PiYo - Define Yourself Like Never Before

I wanted to write this blog post about PiYo because I just loooooove this program.  I love everything about it - the workouts, the trainer, and the results.  It is literally one of the best workouts I have done in my entire life because it gives you everything you need all at once – stretching, strengthening, and cardio- and it makes you feel AMAZING on the inside and out. 

I tend to get a lot of questions about this particular program so I wanted to put together this review to share some basic information about the program,  so you can decide if this would be a good fit for you. 

What is PiYo? 

PiYo is a low-impact, high-intensity home workout program designed by top trainer Chalene Johnson.  It uses the most effective Pilates- and yoga-inspired moves set to a fast pace to help you burn fat while you sculpt long, lean muscles.  You’ll carve every inch of your body without jumps, without weights, and without straining your joints.  It’s a highly efficient workout because you get your strength, your cardio, and your flexibility training all in one program.

The program comes with a 60 day schedule to follow.  Chalene designed the workout  schedule to make sure you progress each week as you build up your strength, flexibility, and stamina as you go along.  The workouts aren't long either.  Most are 30 minutes or less, with the exception of two longer ones- Sweat (35 mins) and Drench (45 mins).   

Who is Piyo for? 

In my opinion, PiYo is truly a universal program.  I think anyone and everyone can benefit from this workout (as long as you are healthy enough to do low impact exercise)!  No matter if you are new to exercise or a hardcore athlete, PiYo will make you feel great and get you results.  Each workout includes several variations of each move to show a beginner, intermediate and advanced option.  

If you are like me and you like workouts that make you work up a sweat, you may not typically enjoy doing the slower paced workout like yoga.  BUT… if you aren’t getting enough stretching you can really do some damage to your body.  PiYo is great because you get to stretch during your workout.  It's dynamic and fast-paced, yet still gives you the healing and restorative results of a yoga workout.  

What is included with PiYo? 
The base PiYo package includes the following: 

• 8 PiYo workouts, plus 1 bonus workout
• PiYo Quick Start program guide
• Workout calendar
• Get Lean Eating Plan
• Tape Measure

You can upgrade the package to include the Strength workouts and the PiYo Strength Slides.  I highly recommend adding these in once you complete the 60 day program because the slides are totally awesome to boost your results.  They may look simple but they work your body in a truly unique way. 

As with all Beachbody programs, you have the option to upgrade to a Challenge Pack.  The PiYo Challenge pack will include the full base package as well as an entire month supply of the super-food meal replacement – Shakeology.  This is a great way to try both and get them at a discounted rate. 

What type of results can be expected from PiYo?   

When I started PiYo I was feeling somewhat broken.  My body was incredibly tight, and I was battling with lower back and knee pain.  After a couple of weeks of PiYo all of my aches and pains went away.  The functional stretching was so healing for me.  Many of the clients and fellow coaches I work with have experienced similar healing results from PiYo.

After completing Piyo, I was most impressed with the definition and slimming I saw in my waist and arms.  It seemed like the results kind of crept up on me.  I didn't quite notice anything dramatic right off the bat, but little by little I could see my pants getting looser at the waist and I noticed my upper arms were slowly toning up. 

Check out these impressive results:  Rachel G. lost 42.9 lbs in 60 days of PiYo!  She says "PiYo focuses on every aspect of fitness: flexibility, cardio, balance, strength, agility and stamina. PiYo changed my body drastically in just 8 weeks, and is something I will continue to do for the rest of my life." 

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Check out the video below for a sample of PiYo to see what its all about. 

If you would like to try PiYo you can order here or email me at fabfitfunjen@gmail.com.  I can get you set up in one of my monthly challenge groups to provide you with support, motivation, and accountability that will greatly improve your results and make your journey a lot of fun! 

Fluffy Coconut Flour Pancakes

My two year old son loaves his pancakes and muffins, so I am on the constant quest to make healthier recipes that can give him a more balanced breakfast (as opposed to just straight up carbs and sugar).  I decided to try out a grain-free recipe by using coconut flour.  I am still fairly new to using coconut flour and this stuff is tricky  It can really thicken up a batter so you have to watch your measurements closely!   

The below recipe was the final result of some pretty fluffy and tasty pancakes.  They were a big hit with my son so I'd say its a winner!  

Note: normally I use coconut oil in place of butter but we lost 3 pancakes with this method because they just stuck to the pan like glue.  Butter worked perfectly!  

Ingredients

• 4 eggs, room temperature

• 1 cup whole milk (can substitute non-dairy milk if preferred)

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 TBL maple syrup

• 2 tsp cinnamon

• 1 TBL coconut sugar

• 1/2 cup coconut flour

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp sea salt

• butter (for frying)

Directions

• Preheat griddle over medium-low heat. In a small bowl beat eggs until frothy, about two minutes. Mix in milk, vanilla, and maple syrup.

• In a medium-sized bowl combine all dry ingredients.  

• Stir wet mixture into dry until coconut flour is incorporated.

• Grease pan with butter . Ladle a one heaping tablespoon of batter into pan for each pancake (for silver dollar size). Spread out slightly with the back of a spoon. The pancakes should be fairly thick. The thinner you smooth them out, the harder they will be to flip.  

• Cook for a few minutes on each side, until the tops dry out slightly and the bottoms start to brown. Flip and cook an additional 2-3 minutes.

• Serve topped with coconut oil, cinnamon, and honey, or syrup.  I think fruit would be good too!  

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Healthy Hidden Veggie Pasta

My two year old son has become quite the picky eater lately.  It's forced me to get creative so I can get him to eat more vegetables.  Pasta is a favorite of his (he calls it "roni") so I thought of ways to make it healthier.  

So here is what I came up with:  

Mix 1-2 jars of baby food (I used carrots and squash) in with the tomato sauce.  The flavor of the tomato sauce totally masks the flavor of the added veggie).  

Ingredients 

- Quinoa elbow style pasta

- Organic marinara sauce 

- 1 jar of puréed baby food carrots

- 1 jar of puréed baby food squash 

For this recipe shown here I cooked the quinoa pasta as directed.  While it was boiling I poured the marinara in a small pot and stirred in the baby food.  

I used a half box of the pasta, with a quarter to a third of a jar of the marinara.  You can alter the measurements depending on how much you need and how you like  it to taste.  I would start with only one jar of the baby food first and then play around with the sauce until you get the right amount and flavor.  

This meal takes NO PREP and is ready very quickly.  This is perfect when you need something quick to feed your picky kid (or yourself!).  

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