#ShapelyGirl Fitness Final Post And GIVEAWAY!!!

Here we are, November 1st, the beginning of a new month, and you are reading my final post on my #shapelygirl fitness DVD challenge. If you missed any of my previous posts, you can see them HERE. I do hope you will check out my previous posts as this has been a MONTH long journey for me to take steps at getting moving toward a better (and hopefully thinner) new me!

So what is this all about, you might be asking? Well, I was chosen along with 26 other women to try one of Debra Mazda's ShapelyGirl Fitness DVD's for one month and report weekly on my progress along with a full review on the last day. I got to choose from a couple of different DVD's and I chose the "Let's Get Stepping" DVD. I took a step class at the gym about 9 years ago. I really liked it and have had three babies and haven't done any step classes since so I thought it would be fun to get this DVD and try it at home. What I never realized was how much MORE I would get out of this than just a step class. I went to Debra Mazda's website and learned all about her testimony and how she began her own personal road to fitness. Here she is below when she weighed over 300 lbs.

You can read the full testimony at Debra's website HERE.

 What I love about Debra's story is that it is so much less of focusing on dieting and exercising.

 Her motto is,

 "Fitness comes in many sizes. 

Get off the couch, start moving and feel better, today."

I LOVE this no-nonsense approach to getting in shape. Over the last month I had MANY days when I just struggled to get off my couch to fit my workout in, and then I would remember Debra's words. Just "get off the couch"! So I would find the time to get my workout in. Some days it wasn't until after 7 p.m. other days it was early afternoon or before lunch. I always tried to make sure my body was fueled but not full (of food). I worked out with this video at least twice each week, sometimes 3 or 4 times which is what Debra suggests if we really want to see the big changes.

 “My mission is to share my story to help women learn the skills they need to win the battle with food and self esteem.”-Debra Mazda

On The ShapelyGirl Fitness website Debra also shares recipes. I love Debra's "Breakfast of Champions" recipe. I had already begun adding 1/2 cup of Chobani plain non-fat yogurt to my cereal which adds an additional 11.5 grams of protein to my diet even before adding the milk! I LOVE this breakfast and sometimes eat it for a snack. I drizzle a little agave nectar over the yogurt and cereal for a little extra sweetness (I have a huge sweet tooth) but without affecting my blood sugar levels. But back to the DVD!

"At the age of 21, locked into an abusive relationship and struggling with chronic depression and high blood pressure, Mazda took one simple, but daring, step that changed her life. She walked in the door of her neighborhood gym.  Her first workout exhausted her so completely that two bodybuilders had to carry her off the gym floor. But a call from the gym manager encouraged Mazda to come back the next day, and a habit was born. A habit that is at the heart of Mazda’s primary message to other ShapelyGirls, to “get moving.”"

I love this photo of the orange picking itself up. I feel like that some days and Debra's testimony inspires me to pick myself up and carry on, get moving! The DVD has fun music to workout to. Debra is a great motivator too. I feel like she's right there in my living room encouraging me to complete the steps. I love the balance of intense stepping mixed with dance steps like the "cha-cha". I can really get my body moving to Debra's workout during the "cha-cha" and my husband has enjoyed watching me workout a time or two! 

Here is a photo of my new "step" my husband actually built for me to complete this DVD fitness challenge. He even painted it PINK!

 I found if I couldn't fit an entire DVD workout in at one time I could stop the DVD after 20 minutes and still feel like I got a great workout in. In my first few workouts I didn't always add the optional toning session with weight lifting and sit-ups but as I got using the DVD, by the 4th week, I was making the time to do the toning session because I was feeling so much stronger! I could see results from my hard work (and SWEAT!) 

So in one month, I have lost a total of 5 lbs. I would have liked to have seen a bigger weight loss but I am proud of the loss overall. It works out to be about 1 1/4 lbs lost each week. Not a significant amount, but I am most proud of the total INCHES I lost.

Here I am with my daughter at week one.

My total INCHES lost were as follows...

1/2 inch LOST in calves

1/2 inch LOST in arms

1 1/2 inches LOST in thighs

3 1/2 inches LOST in hips

and my biggest LOSS....

(Here I am tonight with my daughter again.)

5 1/2 inches lost in my waist!!!!

Woo hoo! My pants are fitting better than ever!  I feel better. I don't feel like I'm dragging at 2:30 p.m. every single day any more. I not only have more energy, I have stamina. This helps a lot in homeschooling all my kids for sure! My daughter was dancing and running around the room the other day and I felt the urge to (once again) just jump off the couch and start chasing my daughter. I chased her around the room for several minutes and I noticed I wasn't feeling winded in the least like I normally would.

All I can say is that we all KNOW we need to take care of these bodies we have been given. I've had six babies, all by c-section. I KNOW the strain on my stomach muscles and how hard it is to not only carry the extra weight around but also how hard it is to want to eat healthy and get off my couch to exercise. Debra Mazda's videos are SO inspiring. They feature REAL, shapely women dressed very modestly. I felt like I was working out with a group of my friends. I hope some of you check out her videos and take the first step to a new YOU! I am so enthusiastic about these videos Debra Mazda has allowed a handful of our original group to offer a DVD FREE. That's right, one of you can own one of Debra's DVD's for FREE. Enter daily for a chance to win one of Debra Mazda's ShapelyGirl Fitness DVD's! Just follow the link below to enter!

(Noelle Mena-Photo credit)

"You were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies" 1 Corinthians 6:20 NIV.

 I received a free copy of this DVD to review and one to give away. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations. I am part of The CWA Review Crew.

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