Monthly Archives: July 2014

3 Day Refresh Recap – July 2014

Similar to last year when I was traveling a great deal, it would appear that once again I’ve put on a few “vacation” pounds. Click here to read more about last year’s weight loss journey – Fall 2013 Weight Loss Journey with Team Beachbody.

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Over the past several months, I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to New York, Michigan, Nevada, and California (some of those places more than once) since April. However, since about April 1st, I realized that I’ve put on about 7 of these “vacation” or “too much fun” pounds. So just like last Fall when I saw a post from Corine Green, aka Zucchini Runner, about a challenge group with Beachbody, I jumped at the chance to join in!! The timing is great for me and of course it’s summer (gotta look good when I’m getting my Yoga/SUP on right?!) so I knew I would be able to commit!

As it turns out, we are doing a 60 Day PiYo Challenge (a low impact, high intensity, pilates and yoga inspired workout series created by Chalene Johnson). In order to reap the most benefits though – nutrition is going to be a HUGE factor! Over the past 2 weeks, I have made major changes in my diet including cutting back on – dining out, processed carbohydrates, and calorie-spiking beverages. I have gone back to a much more clean eating lifestyle and have made a variety of healthy meals at home. Don’t get me wrong – I have splurged a bit on the weekends (not every meal on the weekend though)! I think that’s okay because of the 80/20 rule – 80% on track and 20% splurges!

Now when I heard about Beachbody’s new 3 Day Refresh program, I was thoroughly intrigued. The testimonials claimed that the average weight loss is 3 pounds. The program is designed to allow your body to detox or “refresh” and to help you break the cycle of bad eating habits. The program also allows mild to moderate exercise, which meant I could continue to do my PiYo workouts daily! Corine had tried the program herself and was successful, so I thought, “why not?!”

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One of my biggest concerns in scheduling my refresh was whether dining out would fit in. After talking to Corine she explained that it is doable to eat out, but it’s much more preferable to eat in. Based on that, I went ahead and scheduled 3 consecutive days when I knew I could be set up for success!

Here’s a summary of what a day looks like:
Breakfast: Shakeology plus 1 fruit option

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Tea break: Unsweetened green or herbal tea (optional)

Green Tea
Mid-morning: Fiber Sweep Digestive Sweep

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Lunch: Vanilla Fresh Shake + 1 fruit + 1 veggie + 1 healthy fat

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Snack: 1 veggie option or 1 raw juice option

Green juice
Tea break: Unsweetened green or herbal tea (optional)
Dinner: Vanilla Fresh shake + 1 option from Dinner Recipes list

IMG_2654      Energizing Vegetable Soup

Another great dinner option that fits the plan is homemade Gazpacho. It’s has a blended tomato base with a bunch of freshly chopped veggies added. 

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The healthy fat comes from adding avocado. It’s a delicious and very filling dinner option!
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Tea break: Unsweetened green or herbal tea (optional)

My 3 days consisted of me following the plan, staying home as much as possible, taking time to relax (i.e. baths, reading for pleasure), and drinking LOTS of water! Please note that the Energizing Vegetable Soup is a recipe from Elaina Love. I decided to make it though because it follows the guidelines of a healthy vegetable serving plus a healthy fat (avocado).

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On day 4, when I weighed myself and took my measurements, I was elated to discover that I had lost 3.2 pounds and 3 inches in the waist, hip, and thighs area!!

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I’ve decided that it’s important for me to keep this momentum going! So on day 4, I modeled the program, but the main difference is that I consumed more calories and put back lean proteins into my diet. This includes a salad with wild caught tuna for lunch and baked miso salmon with veggies for dinner.

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I’m happy to report, that I’ve actually lost another 0.6 pounds since keeping up these good routines! The weekend is coming up so I’m prepared to enjoy a mix of splurges, clean eating, and of course Piyo workouts, and even a hike. I’m sure that over the next few weeks my average weight loss should look more like a 1-2 pounds a week instead of 1 pound lost per day, which is totally fine with me!

I highly recommend the 3 Day Refresh and I’ve already ordered another kit so that I can detox or “refresh” my body again in August! I’ve heard of others using this program as a monthly or quarterly cleanse, and I absolutely love that idea! It’s a very doable program that I think anybody can incorporate into their routine every once in a while for a refresh! 🙂

And don’t shy away if you have a 9 to 5 office type of job! There is no reason why you can’t make the meals ahead and bring your shakes with you! This 3 Day program takes all the guesswork out of your meals and makes eating as simple as possible!

If you want to know more about this program, please feel free to email me or message me on Facebook!

If you are ready to purchase the program, visit my SHOP: Health & Fitness Programs page!

What’s up with Yoga/SUP?!!

I have always been intrigued by the watersport SUP (Stand Up Paddleboarding)! Most of you know that I love yoga, so when my friend Rhiannon Ritchey (http://rhiannonsyoga.com/) told me that she teaches Yoga/SUP classes – I became outright giddy!!

It’s so hot in Phoenix right now that admittedly, this normally avid runner has been shying away from running in the heat. I have lots of friends that are keeping it going, but they wake up by 4am or 5am to do it and I’m a terrible morning person lol!

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I’ve really been filling up my exercise time with indoor activities, (i.e. yoga classes at various venues, PiYo workouts at home or strength training with gym equipment) so the idea of exercising outside right now and not collapsing from heat stroke is a thrilling concept!!

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Side note: If you want to know more about PiYo, let me know because I am a Beachbody coach!

So anyways, let me tell you more about Rhiannon! She is a 200 hour certified yoga teacher who has had a personal yoga practice for the past nine years. I had the pleasure of meeting her at Butterfly Wonderland in Scottsdale where she teaches yoga once a month on Tuesday nights (http://www.butterflywonderland.com/education-workshops-080514.html).

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It was at the Butterfly Wonderland that she informed me of the Yoga/SUP classes that she teaches on the weekends at both Tempe Town Lake and also Lake Pleasant. Lake Pleasant is much closer to me so I opted to take a class there! She is normally there on Sunday mornings from 8-10am but her class on that upcoming Sunday filled up before I could get spots for my husband and I! It all worked out though because she decided to open up a Saturday class just for us! I promptly put up a Facebook post about the Saturday class and recruited my good friend Nicole!

On Saturday morning we arrived at Lake Pleasant ready to SUP!

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The great thing about Rhiannon’s classes is that you only need yourself, a bathing suit with comfy clothes that can get wet, a water bottle, and sunblock! The SUP boards and paddles are included. She works with Go Paddle AZ to get the paddles and boards rented for everyone. Rhiannon gave a quick tutorial on how to SUP and then we were ready to go!

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When first leaving the dock, it’s best to start on the knees so that you do not accidentally fall off and hit your head!

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Once I was a safe distance, I got myself standing on the board for the very first time! And on the first try yay!

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We paddled across the lake and arrived at our yoga spot, where Rhiannon has a place for us to anchor our boards for a safe yoga experience.

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Once everyone was attached, Rhiannon got our yoga experience going!

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I snapped a few pictures of Evan and Nicole practicing their yoga!

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Here I snapped an “oops I fell in the water but it felt wonderful” selfie!

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Evan’s looking good in plank and bridge pose!

Yoga:SUP - Evan side plank

Yoga:SUP Jul 12 - Evan bridge pose

I’m feeling confident in side plank and warrior one!

Yoga:SUP Jul 12 - Kristin side plank

Yoga:Sup - Kristin in Warrior 1

 

Nicole is rocking her side plank!

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Namaste time!

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Three happy Yoga/SUP’ers!

Yoga:SUP Jul 12 - Evan, Kris, Nicole

After 2 wonderful hours of paddling, practicing yoga on the boards, and playing around in the water, we headed back to the dock!

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We truly had a blast!! Love this group!!!

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After a relaxing lunch right there at the lake, we decided to rent SUPs on our own through Go Paddle AZ and enjoy another 2 hours that afternoon on the lake!

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We even practiced some more yoga!

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Down dog!

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The Warrior series!

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Then we just had lots of fun striking poses!

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Finally by 4pm we headed out, but not before Nicole and I took a selfie!

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And did some final yoga poses!

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For more information about Rhiannon’s yoga and Yoga/SUP classes, please contact her here:

(480) 526-1207

rhiannonsyoga@gmail.com

Rhiannon’s Yoga on Facebook

Do you love yoga or SUP?! Have you tried both together?! Do you want to try it now after seeing these pictures?!! Let me know in the comments below because I LOVE hearing from YOU!! 🙂

 

 

 

Beach Run 5k!

It’s probably been over a year since I had the pleasure of running along the beach!! It was so invigorating and exciting and fun – that I just have to share it with you! 🙂

But first, let me take a selfie…or two actually!

At the start!

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And the half way point (1.55 miles)!

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My husband, Evan, and I always find it more enjoyable to spend our July 2 anniversary (8 years now!) and the 4th of July holiday in 75 degree weather instead of 110! So we escaped the Phoenix heat and drove to Dana Point, California. Dana Point is just minutes from Laguna Beach to give you a point of reference.

Dana point map

When Evan asked me if he could go meet a buddy for lunch that beautiful Thursday afternoon on the 3rd of July, lots of fun alone-time ideas came to mind!! Should I spa? Should I pool? Should I read? So many options – but then, a fantastic idea came to me that blew away the others – RUN ON THE BEACH!!  🙂

I’m so happy I made that decision because opportunities like this do not come up that often!! With my iPod and my Garmin watch ready to go, I headed to the beach, breathed in the fresh ocean air, and put foot to sand! Here’s one of my famous selfies while running! Man, I just love these! It’s definitely a skill I’m continuing to perfect! 😉

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Check out some of the beautiful views I captured! IMG_2221 IMG_2220 IMG_2223

At the half way point, I paused my Garmin and took a moment to reflect.  It just so happened that a remix of Gotye’s song, “Hearts a Mess”  (Joe Hardy 3AM Mix) starting playing on my iPod at that moment. I’m a huge fan of Gotye (considered in the Alternative genre) and the 6 minute 5 second remix of this song just seemed to create the perfect soundtrack to the moment I was having.

I’m actually listening to it as I write this post and it’s bringing the moment back to me! Seriously – chills down my spine!

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IMG_2227   There is nothing quite like having a moment alone on the beach during a run on a gorgeous day. The scene of waves crashing against the rocks, the rich greens and blues colors of the ocean, the sun shining on the water creating a crystal effect – all invoked feelings of happiness, awe, and gratitude for having the good fortune of spending time in a place like this.

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As serene as many of the moments were, this run was also like an obstacle course run which involved me trying to dodge waves, children who didn’t remotely look where they were going, giant tangles of seaweed, flying frisbees, people flinging sand for their sand castles, ping pong balls and boogie boards – but all in all it was a BLAST!!!  Another great thing about the run – I didn’t care at all what my time was! How can you really compare road running to battling sand and other obstacles right?! Sometimes you have to put pacing aside and go with the flow!!

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Oh something to remember for the future – I probably should have worn an older pair of running shoes. I’ve rinsed my shoes off many times but I still CANNOT get all the sand out LOL! And every time I wear the shoes now whatever socks I wear became covered in bits of sand! Oops – run on the beach, get wet right?!

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So tell me – where are YOUR favorite places to run?!! Treadmill? Trails? Beach? Road? Desert? Forest? Your own neighborhood? I’d love to hear from YOU!! 🙂 🙂 🙂

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