How to get started with fitness

If you haven’t exercised or tried to eat clean in a while (or ever!), Day 1 of a 30, 60, or 90-day fitness and nutrition program can feel intimidating.

It doesn’t have to be. Here are several small things you can do to get started. With these simple tips, you can begin to prepare your body and mind for a healthier lifestyle before you even break a sweat or eat your first green vegetable. Though you could snack on some snap peas while reading this article…

Figure Out How Many Calories You Should Eat
Knowing is half the battle, right? Use this simple method to determine approximately how many calories you should try to eat each day, or consult your fitness program’s nutrition guide, and begin to make small adjustments to reach that daily goal. Using a nutrition tracker like MyFitnessPal can be extremely useful in helping you figure out how many calories are in the foods you eat and where you’re overindulging.

Stretch
Get those muscles ready to move. If you haven’t used them in a while, do some gentle stretching to wake them up and get familiar with the current limits of your flexibility. Knowing where you’re tight can help prevent injury. Try these stretches to improve hip and lower back flexibility so you’ll be ready to move comfortably in workouts.

Start to Move More
Even if you’re not Pushing Play yet, you can begin to make an effort to move your body more every day. Take a walk, stand (or do squats!) when you talk on the phone, take the stairs, park a little farther away from your destination, stretch during television commercials, rearrange the furniture in your living room. What suggestions do you have for adding gentle movement to your day? Share your ideas in the comments.

Drink Water
Being dehydrated can make you sore even if you don’t exercise. Set yourself up for success, and minimize initial muscle soreness, by drinking plenty of water in the days leading up to the start of your fitness program. Get in the habit of drinking enough water every day. Read this article to find out how much water you need and get tips to help you drink enough.

Throw Away Junk Food
Empty your desk, cupboards, fridge, freezer, car, and secret snack stash drawer of foods and drinks you know you shouldn’t be eating. If you want to reach your fitness goal, prevent temptation by removing junk food from your house. If the packaged foods are unopened, donate them. We know you spent good money on those Ding Dongs and Doritos, but they are doing the opposite of helping you reach your health and fitness goals. If throwing them away seems like a daunting task, try these 6 tips to kick your junk food habit.

Build a Healthy Pantry
Now that you’ve eliminated the processed junk food from your home, replace it with good-for-you staples that will help you create healthy meals every day. Here is a list of 17 pantry essentials to get you started.

Set Up Your Work Out Space
This could be as easy as moving the coffee table in your living room, or as elaborate as setting up a dedicated gym in your garage or basement. You won’t need much space to exercise, but it’s a good idea to figure out where you’ll do it and make the space usable and inviting for the workouts you’ll be doing.

Plan an Outing that Involves Exercise
A great way to get into the spirit of exercise before you actually commit to a fitness program is to plan activities with friends that get you moving. Invite friends or family for a hike, go ice skating, or organize a softball or flag-football game.

Find Your Reason Why
In this video, Tony Horton says, “If you’re really caught up in the numbers on the scale, or the dress size, and what’s happening with the tape measure, chances are that does’t really motivate or inspire you. Find a new purpose. Find a new reason why. The reason why has got to be so powerful, so strong that you’re not going to quit, you’re not going to fail, and you’re going to be consistent, and show up 5-7 days a week for the rest of your life.” Watch the whole video here to find out Tony’s “Reasons Why.” What’s your Reason Why?

Build a Support System
Getting fit doesn’t have to be something you do alone! Announce your commitment to get healthier and stronger to your friends, family, and coworkers. Start or join a Challenge Group, join a Facebook group, or recruit workout buddies and accountability partners to help you stay motivated when your resolve starts to slip or you feel tempted to make unhealthy choices.

Make Time in Your Schedule
Figure out when you’ll fit exercise into your daily schedule and begin to make adjustments to reserve that time slot every day. Will you work out in the morning? During your lunch break? In the evenings? Schedule exercise time in your calendar and commit to it as an important meeting with yourself. You wouldn’t skip a meeting with your boss just because you feel tired or grumpy, would you? No, you’d be there on time with a smile on your face and do your best to impress.

Lose a Few Pounds Before You Start Exercising
Kickstart weight loss and learn healthy eating habits with 3-Day Refresh. Find out more here.

It’s OK to Start Slowly
You don’t have to Push Play and go full speed on the first day. If you’ve been spending the last few months or years sitting on the couch, just do what you can. It’s OK to start with a few minutes of exercise and work your way up to a full workout. Five or ten minutes of exercise a day is better than no minutes. Try to add one minute each day until you can do a full workout. In his article, 5 Steps to Avoid Muscle Soreness, our fitness expert Steve Edwards said, “It’s very tempting to begin an exercise program with a lot of enthusiasm, but try your best to go at a reasonable pace. If you’ve never exercised, or it’s been a long time since you have, go much easier than you feel you are capable of on Day 1 and ramp things up at a pace that is based on how you feel. If you’re not sore, go a little harder the next day. If you’re a little sore, take it down a notch.”

Blog post courtesy of http://www.teambeachbody.com/teambeachbodyblog/fitness/how-to-get-started-with-fitness

Nicole McDuffie

Independent Beachbody Coach

Harvest your Hottie for Fall

How do you feel when you have accomplished something that you consider TOUGH?

These are the women I am looking for:

The ladies who think think that weight loss or confidence in their own skin is a very distant concept. The ones who think they have to feel uncomfortable forever because they “just can’t lose weight.”

I’m looking for them because I USE TO BE THEM!

Are you someone who would feel PROUD of YOURSELF if you were to drop 10-15 lbs? It is really not about the actual pounds as it is about you FEEL at your CURRENT weight---because you just don't feel good. 

Can you relate?

You need to join me in my November 3rd Challenge. Seriously. You do.

I was VERY doubtful that a HOME workout program would make me lose the inches I lost and more so I was doubtful that the stubborn number on the scale would move. BUT 21 days later- it did! It can be done. 

21 Day FIX is my VERY favorite program. WHY? It is short and sweet. You eat normal food. There is no confusion on what to eat with this program. You don't have to spend hours of prep time. It is SO simple. It is fun, especially when you combine it with a group of ladies doing the exact SAME thing! 

There are many other programs we can choose from for you too if you would rather do something different. No matter what program you choose, you will have one on one support with me, a FUN, private group to be a part of for constant support and motivation, nutrition tips and meal ideas, and you will tone, tighten, and lose weight before the holiday pictures. 

I am only accepting TEN women this time. 

We are starting on NOVEMBER 3rd… last day to get committed is October 29… so lets get you all set up!

The Holidays are right around the corner and we want to Harvest your Inner Hottie! So I am only taking the 10 most serious ladies! 

I want to use your before and better yet your AFTER pictures right here on my blog to encourage other women! 

Real Results from my last group!

Apply here to be a part of this group!

http://

Nicole McDuffie

Independent Beachbody Coach

Clean Eating Sweet Potato Pancakes

I have come to find out that I am loving cooking lately! I love coming up with new ideas for my family, especially breakfast foods. I am so over the sugary cereal. This morning I had a left over sweet potato and I had seen recipes online for sweet potato pancakes. I decided that I wanted to try it this morning. These can also be used if you are on the 21 Day Fix or following a Paleo diet.

Ingredients:

1 small sweet potato
2 eggs
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1-2 tsp cinnamon
A dash of nutmeg (optional)

Optional Toppings:
Maple syrup (be careful because if you use to much it has a lot of sugar in it)
Coconut butter
2 tsp honey

Mix all of these ingredients together in a bowl. I cooked mine on a skillet griddle and was able to make 4 small pancakes out of this mixture. Because these are easy to burn cook on medium heat and it takes a little longer to cook because it is a sweet potato.

My final thoughts:

These were much tastier then I thought that they would be! I really liked them and because there is protein and a powerhouse of nutrients from the sweet potato my hunger has been kept at bay.

21 Day Fixers:
1 red, 1 yellow, 1/4 purple

Nicole McDuffie
Independent Beachbody Coach

T25 and PiYo hybrid

I am just completing week 3 of the T25 and PiYo hybrid that I have been doing. I am doing this combined with the 21 Day Fix food plan and Shakeology daily, and I am seeing some great results. I talked earlier this week about our move and having some depression from that. Along with that has come weight gain of 10 lbs, so I wasn't feeling the best about myself and feeling frustrated!


I am happy to announce that I lost 4 of those 10 lbs, and I am feeling SO much better about myself. My energy level is up and my stomach is no longer bloated and feeling icky! I am posting the hybrid calendar that I have been following in case you are interested in doing the same hybrid. If you need extra support and accountability I would love to help you through them!

Click here to fill out an application and I will contact you within 24 hours.

Tips for Moms Trying to Lose Weight

When I had my first child, no one told me what to expect after I had her. I guess I was naïve in thinking that everything on my body would go back to normal! I vividly remember standing in front of the mirror with breast pads in, looking at myself and crying because I couldn’t believe that this was how was going to look from now on. I had never exercised or ate right so I had NO idea where to start! BUT I knew I had to do something because between trying to juggle a newborn and sleep I just felt so depressed over my weight and my new body!

It is so hard to balance your new baby (or toddler) and weight, diet, and exercise! It is scary to get started because what if you fail, or what if you don't know how? There are so many what ifs. One thing I know for sure is, is that if you don't start you will never know what could be. So here are some tips I have figured out along the way to getting fit post kids. 

1.        Get an accountability buddy who will help to keep you motivated and keep you accountable to your diet and exercise. Get several buddies if you need them. If you are feeling like you want a cookie, text them and tell them and let them talk you out of it! This seriously works the best out of all my other tips. If I know someone is counting on me to be accountable then I am more likely to do it. I also treat it like a competition! I don’t want to break before anyone else, so I will keep going!

2.       If you need something sweet, make a healthier version of those desserts. There are tons and tons of recipes out there now. Pintrest is a great place to start, just type in clean eating desserts. That doesn’t mean that you can go crazy and have the whole pan. Remember to keep it small, but you won’t be eating bleached flour and refined sugar! 

3.       Get ALL of the junk out of your house. Yes, this means your special stash of stuff too! When you make the decision to lose weight this is a necessity. If it isn’t there then you can’t eat it. Replace all of the junk food with nutritious foods. So that way when you go to the refrigerator or the cabinet for a snack the only options are healthy foods. Some options are fresh fruit, veggies, low-fat popcorn, string cheese, etc.

4.       Schedule your workouts. This is so important so that way you don’t make excuses! Find what works for your schedule and your new baby. Also, try and remember that you are human. If you miss a workout it won’t kill you as long as you are working out 3 or more times a week you will benefit from it!

5.        Find an exercise that you love and run with it. There is so much variety out there to choose from that you can find something that will work for you. Exercise classes such as Zumba or TurboKick, in home DVDs, boot camps, or the gym. Find something that you love and you will never dread it.

6.       Find somewhere that you can take Mommy and baby fitness classes and then you don’t have the excuse of no babysitter.

7.        Journal everything you eat. If you bite, then write it because sometimes you just really need to see how much you are putting into your mouth so that you can realize how much you are eating. For me I grazed a lot all day long! Once I realized this through putting it into myfitnesspal I was able to nip the habit in the bud!

8.       Plan a cheat meal and a treat each week. This doesn’t mean 2000 calories at one meal or making the whole day a cheat day because you don’t want to undo a whole week worth of doing good! If you completely deny yourself you are more likely to fail then if you allow yourself to indulge once a week.

9.       Don’t reduce your calories too much. We have been led to believe that we need to workout more and eat less. That is really not the way to go. Your body needs calories especially if you are working out. You need a minimum of 1200 calories if you are just sitting around all day. So you want to aim for 1500-1800 of good nutritious calories each day. There is absolutely no reason to starve while trying to lose weight. If you eat nutritiously you will find that the weight comes off and you will not be starving!

If you are a mom new or old and are looking to lose weight, follow these tips outline above. If you need any help doing it please feel free to email me at fitnic13@aol.com as my coaching is always free!

Nicole McDuffie

Idependent Beachbody Coach

21 Day Fix Workouts

What are the workouts of the 21 Day Fix like?    

 The workouts of the 21 Day Fix are pretty amazing! I had heard that these were simple exercises that beginners to experts in fitness could do and get results. So I wasn't sure what to expect. All I can say is WOWZERS! These are some serious workouts. I don't want that to scare you from trying them because there is also an amazing modifier that you can follow. None of them are to advanced either that beginners cannot do. All workouts are only 30 minutes too! How amazing is that because everyone has 30 minutes to give to a workout!

Day 1 is Total Body Fix. This is exactly what it sounds like. You work your whole body from the upper, lower, and core. It is a great workout using light and heavy weights. I woke up with some sore legs the next day! It made me smile because it has been a while since I really felt this burn from a workout.

Day 2 is Upper Fix. This workout works on your arms and your core. She mixes it up so your arms are not so tired that you can't go on to the next workout. You work your bis, lats, triceps, and core. It really helped to alleviate that muscle soreness from day 1. 

Day 3 is Lower Fix.  Oh my GOODNESS! This workout was killa! It really worked those legs in a great way. I am smiling because I love sexy legs and this is going to help me out! Also, it is going to lift that bootay! 

Day 4 is Pilates it works the core, butt,  hips, and thighs. There are lots of planks and elongating of the muscles. This is one of my favorite workouts because you definitely work up a sweat, but in a non cardio way that makes you feel refreshed and ready for the rest of the week! The stretch is amazing!

Day 5 Cardio Fix is just pure cardio. No weights are needed for this workout. It is  a heart pounding, sweat inducing great workout! 

Day 6 is the Dirty 30.  This workout is one of my favorites of the all of them. It is another cardio workout mixed with strength training. Some older exercises mixed with some new ones! I love the oblique work in this one! 

Day 7 is the Yoga Fix. This workout will help with balance, flexibility, and strength, while also increasing circulation and speeding the healing of your muscles. I have always been fascinated with yoga and want to do more of it. I love how you feel like you are getting in a good workout by connecting with your body, breathing, and stretching. Afterwards I feel SO relaxed. 

      What do you need for this workout?  A set of light weights and a set of heavy weights or resistance bands. This totally depends on your own fitness level. If you are a beginner you can do no weights and 3lbs, of 2lbs and 5 lbs. I personally use a range from 5lbs-15lbs. So it is totally up to you and your fitness level. If you have questions about it please feel free to send me an email at fitnic13@aol.com. The best thing about this program is that you can do it as many times as you need to reach your goal! 

     My results were down 6lbs and 3 inches all over. I was super ecstatic with these results and have never felt leaner in my life. My clients in my test group got better results then me. My 66 year old Mom lost 10 lbs and 14 inches all over. Cassandra lost 21 inches and 4 lbs. John lost 14 lbs. These are just some of the success stories that have come out of my test group for the program the 21 Day Fix. Do you want in on this revolutionary program? Fill out this application below and I will contact you asap. 



Nicole McDuffie
Independent Beachbody Coach

21 Day Fix Food Plan

21 Day Fix Food Plan:

The program was super easy to follow. All of the food is laid out for you in an easy to follow nutrition guide. The program comes with portion control bowls that are microwave and dishwasher safe. If food from each category fits in the bowl then you can eat it.

When I received my program, I read the guide cover to cover! That way I could understand the plan and what I needed to do to prepare myself for the program. Your container allowances is based on a formula in the plan, and with that calculation you choose your calorie range. From there the plan tells you how many of each container you can have for a day of food.

For me, I was in the 1200-1499 calorie range. That gave me 3 green (veggies), 2 purple (fruits), 4 red (protein), 2 yellow (carbs), 1 blue (seeds, etc), 1 orange (nuts and dressings), and 2 spoons (nut butters, olive oil, coconut oil, etc).

From there the containers are broken down in the guide as to what foods are allowed for each category so that ALL of the guesswork is taken out of this. It is so easy to make a meal plan from here because you can look at your daily container allowance and the foods allowed and make out your meals for the day. The foods listed will give you a variety of nutrients for your body.

One sample day for me:

Breakfast: One egg, 2 pieces of turkey bacon (1 red), 1/2 banana (1 purple)
Snack: Shakeology and water (1 red)
Lunch: One can of tuna fish, mustard, one 10 inch whole grain wrap, one green container of cucumbers and 10 baby carrots (1 red, 2 greens, 1 yellow)
Snack: Apple and peanut butter (1 purple, 1 spoonful)
Dinner: Baked chicken w/olive oil and Mrs. Dash seasoning, broccoli, sweet potato, salad with tomatoes. (1 red, 2 green, 1 yellow, 1 spoon)
Snack: 10 olives (orange) 12 whole, raw almonds (Blue)

Equals: 4 greens, 4 reds, 2 purple, 2 yellow, 1 orange, 1 blue, and 2 spoons

I didn't eat out of the containers, but I did measure out of the containers and then pour onto my plate. When initially looking at the containers, I was a little discouraged because I was thinking that it wasn't going to be enough food and that I would be hungry. No one wants to be hungry because that is miserable! Well I was very surprised with the containers when you measure out food and pour it onto your plate because it is a lot more food then it looks like!

You are allowed to have milk, almond milk, 21 Day Fix treats (there are some awesome treat recipes in the guide) or even wine up to 3 times a week. However, it will replace one of your yellow containers. For me, I did have a treat a couple of times a week, but I never replaced one of my food with a liquid. I would much rather eat something then to drink something!

One more awesome thing about this program is that there is also a great restaurant guide as well. Because when we get real with life does sometimes get in the way and you are forced to eat out, with this you won't be ruining your diet. The guide gives you certain items like cheese pizza and how much you can have and what containers it corresponds with. For cheese pizza you can have 1/4 of a 12 inch pizza and it counts as 2 yellows and 1 orange!

Beachbody made it really easy to keep track of all your containers for the day with an awesome tally sheet. You can print these off and use them to keep track. At the top of the sheets you mark your allowance for each container and then with each meal you just tally up how many you have had of each container. It is easy and a great visual to keep you on track for the day!

Tracking Sheets

I planned all of my meals for each week. This made it super easy to follow the plan because I had each day planned out and knew what I could have. I also always made enough supper that I could leftovers the next day. If I knew I was going to be out for the day I packed all of my meals and/or snacks to go with me so I wasn't stuck not being able to eat something I wasn't supposed too. By planning out my meals I wasn't stuck at dinner time wondering what I would cook for my family and then opting to eat out. I had a plan and I stuck with it.

Speaking of family, I made all my meals according to what my family like and what we could eat with the meal plan. My family was never deprived either and I made lots of kid friendly and 21 Day Fix friendly meals! So you can do this program with kids or without kids! In my case, I have kids and was able to work this around to fit all of us. They never complained!

The good thing about this program is that I learned to eat more vegetables. I am a healthy eater, but I am not a vegetable lover. I did opt for fresh veggies most of the time over steam or cooked ones,and that is totally okay! I learned that I didn't eat as healthy as I thought. So the 21 Day Fix really opened my eyes to the fact that I wasn't always eating as healthy as I thought!

The 21 Day Fix is geared toward fast results, but we don't want you to stop at the end of 21 days. It is a life long program that you can follow. What happens at the end of 21 days is that you actually add in more calories (which means upping your containers). In my case it was another yellow, another purple, and two more spoons. Because you do not want to keep with low calories for long as you can actually hurt your results in the long run. You will still get results with the higher calorie count too!

It takes 21 days to break a habit. If you stick with this program and eat like you are supposed too, you WILL get results! I was never tempted to indulge in food that was allowed on the plan because I wanted to get results and was laser focused. I also never felt deprived. If I wanted something sweet, I would just make a treat that day. Several of them had chocolate in it so it cured that chocolate craving!!! I only felt hungry two times. These were on high weight days and it wasn't overwhelming hunger. So I wasn't miserable and cranky!

I thought that I ate pretty decent before the 21 Day Fix, but this program really showed me that I definitely over did it on the carbs, even if they are good carbs. You can over do it, and mess with results. I also gained a ton of energy from eating the way I am supposed too. It was amazing! I sleep better, I eat better, and I have more energy!


Tomorrow I will be blogging about the workouts!

Do you want in on my 21 Day Fix accountability and support?!?! Complete the application below to be considered for my next accountability and support group! I will keep you on track for reaching your own 21 day success! The start of a new you, a healthier lifestyle, and the body you have always wanted...THE HEALTHY WAY!

21 Day Fix - Lose up to 15 lbs in 21 Days

The 21 Day Fix is the newest program by Beachbody. It rolled off of the shelves on February 3rd, and has since been so wildly popular that it keeps selling out!



What is the 21 Day Fix?






 It is designed to focus on weight loss of up to 15 lbs in 21 days through your nutrition with a meal plan by portion control bowls, a workout, and the support of me as your coach. The 21 Day Fix takes all of the guess work out of weight loss. It is a unique portion control system combined with an easy to follow workout. The workout is easy to fit into anyone's busy schedule because each workout is only 30 minutes of focused exercise! Autumn Calabrese shares her passion for food and fitness as she shows you how to make simple changes in your diet that add up to life changing results.

Do you feel like you are eating healthy and exercising, but not getting anywhere? It could be portion sizes. I know that I have felt like I do pretty good as far healthy eating, but I have a big problem with portion control! This program was specifically designed to help you in this area!

What is my most loved part about this program though is that their is a modifier so it truly fits any fitness level! If you are a beginner you can do this program. If you are advanced in fitness you can work this program! Autumn Calabrese is a national swimsuit competitor, and designed this program to fit any fitness level. What is even more fantastic is that you can do this program as many times as you like to get to your goals.

How do you go about getting this program? Go to teambeachbody and get a free account, this will make me your FREE Beachbody coach. I will provide you with support, motivation, and accountability from the beginning of the program to the end of the program, for as many times as you want to complete it!

Do you want to be considered for one of my support groups for this program? If you said yes, please fill out the application below. I will be there to walk you through the nutrition plan, and help you plan to make this work for your lifestyle. The group is a closed online support group with other individuals who are doing the same program. What does this mean? That only those in this group can see what is going on in the group. The only cost to this is the cost of the challenge pack which includes everything to get you started. The workout DVDs, nutrition guide, portion control bowls, discounted price, and me as your coach. Do this now so that you will be ready for summer!