21 Day Fix Day 16

I have to say that today was a very good day.  Let me begin by saying that I had scheduled a doctor's appointment because I wanted to voice some concerns.  Knowing that I was going to see the doctor early in the morning was exciting because I know that the best time to weigh yourself is in the morning.  I refused to get on a weight scale the entire time that I have been on the program simply because I was afraid and nervous that I may not see the any change in my weight, which had been a problem for me since the beginning of the year.  Since the beginning I say physical changes in my body but no change in weight.  This was a cause of concern.  To my surprise when I got on the scale I was already down five pounds.  I could not believe my eyes when I saw the number, and after the visit from the doctor I asked if I could get on the scale again so I could get a picture for proof!  They were more than happy to allow me back onto the scale. And as it turned out I grew a couple of inches as well, how that happened I have no idea.

Since starting the program I came to several realizations about what I was doing wrong for the last three months since I began my fitness journey.  One thing was realizing that I had been using way too much oil to cook my food.  Even though it is olive oil, it is still not good, to use too much of it.  Probably from using close to a tablespoon to cook food I have gone down to one teaspoon maybe one time a day everyday.  I have also realized that the amount of dairy such as cheese I was eating way too much of.  I was eating an entire avocado some days when you are limited to half for the entire day.  Finally, I was eating way too many sweets thinking that my workouts were significantly more important than the food.  So lesson learned, there is a lot of truth to the 70/30 fitness rule.  This program has taught me so much in a very short period of time.

Today was my sleep in day following with the doctor's appointment, so I got off to a later start with my food.  I ended up eating my meals later than I would have liked to but I ate everything that I had planned out for the day.  I got a significant amount of water, in fact the recommended amount for the day, as well as my Shakeology. All in all it was a great day.  

Workouts for today were the Upper Fix, and Cardio Fix.   Upper Fix was a killer, I used heavier weights on some of the first rounds to really push myself.  Bent over rows, for example, I used twenty pound weights, and then switched to fifteen pounds on the second round.  Push ups were super hard but I was able to beat my record and do thirteen on my toes instead of twelve.  It may not seem like a lot but it was quite challenging.  On the Cardio Fix I was already feeling tired but I had to push through because this is the final week of the program and I only have this time to really prove to myself that I can do it.  I got quite winded but all of the exercises got done.  Later on in the evening I invited my daughter to do the ten minute Ab Fix with me and she was more than happy to.  Tomorrow I will do a workout later on in the evening so that I can invite her again because the workouts really help her self-esteem.

Food preparation for tomorrow is done.  My menu consists of 96% lean pork, eggs, spinach, green onions, broccoli, mini heirloom tomatoes, red bell pepper, strawberries, blackberries, papaya, coffee, water, shakeology, Ezekial flaxseed bread, sweet potatoes, cheddar cheese, almonds, and allowed two teaspoons of oil and I may just use one.

As I am trying to figure out what plan I am going to do next, I do want to remind that I am putting together a small group of people for my next fitness challenge.  I am hoping that I can get a 21 Day Fix Challenge group together as well as a general challenge group.  If you are interested in participating in my group please contact me the spaces are limited and my groups are small.  Till tomorrow goodnight everyone. Please fill out the form below.

  

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21 Day Fix It's Go Time!

Here we go everybody it's go time this week.  On this scheduled week I had two workouts scheduled everyday till the very end so that is ten days left of hard work.  I have no intention of taking it easy.  The way I see it is I am fighting for my life here.  I am running that marathon and I plan to come in first, and the best part about it is that the only person in the race is me.  What Jane, Joe, or Hilda thinks really doesn't matter, the only thing that matters is that I challenged myself to the fullest extent and said YES on every single exercise.

Today I got through every exercise.  I made sure that I got the appropriate weight that would allow me to get to the end.  Last week on the Total Body Cardio fix I went a little heavier and I failed during some of the exercises.  Now in my mind failing is usually a good thing it means you just woke up your body and it is has been successfully shocked, but then I thought I really wanted to get through the entire minute.  Changing the weights out to lighter was still challenging but got me through to the end of the minute.  I found myself out of breath and heart pounding.  It was great.  

After total body I jumped right into the pilates workout and that was perfect because it is a recovery workout and felt very good on my muscles.  Don't get me wrong it wasn't super easy, it just wasn't as intense as the cardio.  I certainly did feel the stretching and the planks are deceptively intense.  Last but not least I just had to do the ten minute ab fix.  I figured I would go hard or go home. That is just me, my tendency is to go big, to really push myself in certain areas of my life.  Other areas of my life require baby steps, but I have to say that I am working on it.  

Today I realized that I only had five days of my Shakeology left of the packets.  This time around I got the bag because you get more days worth in the bag than in the packets.  I won't get the packets again.  So I made sure to stay ahead of the game by not being in a position where I will run out of it.  Shakeology is the most important part of my daily eating because I get all of the nutrition that I am not getting from my meals.  Now I like that the eating plan is balanced for us and allows us to pick healthier choices for ourselves but at the end of the day I want to make sure that I have complete nutrition.  As well as my shake I also take fish oil.  

Food today was on target and prepped in the evening.  I chose almonds today instead of olives.  I am going to leave out the olives for the rest of the fix so that I wont have any extra salt.  For tomorrow on the menu there will be lean turkey, cheddar cheese, Ezekial flaxseed bread, papaya, strawberries, broccoli, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, coffee, water, and shakeology.  I am looking forward to the day because it will be another day of very hard work.

I am looking for some individuals to create a challenge group if you are interested in the 21 Day Fix program pleas contact me I would love to get you through with all the support to help you succeed.  You will be able to track your progress, and receive the help you need to succeed.  If you are ready to change your life let me help you.  Please fill out the online form.  Looking to create a group for June.

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21 Day Fix Day 14

So here I am at day fourteen and I am ready for the day to be over.  I am looking forward to getting my rest because tomorrow I am going to hit it hard with the doubles workout week.  It's in this week that if you want to you can do two workouts a day.  Now I know that this coming week is going to really test my will but I have every intention of doing it as planned.  I have already gotten a little bit of a taste of working out twice a day because this last week I worked out with my daughter Gloria in the evening.  It has been great but at the end of the day I am ready for bed and glad I ate all of my food.

Today was a working recovery day and I had to do yoga.  As usual I was feeling a bit of a funk.  I find that the nature of the job that I have currently really drains my energy.  When I leave it's as though my body wants to fully relax, by that I mean lay down.  Instead though I got past it and got to work.  For me it isn't an option to skip a workout, but I know we have  those days where we are just not feeling it.  The difference for me is that I had that attitude too many times before in the past and I have not been successful because of it.  I did what I had to do for my body and I gave myself the proper stretching that I am going to need for the coming week.

What I loved about today is that I got to do a little bit of catching up.  The girls were at their aunt's house and I was able to focus on some things I needed to cross off of my to-do list.  One of those things was my food preparation.  I got it done pretty early closer to 5:00 p.m and  that was perfect.  Today I bought 95% lean pork to change things up a little bit.  Lean meats are allowed so I grabbed some of this at the store.  Normally I try to stay away from pork, beef or poultry because I typically like eating fish, but when I eat fish I don't always feel full.  With all of the exercise that I am doing this next week I want to make sure that I feel satisfied after my meals.  I also added papaya, blueberries, strawberries, almonds, hummus, tomatoes, broccoli, sweet potatoes and my Shakeology for one of my meals.  So I am set.

Some of the other foods that I enjoy that I am happy to see on the meal plan are:

Veggies:

Kale, collard greens, brussels sprouts, asparagus, beets, string beans, squash, peppers, carrots, and cauliflower

Fruit:

Raspberries, Blueberries, blackberries, watermelon, cantaloupe, oranges, tangerines, apples, apricots, and grapefruit

Protein:

Sardines, Fish cold water wild caught (cod, salmon, halibut or tuna), buffalo (bison, ostrich, venison), yogurt, clams, shellfish

Starches:

Sweet potato, yams, quinoa, beans, lentils, edamame, beans, brown rice, wild rice, potato, corn, amaranth, buckwheat, barley

Healthy Fats:

Avocado, almonds, cashews, peanuts, pistachios, pecans, walnuts, coconut milk

Seeds:

Pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, flaxseed

Oils:

Olive oil, coconut oil, flaxseed oil, walnut oil, pumpkin seed oil

Freebies:

Lemon, vinegar, mustard, herbs, spices, garlic, ginger

Well to give you an idea of the healthier choices to pick from.  I have been very consistent in my choices.  To have balance I have chosen to eat cheddar cheese the last few days but I switched today to hummus.  I am looking forward to tomorrow, and I can't wait to get my butt kicked! 

There is still time to join the May 26th challenge group, if you think that you are ready to make that commitment to change your life, let it start as soon as possible.  There is no time like the present to get into shape!  Please fill out my online form I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Goodnight Everybody

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21 Day Fix Day 12

Hard work is all that I have to say.  I have made it this far in the program and I am past that halfway mark.  I am not going to lie the workouts have not been easy.  They have been tough and I have had to really push myself.  Even in the moments when I have to stop for a second I remind myself in less of a second that it's only one minute, so I push through to the end no matter what.  Even if I stopped for five to ten seconds I jump back in there and finish because that's what it takes to succeed on this or any program.  Pushing yourself beyond what you're used to is the name of the game.  I have been pushing hard since January and it has been challenging all the way.

After work today I was feeling a bit down for some reason.  I am not really sure why or where the feelings were coming from.  For a few moments I looked around my room and I said to myself that I didn't want to do anything.  As though my body had control over my mind I put on my exercise outfit.  I got past whatever funk I had going on and I started my workout.  I was so happy that I made that choice because after I was done I felt amazing.  I felt as though I conquered whatever bad feelings I had prior to working out and laid it to rest.

Today was Cardio Fix and it was just as tough as the first time I did it.  I love that these workouts are designed to keep your body guessing.  So I got through with a major sweat, and I was feeling great.  I had my serving of shakeology afterwords, and when my daughter Gloria got home from school I invited her to do a Brazilian Butt Lift workout with me.  The reason that I invited my daughter to workout with me is because she has the tendency to be very stressed and exercise helps her to relieve it.  She is very much like me in the sense that she needs an outlet for that stress and through exercise it's perfect.

Food today was on point.  I came into this personal challenge with every intention of committing to it, and up until now I have remained true to it.  Food choices for the day were papaya, blueberries, strawberries, cucumbers, spinach, 96% lean beef, eggs, cheddar cheese, broccoli, olives, water, coffee, Ezekial flaxseed bread, and Shakeology.  Water consumption today was also on point.

The best part of my day today was getting the changes in my body noticed.  I attended a birthday party for my daughter's friend this evening and everyone was noticing the changes in my body.  One lady that I saw on Thanksgiving was feeling my arms and telling me how much I have changed since then.  It was such a wonderful experience to be able to feel confident about myself and only at the halfway point.  I can't even imagine what it will be like at day 21.  Trust me I cannot wait.

Well I am very tired at this point, tomorrow starts the cycle over again but this time I will be pampering my sister for her birthday along with the help of the kids.

If you think you are ready to make a commitment to change and would like to start your 21 Day Fix journey I am ready to help you out.  Please fill out my online form and I will get back to you as soon as possible. There is still time for the May 26 challenge.  I am here to help.

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21 Day Fix Day 11

Day eleven and I am still in this all the way.  I am feeling better than ever and so happy with my results up to this point.  Today was a sleep in day so another late start to my day.  Sleeping in was great because felt very rested when I got up and there is nothing better than that.  I had plenty of water with my coffee, and another day drinking a smaller amount than normal (of coffee).

Today my eating was very good, I have to say that I am getting very used to not adding salt to my food.  I find that I can live without it.  The flavor of the food I am enjoying more and I am now realizing I was eating way too much of it before this program!  Alas I am cured of that need for salt, in fact, I did not eat any of my olives today so I will have to replace my orange container with something else tomorrow.

Pilates always catches me off guard because there are some exercises in there that are a little intense like the planks, and the leg exercises.  Ultimately though it is one of the active recovery workouts so it should be seen like a rest day.  Now on the program you workout three weeks straight, which I absolutely love, but some people may not be into that.

I got a lot of joy from my fruit today.  I added very sweet pineapple into one purple container and strawberries and blueberries into another.  Mixing the two was absolutely delicious, simple and satisfying.  For tomorrow's menu I am having some of the same but adding some papaya to the mix.  Papaya has so many health benefits that we eat it quite regularly here at home.

Foods for tomorrow are, 96% lean beef, broccoli, cucumbers in lemon juice, strawberries, blueberries, broccoli, cheddar cheese (very small amount) eggs, two slices of Ezekial flaxseed bread, water, coffee, and last but not least my shakeology.

I am loving this program so much it has brought me back to a positive place in my life. I am hoping I can help others get to this place it is amazing!

There is still time to get into my challenge group on the 26th of May if you are interested please fill out the online form I would love to have you!  

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21 Day Fix Day 10

Here I am almost to the halfway mark and I am going strong.  I have to say it's nice to be out of school because my mind is more clear and I have more time to focus on the little things.  I know life can get hectic for most of us but I realize that we live in a place where we are busy!  From the time we get up to the time we get to sleep the things that need to get done seem endless.

So today was a great start I woke up feeling rested.  I have been noticing that I am not drinking as much coffee in the morning as I used to.  I would seriously drink approximately four cups in the morning everyday with creamer and my liquid leaf stevia.  It seemed like I was going through pot after pot of coffee.  I would even drink it in the afternoon.  Since I have started the program I have naturally weened down to about two and a half cups in the morning and about one cup in my shakeology per day.  For me that is a lot, but I find that I am not sluggish or tired throughout the day anymore.  I can attribute that to the change in diet, and adding more water to my day.

Today was a successful workout I did the lower fix earlier in the day.  I went with my fifteen pound weights for the entire workout and I felt that with all of the movement involved it was right for this round.  I may push myself to try the twenty pound weights next week in the final round but I am not decided yet.  Pushing myself is something I always try to do.  We tackled a variety of squats, lunges, and leg work on the floor.  It was a relief to get to work on the floor after doing the harder exercises first but alas I powered through.

Eating was great.  I managed to stay on target with my meals.  I have been making my shakeology about midday and only drinking half of it and saving the rest for later.  It is working as my sweet treat since I have been using the chocolate packets for the fix.  I am saving the vanilla packets for when I can add more food to my plan and have that shake with almond milk.  So for now I am just having the chocolate flavor.  My meals are getting more creative.  I find that whatever I have packed for myself in my box I can create meals with what I have in there.  To keep from getting sloppy or I pre-pack everything the night before as you see here and that is all I eat the next day.

I do not have time in the day to fuss with fancy recipes I find that I am too busy for that.  So doing this helps me to not only save time but to stay on target with the plan.  I don't eat anything that I don't have in my box.  That takes discipline and that is what is going to bring me success.  The foods that I pack are fresh vegetables.  I try to eat them as fresh as possible because this is going to make a huge difference in the my skin and how I feel from day to day.

So I did my workout earlier in the day after I got home from work and I thought I was done for the day. Then later on in the evening my beautiful daughter Gloria wanted to workout, so I challenged her to do the lower fix with me and we got to workout together.  We not only did the lower fix, but we also did the ten minute ab fix as you can see at the top of the post.  It was so much fun to work out with my daughter.  She is so much like me and I love having that time to bond with her.  She was in some serious pain but she kept on saying "oh beautiful pain" so I know that she loved the workout.  

So I have been inviting you to join me in a 21 day fix challenge group.  I am really looking forward to helping you get into the best shape of your life.  I love being a coach it brings me so much happiness and I would love for you to feel the same way I do.  Please fill out the online form and let me help you reach your fitness goals.

21 Day Fix Day Seven

So I am happy to say that I survived Mother's Day and what I mean is that I had the greatest time with my family and got royal treatment from my kids and my sister.  They bought me flowers and we had a fantastic alcohol free water bar to enjoy.  My sister sliced up oranges, lemons, and cucumbers very thin, and placed them in the glasses along with fresh mint leaves and it was fantastic.

Let me backtrack a little on my day.  I had already prepacked my meals for the day today so I had it in mind to stay on track with the eating plan.  I woke up early as usual to get to work, and I had the good fortune to get out early today.  After I left I came home and got ready for my work outs.  Today was an recovery day so we for the 21 Day Fix program, but I was feeling a little anxious to do more so I threw in the Brazilian Butt Lift Bum Bum workout before I did the yoga.  Every now and then I get impulsive with energy and I want to do more so I do.  Yoga was great, I felt the stretch in my entire body which I felt I needed from the intense work I have done this week.  Tomorrow we start the program again, so with the same intensity or better I will go for it.

After finishing the workout I was pretty hungry so I decided to boost up with my Shakeology.  Today I worked so hard I felt like I earned it and it was so good.  I don't currently have a blender so I mashed up a banana half and added it to my shake.  It hit the spot it was just what I needed midday.  It also satisfied that urge for sweets that I had the last few days.  Now I have to say that today I woke up with more energy and I felt rested.

At about 2 p.m. I headed over to my sister's house and we had a great time visiting.  My daughters painted my nails and I ended up taking my meals from home to heat up and over there.  I am fortunate that both of my sister's are on the same wavelength as me.  They are both on a weight loss and fitness journeys of their own so it is easy for me to be around them.  I feel fortunate because in some families if you have a dream, or a goal they may not always understand and not really support you or understand you.  I have also experienced jealousy from from friends and boyfriends that don't want you to succeed so they have sabotaged me.  Clearly I have moved on from those relationships because they did not serve me.  So I am happy that I am surrounded with like minded individuals at the moment.  These are people that are in my tight circle of trust.

Today was a success for me, and my food has been prepped for tomorrow.  On the menu I am having free range turkey again, yams, broccoli and cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, two large eggs, a banana, cheddar cheese, olives, coffee, water and my chocolate shakeology.

I hope you had a great Mother's Day I sure did! Till tomorrow!

If you would like to try the 21 Day Fix please contact me, I am having a challenge group on the 26th of May and I would love to guide you through this process with nutritional advice, and support.  It's never too late to get fit and healthy.

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21 Day Six Dirty 30

I've made it to day six successfully so far.  Up to this point I have stuck to the eating plan as strictly as possible, because I have no intention of self sabotage.  I have not had any added salt to any of my food just spices and herbs.  My determination is so strong that I am even drinking tons more water than yesterday.

For my meals I had cauliflower, free range ground turkey, half of a banana, an egg, a little bit of cheddar cheese, olives, cherry tomatoes, coffee, water, mashed sweet potatoes, and my Shakeology.  I still have an egg, sweet potatoes, and half of a banana left and I am saving my banana for last.  Today I decided to have my shakeology midday because I needed to save it for when my sweet tooth hit me.  It was a great idea on my part because not only did it satisfy my need for something rich and sweet but it gave me the boost I needed to get through the afternoon.

Today was the dirty thirty workout, and let me tell you it was awesome.  It was really tough and as usual I was pleasantly surprised at how hard I had to work.  These workouts make me work very hard, and that is how change will come for me.  I am, at my age realizing through these programs that nothing in life comes easy and I am grateful that Calabrese is kicking my butt!  Better late than never I say.  In the dirty I used eight, ten, and fifteen pound weights.  We had quite a full body workout and I really enjoyed it.  I started the exercise after work which was at 12:45 p.m. but then I realized I wasn't going to finish it 15 minutes in because I had to take my daughter to an appointment.  So I stopped, went to the appointment and when I got home I started the workout from the beginning with the same intensity as the first time.  I didn't mind and I got through it, because I can't get enough of the exercise.  So I left it at that, I skipped Extreme Abs because I was already super hungry when I was done.

I am noticing more strength in my legs, and my shoulders.  I can see definition when I look in the mirror and I love what I see and how I feel.  Overall it has been a good day today.

Reminder:

May 26 2014
21 Day Fix Challenge Group
Fill out the online form if you are interested or want more information

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21 Day Fix Day 5

I have made it to day five, and I am super happy that I have stuck to my eating plan, except for my beets.  I wasn't able to finish all of them even though they are super good for you.  What I normally would do is juice them with an apple, lemon, carrot, and it tasted amazing.  But since I started the program I am very limited on the amount of sugar I can have so juicing right now is not an option.  However, I will point out that when I was juicing I was getting way too much sugar so I am glad I stopped.  One thing that I am learning is that I was eating way too much of the same foods that I am allowed to eat now in smaller amounts.  For example, I was using way too much oil when cooking.  I was eating way more protein than I needed to.  I was also not balancing my diet in all areas.  This program has really been teaching me that the portions that you eat are determining factor in your weight loss program.

Today was tough but expected for me in the sense that I was having some major cravings for sweets.  For that reason I was glad that I saved my second banana half till the very end of the day.  It satisfied my urge to give in to temptation.  Plus I took a trip to the grocery store and stocked up on more vegetables, and fruits that I need to have on hand for food preparation.  Today they had my favorite purple cauliflower available, and free range turkey.  The program recommends lean meats so I bought the leanest meat that I could find.  Making this trip got me out of my house an provided a great mental distraction for me so I consider my day pretty successful.

The only place I went wrong was that I did not finish my entire serving of red beets in lemon juice.  I packed too much and was not able to eat them all today.  For tomorrow I plan to mix that second half with carrots and lemon juice so that I can finish the entire serving.

 Beets are so incredibly good for you they have such healing power for the body.  I was a little disappointed that I didn't eat them all but there is always tomorrow.  If I don't complete something due to my schedule I don't harp on it, because it's a waste of time and energy.  We only have the present moment and we may not see tomorrow, so I just let it be and move forward, that's my best advice for myself.

Total Body Cardio Fix was the workout today.  I have to say, yet again, I was pleasantly surprised at how tough the workout was.  In only thirty minutes every exercise was intense from start to finish.  I used ten pound weights, and on one exercise I had to switch to eight.  I got out of breath and even stopped for a second but still powered through it.  I have to say from what I have experienced so far this program is all you need.  I don't think it is necessary to supplement the workouts with anything else if you are just starting out, because what you get is intense, but I did follow my calendar and I added an extra ten minutes of Chalean Extreme's Ab Burner right after I was done.  Now, again, I am using heavier weights to start.  A beginner may start with no weights and still get the same intensity.  All in all today kicked my butt.

I tried my new strategy for drinking water.  I had a whole 32 oz. in the morning and when I got home I had another 32 oz.  I can see and feel changes in my abs and my legs and I am only five days in.  I am starting to feel strong and I am super excited about what the results are going to be.  

If I left anything out I will add it tomorrow, for I am exhausted.  I hope you have a great night.

Please know that you are more than welcome to comment, and send feedback.  If you have any particular questions about the Fix please let me know.  

I am also having a 21 Day Fix Challenge group on the 26th of May if you would like to participate or have thought of trying out the 21 day fix, please fill out the online form.

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21 Day Fix Tip

Today is day four of my 21 day fix and I slept in this morning for an extra three and a half hours.  I feel great, and I wish I could have slept in longer.  Here is a product that I discovered at our local and only health store Sprouts.  Sweet Leaf Sweetener is a liquid form of Stevia that I use now instead of sugar, honey, or any kind of sweetener.  This product comes in several different flavors and tastes great!  I have tried the chocolate, english toffee, hazelnut, and coconut.  The fruity flavored ones and the cinnamon are not so great they have more of a medicine like flavor, but overall the ones listed are the best.  I have used this product now in my coffee for the last three months and I find that is satisfies my sweet tooth.  

Yesterday was a perfect example, as I ran out the door to my final semester critique for my life drawing class I was craving sweets.  So I made myself a small iced coffee to go with a little coconut stevia to satisfy my need for sweets.  The toughest part about changing your diet for a period of time is that you are going to get a sudden rush of cravings after you're three to four days in guaranteed.  It's great to have a backup plan and know you have something that will satisfy that need.  

I love that on the 21 Day fix program you are allowed some sweets, but you have to replace some of your meal portions for those sweets.  Since you are clean eating for the majority of the week then those allowances are okay.  I am trying to stay away from that need to eat the sweets because I want to be disciplined and see where this program will take me without any of those allowances.  I am not perfect however I may feel differently tomorrow, but I certainly will not beat myself up for it if I decide to have something from the list.  

If you are starting a program I consider this a lifesaver because it tastes great, and if anyone has had plain stevia it has a strange taste you have to get used to.  Okay I hope this helps.

We are having a challenge group on the 19th of May and I am inviting you to join if you are interested or thinking of trying the 21 Day Fix you can do it along side a group of great people along with my support!  I would love to have you just email me at lulu_love13@yahoo.com, or facebook me Lucia Perez.  Till later on in the evening.  Have a great day

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21 Day Fix Playing Catch Up

So I am happy to report that yesterday (5/6/14) was my last day of my graphic design class, and although I have been feeling as though I could use more rest I still did my workout.  Yesterday was the upper fix workout that I have to say was quite intense.  I really feel that I got my money's worth for thirty minutes.  The weights I used were eight pounds as my light weights, and ten to fifteen pounds as my heavier weights.  Now if you're thinking of starting the program and you are not used to using weights by all means start with three to five pound weights.  Your strength will build eventually and you will be able to go up in weight.  Since I have been working with weights since January, I started out with much heavier weights and was able to get through the full thirty minutes with no real problems.  Remember, if you are starting a program it's important to write down what weights you are using because if you don't you may not remember what you used.  Now I am sure some people have great memory and thats great, but I don't.  I never, ever wrote my weights down or my reps till I started with Chalean Extreme, and boy was it a waste of time.

I am glad that in the Chalean program I got very disciplined about writing my weights down and it really paid off.  I am definately stronger than I was before.  I am hoping to really push myself with this new program because I think it will really tone me up.

Eating yesterday was very good, I was very much able to get through the day feeling as though I got plenty to eat.  I made sure to pre-pack my meals for the next day and had them all sectioned off in a storage container so that I could just grab and go, or grab and microwave.  I typically don't care to use the microwave but when you are coming and going you have got to plan to make your meals easier to deal with.  I have had so much success and discipline eating the food I have laid out for myself that I expect to see the results that I want.  Discipline is very important with this plan, it may be easy to try to eyeball your serving amounts at first but you may get the proportions wrong and at the end may wonder where you went wrong.  I promised myself that I would stick to the plan no matter what.

Water consumption was overall very good I did drink as the program recommends half of your body weight in ounces.  Now I have to admit I am not a huge water fan, after all it can get pretty boring, but for the sake of the program and overall health it's super important to prioritize your water.  Now what I love is that they give you several creative options to drinking your water.  Frozen strawberries to your water is one fantastic example.

Overall my day ended well! If you think you would like to join me on my fitness journey with help and support for you while on the 21 Day Fix program we are having a challenge group on the 19th of May, and I would love to have you join.  I am loving this program so far and would love to give you guidance.  Please email me at lulu_love13@yahoo.com, or facebook me Lucia Perez,.

21 Day Fix Day Two

I am excited to report on my first day of the 21 day fix.  Ideally I would have liked to report yesterday, but I was swamped the entire day with things to do.  From the moment I woke up, to the time I went to bed I was doing something.  It was very helpful to pre-pack all of my meals in their containers so that my meals were all ready for the next day.  

I took some time to prep all of my meals on Sunday night and measured everything in the colored containers and then transferred them to Glad food storage containers with lids.  What I loved about doing this is that I didn't have to hassle with it the next day and it was one less thing that I had to do.  My day consists of cooking meals for the kids, working out, school, and my job plus my own meals on top of that.  So this was great.

My day went as follows:

6:00 a.m. breakfast: water, coffee and Shakeology (at home)

9:00 a.m. snack: papaya, water (at work)

10:00 a.m. snack: protein portion (at work on 15 min break)

11:00 a.m. snack: cherry tomatoes (at work)

12:30 p.m. work out Cardio Fix, water (at home)

1:40 p.m. meal: protein portion, sweet potatoes, and avacado, water (at home)

4:00 p.m. snack: beets in lemon juice (at school)

7:00 p.m. protein, sweet potato, cucumbers (at home)

7:15 p.m. snack: papaya (at home)

Now normally I would not eat this late but my day was super hectic and I was trying to do my best to satisfy my hunger throughout the day with my required portions of food.  Where I work I have to sit in one place for periods at a time without leaving so I plan to take snacks that don't need refrigeration and that I can eat slowly so that they will last me.  Having a busy schedule requires me to adapt to situations that may seem difficult but I always manage to do my best and figure out a plan that works for me.  

I have to also mention that when I sat down for an actual meal I was very happy that the portion that I ate was very satisfying. I was very concerned that I would not have enough to eat.  As it turns out the portion sizes were perfect.  I even had food left over at the end of the day that I was reluctant to eat because of the time I ate it.  I ate it anyways because I absolutely did not want to go under my required calories for the day.  So I have to say I was very happy about that.  

Now my Cardio Fix workout was the first workout for the 21 day fix program, and let me tell you it kicked my butt! I really wasn't expecting it because when I looked at the program it was said to be for beginners. Now the modifications are very simplified so I think that anyone can do this workout.  I always tell myself "if you can't do it then do the modification" and work your way towards the advanced moves.  There is absolutely no shame in that, at least not for me, after all I am doing this for me.  But overall I was pleasantly surprised at how sweaty I got.  I definitely feel I got my money's worth, in fact my legs are very sore this morning.  

I almost forgot to mention that I created a workout calendar on the computer and I added a supplemental workout to my workout plan.  I added an additional ab workout from both Chalean Extreme and Brazilian Butt Lift's workout video to give my abs an extra kick.  I will post that later.

Today is another hectic day, but I am happy to report it is the last day of class and I will have one less thing to focus on from today forward.  It's nice not to be spread too thin, because it gives you more time to take care of you!! I hope this helps...Have a great day everyone.

21 Day Fix Starts Today

So I it was my goal to try to post my pre-21 Day Fix preparation but I will have to write about it even though today I start  the program.  I spent the weekend shopping, as well as working on final projects for school.  I am currently a student at the University of Texas at El Paso and I am studying Graphic Design for a second degree.  So having to work, finish up school projects, and really focus on my business is time consuming.  Not to mention I am raising two beautiful teenage girls as well on my own.  Luckily, the semester is over on Wednesday and I can really have one less thing to focus on.  

So I spent the last week just mentally preparing myself for the fact that I was going to be eating only certain portions a day from certain lists of food.  I will admit I was feeling anxious about whether or not I was going to get enough food to eat.  I was also worried that my food would not have flavor since I can't really use salt, and lets admit it we all know or maybe should know that salt consumption makes our bodies retain water.  I know this for a fact because I used to do cleanses and would leave out salt altogether for weeks and always saw major results.  But as I have gotten older I find that I am more stubborn and that tendency has gotten me into trouble.  It's an unwillingness to commit or compromise.  I would think that the easy way would still get me results.  Well joke was on me, I made a decision last year towards the end that I was going to make major changes this next year of 2014.  I knew that I wasn't going anywhere in my life the way it was with my health, career, and lifestyle.

I made a New Year's Resolution for the first time and on that list I had this:

9. Work on toning your body the way you've always wanted to.  And make a commitment to seeing it through.

Now please don't misunderstand my lifestyle wasn't too extreme, like a party animal or anything, because I am raising two children and I have to be my best for them.  I just wasn't giving 100% to anything and it showed.  So towards the end of last year around November I started to exercise more.  I would run at the local high school track, I even started to jump rope (great for calorie burn), and started doing leg exercises in the morning.  My problem was that I just didn't have a clear plan or direction with it.  my resistance training was unguided and I realized that I needed to be taught what to do.  

So it was my good friend who told me about Chalean Extreme and challenged me to do her program for the next 90 days.  It was just what I needed, and basically the answer to my inner prayer for guidance.  God works in mysterious ways, he has his little angels all around doing his good work.  That was the beginning of the journey that has brought me here today.  So I decided to really search for that inner will power that I had been missing from my life for the longest time, and I finally pulled it out for this challenge.  I told myself that I would really make a commitment to this program because I want to see it work for me.  I want to see results and everyday I want to feel great!  I deserve it and I have to take care of me!

Today is my first day and I am off to a great start.  I've had my water, shakeology for breakfast, and all meals prepared!  Time to get ready for work, and after I will do my first workout... Have a great day!! Amores!

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Welcome!

Hi everyone my name is Lucia Angela Perez and I am a Team beachbody coach!!  I started my blog mainly to share my experiences and my story in hopes to inspire you and help you in any way possible on your weight loss journey.  I am a mother of two teenagers, beautiful girls

Gloria and Isabel, and since they were born my body went through some changes I never really saw coming. The pregnancy with Isabel took me to a whopping 198 lbs.  Now for me that was the heaviest weight I had been in my entire life.  Not only was there the weight but the changes to my skin as well.  Now I have always been a very active person my whole life without physical activity for me was no life at all.  I have always been one to bike ride, fast and moderate paced walks,  jogging and starting late last year I really fell in love with jump rope.  I loved jump rope because it is one heck of a calorie burner!!!  It took me a couple of years, 3 in fact, to lose my baby weight with just cardio, but the one thing that I finally realized is that my body never really changed in appearance.  I never seemed to have any kind of muscle tone.  Even when I got a gym membership and used the machines in a way that I thought was right, I never saw any real changes.  I got into the pattern of getting a gym membership and going for three months strong, not seeing any changes and then cancelling it.  It was very frustrating for me.  Then I would go back to just cardio and nothing really made a difference.

It wasn't until this year believe it or not I decided that on my new years resolution I would get toned, and get the body I finally wanted no matter what.  Then one day out of nowhere I got a message from my best friend Shanna asking me if I would like to join her for a workout challenge.  She asked me if I would be interested in doing Chalean Extreme with her and that it was a 90 day program.  Low and behold it was a program that had resistance training!! Now at first I wasn't sure.  I didn't know if I could commit, but because she is my best friend in the world and I knew that it was important to her  I agreed to do it!  Best decision of my life!!

We started mid January of this year, we tracked all of our progress as necessary and even saw great results!!  We stayed in touch everyday always making sure to push each other along with encouragement, and with that alone I was able to successfully reach the end of the 90 days together!!  The accountability we had to each other is what I felt was the reason for our success, and I knew that coaching others was the right fit for me.  If my friend and I could do it together I know I can help others make it through any program that they decide to choose!! 

I am looking forward to adding more to my blog, look for my Chalean Extreme results next