.75″ 20 20″ 19.75″
L. Thigh 21 20 20″ 20″
Total Inches 189″ 182″ 180.5″ 179.25″
Weight 150lbs 145lbs 144.5lbs 144.5lbs

 

Total Inches LOST: 1.25 inches lost this third week! It still shocks me how much I can shape my body by working out from home and eating REAL food.

Total pounds LOST: No pounds lost, but honestly at this point I’m not sure I have much more to lose, toning will happen and inches will continue to shift and drop but it’s amazing to see it in action.

What I ate:

Week 3 we went pretty simple again along with a few favourite recipes from Fixate that keeps the portion fix in mind! I share 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: zucchini, cherry tomatoes and strawberries | Lunch: tomato Soup x2, tuna and quinoa x2 | Snack: strawberries | Dinner: avocado, salmon, cucumber salad, quinoa x2

Tuesday:
Breakfast: Shakeology | Snack: zucchini, cherry tomatoes and strawberries | Lunch: zucchini salad x2, lentils, corn x2, dressing | Snack: asian pear | Dinner: salmon quinoa sushi (recipe from Fixate) x2, mixed veggies x2

Wednesay:
Breakfast: Shakeology | Snack: zucchini,  cherry tomatoes and an orange | Lunch: salmon quinoa sushi, caesar salad x2, dressing | Snack: asian pear | Dinner: stir fry x2, tofu, avocado, rice noodles x2

Thursday:
Breakfast: Shakeology | Snack: zucchini,  cherry tomatoes and an orange | Lunch: maple glazed brussels sprouts (recipe from Fixate), asparagus, tuna | Snack: asian pear | Dinner: greek salad x2, lentils, rice noodles x2

Friday:
Breakfast: Shakeology | Snack: zucchini,  cherry tomatoes and an orange | Lunch: shrimp, mixed greens x2, quinoa x2 | Snack: asian pear | Dinner: cucumber dill salad, lentils, quinoa x2, brie cheese

Saturday:
Breakfast: pancakes x2, banana | Snack: shakeology | Lunch: zucchini noodle lasagna(recipe from Fixate), asparagus, garlic bread, avocado | Snack: dill cucumber salad, 1 hard boiled egg | Dinner: sweet potato mash x2, 2 hard boiled eggs, sautéed kale

Sunday:
Breakfast: eggs, arepas, fruit, | Snack: shakeology | Lunch: salmon quinoa sushi, mango salad | Snack: kale chips | Dinner: zucchini lasagna, gluten free toast

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 meal plan

The workouts:

 

  • Monday – MMA Power (47 minutes) + Core Kinetics (16 minutes) – 12 rounds my friends, 12 rounds of MMA explosive moved. Fast paced cardio, but the rounds fly by. Get ready for some jump rolls! Core Kinetics is intense but so amazing for really forcing you to engage your core, love those 16 minutes just hard after 47 minutes of intense work!
  • Tuesday – Dynamic Strength (47 minutes) + 5 Min. Core on the floor (5 minutes) – Low on impact, but high on intensity. You can really feel yourself carving out your shape with all the twists! 5 Minutes of core is basically a 5 minute plank with variations, some side planks, plank steps, plank everything. Get ready to feel that core BURN.
  • Wednesday – MMA Power (47 minutes) + Core Kinetics (16 minutes) – A repeat of Monday! Work it!
  • Thursday Power Sculpt (36 minutes) + 5 Min. Core on the floor (5 minutes) – total-body burner. You will feel this everywhere and with the mixture of interval training, Endurance will be built! And as usual 5 minutes core on the floor is killer. I have not been able to stop taking small breaks through this one. 
  • FridayMMA Plyo (47 minutes)
  • Saturday – Dynamic Strength (47 minutes) + 5 Min. Core on the floor (5 minutes) – Repeat of Tuesday! Nothing easy just because it’s a weekend!
  • 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

  • Um, that it’s been 21 days and i’m still showing up. Huge win. Period.
  • Didn’t stop even on the days where I was in pain from cramps. Just pushed through with lots of water! No excuses!

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

Follow:

paproka french fries healthy

I like french fries, no sorry, I love french fries. They have always been my weakness. It’s not even that I love the salt because back when I used to eat at fast food places I always asked for them unsalted. It’s just the potato, gotta love it, and if they weren’t dipped into a bath of hot and super fatty oil, I would eat them every day.

Cue in, the healthy paprika french fries. These bad boys fit into my portion fix meal plan, they just count as a yellow container and a teaspoon! I usually make them in the oven. But since we were graciously gifted an Actifry by my mom we’ve loved making unhealthy recipes healthy again. If you don’t know what an ActiFry is or how it works, basically it’s a heat distributor and it has a slow rotator on the inside to move the food around as it cooks, and with just a teaspoon of oil you can have two pounds of potatoes feel like they were deep fried, and that my friends, is EXCITING. You can make these in the oven too though, so read on and enjoy!!

1. Get 2 pounds of white potatoes, which to me it translated into three Potatoes.

2. Wash them thoroughly and peel them.

3. Cut them into long strips and try to get them to be similar widths for more even cooking.

4. Add a tablespoon of paprika, a teaspoon of salt and a 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper.

5. Mix spices in a bowl and make sure all potatoes are coated.

6. Add potatoes into the ActiFry or set on a cookie sheet in the oven.

7. Add a teaspoon of coconut oil or use coconut oil spray if putting in the oven.

8. Close the lid and turn it on, leave on for 30 minutes, then remove and place in a bowl or directly on the plate.

9. Enjoy these amazing paprika french fries!

 

Let me know if you make them and how you liked them! Feel free to play with the spices and try some new flavours!

Enjoy!


This post contains affiliate links. What does that mean for you? It doesn’t cost you anything extra but I get a small percentage of your purchase if you decide to purchase something from the post. I do this to make some side income while linking you to the great products I use. I will never write a post about a product I do not believe in, and no one has paid me to write this post. All opinions are always my own. Just like supporting a friend’s small business, by clicking on my affiliate links you are supporting a small time blogger who deeply appreciates it.

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If you missed week one’s review, make sure you give that a read first! I go into more detail explaining what Core de Force is all about! Core De Force – Week One Review . I have a goal this year to workout for 100 days in a row. Thanks to this program I have now worked out 14 days in a row! Basically, Core de Force has slowly become one of my favourite programs. I’ve always been a 21 Day Fix girl! Don’t get me wrong, I don’t get overly excited about doing a 47 minute workout followed by 16 more minutes of core work, but the results are so worth it. I still hate cardio though. If they make me jump one more time…

Week two of the program is definitely tougher. We get introduced to our first two days of double workouts. The Core Kinetics video is INSANE. I swear I feel my obliques, abs and butt all getting toned as I go, it’s nuts. This is an at home program, but with the feeling of a personal trainer in my own home. I really am so impressed by all that’s happened in two short weeks.

Here’s how week two looked like.

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 14 days of Core De Force
Neck 12.75″ 12.5″ 12.5″
Chest 35.5″ 35.5″ 35″
R. Arm 11.25″ 11″ 11″
L. Arm 11″ 10.5″ 10.5″
Waist 35.25″ 32″ 31″
Hips 41.5″ 41″ 40.5″
R. Thigh 20.75″ 20 20″
L. Thigh 21 20 20″
Total Inches 189″ 182″ 180.5″
Weight 150lbs 145lbs 144.5lbs

Total Inches LOST: 1.5 inches! I am pleasantly surprised to see in one week after such a dramatic first week that I lost any at all!

Total pounds LOST: .5 pounds! This is the best example as to why I do measurements.
I might have been pretty upset with a .5 pound loss if it had been back when I tracked solely with weight but my waist is an entire inch smaller than last week.
And that feels better than a .5lbs loss.

What I ate:

Week 2 we decided to add in a few recipes from a book called Fixate that keeps the portion fix in mind! The recipes are honestly SO easy and it wow’ed a few family and friends when they came for dinner! I want to share with 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: zucchini, cherry tomatoes and strawberries | Lunch: tomato Soup x2, tuna and quinoa x2 | Snack: strawberries | Dinner: avocado, salmon, cucumber salad, quinoa x2

Tuesday:
Breakfast: Shakeology | Snack: zucchini, cherry tomatoes and strawberries | Lunch: zucchini salad x2, lentils, corn x2, dressing | Snack: asian pear | Dinner: salmon quinoa sushi (recipe from Fixate) x2, mixed veggies x2

Wednesay:
Breakfast: Shakeology | Snack: zucchini,  cherry tomatoes and an orange | Lunch: salmon quinoa sushi, caesar salad x2, dressing | Snack: asian pear | Dinner: stir fry x2, tofu, avocado, rice noodles x2

Thursday:
Breakfast: Shakeology | Snack: zucchini,  cherry tomatoes and an orange | Lunch: maple glazed brussels sprouts (recipe from Fixate), asparagus, tuna | Snack: asian pear | Dinner: greek salad x2, lentils, rice noodles x2

Friday:
Breakfast: Shakeology | Snack: zucchini,  cherry tomatoes and an orange | Lunch: shrimp, mixed greens x2, quinoa x2 | Snack: asian pear | Dinner: cucumber dill salad, lentils, quinoa x2, brie cheese

Saturday:
Breakfast: pancakes x2, banana | Snack: shakeology | Lunch: zucchini noodle lasagna(recipe from Fixate), asparagus, garlic bread, avocado | Snack: dill cucumber salad, 1 hard boiled egg | Dinner: sweet potato mash x2, 2 hard boiled eggs, sautéed kale

Sunday:
Breakfast: eggs, arepas, fruit, | Snack: shakeology | Lunch: salmon quinoa sushi, mango salad | Snack: kale chips | Dinner: zucchini lasagna, gluten free toast

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 !

The workouts:

  • MondayMMA Shred (37 minutes) + Core Kinetics (16 minutes) – Kick things up a notch with Muay-Thai-inspired elbows and kicks for a head-to-toe shred. Prepare to sweat! Core Kinetics is intense, but so amazing for really forcing you to engage your core, love those 16 minutes just hard after 47 minutes of intense work!
  • TuesdayPower Sculpt (36 minutes) – A total-body burner. You will feel this everywhere and with the mixture of interval training, Endurance will be built!
  • Wednesday – MMA Shred (37 minutes) + Core Kinetics (16 minutes) – A repeat of Monday! Work it!
  • ThursdayDynamic Strength (47 minutes) – Low on impact, but high on intensity. You can really feel yourself carving out your shape with all the twists!
  • FridayMMA Power (47 minutes) -12 rounds my friends, 12 rounds of MMA explosive moved. Fast paced cardio, but the rounds fly by. Get ready for some jump rolls!
  • SaturdayPower Sculpt (36 minutes) – Nice to do one you’ve already done on a Saturday.
  • 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

  • I hit that stage in every program or goal where I wanted to quit and I didn’t.
  • I’ve been working out in the morning this week and it has been a game changer for feeling more relaxed during the day and less of the dreading of the workout is happening.
  • I’m not going to bed early enough as I’d like yet, but I’m hoping that changes in week three. I am sleeping deeper and waking up more rested though!
  • I have not been bloated since about my fourth day into the program and THAT is just such a win for me. Honestly. I have a feeling it’s a mixture of too much gluten/dairy.
  • I bought a bodysuit, yes those tight ones, and wore it as a shirt to work with a loose button up.
  • Wore that very same bodysuit one day and lounged around in it at home while we cooked and felt completely ok!
  • I’m starting to see the progress daily in the mirror, I feel smaller. I love finally being able to SEE the results and FEEL it in the way my clothes fit.
  • None of the girls in our private online group have quit and are all hitting their weekly goals! It’s so exciting to see what a group of women can help each other achieve!

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

Follow: