Stanley's Visit

Hard to believe that a week has gone by and now its time for Stanley and I to say goodbye. We have had fun this past week, and he will be missed.

Stanley help me with many chores during the week. He even came to work with me. He was a bit reluctant at first but got the hang of it after a couple of day. He had fun helping with my workouts and even decided to jump in and take CXWORX class.

I have to say that the highlight of his visit was our trip to Maryland. He told me that he wanted to show support and that he had never been on a plane so I decided that maybe it was a good idea for him to come along. He enjoyed the free pretzels and was very comfortable during takeoff and landing. He is a brave boy.

He could not come into my AIM 2 module so he decided to catch up on some rest back at the hotel. He had a lot of fun checking out the hotel and watching T.V. He also enjoyed our talks about what I was learning. He actually gave me great advice that I will incorporate into my classes. He told me, "Laura, do not be afraid to be different". "Be you and be proud of it no matter what anyone says". " Always be true to your heart". I found this very helpful.

Stanley will be greatly missed by our family and we have begged him to stay. He said he has to ask him Mom. So D, expect a call from Stanley.

Thank you for letting him visit our home and inspiring us to be who we are... and to be proud of it. Each one of us has a special gift that we must share with others and we are so grateful that Stanley was able to share his with us. We love you Stanley!

Pump Challenge after a brief break!

Hey Guys! I am back from a 3 day break. It really wasn't a physical break but a brief break from my Challenge. I will definitely explain later.


After a great weekend filled with hard work and extensive information, I return back to my challenge. I was a bit sore from the weekend but I was not about to allow that to stop me from my mission. So I pushed on, pushed play and my dear friends came on the screen workout!


As the workout went on I decided that I wanted to challenge myself and add some extra weight. Ta da!!! Success!Not only was I able to add weight onto my bar, I was able to complete my workout! Having said that, it was challenging, but I am getting stronger. LES MILLS PUMP works and I am getting results. Not only am I feeling the difference, I am seeing the difference. For those who have not seen the footage, here is a clip. http://www.teambeachbody.com/showcase/-/bcp/1301386064001/128087?referringRepId=128087

Now its time for FLOW. It really is a great compliment to PUMP. Oddly enough the leg strengthening and flexibility work really felt good after all the squats and lunges. Its amazing how much stronger I feel all around. After this workout I actually feel better physically and mentally.


Its amazing how a good workout will allow you to not only work on your physical condition but also your state of mind. There is something about being so focused on a goal that once you have accomplished it, you sit back smile.


Making the decision to live a healthy lifestyle is not an easy one. But be be brave to stand up and take charge of your life . Be strong enough to say to yourself that no matter what obstacles comes in your way, you will CHOOSE to be brave, be different and help create change. Remember your health depends on it.






Here are some links to help you on your way. Free Basic Membership to log your workout and get free tips http://bit.ly/AdZMQf

Here is a link for LES MILLS PUMP and other fitness programs that you may find interesting. http://bit.ly/zNyOH1

Stay tuned ....... We will be adding picture, healthy recipes and video footage to help you on your way. Feel free to email me any questions you may have.


See you soon!

Pump and Burn it did Week 2 Day 1

I have been looking forward to today! Pump and Burn baby and man... it really did!

So after a long day at work, I rushed home so I can get to the first thing on my list and you already know what that is. So I get home and I get ready and realized that I had a package for me. I open my package and it came to me all the way from California from a beautiful girl named D. In my package I found my week long visitor, Stanley. I told Ben about Stanley and he was very excited about our visitor. After talking with Stanley, he decided that he wanted to workout with me. I agreed and off we went.

I always get so excited when my friends pop on the screen. There goes Petter introducing the "TALENT". Hey I think Ben Feliciano looks familiar. He looks like "That guy", well maybe not. :-) . Look at the gorgeous Asa and my dear Ben Tang :-) . I hold a very special place in my heart for these guys. Back to work. Ok, I am a fitness instructor and I am always amazed on how this program makes me feel. I do feel a difference from last week but why am I sweating in track 2. Man Asa I really cant dig in anymore... I especially felt the burn in the squat track. I have to say that even though I know it's a DVD, the presenters are so motivating that I really do push harder. Plus I feel like they are watching me and would call me out and embarrass me if I didn't put 110%. Stanley had to put there bar down at times and just walk it out, ( He was tired from his long flight) . He said he would be stronger next time. As I can honestly say, so will I. I did challenge myself but I also really surprised myself. I KNOW I can put some more weight on my bar and i intend to.

I am really happy with this investment. I do feel that this challenge is really going to benefit me all around.

Here is my tip. Get to know the trainers. I am lucky because I really do know them. But for those who don't. Click on meet your trainers and GET TO KNOW THEM. When someone is a stranger to you, they do not matter because there is nothing vest there. But when you take the time to get to know someone, that is when the magic begins. I promise you that if you take the time and get to know them that your workout will be a bit tougher. You will feel like they really are talking to you. And once you get to know them you will realize that they ARE talking to YOU!

I promised Stanley's family that I would give them an update on his well being. Stanley had a great workout and did take a nap afterward. After playing with the kids and an early dinner, Stanley came with the Feliciano's to church where he felt like part of the family. He is excited about his stay and so are we. Here are some pictures.


See you soon. Kia Kaha
http://bit.ly/zNyOH1

See you soon. Kia Kaha

If you have any questions on how you can get involved with Beachbody or would like more  information on Les Mills Pump please contact me. Look forward to hearing from you soon.

Day 7 Rest day ... Maybe not!

It’s the final day of week one of my LES MILLS PUMP challenge and it has been a good one. I am really excited to see what is yet to come.

So, it’s my rest day. Will I get to rest? Nope, but my schedule is a bit different than most.  I teach BODYFLOW® tonight so I will be getting a full body workout. For those of you that popped in the FLOW DVD in your Challenge kit, picture an hour long workout including Tai Chi, Balance, Core abs, back track and the icing on the cake… Relaxation and Meditation. . http://bit.ly/AdEisx BODYFLOW® is set up to build core strength and flexibility all while making sure that you leave calm and centered. If you have not tried it yet, take the time to check out a class. Expect a great workout filled with options. So, if you an advanced BODYFLOW participant you will get the full benefits of the workout just like a newer BODYFLOW® participant.  Did I mention the music is incredible?

I am back from the gym. Man I love my job. Can it even be called a job when you enjoy it that much? When you enjoy the feeling that you have positively, (hopefully) affected someone else. Or  feeling  that your words or even your smile of encouragement helped another person get stronger. Maybe its the feeling that for the next 55 minutes I am connected to a room full of people, helping them on their fitness journey that keeps me motivated to be the best that I can be. 

What are you passionate about? Is it running, cooking, being an instructor or maybe being a mom? Here is a challenge.  Pick a day and share your passion with someone new... Yes the key is NEW! Maybe it's a co-worker or it can even be a spouse that  didn't know that you like to cook a different style of food. On this day commit to sharing your passion with this person. Explain how it makes your feel and why do you feel so strongly about it. (Please make sure that the other person is in on the challenge and you can agree to let the other person express their passion once your are done). 

Why am I Challenging you to do this?

 1) It's healthy to feel happy and when you share your happiness, you have just made someone else happy that will cause someone else to be happy.... you know how it goes. No I was not a cheerleader. 

2) You learn about yourself. It's not easy for everyone to dig deep and share emotion but it's the emotion that drives us to do the impossible. 

3) Its good to share your passion with others. You never know, you could ignite a new passion in someone else and now you may even have someone on a regular basis to SHARE your passion with. TA DA. How awesome would that be?

Its a great feeling to be able to share what your passionate about. It's a feeling of triumph because you open up  your heart  and allow yourself be vulnerable for that moment so you could share yourself with someone else. 

Nothing left to say except see you guys on week 2!

HARD CORE ABS Day 6 Ouch!

Today was Hard Core Abs day and man I laughed my Hard Core abs off. I
will explain…

As you already know by now I am a full time wife, mother, worker,
fitness instructor, assessor etc….. I decided to put off my Hard Core
Abs workout till later in the evening so I could work during the day
and enjoy the night with my family. HAHAHA. Nice try, maybe next time.

Here is how that went…

As soon as I dropped to the ground my little girl did too. Did I
mention she is almost 2? So there she goes trying to follow along and
I got a nice warm up laughing. So I kept on with the workout and so
did she. So as I am working out, I ask Ben to video tape HER. Well,
she couldn’t stop cheesing at the camera and He could not stop taping
either one of us. No so funny.

So as “We” continue on, my little girl decided to sit on my back as I
move up and down from plank to pushup position… and would not get off.
She is about 27 lbs. so needless to say the added weight was a bit too
much for me to be able to complete the workout on my toes. It was a
hilarious sight.

By now you are thinking, well , why didn’t Ben just take the baby and
let you work out. That is because he thought it was funny and thought
the added weight was great. So he “COACHED” me through, telling me to
work harder and get back on my toes. “You are an instructor, you can
do it”. Great, my own personal coach! Can you picture my smile?
However, he is a great source of support for me and I am blessed to
have a great family.

Well long story short, the workout took longer than planned since I
did need to backtrack and start the workout again. It is an amazing
workout and really does challenge you. This is the area many of us
struggle with so for me watching Corey move easily through each move
is motivation alone. I loved it.

Is there a lesson learned? Absolutely. Do not attempt ab workouts
when little children are around. They tend to think that mommy and
daddy are the world’s strongest people, so its ok to jump on them and
add some resistance. :-)

I share this story with you because I do understand the difficulties
that can arise with scheduling a workout. And that is normal. If a
particular time does not work, then try another. Don’t give up on the
workout, just adjust your time. No need to feel discouraged.

For parents out there. Our children see, hear and repeat everything we
do. Sometimes we forget how much WE influence our children with our
attitudes, mannerism or even our likes and dislikes. Keep this in mind
when you reach for the fast food greasy burger. Let’s instill positive
habits in our children. Whether it’s getting them involved in sports,
healthy food habits or even sitting and reading to them, know that all
of this helps mold our children. Obesity is a problem in the U.S and
we need to be responsible for ourselves and our children in order to
give them a fighting chance against this disease.

See you on day 7!

Short but Sweet! Day 5

Unlike the last few days,  today I find myself unmotivated....

Why is it when we actually have time to do things our body says, "Well maybe tomorrow". So here is a quick conversation between me and my body.

Me: It's time for the PUMP Challenge DVD! :-)

Body: I really just want to sit this one out. Can we pick this up tomorrow?
Me: Ummm, No today sounds good to me. Go and walk to the DVD player and put in the LESMILLS PUMP Challenge DVD.

Body: But the kids are not around and you can just sit and relax and get some work done?

Me: NO, lets go and pop in the DVD and...

Body interrupts: Lets take a nap...  :-)

Me: Would you just press play?!?

and so on and so on...

I KNOW I am not the only one that has had this conversation with themselves. Well, I won! Well my head won and the Challenge DVD went right in.

As I went through my workout it felt good to feel that I am in fact getting stronger. My form is getting better and my lunges are getting deeper. This workout is working. Having said that, I am tired from the week long classes and daily chores, but it made me feel good to know that I had the option to workout in the privacy of my own home. If I had to go to the gym, I may not have won the internal debate I had going on.

We all have days that we want to just relax and do nothing. And to be honest with you, sometimes and some of us need that. But sometimes we need to keep our focus on the bigger picture. Why did we begin this challenge? Why did I invest in this product? Am I going to see this one through? Being constant and dedicated is the key to over coming these obstacles. Someone posted on their Facebook page, " If you keep your eyes up you won't see the obstacles below". I like that.

So remember that it takes 30 days of constantly behavior in order to make something a habit. This is a habit I may want to keep.

Day 4 busy busy busy

OK, So like I have said in previous post, I am busy just like you. But no excuses!!!

Here is a breakdown of my day

1) Get up at 5 am and get ready for work. Daily morning chores, make sure that my babies (pets) are walked, fed and drink my morning Shakeology  shake http://bit.ly/xk88mr - Check

2) Work my normal job - Check

3) Pick up kids - Check

4) LESMILLS PUMP FLOW http://bit.ly/zZj65Z - Check ( This can be tricky with kids ;-) )

5) Get groceries - Check

6) Pick up my nieces and take ALL the  kids to grandma's - Check 

I have to mention that my nieces live in the opposite direction of grandma's house that is coincidentally in the opposite direction of Celebration ...

7) Head to Celebration in order to take SH'BAM with the amazing Josh who is here on business from Ga. and be there by 6:30 pm ( my cardio for the day) - Check

8) Dinner with the amazing Josh :-) - Check

9) Head Home - Check


Long day huh?

Day 4

Thou there was no PUMP CHALLENGE today....  there was a mommy and wife challenge. And of course FLOW!

What an amazing compliment to the other workouts. It truly does tie in strength and length to the workout. I needed this after the week I've had. The way that Corey moves and focuses on breathing...Sigh.... he makes it sounds so simple especially in standing strength. Funny how just holding certain poses really gets that heart rate going as you begin to feel the sweat beads start building. Jackie, well she is just phenominal and she makes you feel like she is truly looking and talking to YOU!

 I am blessed to be able to teach BODYFLOW so I truly do see and feel the benefits that you get from this program. If you have skiped this part of the workout, Please go back to it. It's like trying to take a shower with no soap...

I have to say thanks to my peeps in Celebration for letting me come along and shake my groove thing. So great to see you guys. And to my special friend Josh, it never get old seeing you. I have never met someone that can move like you. I have never met anyone that can light up a room like you. Stay incredible.  Thank you ;-)

Sometimes it feels good just to be on the other end of the group fitness room where I can look up at my instructors and say to myself " This is the reason why I do what I do". It's the feeling you get when you are doing something that may not always feel good, but it's good for you. When you look up and see those smiling faces encouraging you to jump higher, squat lower and to push further than you thought you could. The feeling that you are not alone in this daily fight toward a healthier you. So for day 4,  I want to say thanks for inspiring me to keep doing what I am doing and to work harder.