Cize Progress - 2 Weeks into the Program!

A couple of days ago, I had to snug up my heart rate monitor band as it has loosened lately!  I had a sobering thought.

Where would I be now if I had continued on my existing path??  Two years ago, I weighed almost 60 pounds more than I do today!  I was at a playground the other day and was instantly taken back to around this time one year ago and I could not shake the memory of what had happened that day. 

I recently looked back on the 6 month transformation of my blood work stats.

My own cholesterol went from 221 to 177.

My triglycerides went from 184 to 61!!

What if I had never begun?

23 months after beginning this journey, I am still making progress.

I am doing things they are good for my heart! My choices benefit me from the inside out! There are still plateaus left to break. Cize is getting me there!  Cize was created by Shaun T and this is the newest program from Team Beachbody.  It is a DANCE program!

* I realize that I am not standing in the exact same pose in the two images above!  This was not meant to be my official "before and after" but I was just snapping a "laundry photo" as you will read below!  When I hit the 30 day mark, I will do an official "side-by-side".  I do think that my body language does go a long way to convey how I am feeling about myself these days.  Cize has put a fresh spring in my step and I am enjoying this opportunity to learn new ways of movement.

Two nights ago, I shared this on my FB page after snapping the photo on the right:
You know what? I am doing laundry because what else does one do at 10 PM on Wednesday in the midst of a busy week?? And sometimes you decide to wash the shirt you were wearing...

1st thought?!? Cize IS working!

2nd thought - I do not want ANYONE to discount what is possible to accomplish by working out in our own basements and taking charge in our kitchens.

Want some help with these things? I would be glad to get you plugged in with some invaluable support!

It is possible to be comfortable when we unexpectedly see ourselves in the mirror. So worth it!

To say that Cize is an unlikely fit for me is an understatement!  I put together a video on this a couple of nights ago, telling about my Cize "surprise" and my shower curtain debacle.  Check it out here!  

Some of the things that I am loving about Cize?  Well... it is a fantastic calorie burn!  Most of the routines are 35-40 minutes plus a brief cooldown and I am regularly seeing #'s like this!

My children are ages 6 and 8.  In the past 23 months of home workouts, this is the first program that they request me to do again here and there throughout the day so that they can join in with me!  I oftentimes do my own workout early in the morning... but some days it does not go that way and we end up "Cizing It Up" together anyways!
 

Before beginning this program, I was CONVINCED, beyond any doubt that I could NOT dance.  That I was "just not a dancer".  I would see other people having fun with dance in a variety of settings and I thought that would just never be me.  Why do we sell ourselves short anyways???  When Shaun T was introducing the program, he talked about how we say we can't dance but the truth is that we have never tried.  OUCH.  That was me.  Not anymore!

Cize is split into 3 levels, with two routines for each level.  There is also a bonus DVD!  I have been working on the #5 routine this week and it is coming along!  This one is aptly named "Go For It".  Check out my video here!  Eeek!  I am coming out of my comfort zone with this one!  BUT, I want to share with you the fact that even a previous non-dancer is able to do Cize and truly enjoy it while burning a TON of calories!  I am doing my best to learn the moves and time really does fly.  I find myself looking forward to my next workout and thinking about it during the day!  Crazy, right??  Nope!  This seems to be the effect of Cize.

 

If you are curious to learn more about Cize, fill out the form below and let's talk soon!  
 
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Fixate Creamy Chicken Salad w/Honey Mustard Dressing

I am having such a good time with my new Fixate cookbook!!  This is a recent release from Team Beachbody and it is an excellent addition to my kitchen!  The recipes are all clean eating and are aligned with the 21 Day Fix nutrition guide.  But even if you are not doing the Fix, this cookbook is still a very handy tool!

Summer has *finally* really arrived here in Erie, PA and we are loving this weather!!  It has been a bit warm for cooking most recent days!  Rotisserie chicken is a go-to for my family.  So when I saw this chicken salad recipe to go with it, I thought, "perfect"!  I have made other clean eating chicken salads and they have been a little bit "too Greek yogurt" based for my taste.  I am happy to report that this one is not that way at all!  It is light and the honey mustard taste is unique and quite delicious!  My family is already requesting it again!

Creamy Chicken Salad w/Honey Mustard Dressing

Serves 4 and you will have plenty of dressing to spare!

 

The color coded portion control container count is 2 green, 1 red, 1/2 purple, 1/2 blue and 1/2 orange.

 Ingredients:

• 3 cups chopped rotisserie chicken breast (boneless / skinless)
• 1/2 cup chopped green apple
• 1/2 cup seedless red grapes, cut in half
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
• 1/4 cup Honey Mustard Dressing (see below)
• 8 cups shredded romaine lettuce

Directions:

1. Combine chicken, apple, grapes, almonds, green onions, tarragon, and Honey Mustard Salad Dressing in a large bowl.  Mix well, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
2. Serve 1 1/4 cup Creamy Chicken Salad over 2 cups of romaine lettuce per serving.   

Honey Mustard Dressing:
** Serves 8 with 2 Tbsp per serving
** 1 Orange Container

• 1/2 cup reduced fat plain Greek yogurt
• 3 Tbsp Dijon mustard, gluten-free
• 3 Tbsp raw honey
• 3 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Sea Salt to taste (optional) 

Directions: Combine yogurt, mustard, honey, and vinegar in a medium bowl and mix well. Slowly add the oil, whisking constantly until well blended.   

 

*** My family is not fond of green onions and I wasn't so sure about tarragon for them. So we skipped the green onion and just used parsley as our herb.  The kids had selected green grapes at the grocery store so we used them rather than red.  And I always like to toss some baby spinach in with my romaine base.  Other than that, we followed everything else with this recipe and the leftover dressing has been in use as well!