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Personal Blog
Want a KILLER Cardio + Strength Workout You Can Do At HOME? This Sandbag Session Will Make You SWEAT!
- April 16, 2020
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Try this Killer Sandbag Circuit to Burn Fat and Build Serious Muscle!

Everyone is worried about gaining weight while at home in this quarantine situation. (P.S. You will likely find some of my recent posts tremendously helpful on these topics. CLICK here to read what I’m doing to lose weight and build muscle while at home during the lockdown.) There are thousands of people who are used to working out only at the gym who are freaking out right now about how to get solid strength training and cardio workouts in while at home under coronavirus stay-in-place orders. Are you wondering how to get your workout groove on while under Coronavirus Quarantine? Do you feel like you can’t get a killer workout in at home like you can at the gym? Or, do you worry that you can only do cardio and not enough strength training?

I hear you– you might have concerns because — maybe you’ve tried to buy some gym equipment and found yourself hitting the wall because things are on backorder or more expensive than you thought. (Check out my earlier post here on my top 20 home gym equipment recommendations and my top 10 favorite home workouts— with the exception of some of the barbells- most things are still in stock!!)

As an alternative, or as a COMPLEMENT to the types of workouts and home gym equipment I featured in the above post– you should seriously consider some of this hard core muscle building, fat blasting type of training. By using tools like a SANDBAG (which note- is also incredibly portable and great for travel and vacation) and some battle ropes in addition to a TRX and some kettlebells, you can create HUNDREDS of amazing circuit combos and never be bored, plus get in CRAZY great shape and strong AF!!

Note: This post was originally published on FitFluential.com and created by Marissa DiPietro. I have updated it with some of my own favorites and updated equipment recommendations. You can follow Marissa on instagram by CLICKING HERE.

The sandbag is an incredibly functional piece of equipment. I’m talking total-body toning + explosive cardio + strength building + speed increasing type stuff. My first go-round with the sandbag was an eye-opener, and I became obsessed with creating new moves and different workouts! For my clients who are used to dumbbells and medicine balls, it became a new favorite for them as well! Sometimes, all it takes is doing the same movement with a different piece of equipment to make a workout seem more new and exciting. Which all workouts should be!

For this workout, I wanted to hit every body part (no muscle group left behind!) while still building strength. So we’re combining explosive movements with some slower ones, to really hone in on specific muscles, while still getting that heart rate nice and high. Be prepared – this will challenge you! But with your own sandbag, you can adjust the weight to suit your fitness level.

Get your sandbag here and try this workout for a crazy calorie burn!

Clean + Alternating Lunge

Begin in a squat position with the sandbag on the floor. Explode up and throw your hips forward to bring the sandbag up, catching it in a front rack position. At the same time, step one foot forward into a lunge. Return to the starting position then repeat on the other side. Do 12 total reps!

Thruster Negatives

With the sandbag in a front rack position, squat allllll the way down at a 4 second tempo. Count to 4 on the way down, then when you reach the bottom, explode up, thrusting the sandbag all the way overhead. Return the sandbag to that front rack position, then slowly lower down into that squat. Do 12 reps!

Sandbag Leg Raises

Lying on your back, place the sandbag across your shins by your ankles. Keep your legs fairly straight, with a slight bend in the knee to make sure the sandbag stays in place. Raise your legs up to about a 75 degree angle, then lower down, tapping your heels on the ground. Do 20 reps!

Weighted Sandbag Run

Last but not least, hoist that sandbag up over your shoulder and take off! Run 400 meters as quickly as you can. Don’t drop the sandbag!

That’s your workout! Repeat the entire thing 3-5 times. Make sure you properly warm up and cool down after this workout!

Below is a video from YouTube showing some other moves. Once you start using it, and you get some good weight in there (just buy sand from Home Depot it’s so cheap!), you’ll be addicted.

https://youtu.be/HpQxXZO48nY

I mentioned above some other equipment like kettlebells and TRX and muscle ropes. I’m using this post to focus on equipment that is awesome to do outdoors for killer circuits. What I strongly recommend you do is WRITE OUT YOUR WORKOUT BEFORE HAND. I’ve learned something the hard way: if you just set out all your equipment without a plan, you’ll spend a lot more time winging it.

Here’s how I design some of my own at-home workout circuits.

If I am going for a more conditioning/endurance/fat-burning focus, I’ll add in a lot of plyo or cardio in between sets. If I’m focusing on STRENGTH and building muscle I will avoid cardio and incorporate more rest between sets.

For today let’s focus on more of the former- workouts that will get your heart rate UP and the sweat flowing while working your muscles hard.

I personally like to have my circuits be UPPER AND LOWER BODY COMBINED. In other words, I don’t typically do a full set of lower body only moves then move on to just a shoulder circuit. Nope. I like to mix it up.

Start with 3-5 Circuits. If you are like me and tend to overtrain, all the more reason to WRITE OUT YOUR WORKOUT in advance.

Each circuit I will do x number of upper body moves and x number of lower body moves. I end with cardio/HIIT/Plyo and then core.

A good idea is to start a notebook with moves you like- because there are virtually thousands of moves you can do….add your favorites by category so you can pick moves easily to put into a circuit.

Did you try the workout? Did you like it? Don’t worry- we’ll be filming some of these workouts coming up. Be sure you are following me on instagram at my personal account and for The Kelly O Show so you can catch previews and tune in as we launch our IGTV channel too! LOTS OF GREAT STUFF coming up! Be sure to let me know what you want to see and learn more about!

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Note: this blog contains affiliate links that allow you to find the items mentioned in this post and support this channel at no cost to you. While this channel may earn minimal sums when a viewer uses the links provided, the view is in NO WAY obligated to use these links. Thank you for your support.
Personal Blog
How To Make Delicious and Healthy Protein Balls.
- April 14, 2020
- 0 comments
If you spend any time on Pinterest, no doubt you’ve seen plenty of protein ball and energy bite recipes floating around. Once you start making some of these protein balls at home- and you realize how easy it is to make homemade protein balls- and how perfectly portion-sized they are — you’ll understand why EVERYONE is obsessed with making homemade healthy protein balls. (Please note: this post was originally published on FitFluential, I’ve updated it and added my own ingredients/ideas)

Honestly, I now make a batch for my man and me about every other day. I don’t make HUGE batches, and I’ve become comfortable enough with the ingredients/ratios to experiment a bit and come up with my own “recipes” if you will.

These little nuggets of deliciousness not only taste great, but are super easy to make and so good for you. And in non-quaratine times, they are outrageously portable too. A perfect way to control the ingredients in what you eat (avoiding added sugar or preservatives), these bites will serve many purposes throughout your busy week. This is really a key point to consider- especially if you are like me and have to avoid specific foods/ingredients due to food reactivity or food intolerances.

This would be me most days around 2pm wanting something with WHEAT or GLUTEN in it and not being able to have any.

To summarize, based on the Oxford Technologies food reactivity test I had done– I currently have to avoid: Corn (most reactive for me- and OMG y’all, corn is in EVERYTHING packaged– as corn syrup and even corn starch is in a lot of things), Wheat, Yeast, Flax, Soy, Bananas, Mangoes, Turkey, Zucchini, Peppers, Onions, Brussel Sprouts, Cauliflower and a few others– oddly enough, I did NOT test reactive to DAIRY and I’ve been avoiding dairy most of my adult life!! When I realized that so many of these things that I need to avoid (and many of you- if you are Celiac or you are working on your gut health etc.– you have to be diligent about not consuming ingredients/foods that will aggravate your gut and cause distress or an autoimmune response) are in even some fantastic healthy foods (for example, my favorite healthy brownies from Flax4Life have…..FLAX in it- I can’t have it)- I realize that for me, if I want to satisfy my raging sweet tooth, it’s best for me to make homemade healthy snacks where I KNOW exactly what is in them. Hence, the protein balls addiction has become a thing.

NOTE: The folks from Oxford Labs will be on our podcast coming up- because every time I share how life-changing that test was, EVERYONE asks me about it and how to get it- be sure you are subscribed- on iTunes or Spotify, I Heart Radio etc. Or you can simply catch all new episodes here on TheKellyOShow.com. BOOYA.

I also LOVE the portion size: most of the recipes I’ve made are about 125-150 calories per ball– so you can’t go eating them without restraint. For me, ever since I started focusing FIRST AND FOREMOST on caloric deficit in order to lose weight (and realizing that this is what WORKS- FYI I am down 5lb in my first 2 weeks of my new challenge. Details in the next blog post coming up- be sure you are subscribed!!) — AND now that I am weighing myself every morning (huge accountability factor!) knowing the calorie count for each protein ball keeps me in check- both my man and I have given each other permission to make sure we only eat 2-3 at a time.

Yup- this is me about every other day making these peanut butter balls.

Want to eat sweet treats and still lose weight? I’ve got you.

Ok- so smack dab in the middle of this post I must call this out. My passion is getting FIT and healthy and helping YOU do the same. So I want to be sure I direct you to some of the best and most relevant posts/podcasts I’ve published on WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO LOSE WEIGHT AND BUST THROUGH THAT PLATEAU– because I don’t want you to make the mistakes I made for too long- like thinking “oh if I just eat CLEAN- and make healthy sweets recipes like this one on Kelly Olexa’s blog– I’ll lose weight!!”- nope. I’ve broken through all the fitness BS I’ve been listening to for too long and I’m losing weight! (5lbs in the past 2 weeks y’all by keeping the main thing the main thing! I want to HELP you do the same!)

So-here are some links — I STRONGLY URGE you to listen/read all of them- because once you have the huge A-hA moments I did- and you get that caloric deficit is the #1 most important thing for you– then you can come back here and make protein balls every day- and not be scared about bingeing on them– because your mind is in the right place.
- CLICK HERE to read why you need to cut out snacking, in my opinion (hint: the man and I eat protein bites yes but 90% of the time it’s our DESSERT. I occasionally have a snack but never mindless snacking- and more often we have treats like this as DESSERT after a meal)
- CLICK HERE to listen to my podcast with Bonnie Pfiester on why we need to get a grip and learn that we must DIET and DIET RIGHT for a short period of time to lose the weight.
- CLICK HERE to read my detailed blog about why you probably aren’t losing weight and how to fix that.
- CLICK HERE to read my post on what I’m doing NOW to get fit and keep losing weight during the Coronavirus Quarantine.
- CLICK HERE to read my post on how NOT to GAIN WEIGHT during Coronavirus Quarantine time.
- CLICK HERE to follow my Pinterest Board with tons of Protein Balls/Energy Balls recipes.
- CLICK HERE to follow The Kelly O Show Pinterest Board with tons of Bombtastic Balls Recipes.
Grab a couple for breakfast along with some fruit and Greek yogurt. Grab a bite before your workout for an energy burst. Hungry in between meals? These bites are your friend. In fact, any time you want to grab something quick and convenient to satisfy hunger pangs— protein bites are a perfect solution. Also: they are kid-friendly. Little hands love grabbing these little healthy bites.

Here’s what you’ll get nutrition-wise from these bites:
- a nice pop of protein, from the whey powder and the nut butters – Please note, I use Isagenix Undenatured Whey Protein- because I wanted to find a protein powder that was Sucralose-Free and offered #plantbased options- if you’d like to order some from me, use the Contact Me form, I’m happy to help as I am an independent rep for the company now, because my man and I are obsessed with their nutritional products.
- fiber from the oats and nuts
- healthy fats from the nut butters
Since there are about a million different recipes and variations, it can get a little overwhelming to know where to start. If you’ve never tried making these healthy bites before, this post will break down the basics of what types of ingredients go into protein balls.

After you make your first batch, you may want to experiment with different flavors and add-ons. There’s really no wrong way to make these, so get creative with the flavors and ingredients you like best.

Here are the basics:
- Pick a nut butter: you’ll need to choose one in this category, because of the sticky consistency. The nut butter will help to hold the other ingredients together. Some of my favorites: NUTTZO and Nuts N More and Smuckers All Natural
- Pick a protein powder: again this category is essential to the bites as it provides the protein and flavor while counteracting the stickiness of the nut butters. I use Isagenix Undenatured Whey Protein- because I wanted to find a protein powder that was Sucralose-Free and offered #plantbased options- if you’d like to order some from me, use the Contact Me form, I’m happy to help as I am an independent rep for the company now, because my man and I are obsessed with their nutritional products.
- Add an extra or two: You can choose one of more from this category. Oats, dried fruits, chocolate chips, coconut, or crushed nuts. For a flavor boost, try vanilla extract or cinnamon.
- Add seeds if desired: Superfood chia seeds, hemp or flaxseeds are great choices that provide some extra nutrition.
- Make it sweet: honey, applesauce, maple syrup are great choices for their sticky texture. Liquid stevia also works well, depending on your taste. One of the recipes I’ve been obsessing over lately uses 1 TBS of Coconut Oil too.
Now that you’ve chosen your ingredients, all that’s left to do is:
1. Mix your ingredients together
2. Form into bite sized balls
3. Chill before eating. THIS IS KEY- and often I find if I chill the dough BEFORE making into balls, they are easier to handle.
Basic Protein Bites Recipe – yields about 18 bites
- 2 Scoops Vanilla Whey Protein Powder
- 1/2 cup nut butter
- 1/4 cup sticky sweetener
- 1 cup oats
- extras as desired (chia seeds, etc.)
Mix together your dry ingredients first. In a separate bowl, combine nut butter and sticky sweetener (if desired, microwave for about 8 seconds for easier mixing). Add sticky ingredients to dry ingredients and mix together. Add your extras if desired. Roll into balls and chill before eating! Enjoy!

These bites can stay about a week in the fridge, but usually they don’t last that long. Each recipe is slightly different, and you’ll want to experiment with the ratio of dry ingredients to wet, to find the right consistency for your favorite bites. If you use fewer sticky ingredients, you can always add a bit of almond milk to help make the ingredients easier to stir.

BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE!

Ok- so if you are digging this post-I have some more for you. First of all, I have really been digging this recipe from Erin Lives Whole blog. CLICK HERE to check it out. This has been the one I’ve been making a lot of — notice she does not use protein powder — I am experimenting with varying some ingredients here and adding my favorite Birthday Cake flavor protein from Isagenix– stay tuned; note, it’s not as simple as just adding some scoops of protein powder to a recipe- you gotta nerd around with it to get the proportions right or you’ll have the equivalent of a bunch of sand in a bowl. 😉

So- do YOU have a favorite protein ball recipe? Let me know in the comments below or use the contact me form to send me a link, I’ll do a round up on amazing balls recipes next month if I get a good number of links!
Personal Blog
What I’m Doing NOW To Lose Weight and Get FIT During Corona Quarantine.
- April 4, 2020
- 0 comments
How to Lose Weight and Get In Great Shape During The Coronavirus Quarantine.

Worried About Gaining Weight During Coronavirus Quarantine?

I have never seen as much conversation online about losing weight, not gaining weight, and getting fit, as I have recently around the Coronavirus Quarantine situation. More people are concerned that they’ll gain a ton of weight during quarantine/work from home time than they are around the holiday season.
I get it. Perhaps it’s because none of us know when the quarantine/stay at home situation will be loosened. So we don’t know when our lives will get back to some degree of “normalcy”.
Here’s the thing. Why make that a contingency? Why not just accept that things are the way they are now- and assume it’s going to be a while, and adjust and adapt NOW? Why waste time bitching and moaning about it? What’s the point of lamenting about how much you miss the gym? Why whine that now you have to cook your meals?
Look at this as an opportunity. Because it is an opportunity.

It's time to change your perspective on the Coronavirus Quarantine.

This is a crazy time of uncertainty– but it truly is an opportunity. I’ll publish another blog post about this coming up- but when I look back on my life, all of the ROUGHEST TIMES I’ve endured have produced the greatest changes and transformations in me. And – because I have weathered a lot of storms in the past, guess what? Stuff like Coronavirus Quarantine and job losses and economic concerns don’t phase me. I’ve been here. I’ve come out of other tsunamis of change, and I was and am better for it.
Stop looking at all you’ve lost and think about the OPPORTUNITY HERE.
If you have been on a fitness journey for a while– stop bitching about not having your gym. Learn to get creative with your workouts- working out from home can be just as killer as the gym, trust me. And – sure- you miss your fit-friends and your spin class and yoga- and they miss you- but perhaps the solitude you have now will give you time to start focusing on self-care and stress reduction. We all can benefit from SLOWING DOWN in our lives and just being STILL and QUIET.
Why not finally adopt that practice of meditation you’ve read so much about? You have TIME.
For those that haven’t been on a fitness journey before– stop thinking that it’s just because you are “stuck at home” that you have a threat of gaining weight. If you are worried about THAT, it is an indicator that you are an emotional eater or a binge eater perhaps or that you have issues controlling yourself around food (you are not alone!!!! At all!!)– that’s an issue you WANT TO learn to deal with because doing so will enable you to succeed in the future- regardless of your environment.
So- no matter what– having extra TIME and perhaps more SOLITUDE- is a good thing. Embrace it because it can work in your favor. Don’t you want that?
I’ve said to my friends and family that I’m using this time when I can’t go out with friends, can’t take clients out to eat, can’t go on vacation etc. to pretend I’ve registered myself at a fabulous exclusive fitness resort. You know the ones we read celebrities go to- where they are only fed fit/healthy meals that are in a specific diet/caloric range and they are literally “forced” to diet because they have zero control over the environment.
Hmm. Kind of like all of us to some degree in the quarantine situation. You no longer can say “Oh it’s so hard at work to stick to a diet when there’s always birthday cake for someone or someone’s kid selling Girl Scout Cookies” or, “I always have to entertain clients and it’s hard to not participate in the good food“- guess what, you are home alone and no one will pressure you to eat BADLY.
Embrace it.
Quit your bitchin and start LIFTING.

DIET FIRST. Clean up your thinking about DIET.

I heard for years, probably decades, how important your diet is for losing weight. And the truth is, after I’d been “into fitness” for a while, I got cocky — it’s easy to do. You get to that point where you think you are a level above the average consumer who is eating at McDonald’s every day or going to happy hour with their work friends (in non-coronavirus times of course)- and you KNOW BETTER. To some degree, you do. You know a lot of INFORMATION. Big whoop.
My biggest mistake in the past was paying way too much attention to the irrelevant diet factoids- and obsessing about them, and ignoring the most basic but most important diet facts.
I talk about the HUGE WAKE-UP CALL I had around the holidays in 2019 about Caloric Deficit – in this 3-part series- CLICK HERE TO LISTEN. It’s a good amount of time but worth it trust me, because if you can wrap your head around why you’ve failed in the past (focused on the wrong things) and how you can succeed in the future (focus on the right things)- then all that’s left to do is a develop a plan and follow it. (If that didn’t do it for you- here is another series I did on the similar issue at hand for so many women- I address all the bitching that women do about losing weight and all that the don’t do- that they need to do in order to get past the plateau and start dropping pounds: CLICK HERE to dive in.)
So, hopefully you’ve listened to that series where I talked in great detail about the importance of CALORIE DEFICIT ABOVE ALL ELSE.
Let me save you months of wasted time. If you do nothing else during this quarantine time, if you ONLY count calories and ensure you stay at or under your caloric deficit window- you will drop pounds.
Don’t delude yourself with all the bullshit that’s out there about “being in starvation mode”- name one person you know who was eating nothing and stayed super fat. I can reference several times when I got very very thin- one time was during mono- I couldn’t keep food of any kind down for like 3 weeks. And it took a while to be able to eat a reasonable amount of food when I was better. Did I “store fat”? NOPE. I lost a ton of weight. Damaged my kidneys too because I was dehydrated AF.
When you’ve been super sick for a long time and throwing up- do you gain weight? Nope. This whole “your body will go into starvation mode and hold on to fat” is a lie I followed for way too long. It’s really an excuse to EAT. We like to EAT. I LOVE TO EAT. And it’s because I love to eat that if I want to lose weight, I need to BE ON A DIET.
You want to lose weight? You need to DIET. But wait- before you bounce off this blog post, you owe it to yourself to keep reading. Trust me.
People have bashed dieting for so long- even saying “oh you can’t say the word DIET without the word DIE in it!” – I choose to say you can’t say the word diet without the word TIDE in it- and TIDE is a detergent used for cleaning so let’s CLEAN UP YOUR MINDSET ABOUT DIETING shall we?
Dieting is a STRATEGY. That’s all. Dieting doesn’t have to be about sending you into a time period of sheer denial of all pleasurable food and drink.
Dieting is a strategy you employ to trick your mind…yea, just keep your mindset in the right STATE….so you STAY THE PATH– because the only way to lose weight is to 1) get into a caloric deficit and 2) stay in a caloric deficit for a set amount of time (staying the path) – thus losing weight and then moving into maintenance mode.
DID YOU READ THAT– we are not supposed to be dieting year-round!! Far from it. But how many of you ladies find yourself saying “I’ve been dieting FOREVER and it doesn’t work!”– if you have been at it forever you have not been DIETING. You haven’t been doing a DIET.

Why Clean Eating Is NOT a Way to Lose Weight.

Let me summarize why a lot of people THINK they are dieting but aren’t. You see this photo above? Most would look at this and say this lady is eating healthy- she probably has a delicious healthy protein bowl topped with fruit and granola and some mint leaves, all organic of course.
She’s eating perfectly right?
Maybe.
But if this is an afternoon SNACK (and if you want to read why I am now definitely NOT for snacking – READ THIS POST— A great jumpstart to your weight loss plan- stop snacking), and then this lady had an epic whole foods breakfast and a lovely sushi dinner– she could STILL- potentially (not guaranteed) – be NOT losing weight or maybe even gaining weight.
What?? Gasp!! Yea. NEWSFLASH: you can gain weight eating all “whole foods”. you can gain weight being vegan. you can gain weight doing the Mediterranean Diet. you can gain weight eating like the Japanese do. you can gain weight…even if you only shop at Whole Foods.
If you eat too much, OF ANYTHING, and do it consistently- you’ll either stay at the same weight (that’s been my jam the past several years) or you’ll GAIN WEIGHT.
Here is the GREAT NEWS: ALTERNATIVELY– if you eat LESS (i.e. in a caloric deficit) OF ANYTHING, and do it consistently- you’ll LOSE weight.
like magic!
Only not. It’s science. It’s simply listening to science, and applying a strategy to get to a plan to achieve a desired result.
Change your mindset about DIET. You need to be on a diet, a calorically reduced diet if you want to lose weight.
And guess what- just like we say about the coronavirus quarantine– if everyone would just suck it up and stay home- like REALLY STAY HOME– the faster we all REALLY STAY HOME AND ISOLATE= the faster we can get back to life as we kind of knew it.
With weight loss- the sooner you understand that you GOTTA DIET– and that means dealing with some hunger pangs and not immediately stuffing your face to quell the hunger pangs (news flash: you won’t starve and you won’t die)–and the sooner you just DO IT- (start today whether it’s Sunday or Wednesday or Friday- who cares?) – the sooner you will LOSE WEIGHT!! Cut your calories to a reasonable caloric deficit– DIET LIKE YOU MEAN IT for x amount of time so you can get back to life as you once knew it— soon!! (and yes I’ll do a whole post on how to transition from diet mode to maintenance mode because that phase is just as hard as dieting….don’t kid yourself, but it’s so worth it!!!!)
Don’t worry about carbs. Don’t go keto. Don’t “just cut out packaged foods”. Don’t “just focus on eating more fruits and vegetables.”- these are all lines I hear all the time from the perpetual “I can’t lose weight” whiny women. I was one of them. Not now. I’m down 3lbs already in my first week.
IF YOU WANT ME TO HELP YOU, fill out the contact me form= I’m happy to make workout and diet recommendations and help you get into a caloric deficit plan.

How to choose the best workout program for you, in order to lose weight.

Want to know a secret?
People tend to obsess a lot when it comes to fitness. About their diet and nutrition- and about workouts. They fall for (Like I did in the past) all the myths floating around in the media about the ultimately perfect workout — when to do it (fasted first thing in the morning or mid-day after a perfectly balanced carb/protein/fat meal) or at night blah blah blah), how long to do it, and what kind of workout is “optimal for fat loss”.
Guess what?
All workouts can be great for getting you healthy.
If you focus so hard on getting your diet right- as stated above– then you have the beautiful opportunity to choose from all the billions of different movement options out there–simple or complex– based on what you LIKE, not based on what some douchebag trainer (that’s not a dig on trainers at all but there are some who think they know all things better than ANYONE and that’s never true) said is “optimal”.
Guess what- you can even start losing weight BY WALKING. Yea walking. In fact one of my top recommendations for anyone reading this post ESPECIALLY during this quarantine time- TRY TO GET 10K STEPS IN A DAY. My man and I do that and we go for a power walk, even inside the interior halls of our apartment community when it’s raining like today — every day. It’s fantastic exercise.
If you love kickboxing don’t let anyone tell you it’s too much cardio and that you should only do strength training. If you love Yoga- go crazy with yoga. The key is- find workouts you ENJOY. That’s what’ll keep you doing it when you are tired and don’t “feel like it” and again — if you DIET LIKE A BOSS, the workouts are frosting on the imaginary cupcake here.
Check out this post I wrote with my TOP 10 BEST HOME WORKOUT RECOMMENDATIONS AND MY TOP 20 BEST HOME GYM EQUIPMENT RECOMMENDATIONS— because during Coronavirus Quarantine– we gotta sweat at home right? Again, use the contact me form, as I’m a Beachbody Coach and happy to help you pick a program that you’ll love and I can help you get yourself on a killer caloric deficit plan that lets you have 1-2 cheat days a week and still lose weight– it’s what I’m doing.
LET ME BE CLEAR. Both with diet and workouts- yes- down the road if you want to level up and say, compete in fitness or if have specific aesthetic goals or want to hit a crazy enviable body fat percentage– that’s when you level up your DIET (probably start paying attention to MACROS and such- eating more protein maybe manipulating carbs etc.) and your TRAINING– to achieve more specific goals.
What I’ve shared in this post is about making getting to our goal weight ACHIEVABLE vs. being this elusive dream. By no means do I suggest that we can’t level up once we get into a weight loss groove– like anything we can always IMPROVE.

What am I doing RIGHT NOW to lose weight during coronavirus quarantine?

Right now I am doing the diet plan I developed after listening to Jordan Syatt’s YouTube videos on caloric deficit. (Listen to my podcast interview with him HERE)
My weight loss goal is to hit 138 pounds as that was the last weight I remember where I felt REALLY GOOD. I have been guessing that I’m 20-25lbs overweight for the past year or so- just based on where I can pinch fat and how much thicker my core region is. A lot of people think I am fitter than I am- remember I was unable to work out last year in any consistent manner from June 2019-January 2020 due to chronic headaches and migraines. (click here to read how I got past that nightmare) During that time I lost a lot of muscle and gained fat. I just recently started weighing myself this week – and I was 2lbs less than I was when I was weighed at my neurologist’s office)– then I was 161 and earlier this week I was 159, yesterday I was 158. So I’m down 3lbs, 20 to go– !!
I plan to keep weighing myself daily and to share my views of the scale on social media– as a transparency and accountability measure because for the first time in a WHILE- I REALLY FEEL I WILL HIT MY GOAL. Knowing what I know NOW about caloric deficit and how I have NOT been in a caloric deficit- I now KNOW I can do what I need to do from a diet perspective and nail this. Let’s do it together!!
I aim for 1600 calories daily and I am CURRENTLY doing a plan where I use 2 MRP Shakes (meal replacement shakes) a day- one snack in between (normally not a fan of snacking but when really dieting like this and using MRP shakes, you almost need to snack) and then dinner. I cycle my calories– so some days I do 1600 calories and some days I do 1400 calories. Starting next week I’ll be integrating again- one cleanse/24-hour fast a week (I use cleanse support tools from Isagenix like Collagen Bone Broth and this 10 calorie all natural energy drink during my 24-hour fast plus their cleanse product– I’m a rep for the brand so if you want to order just PM Me using the contact form). By cycling my calories and doing a cleanse day – that lets me have a cheat day on Fridays where I do 2500 calories- bam! I can drink adult beverages, have pasta or pizza whatever– sometimes I don’t use all 2500 calories on Friday so I move the extra to Saturdays. This is how you make DIETING WORK FOR YOU. When I’m on a low calorie day I just remind myself of Blueberry Cucumber Martinis on Friday night with wings on Saturday….it works. 😉
For workouts I am taking things in a new direction. I’ve always done best when I train with a trainer but since we are quarantined, no can do. Who cares? What I am doing is also changing my workout at home thing. I rejoined Beachbody- not only as a customer but as a coach because I think other than Cathe Friedrich they have the best workouts online- some seriously tough training. And for the first time EVER I am going all in and doing a PROGRAM– before I used to always mix and match- I have never done a full on PROGRAM. Right now I chose LIFT4 and I’m doing that for the next 60 days– you LIFT hard and heavy every other day and on the off days I’m doing cardio workouts or yoga of choice.
I’m fired up actually.
So-= what other questions can I answer? MOST IMPORTANTLY who is ready to join me??
I encourage you to contact me if you want me to help you customize a Caloric Deficit plan with calorie cycling that lets you have weekly cheat days– and I can make workout recommendations and nutrition product recommendations – like I’m using- to help. Further– join my free FB accountability group for women: A YEAR OF YOU FIRST. Isn’t it about time??
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