My (Totally Biased) 21 Day Fix Review
Ah, at long last … after 5 months of doing the 21 Day Fix (both for myself and in offering this program to my clients as a health and wellness coach), I have some things to say about my experience and have also included some testimonials at the end. So if anything, make sure you scroll to the end of my post. Because you don’t have to take my word for it!
FACT: The 21 Day Fix is an all-inclusive program. It’s a total package that focuses on fitness AND nutrition suitable for a wide range of ages, body-types, lifestyle and food choices. It’s especially adaptable in that those who have dietary restrictions (think paleo, gluten-free, vegan etc.) can really make the nutrition plan work for them.
FICTION: Welcome to making the best decision of your life! In 21 Days, you will transform your bod into steel and after that you can go back to eating brownies, couch surfing and kicking burpees to the curb. NOT. The name (21 Day Fix) alone, does not define the true essence or intent of the program. There is no such thing as a single 21 Day Fix. It is a fierce mantra that is meant to spark a healthy lifestyle change or help those who are already on that path to become stronger and perhaps re-evaluate their relationship with food and their bodies in the long-term. It’s based on the notion that it takes 21 days to break from a bad habit and replace it with a good one. The point is that you don’t just quit after 21 days because you experienced a miracle.
FACT: The nutritional component features 7 colour coded containers, for measuring food portions. Completely taking the guess-work out of calories in and calories out. The word macro-diet doesn’t even come into play. In fact, it’s not a DIET at all. The containers are meant to be a live-action learning tool wherein one hopefully learns to eat more frequently, in smaller portions to nourish their body with the fuel it needs and deserves to live a happier, healthier life in the long-term. And yea, kick some pounds to the curb. Perhaps many pounds. We all have different goals.
FICTION: You have to obey a strict set of rules wherein you never have any treats or eat more than your allotted containers for the day and never stray from the “safe foods” list. PUHLEASE. There is work involved, yes. It will be challenging, yes. I personally don’t promote the “portionology” as a strict set of rules that all of my clients simply must follow. They are a guide, they are there (and meant) to teach you about proper food portioning. If you don’t have an issue with that, then great! This program probably isn’t for you. But are you really being honest with yourself? Do you really consider nutrition 80% of the game when maintaining (or achieving) a healthy weight?
FACT: The second nutritional component of the program is Shakeology. Shakeology is not just a protein shake. It’s a dense hit of daily nutrition that features over 70 superfoods and is the equivalent to eating 6 bowls of veggies. There are NO artificial sweeteners, NO artificial colors, NO soy, NO artificial stimulants, and NO artificial flavors in that mix whatsoever. One of its main sweeteners is Stevia, which is plant-based. My favourite flavour is vegan chocolate, you can find the complete list of ingredients here.
FICTION: Shakeology is a really expensive protein shake touting that it’s a weight loss / meal replacement shake! Just nope. I personally don’t promote it as such and only use it as a meal replacement shake for the occasional breakfast when I’m on the run. (Because it IS filling.) It is meant to be consumed in unison with a healthy, whole-foods based diet. Shakeology is about HEALTH. When you put the RIGHT nutrients in your body that it needs to develop, heal, recover, repair, and thrive, you may ultimately have MORE energy, LESS cravings, and FEEL better therefore you eat less and become more active. With Shakeology, weight loss becomes a BY-PRODUCT of dense nutrition. Shakeology isn’t MAGIC. It’s just clean dense nutrition made SUPER easy for everyone at a very affordable price when you really look at the ingredients VS. what you’re spending at say … the Starbucks drive-through window. Or the grocery store on all of those synthetic vitamins. Or … if things are really off course – the Mc Dee’s drive-through every day. The place where you don’t ask for a list of ingredients on anything, yet you analyze the ingredients of Shakeology out the wazoo.
FACT: The fitness portion of the program is based upon plyometrics interval training. What’s that? Basically, short bursts of 30-minute workouts. Autumn Calabrese (the creator) has formulated a fantastic fitness regimen that rotates between cardio, strength, hybrid, pilates, and yoga. Basically, this program is the BOMBDIGGS for people who don’t have a lot of time, but still want to yield fantastic results. Moms, this program is your friend.
FICTION: The workouts are hard and people are too busy to workout every day. That’s obsessive anyways. Yes, the workouts are hard. That’s the whole point. There’s also one of Autumn’s homies who shows you how to do modified moves and I followed her every step of the way my first month in and then some with a few of those moves. Holy hell. Sometimes I miss a workout. For the most part, I try to squeeze them in. After all, they’re THIRTY MINUTES. Do you know how much time you spent on FB alone today? Thought so. (Me too.)
What Workouts Come With the At Home Program?
➳ Total Body Cardio Fix: Gets your heart rate up and keeps your metabolism revved
➳ Upper Fix: Targeted resistance training to shape your chest, back, shoulders, arms and abs
➳ Lower Fix: Tones your entire lower body while blasting fat and burning calories
➳ Pilates Fix: Develop long, lean muscles while you target your hips, thighs, and core
➳ Cardio Fix: Exactly what it sounds like. Heart pumping cardio in just half an hour.
➳ Yoga Fix: Improve your balance, flexibility and strength (and get a tiny bit of a break)
➳ BONUS: Dirty 30: 4 rounds of fat burning moves in a mix of cardio and strength!
I was miserable before just focusing on losing weight and SPOILER ALERT: everything I tried didn’t work! Until I took a leap of faith in myself and started with this program. You guys, those short burst interval workouts and the portion eating plan changed the way I looked at eating and fitness! I was able to loose 12 pounds in my first month by easily incorporating my preferred way of eating (Paleo).
The science of working out is affecting my BODY CHEMISTRY in ways that have me finally feeling calmer, happier, less stressed and empowered. I was someone who hadn’t stuck to a consistent exercise routine, EVER. Not ever in my life. So the modified moves, being able to do them at home and the short effectiveness of the program made it all so accessible. The “portionology” has taught me to check in with myself about my hunger and address years of using food as a crutch and emo-eating. My goals have nothing to do with attaining a thigh gap and more to do with shedding self-doubt, bad habits (years of emotional eating that didn’t always have to do with savouring taste and nourishing my body) along with some pounds. The slow path to eliminating toxic relationships and the voices of my own inner demons has led me to truly believe in myself and have the strength to help inject others with that too.
There have been ups and downs, gains and losses. Both in my weight and with my business as a leader to other coaches I’ve begun to mentor. I’ve recently launched off a plateau in both areas (my own health journey + my coaching business) and one key element helped me rise from leading with negative emotions of self-doubt: my why … my family. The woman I am today is drastically different than the woman I was 6 months ago and I’m not just talking about improved self-confidence. I’m talking about feeling NOURISHED from the inside out, body, mind + spirit. I’m talking about the shift my health has taken from feeling tired and frazzled with weekly migraines and constant back issues. I’m talking about spiked blood sugar levels moving in the direction of a diagnosis of diabetes if I didn’t spark real change in my life, and FAST. I’m managing my underactive thyroid (not severe, I’m lucky I can manage it on my own) and bouts of depression that come along with it; with diet, exercise, meditation, yoga and personal development.
The best deal going on the 21 Day Fix experience is called a CHALLENGE PACK for $186 CAD. This includes the full 21 Day Fix program and nutrition plan + 1 month of Shakeology (normally $140). So basically you are getting the 21 Day Fix program for just $10. This is what you need to buy to join my monthly challenge groups. The challenge group is the key to long-term success because it connects you with a community, accountability and motivation along with endless resources to guide you on your journey. This is especially important with a program like the 21 Day Fix where you will likely have lots of questions about meal planning and recipes ideas! You get free coaching from me as you go through the program with a group of other people all doing it together. We talk about nutrition and goals and how to create healthy habits. We encourage each other and I strive to create a sacred, safe space. A guilt and shame free zone where the focus is on healing and transformations from the inside out; body mind and soul.
+ Customized assistance with meal planning, grocery lists, recipes + nutrition guides (specializing in working with those with dietary restrictions)
+ Assigned personal development reading (that doesn’t suck!)
+ Daily self-care routines and activities
+ Me checking in with you every single day providing counsel, helping you address demons related to food, emotional road blocks, emotional eating + self-worth
+ Endless support in a guilt and shame free zone
+ Short yet effective workouts that you can do from home
+ Drink daily superfoods
+ Accountability
+ FUN!
If you’re interested in OWNING your life and taking a leap of faith in yourself, message me email me at: wellnesswarriorsteam@gmail
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