Beach Body 21 Day Fix Review and a Giveaway

 21 Day Fix™ Review

This post is sponsored by Beachbody.

I have been carrying some extra weight since the birth of my first child nearly 4 years ago.  I had just started losing some of that weight when I found out I was pregnant with my son. The extra weight has made me feel self conscious about myself for quite some time.  That's why I was very excited to get the opportunity to review the 21 Day Fix program by Beachbody.  

The 21 Day Fix is both a diet and exercise program.  Unlike many diets where you end up feeling starved though, on this program I couldn't even eat all the food some days.  Each color of container represents a different type of food- protein, vegetables, carbs, fats, etc. You create a personalized plan for yourself using your calorie needs (they help you calculate this with a very simple formula).  Each range of target daily calories allows you a certain number of each container to spread throughout your day.  With my Calorie Target of 1200 to 1400 calories I was able to fill the green (veggie) container 3 times, the purple (fruit) 2 times, the red (protein) 4 times, the yellow (carbs) 2 times, the blue (healthy fats) 1 time, the orange (seeds like sunflower and dressings) 1 time, and 2 teaspoons of nut butters (such as peanut butter) and healthy oils every day.

This diet was very 'doable'.  There are tons of options for each food group, and you can use as much spices and herbs as you would like.  In addition to the food goals, you also have a daily goal for water intake.  This was pretty easy to follow too, because they give you plenty of options for dressing up your water by adding natural flavors.  The program also allows for some amount of tea or coffee each day! Being able to have my tea in the morning (my coffee maker is broken) was something I REALLY liked about this program.

Now, for the exercises. . . There is one 30 minute exercise every day. These rotate on a pre-made plan.  My fitness level before beginning this program was embarrassingly low.  The first day of this program was VERY hard, but I managed to get through it by following the modified exercises.

In each video, they break it down into 60 seconds of an exercise with a short rest in between.  The trainer in the video encourages you to push through, and reminds you to not look behind at the exercises you have done or the exercises that are coming up- only worry about the 60 seconds you are working on right then.   

At the end of the first day's exercise, I felt exhausted and was sore the next morning.  The next day was worse. The third day was no worse than the second day, but I still didn't feel great.  By the fourth day though, the exercises started getting easier, and I even managed to do some of the exercises without doing the modifier.  By the fifth day, I was adding a 30 minute walk with the kids to cool down.

Here are my before and after measurements.  I am only 12 days into the program, so I still have 9 days left, and I expect to lose even more!

                                     BEFORE                                       AFTER

CHEST                          39"                                                   37 1/2"

R ARM                         13 1/2 "                                             12 1/2"

L ARM                         13 1/2"                                              12 1/2"

WAIST                         38 1/2"                                              36 3/4"

HIPS                             43"                                                   41 3/4"

R THIGH                      25 1/2"                                              24"

L THIGH                      25 1/2"                                              24"

TOTAL INCHES           199 1/2"                                            189"   10 total inches lost!!!!

WEIGHT                      176lbs                                                170lbs     6 lbs lost!

I will update later with my full results after the 21 days are over.  I am really excited to see how much I will end up losing.  I am already having to wear a belt with my jeans!  If you would like to try the 21 Day Fix for yourself, you can visit their website ,  21 Day Fix or you can head to savings.com to enter their giveaway!

Enter Giveaway

Chalk Preschool- A free Online Preschool

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored campaign with Mums the Word Network and Chalk Preschool . All opinions are my own.

Chalk Preschool

The FREE Online Preschool!

My little Laura will be four this year, and it's time to think about preschool.  I have been battling with whether I would be able to teach her at home or if I would need to take her to a pricey preschool to receive this vital early learning.  That's why I got really excited when the opportunity to bring you a  review of Chalk Preschool came up.  

When I first signed up for my account (all free, and it isn't even a trial period!), the first thing I noticed was that in addition to the student section, there is also a section for parents.  Here you can learn about the program and what you can do to help your child along, as well as get advise on using the program, and preschoolers in general.  I also found the  Chalk Preschool Blog very useful.

When Laura saw that her new lessons were taught by real teacher in the video she got very excited!  "Is that my new teacher?" she asked.  I hadn't really thought of this when I was looking through the site on my own, but having an actual teacher on the screen holds her attention much more than any educational programming, because it gives the appearance that someone is actually talking to and teacher HER.  

This is the screen that the students see, with the video (which can be played full screen) for the current lesson playing, and the other lessons within that subject below.  You can skip around, or you can use the very handy "PLAY ALL" button, and the videos will play back to back in order.  This made the site very easy for Laura to navigate on her own.

Each day there are 4 sets of lessons- weather, literacy, math and science, and art.  Laura's favorites were the math-science and the art.  She felt so proud of herself for being able to call out answers, and LOVED the art projects.  I personally liked that included in the weather lessons are also lessons about "today"- what day, month, and season it is.  They also cover what day yesterday was, and what day tomorrow is.  I think after a couple weeks of these lessons, she will naturally learn the days of the week, and what they actually are, instead of just their names.

Each day there are printables that accompany the lessons for the day.  Laura called this her "homework" since she did them at the end of the videos for that day.   They also give suggestions on additional activities you can do with your child to help reinforce the preschool lesson plan.

The art projects are very fun and help to add a new layer to the preschool curriculum.  They all use items from their suggested supplies list.  The list is very comparable to what you would expect to see at a brick and mortar preschool- glue, safety scissors, construction paper, etc.

The first art project was a simple one that will be used in future lessons for counting, sorting, etc. We painted the ends of 25 craft sticks with 5 different colors (5 of each color) by dipping them into small cups of paint.  Laura was so excited to be playing with the paint, that she did not sit still long enough for me to get a good picture.  

So, what is my overall opinion of Chalk Preschool?  I LOVE it!  We can have the homeschool atmosphere and flexibility, with the benefit of having a teacher separate from Mom or Dad who actually explains things to your child.  Laura has been doing this program for 4 days now, and has already learned so much.  I think within several months she will be reading and writing.  She has learned to print 4 letters in both upper case and lower case, and knows all about vowels.  SO much more than I expected when I heard it was free.

Please show some love and "like" Chalk Preschool on Facebook.

For happenings and news, please visit the Chalk Preschool News Room

Carrie Elle Meal Planner Review and Giveaway

Carrie Elle Meal Planner Review and Giveaway

Disclaimer:  I received one of these planners to facilitate this review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

After a search to find a meal planner with all the features she wanted turned up empty, Carrie Elle  decided to just make her own.  A few months later, she started her own Etsy shop to sell her new creations.  I was given one of these Meal Planners to use and review.

I have been using my Carrie Elle meal planner for a month now, and would probably be lost without it now.  You can see some of the benefits of meal planning on my recent blog post, 5 Ways Meal Planning Saves You Money.  What is so nice about her planner, is that the shopping list is built in to the weekly planning pages!  You can plan out your meals and your shopping list right on the same page, and then tear off the perforated shopping list before you make your store run.  

The planner also includes monthly calendars, if you want to plan your meals a month at a time, and some blank pages at the end for your favorite recipes, notes, or whatever you need.  The planner is very nicely made, with good thick pages, and a nice splash proof cover, and a nice spiral binding.  The pages are not marked with specific dates, so, if you fall off of your planning for a few weeks. . . no worries!  Just pick back up on the next page.

Carrie has been kind enough to agree to give one of you, my readers, the chance to win your own Carrie Elle Meal planner!  Simply Enter using the Rafflecopter below! Good Luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This blog is not responsible for the shipment of prizes.

If you would like to see your product or service featured on Frugal Mommy Christine, please e-mail Support@FrugalMommyChristine.com. 

Hallmark Inspirational Women Mother's Day Giveaway Ends 5/8

Welcome to our Hallmark Inspirational Women Mother's Day Giveaway~

Frugal Mommy Christine is please to promote this giveaway hosted by Tammie's Reviews, Giveaways and More and sponsored by Hallmark.

Who inspires you?  For me, it is my mother.  She went through so much when we were growing up, yet always managed to stay calm and collected.  Looking back I think she should get an award for it!  I am a mother myself now, and think back to those stressful times when she held us all together whenever things get crazy around here!

You can read Tammie's Reviews, Giveaways and More's review by clicking HERE. I cannot wait to hear about all the wonderful stories about who inspired you with their wisdom, their courage or even just an open ear.

On to the giveaway~

This giveaway will be live from 5/1 and will end on 5/8, starting and ending at 7 p.m.

This is open to US only. No P.O. boxes.

All entries will be verified

Winner will be chosen via Random.org

Winner will have 24hours to respond.

Winner must be 18 of age or older

3 readers will win a Hallmark prize pack.

Enter below using the easy Giveaway Tools widget and Good Luck to you.

Entry-Form

Disclosure: We are not associated with any of the companies named above. No purchase is necessary to enter. Void where prohibited by law. The odds of winning are based on the number of entries received Open to the US 18+ only. Confirmed Winner(s) (by Random.org) will be contacted by email. Winner(s) have 24 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. The sponsor(s) will be responsible for product shipment to winner(s) of this giveaway. My blog is not responsible for product shipment/delivery nor did I receive compensation. Only 1 prize per household. This event is in no way administered, sponsored, or endorsed by, or associated with, Facebook and/or Twitter, Google, Pinterest. This disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements. Entrants must only enter with either one email address, IP address and/or Facebook account, anyone found violating these rules will be disqualified. It is at the sole discretion of the admin of the giveaway if the winner has met the rules or not.

Why not join our Facebook Group to find out about the latest Blogger Opps or contact me pankuch1605@hotmail.com and see how I can promote your product for you. For any questions or problems about this Giveaway, contact Tammie at pankuch1605@hotmail.com

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