CIZE Week 3 Day 2!

Woops!  Took yesterday off...today's routine definitely made up for it though!!!  51 minutes + 8 count abs!!!  I would say that's 2 days in one!  

THIS ONE IS TOUGH!!!

It's the last one so makes sense.  Yay last one!!!  I'm doing it!!!  It's all repetition from here!!!

BUT with 30minutes to go, I really wanted to quit.  The moves are very intricate and quick so you spend a long time learning a sequence only to find it it's 6 counts!  I felt frustrated, my head cloudy and didn't feel like I was really getting a work-out because I couldn't execute all the moves.  

Then I told myself...what are you going to do instead?!?  It's only 30min...just get through it.  I mean what would I write in my blog?  Thanks, blog, for keeping me going!!!

Somehow Shaun T does it again.  We repeat this routine so many times and just when I think I'm so sick of doing this, I start to get some of the steps and then more of the steps.  I didn't get this one fully by the end, but enough to know what I get tripped up on and enough to get excited and into the parts I do know!  And I was sweaty!  Good...work-out goal complete!

Then time to cize it up with Chandelier by Sia.  I looooooved this song (still do!).  It's a slower version I feel- not the radio version, but still fun to dance too.  There's parts of the routine where you get have "passion" so that's always fun when she's belting it out!  ;)  

Wanted to skimp on 8min abs, but didn't because come-on, it's only 8 min.  It's nice to add on to the end of the work-out because it really works you out to exhaustion and when that's done, it's a great feeling!

Chocolate shakeology + almond milk+ ice + spinach this am!  Still pretty good without the PB and banana (need to go shopping!)

CIZE: Week 3 Day 1- Go For It!!!

Go For It!!!

I really had to tell myself this today!  Took my "rest day" earlier in the week so I'm jumping right in to week 3!!! It's Saturday morning and I have a fun day planned so I wanted to get my work-out out of the way!  Unfortunately even though I love to dance, I still sometimes feel like I want to "get it over with."  It's so much better for me if I do it in the morning because I feel accomplished and like I can do whatever I want the rest of the day and my evening especially is free. 

Unfortunately, my body doesn't always cooperate!  My work-outs are much stronger in the later afternoon, early evening.  But of course, that's when everything else in life is going on so it's not always possible...and I hate my work-outs more if I have to miss something fun to do them.

So here I am, starting my week 3 of Cize with "Go For It" barely awake on my Saturday morning.  My brain was still asleep and this one was technically difficult!  As I said in my previous post, it's amazing how the 1st time you try a dance it seems so hard (maybe impossible!), but the next time, it seems easier and maybe even fast moves seem to slow down.  I sure hope this happens with this routine!  I always like it when Shaun T throws in a slow couple of steps so my mind can catch up (and my breath!) haha.  There didn't seem to be a time like that for this one!!!

This dance was appropriately titled.  I really had to tell myself to go for it. My brain seemed to understand the moves, but body just wasn't cooperating.  They seemed so fast today too that it was hard to really "get into it" because I was just trying to keep up! Still a fun one though and I can't wait to really get it down (because I will!  I'm going to get this one down!).  :)  

The song is by Missy Elliott called "Pass that Dutch".  I may be revealing how "uncool" I am, but I don't think I've ever heard this song.  It's more difficult for the cize it up portion when I don't know the song I realized,  (I may or may not sing along...)  ;)

Celebrating a good Saturday AM work-out with my banana peanut butter chocolate shakeology and excited for Sia's "Chandelier" tomorrow!!!!

CIZE: Week 2 Review!

"It doesn't get easier, you just get better!"

A quote from Autumn Calabrese that really fits my experience this week!  Sorry for a combined (and late!) post, but I was moving this week and slacked on logging in...BUT NOT ON MY WORK-OUTS!  :)


My second rounds of both Full Out and In the Pocket were ok.  I had my last dance day with mom so now I'm missing my partner! :(  It's a whole new experience to do the work-out alone, but because it's a home work-out, that's probably what most people do and what I'm used to with previous beachbody programs.  She got the program for herself though so I look forward to a joint recital when I come visit haha!  :)

In my 3rd and final rounds of Full Out and In the Pocket I definitely relied more on Shaun T's encouragement since I was doing these alone!  He's so motivating and makes me laugh so that really helps!  Somehow I got to "music video ready!" for both!  

It's amazing how the first day of a dance no matter how many times he repeats it it all gets garbled in my head!  Moves I seem to completely master on their own, I then mess up on when we add them to the sequence.  Then maybe I get that move the next time around and then mess up on something else completely different that I could do perfectly the first time around!  The mind is a confusing place!  But then, the 2nd day I do the dance it gets better and feels do-able and then by the third time, the moves sometimes actually seem slow!  This progression is different for everyone depending on dance experience, but I think it is possible for everyone if you just stick with it!  It may take a week or a month, but if it's a goal, you can get these dances!  Maybe you have to modify, but as I've said before, the great thing about dance is once you get the basic moves down, you then make it your own!  Sometimes it even looks better than the original!  In dance we called this "making face."  Exude confidence even if you're doing the wrong moves and engage the "audience" (even your fake audience) and they'll never know you messed up!  Fake it till you make it!  :)

FIXATE cookbook recipe reviews!

The following recipe reviews are from the Fixate cookbook by Autumn Calabrese.  These reviews are my initial reactions from my first time making each item listed.  I will add new items as I try them so feel free to check back for additional reviews!  I hope to continue to do this for non-Fixate recipes as well!  See the links on my blog or feel free to leave a comment/message me for more information!

Background:

The recipes are based on the 21 Day Fix diet plan which comes with the Beachbody 21 day fix program.  The diet is based on eating a certain number of color-coded containers a day.  Each color stands for something, for example, red= proteins.  You calculate the # of each color of containers you can have a day based on your weight and caloric requirement.  Then you base your meals and snacks throughout the day to fit these container requirements.  Sometimes things get complicated when you want to eat meals that combine carbs, veggies, proteins so that's why this cookbook is so great.  It takes the guesswork out of figuring out how many containers are in things like a chocolate chip cookie or a pasta dish, for example.  I'm not at all excited about eating meat with a side of veggies every night so this allows me to eat my favorite things or find alternatives! My mom and I were so excited to try these.  Thanks mom for your cooking expertise!  I give her credit for making most of these! Most of them have been delish!  

I wanted to review them because healthy eating does not have to boring or taste bad! This is such a common misperception and I'm out to change it!  ;)

At the top of each recipe within the book, it's listed how many of each color containers EACH SERVING fulfills.  I've found and heard some of these may be incorrect and I'll try to update them here as I find out these corrections. The nutrition information is also listed at the bottom of the page.   

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DancingGator Rating Key:

DOUBLE Jazz Hands:  Wait a minute...THIS is healthy?!?

Jazz hands: Loved it!

Call Back: Might try it again, probably with modifications...

Curtain call: Probably not trying that again!

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DRESSINGS
Raspberry Vinaigrette (1 orange)- pg 77

Pictured with additional recipes: Steak from Steak Fajitas & Spicy Cauliflower Bites (see below)
RATING: JAZZ HANDS!!!!

This one was so good!  It is sweet, but I think thats inferred by the name.  You make with fresh raspberries so it's much more berry-tasting than the store-bought raspberry dressings I'm familiar with...maybe they just use the juice?  You use 1/2 cup so keep that in mind when planning to make this!  :)  It's made with greek yogurt to create the creaminess.  What a great idea!  I feel like this adding greek yogurt to salad dressing fills my "but I love creamy salad dressings!" void! We paired this with the steak salad (also from the cookbook- see salad section)  I wasn't sure about this because I usually pair fruity dressings with fruity salads, but it worked nicely with the steak seasoning.

*Insider tip: Greek Yogurt- like whoa!*
As an aside, have you all discovered how great plain greek yogurt is?  It tastes terrible if I eat it alone as yogurt (I think this is because I go in thinking it's going to taste sweet like the fruity ones), but using it in place of sour cream for mexican inspired dishes or in recipes when you would normally use mayo!  Tastes the same and so much less fat, plus added protein!  Genius!

I've also found it to be tolerable with honey and/or fruit mixed in as yogurt alone.  I realized you get less overall sugar if you buy the plain greek yogurt versus the ones that have fruits already mixed in. Plus it has more protein!  An extra step, but if you meal prep anyways you don't really notice it and the fresh fruit so much better!!!  My favorite is the Fage (pronounced "Fa-yeh"- ) total 0% fat and I buy 1/2 with the honey "sidekick" to make it easy!

Sorry for the diversion, but I myself was so anti- plain greek yogurt I had to let you all in on that secret!  ;)

Lemon Dijon Salad Dressing (1 orange)- pg 75

RATING: JAZZ HANDS!!!!
http://img.memegenerator.io/meme/3bgiax.png

This one was great as well.  VERY DIJON-y!  Only make this if you really like your dijon mustard!

Caesar Salad Dressing (1 orange)- pg 79

RATING: Can I do a DOUBLE JAZZ HANDS!?!?

Ok, this one had me eating it out of the bowl with a spoon.  (Hint: It's no longer healthy if eaten this way!  Take your orange container and hide the rest of this one from yourself!!!)  Now if I can just find a ranch dressing made with greek yogurt I'll be set.  Oh I will find this!


SALADS
Steak salad (3 green, 1 red, 1 purple, 1 orange)- pg 67

Pictured with: Steak from Steak Fajitas, Raspberry Vinaigrette & Spicy Cauliflower Bites (see above & below)
RATING: JAZZ HANDS!!!!

What a great salad!  I'm always a fan of a good steak salad.  We did not make this exactly as the recipe called for.  Used the larger tomatoes- definitely prefer these since they're in season right now!  Skipped the avocado.  Love avocado, but unfortunately not on hand.  I'm thinking this would add a blue container too, but this was not listed in the cookbook!  Does that mean what I think it means?!?  Free BLUE!  Haha.  Always up for justifying extra blues!  ;)  As I mentioned for the raspberry vinaigrette review, this dressing pairing was unexpectedly awesome!

BREAKFAST
Vegetable Egg Cups (1 red)- pg 119

RATING: JAZZ HANDS!!!
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/Aa6WvyTjMzsehXbM7KrGBpiU40RS--mznOkvm3mMg4x8jlluNLsTj5M/

Ok, I'll admit, I thought these were the best idea ever!  I love egg sandwiches, but I don't want use up my yellow (carb) containers 1st thing in the am.  I also don't have a lot of time in the am to be making eggs before work.  Now I haven't tried this yet, but my idea with these is that I'll make them ahead of time, freeze them so I can have eggs any time!  I usually have greek yogurt for breakfast so this will be nice if I want to change things up.  We made these as directed and they were good, but kind of plain alone.  We paired them with some salsa though and they were great!  Obviously this would not keep them portable so I would recommend adding your favorite seasoning or additional salt and pepper to make them more flavorful.  Also, if you're going to transport them, using muffin cups may make this easier, but you definitely don't need them.  BEST PART: you get to eat two cups!!!  You can also create different variations and there's tons of these andother breakfast foods on pinterest!  ;)

https://www.pinterest.com/gatormeggs/21-day-fix-breakfasts/

LUNCH
Steak Fajitas (1 green, 1 yellow, 1 red, 1 teaspoon)- pg165

RATING: JAZZ HANDS!!!
http://a.dilcdn.com/bl/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2012/9/theres-only-one-way-to-express-this-kind-of-excitement.jpg

Just like the steak salad, these were great.  In fact, we used the steak leftover from the fajitas to make the steak salad.  (She recommends this in the book as well).  And guess what?!?  In place of sour cream, we're using plain greek yogurt!  The seasoning for steak is light and easy consisting of rubbing the steak (Mom made on the grill!) with cumin, chili powder, red pepper flakes, and garlic.  The recipe in the cookbook is with a nonstick skillet and is served with a homeade salsa found on pg 85, but mom made her own!  We also used whole wheat tortillas instead of corn.  Just personal preference!

Sweet Potato Ricotta Gnudi in Pumpkin Sauce 
(2 yellow, 1 orange)- pg 167

RATING:  DOUBLE JAZZ HANDS!!!
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This one was one of my favorites!  A taste of fall!  Mom expected it to be sweeter.  You do add a drizzle of honey, cinnamon, nutmeg to the plate so to make the dish sweeter, she added some honey and this did help.  Another reason this was awesome..SO MUCH FOOD!!!  The recipe makes 18 "gnudi" (pronounced "nu-dee"). This is a type of gnocchi made with ricotta cheese.  Nope I didn't know what this was either!  So get this though, the serving size is 6 each.  This doesn't sound like a lot, but these were about the size of golf balls so it ends up being a lot of food! The whole recipe serves 3 if everyone eats 6.  We each had 3 as a side and froze the rest for later.  Shhh...mom made with greek yogurt in place of ricotta!  I haven't made with ricotta yet so I can't speak for differences, but like I said it was great!  A good substitution if you don't have ricotta on hand! 

SIDES
Spicy Cauliflower Bites (2 green, 1/2 yellow- phew!)-pg 181

RATING: JAZZ HANDS!!!!
Pictured with: Steak from Steak Fajitas, Raspberry Vinaigrette & Spicy Cauliflower Bites (see above & below)

Always looking for more greens that don't taste like greens!  ;)  These were a great side!  Mom made with a buffalo sauce as the "pepper sauce" giving them a buffalo wing-like flavor.  Autumn doesn't specify the pepper sauce (probably on purpose) so if you really like spicy you can go for it!  Unfortunate that this counts towards the yellow containers, but at least it's only a half!!!!  Autumn pairs this with a lemon garlic sauce found on page 87 (a hidden orange container!!!) and celery sticks.  She suggests it as a great party dish. I agree!  Healthy alternative to buffalo wings!  We had as a side to our steak salad instead.  Still great!

Zoodles aka Zucchini Pasta (1 1/2 green, 1/2 purple)- pg 183

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RATING: DOUBLE JAZZ HANDS!!!

I give this a double jazz hands because it has so much potential!  We made ours with my mom's own marinara sauce recipe, but Autumn has her own called Grandma's Tomato Sauce on page 81.  I'm sure I'll make this eventually so stay tuned!  My biggest fear in making zoodles is I don't have the "spiralizer" kitchen tool....but it's on the wishlist after this recipe!  

http://thenourishinghome.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Zucchini-Noodles-Thin.jpg
Spiralizer!

My mom made the zoodles with a mandolin.  

http://beijinghaochi.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/carrots4.jpg

A similar theory here.  It slices veggies into strips (or slices things like cucumbers- seems easier than with a knife! I'm learning so much about cooking!!!  So we had straight zoodles instead of curly ones and perhaps they were a little thicker.  With the zucchini, it's a very light-tasting veggie so it easily takes on the taste of whatever sauce you put on it. This is why I say this has great potential!  The sauce is the best part anyways right?!?  So exciting to not have to say no pasta dishes!!!
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SNACKS
Pumpkin muffins with Maple Cream Cheese (1 purple, 1 orange)- pg 195

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RATING: CURTAIN CALL (Ok maybe call back..I'll try one more time)

These were O.K. They're one of those things that tasted healthy. Perhaps drizzling some honey on top might make these more appetizing.  Not sweet like I expected at all!  I'm not even sure what to compare them with. Even cornbread is sweeter. I guess I just expected a muffin taste! They also came out kind of flat. Not fluffy. I'll probably try one more time because I WANTED to like them so much!

Zucchini Chips (1 green, 1/2 teaspoon)- pg 203

http://a.dilcdn.com/bl/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2012/9/tiny-jazz-hands.jpg

RATING: JAZZ HANDS!!!

These are great! Taste kind of like veggie chips if you've ever had those!  I bet sweet potato ones would be awesome too! So easy to make...EXCEPT they shrink A LOT. If you want more that 1-2 servings get large zucchini and a few of um!  I cut up 2 medium zucchini and these things were gone in 2 servings!  Great though if you need to use up a zucchini/squash/ sweet potatoes and are craving chips!
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DESSERTS
Chocolate chip cookies (1 1/2 yellow per cookie!  Who eats just one cookie?!?)- pg 211

RATING: CURTAIN CALL!!! (ok maybe call back, but just one more time!)

One word: gross! Ok that was my first thought with my first cookie. It had the consistency of foam or a sponge and didn't taste much better... Until you got  to the chocolate chips. Of course those were good.  And that's why I continued to finish them off haha. A "guilt free" way to eat chocolate!  But you may just want to stick with just eating chocolate chips alone if that's why you're eating these.  We made with almond flour. Perhaps another type would be more tasty or maybe this was a bad batch.  I probably will try these once more since chocolate chip cookies are my vice, but I'm definitely on the lookout for a replacement Chocolate chip cookie recipe!

Chunky Monkey Ice Cream (1 purple)- pg 213

RATING: CALL BACK
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Ok I made this without the chocolate chips because I have this weird thing where I don't like chunks of chocolate in ice cream. So mine tasted more like banana slush.  Not really ice cream. So I'd go in expecting slush and you won't be disappointed.  ;)  There's also a strawberry one that may be better OR I bet there's a way to make this chocolate flavored...maybe with shakeology.

Peanutty Peanut Butter Squares (1 yellow)- pg 217

RATING:  DOUBLE JAZZ HANDS!!!!

PUT THESE IN SINGLE SERVING LOCK BOXES!  ...BThese are amazing!!! How is this ok???  We added chocolate chips to the top because I really only like to waste calories on chocolate desserts. ;). Moist, fluffy with crisp edges. Betcha can't eat just one! 

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COCKTAILS!
Skinny Pina Colada (1 yellow- save your yellows for this drink, you'll want more than one!)- pg 237

RATING: DOUBLE JAZZ HANDS!!!!

If you love piña coladas this is even better than the mix in my opinion! So fresh and still sweet, but not too sweet.  It does make a small serving so I do recommend saving up your yellow containers for seconds! 

CIZE: Week 2 Day 2!

Another day, another backup dancer...  :(

This one is intricate!  It's the 4th dance in the series and is call "In the Pocket" and you size it up to Ariana Grande's "Problem."  The routine is 36 minutes long.  Because it's a lot of intricate steps tied together, time went by really fast because I was concentrating so hard! I couldn't quite get all the moves in because it's fast!  But once I do...and yes I'm going to do this!...it will be awesome! These dances really go well with the songs.  Shaun T realizes this one is tough and really slows things down.  We did the whole thing full out slow multiple times.  It did help, but I still felt like I was tripping all over myself when we cized it up!  I also looked far from cool!  I'd still say it was fun though and I'm motivated to try again versus give up!

Today was also 8 count abs today.  The routine is on every CD so I thought maybe we'd be changing it up, but nope!  Same routine!  It's still a doozy!

Now let's talk food!  :P

Last night we made the most amazing peanut butter bars from the Fixate cookbook!  

I'll admit, I had one of these for breakfast!  I'm really excited to post my second post today too! A review of the Fixate recipes! (I know you all have been waiting! haha)

I had my usual chocolate shakeology after my work-out today, but insider tip...you can mix anything in that stuff and not taste it!  Today I added spinach...looks disgusting, right?!?

Couldn't even taste it!  Highly recommend if you need to get in some extra greens!!!

Mom's making the lemon garlic sauce from the Fixate cookbook to put over salmon so I'll have to add that to my recipe review after we taste test!  Keep that in mind, it will be continually updated! :)

CIZE: Week 2 Day 1

Confession time!

I had an enormous burger yesterday...and it was delicious!  

And that's ok.  That's why I'm a fan of this plan.  I can't live by anything too stringent and I want to be able to try the latest fads and not feel left out.  The burger place I went to had a donut burger...yeah that's right a burger between 2 donuts!  I passed that up though for a different burger...I think I should get some credit for that. ;)  BUT no excuses right?  I made up for it by eating back on track the rest of the day!  :)  Mom made the caesar salad dressing from the Fixate cookbook and we ate salad with a side of teriyaki chicken skewers...and the dressing was delicious!  I'll admit I ate it straight from the bowl!

So, this blog is going to take a different turn.  It's doing a great job on keeping me accountable for my work-outs, but I need some accountability on my eating as well!  I keep hearing all over the Beachbody pages- abs are made in the kitchen!  I think I'm ready!  I'd like some abs now please!  I've been reviewing the Fixate recipes in a separate post...up and coming!  Be on the lookout! I hope to review other things as well and share some successes.  Good healthy recipes are out there and the fixate cookbook has just had so many wins so far we haven't had to stray!  It stinks to have a healthy recipe failure though...those can taste pretty awful!  So I'll mention my failures as well!

Cize Week 2 Day 1!
So new week with Cize!!!  Todays work-out was "Full-Out".  Man, we did not have good luck with this one. My DVD would not work in the DVD player then it kept getting all garbled when we tried to watch with my computer.  Luckily, I currently have the 30 day trial with Beachbody on demand (that's where you can stream the work-outs online) so we were able to load it on there, but it still got garbled!!!  Maybe it was my internet connection...

Somehow we pushed through.  The steps were more intricate in this routine.  I love dance because if you can't make yourself mirror the instructor, you can just make it you're own!  There's one move Shaun T calls the "nanny" or maybe it was "manny?"  Not sure, but I changed it to the hand flap!  That justified me looking silly!  And that's what you do in dance, just own that move and make it your own!   Due to our technical difficulties and not being able to fully see some of the dance moves mom and I both were not as pumped about this one.  With 8 minutes left mom was out!  But i convinced her to come back and we finished it!!! 

Definitely just a back-up dancer today, but I loved when we cized it up to Destiny's Child's Lose my Breath!  Remember this one??
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqeIiF0DlTg

Much more excited for next round of this...if I can get the DVD to work.  Will have to give Beachbody a call....

Finished off the workout with my favorite shakeology recipe to date:
Banana
Almond milk
Peanut butter
Ice
Chocolate Shakeology

My dog reaps the benefits as well!  ;)

CIZE: Week 1 Review!

Recap time!  

I completed 3 rounds of "Crazy 8's" and 3 rounds of "You Got This".  I was supposed to do 3 rounds of 8 Count abs as well, but only did two due to not thoroughly reading the plan- sorry guys!  

Overall: Loved the program!  I feel like I got a great cardio work-out with Crazy 8's, but that "You Got This" was more "cerebral" (technically difficult, but I wasn't AS tired after).  This is probably why this is coupled with "You Got This".  However, 8 Count Abs...such a great work-out! So tough!!!  The problem with combining these two for me though was that the dance routine was 42 min and then adding the abs was another 8 min.  As someone used to 21 Day Fix, thinking about an almost hour long work-out, it's much more difficult to motivate myself than a 32 minute one like Crazy 8's.  Luckily I'm on vacation right now. ;) BUT, the work-out's are so fun.  I sometimes dreaded my 21 Day Fix work-outs because of their difficulty, especially cardio fix!  

One idea, may be to do a hybrid plan, substituting Cize routines for Cardio in the 21 Day Fix plan.  I know there's some out there, but haven't reviewed them yet! 

Diet: I would say sticking to it 50-75% this week!  Tough when you're on vacation! 

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Results:
Weight: same
Waist: lost 1 in!  (rest of measurements the same)
Subjective: Feel thinner and much more energy!
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Looking forward to Week 2 and new dances ahead!!!

Day 6: There's cize instructors?!? + 3rd round "You Got This!"

Man...I was not music video ready with this one today!  Still completed my last round of "You Got This" and my 2nd sesh of 8 count abs!  Phew!  I don't know if it was just me today, but I just couldn't get into it today!  I think I need a new routine!  I'm excited for what week 2 brings!  I by no means can do the routines perfectly, but I'm just ready for something new.  I guess that's one of the downsides of this being like a real dance class.  If you're not into the dance rountine, there's not another one awaiting like in a zumba class where you do several dances in one hour.  

BUT!  There's hope!  Apparently lots of people want to star in Shaun T's music videos because there's actually Cize instructors and training sessions to be an instructor!  

https://www.beachbodylive.com/us-en/instructors/cize-live/

Then these teachers teach live classes locally!  If your instructor is a "Pro" member, they also have access to new dances updated frequently so there's always new routines!  That Shaun T...he thought of everything!  Unfortunately, no classes locally for me yet.  I'll just cross my fingers for a sequel DVD set for now!  

Day 5: Challenge Groups + Crazy 8's Take 3!

Pretty sore from yesterday's 8 count abs!

Today was my 3rd round of Crazy 8's!  This is the last time I will do this dance routine until week 4!  Week 4...seems so far away haha, but hopefully this blog will help get me there faster!  After you do each routine you're supposed to rate yourself with 1, 2, or 3 check marks.

1= back-up dancer
2= front and center
3= ready for my music video!!!

I think after 3 sessions of practice, I might be ready for my music video now guys!!!  ;)  

Challenge groups are key!
As an aside, I am completing cize with the support of my August challenge group.  I was a shy part of my first challenge group with the 21 day fix, but even though I was too nervous to post my measurements and photos, the motivating posts from my coach and the group really held me accountable, motivated me and there was a ready and willing group of people to answer my questions, share their own experiences and success all in a judgement-free zone!  

If you're not familiar with "challenge groups", the one I am a part of is a private facebook group created by my coach.  Everyone is completing come sort of Beachbody program and each day our coach posts an assignment.  Something quick and easy like "take your measurements", "favorite shakeology recipes", "water challenge (where you really try to drink the recommended amount of water for the day)", "what motivates you", etc.  It's nice the groups are private because then only the people in your group see your posts, not all of your facebook friends! Of course, I tested this to be sure ;) 

After my 1st successful round of the fix, I joined the next challenge group, but fell off the wagon and didn't really participate due to life getting in the way.  This time I'm determined to do all the challenges and really participate. I've done my pre-cize pics and measurements and will hopefully be able to update you with some good news along the way!

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The other great thing I've learned through my challenge group is that I'm not the only one that is having trouble.  Just because I'm not being perfect with the meal plan and just because crazy 8's was the last thing I wanted to do this morning and when I did do it, I felt like I wanted to stop, I still kept going!  And when it was time to "cize it up" I was music video ready!  That's all my challenge group and my goal to finish this blog!  Hopefully, to help others in the process! :)

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Links:

Cize: http://www.teambeachbody.com/shop/-/shopping/BCPCZ160?referringRepId=779957
21 Day Fix: http://www.teambeachbody.com/shop/-/shopping/BCPCZ160?referringRepId=779957
Fixate cookbook: http://www.teambeachbody.com/shop/-/shopping/BCPCZ160?referringRepId=779957
I'd love to get you dancing too! https://www.teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/free?referringRepId=779957