Facts about potty training

Updated 3/7/2018

Oh the dreaded potty training......
Im thinking I would write a post about my experiences, facts and thoughts on potty training.
Now I started putting Nash on the potty when he was 18 months old. I wasn't forcing it or anything, he actually liked it. I would tell him that this is where you go potty and pretty soon he would start saying "potty".
When Nash turned 2 he went pee in the potty a couple times and I was so proud of him. I did put underwear on him to show him what underwear felt like than a diaper. Right before he turned 3 he lost interest in the potty. I did get him his own potty... but he would rather go in the "mommy and daddy potty"
Nash is moderate autistic, so potty training and other things are very hard for him to understand. We talked to Nashs therapists and teacher and decided that school would help us and him understand what the potty is.
I know this sounds weird, but when Nash would see me go potty than he would tell me he wants to go potty and wear underwear too. It works for me and him so I worked with it.
For a couple of months now I put underwear (he prefers paw patrol or cars underwear) on and set his potty timer for 20 min. Every 20 min I would say pee time; take him to the bathroom, turn on the water, sit him  on the toilet, and pour warm water down his belly. Ya its weird but he peed every time, no matter what. Hes at that point now where he can go without the water and he now tells me when he needs to go...only if his underwear is on. After every bathroom time which is now 30 min, if he went pee he would get a sucker or fruit snack. He would ONLY get these if he went pee. If he goes poo (which he has done more than a couple times) he get to choose something at wal mart or McDonalds. Nash would pee a little and hold it in than tell me he needs to go pee. He is such a big boy!!
Any way here are some facts:

• Patience is a virtue here....lots and lots of patience.
• Lots and lots of accidents. Don't get mad tell them its ok and that they will try again with a new pair of underwear.
• Watch cartoons about going potty,  like Daniel tiger.  I like the song he sings to go potty. 
• Get a potty watch if they can stand to wear it. 
• If they poo in the underwear, say "ok since you pooed in the underwear we have to throw them away". If its their favorite underwear...throw it away anyway. Its a good way to teach them that if they poo in them they are gone forever.
• Bribing is needed. You already read what I bribe Nash with. Another way is to tape a toy in front of the toilet and if they poo they get to play with it for 20 min. Than put it back and next time they poo they can play with it again. 
• I put nash on the toilet backwards so that hes facing the lid. He doesn't fall in and he has more control.
• You thought you were done with poop.... haha ya your wrong. 
• Every time they go potty act like its a party. Clap, dance, jump around, yell good job!! Nash LOVES it!
• Let them choose what underwear they want. It helps...
• First couple of days let them run around naked. 
• Get them a special potty timer
• Get a very own potty or potty liner of their choice. 
• Let them flush the toilet. It makes them feel more big. 
• NEVER get mad and yell at them and tell them its naughty... they are learning remember. 
• Let them choose when they want to start. Nash is 3 and a half and hes just getting it. Don't rush it'll click one day. 
• Let one parent teach. Both parents are good but both have different ways of training.... its very confusing. I potty train Nash myself and I actually don't mind it. They way preston does it is way different so we stuck with what I do. 
• On Nashs 2nd B day I asked for underwear. They are expensive!!! I asked for a size bigger and now that hes 3 they fit him perfect. So don't be afraid to ask for underwear for the kids birthday or even christmas.
  
• Wait till them and you are comfortable with the peeing till you go places with underwear on. Get a system down. I'm at the point where Nash can go to grandmas and wal mart with underwear on and no accidents. Just small close places first.
• When I started putting pants on Nash with his underwear thats when he was telling me when he needed to go pee. 
• Show them the body parts and what they do and where the pee and poo goes. 
• Get a chart. Every time they go potty mark a box. When its full they get a big prize. Do this once they understand it more. 
• When they are busy and playing they will forget to tell you when they need to go. Make sure when they play remind them if they need to go. Nash does this, when hes watching a movie he always remembers when to go. Its they playing part that's hard, but he's catching on quick. 
• Im a working mom so I only put underwear and potty train after work and on my days off. I would like to take a couple days and just do potty training. I have read that you can do it in 3 days but it depends on the kid and parent. I am very constant with it. 
• Pinterest has a lot of ideas and tips. Check it out.
• Read books about potty time. Nash likes the "everybody poops" book. We also have " a potty for me" he likes to read.
• When you put on the underwear tell them they cannot pee or poo on ( insert character name). I put Nash's on and I tell him "ok you can't pee on marshall or chase, so make sure you tell mommy when you need to go potty" It works for Nash. One day he told me " I no pee on mater, I pee potty" It was way cute and he was even doing the potty dance. 
• For pooing my husband cut out a diaper and put it on Nash and it worked. Now whenever he needs to poo he asks for a diaper. We are slowly getting rid of the diaper, its mainly for comfort and security which there is nothing wrong with this. He is still pooing in the potty he just wants his comfort. At first on this we would have him poo in the bathroom with his diaper, than slowly cut out more and more of the diaper and showed him where poo goes. Now when he poos in the potty he yells " mom look at my poo!! Im a big boy". 

Update on nash: he is fully potty trained just the cut out diaper with pooing. Night time we are slowly getting. Im really glad I waited till Nash was ready. I've read that boys take longer because they can't hold their pee in. Although now nash will wear underwear all day, no matter where we go. If he needs to go he'll tell us and he'll hold it in till we make it to the potty. He caught on so quick! I'm so proud of him.
Small update: he is now, well as of 3 months ago is going by himself without assistance while standing and peeing. The pee stickers we have help him aim. With him standing is WAY easy on us!! especially him. I also taught him to pee outside. Its nice...sometimes. At first he didn't like it, I told him to pee on the rocks or pee on that bug. He loved it and he caught on. The bad side... when we are at the park or other places outside he thinks he can go pee on the rocks in front of everybody. We are slowly teaching him not to.

Every kid and mommy and daddy are different. Everyone has their own way of potty training.

Nash is my first kid so I got more one on one with him. So when I have another I would know what to do instead of pulling my hair out. 

I hope this post helps someone out there. 

Make sure mamas to have a glass of wine in hand if your doing the what I like to call the "3 day challenge". Trust me your gonna need a whole bottle and more haha. 

Review: Shift shop

Shift shop is a 21 day rapid program. This program has a lot of jumping, squats, lunges and burpees. I do not recommend to people who are sensitive at the knees and lower back. I myself have bad knees and had no idea what I was getting into. I did do a lot of modifying on certain moves and it helped. It also is mainly SAQ (speed, agility,quickness) practically the whole program is.

So I made my own agility markers by cutting circles with cardboard and coloring them and gluing the non slip stuff you put in drawers. They worked awesome!! you don't have to have the markers, but it helps to have them to know where to go. I also put motivational quotes on them to help me get motivated.

Here are the workouts:

Week 1:

• Speed 25- 1 min intervals that will make you work and sweat - 25 min
• Strength 25- Easy to learn 1 min intervals of resistance training. -25 min

Week 2:

• Speed 35- Get ready to improve your agility and stamina and burn more calories. - 35 min
• Strength 35- New challenges, new moves get ready to feel the burn - 35 min

Week 3:

• Speed 45- New dynamic drills to ramp up your conditioning. -45 min
• Strength 45- Challenge every muscle group and get more definition. -45 min

• Shift core- 9 one min ab shredding workouts - 12 min
• Shift mobility- Stretch and rejuvenate. - 20 min

Deluxe:

• Super speed 50- Adding a sandbag; this workout brings 3 rounds of calorie burning moves -50 min
• Super strength 50- 3 rounds of resistance intervals. Very challenging with sandbags. - 50 min
• Super shift core- 9 intense 1 min core workouts with sandbags. - 15 min

I did not do deluxe. I plan on doing this whole program again in a couple months and thats when I plan on doing it with the deluxe.

 

Week 1 wasn't easy, it was very challenging from day one. Although it was very enjoyable. Speed 25 has a lot of burpees, running in place, bear walks, jumping jacks and frog jumps in it. You use only 2 agility markers. Strength consists of planks. bicep curls, push ups, and sumo squats. I just used 10 pound weights and I did just fine. 

"Everyone stop for a second and be proud of yourself. Whether you've seen results, hit a plateau, reached your goal, or even just started today, you are trying." 

Week 2 was a little bit harder but a lot more agility on speed 35. You have the agility markers in the diamond and straight line form. The first half of the workout you do the triangle form. You do each workout 1 min long than again for 30-45 sec. Than the second half is the same but different moves. I really enjoyed the second half. 

Strength is a ton of squats and lunges its crazy!!! You do each move for 1 min than for 30-45 seconds and he breaks them up at the end.



Week 3 was insane!!!! different bear walks, jumping, sprinting and of course... the downing burpee!!!
Each workout is 45 min and the strength 45 has a burnout mode at the end. Buckets of sweat is what to expect on the speed 45. After you get past the first round of speed 45 it gets so much better. I wasn't a big fan of the square set up. This is where the downing burpee is, it was on circuit 3. Its intense but its way fun to do. I had a very hard time with this week, but I made it though.

Below are my before and after. This program is only 21 days, you can do another round. I've seen results from 31 days and those results are amazing. I plan on doing another round here after I finish my other programs.

Body beast: review

If you enjoyed P90x than body beast is for you. From the creators of P90x comes Body beast. Body beast is for intermediate to advanced groups. This program builds lean, strong muscles in 90 days. All weight training all strengthening your body.

There are 3 different types of calendars:

• Huge beast- for people who want to build muscle mass; recommended for men. 90 days
• Lean beast- For those who want to get ripped but loose weight recommended for woman. 90 days
• Beast up- for men and woman who want a short program but great results. 30 days.

Here are the programs.:

• Body beast basics- just some knowledge of whats about to come. 8 min
• Build chest/ tris- all about the chest and triceps. 49 min
• Build shoulders- build strong amazing deltoids. 38 min
  
• Build legs- shed fat and get those legs toned. 38 min
• Build Back/ Bis- work that back and those biceps. 50 min
• Bulk chest- a lot different than build. More weights and more reps. Different angles and every muscle on your chest. 30 min
• Bulk back- literally every muscle in your back will get worked. 29 min
• Bulk legs- cut and define every muscle in the leg. 40 min
• Bulk shoulders- added weights and lower reps. 35 min
• Bulk arms- get ripped and defined biceps and triceps. 36 min
• Beast abs- work on abs to lift more weights and improve posture. 11 min
• Beast cardio- get sweating with this workout that uses weights and cardio. 30 min
• Beast total body- work your head to toe. Every muscle. 39 min
• Rock a bye beast: beadtime stretch- specifically before bed. Stretch right before to get a good nights sleep. 5 min
• Lucky 7- work with 7 compounds and intense exercises. Creates and work muscle fibers to get lean, strong muscles. 24 min

Beast up:

• Beast up legs- longer, forced and super sets to get maximum results. 45 min
• Beast up chest, shoulders, & triceps- progressive sets, forced sets and tempo sets to help get major definition. 56 min

Body beast deluxe:

• Tempo chest/tris- Tempo Sets rely on the latest weight training science to work your chest and tris so intensely that you can actually feel your body getting stronger. 53 min
• Tempo back /bis- Tempo Sets rely on the latest weight training science to work your back and bis so intensely that you can actually feel your body getting stronger. 53 min

I did the lean program. So in my schedule it does not include the beast up, body beast deluxe and the beast ones. I did the bulk and build and the cardio ones.

My husband built our own rope climb
in our personal gym. 

The first couple of weeks were hard. I was so sore everyday, every muscle in my body hurt. Even ones I didn't even know worked that way. The Bulk legs workout is amazing. I have always had big, jiggly, fat legs. I wanted toned and beautiful ones. The build legs I did't really like it has way to many lunges in it. I hate lunges!!! I think the whole workout it lunges. So if my schedule says leg day I would do the bulk instead of the build one. I also feel like I'm getting more out of the bulk one.
Month 2 consists of shorter time but longer phases. Im really enjoying month 2; although I am adding in another cardio in it. 28 minutes doesn't seem long enough for me.
Before I started I was doing yoga poses that I could not do at all. I was trying to do the crow, headstand and fallen angel. I would always fall. After month 1 I am able to do all of them!! I can now go to crow to headstand back to crow without falling. That's how much upper body strength I got.

"You messed up your diet and you didn't exercise today- so what? You didn't ruin anything. Get back on track tomorrow. If you have one flat tire, do you slash the other three? OF COURSE NOT!"

This program is a lot different than P90X. This has less cardio days and focuses on certain muscles everyday. Also P90X has longer time and focuses on upper body and lower body instead of certain muscles. ( see P90X review for more info)
So the cardio and abs that are on here I didn't really enjoy. I did not get what I want out of the cardio. I decided to do a hybrid calendar with Cize. That will be on a different post for the review for that.

This program helped me finish my first Spartan race. 

Every couple week I would slowly up my weights. Since hes using the pyramid workout with the 15,12,8 and 8. I did 5 lbs for 15 reps than 7.5 for 12 reps than 10 for 8 reps than back down to 7.5 for another 8. Than at 3 weeks I upped it a little. Now I'm at 7.5 for 15 reps, 10 for 12 and 12.5 for 8. Man my muscles hated me that first week. Now when doing this Iv'e learned to be careful with my
weights. I have already hurt my shoulder and pulled a muscle deep in my shoulder blade ( upper trapezius). I started working on the muscles by rolling them and massaging them and they were good as new. So when upping weight please take your time and don't rush in like I did. On a couple workouts... I think build arms maybe... he does the pyramid system again but a little different 15,12,8,8,12,15. Wow that set always kills me. You start with light weights than work your way up than you do it backwards. Than on chest I think haha.. he does 5 sets of 5 reps without upping or lowering weights. So you choose a weight you can handle and do it without rest, its actually quite hard.

" when the scale goes up and the inches go down, it's  not weight gain it's results gain."

Month 3 I upped my weights again now I'm doing 10,12.5, and 15. 10s being my lowest weight and 15 my highest. I did back and a cardio workout and I was dying the next day. Also the next day it was cardio again and abs. So the day after that I could barley breath, talk and sneeze or even lift my arms up in the air. Underneath where my armpits are hurt so bad and my ribs!!
One thing that is very important is to do a lot of self-myofacial release or rolling. Especially before leg day. Muscle rolling makes a huge difference during this program. Less stiff, sore muscles and more lengthened and less tight muscles. You can do this for a warm up or a cool down. Now the program includes those but I liked to the SMR before I pressed play or after Iv'e finished the cool down Sagi provides. I had a lot of tightness on my upper back and my hamstrings so the SMR really helped with releasing all that tension.

" LADIES..... lifting weights won't make you big and bulky. You won't look like a man. You don't produce enough testosterone. It will actually enhance your feminine curves. Stop believing the false rumors." 

With this program I didn't "bulk up" like how men do. I toned up, created lean muscles and worked muscles I have't worked in a long time. This is a very good program to help you tone and to somewhat loose weight.

In conclusion, I really enjoyed this program. Although I really would have liked more cardio and leg day, I did get some of the results I wanted. I personally didn't see a change in my legs. I saw major results on my upper body. My back, shoulders, and arms got the most of it.    Below are my results.

Before

after

Review: Insane Focus (Shawn week)

This program was completely insane!! this program combined Insanity and Focus T 25 to create a 7 day, fat burning program. I had so much fun with this workout; there was so much support and motivation. Shaun was so supportive also in the program. He would do some insanity moves while teaching you to focus.
Here are the moves:

• Insane basics- New and old insanity inspired workout. 33 minutes
• Pure cardio part 2- Stay hydrated, this workout is non stop sweat fest. You knew pure cardio from insanity... now get ready for part 2!! 27 minutes
• Insane weights- Literally insanity with weights!! Phew!. 27 minutes.
• 25 minute abs- focus on core, pure abs throughout the whole thing. 25 minutes
• Rip sanity- More weights, more focus. Insanity asylum meets Focus T25. 43 minutes
• Speed 4.0- You knew speed 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 from Focus T25, get ready for the 4.0. Awesome music and intense moves. 31 minutes
• Dig deep- Strength, agility and cardio in one. Ba-na-nas yo type cardio!!. 27 minutes.

Every single workout in this program I absolutely loved!!!

Insane basics brought back so many... sweaty memories back from my insanity and insanity max 30 days. Within 10 minutes I was out of breath and sweating. 

Pure cardio 2..... ya so.... much.... cardio and sweat!! I loved every second of it. 

Insane weights was just pure awesome. I loved how Shaun combined some weights with Insanity. Some of the moves were from Focus T25. 

Abs was amazing and it felt like I was literally growing abs right there. 

Rip sanity was just like Focus T25 but with new moves. It was pure magic the whole time.

Speed 4.0... get this.... 8 different kinds of burpees in 4 circuits. It says a lot when the very CREATOR of the program killed himself. At the end they had to bleep him out and I laughed so hard. I loved it. 

Dig deep this was some crazy shit yo!!! crazy cardio and amazing feeling after. 

"When life knocks you down, do a burpee"

Insanity and IMX30 are about 60 days and Focus T25 is 90 ( broken into Alpha, beta and gamma) this program literally shoves all of them together in one week. If you have not done this yet, ya I recommend doing Insanity, IMX30 and focusT25 first than this one. You'll be more prepared for the intensity that this program has.

At the end of 4.0 one of the girls in the background (cant remember her name) she has blond hair. Well at the end of it she started crying and Shaun went up to her and asked her whats wrong. She says that a good friend of hers is giving up on chemo and wants to die. She just found out right before they filmed the workout. You would not believe Shaun's reaction and what he said. This proves that there are good people in the world. He was so motivating and was explaining that what she just did or what she is doing is all for her friend and mostly her. She is so strong.

"When you think you can't.. you better f@*&ing convince yourself you can and push harder"

As you can see below I had some amazing support from my friends. I loved every minute of the workouts. 

When doing this program it is best to have a lot of support and motivation. Trust me you'll need it; its best to have it especially when your gonna put your body through hell. 

I dont have a before and after pics. Once I do the hybrid calendar I will update and put in my results. 

Waffle iron hacks

I have made some of these recipes and they were so easy, fun and fast. It helps when I get home from work and I can cook a fast meal for my son and husband.

With my schedule I have to cook fast when I get home because I workout a certain time everyday. Than when I'm done I study my books.

Anyway here are the recipes I found:

Breakfast

• French toast waffles or waffle sticks- make french toast like normal but put it in the waffle maker. For sticks cut on the lines that are on the waffles. 
• Biscuits and gravy waffles- just place homemade or canned biscuits on iron and cook away. All you need to do is make the gravy. 
• Omelet waffle or waffle eggs- I grew up eating my eggs like this. My dad would always make waffles than waffle eggs or omelets. For some reason they taste better.
• Waffle hash browns/ 2 ways- use tater tots for fast and delicious breakfast or if you would rather use bagged or fresh shredded hash browns than go right ahead.
• Bacon waffle- I actually tried this and it depends on your waffle maker. I have a cheap waffle make and it did work but I like my bacon burned and very crispy. If you like the perfect bacon that this is the way to go. 
• Blueberry muffin waffles- Mix up some muffin mix and instead of putting it in the muffin tins put it in the waffle iron. Actually you can use any kind of muffin mix. 
• Cinnamon roll waffles- Homemade or canned just place in waffle maker and cook than top with frosting. Yummy easy dessert or breakfast. 

Lunch

• Quesadilla waffles- I've done a chicken tamatillo quesadilla and it turned out crispy and delicious. You can make any kind of quesadilla. 
• Pizza waffles- Ok seriously its like a calzone!! Use biscuits, place in iron and top with toppings and sauce and put another biscuits on top than boom! mini pizza.
• Grilled cheese waffle- yep just assemble your grilled cheese like normal but put it in the iron. 
• Cornbread waffles- make the cornbread batter and put in iron. Top with chili and cheese... yummy!!

Desserts

• Cake batter waffles- mix up some cake batter  mix and make some cake batter waffles.
• Brownie waffles- yep just add brownie mix and add ice cream on top mmmmm...
• Chocolate chip cookie waffles- Pre made or homemade cookie dough and ta da cookie waffles. 

That's all I've got for now will add more soon. 

Review: P90

This program is for people who don't want the intensity of P90X but want the same results. Month one is easy but it gets you ready for month 2 and 3. It gradually gets harder the more you go. This is for the beginner/intermediate level. It is a mix between cardio and muscle building. Dumbbells, resistance bands, door attachment, yoga mat and power stands ( i call them the perfect push up handles) are recommended.

Here are the workouts:
Month 1:

• Sculpt A- just getting prepared for the rest of the program. 28 min
• Sweat A- burn off all that fat that is not welcome. 25 min
• Ab ripper A- add some definition to that core. It may be short but it has a kick to it. 8 min

Month 2:

• Sculpt B- Builds lean muscle and power. 31 min
• Sweat B- Calorie burner, scorch them off. 32 min
• Ab ripper B- Get some major rock hard abs. 14 min

Month 3:

• Sculpt C- muscles go into overdrive with this workout. 42 min
• Sweat C- Burn more fat and test your endurance. 36 min
• Ab ripper C- adding even more definition to those abs. 15 min

Saturday special- done every saturday this is a high velocity workout that will make you sweat and burn calories. A great way to end the week. 25 min

P90 Deluxe:

• Speed sculpt- burn calories with this quick resistant workout. 25 min
• Speed sweat- melt more fat in less time. 27 min
• Speed abs- use 5 of Tony's favorite ab moves with this quick workout. 6 min
• Horton's greatest hits- learn all of Tony's favorite moves that will fit in your schedule. 37 min

Month one was quite boring to me. I felt like it was way to easy. Before I started this program I finished Insanity max 30 so I was use to high level cardio. Switching to this was nice the first couple of weeks but during the 3rd week I was starting to feel like I wasn't getting anything. I had to add more cardio to it every week. 

Although I really liked the ab ripper A I felt it every time I did the workout. 

Month two is a way different story. Longer workouts and harder ones too. I like it cause its gradually getting harder not just immediate hard. I loved all the workouts in this month. Sculpt B I had to switch between 10 and 5 weights cause there was a lot of moves I couldn't do cause it would hurt my shoulders. I feel this workout every time, and sore every time. 

Sweat B I would sweat a little but not poring out sweat. I enjoyed this one but I really enjoyed the sculpt one better. There is one move on this that gets me everytime. Its mountain climbers!!! that whole minute takes forever. 

Ab ripper B I am in love with. I love having my abs and stomach hurt after every workout. I love how he adds Ab ripper A and adds a couple more moves to it.

Month 3 is a KILLER!!!! I love sweat C. I am dying within 20 minutes. There are a ton of kenpo moves and some burpees. I love the kenpo in it, it makes it more fun and enjoyable. Sculpt C is longer and harder. The dolphin dips get me every time!! those ones are horrible!! I've noticed a little bit of yoga in it too. The dolphin dips are a yoga pose. Also the mountain climbers with sphinx... that one is murder on your core.
Ab ripper C they just repeat A and B but add more time and some new moves. Not to impressed with it.
When I first did Sweat C every muscle of my body was so sore the next day. It was an awesome feeling!!!!

Saturday special I didn't mind. If you don't put your all in than you won't sweat and get your heart rate up. 

Now during this program me and my husband decided to do a Spartan race. So now I'm doing double the cardio and a ton of upper body work.


I was on month 2 week 2 and i started using more heavier weights for the sculpt B. There were moves that killed me and I seriously couldn't even wash my own hair. Even picking up a spoon was hard. The scarecrow, 7/7/7 and thumbs up moves always got me every time.

To sum it up if you are wanting to do the p90x series I highly recommend doing this program first to help build up and get ready for p90x. When I did p90x this program didn't exist. Now that I've done it I can do p90x2. If you are already fit month 1 will not be challenging at all. Month 2 and 3 were more challenging and felt more worth the time.
This program was very enjoyable, tony is very motivational and funny. He does like to talk a lot; in between moves he talks and then you do the move.


Here are my results:
I maintained my weight from 140 to 143. I did not go above or below that for 3 months. I gained more muscle in my back and shoulders.
Before

                                                                                       
                       after

Review: Insanity max 30

This program is more insane than the original Insanity. This is challenging from day one and is for the already fit. There are no weights involved and its only 30 minutes a day or till you "max out"
You do the workout and write down your time and get back to work. You get a mixture of cardio, ab, arms and legs. Although even if your doing abs, legs and arms you still do cardio with it. Each workout has a modifier if you want less extreme.

"I'm about to kill you, but you'll live" 
             -Shaun T

Here are the workouts:

 Month 1

• Cardio challenge- the hardest cardio workout you'll ever do
• Tabata power- 20 seconds on 10 seconds off. Strength training with tabata style.
• Sweat intervals- you'll sweat and burn off the calories in this challenge.
• Tabata strength- no rest tabata style strength workout. Yep NO REST!
• Friday fight: round 1- first break 15 min in non stop fat busting workout. 

Month 2

• Max out cardio- you think month one was hard. Be prepared for a more intense program starting with this fat burning workout. 
• Max out power- intervals are 45 seconds on, 15 seconds off. Tabata and plyo combined. Lots of push ups.
• Max out sweat- the further you go the more calories you'll burn. Dripping in sweat in the end.
• Max out strength- upper body focus. Everything will be screaming in pain by the time your done. 
• Friday fight: round 2- hardest workout ever. Moves are a minute long and harder than ever.

Rest days:

• Pulse- recovery workout. Low impact combo and stretching with a pulse.-20 min
• Ab attack 10- a full blown attack on your abs.

Deluxe edition:

• Max out 15- half the time, but more intense. -15 min
• Max out abs- alternate from seated to standing moves. Max out your abs. -15 min
• 360 abs- 360 degree attack on your abs and core. -15 min

Month one was amazing. I loved cardio challenge and tabata power. Tabata power was a combination of cardio and upper and lower body workout. Cardio challenge was just cardio and it is very hard, but the moves were enjoyable. The first week was very difficult. My muscles were sore and stiff.

"Your gonna max out, you're gonna push, and I'm gonna motivate you all the way through!"
                                             -Shaun T

Here are my max out times for month 1:
* I beat my time from before

Week 1-                                                                                     

• Cardio challenge- @10:00                   
• Tabata power- @ 20:00
• Sweat intervals- @10:00
• Tabata strength- @ 23:33
• Friday fight: round 1- @17:50

Week 2-

• Cardio challenge- @17:35*
• Tabata power- @30:00*
• Sweat intervals- @ 15:00*
• Tabata strenght- @ 30:00*
• Friday fight: round 1- @ 20:00*

Week 3- 

• Cardio challenge- @ 22:00*
• Tabata strength- @ 20:35
• Tabata strength- @ 21:35*
• Sweat intervals- @ 20:21
• Friday fight: round 1- @ 15:00

Week 4-

• Cardio challenge- @ 25:00*
• Tabata strength- @ 22:20*
• Sweat intervals- @ 30:00
• Tabata strength- @ 30:00
• Friday fight: round 1- @ 25:31*

As you can see I did not fully max out on all of them. Some days they were way hard and some days they were fine. On week 4 of cardio challenge we had 5 minutes left till I started getting really dizzy. The room started spinning and my workout partner says that we needed to stop. Turns out I didn't eat enough calories that day and I had already burned all of it off. Luckily nothing serious happened and luckily my workout partner was there.
I didn't keep my max out times written down nearby, I had them in my work planner. What I should have done was print a calendar out and hang it up where I was working out.

"When I lost all of my excuses I found all my results"

Month 2 is a more higher level of difficulty. It is very challenging and you are dripping in sweat withing 7 minutes. My favorite workouts are Max out power and max out sweat. I love on max out sweat how withing 5 minutes I'm covered in sweat and out of breath. Max out strength works your abs, back, legs and arms in this whole workout. While getting your cardio in. 

Here are my max out times for month 2
* I beat my time from before

Week 1-

• Max out power- @ 25:51
• Max out Cardio- @ 23:33
• Max out sweat- @ 18:00
• Max out strength- @ 23:35
• Friday fight: round 2- @ 11:00

Week 2- 

• Max out cardio- @ 20:00
• Max out power- @ 30:00*
• Max out sweat- @ 18:00
• Max out strength- @ 30:00
• Friday fight: round 2- @ 18:00 *

Week 3-

• Max out cardio- @ 18:24- I had to stop because my son was sick and wanted me to hold him:(
• Max out power- @ 30:00
• Max out sweat- @ 22:00 *
• Max out strength-@30:00
• Friday fight: round 2- @20:00 *

Week 4-

• Max out cardio- @30:00 *
• Max out power-@ 30:00
• Max out sweat-@ 30:00 *
• Max out strength- @ 30:00
• Friday fight: round 2-@ 30:00*

Max out sweat was the hardest of them all. I had such a hard time getting past 18 minutes... let alone 8. On week 3 I was at 18 min and told myself I can go till 22 min. Oh man I don't think I have ever pushed myself that hard.. EVER! 

It felt so good to finally beat that time. Especially when I maxed out at 30:)

This was after I pushed myself as
hard as I could

Friday fight took me a long time to get over that 18 min mark too. The water break is not till 15 min in the workout. There is a reason why he doesn't have a lot of water breaks in this one. Your doing so much jumping and burpees that if you take to many water breaks and drink to much water the water in your stomach will start to swish around. It'll make you sick and wanna puke. Trust me, my workout partner realized it and needed to warn people.
On the last week I got a really bad sore throat and chest congestion. I should have rested but I did the workouts anyway. I had one more week!! Come on! I had to get sick on the last day. I don't know what I had but I think it was strep... but I don't know. I had to take my rest days early I had shallow breathing, chest pains and major congestion in my sinuses. I had 2 more workouts left till I was done. I finally got enough energy to do max out strength, I mainly modified throughout the workout.  

Matching with Shaun T. 

Funny story on week 3, max out power I was doing all the push-ups that Shaun has you do and my toddler decided to add his whole 42 pound body on my back. I did 8 or 9 different push-ups for about 9 minutes with my toddler on my back. He was having fun and so was I.  I woke up to sore shoulders, butt, back and legs. It felt awesome!!! That means that I worked a new muscle. Also you do one armed burpees! its hard but you feel like a freaking rock star. 

"Burpees. Love them. Hate them. Do them."



Here are my results.
If you look at the bottom one. You see a huge difference in my back and arms. They are way more toned. Mainly toned in this workout.

Benefits of drinking Barley tea むぎちや

I have been drinking Barley tea for months now ( well technically years but I just started drinking it again.) and I have noticed a lot. Its actually called Mugichya　むぎちゃ in Japan. That's where I get mine; my neighbor is Japanese and she gets me a huge bag whenever she goes to japan. One day I googled on what the benefits were and I could not believe it. I drink about a whole pitcher in 2-3 days. It takes a while to get use to it. But once you get use to it you can't stop.

Here are some benefits of drinking Mugichya:

• It helps regulate and enhance blood regularity. Also helps maintain healthy blood circulation.
• It is very rich in antioxidants. High in vitamin C and A
• Helps prevent tooth decay. Leaves nice healthy teeth.
• Can help prevent cancer. The high levels of antioxidants can assist in averting cell damage.
• Works as a blood cleanser. Blood sugar can be reduced and regulated when drinking barley tea. Also can lower cholesterol level.
• Barley tea helps in alleviating the symptoms of cold. Barley tea is said to be an effective treatment for fever too. It contributes in cleansing the system. It breaks up the phlegm and congestion's and assists in treating asthma and bronchitis. Drinking 2 cups of barley tea can give respite from a sore throat too.
• Can help treat nausea and and can act as a natural antacid.
• Beneficial to male fertility and can help keep a healthy prostate and can help prevent prostate cancer.
• Loaded with fiber, barley tea can help with easy and regular bowel movements.
• Barley tea contains melatonin and amino acid, which facilitate healthy and good sleep patterns by working in combination. Barley tea is caffeine-free and does not interfere with the sleep routine.
• Helps detox and cleanse the body from harmful toxins.
• May help cope with stress and physical problems, such as gaining weight and over eating during stressful periods. 
• Gives you a sense of fullness. Helps maintain and lose weight. 

To sum it all up, Barley tea is a great source of phytonutrients and antioxidants that protect the body from the damage caused by free radicals. This tea is also a delicious and nutritious alternative to green, black and herbal teas with and between meals.

あなた　が　のむ　さいこ　の　お茶

よんでくれてありがとう

Review: 3 week yoga retreat

This program is for anyone. For beginners and there is no need for experience in yoga. Help build strength and flexibility and feel relaxed. In just 21 days; 30 minutes or less you learn the basics of yoga.
There are 3 different levels

• Foundation
• Expansion
• Progression
• Take 10

The calander below is the schedule. Im not gonna explain all of them because that would take a very long time. Its pretty simple.

Mondays core days- this will activate, engage, and helps build awareness in your muscles.
Tuesdays Stretch- stretch, extend and lengthen all your muscles.
Wednesdays balance- challenges your body to learn to balance and engage your core.
Thursday flow- everything put together that you learned from the past 3 days. Practice breathing and learn to "Flow" through each move.
Fridays flow on the go- shorter more advanced version of flow.
Saturday relax- unwind and relax from the long week
Sunday take 10- short 10 min classes. AM to help wake up. PM help wind down from a long day. Abs wake up those abs and get them active. Do all in one day or just a few or one.

Each one can be longer or shorter than the other, or have different trainers and moves. Anyway you do it your still gonna feel great and so relaxed.

It took me a while to finish this program. The only time I would do it was on my rest days. I did a hybrid with BBL master series and now Insanity max:30. I absolutely loved doing this on my rest days. Especially when my muscles were so stiff and sore from my workout. It stretched and helped me relax from a long, hard week.
I can say that I have been one with my self and you know what... its nice. I have a toddler and I'm a

working mom so life gets pretty crazy and this yoga program helped me a lot.
I have noticed a huge difference in my balance, flexibility and being able to relax. Now I have done yoga before; from P90X and P90X3. Those yoga workouts were nothing like this. This isn't your average yoga routine.
Iv'e noticed that I am able to do a lot of moves I wasn't able to do. I have bad knees and wrists and this has helped me so much with the pain. All of the following above is true. This is a big reason why I love practicing yoga.
I am prone to seizures so when I would have a bad day I would continue with this program on my rest days. Believe it or not it has helped me with that too. I have seizures from stress and other things so this program has helped me so much with that subject.

After every workout I would feel so refreshed and amazing. I admit some of the workouts did give me some sore muscles, but that's because I haven't used those muscles in a long time. You should see my toddler do some of this program with me. He is getting very good at it. He loves to do yoga with mommy. I love that hes so active with me during this workout.
Now for the workouts.
 Personally I have really enjoyed progression (week 3). I really liked the moves and the stretches that were on it. I felt more relaxed and got a better stretch with this one. Don't get me wrong the other ones are amazing too, but for me I loved progression.
Expansion (week 2) was a little on the hard side... to me. I activated a lot of muscles that haven't been used in a very long time so when I was finished I had sore muscles. You know what though... it felt amazing. Because I know I'm using and working those muscles and getting them stretched and worked.
Foundation (week 1) was on the easy side. I liked it because it helps you get ready for the other weeks and what's to come. It prepared your muscles, body and mind for the next 2 weeks.

I think I really enjoyed balance and stretch. I really like working on my balance and stretching all my muscles. Especially after a hard days work and a long busy week.
This program is a perfect match to do with Insanity max 30. You get all your cardio, push ups and burpees in than on your 2 rest days you do this. It feels amazing!!

Now that I have finished this program Iv'e noticed some changes. My balance, breathing, learning to relax, flexibility and meditation. All of these have enhanced. It has also helped with my hips. After having my son I have had hip and even back problems. I would get really bad shoots of pain up my back and down my hips. They would hurt so bad that I couldn't breath or move. Guess what this program has helped with this. My hips feel more open and comfortable, my back is more stretched and flexible. I feel less stiff and I loved using every single muscle in my body.

I was doing this program during Christmas. My toddler was in bed and I was gonna get my yoga on. On Nextflix they have this fireplace movie. You can choose from 3 of them. They have one with music and without music and one with that does a close up and other things. I chose the one without music and played it while I did yoga. Wow did it enhance my relaxation. I spoiled myself that night. Right after I had my warm cup of tea and it was bedtime. I slept so good that night.

For finishing this program you get a really cool bracelet.


I don't really have a before and after because it took me so long to finish. So here are some poses that I practiced while doing the program. These are poses that I wasn't able to do at the beginning of the program. ( the bottom picture)