Giveaway: Max Muscle Sports Nutrition Manassas

If you are like most moms, you're probably relying on sweet, sweet life-giving caffeine to get you through some of your days.  If you're trying to get yourself LBD (little black dress) ready for the holiday season, you can swap out your double caramel mocha frappe for Emerge, and still get the energy you need while helping your body function better! Here's more from our friends at Max Muscle Sports Nutrition Manassas:

Problem: The reality is that energy drinks and coffee have become almost as associated with motherhood as nails and tools are with a job site. For most moms, our job demands require an early rise. This often comes with an over reliance on coffee, energy drinks, energy shots and anything stimulant based, which can lead to adrenal health issues. Plus, energy drinks often contain excess sugar and chemicals, while coffee is very acidic. Both aren’t particularly friendly on the pocket book, either.

Solution: Emerge. 

Emerge is a fantastic weight-loss beverage that duals as a pre-workout energizer. What people don’t realize is that this product kills three birds with one stone! Go ahead and use Emerge up to twice a day in place of energy drinks, coffee, etc. You’ll never go back! It enhances mood, elevates metabolism and helps curb your appetite all while tasting fabulous in 12 different flavors!

From mom of three (ages 8, 6, and 3), Jeanne - 

 "Max Muscle's Emerge is my favorite component in my fitness and nutrition regimen. Since I started drinking Emerge 7 months ago, it (along with careful attention to my nutritional needs, high intensity workouts and weightlifting) has helped me shed 30 lbs and dramatically decrease my body fat percentage. Emerge gives me the energy I need to fuel my active lifestyle as a mom as well as my workouts. It helps give me energy and focus and helps with mood balance as well! What mom doesn't need that? Emerge has completely replaced my daily Starbucks fix, I no longer drink coffee at all! I have almost no sugar cravings because of Emerge, and the fiber helps keep me full and prevents that mind-less mom-snacking. Emerge is THE one thing I would recommend to a busy mom looking to increase her endurance both in the gym and at home!

Emerge retails at $55, but you can win your own (in flavor of your choice) by entering our giveaway!! Ends Tuesday, October 22.  

a Rafflecopter giveaway
__________________________________________________

As always, this giveaway isn't affiliated with iTunes, Apple, any cell phone provider of any kind, Facebook, Twitter, Google Play, etc.  By entering you agree to our rules.  Prize is provided by Max Muscle Manassas, consult your physician before making any changes to your lifestyle. View our full rules here. 

Meet Corry Matthews

Normally when I introduce a business, I introduce the business by name, but this time, I’d rather you start off by meeting the owner.  You’ve met Corry before, actually, she’s the one who introduced me to protein powder that tastes like Nestle’s Quick, which is actually a godsend right now, because post-radiation I hate food. (It’s very sad).  Anyway, Corry is a local business owner, mom, fitness and nutrition expert, and author, and I really want you to meet the “mom behind the magic”.

I had a chance to chat with Corry the other day about a few of her passions, including her kids, fitness, and her nutrition businesses.  Here’s a little of what we chatted about.

Being a mom is really hard! I know we all have a million hats in the air.  How do you find time to do everything that you do on a daily basis and help your family stay healthy?

I feel like the key is that too many times moms think “as long as I take care of the kids and their needs, it’s fine”, but they never take care of themselves.  Moms, we’re just tired all day long and it’s always give, give, give.  Even I am tempted (and I do) to just run through the drive through sometimes, but what kind of example is that? I think it’s about little changes, mom being able to cook something for dinner that can go in the car to soccer and gymnastics is a big help!

It is always give, give, give! We started our “school” schedule and we’re running constantly from scouts to soccer to hockey to art…How do you find time to take care of yourself in the midst of all that?

There is a discipline to it.  As far as exercise, I do get up early and get on the treadmill before my kids wake up, I use the preschool time at the gym to both network and sneak in a workout, and I get my real “me” time after the kids go to bed.  It would be great to have more of that “me” time, but I try to schedule my day with all the things I need, including time for myself, and really keep to it.  I’ve found that keeping to a schedule really allows me to have more down time for me.  It’s not, by any means, perfect, sometimes I have to really tell myself “do what you’d tell your clients to do”. 

I think that’s what makes working with you as a fitness coach or nutrition expert really easy, is that you are a real person, a real mom, so you get how it is.

My favorite part of the book (Corry is co-author of 9 Months In 9 Months Out) is actually the birth stories at the end.  All of the authors had a connection to health or fitness, but here I was and I needed an emergency C-section, basically any kind of medical everything you could possibly need, I had to have it.  I think that as moms we need to have some reality with each other so we see there’s some light at the end of the tunnel, even when it doesn’t go the way we plan.

That’s so true- I think there’s a lot of pressure on moms in the media, on Pinterest, even just standing around at preschool.  How do you meet moms where they are and help them with health and fitness without it being more pressure?

When moms see Kate Middleton four weeks postpartum in a size zero, it’s hard, but I try to tell people, look, this is her role in life, to look a certain way.  You don’t see the six hours of physical training, you don’t see the restricted diet, and the constant pressure.  What it’s really about is you and your goals and who you are.  Are you a size 14 and unhappy? Where will you be happy- if it’s size 10 jeans, great, let’s do that, but if it’s more energy and feeling healthier, let’s do that, too. We can lose weight and be healthier, yes, but at the end of the day, let’s be happy.

I’m so about that- let’s be happy.  How can you help moms on that journey to happy- whatever it looks like? I think it can be a little intimidating, I know the first time I came to your store (Corry is the owner of Max Muscle Sports Nutrition’s Manassas and Springfield locations) I was worried there would be a “Must Be This Buff to Enter” sign!

(Laughs) You know, Max was actually the Founder's dog, and that logo is from his cultural heritage.  What it really is about is sitting down with me or my staff, and I only hire people who really care.  My Manassas store manager used to weigh over 300 pounds, so when you talk about compassion, he’s got it! If the store scares you, we have a Starbucks right next door, and I’ll meet moms for a nutrition/fitness consultation anywhere, even over the phone while baby naps! I’ll come speak to moms groups, I’ll come to school events, you can even bring a buddy with you.  I like to just sit down with people and talk about what their reality is right now, and then I always ask about what three things I can’t touch.  For most moms, that’s their morning coffee with half and half and their afternoon chocolate fix!

Well, you’re not helping anyone if mommy snaps and is screaming at everyone from lack of caffeine!

Right!  From there, it’s little changes that anyone can do without it being a burden.  This isn’t “no sugar” or “no carbs”, it’s small changes versus big sacrifices.

If you think you might be ready to make a few small changes in your life towards whatever your goals are, whether they’re pre-pregnancy jeans, feeling more energetic, or just getting happier, Corry is happy to meet with moms for free nutrition consultations.  She’s certified in pregnancy and post-partum nutrition, as well as in kids nutrition (think about your student-athlete who is living off Doritos), and she’s happy to meet you in her store, or at Starbucks.  To set up your appointment:

Corry Matthews 703-772-7113

Email: corrymaxmuscle@gmail.com

Or, you can call the store for manager Stephen at 703-897-6299 (or just walk in, I promise you don’t have to be any particular shape or size to walk right in! Heck, they let me in!)

Off the Wagon

A few of you have emailed me to ask how my Max Muscle plan is going.

Sigh.

So the last two weeks I have lost all the progress I made.  I hurt my back and haven't been running (or doing anything) and I've had sick kids/husband/self, and then I had visiting family.  Totally off the wagon.  However, Monday is a new day- and almost everyone is better.  It's frustrating for me because 1) I have to admit that I'm not doing well and 2) Because I hate letting myself backslide.  It's great to have someone emailing me with a gentle nudge that I missed a check-in (Corry from Max Muscle) and it's great to have people reminding me they're watching....sooo....tomorrow.  Tomorrow will be better.  I feel better and more energized when I'm doing it right, so I just have to keep going.

Thanks to Our Ladies Night Reps!

We had so much fun last night at the Ladies' Night at Max Muscle!! If you came out and joined us, thank you!! I also want to say thank you to all of the women (and men!) who came out to share their passion with us last night!

Leah Zapata shares Silpada with a Mom

Thank You To:
Max Muscle Manassas for hosting, passing around great energy drinks, and for setting the entire event up.  I've really enjoyed getting to know this great woman-owned business and its owners Corry Matthews and Kristin Wood.

Stacia Kelly and Corry Matthews from Nine Months In, Nine Months Out.

To Our Food and Beverage Providers (alphabetical order):
Eat Your Heart Out Bakery for the pumpkin and spice cupcakes
Element Caffeinated Water (yes, it tastes like water)
Moes Woodbridge
Three Peas in a Pod Cupcakery for the double chocolate, vanilla bean, and pumpkin cupcakes

Enjoying some inter-rep networking

To Activity Representatives From:
Lake Ridge RidgeRunners who I've mentioned before.  These people are incredibly supportive, and while the fastest among them will leave you in the dust, they'll also circle back and finish your run with you.  You won't be a beginner for long- but beginners are welcome!
My Body Yoga Health and Wellness, came out, specifically to let us know about their Zumba program! Zumba is a really fun dance-based workout, and I can promise no one will laugh at you if you don't have rhythm or skillz from personal experience!
Sport and Health Clubs has a new club opening right by the Wegmans, but they also have a Gainesville location! We used to belong to them when my husband worked in Tysons because for an additional fee, he could work out at work and I could work out in Dale City on the same family plan.
Stroller Strides of Woodbridge/Manassas offers fitness you can take your baby to! No excuse for not having a sitter or not wanting to leave your child in the gym daycare!
Vertical Rock Indoor Climbing and Fitness Center which offers you a new and different way to get fit! One of the highest indoor facilities in the country, and the highest on the East Coast, they assure me you can start low! ;)

And to the fun shopping hosts! (again in alphabetical order by first name)
Amy Fitzgerald and Nerium International (Amy is offering a free bottle to anyone who hosts a party, which is a $110 value- email her at  vtkd@yahoo.com to get in on that)
Bernadette O'Donnell who owns A Touch of Healing and does aroma touch, interplay laughter, and essential oils that smell divine as well as being healing. 
Courtney Pomietto and Tastefully Simple , purveyors of awesome beer bread and other quick and easy food items for your family
Jennifer Little and It Works! which makes slimming body wraps
Jennifer Ruputz and Mary Kay who you know for makeup and beauty
Katherine Breyfogle and Perfectly Posh which makes indulgent spa style items for home, like mud masks, bath bombs, and lotions
Leah Zapata and Silpada (Leah is having a "dinner and jewelry" party on Wednesday at Tropical Smoothie on the PW Parkway- if you bring friends, you get jewelry credit just like a hostess would when they buy.  Email leahzapata@gmail.com for info on that)
Stacy Urick and Thirty-One Gifts featuring cute totes, lunch bags, organizers and more
The entire team from Spot Me Wear, which offers apparel and a philosophy.  And hot pink socks- which is pretty awesome.

See that side view? This is why I need a fitness plan. 

If I forgot anyone, PLEASE email me and let me know!!

Max Muscle Update

So as part of this process with Max Muscle, a large part of my work has been cleaning up my act where eating is concerned, which means making changes in how frequently I eat and what I choose to chomp on.

There've been some winners and some losers in this process.  I thought I'd share and see if you all have any input as to what works for you when it comes to eating healthy.

Suggested Food:  Egg Whites
Losing: Plain Egg Whites

Winning!: Egg whites are actually not that bad! However, I need my food to taste like something, and I've found that 1 tablespoon of hot salsa, a few shakes of Tabasco Sauce, or 1 tablespoon of feta cheese and some spinach if you're trying to be fancy, makes them amazing.  I usually go for the Tabasco.  Buying them pre-separated makes using them a lot easier, too.

Suggested Food: Protein Bars
Losing: Luna Protein Bars in Peanut Butter.  Y'all.  I am a fat girl.  I love food, and I love peanut butter.  I couldn't get one bite of this sucker down. Not One.  I think that's funny because the Luna White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies Bars are amazing.

Winning!: 1/2 of a Cliff Builder Bar in Chocolate is amazing, as is any variety of Kind Bar I've ever had.  They sell the Kind Bars in Max Muscle, too, although they're not really high in protein but they have a lot of healthy fats.  Max Muscle also has Power Crunch bars, if you can get them- they're frequently gone because they're so popular. They taste like wafer cookies, if you used to eat those as a kid. Yum :)

Suggested Food: Max Muscle Protein Shakes

Winning: Chocolate IsoMax Powder.  It tastes like coconut to me when mixed with almond milk (not like chocolate), but it's pleasant.  

Winning!: Max Muscle Triple Whey in Chocolate.  I like Chocolate, don't judge me.  This stuff seriously does not taste like protein powder.  It tastes like Nestle Quick.  The only reason I didn't buy this was because I'm slightly dairy sensitive and I wanted the isolate.  I've come to love this as a quick breakfast.  Before starting this process I always skipped breakfast and now I'm actually hungry in the morning if I do that, but with kids and commitments speed is king. When you go in to Max Muscle, they'll actually do a tasting for you, just like a winery but proteiny-er.  Which is totally a word. 

Suggested Food: Meat.

Losing: I don't really love meat.  I eat it, but I don't love it.  When I eat it, at least in the past, I've typically used it as a conduit for getting more sauce.  Bread works equally as well.  I do not love meat without sauce. No sauce is a fail.

Winning!: I also love Middle Eastern food, though, and they've got the solution.  Greek Yogurt is a happy food on my plan, and if you put three crushed garlic cloves into a large container of low fat or fat free Greek Yogurt overnight, you have made sauce! Delicious, creamy, garlic sauce! Win.  Garlic, cilantro, parsley, jalepeno and red wine vinegar pureed in the food processor also works.  (Do you see a theme here with spicy things?) 

What helps you keep your diet healthy? Do you need some tips, too? (Or maybe you already have the fitness thing down? That's cool, too!) Come out and join me for our next Mommies Night Out at Max Muscle! Corry, who as I've mentioned a few times has been amazing, is promising that cupcakes and wine go with losing weight, and I'm willing to buy what she's selling ;) 

We'll have vendors and raffles (if you're interested in coming, let me know) and some great time together! If you're planning to join us, please RSVP to my email so we know who to expect.  Newbies to fitness, new moms (especially new moms!) and fitness divas are all welcome! 

Max Muscle Week 2

This post is a little late, which is fitting seeing as most things in my life are a little late the last few months days.  Getting back to school is tough, no matter how your children go!

So.  Week 2 wasn't my greatest results wise.  I gained a pound of muscle and dropped just ever so slightly in BMI. It could have been a lot better, but that was completely my fault because I didn't follow the program (it wasn't even in the way you think! I didn't eat because I was so busy!)

However, the oddest thing happened this past week.  Instead of being frustrated by a lack of results (especially since I skipped meals!) I was really encouraged by how good I'm feeling with the higher protein, and I've been pleased with my lack of desire to have carbs at dinner.  I feel less tired and while I might not be seeing a numerical change, I've had lots of friends comment that I look like I'm making progress.  My jeans feel happy, too, which is a nice feeling.

Anyway, this week has been much better and I'm trying to adhere to the "plan" so that I see some bigger changes, but I have to say that while I initially said that I didn't really want to be healthy I just want to be skinny, I'm actually feeling healthier and more energized, and honestly, I'll take it.  I'm hoping that a change of heart means that a change in the rest of me will come a little easier.

Anyhow, don't forget that you can join me to jog at a moderate pace (and please read that in your head using Milton's voice from Office Space) in the upcoming Max Muscle 5K.  Heck, if it's your first race out and you need someone to walk with you, I'm your girl.  I'm willing to make that sacrifice so someone else can start on their fitness journey.  It reminds me of this post from FlintLand, which starts out:

Hey Fat Girl,

Yes, you. The one feigning to not see me when we cross paths on the running track. The one not even wearing sports gear, breathing heavy. You’re slow, you breathe hard and your efforts at moving forward make you cringe.

You cling shyly to the furthest corridor, sometimes making larger loops on the gravel ring by the track just so you’re not on it. You sweat so much that your hair is all wet. You rarely stay for more than 20 minutes at a time, and you look exhausted when you leave to go back home.  You never talk to anyone. I’ve got something I’d like to say to you.

You are awesome.

(You can read the rest by clicking here.)

We've all gotta start somewhere, and I'm still feeling like my start is pretty good.  

I'll check in with you all again on Sunday, when I go back to see my boy Stephen and get my measurements checked again.  If you're on a fitness journey, too, I'd love to hear from you- so leave a note at the end of this post.  Comments are better than chocolate cake, which I'm not eating right now, so help a sister out. :) 

Max Muscle- Week 1

I mentioned on Facebook the other day that I went to meet with the very awesome Corry Matthews of Max Muscle.  Corry is someone that really intimidated me on paper.  She's a former fitness model, co-author of a book (a real book!), and owner of a business, namely Max Muscle.

I really want to dislike people that look this awesome pregnant. 

If there is ever a store that I didn't contemplate ever entering for even a second, y'all, it had to be Max Muscle.

Just the name was enough to scare me.  I am not now, nor do I ever have aspirations of being a bodybuilder.  Heck, as I openly admit I don't even really care to be fit, I just want to be skinny.  So, when Corry contacted me about coming out to the store and talking about some ways she could help out my readers, I sat in my car staring at the storefront for a few minutes trying to decide what I was walking into.  Then I manned up and went in.  They're located at 12849 Galveston Court Manassas, right across from Confections, so I figured if it went really bad, I'd just head across the street. ;)

Guys, this might be the best-kept secret in Prince William County, but Max Muscle is not necessarily just for people who currently possess "Max Muscle".  Corry explained to me that one of her passions, and part of the reason that she wrote her book, is post-natal wellness in mothers.  We see all these women in the media who pop out a baby and leave the hospital in size zero jeans and then we beat ourselves up.  So, while she does work with competitive athletes, and even people who are really fit and want to take their fitness next-level, she's also here to help regular people who are just looking for a quality of life change.  She can help you up your energy level or drop a few pounds post-baby.  Her store stocks energy and protein bars and shakes as well as supplements, and she's even set it up so that if you're new to fitness, you don't have to go past the first 2 feet of the store.

Oh, also- if you've got a student-athlete, Corry has great information on nutrition and even diet plans for them, too! She's helped high-school wrestlers and football players add lean muscle mass rather than bulking up with fat, and she can also help parents who are looking to help their multi-sport players (hello my family!) stay well-fed and fit.

We talked for a few minutes, and then Corry invited me to try out their Max Formation program, which involves assessing your current body fat, measurements, physical activity, and calorie needs and tailoring a system of eating to help you meet your fitness goals.

Listen, she's good you guys. I let her take my measurements in the first 10 minutes of knowing me and my husband doesn't even know how much I weigh.  When she asked about my eating habits, I didn't feel judged or embarrassed at all, and she was very gentle about making corrections to how I currently do things, but also firm with the fact that they needed to happen.  For example, I openly admitted I frequently don't have my first food of the day until around lunchtime or later.  Corry said that was a very common mistake that a lot of women make, but then told me that I was going to have to suck it up and eat breakfast. That's a perfect balance for me.  Don't make me feel stupid, tell me you get that it's hard, tell me to do it anyway.  It works!

This is my magic spreadsheet.  It's pretty amazing. 

This post is getting really long, so let me cut to the chase.  over the next 3 months I'll be using the customized Excel Spreadsheet that I was provided with.  It's got a pull-down menu for each meal so I can keep making my family meals as I usually do and it will provide me with portion sizes.  I spent $64 on protein powder mix (um, yeah, that almost made me drop dead, but then I realized it's just over $1 per serving and I spend a lot more than that on iced tea at Starbucks).  I've gotten a lot of feedback from friends that think that too much protein makes you big, or that you need to totally cut out carbs, or that you need to eat only egg whites, but I'm going to try this for 3 months, and I'll share with you guys how it's going.  It seems like a really reasonable plan, and I'm kind of at the point where I'll try anything.

I didn't have an ideal weight in mind, but Corry's measurements helped me set a super-embarrasing 40 pound goal.  It's been 1 week, and I'm -2.  I'm also on vacation this week, and with the exception of driving to South Carolina alone in the car and using Diet Coke and snacks as a crutch to stay awake (I drove from 7pm to 3am), I've had no problems following the plan as directed, and I even really like the protein shakes, which aren't required, but I bought because they're really fast and easy for breakfast, rather than cooking for myself every day.

If you've got questions or comments you'd like answered as we go along, I'd be happy to answer them, or to get answers for them from Corry.

Also, Max Muscle Manassas will be having their 5th Anniversary in September, and they're holding a 5K to benefit the Semper Fi Fund in celebration.  I'm planning to run jog it at a moderate pace, and if you'd like to join me, I'd be happy to put together a team of us!

Aaaaannnnddd.....other than that just cross your fingers for me because failing in front of an entire audience of people would be mortifyingly embarrassing.

Oh, aaaannnnddd (since I'm apparently typing things out the way I hear them in my head right now) if you go in to Max Muscle Manassas and tell them you're a PwcMoms reader, they'd be happy to give you 10% off this week. Just show them this post on your smart phone (or if you don't have a smart phone, just tell them, it's random enough that you should be good).