Day 4 of the Tony Horton Clean Eating Challenge

Everyone is doing just fabulous over on the Cinderella Pact thread at Team Beachbody. There is so much support and community amongst the members. I am very proud of the girls and how hard they are working to make the challenge a success for everyone that is attending or following along. There is so much valuable information being shared. I would totally recommend anyone that is curious what this diet can do for you, to pop over and check it out. The girls testimonials say it all.

For this challenge I started the P90X Plus Series. I decided that I was ready to step it up a notch this round. And stepping it up is exactly what I am doing. The first day I got in some Upper Body Plus. There are some moves in there that are incredible. I was definitely keeping up with the stars of this program series (Tony Horton, Tracie morrow, and Mark Briggs), but stopping to track everything was really a challenge. The program moves that quickly. It is one slamming move after another. I was in total sweat by the first 10 minutes, pretty much straight out of the warm-up. Definitely a real awakening to what was yet to come.

The Ab/Core Plus is an awesome 20 minute workout. I grimmaced having to do the Ab Ripper X. Though every time I did it, I would improve--it still to this day remains my least favorite...lol, probably because it kicks my butt! But this routine was a totally different approach. Lots of moving around. Don't get me wrong, those movements are still KILLER, as you would expect from Tony, but I just seemed to enjoy it more. That was until the next morning when breathing required a great deal of patience. LOL! Yeah, my obliques were letting me know they got a major workout. I felt like someone had clobbered my sides with a baseball bat. Yeah, it was that bad or good, depending on if you want to know if it really works! IT DOES!!!

Yesterday, was Total Body Plus. Again, a great workout. I love the pace on this set. It isn't the traditional P90X "catch your breath and chill a little" pace. No, this series runs likity split. I have walked away from each one so far feeling like I majorly accomplished something. Not to mention, in a desperate need of some P90X Recovery Formula and a quick shower! WHEW! Calgon take me away.

Today was Yoga X. It was refreshing to come back to the core series. Believe it or not, Yoga X actually felt like a break. Now there is a first! I have the Kenpo X Plus on Saturday's schedule and can't wait to see what that one is all about. I love the traditional Kenpo X. That was my favorite of the P90X Series. Definitely hoping this one doesn't disappoint my expectations. But I have a feeling it will be ROCK STAR and have that heart rate monitor jumping. At any rate, can't wait to crack the cellophane and BRING IT!

If you guys are looking for a great place to hang and learn a little more about eating gluten-free, dairy free vegan style eating, pop over to the Cinderella Pact and give us a shout! It's a great place to pick up some terrific tips on rocking that body the HEALTHY way. No fad diets here. It's about getting lean and ripped Nature's way! Come join us!!!

A sample of the great recipes we are sharing on the thread!

Quinoa and Black Beans

Ingredients
• 3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 3 tsp chopped garlic
• 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp Creole seasoning
• 1 (12 oz.) bag frozen corn, thawed
• 2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and sauté until translucent.
2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, Creole seasoning. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.
3. Stir corn, tomatoes and black beans into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Add cilantro and serve. Salt and pepper to taste, if desired.