Tomorrow is Day 1 of Body Beast for Scott & I and I can't wait!!! Body Beast is a new program that just came out this spring and is like no other Beachbody program on the market. It's main goal is to put ON weight in the form of muscle. It is completely geared towards men, but the more people I talk to I am finding more and more women doing it. 

Scott is going to do the Huge Beast schedule and I'm going to do the Lean Beast schedule. From what I can tell so far our schedules should be about the same with the exception of about 1 workout each week. 

Scott's looking forward to putting on some size. He has been running a lot this summer, and while he is still very muscular, he's leaned out a bit more than he'd like. 

I have a few goals...

• put on muscle
• get abs :)
• prove to women that lifting heavy won't make you "bulky"
• do unassisted pullups
• prove that a vegan can put on muscle
• be in the Body Beast infomercials 

We're planning on following the meal plan perfectly... which, as you can imagine, can be tough for two vegans. A majority of the meal plan is made up of meat and eggs, and it discourages the use of soy because of it's effects on estrogen, testosterone and metabolism, so tofu is out. We're also planning on taking the Body Beast supplements... with a few tweaks and replacements to the non-vegan ones (I'll post the supplements in a future blog once I see how they work). So far it looks like it's going to be doable with some prep work and planning ahead, but if we get into it and find we're living off of protein powders then we may rethink things as we go. According to the meal plan, I'm supposed to have 9 proteins a day and Scott is supposed to have 13. Thankfully, each serving of Shakeology counts as 2 proteins and a fruit, so we'll each be having 2 servings of Shakeology a day to count as 4 proteins each.

I can't wait to get this started and share my results with everyone! Beast up!

Here's how it went down... About 8 weeks ago Scott came to me and said, "I'm going to run the Rochester Marathon this year". We really hadn't been running much this summer except for a handful of 5k's, and as super human as, I still thought he was crazy. I knew I was out. I was about to start the Ultimate Reset where I wouldn't be able to workout for 3 weeks. No training and no runs mean no marathon for me, and I was more than happy to go as a spectator.

Fast forward to two weeks ago. It was the annual Toronto Vegetarian Food Festival and we drove up for our 3rd year in a row. This year we were excited to get to see Rich Roll speak. For those of you who don't know, Rich Roll is a vegan ultra marathoner and ultra triathlete. He has overcome amazing obstacles in his life and didn't even get back in the training scene until he was 40 years old. He has a new book out called Finding Ultra and as we watched him speak that night it was hard not to leave motivated. 

So what do I do? I sign up for a 1/2 marathon from my phone in the car on the way home... and it's in 2 weeks. I was going to run the Rochester 1/2 Marathon while Scott did the full. I had done 1/2 marathons before, this was going to be my 5th, but I had trained for all the others. I hadn't ran more than 3 miles since the Buffalo Marathon this past May, and I hadn't run at all in almost a month because of the Ultimate Reset, but I had it all figured out. I was going to get in four good runs, a 3-miler, a 5-miler, a 7-miler and a 10-miler. Perfect! 

Well, I should have known, nothing ever goes as planned. The day of the 1/2 marathon comes and I had done 2 runs, just the 3-miler and the 5-miler. I was already signed up so I figured I'd just go and limp through it and try to enjoy it as much as I could. 

The morning of the Rochester Marathon Scott's GPS watch took it's final breath. Perfect timing. I gave my GPS watch to Scott since he was actually trained and running for a good time, and I was going to run with my iPhone. I had a little over an hour on the drive to Rochester to get my phone ready with a playlist and to make sure I had a running app that would work. 

Scott took off at 7:30am with the other runners doing the full marathon, and I was off and running 15 minutes later with the rest of the 1/2 marathoners. I was one mile into it and feeling pretty good.... and then it hit me... I have my iPhone... I can Instagram! Instagram is my newest little addiction (and if you'd like to follow me I'm @juliehendersonfitness). So it began, while running I snapped a shot of the crowd in front of me and along with a slew of others, I hashtagged #mile1. Two miles later, #mile3. I did this every mile or two until I realized... I seriously only have about 3 miles to go! I was having so much fun running while Instagraming that it totally took my mind off the race! I took a picture of my shadow while running on the towpath of the Erie Canal, of a guy in a gorilla suit with a blue cape cheering on the crowd, even the winner of the full marathon passing me at mile 13. 

While it was one of my slowest 1/2's ever (only faster than my 1st 1/2) it was one of the most fun 1/2's I've ever done and I was surprisingly walking much better than most after. I'm still not sure how I pulled it off and still felt so good, but I can only imagine it's from a combo of (mostly) clean eating and just coming off of the Ultimate Reset. 

As for Scott? In true Scott super human fashion he PR'd (Personal Record) his previous full marathon time by a few minutes and finished strong in under 4 hours! 

Beginning October 1st, Canadian citizens living in Canada can now (finally!!!) become Beachbody coaches!

I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am about this and here's why!:

First of all, I was born in Canada in Ottawa. I also lived in Regina, Saskatchewan and my dad is from Toronto.

Second, my entire family is still there (minus my parents and my brother, who are in NY now).

Third, I now live in Buffalo, NY so I'm literally minutes from the border and I get up there to visit family whenever I can. (And I am completely in love with the city of Toronto and would move there in a heartbeat if their winters weren't as cold as Buffalo's!)

I'm also super crazy excited about this because becoming a Beachbody coach is one of the greatest, most rewarding things I've ever done, and now I get to share that with millions and millions of more people!

If you would like more info on how to become one of the founding Canadian coaches please let me know by filling out the Contact Form here. 

If you are ready to change the lives of those around you, and gain financial freedom while doing it, you can sign up here! Right now the first link I'm going to post is for your free Team Beachbody account with me as your coach, which you'll need when you become a coach yourself. The coaching link will now work for Canadians until October 1st, when you can finally become a coach! 

Q: Are you eating real food?
A: Yes! This is not a cleanse where you are only drinking cayenne pepper and maple syrup and it's not a juice fast. You will be eating a whole-food, mostly plant-based, clean eating diet. The recipes in the Ultimate Reset are simple, yet delicious! Don't believe me? Just check out these actual pictures I took of the food I ate when I did the Reset!

Q: Will I be hungry while doing the Reset?
A: The portions are surprisingly larger than than you would expect for a cleanse, but you are not leaving each meal feeling full or stuffed. This may be a new feeling to you if you're used to eating to maximum capacity. For me, it made me realize what true hunger felt like. It also made me realize how often I eat without thought and how much I ate when I was bored, tired and "just because". I physically had enough food, but mentally it took some getting used to. 

Q: Is the food expensive?
A: Yes and No. The first week a good portion of the shopping list is made up of staples; olive, sesame and coconut oils, Bragg's liquid amino acids, miso, three different vinegars, quinoa, millet, rice cereal, spices, nuts, seeds, etc. These are things that you need for the Reset, but that will also last you much longer than the 21 days and become staples in your cupboard. I was fortunate enough to have a few of them on hand already, but if you don't have any to start they can quickly add up. After the first week, the shopping lists are mostly fresh fruit and vegetables, so it's not as bad. Don't forget, during the Reset you're also not going to be going out to dinner, picking up fast food for lunch, stopping for happy hour drinks, or buying your usual coffee or latte in the mornings. Those are things that add up quickly so you may find you are actually saving money doing the Reset. But seriously, even if it is more expensive, it's for your HEALTH so it's TOTALLY worth it!

Q: What kind of results can I expect?
A: Everyone's results are going to be different, but common results of the Ultimate Reset are weight loss, increased energy, decreased cholesterol and blood pressure, decrease in cellulite, better digestion, improved sleep patterns, improved allergies, clearer skin, better mental clarity, more stable blood sugar levels, stronger immune system and decreased inflammation and arthritis. The Ultimate Reset will soon be cited in a peer-reviewed medical journal for it's efficacy in addressing cholesterol and Type 2 diabetes. Here are my personal results from the Ultimate Reset. 

Q: Can I have caffeine or smoke while doing the Ultimate Reset?
A: No. The point of the Reset is to rid your body of toxins, so ingesting toxins while doing the Reset would be counterproductive. During the Reset you are aiming to bring your body back to an alkaline state and coffee is very acidic. You may experience a headache for the first few days if you are used to drinking coffee, but by the end of the 21 days you will find that you no longer need the caffeine boost and that your energy levels are actually higher without it.

Q: Can I workout while on the Reset?
A: No. While on the Reset you want to give your body a break to let it rest and repair itself from the inside out. Exercise causes a break down of muscles and a build up of lactic acid. If you workout while on the Reset your body will be spending it's time repairing tissue and flushing out lactic acid instead of healing and repairing itself.

Q: I'm already vegan, but I see the first week of the Reset has meat and dairy. Can I make substitutions? 
A: Yes! Once you purchase the Ultimate Reset you can log on to www.ultimatereset.com and there you will find the vegan meal plan for week 1 of the Reset. Weeks 2 and 3 are already vegan so there is no need to adjust either of those weeks. Click here for the updated vegan shopping list for week 1. I was vegan prior to doing the Reset so I can personally help you make the necessary adjustments during the first week.

Q: Can I make my meals in advance?
A: Yes. I made most of my meals the night before. That way when I woke up in the morning I just had to grab my food and head to work. This planning ahead was the key to my success with the Ultimate Reset. 

Q: What are in the supplements?
A: During the Reset you will be taking 6 supplements; Mineralize, Oxygenize, Optimize, Alkalinize, Detox and Revitalize. Some you will be taking for the entire 21 days, some for just one phase of the Reset.

• Mineralize is pure crystal salt and contains up to 84 natural minerals and elements. It is added to your drinking water every day during the Reset.
  
• Oxygenize is a source of supplemental oxygen. It comes in a dropper bottle and is taken 3 times a day before meals for the entire cleanse. 
  
• Optimize is a blend of enzymes that you take 3 times a day before meals for every phase of the Reset.
  
• Alkalinize is a greens powder that helps bring your body back to a healthy pH. It is mixed with water and drank once a day every day of the Reset.
  
• Detox is a mix of fiber-rich seeds, herbs and bentonite clay which is used to draw toxins out of the colon. It is mixed with water and taken three times daily during Phase 2.
  
• Revitalize is a probiotic and prebiotic which is taken 3 times daily before meals during the last phase of the Reset.
  

Q: Do I continue taking supplements after the Reset?
A: Whether you decide to continue with the supplements after the Reset is up to you. You may decide to continue taking just one supplement, all six, or any combo of them. Each supplement has dosage instructions for both during the Reset and for maintenance. 

Q: Does the Ultimate Reset come with support?
A: Yes! I will be there to guide you along the way and answer any questions. I will also add you to a facebook group with other people who are also doing the Reset. You will not be doing this alone! 

Q: What do I do before and after the Reset?
A: Before the Reset you should start cutting back on your use of coffee, alcohol and processed foods. This will make the transition into the Reset easier. After the Reset you will want to slowly start reintroducing foods back into your diet over the course of the next few weeks, starting with grains the first week, beans the second week, and animal products the third and fourth weeks, if you decide to add them back in at all.

Q: Can I drink Shakeology while on the Reset?
A: Only vegan Shakeology can be used while on the Reset and only using these approved recipes. 

• Phase 1: 1 scoop in place of breakfast
  
• Phase 2: 1/2 scoop in place of breakfast
  
• Phase 3: 1/2 scoop in place of snack

Personally, I didn't use Shakeology during the Reset. While Shakeology is minimally processed and considered a raw food, I wanted to eat as many whole foods as possible during the cleanse. I added vegan Shakeology back into my diet the first day post-Reset. Whether you chose to use Shakeology during your Reset or not is your personal choice.

Q: It's Day 12 and I just ate the Mediterranean Roasted Beets. Is my pee supposed to be this color?
A: Yes! I grew up eating canned beets, but I remember the first time I ever ate them fresh. The first thing I did was run to the computer and Google "beet pee". And just wait till Day 14. Beet poo.

Goals during and after the Ultimate Reset:

• Eat as many raw, fresh, chemical-free, unprocessed foods as possible
• Breathe as much fresh air as you can
• Drink plenty of good-quality water
• Chew your food thoroughly
• Remove or reduce stress from all the areas of your life that you can
• Get out into nature
• Make healthy choices a habit
• Find time to do what you love
• Laugh more
• Give thanks

To think that only 21 days can have such an impact on your life, your health and how you look and feel is CRAZY! There were ups and downs, but overall I am SO happy I did the Ultimate Reset, I couldn't be happier with my results, and I am already looking forward to doing it again after the new year! Here are some of my results! (and remember, this was only 21 days, NO working out, just clean eating and healthy supplements): 

• lost 8.6 lbs (from 138.6 lbs to 130.0 lbs)
• lost 2% body fat (from 21.5% to 19.5%)
• total cholesterol dropped 12 points (from 151 to 139)
• glucose levels dropped 8 points (from 86 to 78)
• improved sleep
• less puffy and stiff in joints, especially knees
• reduced/eliminated cravings, especially for sugar
• day 12 I noticed a new glow to my compexion
• almost immediately on day 1 I had a great reduction in bloating and gas from taking the Optimize

And if that weren't enough.... take a look at my before and after pictures! (I'm a little sleepy in my after's, this was taken about 30 seconds out of bed!)

If you're like me you've probably never heard of jicama before, or if you have, you've probably walked past it in the grocery store thinking, "what is that?", "who eats that?" and "what do they do with it?" When it turned up on the Ultimate Reset shopping list for not one, not two, but all three weeks I knew I was about to find out!

Surprisingly, it was easy to find and available at both of my local grocery stores so someone out there must be eating it!

So what is jicama? First off, it's pronounced HEE-kah-mah... but I didn't find this out until after I was calling it Ji-kah-mah, so now the real pronunciation sounds funny to me. It's also called a "yam bean" or "Mexican turnip". Originating from Mexico and South America, jicama is a root vegetable with a papery brown cover and a crisp, white inside like a potato or apple. It is from the legume family and grows on vines that can reach up to 20' in length. Only the root should be eaten as the rest of the plant is very poisonous, and they must be peeled before eating.

Jicama is made up of 85-90% water, is high in carbohydrates and dietary fiber, and has only trace amounts of fat and protein. It's rich in vitamins A, C and B, calcium and phosphorus. One cup of cubed jicama contains only 45 calories. It has a mellow, sweet flavor and is usually eaten raw and paired with lemon or lime juice, chili powder, cilantro, ginger or red onion. It is also common in Asian dishes. It gets it's sweet flavor from a prebiotic called oligofructose inulin. 

Jicama can be stored dry for 1-2 months at 53°- 60°F and will last for a few days in the refrigerator after being peeled. When choosing jicama, select roots that are roughly 3-4 lbs as larger roots can be woody.

During the Ultimate Reset, jicama turned up in almost all of the salad recipes as a diced vegetable, and also in one of my favorite recipes, the Jicama Avocado Salad from Day 20's lunch. However you decide to pronounce it, I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did!

Jicama Avocado Salad

1/2 tsp Himalayan salt
1 Tbsp agave nectar
juice of 1 lime
1 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 avocado, ripe but firm, cut into chunks
1/2 medium jicama root, peeled and sliced into thin matchsticks (I cubed it instead)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Mix all ingredients and let marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Serve over 3 cups of salad greens.
Serves 1.

Everyone's heard of the Master Cleanse where you drink nothing but water with cayenne pepper and maple syrup, or the Cabbage Soup Diet or the juice fast or all the others on the market so it's not surprising that the #1 question I was getting asked while doing the Ultimate Reset was, "So what are you eating?" Well, here's the answer!

Just a quickie here to talk about the importance of planning ahead when it comes to sticking to your meal plan and fitness goals. It's Day 20 of the Ultimate Reset and I can't stress enough how important prepping my meals ahead of time has been. I'd say I made about 75% of my lunches the night before instead of making them in the morning before work. This would save me a ton of time in the morning, I'd just have to grab and go. 

Here's my lunch on Day 17, Moroccan Carrot Salad over mixed greens. I made the carrot salad the night before and put it in one container, cut up the veggies for my salad and put them in another container and the next morning all I had to do was stop on the way to work to pick up a bag of salad. 

This was also my only day on the Reset that I screwed up with the meal plan. The carrot salad was supposed to be eaten over mixed greens, but I put it over the microgreen salad. No biggy, but it means I ended up eating 1/3 cup of nuts/seeds that I shouldn't have. I figure though since I haven't been doing all of the optional snacks and I cut down the oil used for dinner this day that it will all work out in the end. I'm more upset only because I really wanted to do this 100%. Either way, I couldn't be happier with my results and how far I've come in just a short 20 days!

"If you fail to plan you plan to fail". 

Day 19! First off I just want to say how big of a deal this is. You see, two February's ago Scott and I did a 21-day cleanse. It was similar to the Ultimate Reset in that it focused on clean eating, whole foods and no or limited gluten, dairy and meat. It also recommended the use of probiotics and digestive enzymes. Unlike the Ultimate Reset, it didn't come with any of the supplements (which ended up costing over one hundred dollars more) and it only had meal "suggestions" and no detailed meal plan, which let to poor portion control. 

One of the key things it also lacked was the support. I'm not going to lie, there are days I didn't feel like doing the cleanse anymore. I felt great, I just didn't feel like prepping the meals and it really put a damper on my weekend plans. Knowing that I had an online support group there for me with people all over the country going through the same things I was really helped keep me on track. I also have been posting my photos and updates on my personal facebook page and my Henderson Fitness fan page. Knowing that others were watching what I was doing and commenting on my posts has made a big difference, too. So to all my online followers, "Thank you! You've helped keep me motivated and you didn't even know it!"

My results were another big difference. So far with the Ultimate Reset I have lost 6.4 lbs and 2.5% body fat after the first 2 weeks. My first cleanse? I lost maybe 2 or 3 lbs and only made it to Day 18 before Scott and I went to Pizza Plant for vegan pizza and beer. So ya, Day 19 (and all the support!) is a big deal! 

I'm happy to say that this weekend went smoother than last. I surprised Scott with LL Cool J tickets Saturday night (his first rap concert!) and we went to the annual Clarence Labor Day fair Sunday night. Between all the smoke at the concert and the dust at the fair I have done nothing but sneeze these last 2 days. This is by far the worst I have felt on the Ultimate Reset and ironically it has nothing to do with the cleanse at all. We also had a few people come out for a group run on Sunday morning, including a first time runner! Since I can't workout while on the cleanse I followed behind everyone on roller blades. 

I can't believe I only have 2 more days of the cleanse left! I'm excited to add Shakeology back into my diet.  I could have had vegan Shakeology for some of the snacks during the Reset, but I tried to eat as few snacks as possible. I'm also looking forward to working out again. In fact, we just ordered our new program tonight and we're planning on starting it in about 3 weeks.... Body Beast!

There's also still time to join our new Challenge Group starting September 10th. You'll be added to a private facebook group with about 10 others to help keep you motivated (support rocks!). After 90 days the person with the best transformation will win $100! The only requirement is that you're using a Beachbody program. Shakeology is not required, but will help with your results. If you already have a fitness program, great! If not, you can purchase a Challenge Pack which comes with one month of Shakeology and will save you a bunch of money. Send us a message if you want in! If you're not ready for this Challenge, we have an ongoing group we can add you to at any time for the support.