Vida now competes in fitness competitions so her videos are actually pretty good and very helpful, check it out…

We spent about an hour working on my shoulders today, really stretching them out and opening up any tight areas. This process was soooo painful, but a good kind of pain. After it’s over you really feel the difference, my range of motion on both arms was much smoother and no pain at all anymore. (My left shoulder felt a bit jammed at times when doing overhead workouts.) It takes a while to correct these problems, of course nothing is fixed over night, but it is something we try and work on once a week to hopefully correct the problem once and for all.

The crazy part to me is he physically digs his fingers into my muscles and re-sets them to where they should be. I told him I didn’t think it was possible to move muscles around but he told me to be quiet. He also told me that my bicep was over developed in comparison to my triceps causing the muscle to pull forward and right. So not only do we work on rebuilding certain muscles, we also work on placing them where they realistically should be. All of this together of course helps correct my slouch problem

So far I am enjoying my personal training, I like that The Lab customizes workouts for each body type as well as pays attention to problem areas that could result in life long problems if not addressed. In my experience with trainers before their routines seem very generic and I’ve never had anyone actually analyze my body and want to address certain problem areas that effect more than my appearance, but my overall health.

So far my personal training is worth the $$, you not only are paying for a workout coach, you’re paying for an overall upgrade for your body. I’m happy and that says more than enough

Want more info on my training program? Email me amandajo@helloamanda.com

Also, curious as to whether or not your posture is on point or not? A few tests to determine if you have proper posture or not!

STEP 1: CHECK YOURSELF

So what does proper posture (look like? Start by standing sideways in front of a full-length mirror. Now turn your head to check out the view. What you should be able to do is draw an imaginary straight line from your earlobe to your hip to your knee and the center of your ankle. Sitting down? With your feet flat on the floor, push your butt back to the end of the chair so your back is completely supported and your weight’s equally distributed on both hips. Then push your shoulders back to take the strain off of your neck muscles.

STEP 2: KNOW THE SYMPTOMS

If you don’t work at proper posture, chances are, you’ll start to suffer from aches and stiffness that could have you dealing with chronic pain management down the road. For now, bad posture can leave you with headaches, fatigue (it takes way more energy to unnaturally support yourself) and tight back and neck muscles. Most people feel the symptoms of poor posture in the muscles around the base of the neck and near the shoulder blades. If you don’t learn how to improve posture, you could find yourself in trouble later in life. Here’s how it works: Years of putting extra strain on your back and neck can actually remodel the bone, which could lead to arthritic symptoms. Muscle irritations, vascular disturbances and neck, arm and even leg pain are also possible.

STEP 3: TAKE ACTION

One of the best ways to attain proper posture is to avoid sitting or standing in one position for too long. If you work at a desk all day, get up and move around every half hour. Also, make sure your workstation is set up properly, with your computer screen at eye level (looking up an extra five inches all day, five days a week can become a big pain in the neck—pun intended). Position your keyboard so your shoulders aren’t cramped up. And don’t be afraid to ask for an ergonomic chair, mouse pad and keyboard.

Another tip on how to improve posture: Work your core. Sure, crunches and cardio are great for your abs, but it’s also important to strengthen muscles in the back to achieve and/or maintain proper posture. Think of this as your base—if it’s not solid, that “straight line” will start to wobble.

STEP 4: TALK TO A PRO

If you find yourself dealing with chronic pain management due to poor posture, don’t go it alone. A chiropractor can assess your injuries and realign your back if necessary. He or she can also point out of you have any predispositions to bad posture that could set you up for back pain, such as having one leg longer than the other or spinal malformations. Body changes such as weight gain or loss and pregnancy can also take a toll on your musculoskeletal system, which a doctor can help you with. Happy to just crack on your own? There are two schools of thought on this: One is that cracking your back is just like cracking your muscles; it’s just a temporary release of gas built up in the joint that provides short term relief to the surrounding area. The other is that self-adjusting—especially to the neck—may cause misalignment and do more harm than good. Your best bet: Stretch during the day, move around and seek a professional for help with chronic pain.

Well I’m about to find out.

I will be embarking on a Personal Training mission at The Lab, training a few times per week and actively taking their workout classes. I will be taking pictures and sharing my workouts with you all and at the end you can judge for yourself, together we will decide if trainers are worth the time, $$, effort and overall investment. I refuse to personal train at any major gym because who wants to do the crab walk all sweaty and ugly across a gym with 60 people in it? Not me. That’s why AIRE was a perfect choice for this scientific experiment It’s an underground gym located on 5th Ave. in Downtown San Diego, and is by appointment only so not many people can catch me lookin a hot mess. Perfect.

So what is my goal?

Well, right now I work out ok on my own, but that’s the problem. Ok workouts= ok results. I have a good workout routine, but it’s become exactly that, a routine and I stopped seeing results. I needed something new to mix things up and a trainer to speed up the weight loss process. My new trainer also enlightened me with the news that I would be fat after having babies, no he didn’t say it that mean, but I am getting older and the more I slack off on my body now, the harder it will be to lose it later down the road… I’m not getting any younger and now is the time to get in better shape! If one day I do take a liking to kids, I can not be a fat mom.

Want to learn more about AIRE or try it out with me for FREE?

A little bit about AIRE:

AIRE is located Downtown San Diego at 1014 5th Ave, Ste 120, right near RA Sushi. It’s nice because the gym has it’s own parking structure so you never have to worry about parking.

The gym itself features a 1,650 square foot group exercise room, 1,500 square foot strength and cardio center, Pilates reformers, CycleOps Cycling, indoor rowing, as well as a treatment room, café, and full-service locker rooms with showers.

Like I said, the nice thing about this gym, is it’s a boutique style gym, meaning you won’t get the sick predators lurking around, how ironic, people are actually there to workout considering most people in the place are there by appointment only.

They offer several classes, the TRX classes being a new favorite. It’s nice to use your own body weight to workout, you workout muscles you never knew existed!

So far so good, I’ve been a few times last week and this week and am excited to keep moving forward with them! I am dashing out the door to LA for a few days but stay tuned for fitness updates!

Also, if you’d like to try AIRE out, shoot me an email, they are letting my friends try it out with me too! amandajo@helloamanda.com

My sister lost 4 pounds in a 3 day cleanse, in which her diet was strictly these shakes, water and green tea. So if you’re looking for a new meal replacement shake, or if you’re looking to do a cleanse but want a base shake to use with one, that contains over 70 delicious and healthy ingredients, Shakeology might be the one for you.

To order or read more, click here. Not loving it? You can get a full refund after 30 days if you’re not obsessed! Win, win situation

Continue to read exactly what’s in it & what it is!

What is Shakeology?

Shakeology is a complete meal replacement shake manufactured and sold by the health and fitness company Beachbody. Shakeology is available in single-serving packets and a 30-serving bag, and is backed by Beachbody’s 30-day money back guarantee.

Unlike other so-called meal replacement shakes, Shakeology actually provides a host of healthy ingredients that have been used for ages because of the health benefits they produce. Not simply a protein shake, Shakeology truly does live up to it’s reputation as “The Healthiest Meal of the Day”.

Shakeology is a powder mix (Comes in two flavors Chocolate or Green Berry) that you simply add water and ice to, just like all the others, but is packed with sooo much more yummy, healthy stuff in it. You can easily use these shakes as a meal replacements or as a base for a 3 day cleanse. A few shakes a day with some tea and water and my sister lost 5 pounds in 3 days. This daily nutritional shake also helps your body gently eliminate toxins more efficiently while allowing for better absorption of the essential nutrients you need. Shakeology also:

• Helps build and repair muscles
• Reduces hunger and food cravings
• Helps keep your blood sugar steady
• Supports brain function to help promote alert thinking and reduce anxiety
• Promotes healthy skin, hair, and nails

And according to doctors, Shakeology:

• Reduces oxidative stress, a risk factor for degenerative diseases, by as much as 90%.
• Lowers cholesterol levels by an average of 30% and “bad” cholesterol levels by an average of 38%.
• Reduces cardiovascular risk factors by an average of 24%.

How it works?

This patent-pending daily nutritional shake helps your body gently eliminate toxins more efficiently while allowing for better absorption of the essential nutrients you need. A proprietary blend of digestive enzymes and prebiotics helps your body progressively eliminate the toxins that build up over time from eating today’s highly processed foods.

At the same time, whole-food ingredients deliver the essential amino acids, vitamins, and minerals your body needs to curb cravings, allowing your body to shed stored fat while the more than 20 different antioxidants and phytonutrients help reduce free radical damage that can lead to heart disease, heart attacks, high blood pressure, and stroke.

What’s in it?

Even if you searched all over the world, you probably wouldn’t be able to find all of the 70-plus, ultra-high-quality ingredients we’ve included in Shakeology. Not only do you get a wide range of essential nutrients, from the fruits and vegetables you should be eating more of every day, you’ll also get the benefits of important foods from all around the world—foods that the latest scientific research has shown to be highly advantageous to your well-being.

More than 70 different ingredients were chosen from around the world for their potency and bioavailability (the ability to deliver the nutrients your body needs). Here are the key nutrient groups that these ingredients deliver:*

• Protein and Essential Amino Acids to help build long, lean muscles and reduce food cravings
• Prebiotics and Digestive Enzymes, which aid in improving digestion, regularity, and nutrient absorption
• Antioxidants and Phytonutrients to help counteract free radical damage that can lead to degenerative diseases
• Vitamins and Minerals your body needs to function for
  optimal health.

23 Vitamins and Minerals*

• Get a wide range of essential nutrients
• Get your necessary vitamins every day
• Make up for dietary deficiencies

Most of us don’t get the complete range of essential vitamins and minerals in our daily diets. Some important vitamins, such as vitamin C and the B vitamins, are water-soluble, meaning they’re flushed out of your body after a short time and need to be replenished regularly. Others, like vitamin E, can be difficult to get enough of in food. Shakeology provides all these nutrients in an easy-to-take, easily absorbable form, so you never have to worry.

Striped Athletic Cropped Top- $6.80

To view their entire workout line please visit their site here!

Cost: $147.00

Delivery time: About 20 days after you place the order. Takes kind of long but they make them from scratch so yeah.

Sizing: I usually wear a 9 in running shoes but these are a bit big. I wish I did 8.5

Style of Nike: Nike Lunar Elite+ iD Shoe

To make your very own Nike’s visit their website here.

her, or “Healthy. Energy. Revitalizer” is the first active lifestyle beverage formulated with us girls in mind. her (yes it’s supposed to be lowercase ) delivers a fresh, clean, and great tasting alternative to the enhanced waters and energy drinks on the market. her won’t make you “crash” or give you the “jitters”. The her formula is designed to give you the boost you need without over doing it.

I would describe the taste to be a pink lemonade flavor mixed with a dash of squirt. It’s pretty light and gives you the perfect amount of pep to get you through the low points of your day. It also is a great mixer when looking for low calorie cocktail drinks! For some fun recipes click here, and for the nutritional facts click here.

To try it out for yourself visit their website to purchase!

Another plus of “her” is that when I went to their website, I learned that Ashley, one of my sorority sisters from SDSU, is one of their models!

“Basically you pick a yogurt or oatmeal flavor and add the toppings you want.” she said. Your delicious choices are: Blackberry Cobbler, Apple Pie, Banana Brown Betty, Banana Peanut Butter Crunch, Bananas Foster, Peaches n’ Cream or Strawberries n’ Cream. Yogurt and oatmeal concoctions can also be individually crafted with countless dried fruit, granola, fresh fruit, candy and nut toppings.

I initially wanted banana but they were out so I of course was fat and got the Apple Pie one. So much for my healthy snack? After I went to www.coffeebean.com to learn about the calories of the oatmeals and they conveniently didn’t have it available. I hope it’s not worse than I think :/

Overall the oatmeal was super tasty and seems pretty healthy if you get it with a simple fruit like banana. The apple pie was almost like a dessert, a bit too sweet. Next time I would ask for less sugary topping or just hope for bananas being in stock. Definitely a must try for all though.

To find a Coffee Bean near you click here.

* 2-5 lbs weight loss per week (More with exercise)

* Online weight loss and nutrition education, support and accountability tools

* An optimal combination of your physical fitness expertise with a clinically proven nutrition lifestyle plan.

I tried a handful of Trim 360′s products and all of them were super yummy while of course being super healthy. My favorite items were the Carmel Brownie bars, yummmm tasted like a full on brownie, and the Berry Smoothies. Both were soooo good and definitely did not taste “healthy”. I love having quick snacks that I know are good for me, that are super easy to make and taste delicious!

What is also cool is you can have a FREE 30 day trial to test out Trim 360′s products. See for yourself how yummy their food is and try out the 30 day FREE trial!

To view their site and sign up for the free food, please visit https://www.trim360.com/