Team Beachbody ¡preestreno!Español Guest

I've always been pretty lean, but I gained between 36-42 pounds with each of my pregnancies. After I had my 3rd child, and especially after I turned 40, I found that I really wasn't happy with my shape. I was what they call "fat thin" - not really heavy but kind of soft around the middle. The only time I ever really lost weight and started to look good was when I was sick and didn't eat!

I have done weight lifting in the past, but I found that going to the gym took too much time. When I heard about Chalean Extreme, I jumped right in! I love weight training, and the transformation to my body on this program was amazing! I lost 2% body fat in just the first month!

By continuing with this program, then adding in Brazil Butt Lift Turbo Fire, and P90X, I was able to reach my initial fitness goals. By continually mixing things up, I was usually able to stay within a couple of pounds of my goal weight and close in inches, as well.

Then, in early 2011, I suffered an injury to my achilles and hamstring. I couldn't jump, and doing anything where I pointed my toes (like wearing high-heeled shoes) was out of the question. I began a program of rest and ultrasound in the hope of being able to workout again. After a while, my hamstring got better, and my achilles was on the mend. But then, vacation and shortly thereafter a work conference with my husband got me seriously off track. I'm the type who feels that even though you are on vacation, you never take a vacation from working out. But, with my injuries, I had gotten used to babying myself too much. I would work out, but I also gave myself permission to eat a treat here and there because I was "on vacation." Despite my time in the hotel gym, those extra treats added up and put me almost back to where I had started a couple of years earlier.

I was frustrated with myself, without a doubt, but I didn't let it get me down. As Chalene Johnson says, "one day at a time, one workout at a time, one pound at a time."

I was ready to take charge of my health again. I began following the food program again, logging in religiously for my workouts, and trying to find ways to keep active despite any injuries I still faced.

Believe it or not, the answer came in the form of Turbo Fire. I'd tried to do the Turbo Fire workouts "all out" before but found that even though my 43-year-old brain wanted to go all out, my 43-year-old body didn't always agree. So, I had to do a serious mental adjustment, honestly, and tell myself that it was okay to do things low impact and just because I wasn't doing things the way others might be doing them, I was doing them the way that was best for me.

My inspiration came from two places. One was "The Biggest Loser," where even injured contestants found ways to get the calorie burn and cardio workout they needed. The second came from my standby workout, Chalean Extreme. Donna, I reminded myself, always did her workout low impact, and she looked great!

It was strange and even a little comical at first just how low impact I was able to do the Turbo Fire workouts and still get a great workout, just from the upper body punches alone. And, because my doctor had given me permission to do any exercise that didn't put a strain on my achilles, I was able to do most of the moves from Chalean Extreme without modifying. Thus, I decided to tackle the 20-week Turbo Fire/Chalean Extreme hybrid.