Day 1

Day 1 of the 90 health challenge has finally arrived! For breakfast we enjoyed an Oreo cheesecake shake. It tastes exactly like the Oreo shakes you would get at Sonic, Iceburg, or Dairy Queen......without the guilt! We blended it for quite a while until it reached a smooth, creamy consistency. Ah heaven! Ashley makes Travis breakfast before work so this was a quick and easy way to make sure he is getting all of the proper nutrients. It will also come in really handy on the days we're running late and need to eat breakfast on the go.

Our 2nd shake of the day was an orange dreamsicle. This one was soooooooo good! Travis especially enjoyed this shake. Just a little bit of orange juice, almond juice, 2 scoops of mix, and some ice. It was really nice because we already had all of those items on hand! 

Our Goals for the 90 Day Challenge:

Travis: to cut his body fat by 6% and to have more muscle definition. :)

Ashley: to cut enough body fat for her abs to really pop :)

Our 1st Challenge Party was AMAZING!

Ashley was sweating bullets as time passed by and we were getting closer to our party at 7pm. We were excited to see our friends and family, but our product package hadn't arrived yet! The UPS tracking system said it would be at our house by the end of the day. Whatever that means! 6pm we get a knock on the door and.....TAA DAA!

Thank goodness! Just in the nick of time! We were so excited, it was like Christmas morning! LOL Samples, vitamins, shake mix galore! Travis' favorite was the Neuro, which is a blend of ingredients that boost your energy, body, and brain with healthy energy. Ashley's favorite was the anti-aging vitamin.

We had planned on taking some pictures of the challenge party, but we honestly had such a good time that it slipped our mind! We blended up an Oreo shake with almond milk, and a berry banana shake with V8 splash juice. Both of them were a BIG hit! One of the kids that was there kindly requested a small glass of the Oreo shake (after he gulped down his sample). He liked it so much he drank his, and he drank his brother's glass! We love that it's safe for children! We gave our friends and family a chance to learn about the challenge and then we were fortunate enough to hear the 90 day challenge stories of our guest speaks, Marc, Julie, Jesse, and Monica. It was such a treat to hear the progress they are making in their own lives with this challenge! We especially enjoyed the stories they told of their friends and family joining the 90 day challenge. Their faces lit up as they shared how this challenge is changing the lives of people they know and love. One of Jesse's friends is now off of his blood pressure medicine thanks to the Vi-Shakes! How awesome is that?! Time flew by, and before we knew it, it was after 9pm! What a great night!

We want to welcome Travis' grandma, Lucy, and Ashley's mom, Andi, to the Body By Vi challenge! We have 2 new challenge parties to attend and we are more than excited! We can't wait to hear about their progress and success! Thanks to everyone that came out tonight! We really enjoyed having you! 

**A HUGE thank you to Marc's sweet wife, Julie, for being the impromtu babysitter! :) 

Our workout plan - Jamie Eason's Livefit Trainer

This is our 2nd attempt at Jamie Eason's Livefit Trainer. The first time around we had a lot going on and we weren't able to stick to it as much as we would have liked to. We did see improvements in our body and we think it's a great program, so we decided to do it again! 

We're eating better, but not following the meal plan to a "T".We're hoping that the Vi-Shakes will help us attain the results we're looking for. After all, abs are made in the kitchen! 

We're currently on day 16 of the program. We'll be hitting the gym tonight to work on our back and biceps (biceps are Ashley's favorite). Here is what we'll be doing tonight:

BACK/BICEPS

•  

  Hammer Strength Lat Pull

  3 sets of 10 reps
•  

  Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown

  3 sets of 10 reps
  Alternate Option:
  Pullup
•  

  Seated Narrow Grip Cable Rows

  3 sets of 10 reps
•  

  T-Bar Row

  3 sets of 10 reps
  Alternate Option:
  Bent-Over Barbell Row
•  

  Back Extensions

  3 sets of 10 reps
•  

  Barbell Curl

  3 sets of 10 reps
•  

  Incline Dumbbell Curl

  3 sets of 10 reps
•  

  Alternate Hammer Curl

  3 sets of 10 reps

Let the countdown begin!

Tomorrow is our challenge party. It's basically an opportunity for us to get together with friends and family and share our love for this challenge. It's also gives them a chance to sample the shakes! Who doesn't love free samples, right?! I think that taste is important when it comes to.......well, everything! I can't tell you how much money I've wasted buying protein shakes, supplements or health items only to find out that they taste rancid! Then I am stuck with a 2lb tub of "healthiness" that I am trying to choke down. This is why I love sampling! It gives people an opportunity to test before they buy. We're hoping to have a good turn out tomorrow!


Thursday is the official start date of our 90 Health Challenge. We'll be taking before and after pictures, taking measurements, and then whipping up our shakes! I plan on posting the different varieties of the shakes we drink, our fitness plan, and updates on how our body is responding. We can't wait!

4 moves to Sexy Abs

One of Ashley's goals for this 90 Day Challenge is to have 6 pack abs. This workout from Shape Magazine might be worth trying!

1. Cat Raise
Get in plank position on forearms, elbows under shoulders, with hands in fists and palms facing each other; pull abs in tight


Lift hips straight up. Hold for 2 counts, then return to starting position and repeat.




2. Cross-legged Lift
Lie faceup with legs extended over hips and arms at your sides, palms on ground. Bend right knee, crossing right foot over left thigh. Keeping left leg straight, use your abs to lift hips off the ground.


Lower hips, then take legs down to 45 degrees off ground. Raise them to starting position and repeat entire move. Switch sides (crossing left leg over right) halfway through set.




3. Compound Crunch
Lie faceup with hands behind head, elbows out to sides and legs extended on the ground. Lift head and shoulder blades as you pull knees toward chest.


Lower head and shoulder blades as you slowly extend legs 45 degrees off ground, keeping abs super-tight; repeat.




4. Offset Bridge
Lie faceup with right knee bent, foot on the ground, and left leg extended over hip. Extend arms at sides, palms on ground.


Push through right heel as you lift hips until body is aligned from shoulders to right knee. Lower hips until they nearly touch the ground, then repeat. Switch sides to complete set.

Why Vi-Shape Shakes?

So we've tried different kinds of protein shakes in the past and they all tasted like chalk, or chocolate chalk. Drinking our daily protein shake became a task in itself! This is another reason why we decided to take the 90 Health Challenge - you can't beat the flavor OR the nutritional value! Taste is extremely important to us, and we're also careful about what we put in our body. Here's a chart I found comparing ViSalus shakes to other health shakes on the market:

90 calories per shake isn't bad either!

THIS is why we are so impressed with this challenge!

Well, we start our 90 day Challenge in 3 days and we can’t wait! Fortunately, we do not have any major health problems right now, and we want to keep it that way! We came across this video and we’re blown away with these stories. We personally know people with fibromyalgia, people who have had strokes, diabetes, depression, and who are searching for something to help with weight loss (Travis included). It’s clear that these people in this video have added years on to their lives. It’s amazing!

Why we decided to take the 90 Day Challenge

In 2011, we decided that we needed to make healthier choices in our lives. Cancer, diabetes and other health problems plagued both sides of our families, and we wanted to do everything possible help ward off any preventable diseases. Travis was interested in weight loss, and weight training. Ashley was interested in a toned physique. We had been hitting the gym on a regular basis, but we weren't seeing the results we had hoped for. That is when we came across the Visalus 90 Health Challenge.