21 Day Summer Slim-Down Mini-Boot Camp

Today is: April 12.

Do you know what is in 42 days?

Memorial Day!

A solemn holiday for America (let's never forget the TRUE meaning of the day), but it also signifies the unofficial start of the summer season here in NJ!

I usually run 60-day Boot Camps, but in honor of rapidly approaching summer, I thought it would be fun to host a 21 Day Summer Slim-Down!

So, what is it?

You have your choice of two programs, two different ways:

21 Day Fix - Essential Package or Challenge Pack
21 Day Fix Extreme - Essential Package or Challenge Pack

We will start prepping and planning TOGETHER on April 27.
We will start our programs TOGETHER on May 4.
We will work on losing 8-15 pounds each TOGETHER for 21 days....which leads up right up to Memorial Day!

What's in an Essential Package?
Your workouts
Color-coded portion control containers
Nutrition Guide
3 Day Quick Fix Plan (21 Day Fix) OR Countdown to Competition Plan (21 Day Fix Extreme)
ME as your accountability and support coach


What's in a Challenge Pack?
All of the above in the Essential Package
Your first 30 day supply of Shakeology
A FREE 30-day VIP Trial Memebership to the Team Beachbody Club, INCLUDING Beachbody On Demand. Stream 21 Day Fix from your computer or Smart Phone where you have high-speed internet connection, as well as access to over $1,000 worth of state of the art in-home fitness programs.


What's the best value?
To be honest, I truly believe the Challenge Pack will give you the BEST bang for your buck. Why? Because when you order the Challenge Pack, you'll get Shakeology...and your program is $30. That's 50% off the program compared to buying just the essential package! Incorporating Shakeology into your daily meal plan will help you get even better results, and the added bonus of being able to stream all of these amazing fitness programs for free for 30 days is just the icing on the cake.


Which program is best for me?
If you are just starting out on your fitness journey, I always recommend 21 Day Fix for newbies. If you've completed 21 Day Fix, T25, Insanity, or any of the more extreme fitness programs, 21 Day Fix Extreme would be a good match for you.


Do I need any special equipment for 21 Day Fix or 21 Day Fix Extreme?
21 Day Fix requires either a resistance band, or a light and heavy set of weights. 21 Day Fix Extreme requires a resistance band AND a light and heavy set of weights.


When do I need to place my order to participate in the 21 Day Summer Slim-Down?
Week 0 (prep week) begins Monday, April 27. Ideally, all boot campers will have ordered their Essential Package or Challenge Pack of their choice by April 24. Shipping takes 5-7 business days, and I like everyone to be able to start on the same day. Ordering after April 24 is taking the chance that you will not receive your program in time to start with the group. I don't want anyone to feel behind or left out!


I have more questions.
No problem! Send me an email at britt.r.wood@gmail.com and I would be happy to chat via email or schedule a phone call.

30 Before 30

I turned 29 on Tuesday. It was an interesting day. A lot of people have opinions on what it means to be thisclose to 30. A lot of women have opinions, at least.

I got the vibe from a few people that turning 29 was signaling the end of some glorious era of youth and vitality. That the end was near, and it's all downhill from here, baby.

30 is something to be afraid of.

Sisters, I disagree.

At 29, I am healthier than I have been for most of the last 10 years.

I eat better.

I exercise.

My spirit is stronger than it has been in a looooong time.
My previous self-destructive behavior and emotions have been kicked to the curb.

So honestly? When I turn 30 in a year, I will welcome it with open arms. But in the meantime, I intend to make this the best year ever so that I kick off my third decade of life with a huge bang.

In honor of being within a year of the big 3-0, I’ve put together my "30 Before 30" Bucket List. My hopes, dreams, and goals to accomplish in the next year. In one spot. 

I’ll be updating this page as I reach a goal or complete a task, and I promise I won’t cry like Rachel did on “Friends” when she turned 30.

1. Update our kitchen.
2. Become a certified nutrition coach.
3. Go on a vacation to an island in the Carribbean.
4. Become a Premiere Coach with Beachbody.
5. Start and finish Body Beast.
6. Start and finish P90X in 90 days.
7. Spend one hour a day doing something for ME.
8. Plan time with friends twice a month.
9. Go on a date night with my husband twice a month.
10. Train for and run a 5k.
11. Read one book a week for one year.
12. Become more involved with my church.
13. Explore and strengthen my faith.
14. Learn how to sail.
15. Help 100 people in some way.
16. Spend more time at the beach.
17. Spend more time in my garden.
18. Finally hit my pre-pregnancy weight.
19. Rediscover my abs.
20. Spend an entire week saying “yes.”
21. Write at least three times a week.
22. Build an amazing team of coaches who want to inspire and change lives.
23. Try more exotic food.
24. Make more with my Beachbody biz than I do at the day job.
25. Visit another country.
26. Wear a bikini.
27. Spend more time outdoors.
28. Put the phone down more often.
29. Pray every day.
30. Volunteer my time.

So, there you have it, friends. My big goals for the next year. Some of it overlaps with my 2015 goals, and some things build on those goals that I set in January. Ultimately I want to wake up on April 7, 2016 and KNOW that I have ensured an amazing 30th year to myself. 

Here's to year 29.

Diets vs. Lifestyle Change

The  word diet, as defined by www.dictionary.com:

diet
[dahy-it] 

noun

1.

food and drink considered in terms of its qualities, composition, and its effects on health:

Milk is a wholesome article of diet.

2.

a particular selection of food, especially as designed or prescribed to improve a person's physical condition or to prevent or treat a disease:

a diet low in sugar.

3.

such a selection or a limitation on the amount a person eats for reducing weight:

No pie for me, I'm on a diet.

4.

the foods eaten, as by a particular person or group:

The native diet consists of fish and fruit.

5.

food or feed habitually eaten or provided:

The rabbits were fed a diet of carrots and lettuce.

6.

anything that is habitually provided or partaken of:

Television has given us a steady diet of game shows and soap operas.

verb (used with object), dieted, dieting.

7.

to regulate the food of, especially in order to improve the physical condition.

8.

to feed.

verb (used without object), dieted, dieting.

9.

to select or limit the food one eats to improve one's physical condition or to lose weight:

I've dieted all month and lost only one pound.

10.

to eat or feed according to the requirements of a diet.

adjective

11.

suitable for consumption with a weight-reduction diet; dietetic :

diet soft drinks.

How do I define "diet" personally? I don't tend to see it as something good, honestly. Often times, I relate diets to restriction, limitations, being temporary, and a state of general misery. The act of "dieting" in itself is no fun (at least in my experience), and any weight loss I experienced was usually offset by my crankyness over not being able to have that cupcake RIGHT NOW because "it's not allowed" in the diet.

The truth is, I come from a shady relationship with food. My relationship has gone both ways: food is the enemy and MUST be restricted (hello, 700 calories a day), and food is a friend that brings comfort and always has something to do when you're bored (hello, fistfuls of chips at 10 AM just because). Neither relationship is healthy, and neither did any good for my overall wellbeing.

I hear people all the time refer to having to go on a "diet" with shame in their voice. Or they mention it with a tone of dread and disgust. And then they are MISERABLE for however long it takes them to realize that this is no fun and quit the diet. And then gain all the weight back. Because yes, while they might have lost some weight from the things they were doing, they still haven't picked up good habits or taken the time to teach themselves and learn about food and nutrition.

NUTRITION, friends. There's our key word. What makes your body run? How does food fuel it? Nine time out of ten people go on diets for vanity and the improvement of outward appearance, and put little thought to what they are putting into their bodies.

My whole point is this: Looking at the definition of diet, I choose to focus on some of the better definitions available to me.

• food and drink considered in terms of its qualities, composition, and its effects on health
• a particular selection of food, especially as designed or prescribed to improve a person's     physical condition or to prevent or treat a disease:
• anything that is habitually provided or partaken of:

But do you know what this sounds like to me? A lifestyle change.

Taking your health into your own hands. Not just for a few weeks, but always.

Taking the time to learn what is good for your body. Taking the time to read packaging labels to see what kind of ingredients you are putting into your body. Looking at food as fuel. Not the enemy, not your friend...it's fuel. It makes you body run at optimal levels. Junk in, junk out. I choose not to live with junk as my output.

Making healthy choices and actions a habitual, lifelong way of living.

I have been eating primarily whole, unprocessed foods for 15 months now.

Yes, sometimes I'll have that cupcake. Yep, I'll have that beer.

No, I don't feel guilty over it. Ever. Why? I also believe that moderation is important.

Being told I can't have something--ever--makes it all the more desirable and then I'm likely to go off the deep end when I do finally get my hands on it. Moderation allows me to walk on the wild side and not lose myself in the insane cravings that come with restriction. So yes, I "cheat" (even though I don't think it's really cheating). I know that it's okay.

Because the other 85-90% of the time, I am consciously CHOOSING healthier foods, and not feeling obligated because ugh, diet. I am CHOOSING to push my body with exercise at least five days a week.

Long story short, I've realized that diets come and go, but if I'm not making healthy choices a permanent fixture in my life, then I'll always be chasing something--a new diet, a new fad, a new way to make me feel better about myself.

'But Brittany!' you might be thinking right now, 'Isn't 21 Day Fix a diet? Isn't that a fad? It's 21 days and then you're done.'

And to that I say this: it's a fad only if you totally forget about it once you're done the 21 days. The program is meant to jumpstart a new habit--a healthier lifestyle. Yeah, you'll tone up and get results if you follow the program as written for 21 days, but what happens on Day 22 is what's most important. You've done the work to learn the habits. You'd be doing yourself a huge disservice if you immediately fall back into making poor choices. I do the 21 Day Fix every three to four months to clean up my habits (daily trips to the candy bowl happen. I'm human.) and reset. When that's done I don't just stop everything. That, to me, is the difference between a diet and a lifestyle.

I changed my lifestyle. It was a conscious decision to make healthier choices always, and not for a few weeks here and there...and I find that it now comes MUCH easier.