In the past year and a half, I have really made my fitness a priority. For me to try to inspire people to be their best without committing to being my own best is just dishonest. I jumped on the Beachbody band wagon after a best friend had fabulous results from 21 Day Fix. Seeing her transformation of both mind and body got my attention. Since that time, I have done three rounds of the 21 Day Fix, two rounds of Hard Corp 22, and just recently one round of Beachbody’s newest program, Core De Force. Four months ago, I even decided that I loved Beachbody so much I would become a “coach.” My decision had little to do with money (although being able to pay for my  monthly shakes was definitely motivating), but more so my desire to share these totally awesome, manageable programs with my friends! I didn’t want to keep that a secret!

I was hyped about the release of the MMA inspired program, Core De Force. I had tried Combat which was similar in that it included boxing. But, between the over-excited trainers and the choreographed almost dance-like moves, I didn’t last long. (I had friends who absolutely loved it, but it wasn’t for me.) Core De Force seems to have a less formal feel, and trainers that I find calm and inspiring. The nutrition plan was very similar to that of 21 Day Fix, albeit a little more strict. You are still sent the color coded containers which make portioning out food groups a breeze. It comes with a sample meal plan, and there is a host of meal plans online available for free. I also made one for Week One which you can try out:

Now, let me warn you about the workouts. Some of them are freaking hard. The first day you start out with MMA Speed and it is 27 minutes long and you think to yourself, “Oh hell yeah, I’m gonna own this.” And then, day two rolls around with Dynamic Strength and you’re like, “Whaaaaaa???” Push-ups in formations I have never even considered and it is 47 minutes long. It is a beast! As the workouts went on, I enjoyed the pace and found myself getting less clumsy with the combinations. Just about every other day, the workouts alternated between combination and conditioning. I’m not gonna lie – I enjoyed the combination workouts way more, but I did build a lot of strength as a result of the conditioning. My favorite combo workouts were MMA Power and MMA Plyo. You really can’t help but feel like a bad-ass when you are kicking, punching, and jumping across the room. It was a great release of aggression. In addition to the combos and conditioning, there were active recovery workouts and core-focused workouts like 5 Minute Core on the Floor.

Later in program, the required workouts start doubling up. This is where things got tricky for me. I admit that I’ve been spoiled by the thirty minute 21 Day Fix workouts and especially by the 22 Minute Hard Corp. Anything over 30 minutes for me feels like a lifetime, and actually is hard for me to fit into my current schedule. If there is one thing I’d change, it would be just to make the workouts each day no longer than 45 minutes. But, that’s just my preference!

Now, on to what everyone wants to know! What were my results? I did this program at a tough time during the month of November. I thought the only thing I would have to deal with was Thanksgiving, but then sadly I had a cousin pass away and made an unexpected trip to Florida for his funeral. I also ended up having to work in Maryland, so my whole family decided to travel up with me and spend Thanksgiving with my family. While I did 30 days of workouts in Core De Force, I have to be honest and say that I did not stay on track everyday. I still lost a couple inches off my waist and lost about 4 lbs. At this time of year, that is great!  Check out my before and afters here:

And here are my before and afters from when I started 22 Minute Hard Corp in April, until now. I am so happy with my transformation in 7 months!

I will be starting a Beachbody Challenge Group on Facebook on January 4th. Hit me up if you are interested in transforming your health in 2017. I will help you find a program that fits your needs, and I will support you through it!

xo Jaime