When I travel I don’t always have access to a gym, so it is good to improvise.  In this video you are about to watch, my brother and I and my friend Leanne had to use what we had, which wasn’t much.  We had just finished this workout before filming, so I was pretty tired and shaky, but it was definitely fun to do, especially with others to do it with.  Before I show you this video I just want to give a shout out to Leanne in the video.  She has been a friend of mine for sometime and has lost 100 lbs, and has become a personal trainer and does bootcamps in Orlando.  So proud of all she has accomplished.

Enjoy the video!

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As thousands of more moms start the Fit Moms For Life program and lifestyle, I am getting more and more case studies on how working out quite intense during pregnancy can have tremendous benefits to both baby and mom.  I am hoping over the next decade I can help doctors rewrite the recommendations that they give to pregnant women.  It just seems like yesterday when doctors were recommending 9 months of rest.  How dumb does that sound?  Rest for 9 months so that the moment you give birth, you will have to test your body more than at any other point in your life, and then after you deliveer you will be getting very little sleep, carrying a baby that weighs 10 lbs and more, and many times be in charge of older kids at the same time.

No wonder new moms get injured, tired, depressed, and overwhelmed.  I will jump off my soap box now, and show you this video of Jesse who has been coming to MamaTone throughout her entire pregnancy.  Not only does she fee WAY better than her first kid, she gained half the weight, and overall feels 100 times better then her first kid.  I know many of you who are going to watch this aren’t pregnant but if Jesse can do this at 8 months pregnant, what can you do not pregnant?

Be sure to talk to your doctor before starting any exercise program. If you are looking for a book that addresses fitness for pregnant and new moms, click here to learn more about Fit Moms For Life.

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I have talked about pushups for many years and my annoyance with women not believing that they can do push ups on their toes.  This limiting belief has to stop and has to stop RIGHT NOW.  That belief is just as bad as telling yourself you are not a good mom, or will never amount to anything.  Negative self talk needs to stop.

I have also said many times on this blog and to my clients, that I can get just about any woman up to 15-20 pushups within three months of training with me.  Now if someone is obese it might take them a little longer but it should happen.  I would estimate that the average female client I work with can do at least 30 perfect toe pushups with a few of the ladies breaking 100!  (That is more than I can  do).

Check out this video and read my comments below:

Did you catch the age of Ellen and Michelle? 54 and 48 respectively.  Now that isn’t really that old, their best years are still ahead of them, but I hear people in their early 40′s complaining saying they are too old to be doing certain things, or using age as an excuse.  I can also hear that small voice in your head saying, “Yeah they can do it, they are millionaires, and have trainers and chefs, blah, blah, blah.  If I had to be on TV so much and look good all the time I would look like them too.”

I also believe that if you saw what a typical day looked like for these two ladies, it would make your head spin.  The reason why they look the way they do, and are as fit as they are, is because they make it a PRIORITY.  I have heard Michelle in other interviews gets up between 4-5 AM to workout.  These women don’t possess anything special that you don’t have.  You have all the knowledge you need to get in the best shape of your life right here in the over 500 videos and articles I have posted throughout the past few years.

I would love to hear your feedback from this video and blog post.  Please comment below.

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I have been having a great time first in Park City Utah skiing, now in Maui.  I wanted to take advantage of my brothers being with me and film a quick video.  We had just got done at the beach and wanted to get a quick workout in before dinner, but we didn’t have any equipment so we had to improvise.

Enjoy the video!

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Holly a year ago

I have a confession to make.  When I first read Holly’s story (which you are about to read), I shed a few tears.  This is a very honest story Holly is sharing with us, and I want to thank her for her brutal honesty.  This story is something that most everyone can relate to at some level.  The weight loss is great, the smaller clothes are great, and so is the increased energy.  But what made me cry while reading this is how Holly now views herself, how her kids view her, and how her husband views her.

I don’t think I would still be in the fitness industry after 8 years if the only reason for helping people was to make them smaller and stronger.  Those are the external changes that occur, but I believe that exercise and nutrition is the most powerful set of jumper cables I can give a person to break out of their mediocre lives and into the life they want and deserve.  As you will read below.  Holly finished a race.  In that one race, she beat some of her demons, her negative self talk, and her lack of confidence in her abilities.

If you can relate to any part of Holly’s story, I encourage you to take some massive action.  If you live in Dane county, come to Fit Fun Bootcamps, or if you are a SAHM, MamaTone might be a perfect option.  If you just don’t know where to start regarding exercising and nutrition, invest in some of my DVDs.  It will be as close to me training you in person as possible.  Eating plans are included with the DVDs.

Enjoy her story!

December 2010….

5:30 am the alarm goes off and I hit the snooze. 5:45 am alarm…snooze. 6:00 am alarm…dragged myself out of bed. Today was the day I was going to get up early and try to start exercising. Well, I guess I will start tomorrow. I stood in my closet, looking through my outfit options. Well, that does not fit…that is too tight…that makes me look like an egg….ahh! so very frustrated. Next on the agenda…get the kids ready for school. My little Noah, age 5, at the time, popped out of bed and started running down the hallway. “Mom, come chase me!” I yawned and started my slow jog and followed him up the stairs. I was so out of breath and I was only half way up the staircase, oh my…”Mommy, are you ok…why can’t you breath? Do you have a lung problem?” responded Noah. I rolled my eyes and preceded to wake my other 2 children up, Hannah age 11 and Caleb age 9 (at the time). Both of them were chatting about wanting to play the Wii after school. I heard one of them say…”no, mom can’t do that…she is always tired and quits after just a minute…” The morning continued. I asked my lovely husband the regular question, “Do I look fat in this outfit?” Lovingly, he always said, “you look good to me or what do you think…” which really meant, yes you have put on weight but I do not want to hurt your feelings.

I was 210 lbs which was the same weight I was when I delivered Noah over 5 years ago. I was frustrated, embarrassed, and fatigued. I needed to make a change. I hated how I looked. I hated how I felt. I hated how I could not keep up with my children. I hated knowing that I was on a downward spiral toward hypertension, diabetes, etc…But I tried exercising before and I tried dieting before, and it did not work. I blamed everything and everyone for my past attempted failures. I had not taken responsibility for my own poor choices.

Holly Currently

I finally decided it was time to “own up”, “face the music” and make a change.

I had seen Dustin on several Channel 15 health spotlights and was intrigued. I researched his website earlier that year. I was very interested but concerned of not being able to “keep up” and did not want to be embarrassed. It finally took a groupon offer at the end of December 2010 to get me to finally try this “boot camp thing”. January 3, 2011 was the day.

January 3, 2011 was the first day of what has become my healthy addiction to bootcamp. Yes, I was the “largest” one there, and yes, I could not even do 1 push up, and yes, I always came in last (very very last) with all of the sprints/suicides/etc. Was I embarrassed…yes. But everyone was very positive and supportive and cheered me on when I was the last one to complete something and almost ready to pass out because I could no longer breath…:) It was hard, but for some odd reason, I really liked it. I faithfully went 3 times a week. As time went on, I slowly started to notice changes. I began feeling stronger, less fatigued throughout the day, and my face started to look a bit thinner. Then finally, the weight slowly started coming off and my clothes began to fit “better”. Did I want the changes to happen quicker? Of course I did. Were there times I became frustrated and want to quit? Of course there were. But I kept coming. The choices I made led to this unhealthy body, therefore, only I could make the choices to change the cycle. I found going to bootcamp was not only good for my body, but also for my soul. The atmosphere was so positive and supportive. About 3-4 months into my new “addiction”, I met a woman by the name of Alecia. She was very sweet and I was able to connect with her as a “mother”. Her attitude was so very positive in our chats. Well, she chatted and I nodded as I could not speak during the warm up. I soon found out that she was going to be the new trainer.

I continued to be faithful and continued to see results. I became stronger, faster, and yes, I was not last that one time! I continued to absorb everyone’s positive attitudes and support. I actually started to gain a little of my self esteem back. My clothes were loose and I was feeling great. I even decided to step out of my comfort zone and participate in the Warrior Dash. I just wanted to finish and not be the last person. Well, I did it. I did it all by myself and I was not last. My husband and kids came to watch me. Noah yelled, “I can’t believe my mom jumped over fire..” Hannah was grinning ear to ear, “Mom, I can’t believe you did that, even in the rain.” My husband looked and smiled and said, “I can’t believe you just did that. I am so proud of you.” Tears began to fall. Actually, I can’t believe I did that myself. I would have never been able to do something like the Warrior Dash physically or mentally without Alecia and “my” bootcamp workouts. As the months went on, I continued to feel great. I even ran in the Madison Mud Run…well, ok I did do alot of walking but hey…I did easily complete all of the obstacles.

December 2011…

4:45 am the alarm goes off…. I jump out of bed as I need to get to bootcamp. As I run out of the house, I looked once again at the picture my son Noah drew of me. I was running with a number on my shirt and big smile on my face. I enjoy Alecia’s insane workout and head back home. I easily found a cute new outfit in my closet, chased Noah around and actually beat him to the bathroom, and made a playdate for the Wii with Hannah and Caleb. My weight is now 170 lbs. I have lost over 19 inches. I am happy. I am energetic. I love my life. I love my healthy addiction to bootcamp.

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This video CRACKS me up so much because I have heard at least 90% of these comments from my clients.  This great video is from my friend BJ.  BJ has even come to my bootcamps to guest teach.  There are so many favorites in this video, but I will post my favorites after you watch the video.

Favorite lines from my clients:

-How do I get rid of this?  (Pointing to their flab on the underarm)

-I think I need some more cardio.

-What do I have to eat to lose weight?

-Salads just don’t do it for me.

-I feel like this is making me bulkier.

-You hurt me yesterday, I was sore.

-Gosh, this jumping makes me want to go pee. (Funny but not funny at the same time)

-Two glasses of wine relaxes me at night, so I am going to keep doing it.  (If I hear this one again blaming the kids for needing wine I will explode… My mom had 4 kids and had no wine.    )

-We need to do more butt exercises.

-No bread, no white rice, no pasta, no donuts?

-How many calories should I eat?

-So what do you actually eat?  (haha this is one of the most asked questions I get, for some reason people are just so fascinated)

-I am sick of doing pushups, I hate pushups!  All we do is pushups!

-I am sure my husband would like this movement.

-One whole egg?  Do I actually have to eat the whole egg?  (Yes the yolk misconception is still strong as ever)

-Ok I had three boxes of cookies, Girl Scouts!  They just keep coming.

Those were some of my favorites.

In the comments section below share with me your favorites from the video or your favorites that you have said to your trainer.

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Hi everyone! It’s Crystal, again!

This week, I cooked several items for Dustin and I am sharing a few recipes that I hope you will enjoy preparing for yourself and/or your family.  They are so simple and make use of easy to find meat, veggies, herbs and spices!

Below, I will share a recipe for Stuffed Peppers, Sauteed Squash, and Roasted Butternut Squash (definitely a sweet treat but with NO ADDED SUGAR!)

Stuffed Peppers (adapted from Sarah Fragoso’s cookbook)

Stuff 'em good!

• 2lbs of grass fed ground beef
• 3 carrots
• 3 celery stalks
• 1 medium onion
• 16oz can of tomato sauce
• Chopped fresh basil
• 2T  of oregano
• 1T garlic powder
• Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste
• 1-2T Coconut Oil

Preheat oven to 350. Place one big soup pot filled with water and turn on high to bring to a boil.  While you are waiting for the water to boil, cover the bottom of another big soup pot with coconut oil and over medium heat toss in the the onion, celery, and carrots.  Crumble in ground beef and add the seasonings to the meat BEFORE it’s entirely cooked.  Mix well and let the meat and veggies cook over medium low heat stirring occasionally.  In the meantime, remove just the tops of the bell peppers, and rinse well to remove all the seeds.  By now your water should be boiling.  Place the bell peppers gently in the boiling water and submerge them for 5-6 minutes or until the bell peppers are just a little soft but NOT falling apart.  While the bell peppers are boiling, add the tomato sauce to the meat mixture and bring to a simmer.  Pull the bell peppers out of the water with tongs and arrange in a large baking dish.  Fill each bell pepper with the meat mixture (don’t be shy, stuff em’ good!) and bake in your pre-heated oven for 20 minutes.  Serving size is one stuffed pepper.

Sauteed Squash

Sauteed Yellow and Zucchini Squash
(This is so simple and takes under ten minutes!)

• 2 yellow squash
• 2 zucchini squash
• 2T coconut oil
• Your favorite herbs

Wash squash.  Cut squash into thin rounds. Saute squash in coconut oil.  Season with your favorite herbs.

Roasted Butternut Squash

Another simple one that is delicious! Be careful with the serving size on this one, though!

• 1 butternut squash
• 2TB Butter
• 2TB Agave Nectar
• 1 t of cinnamon (more to suit your taste)

Preheat over to 350.  Peel, cut, and scoop out seeds from squash.  Cut into cubes.  Melt butter and mix with agave nectar and cinnamon.  Toss butternut squash in butter mixture.  Bake in oven until squash is soft and tender and butter mixture is caramelized.

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This was week one of having my meals prepared and cooked for me.  Each of the recipes that you see below were awesome.  I especially loved the meat loaf, it was AMAZING.  The turkey roll-ups were something that I have never had before and were tasty little treats.  I am looking forward to expanding the amount and types of vegetables that I am eating on a regular basis.  I must say both of these vegetable dishes were awesome.  The bacon really added some nice flavor to the brussel sprouts.

Lemon Pepper Chicken

Ingredients

Lemon Pepper seasoning to taste

6-7 chicken breasts

Directions

Clean and trim excess fat from chicken breast.

Season with lemon pepper seasoning to taste.

Bake in 350 degree oven until chicken is no longer pink.

Sauteed Swiss Chard

1 red bell pepper

¼ medium red onion

1 bunch of swiss chard

2 strips nitrate/nitrite free bacon

Directions

Continue Reading →

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Click image to learn more about the book and to get a copy for yourself.

Aimee started Mamatone 2 years ago with a poor attitude towards exercising and a self proclaimed lazy bone in her body. But over the past years not only has she shed more then 70 lbs off her body, she has changed the way she lives and the friends she spends time with. Luckily for everyone, she hasn’t lost her sarcastic personality. You can read more about Aimee’s story in page 157 of the Fit Moms For Life book.

Here is the transcription of Aimee’s talk:

My name is Aimee and I drank the Kool Aid.  Well maybe not Kool Aid… more like green tea with coconut oil and a little prograde mixed in.  But you know what I mean.  Dustin asked me to say a little bit about my weight loss journey.  Though I don’t exactly know why.   You aren’t going to get any kind of inspirational platitude from me.  I am lazy.  I mean really, really lazy.  You will still find me getting off the stair climber as soon as Dustin walks away.  Or picking the lightest weight in class, pushing even newbies out of the way. Those of you who have taken Mama Tone with me can attest to the fact that I can spend a long time tying and retying my shoes.  And my ponytail always needs adjusting.  Weird how often that happens during mountain climbers and wall sits.

If I could have had surgery to lose weight, I would have done it.  If I could have done anything other than exercise and changing my diet– I would have done it. Have you heard of pro-ana?  It’s a website dedicated to anorexia as a lifestyle choice.  If I had the willpower, I would have just followed all the advice I found there. You may have read a blog post I wrote after I lost my first 25 pounds.  If so, then you know that besides surgery, I either tried or seriously considered – amphetamines, tape worms, nicotine gum and diet pills.  I am big on short cuts.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any short-cut to lose weight, and was left with diet and exercise.

My history with exercise is not a pretty one.  The last time I participated in a team sport was in junior high school.   Shot put, I was eleven.  In college I thought that I would take up running.  I even found a running partner.  Maybe she was too much like me.  After our first run,  — which was probably less than a mile – we shared a pint of Haagen Daaz Bailey’s and Cream, while watching TV.  That was also our last run.

I also gave Zumba a try- once.  Given my lack of coordination I banished myself to the back of the class.  I was sandwiched between two nice elderly ladies.  By the end of class I had knocked into both of them with enough force that each had spent some quality time on the floor.

Given that I am a lazy quitter, it surprises me that I have made it through two years in Mamatone.  My journey here started when I saw my friend Cailin at Target.  We had been in a mom and baby class together. Our daughters were about a year and half old.  I hadn’t seen her in a couple of months and she looked terrific. I still looked pregnant. Her secret was Mamatone.  If only it had been a new diet pill. So with indignant resignation I tried Mamatone.

Many of you know my inauspicious beginning.  For some reason I get perverse joy in telling people, sometimes complete strangers, about my first few classes. My attitude was poor and I felt soul crushing hatred for Dustin and everyone else in the class. And then of course, there was the vomiting.  But for some reason I stuck with it and made exercise part of my routine.  I offer this anecdote to show how much it has become a part of my daily life:  My husband was recently hospitalized.  He is fine, but I’ll take your pity.  On the way to the emergency room Isaid that I would drop him off and be back in an hour or so after Mamatone.  Regrettably, I said this in my out-loud voice. Needless to say, it didn’t go over very well.

Exercise was one thing. It took me a lot longer to change my eating habits.  What people don’t tell you is that exercise makes you hungry. So hungry.  So for the first few months after I started Mamatone I would reward my hard work with a post-class muffin.  I mean, really, I earned it – right?  And well, I may have also eaten my daughter’s barely touched muffin. I mean, I couldn’t waste it.  Maybe I should have picked a flavor she liked.

So then it must seem shocking to you that I wasn’t losing weight even if I was exercising. It was shocking to me.  But I figured out that I had to do it.  I had to get my diet under control.  Dustin had been badgering me since I started, to keep a food journal.  The first twelve hours of seeing what I was eating in print was horrifying.   What I was eating bordered on the pornographic, however delicious it was.  I slowly changed my ways and over the past two years I’ve found a way of eating that works for me.  I have never given up the food that I love – think whatever comes out of a deep fat fryer.  However, now I eat it one day a week rather than every day.

So now I had the exercise down and was learning to be more vigilant about what I was eating.  But nothing seemed to change.  My body seemed stagnant in its heft.   I was feeling down and frustrated.  Who cares if I can do a pushup if I don’t see any physical changes.

Then one day I saw the light.  I was actually sitting in a chair with my legs together and I looked down and couldn’t quite figure out what I was seeing.  And no, I don’t need an anatomy lesson.  What I saw was floor.  Just a teeny tiny sliver of it.  But it was the floor.  And that was just the beginning.  I actually started seeing ankles forming, there was now something
between my calf and my foot, and not something that starts with a “ca”.   I could now stop cutting the elastic from the tops of my athletic socks. And my arms didn’t have funny looking growths on them.  I was getting elbows.

From ankles and elbows and that first sliver of light – I saw my body change. Shoulders! My long-lost waist! And perhaps the biggest change is this: when I weigh myself, I do it with my clothes on. I don’t strip down to naked while someone holds my hair.

And now here I am. After two years, I have lost about 70 pounds.  And I would like to say that I now enjoy exercise.  That I enjoy the challenge and the pain.  But the truth is that I don’t.  I still struggle both physically and emotionally with exercise.  So why do I come?  Is it because I am a masochist?  Is it because I get an adolescent thrill and giggle when I hear Dustin say that I have a great snatch?  (I do, by the way.)   I come because of you.  Because all the women in the class support and inspire me.  And some of you have become my best friends.  I am lucky to be surrounded four times a week by people who are there for me, helping me reach my goals and creating new ones.  Thank you for enriching my life.  I can’t wait to see you Monday.

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