Saturday, January 31, 2015

Cleanse update

I have been sticking with my cleanse pretty well all week.  I haven't been 100%, but I really do feel like I am getting back on track with my eating.  Day 1 went great.  Days 2-4 were rough.  I was tired and cranky.  I didn't want to exercise either.  I could tell my body was detoxing from all of the junk food.  Yesterday was much better.  I finally have my energy back, and my head fog has lifted.  It is interesting how much WHAT you eat can affect your brain function.  When you are eating good healthy foods, your brain works more smoothly.  Your thinking in clearer and faster, and you feel more focused.  When you eat a lot of junk food, you tend to walk around in a brain fog.  You forget things - those are when I have all of those "I walked into this room for something, and I can't remember what it is" moments. 

I addition to my increased brain function ability, my waistline is really slimming down.  My clothes fit better, and I am just feeling more confident.  Today is day 6, and the weekend.  Weekends are tough for me because I am off of my routine.  However, I already have my game plan in place.  I am planning to do my 21 Day Fix Barre Legs workout.  My foods are prepped, and I know exactly what I will be eating throughout the day today. 

Tomorrow I will be hopping on the scale for the first time in a month for my weight update.  I am also taking measurements and photos.  Stay tuned for my January results!!

Monday, January 26, 2015

Day 1 - cleanse

First, I wanted to share my results from my partial attempt at the 21 Day Fix I haven't stepped on the scale (anxiously waiting until Saturday because of my New Year's Resolution), but I am happy to report that I am down 3 inches in my waist! Since I was struggling to stick with the eating plan, I am calling that a win! My clothes are definitely fitting better, and my body shape is starting to tone up and lean out.  I was on a conference call about the New 21 Day Fix Extreme program that is going to be released on Monday, and I am not really pumped to jump into that challenging program and "show it who is boss".  My mindset is turning around and is getting to the right place to be successful with my fitness again.

OK, on to Day 1 of my 10 day herbal cleanse.  Today actually went pretty well.  Aside from that wonderful  Fiber drink (hint of sarcasm intended), the cleanse has been pretty easy.  It has been pretty easy to stick to my healthy, cleansing foods.  Breakfast was fruit.  Lunch was a salad and my shakeology.  I had some peppers, cucumber, and hummus, for an afternoon snack.  Dinner was roasted balsamic-Parmesan cauliflower, baked tempeh, 1 turkey meatball, and a little spaghetti sauce (the rest of my family had spaghetti and meatballs).  



I am feeling full and satisfied.  I had enough energy to fit in a full 30 minute Ab workout!  Day = success!

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Reset, Refresh or Cleanse? That is the question.

I am one of those people that NEEDS a good detox to really get over bad eating habits.  Lately, I have been doing Beachbody's 3 Day Refresh to combat that extra bloating and detox from the junk foods in my life.  It is actually a really great program because it forces you to stop the junk food COLD TURKEY, but it only lasts 3 days.  It is a very regimented, low calorie (but full of filling foods and shakes) eating plan designed to give you a quick refresh to your eating habits.  Every time I do this program, I find myself  down about 5 pounds, bloating gone, and I just FEEL healthier.
http://teambeachbody.com/shop/-/shopping/3DayRefresh?referringRepId=263743


Last February, I did Beachbody's Ultimate Reset, and IT WAS AMAZING!!!  It is an extremely regimented 21 Day detox program.  You eat REAL food, and even though it is a lower calorie program, the food is FILLING!  Plus, it is fabulous for your emotional well being too - I had this amazing sense of calmness during the program.  I slept better, had more energy, and just felt REALLY good! This program is so regimented, that you know exactly what you are supposed to eat, how to prepare it, and when you are supposed to eat, drink and take supplements.  NO GUESS WORK!  My only struggle with this program was trying to feed my family, while I was eating way differently and on a different eating schedule.  My husband and kids were really helpful an pitched in to help with the cooking.  I actually broke through a huge plateau with this program, and dropped to my lowest weight (148 lbs) in over 15 years!!!  The best part of this program is that since you are restricted to certain foods, you HAVE to slowly reintroduce your regular healthy foods back into your daily routine...which means this program is really longer than 3 weeks ;).  This program is FABULOUS!!  It gave me such a better understanding of my eating habits and how to take better care of my body from the inside out.
http://teambeachbody.com/shop/-/shopping/URComplete?referringRepId=263743


So, I am at that point again where I need to do something.  I have some events coming up in February that I want to look and feel good for.  I really want to do the Ultimate Reset.  However, with the craziness in our lives right now, I just don't think I could manage the regiment with a lot of unknowns going on.  As much as I like the 3 Day Refresh, I really need something that is going to keep me on track REALLY focused for a little longer than 3 days.  I have settled on an herbal cleanse - a simple plan of healthy fruits, veggies and lean meats that are good for cleansing the digestive system.   I am starting on Monday.  I am looking forward to sharing my thoughts and progress with you!

Curious, what is YOUR favorite detox plan?


 

Sunday, January 18, 2015

New week, new focus

OK, it is time to regroup and refocus.  Setting some goals for the week.  This week, I WILL get in my workout EVERY DAY, and I WILL do my best to stay on focus with my 21 Day Fix containers.  If you have been following my posts, you will notice that I am on my last week of this round of the fix.  I want to stay focused, and see some good results at the end. 

Do I plan to do another round of the Fix?  Not really.  I plan to following the meal plan as closely as possible for the next few weeks.  However, I am ready to switch up my workout routine.  This week, I am going to start planning my workout calendar for the rest of January, and February.  Yeah, I HAVE to make a plan and WRITE it down.  Otherwise, I WILL find excuses NOT to exercise.  That is one thing that I love about the Beachbody workout programs.  They have taught me that if I have a writtne schedule, I am much more likely to fit in a workout each day.  Do I miss workouts?  Of course I do.  Things come up, and I get busy.  The difference is that if I have a written plan for my workouts, I REMEMBER that they are a priority for me, and I find the time to get them in. 

Today is 21 Day Fix Yoga Fix day.  I really enjoy this active recovery workout.  I am not a huge fan of yoga, but I now understand why is is so good for you. 

http://teambeachbody.com/shop/-/shopping/BCP21D160?referringRepId=263743

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Plank you Thursday

What the heck is Plank you Thursday?  I am so glad you asked!!!  Plank you Thursday is a weekly challenge created by my coaching friend, Tiffany.  Every Thursday, she challenges everyone to plank for 1 minute at the top of every hour, from the time you wake up, until the time you go to bed.  Assume you get up at 8am and go to bed at 11pm, you have just fit in 16 minutes of planking!  Wow, talk about a workout!  Planks are a great full body workout!  Since I am doing a 30 day plank challenge this month, I took Tiffany up on her planking challenge today.  It feels great to be fitting in that little minute of exercise each hour!  I prefer elbow planks because they are less stressful on my wrists, but high planks are perfectly acceptable too.



Come on, Plank WITH me!!  Leave a comment below and let me know how long you help your plank. 

Is standard planking too easy?  Challenge your plank!

Start with a basic elbow (or low plank). The rock forward to the tips of your toes, and then back to plank. Repeat for 60 seconds. You will feel your ads, arms and legs working from the rocking, and your shoulders, glutes and abs will be working just from the plank too.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Week 2....not as good as week 1

I realized today that I haven't posted in almost a week.  I have been thinking about posting, but the words just keep floating around in my head with no real direction.  I suppose this post isn't going to write itself :).

I felt REALLY good about my first week following the 21 Day Fix plan....then the weekend happened.  Weekends are my weak point.  My schedule is off, so workouts will often get missed - or I will do a quick 10 minute abs workout or something just to feel like I fit it in.  My eating plan is usually good to go as long as I don't have plans with others.  Well, last weekend, we had dinner plans with friends on Saturday, and THEY were doing the cooking.  I ate well early in the day and even had my Shakeology.  The foundation was set for the day, but because I was not sure what was on the dinner menu, I couldn't really plan my 21 Day Fix containers.  The good news is that dinner was healthy.  The bad news...it was really good and I overate.   In turn, that just set the tome for the next few days.  Grrrrrr!

Sunday, I did not follow my meal plan at all.  I snacked all day.  I didn't really track.  I know I didn't eat a lot, but I also know that my choices were not healthy....they included brownies (my weakness).  I did manage to fit in a workout...sort of.  I started my 21 Day Fix Yoga Fix, and got sidetracked taking fitness photos (selfies of me doing exercises) for my FB page.  So I suppose, I was still working out, but I wasn't really following my DVD.  I ended up staying up far to late on Sunday night, which threw off my Monday.  I slept in a bit on Monday.  Woke up, had my Shakeology and some coffee, and got my day started.  I had plans to take my kids to an event for our home school that afternoon, so the sleeping in part really threw off the day.  I failed to have anything to eat before we left the house (except my Shakeology for breakfast...which happened at 11:30am).  We all know that is just a recipe for disaster.  We didn't return home until 4:30pm, and I was STARVING.  I ended up grabbing some leftovers from Sunday's dinner and some lime tortilla chips.  Because of the late lunch and plans for a party to watch Ohio State play Oregon (Go Bucks) in the national Championship game, I decided to skip dinner.  I snacked on white chicken chili (amazing and healthy recipe - I will have to share), and chips with queso dip.  I did drink lots of water, so not a total loss.  I am sure I was under calories for the day, but the choices were just not good.  This is how I get myself off track EVERY SINGLE TIME.  Yesterday and today I have been focusing on healthy choices, but still not the right "containers" that fit within my 21 Day Fix meal plan.

I know I can't be the only one that experiences this, but I go through phases with my eating.  I will have a few days of just being hungry all day.  All day.  Healthy or unhealthy, I mean NOTHING is ever satisfying.  Then I will go through a few days of just not being hungry...to the point of forcing myself to eat because I know I need the nutrition.   I always struggle to stick with a good meal plan because of this vicious cycle.  In any event, I am trying to get back on track with my containers.  I am definitely tracking my food, and my portions, which are all within my calorie goals.  However, I just can't seem to get back into the groove with my containers.

Tomorrow is a new day...
   

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Stress Eating



It happens.  EVERYONE does it.  When things seem to get out of control, and you turn to the kitchen.  Why?  Because the food doesn't talk back.  The key to stress eating is recognizing that you are doing it.  I have always been a stress eater.  I have been a very neat and organized person for years.  I am a planner.  I over think the planning process to the point where I replay conversations and events, that haven't even happened yet, over in my mind.  To make matters worse, I get really frustrated and flustered when things are not going according to my per-meditated plan for events that are not even in the realm of things that I can control. Does this sound at all familiar?  I know I can't be the only one.  One of my personal New Year's resolutions this year is to learn to let things go.  I am trying. 

So, why the blog post about stress eating?  Well, because I am currently (like right this very minute) trying to avoid stress eating.  I mentioned in my last post that we are trying to sell our house.  We have no place in particular that we are "moving to".  My husband owns his own, small company, and things are going well.  We are on the verge of some unique opportunities for our family.  The plan is actually to drop our mortgage and find something temporary to call home.  Sometime within the next year, we want to take time to travel and explore the world with our kiddos.  Sounds fun and amazing, right?  I think it will be too.  We put our house on the market in October, and since there really isn't any urgency to move, we haven't made any other plans.  We have had a steady stream of house showings, but no real bites yet.  Yesterday, we had another person come through the house.  Today I received a call that our house is at the top of their list.  The person is schedule to go through the house again in a few days.  I am a MESS!!  For the first time since this "plan" started, we actually have to start putting together "the next step".   I am sure everything will be fine, but my brain is in panic mode.  We have been in our house for 10 years, and even though I am ready to start on this new adventure, then unknown is scary.  We don't yet have a place to move to temporarily....we haven't even really looked for anything yet.  Then the thoughts of trying to home school and move all at the same time, just makes me feel overwhelmed. 

I am clearly NOT hungry, but all I wanted to do was head down to the kitchen and find a bag of potato chips. Grrrr!  Instead, I decided to sit down and type up this blog post.  I figured it would help me work through my thought process and calm my nerves.  Guess what? It worked.  I feel much more calm and collected.  I have worked through my anxiety WITHOUT food. 

If you are feeling like you want to run to the kitchen when you are stressed, take a step back and find something else to do.  Sit down and write down your thoughts.  Talk with someone.  Play a game with the kids.  Go exercise.  Actually, exercise is fantastic because Exercise reverses the detrimental effects of stress by increasing levels of "soothing" brain chemicals like serotonin, dopamine, and nor epinephrine. Plus, exercise may actually work on a cellular level to reverse stress's toll on our aging process!!

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

#LegDay #21DayFix

For the past 2 days my quads and hamstrings have been really sore.  Today, they were FINALLY starting to feel better.  Then along came Upper Fix.  On the one hand, it is really cool that the 21 Day Fix program is set up in such a way that your body has a chance to adjust before reworking the same muscle groups (yesterday was Upper Fix...a nice rest for my legs).  However, you don't get a chance to fully recover before starting to work the muscles again.  I am still modifying today.  I actually decided to slow my reps down so that I would also get a good stretch out of each movement.  Just that little step has dramatically helped with the excess soreness.  Don't let my little rant about soreness fool you.  ANYTIME you begin a new workout program, you are often using muscles that you have not used in awhile (or at least not used in the same way).  Most folks will be sore during the first week of ANY workout program.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, I haven't been on a good workout routine since November.  Heck yeah, I am gonna be sore as I jump back into a new routine.  BUT, it is a GOOD sore feeling.  Next week, I will not be as sore, and I can really push myself - hopefully no modifications.

How's the eating plan going?  Not too shabby.  I have had a few curve balls thrown at me this week, but I am trying to roll with it.  I have had to "modify" a few containers to make them fit with food choices that are not really on the list, but I am about 80% on track, so that is good.  The truth is, I have four kids.  I home school the older 3, and my youngest goes to preschool.  We have one family car, so I often have to adjust my schedule to take my husband to work when I need the car during the day.  I also work from home as a fitness coach - helping people find their path to a healthier lifestyle.  Then, to top it all off, we are trying to sell our house.  Which means the house must be immaculate, and show ready at ANY time.  Did I mention that I have 4 kids, and 3 of them are home ALL DAY?   Trust me, I KNOW WHAT BUSY IS!  There are MANY days when I want to throw in the towel.  That is when I am so thankful for my coach, Jen, and all of my fitness support/challenge groups and participants.  That extra support REALLY does help you stay on track. 

If you don't have a support team on your side, I would be happy to coach you!  If you are on Facebook, you can join one of my support/challenge groups too!  Did I mention, my coaching is FREE?  Go ahead, message me (check the right side of this page), and let's talk.  

Monday, January 5, 2015

21 Day Fix - Day 1

How do you know when it has been far too long since you have had a good cardio workout?  You are following the modifier almost the whole time, and you still feel like you are DYING.  Yeah, that was me today!  I would like to say that I have been working out over the past month or so, but I really haven't.  I would manage to fit in a few workouts a week, but my focus has been on workouts like PiYo Define Upper or lower (both are only 20 minute workouts), and 10 Minute Abs Fix.  Definitely good workouts, but not nearly enough cardio to get the blood pumping. 



Today I jumped feet first into the 21 Day Fix program.   Not familiar with the 21 Day Fix?  Here is a VIDEO CLIP of the program.  Here is a link, if you would prefer to see what is in THE PROGRAM.  Day 1 is Total Body Cardio Fix - my second favorite workout of the entire program.  This workout is great because it combined cardio moves WITH weights.  Example - holding a dumbbell with both hands and pushing it away from your chest and pulling it back in, all while  running in place.   I am not a fan of cardio, but I really like the strength/cardio mix of this workout.  So, I knew I was a little rusty when I began today, and I tried to keep up with the program, but on the 3rd exercise in, I had to drop the weights and modify for the remainder of the workout.  To top it all off, my muscles are feeling REALLY tight this evening.  I foresee some major stretching in my future before bed, so that I am not super sore tomorrow.    

HONESTY TIME:  I have run a support/challenge group on Facebook for this program monthly, since the program was released last February.  EVERY month, the group participants have had AMAZING success when following the Fix.  I'll be honest here....I LOVE the 21 Day Fix workouts (most of them), and they have been my "go to" workouts for the better part of the past year, BUT, I have NEVER been able to follow the meal plan for a full 3 weeks.  It isn't that the the portion control system is hard to follow (because it's SUPER easy), but because I just want "other" foods, rather than the specific number of portions from each food group, that the program has SPECIFICALLY designed to maximize your nutrition, so that you will lose weight and NOT feel hungry.  I suppose that is it no secret that I have never lost much weight doing this program...or rather just the workouts from this program. 

THAT IS CHANGING TODAY!!  I am sticking to the meal plan for the next 21 days, and I WILL BE SUCCESSFUL.  More honesty time here...I sent my coach this message earlier today.  "I went up a bracket since the last time I did the Fix. It's A LOT of food. I'm having trouble fitting it all in. Wow! I need to drop this weight so I don't have to eat so much".   LIGHT BULB GOES OFF IN MY HEAD.  Guess what?  You will NOT starve on this program.  I am still trying to figure out how I can fit another whole meal in AFTER dinner, so that I make sure I get ALL of my containers in.  You might be saying, "Isn't it good, if you don't WANT all that food"?  The truth is, this program is designed to have maximum nutrition.  Not the fewest calories, but the proper amount of servings from each food group that will help your body to function at its best capacity for maintaining energy, while trying to lose weight.  It is all about the macros.  That means, it order for it to work, you have to eat ALL of your containers.  Not sure what that means?  See the links above :).  

Ok, this mama is going to go and stretch now, and then try to figure out how to finish eating my food for the day!

Saturday, January 3, 2015

Let's get REAL here

You have to know where you started, in order to know how far you have come.   So, here we go, my BEFORE photos. 


Yeah, I'm NOT happy with these pics.  Nobody is happy with their before pics.  Let's face it, for most of us, they are awful.  However, they do serve a purpose.  They remind us of how much we change over our journey.  For me, I have a commitment to ONLY stepping on the scale once a month....Do you know how HARD it is to NOT step on the scale?!?!?!  My Before pics will be a good measure of my progress.  I also took my measurements, but I am not going to post those - just updates of inches lost.  After all, I already shared my weight with the world in my last post, so you already have a good idea of where things stand. 

Ok, so I have my before pics and my measurements done.  Now what?  Game plan time!!!  I am currently working on my workout schedule.  Yes, I PLAN a workout schedule and PUT IT ON THE CALENDAR.  If I try to wing it, I will find an excuse NOT to do it.  If you didn't already know, I am a Beachbody Coach.  I LOVE my Beachbody workouts, and the ability to do them at home...in private...anytime I want.  I have quite a collection of programs and I often like to mix things up.  As you can probably tell from my pic, I have not been using my workouts recently - holidays were just CRAZY!!

The programs I have at home include:
 21 Day Fix

 PiYO
 Focus T25 I also have the T25 Gamma series
 Insanity Max:30
 Insanity
 P90X
 P90X3
 Body Beast
 Les Mills Combat
 Hip Hop Abs
 Rockin Body
 Brazil Butt Lift
 Turbofire
 Slim in 6

Starting on Monday, I am going to be following the 21 Day Fix workout AND portion control meal plan.  Why?  Because they are my favorite workouts, and the meal plan is just plain simple.  I also run a monthly group on Facebook JUST for this program, so I have built in support and encouragement to help me stay focused and on track.  On top of that, I will be drinking my Shakeology daily to help get my nutrition in and curb my junk food cravings.  Honestly, I try to drink my Shakeology daily anyway because it is just good dense nutrition...I will admit, I slacked off during December...probably why I was drawn to the sweets and treats :).   I'm ready.  LET'S DO THIS!

~The success is in traveling the journey and not reaching the finish line.

Friday, January 2, 2015

Resolutions

I decided to do something different this year in order to stick to my own fitness goals.  I am going to be blogging my journey for 2015.  I may not write every day, but I will be committing to checking in with my struggles and successes.

2014 was an interesting year for my fitness.  I started off with high hopes, and some great plans.  I spent January trying to find my exercise routine again after getting off track during the holidays.  I n February, I did the Beachbody Ultimate Reset, which was AMAZING!  I dropped my holiday bloat, and made it to 148 lbs - a weight I haven't been at since college!!  Shortly after that I started to have health issues that seemed to jump at me at every turn.  I started having huge issues with bloating, an twisted ankle, and a lot of extra stress.  I spent the better part of 2014, just fighting to maintain a regular weight.  Still, I kept slowly gaining.  My weight creeped up to 160-165lbs by December.  I did great maintaining through the month of December...until Christmas.  Between Christmas and New Years, my weight skyrocketed to 174!  YIKES!!!  The good news is that I know MUCH of those extra pounds are water weight and pretty easy to drop.  The bad news is that my eating has not been overly bad this past year, and my exercise is fairly consistent.  I honestly believe there is an underlying medical issue behind my weight gain in 2014.  Hypothyroidism runs in my family, and even though I have tested negative in the past, I think it is finally starting to become an issue for me.  I am taking control of my health this year, and I will be seeing a doctor and addressing my concerns.

I have so much more that I could write, but I am going to hold off.  Right now, I am just going to share with you my 2015 Fitness resolutions.