The Perfect Program. Period.

The perfect program for runners. The perfect program for those seeking strength and flexibility. The perfect program for those needing low-impact (NO-impact) exercise. (It's like yoga, only better.)

The perfect program. Period.

Our online accountability and support group starts tomorrow. There's still time to join us!

Comment below or join on my Facebook page today: https://www.facebook.com/events/1510517262528210/

Fitness Tricks & Nutrition Treats!

Free Online Fit Challenge

Do you have an old Beachbody workout program collecting dust? Or maybe you saw an infomercial for Shaun T's new Max 30 program and want to challenge yourself. 

What better time to make your DVD player work for you and get back to fitness than the New Year?

Join our online Fit Challenge using any Beachbody program and we'll get fit together.

Get stronger. Get fitter. Get healthier. And have fun doing it.

By committing to our online Fit Challenge, you get...

Daily Fitness Schedule
Daily Nutrition
Support & Motivation
A Chance to Win Up to $100,000 in the Beachbody Challenge

Join the group by clicking here or email SunShineStrongBB@gmail.com for more information.

Need to order your program? Click here!

Focusing on Body AND Mind

If you follow me regularly, you know I hold free online challenge groups each month. We focus on basic fitness moves or full fitness programs. Sometimes we just focus on defining and reaching our goals. I love running all of these groups, but I am particularly excited about the two groups I'm running this July.

Mind

I am a book junkie. And since becoming a Beachbody Coach, I have become a Personal Development book junkie. I can't even begin to explain all of the powerful ways that reading these books has changed my life. And often the information contained in their pages is not revolutionary. Most of it is really just common sense. But they are lessons and concepts that most of us, despite the very basic common sense behind them, do not apply in our daily lives. These books have a great power to change.

In July, we'll get started on Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Click on the picture below to get started.

Body

I am also a yoga junkie. I LOVE yoga. So, I simply cannot wait for the release of Chalene Johnson's new program, PiYo. PiYo combines Pilates and Yoga and so much more for a phenomenal workout that will help you not only increase your strength, but also your flexibility. With it's low-impact design and modifications built in, it is perfect for all fitness levels. This is also HUGE for someone like me who loves to run and strength train. Even better? This program is low-cost. You can get this 60-day program for less than 2 months at the gym.

Interested? Click on the picture below to get started.

Summer Vacation. Summer Chaos. Summer Workouts.

With summer here and all of my sons' friends fully mobile with their beat up cars and driver's licenses, my house is never empty.

I love this. I love having a constant flow of kids moving through my house. I love that they want to be here. I do.

BUT, this constant flow also means that I do not get the house to myself...ever. And the very open floor plan means that my workouts are on full display. 

It has taken me some time to get fully comfortable with this concept. I mean, the kids that come and go from my home are athletes. They are in what may be the best shape of their lives. I anticipated ridicule. Laughter. Pointing. Mean tweets. A few smirks, at the very least.

Here's what happens instead. They join me. Maybe not for the whole workout, but they join in. And they see how challenging these programs can be. And, more and more, I hear them doing the workouts even when I'm not. Seriously. There are times when I have a basement filled with teenage football or soccer players doing some Les Mills Combat. 

These are kids that whine and complain about summer two-a-days and suicides and Saturday soccer practices. And here they are spending their down time doing High Intensity Interval Training. By choice. 

It is, in a word, awesome.

So, all you moms and dads out there, don't let the chaos of summer vacation throw you off your game. Keep getting those workouts in, kids or no kids. 

You Want Results? Go Get Them!

You want results? You've got to go get them. True.

And if you want help getting those results, you've got to get signed up with me. (Seriously, it's free and I'm all about commitment, accountability, and motivation, so sign up here.)

Even better than getting me as your coach...for free? Getting Les Mills Combat for next to nothing.

No, really. For less than you would spend on a month's gym membership, you get a 60-day program that you can do from the privacy of your own home, complete with an online support group and ME as your free coach.

This is one of my all-time favorite programs that I go back to over and over to help me continue to build:

strength

stamina

confidence

power

and a lean, toned body (which is really kinda nice this time of year...)

But you have to hurry! This sale ends June 9th and other programs are already selling out. Order here!

This Week is All About the Glutes

What a week!

Today's the day I get my email. Today's the day I find out if I made it into the Marine Corps Marathon. I haven't opened my email yet. I'm too nervous. What if I didn't get in?!? ... What if I did? Gah! Am I really ready to commit to this training? 

Yes. Yes, I am because committing to training is what my life is all about now.

Tomorrow our Bikini Ready Booty Challenge starts and I will commit to training my glutes and legs. (There's still time to join us by clicking here.) We're doing the Brazil Butt Lift program and I'm super excited about it. Love how much fun that program is. The perfect mix of dance and strength training. And it is so effective for lifting that butt and toning those legs just in time for bikini weather. It's that special triangle training Leandro does.

And Saturday is the Montvale 10 Miler. I FEEL ready for it, but who knows if I'll meet my goal pace until I'm out there on the trails.

So, really, this week is all about the glutes. I'm going to need them to power me up the hills on Saturday. 

Falling Off The Fitness Wagon...Again

Let me get real for a minute. (Nah, for real, I'm always real. But that sounded like a good opening line.)

Recently my workload doubled. Literally. It literally doubled. This is mostly a good thing. I mean, more income is always a good thing, right?

But time wise, my life went a little out of control. I was unprepared for the chaos that ensued with such a sudden and drastic increase in my work. My once focused and intense workout schedule became random, sporadic. I began eating whatever fully processed crap I could find sitting in the back of my pantry. I spent 90% of my day sitting at my desk staring at a computer mindlessly cramming food into my mouth.

It doesn't take long for those types of habits to catch up with you.

I ran a 10k trail run on Saturday. That was my wake up call. Carrying an extra 12 pounds up and down the slippery trails was difficult. Add to that the fact that my body was not fueled properly and I had lost some muscle tone, well, it was a poor and painful performance. I finished through sheer will and stubbornness (largely thanks to my good friend cheering me on at the finish), but I was miserable. I did not enjoy it. Not even a little bit. 

It happens. We fall off the fitness wagon. What do we do when that happens? (This is where you pump your fist in the air and yell, "GET BACK ON!") Yep. I'm recommitted.

So, my work schedule may not always allow me to get out for a long run or fit in a 30 minute fitness program, unless I become that chick that forces herself out of bed at 3am to fit it in. And that's probably never going to happen. I need my sleep to keep from hurting all the people.

Still, I CAN use my monthly fitness challenges to squeeze in some basic exercises between classes or even while on a conference call (yes boss, I'm grunting because of the squats not because of the new class schedule). And I CAN refocus my eating habits. It's all up to me. 

And it's all up to you, too. Though, if you need a little support, I can help with that. Just check out the Free Fitness Group Schedule.

Push Up Variations by a Small Chick

I host a free monthly fitness group through Facebook. We focus on a different area each month.

February was arms. We followed a 30-day calendar that told us how many push ups to do each day. How long to hold our planks each day. How many tricep kick backs to do each day. So simple.

The results? Phenomenal. Many participants have shared their successes through loss of inches and pounds. Some are showing off their guns by posting pics. They are all rock stars. 

I am sharing my successes visually with the moves I am able to do that I have never been able to do before.

These are the hardest push up variation that I've tried.

So, it may be time for a new medicine ball, but the move was still quite challenging.

These are my favorites. Workings arms, core, and glutes all at once!

I'm not sure I can technically call this one a Superman Push Up since I stayed on my knee, but I'm calling it that anyway. It's my blog. I can do that. Besides, I tried it the real way...I fell on my face. 

March's focus will be the legs. Oh yes. Bring on the tank tops. Bring on the shorts. We're ready!

Wanna join us? Complete the Contact Form on the right and I will get you signed up!

Legs and Zombies

Preparing for the Zombie Apocalypse

Thirty-Day Leg Challenge

These two things are totally related. Just read. I'll get you there.

I was going to run a Zombie Run last fall.

I love a challenge. Running through the woods with zombies chasing you trying to infect you? And, dude, there was a Twinkie station. An entire station dedicated to TWINKIES. Yeah, seriously good times. Plus, who couldn't use a little practice for the zombie apocalypse? I want to know what to expect when the undead eventually take over the world. Wait. Undead. That's vampires. You can't train for vampires. You ain't outrunnin no vampire no matter how hard you train. I guess zombies are just dead-dead. And you can totally outrun that.

I didn't though. I didn't run the zombie run. Mostly I didn't run because all of my friends are pansies. They were to scared to run from the zombies and this concerns me. I mean, I've surrounded myself with a bunch of pansies. Who will have my back if I need to start throwing some bows? Admittedly, I'm not swinging on too many people these days, but I like to have the option of running my mouth knowing I've got people to back me up. But clearly I don't have people.  And, for real, I am NOT running from zombies alone.

Whatever. New plan. Since I will obviously be the last of "my people" left on earth when the zombie apocalypse does hit, I have decided that I need "new people." So I'm taking applications. We're in training, people. And we're starting with our legs. If we're going to outrun the zombies, we need strong legs. You know what that means. Thirty-day leg challenge! Yep. Who's with me?

We're starting March 1st. Click here to join or email me for more information: sunshinestrongbb@gmail.com.

Jelly Arms Not Conducive to Yoga

Started my morning strong. 

First up was ChaLEAN Extreme Push Circuit 1.

I was supposed to do Circuit 3, but I can't find the remote to my DVD player. So, I'm stuck doing the first workout on any DVD I play. I'm pretty sure a cat stole the remote just so I wouldn't be able to choose the workouts I want...because that's something a cat would do.

There is a lot of arm work in this particular workout.

After my ChaLEAN Extreme workout, I had to get in my push ups and planks for our Monthly Challenge. This month's focus is, of course, the arms.

I'll admit, there was some whining. Maybe even some tears. A LOT of shaking arms. 

And guess what I've got on schedule for this afternoon? Yoga. I committed to that last night before I realized what I had in store this morning. I'm pretty sure I won't be rocking the Chaturanga move today. In fact, I may spend the majority of the time in Child's Pose. Jelly arms just aren't conducive to yoga.

Don't judge.

Are You An Extreme Warrior?

Do you wanna be?

On February 3rd, we have an Extreme Warrior Challenge starting. Perfect for those looking to get ready for an obstacle race, like me. 

A few of us will be doing one of the Spartan Races this year and we're getting started on our training so we can smash it. 

The Extreme Warrior Challenge combines my two favorite programs, ChaLEAN Extreme and Les Mills Combat. ChaLEAN Extreme gets you lean and toned through strength training. Les Mills Combat increases your fat-burning and cardio fitness through mixed martial arts workouts. Ready to take your fitness to a new level and get in the best shape of your life? Now is your chance! We'll provide support and motivation along the way. (You can choose to do one or both programs. Either way, you'll see amazing results!)

Are you ready? Email me for more info!

Who Needs Portion Control?

Well, I do. I need portion control.

The newest Beachbody product launched February 3rd!

This program has great workouts and a PORTION CONTROL food plan! YES!!

I'm forming a group for folks who want to use this program to kick start their fitness and get their eating habits under control. If you're not already working with a Beachbody coach, I would love to have you in my group! Check out this video and email me!

Get Better By Getting Stronger

Ladies, does strength training intimidate you?

Too many women believe that strength training will bulk them up. Apparently some men believe this about women, too.

When I first started strength training, my son said, "Ok, mom. Just don't start looking like a dude."

The truth is, our physiology doesn't naturally allow us to bulk up in the same way men do. At least, not without playing around with some serious supplements. 

Want to be a stronger runner? Get stronger. Want to shed extra weight? Get stronger. Want to look fabulous in that new bathing suit? Get stronger. Want to be more confident? Get stronger. 

Strong is the key to so many wonderful things. 

That's why I get so excited about my strength workouts. 

You can, too. Join me for our upcoming Beauty & The Beast Challenge Group. I will help you get stronger.