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Transformation Story: Christie DeMarco

Happy Wednesday everyone! I am SOOOOO incredibly excited to introduce you all to a challenger and now coach on my team, Christie DeMarco! Her post partum health + fitness journey has been incredible and I’m so pumped to share. In addition to rocking her health + fitness, Christie has also been crushing her business as a new coach and helping others to achieve amazing results as well!

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Without further ado, here is Christie!!!

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Photos taken in April – May – June respectively

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P+ P: Hi Christie!!! Please tell us about yourself (where you live, family, hobbies, interests, anything else that you would like to include about yourself)!

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Christie: I recently turned 30 this past June!! My goals were to be married and be done having babies when I turned 30, and I am so done! I’m 5’5 and 125lbs (3 lb water fluctuating weight) haha. I live in the suburbs of Philadelphia, and have lived around here all my life. I am a Palliative Care Nurse in home care which I love. I see sickness and death day in and day out. I think that helps push me to appreciate being able to get up in the morning healthy and able to workout and eat healthy. We can’t prevent cancer 100% but we can prevent what we put in our bodies and be more mindful of our health. Which I am hoping will prevent me from getting cancer.

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P+P: What is your fitness background?

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Christie: I was 125 lbs pre-pregnancy and not really trying to lose anymore weight other than that. My focuses are tightening and toning.

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I have always loved health and fitness. I worked at McDonald’s in high school, but I never really ate the food there. Only fries and egg sandwiches.

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I had diastasis recti with my 1st baby, Josilynn, which only made it way worse with Nolan, my baby. I gained 50lbs with Josilynn and only 45 with Nolan. However, even with 45 lbs i swear it was all in my belly which was very painful on my back. I lost every bit within 2 weeks with Josilynn without working out. I didn’t realize how nice that was until after my 2nd when my abdomen was not at all how it was before my 2nd pregnancy. It’s still not and will never be again. My focus has been toning my legs and arms and if my abdomen shaped up then bonus!

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P+P: Why did you decide to try Insanity Max 30?

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Christie: I did only the 1st month of Insanity when I was getting married but never finished it. I am a HUGE Shaun T. fan so I started Insanity Max 30. I figured I have 30 min a day I’ll give it a go. Well 1 week turned into 2 weeks and so on.

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P+P: What about the program worked for you? What did you like about it?

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Christie: I started seeing results in about 2 weeks which makes you get hooked right away!!

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P+P: What was tough or challenging for you? (particular workouts? sticking to nutrition? anything else?)

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Christie: My son got sick and was hospitalized within that 1st month so I got a little off track but got right back into it when things settled. I just really wanted to finish a program. I didn’t follow the nutrition guideline, rather I just ate clean and listened to my body with good portion control. I am 95% vegan so I have to alter my diet other than the meal plans. I am NOT GOOD at meal prepping which I am really going to try and get into…..

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I hate cardio because I have asthma. I know, Insanity is a LOT of cardio!!!

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P+P: 10 lbs and 5 inches is an incredible accomplishment! How did you stay motivated for those 60 days?

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Christie: Shaun T. kept me motivated. I took extra breaks or modified when I needed to, but never stopped.

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Gained confidence and without even doing most of the ab exercises I have a baby 6 pack forming!! You need to seriously focus on good form with any ab exercise especially with ab separation.

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P+P: How do you feel today and what are your goals moving forward?

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I am looking forward to coaching and helping other people gain confidence I have and will only continue to do!

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I am now doing 21 day fix Extreme and my goal is to do Shift Shop in July with my 1st challenge group!

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Side note…this interview was done earlier this summer, and since then Christie has accomplished so much more! Not only has she crushed those workout programs, but she has helped SO many people in just her early stages of coaching! She achieved Success Starter status in our company in her 1st month as a coach and helped 5 people get started on their own health + fitness journey. She also earned a call with our company CEO, which is a HUGE deal!!!

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She is running her own challenge groups now to help others and she is building her own team of coaches to teach and train as well. Christie is going places peeps, and I’m SO excited to have her as a part of Team SPARK!

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And she also is famous on our team for rockin’ the cutest workout tanks! Love it!

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Hope you all are having an amazing week so far. Continue to spread love, positivity, and happiness wherever you go! With all this crazy stuff going on, be the change you wish there to be in the world.

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XO,

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Gina

{39} Lately…

coolmom

Lately I’ve been…

reading A lot faster than I had been! LOL! I recently finished The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. Part of me wants to immediately start tidying every single inch of my apartment, and the other part of me is experience extreme anxiety at the thought of going through her process! I am also reading Balancing in Heels by Kristin Cavallari and I have to say I am enjoying it! We have a lot in common in terms of being moms, trying to live a healthy lifestyle with fitness and food, an interest in fashion yet realizing that being busy moms we have to be more practical and other things have become more important than mani/pedis and putting on a full face of makeup every day. (although it IS a nice treat to do so!) Lastly I am reading the 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman with my husband. We thought it would be a good idea to figure out what each of our love languages are and then to read about them individually to see how we can make sure we are on the same page. If you don’t know what love language you are speaking, take the quiz here! Btw…Kristin Cavallari and her husband read this book too! LOL!

writing This blog post, e-mails, and coach welcome posts on my team page!

listening Okay, I know I posted this on Facebook the other day, but I am completely obsessed with “Lost Boys” by Ruth B. right now. OH and Nico is requesting “My Name is NO” by Meghan Trainor on repeat.

thinking About my upcoming free challenge group that I am going to host this month. Excited to share soon!

smelling A pumpkin spice candle. Yes, in the spring. Does that mean I’m NOT basic? 😉

watching Orange is the New Black. And Teen Mom 2. Yup. True story.

wearing My J. Crew jammies. So cozy!

feeling Excited that this Mother’s Day I will be a Mama of TWO! 🙂 Feeling very blessed!

wanting The hubby to come home! He is out of town again and I am missing him big time.

needing To book my flight to Nashville for this July!!! I am so excited to go see my fellow team of coaches, get inspired and grow my business! It was such a blast and such a great learning experience last year. I am pumped to go again.

loving The new Tony Horton 22 Min Hard Corps workout program. Granted I’m only on Day 3, but it’s simple and it’s quick! The boot camp style exercise moves are a total body workout and seems to be effective so far!

wishing For sunny days. I have had enough of this gloomy, rainy stuff! bring me some sunshine please!

hoping To find some pretty new dresses to wear for wedding season! We have THREE weddings coming up this June!

craving Fresh fruit! My favorite time of year is approaching, where all the best fruits come out to play. Some of my favorites are watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, blueberries, and who am I kidding…I love it all…

clicking For Mother’s Day gifts for all my favorite Mamas out there 🙂 What is your favorite place to shop for this holiday?

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

What have you been up to lately?

XO,

Gina

P.S. The mug is from Francesca’s. It’s sold out, but I also love this one 😉 #likeaboss

Three Hobbies

I found this quote on Pinterest the other week, and it really got me thinking. Aside from love and family (because I think PEOPLE and relationships are #1 in my life ALWAYS), these three things are so vital for our day to day:

1) We need money to pay the bills, simple as that and then extra money is always great for the finer things in life (which for me is traveling the world and delicious food)

2) We need our health…not only does staying in shape help us to live longer, but it helps us stay energized and more focused throughout our day.

3) We need to feel creative and to feel a PASSION for something. To make things, build, expand…it’s in our human nature to create.

Now, I loved this quote because wouldn’t it be wonderful if we had hobbies to check off these necessities in our lives? But I thought “wait a minute…it doesn’t have to be THREE different hobbies…”*

Because since having started as a fitness coach…I have all of that in ONE!

*I make an income helping people get healthy, keeping them on track to reach their goals on a daily basis by providing motivation and support for not only the physical health of my challengers, but also their overall happiness, positivity, and confidence. On top of that, I help a team of coaches build their own businesses to reach financial freedom.

*Working out each day is part of my job. While I may not always want to roll out of bed and get my workout done each morning, I know that if and when I do, I will be so happy that I did and feel so much better for doing it.

*Each day I am building my creativity by coming up with fun posts to share with my challengers, growing my social media and challenging people to become better versions of themselves.

—BEST of all??? I can do this while staying at home with my two small children. I love my job. But I also love my job as a MOM, and with this opportunity, I didn’t have to choose. I could do BOTH 🙂

My team is opening up the curtain next Monday January 25th to show you what it’s like in the day of an online fitness coach. We will show you what it takes to build your own business (no matter how great or small), what our days are like, how we make money, and what your potential can be.

If YOU have been looking for MORE in this new year and want to find that SOMETHING that gives you PASSION and makes you want to get out of bed in the morning, then come take a look and see what it’s all about. No pressure, just a place to learn 🙂

***If you want to learn more, please fill out the short application linked below! I will respond back and we can connect as to whether or not this would be a good fit for you!***

https://pandpfitness.wufoo.com/forms/team-spark/

Make it a Happy Day!

XO,

Gina

Transformation Tuesday: A P90X3 Story

Meet Caitlin!!!

She joined my Challenge group in May of this year, and dove right into the fitness and nutrition plan for P90X3. I met Caitlin in high school back in Maryland (her brother was in my class), and she was always active and fit. However, as many of us women know, having a baby can take a toll on our bodies. She has a beautiful baby boy to show for it, but Caitlin was eager to get her post-baby body back. Plus, working as a pastry chef, it was hard for her to keep her hand out of the cookie jar if you will. I don’t blame her! I was so happy to have her join my group. She worked so hard, and has incredible results to show for us and has adopted a healthy lifestyle for herself and for her family.

Okay enough chatter from me…let me introduce you to Caitlin and let her tell you about her journey herself!

P+P: Tell us about yourself (where you live, family, hobbies, interests, anything else that you would like to include about yourself)

Caitlin: I live in Baltimore, MD with my husband, Matt, 9 1/2 month old son, Max, and dog, Buck! I went to the Ohio State University and studied Athletic Training. I did that for a few years but burned out quickly and decided to pursue my passion in baking and pastries! I went to culinary school and I am a pastry chef – which makes it hard to resist my sweet tooth since I am surrounded by goodies all day!

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P+P: What is your fitness background?

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Caitlin: I was always an athlete and have always loved to workout. I played softball, ice hockey, and when I was younger did everything from basketball to soccer to ballet! I love sports and have never had a problem working out (well sometimes the motivation isn’t always there but once I get going i’m good!). During my pregnancy I tried to stay active though I did not have a set workout routine. I stuck to mostly walking but made sure I did it daily! I still gained weight, as you are supposed to during pregnancy, but it was hard to lose after!

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P+P: Why did you decide to try P90X3?

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I decided on P90X3 for several reasons. One, I had already done P90X and loved the routines, but they were quite long. Since I liked them, Gina recommend P90X3! I wanted something that was high intensity and had a lot of variety which is exactly what P90X3 offers. Lastly, I needed something that was short and sweet. I do not have enough time between work and being home with my very active son, to fit in a long gym sesh. Having 30 minute workouts that I could do at home was clutch (and honestly the only way I could workout and stay sane!)

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P+P: What about the program worked for you? What did you like about it?

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I loved that the DVDs were only 30 minutes long. Like I said I have very little time and working out during my son’s nap is not an option. I nap when he does because I go in to work at 3 am in order to stay home with him. He is great at self play but gets bored quickly, so 30 minutes is the perfect time for me to get in a good sweat. I also loved the variety. There was a bit of lifting, some cardio, and my favorite – MMX (a mixed martial arts DVD Tony Horton style!)

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P+P: What was tough or challenging for you? (Particular workouts? Sticking to nutrition? Anything else?)

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The toughest part for me was nutrition. The workouts were no brainers, and it was easy to press play everyday. I think mostly because I have always loved to work out and also because the DVDs got me excited (gotta love those endorphins!) The nutrition part was a struggle because I am such a sweet tooth and am surrounded by all the bad (but oh so good!) stuff every day. I found however the more I worked out, the less I craved the sweets (well the more I thought about what I ate because I didn’t want to ruin the hard work I put in that day!)

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P+P: 17 lbs and 3 pants sizes is an incredible accomplishment! How did you stay motivated for those 90 days?

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My motivation came from several places. One – my support group and coach! It was awesome to see and hear from other ladies going through the same struggles and accomplishments that I went through! It also held me accountable knowing I was going to check in with them later and couldn’t lie! Also seeing the results motivated me big time! It wasn’t even what I saw on the scale – it was seeing little changes – my arms toning up – my legs slimming out – my tummy getting tighter. It started with small differences. Then I took the picture at 60 days and compared it to day 1. I could not believe what I saw! When it comes off slowly you almost forget where you started! I was so glad I took that before picture because it really put things into perspective! That then gave me the courage to try on an old pair of shorts that I had from HIGH SCHOOL! I could not believe they fit! Now 90+ days out those shorts are getting BIG! Yea I still can’t believe it! I also was very highly motivated by my son. I did not want to be self conscious and pass that on! I wanted to be fit and active and have better eating habits for him to learn! I wanted to be able to go to the beach and be happy swimming in the water and playing in the sand with him without any thoughts of “oh I bet people are looking at my belly” Plus just waking up and seeing his cute smile was all the motivation I needed to be healthy and be there for him!

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P+P: How do you feel today and what are your goals moving forward?

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Today I feel amazing and almost in disbelief. I know everyone says they want to lose weight, or tone up, or run that marathon – but there is always that self doubt. will I actually be able to do it? Can I do it? Now I do not even consider those questions! Yes, I CAN do it and I WILL do it! I am happier, healthier, thinner, more toned, can keep up with my son, and feel fantastic in anything I wear! My goals moving forward are to continue to create healthy habits. I feel like I am addicted to working out now so I want to try new things! I want to start lifting heavier and get more definition! I want this to be my lifestyle, a habit, something I don’t have to think about – just something I do, everyday, no questions asked!

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Caitlin (continued):

I have had such amazing results that I am now officially addicted! I jumped right into the 21 Day Fix and have plans on doing another program set to come out in December. I also am going to start training for the Baltimore Half Marathon in October (YIKES!)! I know what exercise, nutrition, and support has done for me, so I want to share that with others. It was pretty much a no brainer when you approached me about the coaching opportunity! I was already doing the workouts and working hard on the nutrition and I LOVED the challenge groups. So the transition into actually helping others do it was so easy! I have always loved to help and inspire others in any way that I can. Becoming a coach just gave me that opportunity.It also help hold me accountable! How can I help others if I am not doing it!? It was all the more reason to become a coach. I also had major support from my husband who knew this was something I wanted and something I would be good at! My son played a major role in my future as well. I want to be able to stay home with him but still provide financially for the family! Becoming a Beachbody Coach has me on the path to that lifestyle – all while keeping me healthy (and my family!) My future is filled with helping others and maintaining this healthy lifestyle – this isn’t a fad, its not a quick fix – it is hard work that I have made in to long lasting habits and I want to help as many people as I can do the same!

I am so proud of Caitlin and all the hard work she has put into creating a better life for herself physically, mentally, and financially. Thank you so much for sharing your story with us! I am excited to see what you accomplish for yourself and your family in the next year, and I know you will help and inspire so many others along the way!

Hope you are all having a great week so far. I am on Day 2 of being on my own with my two boys. So far, it’s going pretty well! I am surprised I have actually been productive. I was able to get out of the house two days in a row, get Nico down for his naps, get 2-3 hours of work done each day, and not have the house be a complete disaster upon Zack’s return home. #winning! Beginner’s luck? We shall see how long it lasts 😉

XO,

Gina