Week 1 of Core De Force

Happy Wednesday!! After getting some frequently asked questions about Beachbody's newest program, Core De Force, I thought I would start blogging about my journey so that all questions could be answered in one place.  So, let's start with Week 1!!  I officially started Core De Force last week and am currently in the middle of week 2!  Whew! Let me tell you, these workouts are EFFECTIVE!

So, let's start with chatting about the workouts.   Core De Force is a 30 day program but the cool thing about it is after you go through the first 30 days, there are a couple of other hybrid schedules that include the deluxe workouts and Beachbody on Demand.  I love switching things up monthly because I feel like every new rotation of workouts work your body differently, which maximizes results.


Week 2 Review and Midpoint Results 
Week 3 Review 

 The workouts for Week 1 include:

⇢MMA Speed: (Approximately 27 minutes) Focuses on the upper body and is core-focused. 

⇢Dynamic Strength: (Approximately 27 minutes) This workout is low on impact, but high on intensity and will help carve impressive definition.   

⇢Power Sculpt: (Approximately 36 minutes) This is a total-body burner that uses explosive power and interval training to help sculpt lean muscle and build next-level endurance.

 ⇢MMA Shred: (Approximately 37 minutes) This workout kicks things up a notch with Muay-Thai-inspired elbows and kicks for a head-to-toe shred that will lean you out fast.

⇢Active Recovery: (Approximately 21 minutes): This is a MUCH NEEDED AND DESERVED recharge for the week ahead.  This workout focuses on form and technique to fight muscle stiffness and soreness.

Let's talk about MODIFYING this program.  Some of the moves in Core De Force, especially for the first round, are tough! But don't worry! There is a modifier in every workout who takes the impact level down a notch or two.  So don't worry about whether or not this program is too tough for you. Yes, I have to modify throughout including doing pushups on my knees.  I also want to note that I am drinking Energize and Recover from the Beachbody Performance Line.  Energy is the yellow drink in my hand in the picture above. It's great because if gives me a boost of energy to push harder and burn more calories in my workout.  Recover is used after each workout and is designed to help reduce muscle soreness.  It is not required but I will say that both products have helped me! 

My personal opinion on the workouts is that they are PERFECT for not only a total body workout, but especially for the core area.  With past workouts my core area was mainly worked and sore after specific ab workouts. Not with this program!  Every day you are doing moves that work that core (which is great for mommy's out there!)  I have also found that the workouts are GREAT stress relief.  Exercising in general is great for relieving that daily tension and stress that we face but these workouts, in my opinion, are PERFECT! 

If I'm being honest, I wasn't thrilled at the fact that many of the workouts are longer than 30 minutes.  I've been doing 22-30 minute workouts for a couple of years now so I knew this was something I'd have to get used to.  I have to say though, these workouts FLY by!  You do 3 minute rounds so each workout is really chunked up.  Yes, I have had to rearrange my schedule a bit to squeeze in those longer workouts but it's 100% worth it!  Sometimes you just have to do some multi-tasking!  The other morning I was getting my sweat on while my girls were eating breakfast and getting ready for school. 

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What is the nutrition plan like on Core De Force?  

It's simple!  Like many other Beachbody Fitness programs, the color coded portion control containers are used. You don't HAVE to have the containers because the serving sizes of each food is noted. I love that the food lists are completely normal foods too! This program is slightly different from other programs because you do switch up your containers each of the 4 weeks.  In weeks 2 and 3 (which I will be writing about) you get to add some additional fruits and healthy fats due to the pick up in intensity. Then, in week 4 you are back to where you started.  Below you will see my meal plan that I followed throughout the first week.  It was plenty of food and I didn't feel like I was depriving myself at all.

In addition to each of the allotted containers, I do incorporate Shakeology into my daily plan.  Shakeology is a nutrient dense shake that provides me with my daily dose of vitamins that I otherwise wouldn't get.  I can sometimes have that sweet tooth and those darn cravings and Shakeology has GREATLY helped with that.  I often hear that people don't like to "drink their meals."  Trust me, I get it! I was skeptical at first too!  But honestly, the benefits that Shakeology has provided to me are invaluable and now it's just a part of my daily budget.  Quite frankly, while the cost seems expensive because you have to pay for it upfront, I would be willing to bet that if you added up the amount of money that you spent on 30 truly HEALTHY meals  it would be the same if not more!  I also love Shakeology at this time of year because there are SO many "treat" recipes to try!  The picture below shows my snickers shakeology, which was taking the place of the Halloween candy that was still in my house! 

Shakeology

Overall I am very happy with Core De Force thus far.  I am in the middle of week 2 and there is no stopping me! I look forward to the daily workouts (even if some of them really kick my butt!) and I'm on a quest to finding my abs! When I hear that everyone wants to "wait until January" to get healthy, it makes me want to cringe!  Sorry if that's you but seriously, that USED to be me!  I would indulge throughout the holidays, gain some weight, and start even further back than I was come January!  It's really time to drop those excuses if you want real results!! It CAN happen over the holidays if you put a little effort in. No one is perfect and you aren't expected to be either!  Sure, I'm going to have those holiday cookies here and there and yes, I am going to have some pumpkin pie next week for Thanksgiving, but I know how to NOT overdo it.  I know how to find that balance.

Drop the Excuses

 So now I want to ask you.... are you interested in having some daily support, motivation, and accountability to help you reach whatever health and fitness goals you have?  I am LOVING the energy in my 2 online accountability groups and I am getting ready to start another one on November 28th!  Don't let the holidays give you an excuse to eat whatever you want.  Let me help you find that balance and then we'll hit it hard come January. 

I am kicking off my Holiday Survival group on November 28th so if you'd like more info or to reserve your spot, fill out the application below or email me at lisamariedecker@yahoo.com! 

STAY TUNED FOR MY WEEK 2 CORE DE FORCE REVIEW!!

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