#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.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you would like to share this giveaway with your friends click here to get the code .

Fitness Friday: ShapelyGirl Fitness Week 1

 I was chosen to be a part of a special crew from Christian Women Affiliate to form a group of 27 amazing ladies to encourage one another while we review Debra Mazda's ShapelyGirl Fitness Videos. You can read my introductory post here. For the month of October I will be checking in every Friday for my Fitness Friday link up post to let you know how I am doing. Be sure to check out the other gals on the fitness crew for their updates as well! I will post a final review on November 2, 2012, so be watching for that too! That's where I will share my thoughts about the entire month as a whole and what I think about the DVD, "Let's Get Stepping".

For now, here is my week 1 wrap up!

Debra Mazda recommends doing this video 3-4 times a week, so I thought I would begin on Monday and exercise Monday, Wednesday, Friday. The first day I took all my measurements. Now remember, Debra says, "Fitness comes in many sizes". 

Here is a photo of me just as I'm beginning to start my very first ShapelyGirl Fitness video! I am able to fit back into some size 10 pants but because of my hips and thighs, I still feel most comfortable in a size 12. I would like to be a size 8 or at least feel really comfortable in my size 10's. You can read about where I began my road to fitness here. 

I began Debra Mazda's DVD on Monday. For my first workout, my husband wanted to check it out, (he likes to work out with me), we watched the introduction but my husband was eager to get started as it was getting kind of late in the evening and the baby was fussing. So we gave the baby to our teenage son and began the workout and made it through about 20 minutes. My 4 year old daughter made it almost to the end, working really hard at the steps, marching it out with my husband when the steps got too confusing. She laid down at one point and asked, "Can this be the modified version?" I couldn't stop laughing, but I pressed on! I lost my stepping partner when Debra got to the "cha cha" and suggested swinging our hips to the music. I loved it, of course, it was a lot of fun, but my husband had had enough. He understood why this was called "ShapelyGirl", "this is for women for sure!" he commented. I made it most of the way through but the baby was fussing so I ended the workout with plenty of sweat, anxious to learn how much further I had to go to complete the workout.

Well, I found out on Thursday! I didn't workout on Tuesday (as planned) but I just couldn't get it together to work out on Wednesday. It had rained all day and I had totally lost all my motivation to m-o-v-e! So I picked the stepping video up again onThursday and made it through the entire stepping portion of the video. I did some of the stretching, but not the toning. 

Today, (Friday) was a pretty crazy day. We cleaned house and did some homeschooling, then had some wonderful friends over for a biology class and my husband headed off for work for the night shift. Getting my work out in today was looking pretty near impossible. I sat down on the couch at 7:30 to nurse the baby and I probably could have just gone to sleep right then and there...but I didn't! I got the baby settled down, changed diapers on my 9 month old and my 2 year old, made sure my kids had dinner, then handed the baby off to my teenage son. I completed a 30 minute portion of the video before my baby began crying and needed me. I was so proud of myself! I hit the shower then was finally able to sit down and snuggle the baby while I ate my dinner at 9:00 p.m. I know this is worth it, but today was really a struggle for me!

Now that I've been through most of the video a few times I'm looking forward to next week. I'm hoping working out will leave me more energized, but just thinking about fitting in a workout when I'd rather sleep makes me tired! Good night! :)

I received a free copy of this DVD to review. 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.

Introducing....ShapelyGirl Fitness! #shapelygirl

Below are all the links to follow my progress!

Week ONE Fitness Friday Check-in

Week TWO Fitness Friday Check-in

Week THREE Fitness Friday Check-in

Week FOUR Fitness Friday Check-in

Final Post and wrap-up!

When I joined Christian Women Affiliate I was really excited about being able to get a few books to review, but I was over the top EXCITED to learn I was chosen to join the special crew to review the ShapelyGirl Fitness DVD! My DVD,  "Let's Get Stepping" just arrived today and I cannot wait to get started! I will be doing this along with 27 other amazing women as a "challenge" using the ShapelyGirl Fitness DVD's for the month of October!



"Debra Mazda’s Shapely Girls focus is…
No Matter what size you are- even if you’ve never worked out before- start moving, breathing and feeling great. Debra is living proof you don’t need to be a size 2 to be Fit & Fabulous! At 315 pounds, Debra decided that diets were not the answer and discovered that exercise can transform your body and your life. Debra & her Shapely Girl Team will work out right along with you and teach you to embrace your curves while getting fit and healthy. She’s now a Healthy and Fit size 10."


But why would I want to be on this crew? Well, I've got at least SIX reasons! My 6 kids!!!
But to be vulnerable, share my struggles openly? Why would I CHOOSE to do that?!
Because I think we all struggle with weight. I want to be open and honest that having 6 kids and staying fit is hard work!

I'm 38 years old and I spend my days homeschooling my kids and driving them to all their co-op and extra-curricular activities. I don't always pay attention to my body's needs for exercise and nutrition. I'm also about 20-25 pounds heavier than I would like to be! Here I am in January of this year after giving birth to my 6th child. (Note the exercise equipment in the background. Available to the entire family, yet barely used!) I think I weigh about 185 lbs. here. I'm still pretty puffy from my c-section too.

Over the sixteen years I have been birthing my kids, my weight has gone up and down. I usually gain about 35-40 pounds per pregnancy. Not a HUGE amount but more than my body should probably gain especially in order to take the weight off quickly. So I figure I've probably gained over 240 lbs in the last 16 years, and taken off all of it except for the last 25-30 lbs. My body likes to hover at a certain weight where my hormones are unstable, placing me in the battle against infertility more than once. (I know, you wouldn't think that looking at me with 6 kids, but it's true! Second time infertility has been a huge part of my life these last 12 years.)

I still love to be active with my kids though. Here I am with my youngest son on a walk last week.

I'm hoping to gain tons of energy and strength while increasing in flexibility and loosing inches over the next month! I will be watching my scale (can't help it!) but I'm focusing more on my energy and inches lost for the month! I used to take a step class about 9 years ago and had a lot of fun, so I'm really looking forward to this DVD!
I hope you will check back each Friday for a Fitness Friday check-in and follow along with me as I accept this ShapelyGirl Fitness challenge!

Here is more info about the DVD I will be using!

Debra Mazda and her ShapelyGirl team are back with Let's Get Stepping!, a step-cardio workout for beginners. Debra Mazda, M.Ed is the leader of the plus-size fitness movement and creator of the ShapelyGirl DVD series. Her philosophy is Fitness Comes in Many Sizes and she will inspire you to get moving with her friendly, energetic style and her personal story of overcoming obesity once and for all through exercise.

This workout will help you burn calories and increase flexibility and stamina. It includes fun, easy-to-learn moves designed for larger women, but they are great for anyone who is new to Step or hasn't done it for a while. Features of this DVD include Debra's Step Tutorial (where she demonstrates each move), a bonus Cardio track with weights, and a new edition of "Circle Time" where the ShapelyGirls share their thoughts on body image, finding their motivation and working toward their fitness goals.

Level: Beginner

Runtime: approximately 82 minutes

You can check out a sample below of what I'll be doing!!! Woot! Woot! 

I look forward to sharing with you THIS Friday!

I just LOVE this picture, special thanks to Noelle Mena for creating it and allowing us to share it! God bless!

  I received a free copy of this DVD to review. 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.

Road to Fitness- Checking In!

When my doctor gave me the go ahead to start exercising after my 6 week check up, I didn't hesitate to get started. I was anxious to get MOVING again! This was my sixth pregancy though! I didn't even know where to BEGIN! I cried out to God asking Him to help me get motivated to get moving again. His answer came in the most unexpected ways!
I was sitting at my lovely Moms group when this mom I didn't know really well boldy stood up and shared her testimony of this dvd exercise program she had started. It was called Prayfit. I decided to order it at Amazon.

It arrived in about four days and I began the video with my kids!


Here I am before starting the video:

And here is my progress so far:

January 5, 2012 Delivery Day! 196 lbs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my gosh! The biggest I've ever been in my life!!!!!


February 15, 2012 6 week post-partum check-up  174 lbs!!!! Down 22 lbs!!! Just dropping the baby's weight, fluids, and breastfeeding

March 6th, 2012 Started Prayfit

After 3 weeks (around day 21) I began to feel stronger and was getting a little bored with the video, quite honestly. So when my husband invited my son to go along with him running and he refused, I said, "yes". So I began running. You can read my journey here.

I began adding running a mile and a half in between using my ellipitical in addition to keeping up with the Pray fit dvd.

After only 3 weeks I had dropped 6 lbs and was gaining so much energy!

On April 1, 2012 I weighed in at 168.

By the end of April, on April 28th, 2012 I checked in at 163.

At the end of May, on May 27, 2012 I checked in at my lowest weight so far, 158!!! ****

I am pretty well near where I started when I got pregnant with little Super Wy. You can read about his story here

And here I am now! Down 38 lbs!!!!!


My husband and I are working toward doing some sort of physical activity each day, whether it is the PrayFit dvd or going for a run. It is a lot of fun to do this together! By the way, he has also lost about 13 pounds himself!
We give all the praise and glory to God for our health, and our fitness, for the very breath in our lungs!

As Jimmy Pena says, "In Jesus' name, we train!"

The Wind Beneath My Wings

I used to run in track in high school.



Jumping hurdles was one of my favorite events.

I also used to be a cheerleader. Both of those activities came to a halt when I was 15. I finally went in to see the doctor for my knee. My left knee was swollen and "locking" on me. It was difficult to walk . Fuzzy x-rays lead my doctor to believe I may have a tumor, but he couldn't say for sure it wasn't cancerous.

Off I went to Mass General for a biopsy. It turned out I did NOT have a tumor PTL, but was diagnosed with Osteo Chondritis Dissecans. Part of my left upper leg bone had been injured some time during my childhood and had lost its blood supply at the knee. A piece of bone was floating around and caused those fuzzy x-rays. The doctors drilled the bone and had me on crutches, non-weight-bearing, for four months. I also had to wear a full-leg, plastic, bendable leg brace for the duration. It fit over a thin pair of pants and slipped into my shoe to stabilize my knee, hoping new bone would regrow.
It didn't really work. After four months of not seeing much regrowth the doctor let me walk on  the leg. Just two years later I was still having knee trouble so I went back in for more surgery. I was 17 and a senior in high school. I ended up spending 6 months of my senior year on crutches. People were probably pretty tired of seeing me on crutches. I never seemed to get off them! I finally did as my doctor wasn't seeing anymore healing and I had already been kind of walking on the leg anyway, trying it out. I wanted to run, I wanted to live!

Six years later, I went in for more knee surgery since the knee was still bothering me. By this time I had gotten married and had two little boys. The youngest was just 5 months old. My sister's wedding was just a week away. My doctor let me use crutches for a week and then gave the go ahead to walk down the aisle for my sister's wedding. The knee was still swollen but I made it down the aisle!




That was 14 years ago. I've never been a runner because of this knee. It probably kept me out of trouble I suppose too. I was interested in joining the military in high school for its GI bill, but my knee held me back. But I still find ways to be active. I love to ride bikes, go hiking, swimming, take walks. I used to take a step class and Pilates class too. My knee is usally there to tell me to slow down.

We have been working out every day for the last month using a DVD called PrayFit. I wanted to add more cardio. Last week I decided to run again. My husband often runs a mile and a half to stay fit for his job as a police officer. He asked our oldest son if he wanted to go running with him. He said, "no". I turned to my husband and said, "I'll go with you!" So began my journey of learning to run!
The first mile and a half was painful and pretty much "sucked". It felt like I was going to die in about three different places along the route! A sharp cramp in my side didn't help much either. But after a day of rest, I actually WANTED to run again!
The first week I ran three times, each 1 1/2 miles. That makes for a total of 4 1/2 miles for Week 1.

Week two of learning to run I found two new running partners since my husband has been sick most of the week. My dog and my nine year-old son like to run with me. Two days at 1 1/2 miles makes 3 miles plus TODAY I decided to extend my run and ummm DOUBLE it and run 3 miles! Yep, I ran 3 miles today! So I still have to stop and walk in a couple of places but I almost entirely ran the 3 miles. So that makes 6 miles run this week, Week 2!
Did I mention that I broke my toe yesterday? Yeah, I stubbed it on one of the baby's infant seats and it hurts like heck! It turned purple and probably is broken. But I can still fit it into my shoe and it stops hurting after the first half mile of the run. No kidding!

So as I pushed through the running this morning, my knee didn't bother me at all, nor the toe. I looked up to the heavens and saw a beautiful blue sky and thought of my dear Grammie who went to be with Jesus just two days ago. She used to walk these same roads. Today I run for her.
Love you Grammie. You are the wind beneath my wings.