What are Your Numbers?

What are Your Numbers?

When you begin your health journey, there are a few variables that you need to consider as you get started. You'll want to know your numbers: (BMR (base metabolic rate), how many calories your burn during your workouts, how many calories you consume, etc.). Nutrition is really essential to your health journey, as it accounts for 80% of your results! Yes, that's right, 80%.

What you eat and how much you eat play a big role. Calories are key! You can track what you eat with a notebook, or you can use an app on your phone, whatever works for you.

One app I love in particular is the My Fitness Pal app (or you can use the website on your computer). I love this app, because it tracks my calories, & the app has a database of a variety of foods (and drinks), plus the option to add your own recipes, & scan the barcodes on food packages for access to the nutrition label inserted directly into your phone.

Don't cheat yourself! Keep track of EVERY bite (and drink with calories) that you put into your body. Samples, crust from little Tommy's pb&j, etc.. Record 'em!

Calories in vs. Calories out

Also, the My Fitness Pal app has a list of physical activities that you can plug in how long you did a specific activity for & it will tell you (approximately) how many calories you burned. The app calculates your calories for you.

OR, if you are like me and mostly do at home fitness programs, you can invest in a heart rate monitor to find out your calories burned during your workouts. Then, you can 'create your own workout' on the My Fitness Pal app, plug in your workout length + how many calories you burned, and it will calculate the calories.

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Facebook: Sarah's Drive

For Mother's Day last year, my husband bought me a 60beat BLUE Heart Monitor. I've used it multiple times to track the intensity of my runs (I've done a lot of hill running), and my at home workouts. I've also purchased another monitor from Polar, for the ease of hand less monitoring, since it comes with a watch (instead of having to tote my phone for the toggle with the 60beat BLUE Monitor).

Track 'EM!

For awhile now, I've been tracking my calories burned during my at home fitness program workouts. I've decided to post them here! I'm an independent Team Beachbody coach, & love the products because they really do work. There is such a wide variety of workouts, & something for just about everyone!

I've heard some people say they don't think you can get an intense enough workout with an at home fitness program, but I know they are wrong, because I've had great success with at home fitness programs. You can read my transformation story here.

Plus, with at home fitness programs, you can get a really well-rounded workout in (cardio, strength training, and flexibility). The intensity of the Beachbody programs (and with just about any program you do) depends on how hard YOU work, and how badly YOU want results. You can always push yourself a little bit more, use a little (or a lot, but please be careful) heavier weights, go a little bit longer, etc.

The information I provide below about my calorie tracking will probably vary from person to person. I am 5' 2" & weigh around 120 pounds, to give you some background when comparing. You can do a little research on the Internet, if you want to be more accurate for your own tracking. You can purchase your own heart monitor for a relatively inexpensive price.

Also, muscle that you are building during your workouts will actually burn more calories in the long run, than what was recorded by your monitor. I can't give you an estimate for how many more calories that is, but just remember that!

The first program I started keeping track of my calories with a heart rate monitor was with Beachbody's P90X3.

P90X3 is from Tony Horton, and is full of variety included in 16 unique 30 minute work outs. P90X3 is not a graduate program for P90X, and is a great program for those with busy schedules, beginners (since there are modifiers for every move to help you gradually work your way up), & those who like the P90X workouts.

You'll need a few different tools to complete a majority of the workouts. You can use resistance bands in place of hand weights &/or a chin-up bar, a yoga mat, & some 'springy' shoes (Tony recommends court shoes over running shoes, since you will be doing some higher impact moves).

Calories Burned During P90X3

Total Synergistics
Minutes Performed: 31
Calories Burned: 336

 CVX
Minutes Performed: 33
Calories Burned: 437

Agility X
Minutes Performed: 33
Calories Burned: 417

Triometrics
Minutes Performed: 34
Calories Burned: 403

Pilates X
Minutes Performed: 30
Calories Burned: 266
 
X3 Yoga
Minutes Performed: 30
Calories Burned: 191

Incinerator
Minutes Performed: 32
Calories Burned: 316

The Challenge
Minutes Performed: 31
Calories Burned: 272

MMX
Minutes Performed: 33
Calories Burned: 423

The Warrior
Minutes Performed: 30
Calories Burned: 328

Isometrix
Minutes Performed: 30
Calories Burned: 286
 
Dynamix
Minutes Performed: 30
Calories Burned: 290

Decelerator
Minutes Performed: 31
Calories Burned: 318

Accelerator
Minutes Performed: 31
Calories Burned: 370

Eccentric Upper
Minutes Performed: 30
Calories Burned: 297

Eccentric Lower
Minutes Performed: 31
Calories Burned: 316

PiYo is a low-to-no impact workout from Chalene Johnson. It is designed with just about everyone in mind. If you are a beginner, this program is a great way to get started, plus, as with many of the other Beachbody workouts, there is a modifier to help ease you into the moves. Also, if you're into more advanced workouts, PiYo will help your overall fitness, as it increases your flexibility. If you've had an injury, this program is a great way to get you back into working out! Plus, there is no equipment needed!

Calories Burned During PiYo
 
Align: The Fundamentals
Minutes Performed:42
Calories Burned:348

Define: Lower Body
Minutes Performed:27
Calories Burned: 253

Define: Upper Body
Minutes Performed:20
Calories Burned: 175

Sweat
Minutes Performed: 37
Calories Burned: 391

Core
Minutes Performed: 31
Calories Burned: 279

Buns
Minutes Performed:29
Calories Burned: 320

Strength Intervals
Minutes Performed:23
Calories Burned: 272

Drench
Minutes Performed:44
Calories Burned: 642

Sculpt
Minutes Performed: 30
Calories Burned: 301

Stay tuned, because in the future I will add more programs to my blog. I'm in the process of completing Les Mills Combat. I love love love this program! Talk about a non surgical butt lift, for sure!!!

P90X & Team Beachbody, Another "Family"

P90X & Team Beachbody, Another "Family"

The Beachbody Challenge

In April 2013, I saw a post that a gal from the women's group at church had posted in our group on Facebook. She had announced her upcoming fitness challenge group, and invited us to join her to work out for 60 days. I got curious, so I sent her a message asking for more information. She sent me a video with more information about the challenge, which happened to be the Beachbody Challenge. The Beachbody Challenge calls for the participant to use a Beachbody fitness program, such as, for example, P90X, Insanity, or Brazil Butt Lift. The participant enters his/her statistics, which include beginning and ending weight and measurements, and a before and after photo in order to receive a free T-shirt, and get entered for a chance to win cash prizes. I got excited, but wasn't sure if I was ready to commit. But, my husband gave me the go-ahead to pick out a challenge pack, and let the gal who had contacted me, and who also turned out to be a Beachbody coach, know that I wanted to join her challenge group. Then, the only challenge before the actual fitness challenge began, was to decide which fitness program I wanted to do.

I'd heard of P90X, Insanity, and Brazil Butt Lift, but had never pictured myself using any of these fitness programs. I'd seen the infomercials, but had never had another thought about them. In the past, I'd purchased a few Jillian Michaels's work out programs, and I'd done some other random work out routines, such as running (or trying to) at least once per week, and other little monthly fitness "challenges" that my husband's cousin had hosted. We'd done 30 days of burpees, where we ended with doing 100 burpees! We also did challenges that incorporated a variety of moves to tone different areas, but none of them really did enough. I knew, and my husband assured me, that I could be consistent with a Beachbody program, because I was already motivated with his cousin's "challenges" I'd been involved in for the previous couple of months.

P90X

It was hard for me to decide on a fitness program for the Beachbody challenge, and I'm kinda a tight wad when it comes to spending, especially when I buy things for myself! My husband told me that if I couldn't decide, then he would decide for me (because he planned on using the program eventually, and I wanted his input, too). Well, I wasn't able to decide, so he picked P90X, and we went ahead and ordered the challenge pack. When the challenge pack was delivered, I still had a few days before the challenge was to begin. I was excited and nervous all at the same time! I wasn't sure what to expect, and was curious to see if I would be able to make it through any of the moves. After all, P90X is known for how intense it is. The program incorporates muscle confusion, including pull-ups, push-ups, yoga, and plyometrics, to name a few.

When the day the challenge was to begin arrived, I was ready! I took my before photos, weighed myself and set a goal weight, and set up my work out schedule via my Team Beachbody account. I checked in with my fitness challenge group and my coach via our private Facebook group. Having someone to be accountable to, and to talk about my struggles and my successes helped me so much! It gave me the motivation to keep working out, and drinking my Shakeology almost every day. The first few times I drank Shakeology, I didn't like it, I have to admit! I had gotten the Tropical Strawberry flavor, which I have actually now grown to love, and I had mixed it with soy milk. I talked to my coach, and she recommended I try it with almond milk, almond butter, and a dash of maple syrup. This combination of ingredients was actually one of the recipes that was on the calendar I received with my Shakeology, but, remember, I'm a tight wad, and didn't want to purchase extra ingredients before I actually ran out of perfectly usable ingredients! I did try the combination that my coach recommended, and it was delicious! Now days, I usually blend Tropical Strawberry with about 20 ounces of water, a banana, a scoop of peanut butter, and a tablespoon of chia seeds.

Team Beachbody Coach

About a month after I'd purchased my challenge pack, my coach sent me a message about the coaching opportunity. I was hesitant, at first, but it sounded interesting. I watched the video about coaching that she sent me, and I got excited about the possibilities! The coach speaking in the video told her story about how she became a coach, and even though she lived in a small town, and was not a very social person, within a year she was making thousands of dollars a month just being a Beachbody coach! Since then, I've heard of numerous stories about coaches, some that I know personally, who have been able to quit their jobs to become full-time coaches. The main reason for success as a Beachbody coach is the amount of people you build trust with, guide, motivate, hold accountable, and inspire to change their lives, and take their health into their hands. We want to know about goals, and what others are doing for their health, and desire to help them achieve success! It's taken months of hard work to "work the business," as we call it, but it's worth it to see lives changed!

My Transformation Story

About two months into P90X, which was the end of my challenge group with my coach, and about a month after becoming a coach myself, I began to map out my transformation story. I wanted to show others what fitness, nutrition, and Beachbody had done for me. I sorted through the pictures from our camera and cam across some pictures from summer 2012. Have you ever had one of those moments that become a sort of wake up call? I had one of those moments while looking at those pictures! I began thinking about what my weight had been during that summer, and realized that I had weighed, on average, about 150 pounds. I have never really struggled with my weight, nor had I felt large at the time, even though I now know that I was the largest I'd been in my life, and even close to the same weight I was while pregnant with my son! I'd had my son four years prior to that summer, so he wasn't the cause for my weight. I look back, and realize that the working out that I'd been doing prior to that summer weren't doing enough, and I probably wasn't eating very well, either. 150 pounds may not seem large to you, but for someone who is only five foot, two inches, I was overweight. My husband never said a thing about my weight during that summer, but when we both saw my picture, we uttered the word "chubby."

I know that weight and outward appearances do not define who a person is, but I also know that with extra weight, and unhealthy eating habits, I wasn't who I wanted to be. I also didn't have enough energy to keep up with the things that I needed to be doing; the responsibilities of a wife, a mother, and a student. I remember constantly taking naps, having back aches, constipation, and frequent migraines. I didn't realize that my weight was probably the culprit for my ailments, until I looked at that picture, then compared it to how I looked after P90X, and now over a year and a half later. Since that summer, I am down four pant sizes, and I have lost more than forty pounds. With P90X, I lost over 9 inches over my body, and lost over fifteen pounds. After P90X, I decided to try out Focus T25, which had just come out around the time I finished P90X. I've since then completed Focus T25, and started P90X2, but have now included the new P90X3 into my workout routine.

Summer 2012 vs Summer 2013

Team Beachbody, Another "Family"


Since becoming a coach, I've found a wonderful passion, not only in working out and creating a healthier lifestyle for my family, but also in helping others realize how important their health is, too! The other coaches I work with desire to help others so much, including helping fellow Beachbody coaches, that recently I've come to know some of them as family.My coach has especially been someone I've grown close to. She has motivated me to keep striving and to keep being consistent. She has encouraged me to set goals that are big and scary, but she has always helped me to acquire the tools that I need to be able to achieve those goals! She has prepared me with the tools not only to grow my business, but to grow my self. Other coaches have inspired me to work harder, and smarter, by providing me with tools and tips that they have found success with, but they have also inspired me with their own personal achievements. We share our goals and our successes. We also share our struggles and downfalls, which has helped us to grow as coaches and individuals as we offer encouragement and support to each other.

It has taken a good deal of mistakes, hard work, and disappointments to get to where I am today as an emerald Beachbody coach, but it has been worth it! I love sharing about what Beachbody has done for me and my family, and learning about what it has done for others. I don't have an awesome body (yet), nor do I have the most disciplined work out routine, or nutrition regime, but Shakeology provides me my healthiest meal, and I feel so much better than before I was sent that message by my coach, and before I began my first fitness challenge. I love to hear about the goals that others set, and strive to motivate them to map out a plan that will get them to success! This month, I began the first free clean eating challenge that I'm hosting on my own. The previous challenges that I've hosted, I've co-hosted with my coach, so the clean eating challenge is a new adventure! I have plans for hosting another one next month, as well as a Beachbody challenge. These groups and the members are so awesome and unique; as I learn about each member, their goals, and what I can learn from them to become a better coach!

I would love to hear your story! What goals do you have? And how can we work together to get you to your goals?

January 3, 2014

An Introduction to my Journey as a Sailor, Mother of a Type 1 Diabetic, Student, and a Team Beachbody Coach

An Introduction...

Military Life

My dad was in the army, and later on joined the airforce, so I grew up moving around a lot. Before I turned seven, our family had moved at least four times, and three of those were out of state moves! We ended up moving two more times before we settled in southern Idaho, where I eventually graduated from high school, joined the airforce for a short stint, but, after a few months, found the navy to be a more desirable choice. Knowing what I know now, five years after being discharged, I'm not sure if I would decide to join again. It was an adventure, for sure, but it was a very tumultuous time of my life, to say the least. On the other hand, if I hadn't joined the navy, I wouldn't have met my husband, and we wouldn't have had our wonderful son, Isaac. In the coming posts, I'll talk more about the navy and my experiences aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.

Alaska Wedding

Shortly after being discharged from the navy, my soon-to-be husband, our nine-month-old son, and my mom and day jumped on a ferry that was bound for Sitka, Alaska. The majority of my husband's family hails there, and what a beautiful place it is! It was my mom's idea for us to get married on our Christmas time visit up to Alaska, and boy was it an adventure! Prior to our trip, while booking the tickets, I had mistakenly chosen a trip that required us to spend a night on an island, and board another ferry the next morning. My mom has fond memories of that leg of the trip, but because it was my mistake that ended up costing us more money, I don't have such fond memories. Also, I'd mistakenly gotten us cabins (on both ferries) with only one bunk, so the five of us had to sleep two (three, with our son) to each twin bunk! Oops! There were quite a few memories made during our passage to Sitka, and I'll post further about this adventure later on. As the title implies, this is just an introduction ;) We were married on a tour boat the day after Christmas, and two days ago we celebrated our five-year anniversary.

Seascape themed wedding cake made by my mom

Moving Back to Idaho

My husband and I moved to southern Idaho from Everett, Washington in January 2009, so that we could begin attending college, and have a place to live (my mom and dad's house) while we got our feet on the ground. The move was adventurous to say the least! My husband was horribly sick, so I drove much of the 20+-hour trip through snow, ice, and deer infested conditions, while his older sister drove the moving van. We made it safely, and have lived in Idaho ever since, although we've moved two times since. We love it here in Idaho, but don't know how long we plan on staying. Whatever God's will is for us; that's what we'll do, and where we'll go after I graduate with my degree in secondary education. I want to teach middle school science, and we've thought about moving back to Washington or up to Alaska, but we'll see after about eight more classes, and about three, or so, more semesters of college.

D-Mom (The Beginning of My Journey as the Mom of a Type 1 Diabetic)

On September 20, 2012, our son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. In the months leading up to our son's diagnosis, we hadn't suspected that there was anything wrong with Isaac. Although he had always been on the lowest end of the growth scale. His first doctor, after Isaac was born, had even informed us that we would need to see a nutritionist, because he was concerned about Isaac's weight, and overall growth. But, as the years went on, Isaac remained in the lower regions of the growth scale, and when many kids his age were already past the thirty-pound mark, we were still dressing Isaac in two-year-old clothes at the age of four! By the time he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, he was actually beginning to lose weight. We became even more concerned after his daycare provider brought to our attention the degree of thirst that our son was exhibiting. By law, she wasn't supposed to tell us that we should go to a doctor, but she did hint at the possibility of something being wrong. Isaac also had other symptoms that were pointing us to the possibility of type 1 diabetes, and we found that out after a short stint in the doctor's office that morning of September 20, and about thirty-one hours in the hospital.

Isaac and his insulin pump

Team Beachbody Coach

In addition to being a wife, mom, and student, I chose to become a Team Beachbody coach in May 2013. I've never really struggled with my weight, although I am conscious about it, as I know that many others are! By struggling with weight, I mean constantly watching and trying to maintain it. But, this summer 2013 I was shocked when I saw pictures of what I looked like the previous summer! I thought back to what I remembered my weight being, and realized that I had weighed thirty pounds more that previous summer! Since that summer, I have done a variety of workout regimes, but none of them have inspired me to continue working with them, until Beachbody. Some companies try to create a facade that quick fixes are healthy and great. Sure, they may seem harmless and great at the time, but are they really harmless? How about inexpensive? I don't want to knock on other companies here; I don't know much extensively about other companies, but I know that Beachbody will speak for itself, as I relate my experiences with it. I can begin by saying that I love being a part of this company! I love that I can not only become a healthier me, but I can also be a positive influence to my family, friends, and others that I come in contact with. I desire to help others, and even though I initially joined Beachbody to receive the discount on my Shakeology, I eventually wanted to begin to grow my business and help others. If you want to begin your journey to a healthier you, or if you want to contribute your successes, or your own advice, please feel free to comment. You can also browse, or contact me, through my website, which is linked to the Team Beachbody Coach heading, and you can follow me on Facebook as Sarah's Drive.

It's nice to have a workout buddy!

Purpose

With this blog, I hope to provide entertainment, inspiration, information, and a place to talk about experiences that, among other emotions, make us laugh, make us cry, and place a desire in our hearts to grow and help others! I want to post at least once per week, and would love to hear from you about what you would like to see more, or less of during the coming weeks, months, and, I hope, years! Thank you, in advance, for coming along this recap, and continuation of my (and what, I hope, becomes "our") journey!