two down. one to go!

hello hello nerds! long time, no talk! we are on day 14 of the reset, which means it's the last day of week 2 & the detox phase is almost over! the sad part of this is that we'll actually miss drinking the detox supplements :( it tasted just like lemon iced tea & it was a nice switch to drink something other than plain water, but this means there's only one week left of the reset! the nerds are down a combined 22 POUNDS & we can't wait to see what the rest of the reset has in store! we've found it so much easier to wake up in the morning, sometimes even waking up before our alarms & not reaching for the snooze button. this means we have a few extra minutes to relax & enjoy the morning, which we usually forget to do because we're sleeping till the last possible second & then rushing out the door. not only are we awake in the morning, but we feel much more rested throughout the day without the need of caffeine for an afternoon boost! but we're not gonna lie. the smell of coffee in the kitchen makes us yearn for our favorite starbucks latte... but we're staying strong!!

tonight was one of our favorite meals. we had an edamame & roasted corn succotash. what is succotash, you might ask? well it's a dish that consists primarily of corn & any type of shell beans. you can also add tomatoes & green or sweet red peppers. throw on your herbal blend & some vinegar dressing mixture & voila! you have a fabulous & filling meal. the succotash was paired with a lemon-pepper kale & this was the first time we've ever had kale. all we can say is...sooooo good! not only was it filling, but the bright green color will make a great addition to any meal in the future. good to know!

so, nerds. tomorrow starts the final phase of this course: restore. the ingredient options will slightly change & once again, we're excited to see what new recipes we'll be cooking up in the coming days! check back with us later this week for our first "fun food fact"! maybe we'll tell you something you didn't know already ;)

keep studying, nerds!!
xx TFNHQ

PS. we're now at 75 likes on facebook! let's keep it up! & as some incentive, once we hit 100 likes, we'll be doing our first giveaway! so spread the word & keep checking back!

BREAKING NEWS!!

CALLING ALL NERDS!!! CALLING ALL NERDS!!! we have breaking news at TFNHQ!! drop your weights, your medicine balls, your sweat towels & pop a squat for a quick wall sit while you read this important announcement. as of 15:41 EST on 24 april 2013, the CEO of beachbody, the one & only Mr. Carl Daikeler (if we used capital letters, you know he's important) not only responded to our tweet, but is also following TheFitnessNerds on twitter!! wahooooo!!! we've contacted the top of beachbody & he deems us worthy of his name upon our followers list! maybe he read our post where we call him handsome ;) who knows? the important issue here is that we've been heard! this also means that if you want to be extremely ripped, wealthy, important, handsome & all of the above, while running an international business that helps thousands of people with personal health, fitness & development, then you really should follow Mr. Daikeler's lead & head over to twitter & follow us @TheFitnessNerds! but why stop there? go on over to our profile on instagram on your daily phone-finger-wandering & follow us there for motivational pics, mouthwatering health food recipes & the most up-to-date info about what's going on at TFNHQ!

alrighty then! what an exciting day! while we go take our alkalinize shot & prep for dinner, continue your workouts & we'll reconvene soon!
keep studying!!
xx TFNHQ

a delightful detox.

it's day 8, nerds! & the beginning of the official detox portion of the reset. now, calling it a "delightful detox" may be pushing it, but who are we to assume? as of today, we're officially following a vegetarian diet for the rest of the program & it's time to clean out our insides! now this may seem like TMI, but this portion of the reset is vital to restarting our bodies & charging forward into healthier lifestyles.

fun fact #1: your colon does much more than simply get rid of waste from your body. it plays an important role in the uptake of nutrients into your system, as well as influencing hydration & your immune system. so why not take the time to make sure it's operating smoothly? we'll be taking a detox supplement three times a day (which i hear tastes like lemon iced tea, possibly? i'll be optimistic about this one) & eating lots of fruit, while maintaining our ritual of drinking as much water as humanly possible in one day. this is the most nervous we've been since we began the reset, but we're excited to get a jump start on undoing all of the damage we've done to ourselves with the help of fast food, alcohol & excessive sugar. once this detox week is done, i hypothesize that our bodies will feel refreshed, renewed & ready to take on week 3.

happy trails, nerds & keep studying!
xx TFNHQ

the day of the earth.

happy monday, nerds! how's life back to the grind after that glorious weekend? it's day 6 of the ultimate reset at TFNHQ & only...15 more days to go! so on this monday let's have a little...POP QUIZ! now, before you cheat & look at the title of this post (hint...that was a little hint...) what day is today?! well, my pensive pupils, it's... EARTH DAY!! & for today's "show & tell" TFNHQ will give the class a little glimpse into what's for dinner. so far we haven't had any complaints about the menu (except maybe there's a little more seaweed than we're used to...) & tonight is no different, except we're a little nervous & excited as well. today's menu is a "roasted root medley" & "zucchini-cashew soup". in all honesty, with all the food we're about to eat coming right from the ground around us, it's pretty fitting this menu happened to be on this holiday, huh? well played, beachbody ;) anyway! here are some pics of the short journey from plain-old fresh roots & veggies to rich roasted rootness with a side of our creamy-cchini-cashew culmination! (i know. that last one was a long shot, but just go with it...)

well, there you go! now we're gonna run to the lunchroom & grab our food before it gets cold & the bell rings! take some time tonight to appreciate the earth you live on & everything you get from it, as well as what's on it. now, we won't turn this post into a tree-hugging, eco-pushing propaganda piece, but we will say that the reset has made us appreciate the multitude of resources we get from the earth & how they allow us to live & sustain. our bodies are precious, so we should think about how we treat them & the earth they inhabit! just some food-for-thought, nerds ;)

keep studying!

xx TFNHQ

the preset to reset.

hey there, nerds! welcome back! well, TODAY IS THE DAY! we have started the ultimate reset & TFNHQ is both excited & nervous about the next 21 days of our lives. we've read the nutrition guide, bought the ingredients, watched the cooking videos (& yes...we know how to cook), took the notes, kicked the caffeine & got our tattoos! well, maybe not the last one, but we think we're about as ready for this endeavor as we'll ever be! to start sharing this experience with you all, here's an outline from our preset for those thinking about taking this reset course themselves!

SPLURGE!
okay so, maybe "splurge" isn't the best term to use, but it got your attention, right? anyway, we're only human, so the idea of turning in our wine glasses for water bottles & our bacon for smoky tempeh is a lot to ask. because of this, we're making sure to fit in any & all goodies into our preset. speaking to those who have completed the reset before say that you will be craving certain foods during the 3 weeks, so try to get that all out of the way beforehand! think about what you're eating so you remember it while you're doing the reset.

PRE-DETOX!
presenting the idea of a pre-detox right after talking about splurging seems a little contradictory, but it's a valid step! during the detox, we won't be consuming any caffeine & we'll be trying to reduce our sugar intake. since these are usually consistent in everyday life, you may be slightly addicted & not even know it! two weeks ago i started foregoing the starbucks lattes & replacing them with herbal tea. this way, day 1 of the detox isn't more taxing on the body than it should be. i usually get headaches if i skip a day of caffeine, so i made sure to slowly back off & now i've been caffeine-sober for a week. i'm almost ready to go! but first i need to....

LEARN!
yes, learn! going into the reset with just the ingredients & supplements isn't enough. this reset is supposed to teach you how to look at food differently. because of this, it's good to read up on what foods you'll be buying & why. what's the difference between whole wheat & whole grain? do red or white potatoes have more sugar? why is jicama spelled with a "j" when it's pronounced like an "h"? yes, all of these questions should be answered not only before the cleanse, but before you....

SHOP!
who can ever do enough shopping? not us at TFNHQ! so when it came time to stock up our fridges & spice racks for this course, we printed out our shopping lists & hopped to! well...easier said than done! true, we kind of waited till the last minute & may or may not have showed up to whole foods 45 minutes before it closed....but we felt like we were on supermarket sweep!! it was fun, yet stressful & we still had to spend another 90 minutes the next day in a different whole foods to finish up, so here's a tip: DON'T WAIT TILL THE LAST MINUTE! common sense, right? well, we like to live on the edge, i guess ;) but with this being said, it went by much easier & was so much more fun going with a second person. so if you're gonna sign up for the reset in the future, have a study buddy!! have one or two other people take the 21 day reset with you so you can share your journeys, but also share your ingredients & some cash ;)

BREATHE!
so, you've bought the food, you've watched all the videos & now it's the night before the reset & you're...freaking out! well, that's what we were doing! we're so excited about the program but at the same time, a little nervous. so the best thing that we're doing is to talk with other people starting the cleanse & helping each other through each & every step. in addition, we're making sure to take deep breaths to fully oxygenate our bodies & ensure that we're as calm as possible throughout the cleanse. why cause unnecessary stress on our bodies? besides, this program is designed to help our bodies & most great things you have to work for. so we're wearing our bracelets & we're ready to take on day 1!

check back soon because we'll be posting as we go on this journey with some videos & more study tips as we go (: any questions about the program? email us at fitnessnerds@gmail.com!
keep studying!
xx TFNHQ

why reset?

with the ultimate reset starting in less than a week, TFNHQ is starting to focus on the purpose behind why we're committing to this program, specifically. are we doing it to lose weight? sure! are we using it as a cleanse to detox? of course! are we withholding caffeine, sugar & alcohol because we're masochistic? maybe... are we joining beachbody CEO Carl Daikeler for his three week journey because he's real handsome (for an older guy) & maybe this way we'll get to talk to him & then...wait, what? i think we got distracted....awkward. *cough* well...anyway! the point is, there are many reasons why we're choosing to do the program. so let's highlight a few of the main ones & perhaps they'll hit home with you too!

RESTART
coming from the name of the program itself, we're planning on giving our health a boost & jump start. not only will we remove all of the bad toxins from our body, but we'll hopefully feel better than we ever have before! starting a healthier lifestyle & becoming fit doesn't just mean you workout 7 times a week & eat a few salads, but then order out the rest of the time. it's believed that losing weight is only 20% exercise & the other 80% is "clean eating". if that's really the case, then this reset will rid ourselves of all the toxic chemicals that we've ingested over the years & our bodies will be freshly oiled machines (figuratively speaking) ready to keep moving forward.

GROW
a main goal of TheFitnessNerds is to grow in understanding about what we're doing to our bodies by exercise & nutrition. the reset is not just a detox, but a way to learn how to eat differently. by preparing each & every meal ourselves, we'll take a look at each ingredient that we'll put into our bodies, thus understanding how each one effects how we feel afterwards. after 3 weeks of this, we'll hopefully think twice about buying processed food that we had no control over how it was prepared. we will learn about clean eating & how to carry this habit for the months & years that follow the 21 day program.

BEGIN
lastly, & most importantly, we hope the cleanse will be the beginning of our journey to healthier lives. it's great to say to yourself "the diet starts today!" & most of the time we start with the greatest of intentions. however, we tend to get caught up in life & lose sight of what we're doing this all for. a little reminding never hurt anyone, so that's why you receive a cool bracelet with your kit to wear throughout the 21 days to remind you of what you're working towards. TFNHQ has a lot planned for 2013 (*cough*toughmudderpittsburgh*cough*) & we know that the reset will help us begin our training. we'll learn discipline by following the nutrition guide, but by documenting our journeys, we'll also learn accountability! both of these concepts will carry over into our training that will start directly after the reset.

so basically, what we're trying to say is that no matter what programs you're starting or changes you're making, never lose sight of what you're doing it all for. furthermore, if there's a goal or dream that you've always been afraid of setting for yourself, why wait a second longer? this is YOUR journey. no one can tell you no & if you don't do it for yourself, who will? so stop thinking & start DOING! it's your life. why not live it?

that's all, nerds! keep studying!
xx TFNHQ

spring cleaning.

hello there! welcome to the blog that is run by nerds & we're proud of it! we at TheFitnessNerds Headquarters (TFNHQ) have decided to commit to making a change in our lives & we hope that you'll follow us on our journeys to living healthier & more fulfilling lives. & who knows? maybe one day soon you'll become a nerd & join us as we work to end the trend of obesity, as well as laziness & ignorance.

so, why are we called nerds? well, i'm glad you asked that question! the goal of TFN is to understand what exactly we're putting into our bodies as well as what we're doing to them & why. there are so many fad diets & workout programs that promise to give you the results you're looking for. but do they really do that? well, we want to know too! that's why we're taking the "life research perspective" & trying out things for ourselves. but that's not the only goal of TFN. we hope that this blog will also help explain certain "fitnomena" (fitness phenomena...yup! just made that up!) such as why it's essential to drink lots of water. we also will be posting little FYI segments that will give fun facts about essential foods that you didn't even know existed! such as kale, your new friend with benefits ;) 

so, enough of the intro & onto the bread & butter of our blog! first on our "life research list" is the Ultimate Reset Program by Beachbody. we're joining Carl Daikeler & other nerds out there who want to start this spring off right with our very own spring cleaning! we clean out our garages, tidy up our rooms, trim our hedges & even give our cars a good ol' hand cleaning to get ready for the wonderful spring weather. so why not do the same to our bodies? the reset is a total inner body tune-up that'll get you ready for any workout you have planned. it boosts metabolism, lowers cholesterol, enhances complexion & improves your immune system! all while you eat 3 balanced meals a day. this doesn't look like one of those crash diets or juice cleanses that has you pulling your hair out when you watch coworkers eating their chipotle burritos with a cold coca-cola. or so they say! & that's what we want to find out :)

sound interesting? if so, there's still time to join us! contact TheFitnessNerds at fitnessnerds@gmail.com or send us a tweet @TheFitnessNerds to find out how you can take advantage of the $50 special that expires April 14th, which will arrive just in time to take the challenge! APRIL 17TH IS THE DAY!!

TFNHQ will be documenting every step of this reset with daily blogposts, videos, tweets & if you want to be a TOTAL nerd, follow us on instagram! @TheFitnessNerds.

we have some awesome things coming up, so stay tuned! contact us for some one-on-one tutoring & we'll give you our progress reports ASAP!

keep studying :)

xx TFNHQ