What's next? Personal Workout Update

Read his story @
http://www.thislittlepiggywenttothegym.com/

My husband and I are in this wilderness. We have seemed to always struggle with our weight. He, obviously more than I, but nonetheless, we both have always been on this mission to lose the weight. We often have said over the last few years of marriage, "I gotta lose some/this weight". (And we really did.)

Recently we started working out at home together, with the Insanity dvd workout program. We both have eaten good. In fact, often times I tell Dave, our splurging is better than some people's diets. Needless to say, and honestly, we did not follow the Nutrition Plan to a T. However, our bodies have still transformed, our strength has definitely increased, and our endurance has seriously improved.

Don't get me wrong, we watch what we eat. We eat the right foods, and don't over indulge. And we're pretty satisfied with ourselves.

But something has happened mentally in us. Our minds & attitudes are not obsessed with the numbers on the scale.

Be honest, there are some of us who want to weigh in daily to see if what we ate yesterday has affected us...and then we plan our eating for the day, based on the number, right? Just admit it. But Dave and I are in this place of that thinking shifting. We have reached destination: satisfaction!!!!

Today is our last day of week 7, with one more week of Shaun T.'s butt kicking Insanity left. So we're now looking ahead to "what to do next?" What is our goal?

We talked and have come to the conclusion that we're happy with our weight. We have finally met the goal & most common New Year's Resolution of 'lose weight'. Weird feeling I tell ya!

It seems like a lifetime of struggling, a lifetime of always eating and working out to LOSE WEIGHT NOW! But after this season of life of being determined to lose the weight...we've finally arrived to that point of a healthy weight, healthy cardiovascular health, and contentment with reaching this goal.

Now, I'm a big proponent of goals and have seen in my own life and others' that if we are not progressing toward a goal, we are probably digressing, right? So Dave and I cannot go into cruise control with this contentment. We cannot eat what we shouldn't, miss workouts, and lose the success we have had over our bodies.


I told Dave that we now need to push our muscles and body to change, grow, and transform as much as we can. We've lost most of the cushion that hides the muscles, now let's beef up the muscle to lean out more.

So how? A new workout regimen is around the corner for us. I feel like some P90X w/ a side of Turbo for cardio & some Insanity every now & then to challenge us. The strength training of P90X is what our bodies need to grow in strength & muscle. The cardio & calorie burning of Turbo will lean us out to see even more definition. And physically prepare us for P90X2 releasing in January 2012!Finally, we're no longer at the defeated place of 'if I could just lose 5 more lbs.' We were both there most of our lives. And it has taken us time to get here (Dave - 3 years, me - 19 mos.), but we finally got here. Now we get to 'have fun' & push our bodies to the limits w/ endurance & strength training. I'm so excited!!!!

When we put our bodies in an environment

to change & adapt, it will.

This plan will work when we continue to work out daily & eat healthy foods! Ain't no Thanksgiving turkey & stuffing on the horizon going to derail me! My sights are set on seeing what this body can do! Can't wait!

Workout Wednesday: TURBO JAM

Seriously, I lost all my baby weight + some with this dvd program: Turbo Jam!


I haven't had a gym membership in years. Here's a before and after shot of my gut after my second son:

My postpartum gut - Feb. 2010       My toned up abs - March 2011

Why I love Turbo Jam - it's an intense, all over body, cardio workout. It has carved my abs back out, all while I get my cardio on and burn on avg. 600ish calories. And like Chalene says, the music is phenomenal!

And here's a plus for you: the workouts are less than an hour/day!!!! You can't beat that! If you're ready to try something else, besides the gym - order your Turbo Jam.

The one I used comes with 5 workouts: Learn & Burn, 20 min. Cardio, 40  min. Cardio Party, Ab Jam, and Turbo Sculpt. Click here to order:



When you order with me, I'll be your coach and keep you encouraged to press on and move forward - I will help you get the results! I'm doing my own dvd program at home, so I'm here with you! Let's start transforming that body TODAY!

My Heart is to help YOU - You're not alone!

I have such a burden to reach out to people who struggle in life. This is what I wanted to share yesterday, but during my a.m. time slot to blog, blogger was down. So instead of featuring a Success Story, I want to share my heart today.

I love you. Really. Most people reading this know me, and some I may not know at all. But I know me, and I know I have a deep, genuine concern for people and my heart is for you to be successful.

Since becoming a 'coach', I have had so many people reach out to me and share their struggles with me. Struggles about weight loss and the 2 components: food & exercise. Too much food, and not any exercise. If that's you, I want you to know that you're not alone.

You're NOT ALONE in this struggle. There is a ton of people who have the same struggle as you. And if I let myself get into the habit, I have the struggle too. (I'll address this word habit next week in the context of diet & exercise).

What helped me is realizing that I didn't get overweight - overnight. It took a few months, a year or so to pack on some weight. It started by me allowing myself to eat what I WANTED, not what I should. I gained weight because I ate the pizza that was at the birthday party, followed it with some cake. I gained weight because I gave in and had the bacon egg biscuit to-go. I gained weight because I continually ate foods that were not lean or healthy. They were high-carb & fat-laden foods.

I gained because I did not exercising consistently. I was taking my son for walks. And I thought they were really burning calories, yea, I don't think it was enough. I stayed big. And finally, after being miserable with myself, I decided I had to take drastic measures. I had to exercise with more intensity...and I could not eat whatever I wanted, or whatever was there.

That meant, if I was going to a party, if they didn't have some salad without drsg. or any lean meat, I would not eat. I (like my husband who lost over 200 lbs.) typically ate our healthy meal before, showed up to the party and declined eating. "Proper etiquette", I don't know. I didn't care. Maybe the chili dogs was the only thing in the budget & that's okay. But I'm not going to scarf down 1,000 calories in one sitting to 'not hurt the host's feelings'. I would just politely say, 'no thanks, I already ate'. I had goals and the only way I was going to reach them is if I took drastic measures.

This also meant I had to plan ahead. I needed to have healthy choices ready to eat. I had to cook up extra chicken breast, boil up eggs (to eat the egg whites), have fresh produce ready to eat, and I had to try to find ways to avoid wanting to raid the cupboard.

One that I found was that working out crazy hardcore helped me in 2 ways. One, it burned a ton of calories to get to that stored fat that just loves staying glued to my hips off...and it made me think twice about what I put in my mouth. I would tell myself & others, "I work out too hard to eat that". My philosophy is/was: Why am I going to push myself sooooo hard to turn around & eat that? Most people's philosophy is: Oh, I worked out so I CAN eat it! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO that's why you're not losing weight & getting results...you're not creating a calorie deficit.

The key to losing weight is simple math: Create a deficit. Burning more calories than you eat = Results. So, example, yesterday, I burned 805 calories, I ate around 1200-1300, so really my body received only 500, but because I was eating healthy foods, often throughout the day, I didn't feel hungry, my metabolism stayed revved up. Now, if I was to not eat but only 500 calories/day, without working out....well, I'd sabotage my body - period. See that is the beauty of working out! In fact, I've already burned over 3500 calories this week & I have 2 more days of my INFERNO to do!

I went off on a tangent about working out and eating good, because that's what many of you are not doing. And that's why you struggle with your weight. I think it would be safe to say that many are addicted to food.

Now before you get defensive, I want you to do an experiment. Answer this: What is your favorite food? What do you just love to eat? Now, when you eat it, do you eat just one or 2 bites or it until you are stuff? Do you smile and moan when the food is in your mouth? If it's around, and you just got done eating, do you want to eat that favorite food? Now, what is that favorite food? Is it healthy? Is it fries, pizza, candy bars, cakes, ice cream? If you think you are not addicted...I have a challenge for you. Whatever that 'fave food' is - give it up for 1 week. If you can do that, give it up for 1 month. See how your attitude is without it. See how your attitude is when it's in front of it and you don't eat it. (Email me if you do this, I'm interested in your results.)

I have a heart for food addicts because I've experienced addiction before. Addiction is crazy. Shoot, my addiction to home-brewed Starbucks coffee is what got me out of bed today (yes, I'm already planning to address it). But addiction is real, and addiction to food is real. And if we don't start addressing it as an addiction, I'm not sure we can conquer this obesity epidemic.

My heart is to help people who feel powerless against food. It's a real feeling that many experience. If you want help, email me at jennifermorin@beachbodycoach.com. Find me on FB - Jennifer Morin....and I will help you the best that I can!

Working This Out - This Wednesday

I love pairing up words that start w/ the same letter, like 'Workout Wednesdays', or 'Success Story Saturdays'. Weird I know, but it gives me a starting point.

Last Wednesday I featured Chalene Johnson's latest release: TurboFire. I gave the breakdown of what the workout will do and why you would want it in your workout repetoire (check it out). After doing the research about the HIIT workouts, the way it boosts your metabolism, and how effective it is to help drop the weight, I had to have it myself. I ordered it last Thursday & it arrived yesterday:

Do you see the 5-Day Inferno Plan booklet? What is this exactly right? This 5 day plan is an eating and workout plan "designed to cleanse your body and change your daily eaitng habits, so you're ready to take on TurboFire with more energy". It's a great plan to follow M-F, if you have a special event on Saturday. Results always vary, but at the back of the booklet, they feature 4 people who used it. One gal lost 5 lbs. & 8 inches, the other 9 lbs. and 11 inches, and the last gal lost 7 lbs. and 10 inches. The guy lost 14 lbs. & 10 inches. (Can I just say I envy how quickly men can lose weight?)

Pretty much what you see in the pic is what you get in the $119 program. (There's a big daddy one for more that comes w/ 60 min. workouts - I'll purchase the 4 seperate & later to add to my collection. It also comes with a month supply of the P90X recovery drink, which Dave loves, won't live without it.) 

The best part about these dvd programs from Beachbody is that they lay it all out of what you need to do. I received a schedule of when to do which workout for the best results. I also got an eating guide to follow so I don't have to do the guess work on what to eat or get bored w/ the same 'ol chicken & broccoli diet. Which, I don't think that crazy restricted regimen offers my body the right kind of fuel for this workout program anyways.

This is so cheesy, but of all I got in my box (the bands are pretty cool too) - I'm excited about the free tank top I get when I send in a before & after pic to them. When they see 'my transformation', I'll get a free tank top (which I love tanks by the way). And better yet...drum roll....I could possibly get a chance to appear in an infomercial.

Okay I know, I said it was cheesy. But if you knew how long I've been doing Turbo Jam, how much I love that program. How I went to get trained to teach Turbo Kick, and how I am hoping to be an instructor. If you knew how much I adore Chalene Johnson because of her amazing character, integrity, motivation, love to help people lose weight, passion to help others change their lives...then you would totally understand how excited I am that that is an actual possibility. And for those who know me, you know I am going to push myself sooooooooooo hard to try to make that possibility a real-life event for myself.

I'm going to kick off my '5 day Inferno' today! I'm not a person that 'waits 'til Monday' to start changing my life. I've done my own observation and I the best time to start something new, a diet, a new program, is the day you decide/receive it/figure out how. Before & afters pics of the Inferno will follow in 5 days. And then before & afters will follow in 90 days. Stay tuned!!!!

Shop by Fitness Programs at www.beachbodycoach.com/JenniferMorin for your own!

Baby Steps or Giant Leaps

How do you reach your goals? By baby steps or giant leaps?

My husband and I recently bought a house. The idea had been discussed for nearly a year. The decision to do so in a night. We took a giant leap toward the goal of moving out of our neighborhood and across town.

Last fall I took baby steps toward a goal. The first goal was to lose the last 10 lbs. of baby weight. So I made the decision to go to a Turbo Kick training in Laguna Hills. This deadline to get fit and lose weight was just what I needed to push myself to lose those 10 lbs. and reach my primary goal. Receiving the certification to actually teach a Turbo Kick class gave me a new goal to consider. It made me think & consider whether or not I wanted to be a group exercise fitness instructor. Never had considered it before in my life. But all of the sudden it was an option. And it would be instructing the most fun workout I had ever done in my life - Turbo! But I wasn't sure. I still some steps to go. I had to learn the workout, know the routine by the music, remember each move...and then be able to confidently lead a group through a round of Turbo Kick. (A little intimidating, right?)

Fast forward a few months, I'm a Beachbody Coach (which that was a giant leap I made in a day, something I had considered before, but with the right, fresh business-minded approach I was given, I knew I had to leap out & do it!) Now that I'm a Beachbody Coach, I am starving to be around goal-oriented, fitness-minded people. And what a better place to meet them than the gym, right?

So with incentive of a free family membership, the passion to get out of my momma-cave and meet like-minded people, I said, "I should be a fitness instructor - I should go for it". So the last 2 weeks, I really paid attention to the sequence of the workout...and completed it, to the music (no aid from a dvd), and nearly have the cueing down.

So what is the next baby steps to take? Fill out the application for the position, deliver it & wait for a call back. Thinking about it gives me butterflies. Not sure why. But, I know that once I hand that app over, I am going to work out harder, count my calories more accurately, and be so excited on the inside that I took the last steps IN MY CONTROL to be a fitness instructor. Even if they never called me back, I feel successful! I completed my list of baby steps in becoming a fitness instructor. Perhaps, completion = success...for me!

What's great is I will drop off the application and then leave it in God's hands. If I get the position as a group X instructor, I will have yet a couple other baby steps: get CPR certified & my AFAA group exercise certification. But that's the easy part. I can pass a couple more tests, right?

See, reaching goals and having success in our lives doesn't have to be these huge monumental moments printed on the front page of a newspaper. It's consistently taking baby steps or giant leaps...depending on your time, resources, or faith. It's making your mind up that you're going to do something, figuring out what it takes to get there, then checking each step off a list with persistence. My list is nearly checked off to be a fitness instructor. First thing this Monday morning, I completed the application. This afternoon, I am dropping it off. It really can be that easy.

Need some assistance with setting some goals? Coming up with an action plan to reach them? Email me at jennifermorin@beachbodycoach.com - I would love to help you! Take the first baby step of reaching out and I'll help you take a leap!

Workout Wednesday - GET READY FOR SWIMSUIT SEASON!!!!

This workout is next to tackle on my list. And it makes sense. Yesterday, my post shared the importance of interval training...where here is the interval training of all interval trainings: TURBO FIRE. It's a HIIT program, High Intensity Interval Training.




Here are the details: "High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) ignites your metabolism and helps your body burn calories for up to 48 hours after your workout."  "Burn up to 9x more fat and calories than with traditional cardio...with Turbo Fire." Click "Try it now" and see all your options - now is time to get in shape once & for all....just in time for "SWIMSUIT SEASON".

From my favorite top trainer in the world: Chalene Johnson!