Support

If you are just starting out on a path to better health and fitness, you are undoubtedly looking for some tools which may make things a little easier. So whether you are trying to ease into a new, healthy routine, or just supplement what you’re already doing, this page may be a good starting point.

• Do you want to run faster, build strength or simply avoid injury through cross training?
• Do you feel like your body is on a roller coaster pattern when it comes to losing weight and keeping it off?
• Do you want to eat better, healthier food, but don’t know where to start?
• Do you think you need to “go big or go home” in order to make change happen?

If any of these even remotely resembles what you are feeling or thinking, keep reading. 

Below are products I use or have used, and my personal experiences with them. If you want to learn more about my personal fitness journey, please read this post. 

SHAKEOLOGY

What is Shakeology?

Shakeology is a delicious, nutrient-dense, superfood-packed shake, that just so happens to have some protein in it too.

It contains more than 70 natural ingredients derived from rich, nutrient-dense whole-food sources from around the world.

Since August of 2013 I’ve enjoyed Shakeology every day for breakfast OR lunch! It’s a perfect way to get all my daily nutrition QUICKLY. After my first 30 days of taking Shakeology every day, these were the things I noticed:

• With a shake for breakfast every morning, I could actually make it to lunch without feeling deprived or hungry, even after a long morning workout.
• I felt satisfied and could feel I was receiving good nutrition, so I didn’t feel guilty if I couldn’t get all my vegetables for the day. (Nothing can replace FRESH WHOLE FOODS in my opinion, but I felt much better on the super busy days, compared to busy days before Shakeology. I wouldn’t crave veggies like I used to.)
• My energy levels (given my workouts, lack of sleep and stress lately) have remained pretty high, which is surprising to me. (Typically when I run myself like this, I end up getting sick. Knock on wood…)
• In the end, I don’t think I ended up losing any weight on the scale, but I’m not as concerned about that since I’m looking to build strength these days.
• I’m pretty sure my nails grew stronger and therefore were incredibly long!
• Lastly, I most definitely was more regular, if ya catch my drift. (Psssst… improved digestion.)
• **UPDATE – It’s been 2.5 years now since I started taking Shakeology, and all of these still stand true!**

If you are interested in trying it for yourself, click on the banner ad below! PURCHASE SHAKEOLOGY

 

P90X

P90X is a workout program developed by Tony Horton, that combines every kind of workout imaginable to keep your muscles guessing and your brain interested! In this program you will do weight training (or use resistance bands), yoga, kick boxing, core/abs, stretch, strength training and cardio. It comes with a complete nutrition guide, filled with daily meals and recipes ensuring you have all the tools you need to succeed.

Mr. Zucchini Runner and I did our first round of this program in June of 2011 and it completely changed the way we eat. It also changed my opinion of doing workouts from home. I never believed they would work, but Tony (and his annoying jokes) were soon growing on us and we found ourselves quoting him on a daily basis! Two of his lines stick with me today, 2 years later, “Do your best and forget the rest.” I’ve told myself that pleeeeenty of times. Also, “You can do anything for 30 seconds.” Only I’ve modified that numerous times to, “You can do anything for 5 minutes.” or “You can do anything for 25 minutes.” etc, etc. The point is, that working out is only a small, small fraction of our entire 24 hour day. So get out there and do your best.

Below is my before P90X picture, compared to after which was actually after 2 rounds of P90X and a major overhaul in my overall nutrition. I’m all about slow changes that will become a lifestyle not a quick fix.

If you are interested in purchasing or learning more about out P90X, click the banner ad below. PURCHASE P90X

P90X3

This program was released in December of 2013, and due to the immense success Mr. Zucchini Runner and I had with P90X we were BEYOND stoked to give this one a try. The biggest difference between P90X and X3 were the workout lengths. It has all the same variety of workouts; strength training with weights, yoga, pilates, active stretching, kickboxing, plyometrics, cardio with weights, etc. But each and every workout is only 30 minutes long. We CRUISED through these workouts and found ourselves in the BEST shape of our lives. As a matter of fact, it’s 2 years later and we still listen to Tony Horton and his corny jokes in the morning as we do our X3 workouts. We just pick and choose which ones we want to do now, versus following a strict schedule. Below are the results Mr. ZR had, and his progress along the way of the 90 day program.

If you are interested in purchasing or learning more about out P90X3, click the banner ad below. PURCHASE P90X3

PiYo

Chalene Johnson’s PiYo workout was released in 2014. Mr. Zucchini Runner and I experienced a live demo first hand at the Beachbody Summit in Las Vegas. It was love at first sight. PiYo is another program I still use regularly, I even became PiYo certified in Oct. of 2014. PiYo is all about stretching and lengthening your muscles while also strengthening them. Using only your body, this is one challenging workout!! There is no jumping involved, it is very low impact and focuses on controlled movement, with correct form.

As you can see from my before and after photo below, it really toned my arms and tightened up my core. I will never have 6-pack, or even 4-pack abs, but my waistline really slimmed down. My core was probably at it’s strongest after PiYo; which is incredibly important if you are a runner like myself. I also ran a group in 2014 called “PiYo Runners”, where each member was a runner, who combined the PiYo program with their running routine. Everyone noticed an improvement in their running pace, as well as the ease of each run.

If you are interested in purchasing or learning more about out PiYo, click the banner ad below. PURCHASE PIYO

FOCUS T25

This program was created by Shaun T and release in June of 2013. It was the first Beachbody program in which ALL the workouts  were 25 minutes long! T25 is intense cardio and strength building workouts that use your own body weight as resistance. The workouts are M-F and are broken up into two phases; each phase lasts 5 weeks.

Mr. Zucchini Runner and I completed this program in 2013, right after the release. You can read a full review here. My goal was to increase my core and glute strength which would hopefully improve my running for the winter racing season. Needless to say, I ended up running my personal best time in November of 2013, after completing T25 in the summer. I was in fact at my peak of running, and I truly think T25 tipped the scales in the cardio arena to enable me to really perform at my best. I will say, this one was a bit rough on my ankles after a while however… due to all the jumping up and down.

If you are interested in purchasing or learning more about T25, click the banner ad below! PURCHASE T25

If you purchase any of the above products through this page, I will provide weekly text message check-ins for support, motivation, or to answer any questions you may have completely free. I’m not here to be an in-your-face health coach; that’s not my style. You are the one who needs to do 99% of the work. But I am here to listen and help IF YOU WANT IT!

Please contact me through the form below and we can discuss next steps. If you make a purchase, and want the weekly support via text messages, please complete the form below as well. You need to make the first step!