About a month ago, I decided it was time for a change.  As a kid, I played multiple sports all year round, but when I got to high school, I gave up cleats for character shoes.  I’m a petite person (5’3″) and was barely 5′ when I entered my freshman year at a high school who pumps out incredible athletes year after year.  So I decided to dedicate myself to choir, which lead to many phenomenal experiences, but I virtually stopped working out.  I have a fast metabolism and didn’t need to workout to keep off weight, so I simply didn’t.  College rolled around and my fast metabolism just wasn’t cutting it anymore.  I filled out a little, so I started working out with friends and joined a couple of intramural sports, including flag football and inner-tube water polo.  It helped keep me from gaining any more weight, but I never really got back the figure I wanted.  After graduating from college and starting a demanding full time job in fashion merchandising, working out was simply no longer a priority.  Any free time I had was spent on errands, chores, catching up with friends and visiting my husband.  Now that I get to travel with my husband, who is extremely fit by the way, I decided to get my butt back in shape.  For Christmas, he gave me Zumba for the Wii and that was an excellent way for me to get in some cardio every day.  It was a lot of fun and kept me interested, but then our Wii broke and I was left feeling lost again.  I hate running and doing traditional “gym” workouts.  They bore me and I have no motivation to keep coming back for more.  Luckily, it was right around this time that I was introduced to Beachbody and Shakeology through some friends.  After about a week of prayers and discussions with my husband, I took the leap and contacted Brandi Botts, a Beachbody Coach.

This sparked a life-changing conversation with Brandi about my current weight/body type and issues I had with traditional workouts.  In a short, simple message, she suggested TurboFire–an intense cardio workout program that focuses on HIIT (high intensity interval training) and is set to upbeat music– accompanied by Shakeology.  A few girls I know had started drinking Shakeology and were loving it, so I ended up with the TurboFire/Chocolate Shakeology Challenge Pack.   This is where the change began.

Shown is a 30 day supply of Chocolate Shakeology and the Turbo Fire DVD set.

Shakeology is a meal or snack replacement that is far superior to other protein shakes, which claim to be a meal replacement, but leave you starved just an hour later.  It is gluten free, contains no refined or artificial sweeteners, and has a certified low glycemic index.  This last point is what won me over.  I am hypoglyemic, which means my blood sugar drops too low leaving me shaky, starved and in a terrible mood, and most protein shakes contain a lot of sugar which result in a crash and simply do not sustain me.  Shakeology gives me energy, and keeps me feeling full until it’s time for my next snack or meal.  No crash an hour later!!  It is also is so full of vitamins, probiotics and super foods that I couldn’t possibly list them all out for you.  On the back of the bag, you’ll find listed the benefits, “This incredible drink provides your body with nutrients that help you maintain healthy body weight, support your immune system and well-being, protect your long-term health, and give you energy.” Not to mention, it tastes amazing!  I mix my chocolate Shakeology with 1.5 cups lactaid milk (I’m also lactose intolerant), ice, and either some frozen cherries or a frozen banana.  The result?  Bliss in a glass.  It’s not too sweet, but I feel as though I’m drinking a chocolate banana or chocolate cherry milkshake for breakfast. There are also other flavors including Greenberry and Tropical Strawberry, but I think I’ll stick to my Chocolate.

While a 30 day supply of Shakeology make seem expensive, keep in mind that at $4 a day, this will probably end up being your cheapest meal of the day.  Compare the stats to a few other items we happily pay even more to consume.

Last Monday, I started my TurboFire classes and, boy, are they tough!  The DVD set comes with a tape measure for tracking your results, a Fuel the Fire book full of recipes and tips for healthy eating, a Turn Up the Burn TurboFire fitness guide, an extra Greatest HIITs DVD, a resistance band, and a detailed workout schedule to follow for the next 12 weeks.  The classes in Week 1 were mostly Fire classes, which are intense cardio kick boxing infused with some fun dance moves to get you jammin’ to the beat, as well as Fire drills–1 minute super high intensity routines to push you to your limit.  There was one HIIT class that nearly killed me on Day 2, a Core class and, of course, lots of stretch classes to keep you healthy and flexible.  With each day that passed, I was able to push myself harder in the classes as I adjusted to the intensity.  The workouts are a serious challenge, but are extremely fun.  I sweat like crazy and push myself to the max, but everyday I can’t wait to push play and start my class for the day.  The instructor and creator Chalene Johnson is so upbeat and encouraging, you can’t help but push through when you see her up there bouncing around and getting after it.  Within the first week of my TurboFire and Shakeology challenge, I lost 1/2″ on each of my thighs!!  My goal is to be more fit and toned, so I’m going for inches lost rather than lbs.  I can’t wait to see what kind of results the first month will bring!

In addition to my Turbo Fire classes with Chalene and my delicious Shakeology,  I could not have started making this change in myself without the encouragement and guidance from my coach, Brandi.  She and another coach, Sarah Hefner, have added me into Facebook challenge groups with others who are fighting for a change just like me.  We keep each other going and share our successes and motivation, which is invaluable when you embark on a journey that is anything but easy.

Disclaimer: These opinions are entirely my own.  This post was not sponsored, but was a review of products that I purchased myself.