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Showing posts from August, 2014

#TeamJDMfit:The 21 Day Fix Results Are In!

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In August I joined forces with my cousin Jo Dee Messina , and ran a 21 day fix challenge group . Over 300 people joined Jo Dee and I in our fix journey. The results are in, and they are awesome!!  If you don't know what the 21 day fix is, I will give you a short description. Celebrity trainer Autumn Calabrese put together a 21 day program that not only gives you an easy to follow workout plan, but also simplifies your nutrition. It comes with these cool little color coded containers that helps you understand how much of what you should be eating each day.   If you want a more detailed description of the 21 day fix, click here.   So for 21 days Jo Dee, myself, and 350 of our closest friends followed the 21 day fix program together! I first want to speak about how seriously amazing this challenge group was! Every single person in the challenge supported one another. I was on the road a lot traveling back and forth to shows with Jo Dee, and if my internet service

Sticking to your plan on the road...literally!

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One of the most frequent struggles that I hear from my challengers is sticking to their fitness and meal plan while traveling either for work, or play. I have touched upon this subject in posts before, but I am now coming at it from a whole new perspective. In the past I have traveled by plane or car, and stayed in a hotel room , but now I can add tour bus to the list. If you can stick to your plan while traveling on a tour bus, you can do anything!  The most important factor when it comes to sticking to your plan, is preparation! If you don't prepare, it is going to be pretty difficult...so don't even take the chance, just do it! This particular bus ride was a 14 hour drive from Nashville , to Minnesota. Jo Dee and I spent the day before prepping all of our meals for the bus ride. We may have hogged most of the room in the bus fridge, but we weren't left twiddling our thumbs come meal time! We also made sure to pack our blender, bring our shakeology , and make co

Jo Dee Messina: Fix Update

Sorry, we've been traveling.  We were all so exhausted  yesterday  that we seemed to be walking around slap happy and  delirious. ;-) This week is hard for some. We are all in the midst of the program and wanting results. A lot of you reported GREAT results so far and that will continue to be the case if you stick to the plan. "Trust the process", they say.  I won't lie, the container thing still confuses me.  The printable sheets are helpful in keeping up what you need to eat.  Jaime is available to any of you that have questions. So, if you have any, let her know. Also, as others are figuring it out, they may have some tips and advice on how they are grasping the program. If you see someone post with something you have a solution for, please, share it.  That's why we are doing this as a group.  During todays workout, Autumn said, quitting lasts forever, the pain and focus is temporary. Believe it or not, after the 21 days, this will be more of a habit t

Don't Believe Them!

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So part of the reason I came down to Nashville for the month, was to see how Jo Dee's day to day life was, so I could help her learn how to adapt and create a plan that works for her. I had no idea what it is like to be a musician and tour...especially with two kids, and I am learning fast! I thought coming here would be good for two specific reasons: 1. I could help Jo Dee come up with a plan that she could do on her own forever, and 2. I could show other people through my posts, and blog, that it IS possible to stick with your plan, even when you are crazy busy, and life gives you obstacles. So far, I was right about those things.  Friday Night Jo Dee and I spent a good two hours prepping for Saturday. Normally it only takes me an hour or two to prep for an entire week, but this situation was a little different. We needed all our meals prepared and ready to go because we were going to be living on a bus for 24 hours. Jo Dee had a show in Alabama Saturday night, and we

Jo Dee Messina: Day 3 and 4 on the Fix

Yesterday  I spent the entire day traveling.  Living on 8 hours of sleep in a 48 hour period by the time we got home  Yesterday  afternoon / evening  I was useless.  Thank God I packed food for the 2 days of my trip.  My diet was on plan, but, I didn’t get to workout.     The other band and crew members got to nap when they got home.  I had 2 rambunctious little boys who were well rested that I needed to keep up with.    Today was  “MAKE UP DAY”   Jaime and I started out at  8am  with a 30 minute run We came back home and had chocolate / banana  shakeology .  I did a few phone interviews and then we did the  “Lower Fix” …  which should have been yesterdays workout. OUCH !!!  When we were finishing up, my assistant showed up and joined us for todays scheduled workout  “Pilates Fix ”.  When we were done with that, I had some work stuff to go over with my assistant and things to take care of here at the house.  At  1:30  I took Jaime with me.  I had an apt so she took the car to wh

Fix Approved Banana Oatmeal Cookies

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(makes 8 servings, 2 cookies each) Container Equivalents (per serving): One yellow container  INGREDIENTS Non stick cooking spray  1 cup old fashioned rolled oats 2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp. sea salt 2 ripe medium bananas, mashed 1/4 cup golden raisins 1/4 cup chopped raw walnuts DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 350 degrees F Lightly coat baking sheet with spray. Set aside. Combine oats, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl; mix well. Add bananas, raisins, and walnuts; mix well. Drop heaping Tbsp. onto prepared baking sheet; flatten cookies with a spatula. Bake for 14 to 15 minutes or until firm.   

Jo Dee Messina: Day 2 on the Fix, 'No one said it would be east, but it will be worth it'

Hello team members,  Hell of a day today.  For those of you who struggle through this challenge I want you to come back and read this entry whenever that happens.   I woke up at 3:45 to catch a 4 hr flight to Salt Lake City for a show tonight.  First thing I did was have a cup of coffee.  I didn’t want to eat breakfast until I got to the airport and I knew because it was going to be such a long day, I wanted to save Shakeology for afternoon snack to have energy for show.  We got to the airport at 5:45.  Checked in all the gear and then went through security.  I was so excited that I wasn't’t stopped for the Nonfat Greek Yogurt and salad dressing ( in orange container ).  While we were waiting to board, at 6:20, I had snack.  Apple and Almonds.  I was saving “breakfast” for the flight (it was 4 hours)   On the flight I slept, though.  I think most of us did.  When we landed in Salt Lake, I turned on my phone while still on the plane.  I saw that I missed a call from both my

#TEAMJDMFIT: So Far So Good!

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For those of you who don't know I have headed down to Nashville from Boston for the month of August to help my cousin Jo Dee Messina get in shape for an upcoming video shoot. We decided that we were going to do the 21 day fix to get us on track!  We both thought this would be perfect for others to see, and follow along with us because it is something that anyone can fit into their daily lives. Jo Dee is extremely busy with touring, and day to day life, so we figured if we could find a way for her to do it, YOU all could do it too! It is hard at first, but once you get the hang of preparing you are good to go!  So I got here on Sunday, and the first thing we did was make our meal plan . We used one that I made in the past, because both Jo Dee and I are both not very picky. Once we had our meal plan set we headed straight to the grocery store to get everything we needed! We took Sunday night off and let Jo Dee's husband Chris cook us a nice dinner. He loves to

Jo Dee Messina: Day 1 on the fix

Tuesday August 5  - 21  Day Fix Post Today is a definite “think ahead” day.  This evening I will have to pack my food for 2 days.  I leave the house at  5am  and head to the airport.  I have a  7:45am  flight to Salt Lake City for a show late at night.  I’m changing time zones, so my day will be extra long.  Traveling to a different city and spending days in airport and on plane, I will not have a “predictable” food provider.  So, I’m just gonna pack my meals.  Tuesday  I will have Shakeology when I get up at  4:45am   I’m planning on cooking egg whites tonight so that, that can be my meal on the plane.  Replaceing the complimentary pretzels of peanuts ;-) My day is extra long, ending with a show.  Shows are like workouts, so with my 21 day fix workout and a show, I’m adding a meal.  Keeping my schedule to, eating something every 2 1/2 - 3 hrs. Wednesday  will be a 20 hour day with workout, travel and show.  Thursday  is a travel day starting, again, at  5am  N

You're not in Kansas Anymore...and by Kansas, I mean Boston.

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This morning I hopped on a plane heading from Boston to Nashville. I have never really stayed anywhere that was not on a coast for more than a few days, but I will be down in Nashville for almost an entire month. For many years my cousin Jo Dee Messina has inspired me with her music, and now it is my turn to inspire her with fitness. It means a lot to me to be able to give something back to her. I never liked country music growing up. I always thought it was cool that she was so talented, but I never really 'got' the music. It wasn't until 2005 when my cousin Joseph passed away from a rare form of childhood cancer called neuroblastoma, that her music became more to me than just something I was hearing. A month after he passed she had a show up in Boston that the whole Messina family was attending. I remember that the proceeds of the show were being donated to St. Judes Childrens hospital . Beyond that, Jo Dee did a 3 song tribute to Joseph. There was a huge slide show o