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Pam:

Although fit much of my life, I had hit an off/on/try/too busy phase of life. I had always battled 15 lbs up and down since college. I love to eat, love to bake, and could never really 'stay the course' of wellness beyond the motivation to lose weight for an event. After my late husband died, a year after grieving I felt more sad than ever, and I knew the only other thing to submit to was eating clean and exercising; so when I told Angie on 12/27/07 what I had concluded, she immediately said, "I'll do it with you"! (a real friend!) I knew she didn't know what I meant by eating clean or what workouts I had in mind, (or she probably wouldn't have agreed) but this began our journey. I made a commitment to Angie to daily remain accountable for the BIG 5 (every bite) and my workout. This also started my 120 day fast from refined sugar. (and THAT is another success story). I thought I already knew 'it all' but with increased research on foods, nutrition and exercise, we both have learned so much since 2007.

My first workouts, I couldn’t finish a 20 minute ‘stroll’ on the treadmill. I couldn’t do one ‘real’ (off the knee) push-up. But I pushed through until I was enjoying the Bill Phillips cardio (referenced below). Then I would add 9 ‘knee’ pushups and 1 ‘real’ one + 20 crunches (painful)! I persevered until I could easily do 10 ‘real’ pushups (after my walk on the treadmill) and 25 crunches. Then, I created a little game: whenever I got hungry if it was before 2.5-3 hours since my last meal, I’d drop to do 10 pushups and 25 sit -ups. Gradually, I added some free weights. Just curls, tri-cep pushes and lunges. I recalled some dvd’s I had enjoyed before and got one out. IT was too advanced. I started blending in Denise Austin yoga. Angie and I together started the Celebrity Fitness workout. I was shaking up the workout (to avoid boredom) and I was getting results. I added some other DVD’s listed below throughout this time. Then in the spring, after watching an informercial, I felt a desire to REALLY challenge myself! On April 21, I began P90X and faithfully completed the 90 days and really saw my body take a transforming turn. All the while, remaining accountable with Angie. The real benefit here I believe is the muscle confusion theory—again, shaking it up and working different body parts, interval cardio, and rest!

I have lost and MAINTAINED a 20 lb scale weight which includes muscle gain. I am in the BEST, most FIT shape of my life including high school when I cheered and ran track. Just returning from Maui, I comfortably wore a bikini daily. What a freedom to KNOW how to eat delicious foods, how to exercise and HOW to sculpt my best body in my 50's! Who would believe? NOW, I look forward to my daily workout and eat more quality food than at any other time in my life. Incredible!

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Angie:

I went from being a VERY FIT person who played tournament racquetball and taught 3 aerobic classes a week to a very busy mom, and entrepenuer who developed sloppy eating habits with non-existent exercise patterns. Over the years I gained 80lbs and started noticing aches and pains I was too young to be experiencing. I bought several exercise DVD's and pieces of equipment always excited to START………..but many remained unopened! I couldn’t get a grip and kept putting time as my reason to not get back on track.

On December 27th when Pam and I decided to be accountable to each other daily with food and exercise totals I realized then it wasn't just about me and my lack of motivation. She was depending on me and I needed to show up with the same amount of effort.

I remember Day 1 of getting on the treadmill and only being able to go 12mins. 12 mins!!!! Couldn't do 1 push up because I was too heavy. I resisted big time in the beginning saying "I'll start working out when I get to a weight I want....I don't want to build muscle until I lose the fat....It's easier for you", because it was so hard!! Pam was patient encouraging me from where I was. I AM CERTAIN that without her daily accountability and our daily tracking together, I would have quit. WHY? Because no one was watching! Today , I am down 60lbs that I have kept off. I CAN DO push ups, walk on the treadmill easily (although not my favorite) and get through hard workouts that leave my friends amazed! I love the Chalene Turbo Fire and Chalene Xtreme workouts from Beachbody to shake it up. It is still a daily commitment because I don't love it……….but I do it because it matters always remembering that ANYTHING worth having takes work.

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Bottom line, GET started! Shake it up! Variety is your friend as you work different muscles and SURPRISE them! You need to know your working heart rate so that you raise your pulse 70-85% of your maximum heart rate during your workout to get both health and metabolism benefits of exercise.To determine this: Subtract your age from 220 and then multiply that number by .70 to .85. If you’re 45, you're subtracting 45 from 220 = 175. X.70 and X.80= 122-148 as your working heart rate. Purchasing a heart monitor or watch that measures is an efficient way to gage exercise effectiveness.

 

For Beginners:

The Bill Phillips 20 min. Cardio (from Body for Life)
Walk 2 minutes to warm up
Pick up the pace and 1 minute apart:

• Walk
• Walk fast
• Jog (define this yourself, but push)
• Run

Repeat that 4 times; now you have 18 minutes in. At the end of the 4th cycle, take one more minute and go as hard and fast as you can for one more minute. LAST minute, walk it out.

Denise Austin
Fat Blasting Yoga
Shrink your Female Fat Zones

Celebrity Fitness Club Boot Camp

MORE ADVANCED as you increase Fitness:

Billy Blanks
Taebo Amped

David Kirsch
Ultimate New York City Body Plan