Beachbody Ultimate Reset - The Review

Well, since I am just staring Phase 2, Beta of Focus T25, let's switch gears a little bit and  let me share my experience with a program I did a little while ago ( November 2012), The Beachbody Ultimate Reset. This program promises that if followed, it will reset your body to it's "Factory Settings"

The  Ultimate Reset, it's a 21 days  program, in which you take a series of supplement and follow an strict diet of recipes provided, It comes with a kit, with all the supplements you will need, a  book with the recipes and a schedule in which you are to take said supplements. Also you are required to drink distilled water for the 21 days and avoid strenuous workouts, only light yoga and walking are recommended.

The program is divided in 3 phases, Reclaim , Release, and Finally Restore. In phase 1 you will start to eliminate animal products of any kind, that means, fish, eggs, meat, poultry and dairy. When you move on to phase 2, you continue to refine your diet, at this point you are eating  a completely vegan diet, By phase 3, you have also eliminated all grains and you are basically left with fruits and vegetables. The purpose of the cleanse is to lower the inflammation for your body and get your body's PH to an alkaline state.

Now on to my personal experience. This program was tough! I mean not only are you cutting several groups of foods from your diet, but your are eating very little calories, around 1000 a day, this done to give your digestive system a rest and allow the other systems of your body to cleanse themselves. There is no regular shakeology allowed, only Vegan and at the time I did it, they had not come out with the "Reset in a crunch"  version, which simplifies the  cooking, for those short in time , so I was doing Dishes left and right, Always cooking (more on that later). The beginning is the hardest, many people report headaches, usually from caffeine withdrawal,  Since I don't drink coffee or soda, I didn't experience that, I was dizzy!  Oh the Dizziness, cloudy mind and overall weirdness! But after a couple of days it started to get better, although I felt  more or less dizzy the whole 21 days, in my case I think it was because of the lack of calories. My favorite week was phase no. 2, that's where I felt comfortable with the recipes, I am not a carnivore, and I am slightly  lactose intolerant. Phase 3 was very hard, as there is more fruit and salads than you can almost bear!

Ok, after all the whining, the question stands... Was it worth it? The answer is a resounding YES! What did I learn during the reset? Remember I mentioned that I was slightly Lactose intolerant? I learned that during the reset, I never knew your tummy could feel so good, without pain, colic, gas or  the feeling of knots forming inside, I thought all of that was "normal" up until the reset, where I felt so good inside that was a revelation to me! Another lesson? I actually LIKE to cook with tons of colors in my meals.... never knew that, I always thought I just didn't like cooking, not true, I enjoy chopping 300 different vegetables and  making a meal out of it, the more colors the better! I was introduced to several new things and to this day I have never bought dressing again, there are some AMAZING salad dressing recipes in the reset, that has allowed me to enjoy more my  greens, guilt free! Ah also I lost 15 lbs or so.


Was I perfect? NOPE, I cheated couple of times here and there,  Would I do it again? Yes! Can't wait,  Right now I am on my  weight loss journey and once I am done, or closer to my goal, I will do the reset one more time!


If you are ready to do the  Ultimate Reset,  have questions or are already doing the program and need support and encouragement  please contact me through email, or find me on my  Facebook  page and follow me on Twitter and Instagram (@salba3716)


Thrilledmomof2

Bonus Review -- Core Speed



 I apologize for the quality of the pic, I took it at 5:30 am, even the phone was half asleep ;)

So if you get your Focus T25 Workout DVD's trough a Beachbody Coach, you will get a Bonus Workout, called Core Speed. As may remember from previous post, I am currently struggling with Ab intervals, so Today I decided to give this one a try, instead of getting frustrated with a workout that I don't feel it's working me out.

Anyway, this one is set up "cross fit like", no don't run, what I mean is he gives u a set of moves, and you will repeat the same ones during the whole workout, there are "levels" but the same moves, just the speed and the length of time you are performing them changes. Most of the work is done in vertical position, which is a big plus for me, since I'm too big to be planking for long, except for the Burpees there is no floor work. Also the speed is amped up a little, compared to the speed in the Alpha series, so that was a good chance of pace. I just finished it and I am already feeling sore. Most moves are combo of upper and lower body, like punches and squats, jumps, speed knee etc. etc.

I really like it and  hope to incorporate it in my future workouts!

If you want to join me in my journey, need help, motivation or simply someone to keep you accountable, contact me, join me in my facebook page, Follow me on Twitter and Instagram (@salba3716)!


Thrilledmomof2

Focust T25 - Lower Focus

And Last but not Least! Drum Roll.... Lower Focus!

Again, appropriately named, this one is so baaad that is gooooooooood, will work that lower body like a mutha! You go thru a series of lunges, squats, lunges and squats , squalunges... you get the point. I really like this one, It gets  you pouring sweat from your head while working your legs!
I like the pace of the workout, and the speed of the changes in them, you never get bored of one move, but you are there long enough to feel the BURN.

This one is gonna have you begging for mercy and at the same time asking for more! Be sure to follow Shaun's instructions as to how to do a proper squat and lunge, in order to protect your knees. Like all the other workouts, there is the modifier in case you need her and it's also 25 minutes top to bottom. Overall this is my favorite of the series so far, at the time of this post I am going into week 5, the final week of the Alpha phase, so  in the next few weeks I will be reviewing the workouts in the second phase, Beta.

You can get this and other awesome workouts here, also you can contact me for questions, to my email, follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram (@salba3716)


Thrilledmomof2

Focus T25 Ab Intervals

Well, Here we are, the 4th workout of the series, I will be brutally honest about this workout. I HATE IT. It's hell, for me, It's a lot of plank work, floor work, that obviously work your core including the abs. I am extremely heavy and these exercises are extremely difficult for me. I know this just mean this is the area I should be paying more attention, but it is a chore for me, I am hoping that as I get lighter I will be able to do more, and more.

Obviously is a very good workout, it does as it promises, workouts out your ab muscles good! and also in intervals. You might love it, but I personally DO NOT.... YET ;)

If you have any questions, or want to contact me, you can shoot me an email, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram (@salba3716)


Thrilledmomof2

Focus T25 - Total. Body. Circuit.

Ok! Here we are getting in to the nitty gritty of the program! If you paid close attention, you see that the tittle  has a period after every word of the tittle, that was for added Dramatic effect! This workout is NO JOKE, when they named it Total Body Circuit, or TBC for short, they were not kidding. This will work you top to bottom, there are sprints, push ups, plank holding, lunges, squats, tons of jumping of course, none stop for 25 minutes, That to me go by pretty slow! (think of 1 minute under water sort of effect)  It will work your whole body in a circuit fashion, meaning you move from body part to body part, and also your heart rate will be going up and down. Overall is one of my favorites, although I personally believe I have a lot of room for improvement, I like the challenge.

I am sure this will be one of your favorites, will give you a big bang for your 25 minutes bucks!

For questions, or to contact me, feel free to email, follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram!

Thrilledmomof2

Focus T25 - Speed 1.0 - The Review

Hello Again!

We are continuing with our series of reviews of the workouts included in the Focus T25 workout program. Next in our list is Speed 1.0, that is the second workout you encounter in the first week. This one is different from Cardio, It's mainly speed exercises and Stretch, so you get a good "rest" in between the speed drills. I liked this one quite a lot, well because I am in the shape of round :p and  stopping and stretching is a good thing in my books. Don't get me wrong, you will sweat your butt off, but it's a welcomed change of pace from some of the others that I will review later on.

This particular Workout comes in the same CD as Total Body Circuit, but it's the same length as all the others, again, no warm up, there is a cool down but it's extra after the 25 minutes, I assume it is recommended but optional. Notice I don't speak about the music, there is music and  several choices as to how you want to play it, but I don't think it's a mayor factor here, I prefer to hear Shaun T's instructions.

Overall, this one is one of my favorites of the first phase, Shaun T doesn't  disappoint, yet manages to bring innovation  and creativity to the workout, without losing it's ShaunT- ness.

If you have any questions, you can always email me, also find me on my facebook page, twitter and instagram (@salba3716)!


Thrilledmomof2

Focust T25 - Alpha - Cardio - The Review

As promised, here is my take on Cardio from Focus T25, the newest production from Beachbody, with trainer, Shaun T (Insanity, Asylum, Hip Hop Abs).
First I would like to explain, that the basic kit comes with 10 workouts, that are spread out in 2 phases, Alpha and Beta. Alpha is the initial phase and has 5 workouts that you rotate according to the schedule.   The first one you come across is Cardio, as you may imagine is 25 minutes of Heart pumping moves, no breaks, no even for water ( of course  you should always be conscious of your body and take breaks as needed even if the video keeps going), some people like to pause to squeeze in all the moves, I personally feel that it defeats the purpose,  you want to see exactly where you stand in your fitness levels and that can be gaged by seeing how far are you able to keep up with the trainers and the guys in the video.

Anyway, back to video, there is no warm up, Shaun T uses a series of moves that progress in difficulty, classics like running, jumping jacks, squats and lunges, each move lasts about 1 minute before your move on to the next. It's really fun and by the time your brain figures out what your are doing, you got 5 minutes to go. It goes by quickly and the best part is that  THERE IS A  MODIFIER, that means, Everybody and ANYBODY can do this workout, if you can't quite keep up with  Shaun T you have the option of following the modifier. I am focusing in my nutrition, as of right now I am too heavy to even think of Shaun T, so I modify everything, I was still, very sore on week one, and  feel like I'm getting a proper workout. The workout ends at exactly 25 minutes. There is however, a 3 minute cool down that starts right after, but this one has no cast, so it's just Shaun T. I don't always have time to do that, but it's recommended.

Overall I find this one to be on the "easier side" compared to others in the series, and  anyway, nothing is so bad that you can't do for 25 mins, right?

For any other questions or to follow my journey like my facebook page, or contact me thru email.


Thrilledmomof2
IG:@salba2716
Twitter: @salomealba