Getting Started and a Fitness Reference

Hey ya'll!

I am working on a book review of the book The Heavy by Dara Lynn Weiss, but I wanted to post something before I am able to complete that. I wanted to share a little bit more about my journey and also provide you with a resource that I particularly love.

After my doctor cleared me medically to work out, following Archer’s birth in August ( OMG 9 MONTHS AGO! HOW?) I started going to the Y, where we were members, a few times a week. I focused mostly on cardio, always doing it first, and then followed up with a few reps of weights, usually focusing on arms. I was still nursing (and continued to do so until Archer was about 7 months old) so I couldn’t really go full throttle. While researching nursing-safe protein powders, I stumbled onto this website called Tone It Up ,and started doing the workouts that they posted.  

Tone It Up, frequently cited as TIU,  is run by two amazing women, Karena and Katrina who live in Southern California. One of the great things about TIU is that the workouts can pretty much all be done at home or adapted to do at home, requiring little more than dumbbells. Another amazing thing is the supportive community surrounding this site, which you can find in all aspects of social media.  The girls also frequently have really cool giveaways and competitions to win amazing prizes.  All of this is free! They do offer a meal plan that is available for purchase, as well as protein powder. The TIU protein is what my initial purchase was, because it is organic, gluten free, totally natural, and does not contain any fillers. Unfortunately, it also tastes like chalk, or what I would imagine chalk tastes like. I also found that it was extremely difficult to mix with a blender bottle. I even tried to use it in a smoothie that I blended together with my Magic Bullet, and this too was disgusting.  I did find that it makes great protein pancakes though, but at $50 a bag I think I can find cheaper gluten-free flour. Also, once my brother was over and knocked the bag off of the fridge and when the protein spilled on the floor it kind of looked like that scene in Meet the Parents when Greg knocks the urn onto the floor, so…yeah. 

The website has tons of recipes for cooking/baking ideas for the protein, and I would expect them to taste as good as the pancakes do. Protein issues aside, I think these two have done an amazing thing and I pretty much adore them. If you are looking for some inspiration or just want to mix up your routine, I definitely think they are worth checking out. Let me know what you think!

Be fierce!

 xx,

Amanda