Health & Fitness over 8 years ago by Liz Adams

Fitness Challenge

sequins & stripes fitness challenge inspired by Tone It UpIf you follow me on snapchat (name: lizadamsss) then you probably saw my rant on Sunday about my decision to get my butt in gear and finally get healthy after having Charlie. Not that I’m not NOT healthy, but after 7 months I’m ready to give a little love back to myself. I had so many followers show interest in me sharing my experience with you all so I wanted to break it down for you.

Let me start by saying that I am currently 1 pound below my pre-baby weight – which is great! However, my body is completely different and areas that used to feel ‘tight’ are now feeling extremely soft. I am sick of making up excuses for as to why I didn’t fit in a quick workout or opting to grab a burger and a beer with Dave rather than cooking something nutritious at home. I am ready to hold myself more accountable and I think by sharing my goals with you I’ll be more inclined to keep up with the plan (with so many of you following along, too!).

If you have followed Sequins & Stripes for awhile then you probably noticed me mention Tone It Up, a fitness and nutrition program and website that makes being healthy fun thanks to Karena and Katrina, the brains behind the brand. I learned about them when I was pregnant and would do at least one of their workouts daily. They make it easy to set aside a few minutes to yourself and you have fun doing it because K+K are cute, fun and their bodies are dreamy. Every year before summer they launch the Bikini Series, an 8 week fitness and nutritional program that they make easy to follow along because they break down EVERYTHING for you on a daily basis. This year I decide to sign up but knew that I wouldn’t be able to follow their exact program. Unfortunately my days are so unpredictable with Charlie that I have to give myself a little leeway but map my days with the intention to follow the 8 Week Nutrition Plan and Bikini Series workout schedule as best that I can.  Ok, so what is my plan?

My plan is to document this on my social channels, mainly snapchat. Every Sunday morning I am going to post a schedule like the one above to my snapchat account (name: lizadamsss) Not only does it help me to write everything out and cross it off as I go, but that way you can see what my goals are for the week ahead and plan accordingly! I don’t want to put a lot of pressure on myself to do this for a specific period of time (like the 8 week bikini series). For example, Charlie is sick with a double ear infection and I ate TWO large bags of Skinny Pop yesterday, oops. My goal is to be really regimented until Thursday, May 19th because that is when I leave for Charleston to celebrate my grandmother’s 90th birthday for a week with my family. So don’t put a lot of pressure on yourself to be all-in, all-the-time. Life happens and in my book that’s okay. I want it to be fun! If we get to May 19th and I am feeling great then I am going to take these concepts with me on our trip and go from there.

I have set aside a few rules for myself:

  • 10,000 steps/day – I ordered this to track!
  • 100 oz of water/day
  • exercise in the morning, followed by breakfast with a protein
  • NO dairy
  • NO processed sugars
  • NO carbs past 2pm
  • NO food past 7pm
  • LEAN, CLEAN, GREEN

On my snapchat I’ll be sharing daily snaps of the meals I’m cooking, my workouts and anything else that may be exciting – my outfits, Charlie being cute, duh. Tone It Up provides daily workouts here and you can find all of their Youtube videos here (so if I say ‘booty’ or ‘arm’ day you can find a workout to match). I love that their workouts are 8-20 minutes long, making it easy to fit them in! I’m going to try my best to be regimented about my meals but somedays I’m out of the house and in that case I’m going to focus on lean, clean and green choices. Also, my calendar may change but hopefully it is a platform for what I can expect for the week.

Do you have any questions? I tried to lay it out as clear as possible since my brain is kind of a mess. Feel free to email me with any specifics! Love you guys, you are such an amazing support system and I value you all more than you’ll ever know.

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  1. This is awesome! One question: how does alcohol fit in? Does that count as processed sugar? 🙂

  2. Just want to send you words of encouragement on your challenge! As an FYI, I spotted you outside of the TJoes a few weeks ago and 1) you are so naturally pretty in person and 2) I was shocked how lean you are post baby! Pictures don’t do you justice lady!

    Congrats on all of your hard work and don’t be too hard on yourself 🙂

  3. Psyched!

    Had a baby boy in September. Lower than my pre-pregnancy weight too, but definitely teen a kick in the pants to get toned (stretched ab muscles, hello!). this will help! And love the idea of having an intermittent goal (May 19th).

    Also, would kill for TIU girls’ bodies!!!

  4. Love this! Just got a fitbit last week and have been competing with friends to see who can get the most steps daily. I’m already pretty active but I see myself being even more active when I see one of my friends with more steps than me. You really don’t realize how little you walk throughout the day until you use one of those things!

  5. YESSS. So looking forward to following along with you for this! I’ve been mapping out my weeks each Sunday evening and have been aiming to get in 10,000 steps each day (Fitbit is a great motivator and brings out my competitive side). It’s crazy scary how much I don’t move at my desk all day and it has forced me to take extra trips to get water and in general, just move. I’m also doing 50 squats each day until Memorial Day on top of the classes I take during the week (one strength + rowing, one cycling class, one class at Bar Method and one run outside – thank god for ClassPass). Here’s to keeping each other accountable!

    26 and Not Counting

  6. Yes! Love the idea of mapping out each week and excited to try some of the TIU videos! This is just the extra motivation I need before my June wedding!!

  7. Hi Liz, thanks for sharing! Wondering what happened to the Dailey Method? Do you not like it anymore or found you were no longer getting results? I remember you used to love it and it inspired me to try barre myself.

    PS you look fantastic and Charlie sure is cute!

  8. OMG this is awesome because I have been trying to eat more healthy as well. My LO is 5 months old and I am well below my weight before baby however, I need to tone things up. On days I don’t get a workout in I strap on my Tula and go for a walk with my son who is 21lbs lol it is more of a workout than I thought it would be. Thank you for the motivation I will be following along!!!! I also gave up dairy I should say I tried to and the refined surgers are much easier to ditch than the dairy. I am determined though.

  9. I just started the TIU Bikini Series as well! While I don’t have a baby, I am nearing the end of graduate school and the long hours spent working and sitting in the library studying have not been kind to my body (or my booty!!)! I’m like you, I can’t follow the plan to an exact T, but I’m trying to incorporate as many of the meals/smoothies into my day and working with the ‘Lean, Clean and Green’ motto when it gets to be too much! I am loving the workouts, honestly – 2 weeks in and I already feel like my arms and legs are getting stronger! Wishing you an awesome Bikini Series, and you should know that you look fantastic no matter what! 🙂

    http://meganinmedicine.blogspot.com

  10. Looking forward to following along! I am pregnant with my 2nd and it’s so easy to make excuses for indulging on a daily basis (chocolate chip cookie? yes please!). I know I will feel better by eating more greens. I’ve heard it’s harder to lose the baby weight with your 2nd. If I make healthier choices, I know I’ll be happier post-baby. You’ve inspired me to give it a shot! And I love your perspective that sometimes life gets in the way. You gotta do what you gotta do somedays to survive. 🙂

    On a side note, what kind of pens do you use? I’m a bit of a pretty pen collector.

  11. I’m so excited that you are sharing this Liz!! I am a TIU member too but I have fallen off working out train. I have also been trying to get back to a healthy me, I’m excited to follow along and keep myself accountable too!

    Xo, Leah
    https://thesuburbanista.co

  12. Looking forward to following along with you Liz!! I too get lazy (life happens) then I get guilty when I don’t hit the gym. I know diet is super important and like you, I am trying to cut out dairy, sugars and for me, even go gluten free when possible. Sometimes we don’t realize some of the things we eat on the daily is actually hurting us, and if we cut it out it would make a big difference! I saw your snap of the veggie burger over a salad and I went and bought the same things! My struggle is finding a mixture of things to eat so I don’t get bored!

  13. This is so great! I’m getting married in September and need every ounce of motivation!

    and it was me who said on Snap you should have a Youtube channel- you would be awesome!

  14. Loosing the weight after baby is only half the battle! Putting yourself back together after baby both mentally and physically is a full time job! Since you live in Chicago try Shred415. They have a studio in Lincoln Park and I’ve found that its the most effective workout is an hour. I’m 5 months post 2nd baby and I love this class. It’s a small busniess run by 2 women/moms who also live in Chicago. They even have a package called shred the baby bump!! Good luck getting your workout groove back. P.S. Treat yo’ self to some new workout clothes! That always helps to motivate me!

  15. If you have time (maybe on your fight) read the book It Starts With Food. It talks about all of the health benefits of a Paleo diet (no grains, dairy, or processed foods… Pretty much what you’re doing) and how it impacts your body. It’s a great read! I love Paleo and it keeps me full without craving snacks or sugar. My favorite site for recipes is PaleOMG.com and her latest cookbook is amazing. Her Instagram is also inspiring. Good luck n your journey! As a new mom to my 3rd baby, I’m right there with you!!

  16. Hi Liz! I am so excited about this as well! And I love that you’re sharing both exercises and recipes. I’m wondering, have you considered starting an email group with those who want to follow along? I’d love to see your plan each week posted here or via email so it’s easy to follow along and check back in. I love, love following along on Snapchat, but starting a group could be a fun, supportive way too!

  17. Hi Liz! I am going through a similar challenge right now. I am only a few pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight… but my body is not nearly as toned as it used to be. Anyhow, I would like to offer my encouragement and I am excited to hear about your results!!
    P.S. What protein powder do you use?

    1. I just use my husband’s but Toneitup.com sells their Perfect Fit brand of protein that I think I’m going to try! I also really like Trader Joe’s whey protein 🙂

  18. So inspiring, thank you for being so open and sharing everything each step of the way! I’ve loved seeing the updates on Snapchat (I’m ephilli). It is absolutely mind blowing how much a body changes during pregnancy, I don’t think I was prepared for that part :). Good luck moving forward, I think you already look FAB!

    Erin, Attention to Darling
    http://www.attentiontodarling.com

  19. Yay, that’s so exciting that you’re planning a fitness challenge! Have you heard of the Whole30 challenge? I just did one and it’s such a great way to get healthy AND teach yourself what you’re capable of (food wise). Good luck!

  20. Tone It Up is the best!! I’m so impressed that you did their workouts while pregnant–I’m 20 weeks along with my first baby, and have stopped doing most TIU workouts for now since I don’t feel like I know what modifications to make, if any. I’ve switched to Ballet Beautiful’s pregnancy dvds for now (and love them!), but am a little sad sad to miss out on the Bikini Series this year! Cheering you on!!

  21. Hey, I’m doing Bikini Series, too! You got this, girl. The term I keep repeating for motivation is “make yourself a priority.” It’s powerful for body AND mind! Good luck and have fun with it! We’re in this together!

  22. Total inspiration! I’m 5 months postpartum and ready to shed this weight. Loved reading this post. Thank you for sharing!! You look great!