PiYo Challenge & My Story

Here it is June 30th, 2014 and I am super excited for PiYo. I worked out at my first Super Saturday event two days ago and tried PiYo for the first time ever as I have been waiting to try this program with my Challenge Group and I have to say that I have never been so excited to start a program like I am now. This program is going to be a game changer. Seriously! I love to workout...it keeps me sane...it keeps me grounded...it keeps me feeling great in a world where sometimes I just don't feel right. I never understood that but when I don't workout I never feel right. This program is different. After 22 minutes of working out I didn't feel like I killed my body but I felt like I was alive!

Continue to read to see if this program is a fit for you! 

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Are you tired of feeling like you need a walker just to get from the bed to the bathroom? 

Does it seem like you have been suffering from one fitness related injury after another? 

Would you like to restore your body, instead of just settling for "this is what getting old must feel like"?

Are you just getting into fitness and want fast results, without risking injury or feeling like you are going to die? 

Have you suffered from joint, knee or back problems or recovering from an injury? 

Are you constantly being injured or working through injuries?

Are you a total cardio junkie and have hit a plateau?

Do you wish you could work on your flexibility but don't have time to do two types of workout?

Have you tried programs but just cant seem to "change" your body?

Do you enjoy yoga or pilates but feel that it is either too slow or you do not get enough burn to bother?

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YOUR BODY CRAVES RESTORATION AND FLEXIBILITY!

Do any of these benefits tweak your interest??

  

 - Better posture (less back a pain & you look skinnier when you stand up straight)

 - Improved balance and flexibility

 - Increased strength 

 - Stronger core

 - Less cellulite

 - More peaceful sleep

 - Long, lean sexy muscles

 - Firmer, tighter butt

 - less joint pain 

- 60 day program

 - Includes 8 workouts

 -  Workouts vary from 20-45 minutes

 - Just like every other Beachbody program, it will come with a schedule to follow, so that you know which day to do what disc on, which will provide you with a TOTAL body workout, without overworking or injuring yourself.

 - Just like every other Beachbody program, it will come with a meal plan to follow, which will help sustain your energy, meet your nutritional needs, improve your relationship with food and help you lose weight and get the results without starvation being involved. 

 - This is a program that does NOT require any extra equipment other than a towel or Yoga mat to protect your knees/tailbone.

 - You can do the entire workout barefoot.

 - There is no jumping involved.

 - This program is great for people at any fitness level, including those who have sustained an injury and wish to ease back into a fitness routine. It is also GREAT for athletes who train hard, and need to work on balance and flexibly, but have a hard time sitting still long enough to complete a Pilates or Yoga workout. 

Even pregnant people could do this!

Those of you that know me know that I was once really overweight. I lost a lot of weight by using Metabolife when it had the full on ephedra in it...the bad stuff. Dropped a ton of weight and kept it off all this time. Did I say it was healthy? Oh no...but I did learn that it was mostly how much I was eating. I went from 3 servings down to half a serving, cut out all cokes, candy and fried foods. I stayed active but I didn't work out. I was a bartender for years and years...till 2009 I was sick of yo-yoing on my weight...ten pound here offf and on....due to getting into drugs because they tend to keep me skinny after learning ephedra was quite like cocaine, ecstacy and all those lovely drugs that kept me from eating...NOT HEALTHY! But when ephedra came off the market...and they replaced it with a piece of it that made you sick...it wasn't the same and the once wonderful happy pill that worked no longer worked...and I was ready to get sane and get healthy the RIGHT WAY! Besides, all that lead to diagnosis of bipolar and mood swings I couldn't handle.

6th grade here. I was large growing up!

1998 @ my sisters graduation! Biggest I have ever been 225! I was 16!

2004 visiting my parents from Portland, OR

Bartending over ten years didn't help at all...

2007 I had cleaned up my act... here in 2008 I was on the road to health! Minus Titos Vodka...mmm..

The solution...in 2008 I kept buying dvd's of Jillian Michaels, 10 Minute Solutions, Jennifer Gillardi, Dance DVDs and I lost weight, got stronger and I was loving it...invested in a treadmill off Craigslist...cleaned up my eating a bit but what I did was eat LESS, got SOUPS...and that was clean to me....yep...that was clean..and I still drank a ton of alcohol at the bars I worked at...yet I worked out 3 hours a day. First thing in the morning, at lunch time, and after work....working 3 jobs, going to school and working out...yep. I did it. I loved what the ladies did for me...but I wanted more.....more, more, more...

Loved the burns!!! And all the sweat! Yet I did it alone!

But the 3 hour workouts weren't getting me where I thought I should be.

I could see a change and tried to wear a skirt...I didnt like it

So, I bought into Slim in 6....I liked it...though I felt it was silly...cause it was an older program but I didnt realize how much I didn't know what CARDIO was till I did that program...I thought I was gonna die when I got to the final level....yet, I will never forget the first week thinking it was so easy but not being able to walk for nearly a week after the first day...my thighs were not use to that kind of work....I knew I was into something major...and I was up for the challenge.

Three a day workouts showed in my face! That's my cousin Tonia!

Shortly after a friend of mine gave me P90x....I didn't have the weights I needed but I invested in 5s an 8s...that was ENOUGH for me...I remember thinking I was again...going to die... back when I could do the PLYO...and my pants soon wouldnt go over my thighs because my legs were so strong...that was a wonderful feeling....My journey began once more...

I never had my hips so small than they were here! But it came at a cost.

July 2010 Family Photos I was proud of myself

2010 P90x was changing my body!

It wasn't until 2011 that I invested in Turbo Jam which I felt was a down grade from where I was but it was challenging for me at times too....so I got Turbo Fire...ooo I loved it....and then on from TurboFire I got Insanity...I fell in instant love! That is where my life changed the most...The rest is history....I now own nearly all the Beachbody programs minus a select few....It's my life's goal to own them all...to do them all...to conquer them all....

Turbo Jam helped my arms. Insanity helped my body.

Started at 170 lbs.

And I celebrated! Yep...I had beer! Shoot me! =)

What I have learned in my journey is that nutrition is key....you can push yourself hard but nothing will change unless you learn to change your eating habits. It wasn't until Turbo Fire and Insanity did I really start learning that what I put into my body mattered. During Insanity I learned that I had to put in 1900 calories into my body to LOSE weight! WHAT?! This is insane...society trains me to think that I have to eat less...WTF IS THIS SHIT?! NO WAY?! YES, WAY! So, I did...with the help of My Fitness Pal...I ate more....more of what I felt was healthy and natural foods...some processed...on the go foods but real foods at home with the help of my boyfriend. That was the best results I got.





With TurboFire I made my own hybrid schedule...increased the intensity yet again I fed into the societal views....I didn't realize what I had done....I didn't eat more....I ate the same....But the difference was the HIIT workouts. I did not realize the difference the HIIT workouts do to your body and how they effect your body. It is important you recognize this and take it easy. I did indeed gain weight with this program. By not increasing my eating, I gained weight....I pushed myself too hard and push on 15 pounds during the program even by eating VERY clean, but my body was in starvation mode, holding water and trying to survive. What I have learned through trial and error is what NOT to do...and how to take care of my body...how to follow a program and what to do in the event that you develop a hybrid...what to do to effectively add or subtract to a program for good results.




Since then I have been in a car accident that has further injured my back. I have now 5 herniated disks in my lower back. (1) 6mm, (2) 5mm, and (2) 4mm, which keeps me from pushing as hard as I use to. I use to still work out through the pain because the trainers told me to...and I thought I was pouting but since the MRI results I have to listen even more to my body yet this does not stop me. I will admit that I do feel and wonder sometimes that I'm making up excuses. Its why I rest and try again but sometimes I know I just can not. Further injury is a no go for me. I live my fitness like trying to do a workout once but if not I will modify. I am the modification queen but you best bet I will do the HARDER MODIFICATION! The work doesn't start until you're tired...if you aren't tired...then what's the point...you only cheat yourself. =)

I then started drinking Shakeology when I started coaching...got more energy and didn't quite understand why I felt better or how it made me full but I had to have it every day on my way to work. I never eat breakfast and I never get the calories I needed....this was definitely a major help for me...it was definitely the vitamins I needed too as my doctor informed me I was working out too hard core and was developing a vitamin deficiency...WHAT? People get this from working out...Dear God...what have I done to my body? I'm trying to be healthier...not the total opposite...what have I done? Within months of Shakeology my doctor took me off several medications I was on for my back and for my vitamin deficiency...I was back on track....I no longer needed to take Tylenol 3 for my back pain...wait what? No, it didn't take my back pain away...it's not a miracle drink...it allowed me to feel healthier and be more active...to get my workouts done, eat healthier, that I felt better, my back hurt less and I didn't need the medicine...make sense! Totally worth it!

June 2013

Lifting weights burns fat and actually strengthens my back muscles. ChaLEAN Extreme really toned me up and helped me in so many ways!!! She is so inspiring and knows exactly how to work with your body and keep you motivated in such a way that you want to keep going no matter what...failure is not an option but with this program....failure is actually the option...because you want muscle failure....to promote change!

Sagi and I at Coach Summit 2013 - He is the Trainer from Body Beast...love him!

I still do runs!

I could continue to list the other programs I have completed but instead I will say that since I have found this wonderful HYDRO app that helps me track my water intake...its really helped me increase my energy...water is utmost important. I thought I drank a lot of water before...now, I know I do because I really didn't. I've been doing Insanity Asylum again for the 3rd time. I'm getting better results... I know what I need to do now is further clean my eating by actually following a meal plan that is set for me with these programs. That has really been the biggest challenge as the food in my fridge tends to go bad quickly or I make up some excuse as to why I don't have time to pre-make the food before hand. The excuses never quit...we have the ability to stop them though...TEN SECONDS TO TAKE ACTION...MAKE THE CHANGE! NO EXCUSES!


This time around in Asylum...I decided I was going to make it all the way through no matter what...hell or high water because it seems life has always gotten in my way somehow when I do this program. I love it! I want to complete it and I am a week away from doing so! A week away from starting PiYo.

This is me 3.24.14 at 165 AGAIN!

One year of inconsistency and one year of life getting in the way again... My body likes this area...I know that...but I'll keep fighting back...I'm now down to 158 as of today 6.30.14 from doing Asylum... No, I don't do all the workouts. I no loner can do Vertical Plyo or I think I'd want to hurt people the next day due to back pain...so, I do Body Beast and keep my strength up...muscle burns fat!

6.28.14 With Mindy Hord a fellow bad ass coach who was in the test group for PiYo!

These are just a few photos of my journey thus far with fitness and a taste of the bajillion of photos I have taken of things I have done....my progress, the fun I have had and more...but its only the tip of the iceberg of where I shoot to be. I find that my weight and size has not changed much and my nutrition is where it matters the most. I am hoping that with this PiYo challenge I can completely change up this way of life...continue to inspire others and help you on your journey as well...

Still love a good challenge!

So, my own personal goal is to FINALLY with this program and my challenge here with PiYo...to do the program as its listed...no skipping workouts...I rarely do unless in serious pain...but this program is designed to keep you on the ground and help with flexibility...woot woot! I can't wait... to incorporate this with Shakeology...which I love this stuff...why wouldn't people be drinking it? I personally love it.. But more than anything... I will do the nutrition to a T! I am determined to completely do this right! Do this the right way to see what all this is about...if I am going to walk the walk...lets completely walk it together. I've had all these programs and nutrition guides for all this time but struggle to follow ONE of them...but it is only because I don't actually do it...so, I'm going to do it! I KNOW everything else works!

So, if you are interested, want to join the team and get in on the challenge with us, send me a message or email me at purplepiper516@gmail.com

The group PiYo page is https://www.facebook.com/groups/PiYoChallengers/

I love being a coach and I love sharing my journey with others. This has been the most rewarding part of my life. To watch others grow...to share their journey, to help them as they help me because no one fights alone...no one should do it alone...a group is best for accountability. Everyone struggles, everyone wants to quit, everyone has that tiny piece of themselves that says they just can't or don't feel good enough or strong enough but that is the very reason why a team is the best thing because we keep hope alive that YOU CAN and YOU WILL and YOU ARE good enough...strong enough and you WILL SUCCEED!!!!