40 Workouts Later: My Insanity Max:30 Journey

Here I am after completing the 2 month Insanity Max:30 program and I'm supposed to share my before/after pictures with you, right?!  Because that's what it's all about...you get your workout program, eat perfectly, workout when you're supposed to and  you end up looking super toned and like the people on DVD cover.  I am here to tell you that yes, I did get awesome results from this program but I wanted to share more than that.

For those of you that don't know, Insanity Max:30 is an at home DVD program created by the celebrity trainer, Shaun T.  The program is 2 months long and requires you to workout five days a week (6 if you choose to do the recovery workout) for 30 minutes a day.  The workouts require no

equipment or weights; every exercise uses just your body weight but believe me, this requires a lot of

strength both physically and mentally.  

Shaun T challenges you to do better every week and encourages you to push yourself to your max.  It's a competition against yourself; you watch yourself get stronger with every workout and rep you do.

That's a quick description of what this workout is all about but I'm here to talk about my results after 2 months with my man, Shaun T.

How many of us buy an at home DVD workout program and actually stick to it?  It's hard, right?!  I've only completed one other DVD program back in October so when my team decided to start a Max:30 group with over 60 of us coaches, I was pumped!  Our journey started on December 15th and my last workout was completed on February 6th.  Without these coaches or my workout buddy, it would have been so much harder to keep going.  Some weeks I just wasn't feeling it but having them as my accountability partners kept me motivated especially on those days I didn't want to push play.

So here's what I've learned as I reflect on the last two months.

Physically, yes I have become stronger.  I am able to do more push ups, more squats, switch kicks, etc. and I can see more definition in my arms, legs, and abs.  There is no doubt that this program kicked my butt and continued to make me physically stronger; but even more importantly, it changed my mentality in life.  Shaun T is all about pushing you to your max in your workouts and if you have the strength to get through the hardest part of your workout, then I think you can have the strength to overcome whatever hardship life hands you.  There were many times where I wanted to give up during my workouts and even times when I didn't even want to start!  But it's during those times of doubt and frustration when your real strength is revealed.  So physically, yes I am happy with how strong my body has become; I am even more happy with how my mentality in life has changed.  These past two months have taught me that if you want something, you just have to go for it.  Don't let minor setbacks hold you back.  Overcome the negativity in life and replace it with positive thoughts and actions.  Your dreams and goals are yours and only yours; so have courage and be strong.  You get to choose how you want to live your life.

The hardest part of being healthy is choosing the right foods to properly nourish your body.  Let's face it, you can workout everyday for an hour plus some and still not see results.  Why?  It's because we don't follow what our nutrition plan tells us!  You've heard the saying "abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym," right?  It's true!  If you are not getting the proper nutrients in your body, you're not going to see results.  I believe you should love your body no matter what shape it's in, but if you want to lose weight or tone up, you have to and I mean HAVE to take the time to make sure you are eating the right foods.  Trust me, I used to have the mentality that I could eat whatever I wanted since  I was always working out.  I even had this mentality during part of my Max:30 journey and I can see that this is one thing I need to kick up a notch.  I'm great at keeping up with my workouts but there were some days when I just failed at caring about proper nutrition.  I tried to follow the meal plan as best as I could but with the holidays and other gatherings, I gave into temptation and got off track multiple times.  I still got awesome results but when I think about what I could've worked 

harder at it's my nutrition.  So if you're struggling with losing those last few pounds or feel like

you've hit a plateau, take a good look at what you're feeding your body and don't give in!

Before starting Max:30, I was used to going to the gym by myself or putting in a different workout DVD and getting through it on my own.  I now know the power of having a workout partner.  My friend, Meredith, and I decided we would both commit to the two months of Max:30 and would help each other along the way.  I know I had my coaches supporting me online but having a friend alongside you during every workout makes such a difference.  There were days where I didnt want to workout, days where she didn't want to workout, and even days where we both didn't want to workout.  If we didn't have each other, it would've have been so much harder to push play on those days we just weren't feeling it.  Not only does having a workout partner keep you motivated and accountable, but it also allows you to share laughs, struggles, and victories together.  If you can, find a friend to workout with!  It'll keep you living a healthy lifestyle and makes working out fun! 

I am glad I had the right people to support me these past two months.  I've learned a lot and changed both physically and mentally.  If you'd like to make a change and do something good for yourself but need help doing it, please send me a message or find me on FB :)

Thanks for reading about my Max:30 journey!

And as Shaun T would say, "Peace out, deuces."

Self Love

Welcome to February, the month where we find ways to show people we love and care about them.  How about spending some time this month to love and care about yourself?  Listed below are some self love challenges for you to try.  Take some time to reflect during these challenges and start making your own happiness a priority.  Once you start taking care of yourself, you can start taking care of others.

Follow me on Instagram @ thefitlife_jessmal for some daily inspiration throughout the month of February :)

Self Love Challenges:

1.  List 10 things you love about yourself.

2.  List 5 things that make you smile.

3.  Go on Pinterest, Google, FB, IG, etc. and find yourself 10 quotes that make you happy.

4.  What is something that you are truly proud of?

5.  When you are having a bad day or are stressed, what do you like to do to feel better?  Is this a good habit to have or a bad one?  If it's a bad one, try to change it into something good.

6.  If you have obstacles in your life that are making it hard to reach a goal, what can you do to overcome them?  Who can you reach out to?

7.  How much time do you spend worrying about what other people think of you?  Stop spending time worrying about this.  Focus on you and the good you want to do in the world.  Don't hold back just because of what other people may or may not say.

8.  What is your favorite hobby?  What makes your soul happy?  Spend more time doing that.

9.  Do you fill your mind with positive thoughts?  When negative thoughts come around, how do you deal with them?  Do you listen to them or do you push them aside?  Learn how to take those negative thoughts and throw them away.  Focus on the positive.

10.  If you met a person who was just like you, would you like that person?  Why or why not? 

11.  Are you too hard on yourself?  When you fail at something, how do you talk to yourself?  Do you build yourself up or do you beat yourself up?  We all fail sometimes but we have to get back up and try again.  Failure is a part of success.

12.  Make a quote board!  Take your favorite quotes and make a project out of it.  Buy some cork board and write out quotes that inspire you.  Hang it up where you will be able to see it every day.

"It's not selfish to love yourself, take care of yourself, and make your happiness a priority.  It's necessary."

Best vs. Healthy: Which one will you choose?

What are you currently trying to be the "best" at?  What is something you want to perfect about yourself?  Is it your faith life, a relationship, your health, your body image, your career?  We all have areas of our lives we are trying to work on and become the best at but is being the best really what we should be aiming for?

This past Sunday, the pastor at my local church spoke on this topic of being the best versus being healthy.  Being the perfectionist that I am, this message really challenged me and has been on my mind this whole week.

For those of you that don't know me, I am all about clean eating and working out.  For the past three and a half years, I have taken an interest in researching and experimenting with my diet and fitness routine.  I've tried just about any diet change to see how my body reacts to it and love finding workouts that challenge me.  Currently, I am eating mostly natural foods and working on finishing the two months of Shaun T's Insanity Max:30.  I am feeling great but am looking forward to training for the Pittsburgh 1/2 Marathon in May.  I will be cross training with Chalene Johnson's PiYo to ensure my legs are getting a good stretch and remaining strong.

Let's refocus.  This post isn't about what I eat or how I train.  This post is about what I've learned about myself these past few months and how I have been challenged with this idea of trying to be healthier and not the best.

For a long time now, I feel like I have been trying to be the best.  Like I said before, I am a perfectionist.  I've been trying to be perfect with my clean eating while doing Max:30 but truth is, I have slipped a few times (holiday season didn't help).  After this happens, I beat myself up and feel guilty about it.  I can deal with having a treat every now and then but what I cannot deal with anymore is feeling guilty about enjoying life and being human!  This is why I loved the message at my church this past week.  It made me realize the attitude I need to develop about my future "mess ups" and how I can strive to live a life of health and balance instead of a life trying to be the "best". 

Being a perfectionist can sometimes be a good thing if it makes you work hard and gives you drive to reach a goal; but being a perfectionist can also make you very critical of yourself.  If you are constantly trying to be perfect or the best, you will eventually burn out and feel like you failed after one thing goes wrong.  Take it from me, trying to be perfect is exhausting and not fun.  Don't try to have the perfect life, the perfect relationship, the perfect career, the perfect body, or the perfect whatever!  Instead, focus on living a life of balance and work on becoming a healthier version of yourself.

 

"Life is about balance.  Be kind, but don't let people abuse you.  Trust, but don't be deceived.  Be content, but never stop improving yourself."

Cleansing

Happy Sunday :)  Hope everyone is staying warm and safe in the snow this weekend!

I have been thinking a lot lately about the cleanse I did this past week and how it has affected me.  As I am sitting and reflecting, I really wanted to share with you both the spiritual and physical effects this cleanse had on me.

Originally, I thought this post would be more about nutrition and cooking tips, but I am finding that I learned more about how to rely on God  for comfort and strength rather than relying the "comfort food" in the pantry.  Let's face it, it's winter--it's dull and dreary most of the time and we stay in--we get bored, so we turn the on the TV and what goes perfect with watching TV, a snack of course.  I am not saying that snacking is bad at all--of course don't overdo it and eat a whole pint of Ben and Jerry's--but I am just wondering, does the snack you got up to get really satisfy you?  Who knows, maybe at certain times it does but what about the times where it doesn't?  Sticking to the meal plan for this cleanse allowed me to really evaluate and reflect on the food choices I make on a daily basis.  If you are looking to kick start a healthier "diet" routine or are interested in reflecting on your daily food choices, I would say grab a few friends and try something like this for a week.  You don't have to follow this exact meal plan or recipes, but I thought this would be a good opportunity to share what my friends and I did :)

This wasn't the type of cleanse where you eat basically nothing and fast; it was a cleanse where we focused on eating "real" food.  I guess you could call it a "vegan cleanse" because we basically ate fruits, vegetables, and beans.  Our main focus for this cleanse was to take a week to eat mainly natural sources of food and reflect on how it made us feel compared to eating things such as grains, meat, etc.  We also made sure not to drink any caffeine during this cleanse; the only things we drank were herbal teas and water.

I really enjoyed this cleanse because it made me aware of what types of food I was putting into my body and how my body reacted to that food.  It is really eye opening to see how different you feel when you change up your diet for a week.  This week, I could tell that I had more energy during my workouts as well as more focus at work and on other things.  I would recommend trying this out for a week and see how you feel--and you can choose to find different recipes if you'd like :)  Just try to focus on vegetarian/vegan recipes and do not be afraid to try new things such as tofu for some protein.  I was really scared to try it but I actually really like it and will probably begin to incorporate it into my diet more often.

Below is the meal plan that I followed everyday as well as recipes.  You will have to set aside some time to prepare for the week.  I spent probably four to five hours on Sunday cooking everything but it was well worth it; the food turned out awesome and I could use the rest of my week to do things I enjoy besides cooking.

Meal Plan:

Pre workout:  Lara Bar

-If you haven't already, try a Lara Bar.  They are delicious and contain only nuts, spices, and fruit.  My favorite is Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough but they have a variety of flavors to choose from.

Breakfast:  Green smoothie and Master Cleanse Water (12 oz.)

-You can make any variation of a green smoothie.  We used 1/2 an avocado, 1 banana, and a handful of greens such as kale or spinach.  I used about 8 oz. of water but you can use more or less depending on how thick you want your smoothie.

-For the Master Cleanse Water, I made it in bulk for the week.  To make a batch for the week, I used 60 oz of water, 12 tablespoons of maple syrup, 12 tablespoons of lemon juice, and 1/2 a teaspoon of cayenne pepper.  I would recommend using less cayenne pepper so it is not as spicy.  If you want to learn more about the Master Cleanse, here is the website:  http://themastercleanse.org/.

Lunch:  Tofu & Vegetable Quinoa

-Here is the website for this recipe:  http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-12083/tofu-vegetable-quinoa-over-spinach.html.  This was a really good recipe to use because it made enough for the whole week and it was super yummy.

Snack:  Homemade Hummus and carrots; or almonds

Dinner:  Kale Soup

-Here is website for this recipe:  http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-11540/a-kale-friendly-minestrone-to-warm-your-soul.html.  This was fun to make and it turned out delicious.  It also made enough for the week/weekend.

I hope that you will take the time to really listen to your body and properly nourish it.  Sometimes life gets too busy and we forget to take care of ourselves but God gave us this body, so show God your love by taking care of it.

Song of Inspiration:  Keep Making Me by Sidewalk Prophets

Purpose

Mark 12:28-31:

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating.  Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"

"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'  The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'  There is no commandment greater than these."

This is the passage we have been focusing on at my home church.  In our series this month, we have been focusing on how to worship God with all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our mind, and all of our strength. We are focusing on breaking down the walls we have up in our lives that separate these "compartments" of life.  In my life, I have always thought of everything as belonging to God and all aspects of my life should be lived for God--but there are times when I lose focus and try to do my own thing instead.  The messages at church have really shown me aspects of my life that I hold back from God and I am thankful to be surrounded by a community of faith that will challenge me and help me to grow closer to God in all of these "compartments" of life.

The one compartment of my life that I feel very passionate about is this idea of loving God with all our strength.  Loving God with all our strength can be interpreted many different ways; my main passion and focus in this blog will be about how to worship God by taking care of the body He has given to us--mostly how to properly nourish your body.  I am by no means calling myself a nutritionist or health coach--I just thought this would be a great opportunity for me to share some thoughts and recipes :)  Soon, I will be posting about a week long cleanse two of my friends and I are doing so stay tuned!

Thought of the day:  What part of your life is God asking you to give to Him?