Category: FitFluential
What Is Beautiful
| May 21, 2013 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under FitFluential, Sponsored |
**I have been selected to participate in a sponsored campaign with Under Armour through my affiliation with FitFluential. In this circumstance, sponsored means I will be receiving free product. No other compensation will be provided. I LOVE the premise of this campaign and hope you do too.
By now many of you have probably seen that What’s Beautiful 3.0 by Under Armour has launched! The goal? To get women to set epic goals and then motivate them to achieve them. When you sign up, you can share your journey with others. There is even a competition involved where you can set yourself apart from the rest with a chance to win a trip to Costa Rica for a 4-day yoga and surf retreat! BAM.
You might be wondering why I have waited until now to join in. Well, I wanted to announce my pregnancy first! You see, being pregnant makes my “epic goals” a little different than if I weren’t. I’d love to say that my goal is to finally run a sub-2:00 half or do x amount of unassisted pull-ups but that’s not the case right now. So instead, #IWILL focus on having a healthy and active pregnancy. I would like to maintain a certain level of fitness until the very end. I attribute an easy labor and delivery with Emmie to staying active until the day I had her. Goodness knows I’d love a repeat experience 
I also want to cheer you on if you participate! I’d love to connect with you on the What’s Beautiful platform. You can find my profile HERE. I can’t wait to see what you can accomplish! You can join teams, accept challenges, and continue being your awesome motivating selves. Let’s do this!
Are you participating in What’s Beautiful? Leave a link to your profile so I can find you!
Like what you see? Make sure to subscribe to my feed! I would love to hear from you on Facebook or Twitter! Need a daily dose of Emmalyne? Find us on Instagram!
Cathe XTRAIN Workout Series
| March 12, 2013 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under FitFluential, Fitness, Reviews, Sponsored |
As a busy mom sometimes fitting in a trip to the gym can be challenging. Sometimes Emmalyne just isn’t feeling it and we stay home. Although I could use that as an excuse to skip a workout I try my best not to. Part of the reason I am successful is we have built a small library of workout DVDs. I have to admit though, doing the same DVD over and over gets boring and old really fast. But guys, I find a DVD set that hasn’t gotten old yet.
As you all know, I am a FitFluential Ambassador and my partnership with them has given me the opportunity to do fun things (Dirty Girl mud run anyone?) and try out some awesome products. I recently got sent the XTRAIN Workout Series by Cathe Friedrichto try out and I am hooked. From the Cathe website:
“XTrain is the ultimate total body fitness conditioning program that has been designed to crush calories, incinerate fat and work and tone your muscles like never before”. (source)
Incinerate fat and torch calories? Sounds pretty awesome to me. So I was pretty stoked when the series arrived at my house.
The workout series comes with four different programs ranging from 30-90 days. On top of that, Cathe has designed each DVD to have optional premixes so no matter how hectic your schedule is, there is a workout to fit it. The set I got has 9 DVDs:
- Disc 1: Chest, Back, and Shoulders
- Disc 2: Bi’s and Tri’s
- Disc 3: Burn Sets
- Disc 4: Super Cuts
- Disc 5: Legs
- Disc 6: Cardio Leg Blast
- Disc 7: All Out Low Impact HIIT
- Disc 8: Hard Strikes
- Disc 9: Tabatacise
The first DVD I tried was Disc 2: Bi’s and Tri’s (Rounds 1-5 + Core #1). The equipment needed was dumbbells, a stability ball, and medium resistance tubing. I had the dumbbells and stability ball but was missing the resistance bands so I improvised. I started off with 10 pound dumbbells but realized that I was going to meed 5 pound ones as well.
Holy moly. I definitely felt the burn. I struggled getting through all the reps on some of the exercises. The bonus core workout set my abs on fire as well. I have also done Disc 1 (chest, back, and shoulders) and Disc 5 (Legs) and all of them provided a good level of intensity and a killer burn in my muscles.
So, what are my thoughts?
PROS
- With 140+ different premixes it is really hard to get bored.
- Each premix is a different length of time so you can fit your workout to your schedule.
- None of the workouts were easy and all of them left me feeling sore so I know I got a good workout in.
- Cathe is a energetic and fun instructor. It’s easy to go along with her.
- The user’s guide provides a weekly schedule of workouts for each plan. It also details how much weight Cathe uses in each exercise and the reps making following along easier.
CONS
- I didn’t have all the required equipment. Some of the equipment it called for was: a firewalker loop, resistance tubing, a step with 5 risers, boxing gloves, dixie cupes, and Slide N Glide Discs. I could substitute paper plates for the glide disks but 5 risers is a lot and it’s hard to sub for the firewalker loop.
Cathe is really a pioneer in the the fitness exercise DVD business and has been doing it for over twenty years. Even though she has been around for a long time, the XTRAIN Workout Series was fresh and modern in my opinion. Overall I am really excited that the series is part of my home gym collection. When I pop in any of the discs I know that I am going to get a quality workout that I can tailor to my needs and busy schedule.
Do you like working out at home? Do you use workout DVDs?
Like what you see? Make sure to subscribe to my feed! I would love to hear from you on Facebook or Twitter! Need a daily dose of Emmalyne? Find us on Instagram!
Disclosure: As a FitFluential Ambassador I received the Cathe XTRAIN Workout Series at no charge. No additional compensation was provided. All opinions are honest and 100% mine.
What’s In My Gym Bag
| January 17, 2013 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under FitFluential, FitGear |
I get a lot of questions about some of my favorite FitGear and thought I would put together a little post about the essentials I carry in my gym bag. I even vlogged. Don’t laugh at me
1. My Camelback Eddy Water Bottle – I carry this water bottle everywhere with me. Emmie has one for herself because she tends to steal mine.
2. A Blender Bottle and GNC Total Lean Protein Powder – I repurposed an infant formula dispenser to hold scoops of protein powder. There are three compartments perfect for holding three servings of protein powder. I love this protein a lot.
3. Polar FT40 Heart Rate Monitor – My FAVORITE piece of #FitGear. Seriously. I love this thing and have for the last year. More on it to come.
4. Toilettries – Aveno tinted moisturizer, Tresemme dry shampoo, Bath & Body Works Lotion, etc.
5. Shower Pill – I got some of these in the mail from the company and have really liked them. I particularly like them when I have somewhere important to be and don’t have time to shower. The antibacterial component is fantastic. I think everyone around me appreciates that I use them too
AND here’s my vlog … PS … remember to subscribe to my YouTube channel too
What’s your favorite thing in your gym bag?
Like what you see? Make sure to subscribe to my feed! I would love to hear from you on Facebook or Twitter! Need a daily dose of Emmalyne? Find us on Instagram!
Start Clean 2013: Week 1
| January 6, 2013 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under FitFluential |
We are officially one week in to 2013 and so far so good. None of my New Year’s Resolutions are short-term goals so I’ve been looking at ways to kick off the New Year in a fun and healthy fashion. Luckily, my friend Katie is hosting a great challenge called Start Clean in 2013. There is a daily challenge to follow, a supportive Facebook group, and just overall fun. I thought it would be fun to recap my challenge photos on the blog each week. Enjoy!
Day 1:
Day 2:
Day 3:
Day 4:
Day 5/6:
Katie has a ton of awesome sponsors and the other participants are supportive and fun. I am really enjoying this challenge and am already looking forward to this coming week’s! Happy Sunday and hope you’re enjoying your weekend 
Have you participated in blog challenges? Are you doing any now?
Like what you see? Make sure to subscribe to my feed! I would love to hear from you on Facebook or Twitter! Need a daily dose of Emmalyne? Find us on Instagram!
12 Days of Christmas Workout + Fitness Friday
| December 21, 2012 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under FitFluential, Fitness Friday, Weekly Workouts |
Happy #FitnessFriday friends! What’s more exciting than Fitness Friday? It being the LAST Fitness Friday before Christmas. Only 4 days to finish up your shopping if you haven’t already. Still need some gift ideas? Check out my Fit-Christmas list! This week was a decent week in workouts (which I needed to burn off the cookies I ate) with some surprises along the way so let’s get to it.
MONDAY
Monday I overslept and missed my bootcamp class. I did make it in time for yoga which was awesome. I was sick on Sunday so stretching it out felt great. After yoga I hit the weights for a 12 Days of Christmas WOD which left me hot and sweaty
TUESDAY
Tuesday’s workout for half training was a 3.5 mile run. I kept it at an easy pace. My train slow, race fast idea is coming along nicely so far. After, I did a CrossFit WOD which included tons of push-ups leaving me sore to this day.
WEDNESDAY
Was an unexpected rest day. Chris and I planned on working out on post after a meeting we had and the meeting went late. We were on the verge of nap time so we decided to get the Emster home instead.
THURSDAY
I did the workout that I had planned to do Wednesday on Thursday. I started with 6x400m repeats with a 1/2 mile warm-up and cool-down. After, I did a tabata WOD which killed me.
Another workout came unexpectedly. When I got home from the gym I let the dogs out and got Emmalyne lunch. After she had eaten I went to let them in and they didn’t come. I went out into the backyard and they were nowehere to be seen. I then noticed that the gate was open. PANIC. I ran out front, didn’t see them, and panicked more. Luckily, my neighbor was outside and took Em so I could get in the car. Another one of my neighbors got in his car too. Between running up and down the street, the adrenaline pumping, and the fact that my HR monitor was still on, I burned an additional 378 calories. NICE. Luckily we found the dogs and they are chilling at home. Thank God.
Today I am planning on getting 3 miles in, a 5K tomorrow, and maybe something on Sunday too. We will see
How was your week in workouts? Have your animals ever escaped from home?
Like what you see? Make sure to subscribe to my feed! I would love to hear from you on Facebook or Twitter! Need a daily dose of Emmalyne? Find us on Instagram!
Happy #FitnessFriday friends! What’s more exciting than Fitness Friday? It being the LAST Fitness Friday before Christmas. Only 4 days to finish up your shopping if you haven’t already. Still need some gift ideas? Check out my Fit-Christmas list! This week was a decent week in workouts (which I needed to burn off the cookies I ate) with some surprises along the way so let’s get to it.
MONDAY
Monday I overslept and missed my bootcamp class. I did make it in time for yoga which was awesome. I was sick on Sunday so stretching it out felt great. After yoga I hit the weights for a 12 Days of Christmas WOD which left me hot and sweaty
TUESDAY
Tuesday’s workout for half training was a 3.5 mile run. I kept it at an easy pace. My train slow, race fast idea is coming along nicely so far. After, I did a CrossFit WOD which included tons of push-ups leaving me sore to this day.
WEDNESDAY
Was an unexpected rest day. Chris and I planned on working out on post after a meeting we had and the meeting went late. We were on the verge of nap time so we decided to get the Emster home instead.
THURSDAY
I did the workout that I had planned to do Wednesday on Thursday. I started with 6x400m repeats with a 1/2 mile warm-up and cool-down. After, I did a tabata WOD which killed me.
Another workout came unexpectedly. When I got home from the gym I let the dogs out and got Emmalyne lunch. After she had eaten I went to let them in and they didn’t come. I went out into the backyard and they were nowehere to be seen. I then noticed that the gate was open. PANIC. I ran out front, didn’t see them, and panicked more. Luckily, my neighbor was outside and took Em so I could get in the car. Another one of my neighbors got in his car too. Between running up and down the street, the adrenaline pumping, and the fact that my HR monitor was still on, I burned an additional 378 calories. NICE. Luckily we found the dogs and they are chilling at home. Thank God.
Today I am planning on getting 3 miles in, a 5K tomorrow, and maybe something on Sunday too. We will see
How was your week in workouts? Have your animals ever escaped from home?
Like what you see? Make sure to subscribe to my feed! I would love to hear from you on Facebook or Twitter! Need a daily dose of Emmalyne? Find us on Instagram!
