2018 Year in Review

2018 has been a great year for me with my health and fitness! I have learned so much about my fitness level and abilities, nutrition, and solidified my belief in the importance of community. I lost an additional 14 pounds this year, inches all over, and gained strength, endurance, as well as more self confidence in my ability to maintain progress even in the face of potential set-back. The best part has been motivating others to work on their health and wellness goals too!

I started the year off with 80 Day Obsession. I just love Autumn Calabrese, which is good because I ended up spending 7 months with her this year! I find her motivational and informative. I became a coach so I could be in her coach group and it was WELL worth it.

This program was tough. The recommended meal plan utilizes timed nutrition[1], and it was very difficult for me to get the hang of and follow. The only part I was really able to master was the “workout block.” This is the portion of the day for your pre-workout through post-workout meals. I have never been a breakfast person, and it was difficult to wrap my mind around that, not to mention having to get up even earlier to get it all in. But, to this day, I use my Shakelology, a cup of berries, and a teaspoon of almond butter as my pre-workout meal and my Recover and an apple or pear as my post-workout supplement and I feel great! I feel full and satisfied, and it works for my protein and fiber filled carbs to start my day off right.

Unfortunately, I got pretty sick during this round and missed nearly two weeks. That was a real bummer.

Next up was a round of Shift Shop. I found this a bit different and out of my comfort zone for sure! Before it began, someone described it to me as being like football drills, and I’d have to agree. There’s a new Shift Shop with Proving Grounds out, and I have that on my list to do next year.

After floundering around for a few weeks, trying a workout here and there from Clean Week and Shaun Week, I did a second round of 80 Day Obsession. The best part was my husband completed it with me. It was great to have someone to commiserate and share the experience with. By the grace of God, I never missed a workout, and it was amazing!

As a filler between group rounds, I started 21 Day Fix Extreme, but sadly things got put on hold after a bicycle accident took me out for a month. I definitely plan to give this another go in the future. It was a lot harder than I anticipated, and I really enjoy the format of the 21 day workouts with just the right amount of cardio, weights, and toning for me.

During my downtime, I took the 2B Mindset Certification. I jumped on this program when it launched back in May! I was excited to learn how I could lose/maintain weight without having to worry about calorie counting and portion sizing. This program made so much sense to me, that I knew I wanted to dive deeper and get the training necessary to really be able to help my client’s use and find success with it.

I also had the opportunity to help out with the first Beachbody Super Saturday event in my town of Mount Vernon, Washington. It was so fun to co-host this event with some fellow local coaches and get to know Beachbody members from all over. We got some very exciting news this year, including announcements about the new Portion Fix program coming out and the news that Rachel Hollis of the Girl, Wash Your Face Fame, coming to Coach Summit in 2019. I am going to be there, and I can’t wait!

For my final program of the year, I completed LIIFT 4. This one is very weight lifting oriented with some high intensity interval training thrown in. With only four workouts a week, there was plenty of time to try out some other things. Honestly, LIIFT was not a hit for me.

But, what was a hit was Mes de Mas, the other new Beachbody program for 2018. I checked out a few of the workouts during the rest days and this is definitely on my to-do list. Even though it’s in Spanish, and I don’t speak Spanish (yet!), it’s totally doable and easy to follow.

I’m wrapping up 2018 with Core de Force. I must say, I LOVE this program. I don’t have much experience with martial arts, but I am liking it for sure! And, it’s rather refreshing not having to worry about equipment.

I am super excited for 2019! I plan to learn more about the new portion fix nutrition program and continue learning as mush as I can about nutrition. And, I am super stoked for Transform 20 to release because step aerobics is my absolute favorite. Finally, I WILL complete ChaLEAN Extreme next year.

I’d love to have you join me!

[1] Timed Nutrition is a way of eating meant to fuel your body for tough workouts and maximum results. You’re eating specific combinations of food and specific times of day. Basically, a pre-workout meal, a post-workout supplement, a post-workout meal, and then 3 more meals. Whew!