Tai Cheng - Day 1

Today was day one of Tai Cheng. I have really been looking forward to this! After I finally got past some obstacles, I did a round of Insanity from April to June. That was a fabulous experience, and I plan to do it again. However, there's nothing like moving your body through space at top speed and doing explosive work to highlight your movement shortcomings. I'm all about correct form, so I'm looking forward to what Tai Cheng can do for me. This seems like the perfect thing to do during the Ultimate Reset, which starts tomorrow.



Energy Assessment There is a very revealing energy assessment for Day 1 and Day 90. I had to answer sometimes and always to too many. Boo!

Function Test The first physical thing Dr. Cheng has you do is a functional test. It's in your book, and he also reviews it on video. He smartly recommends that you have someone do this with you, because it's hard to score your own form. There are 7 moves with a very specific scoring system. I had an issue on the very first move!  One of the things I like already is his discussion on pain and discomfort during these movements, and you score yourself accordingly. My tough spots: right knee, low back, tight right shoulder/lat, tight hamstrings. I consider myself to be fairly strong, somewhat flexible and have good form. I scored a 9 out of a possible 20. I have work to do!!

Master Scroll Tai Cheng provides a DVD that takes you through things like breathing and a break down of each move. I went through the entire DVD. It's amazing how holding static postures and doing movement with fluid control is more challenging than it looks! On the very first move I felt a little tweak in my knee that has been bothering me. I made all the adjustments Dr. Cheng instructed, and it completely corrected it - I felt no other discomfort during the rest of the moves.

Day 1 The first training took me through a Neural Reboot and the first Tai Chi move. The reboot includes very controlled and precise key body movements through space, as well as foam rolling. LOVE it. This was my first exposure to Tai Chi. For someone who is used to intense workouts, psyching myself up, pushing hard, etc, this is a complete change. I'm ready for this. It made me realize how bad I need it. It will take a lot of discipline and mindfulness for me to grasp this fully.

My overall take is that I already have tremendous respect for Dr. Cheng, I very much need this progrram, it's perfect as I go through the reset, and it confirmed my need for improved movement patterns before adding external weight and explosiveness. 

Preparing to Start the Ultimate Reset

I'm squealy excited about this and kind of scared too. My Ultimate Reset start date is July 11! It is suggested to start on a Wednesday because days 3-5 can be tough, so they would fall on the weekend when you can get extra rest or deal with issues. I work from home, so I don't anticipate I would need that, but I'm going to do it as suggested so I can better coach others.

I've read through my book. Each phase has a purpose. The first phase (week 1) is about getting control again. The structure, the food, the timing. This is going to be great for me because I tend to freestyle. For 21 days I'll have specific meals, portions and recipes to follow. The supplements, eating and drinking are purposeful and this is much needed for me. Knowing what to eat and doing it are two different things. I'm a little nervous about the cooking aspect. I tend to eat single items, maybe two or three on my plate, I cook in bulk a lot and tend to make concoctions, not recipes. It's been a while since I've had my hands on ingredients and recipes.

I have a space in my kitchen for all my reset stuff - supplements, program and nutrition guide, shopping lists, etc. If I don't organize myself I tend to get scattered. I've decided to keep it all in this cute little red basket.

So here are the other things I need to do to prep:

• Visit the website and indicate my start date (I'll get emails each day for meal reminders & encouragement)
• Print off my shopping lists for each week
• Join the phase one (week 1) online forum for support
• Go grocery shopping! 
• Brush off some of those kitchen gadgets I've not used in a while!

Stay tuned - more to come on my Ultimate Reset adventure!

I'm Doing the Ultimate Reset!

Okay, so I've finally decided to start the Ultimate Reset. After attending our Beachbody Coach Summit I realized it is the right thing to do. I'm always saying I wish I could hit a reset button. Well now I can! Guess I wish it could really be that easy, but it will take some work.

Here is what my kit looks like:

I also got a very cool long-handled brush for dry brushing my skin!

The first thing I am going to do is dig into the Program and Nutrition Guide. Looks like this will walk me through more detail on the concept, the phases (each week is a phase) and their purpose; the supplements, what to expect, how to prepare, the common lifestyle issues I will need to address, a personal assessment, the supplement regimen and timing, and the meal plans for each day. 

I've decided that my start date will be July 11. From what I understand, Days 3-5 are the toughest, so they suggest starting on a Wednesday so the tough days fall on the weekend. I work from home, so I'm not sure it matters, but that makes sense to me and so I am going to do it so I can grasp it and help others with it. 

Let me know if you want more information on this program! Check it out at my Beachbody website.  

The Best Detox Program Available

So you want to do a cleanse or a detox? Well I have one for you.

I just spent an entire week in Vegas at the Beachbody Coach Summit and got to talk to a lot of people about the Ultimate Reset. Two years in the making, from experts Isabelle Daikeler and Darin Olien (co-creators of Shakeology), the Ultimate Reset has been through test groups and people all over with astounding results. We're seeing people lower their cholesterol, drop weight, stabilize blood sugar, lose unwanted inches, lower their blood pressure, increase energy and clarity and resolve digestive issues.

After this week I'm convinced. 

It comes as a kit with very specific supplements, a detailed meal by meal food plan with recipes, DVDs on preparing yourself and cooking/food prep tips and demonstrations, a FAQ, online support forums, shopping lists, a commitment bracelet, and guidance from your Beachbody Coach (um, that would be me).

You need to know that this isn't some crazy Hollywood starvation pooping cleanse.

This isn't a drop 2 dress sizes really fast kind of thing (although some have). This is 21 days of a structured lifestyle change with supplements and food prep and cooking and eating whole, fresh food. It nourishes your body with the things you need to the cellular level. It's a push to try new things, new combos and get messy in the kitchen again. Shoot, you'll even spend some time in the produce section instead of the cookie aisle, and you'll wake up your taste buds!

I will be doing this cleanse and sharing my experience. I came home with my kit and am deciding on a start date. Stay tuned for my adventure with it, but in the meantime, check out this video: