21 Day Fix Day 18

Well I am so close to the end of this 21 day journey that I can almost smell it.  Today was a bit of an off day because I had an interview for a position that was advertised for management.  I ended up leaving because they were looking for full time while I explained that I needed part time hours.  I was a bit thrown off schedule because they ran late and therefore everything was behind my usual schedule.

My eating was excellent today and I was very happy to receive my new bag of Shakeology.  I very much prefer the chocolate flavor.  I enjoyed red bell peppers, tomatoes, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, lean pork, lean beef, sweet potatoes, almonds, cheddar cheese, papaya, broccoli, coffee, and plenty of water.

My workouts were great I was able to finish both the Cardio Fix and the Pilates with full energy.  Getting to sleep in and get some extra rest was helpful to me to really give it my best effort.

Tonight I spent quite a bit of time preparing food for the next two days.  Since I am in the final stretch I have to eat protein and vegetables throughout the day with very little carbohydrates.  My night went mostly to cooking chicken, fish, broccoli, red bell peppers and now sweet potatoes which I had overlooked.  So they are boiling now.

I will be eating every two hours as well as doing my workout.  My concern is how I am going to plan it around work.  I am thinking of scheduling on calendar on my phone to alarm every two hours so that I will stay on track.  If that works tomorrow then I will be able to do it for the next three days.  I am hoping for the best.  As well as eating very specific things for tomorrow I am also required to drink a full gallon of water throughout the day.  This is a lot of water for me, but I am going to do my best to drink all that I am required to.  Since I cannot really get up very much when I am at work to use the restroom I will have to get my fill of water in the morning, and after I get home.

Wish me luck on my day!!

I am inviting you to join me on my Challenge group that I will be having on the second of June.  It will be a 21 Day Fix Challenge.  If you are interested please join me and we can get through this fix together.  Please fill out my online form.  

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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 13

What a day I am exhausted so I am going to make this one kind of brief.  I always try to be true to my word as much as possible.  A long time ago I have to admit I was terrible about keeping my commitments, and it had a price tag that came along with it.  Not only did I lose credibility with some people but I also did not feel good about myself.  I felt like a failure to say one thing and never do it.  Now we seem to be really busy these days, at least it always feels like I never really take a moment for myself to relax, but now I am going to get off to bed.  Before I go to bed though, I am going to write a bit about my day today because that was a commitment that I made to myself so I am keeping it.

Today was a great day I got my fair share of exercise, with the Dirty 30 after work.  After I headed over to my sister's house to celebrate her birthday with her.  On our agenda was a family workout session in which we did a round of High and Tight from the Brazilian Butt Lift videos, and my daughter and I did another 10 Minute Ab Fix workout to make sure we got everything covered.  It was great but now I am super exhausted.

My water intake and meals were very good although everyone else ate pretty healthy this evening I ate the food that I planned for myself and nothing else.  There was some pasta at the gathering but I passed, as well as the cupcakes.  After exercise the day was spent in the kitchen and visiting, I love that we can talk about fitness quite a bit.

Although I am extremely tired I still took the time to prep and pack my food because I never want to leave anything to chance.  I am pretty much eating the same thing that I ate yesterday so it didn't take much time to get that done.  All in all the day was another success.  Till tomorrow lovely people.

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 9

Here I am at day nine! I am so happy to say that I am almost at the halfway mark of this program.  I can't believe that I have made it this far with the kind of discipline that I have been missing from my life for the last three years.  I knew it was in there somewhere and from the changes that I am beginning to see and feel I will get some great results.  I have posted a few pictures of myself, but my final pictures I will show at the end the way that they are supposed to.

So today was a little different because I did not get up at my usual time in the morning of 5:00 a.m. and start my day.  I got up this morning and got the kids breakfast and ready for school, but soon after I went right back to bed.  Today I had the day off from school and the day off from work so I finally had some time to really catch up on sleep that I felt I needed.  I can't emphasize enough how important it is to be rested.  The body needs to rest in order for the progress you are making to work.  So I got up at about 10:00 a.m. which really got me off to a late start.  I had my coffee and water, and then I grabbed a banana half and my Shakeology and took off to school to get my final grade and my project.

When I got home I got ready right away to do my workout, which today was the Upper Fix.  Now today I tried to lift a little heavier on some of the exercises, where last week I lifted fifteen pounds today I tried twenty pounds.  The reason I did was to push myself.  I got through one of the sets with the heavier weights but on the second set I went back to the lighter.  It's OK to switch out your weights if you are failing to complete the exercise the important thing for me was to get through.  Today's workout, and I don't think I mentioned it the last time, was a lot of floor work on abs, chest, and push ups.  It was just as tough as the last time and I didn't expect it to get any easier.  The most important thing is that I got through it.

Today I had scheduled the Extreme Abs workout from Chalean Extreme's videos but instead I decided to do the 10 Minute Ab Fix from the 21 day program that I was dying to try out.  It was pretty intense and I am glad I did it.  This workout was non-stop for the full ten minutes and we switched exercises every thirty seconds, so she really worked out all areas.

Eating today was on target again.  My meals consisted of 96% lean beef, yams, eggs, olives cheddar cheese, Shakeology, spinach, tomatoes, bell peppers, coffee, water and a banana.  Eating these kinds of clean foods are making a huge difference in the way that I have been feeling, and I am getting quite used to the smaller portions as well.  Up to this point I have completely left out salt from my diet and granted my foods can taste pretty bland at times but sacrifice will be a huge part of my success.  If I ever get a hankering for salt I definitely look forward to eating some green olives which are allowed on the eating plan.  My last comment is that I have gone the entire program without alcohol.  I am so happy that I have made it this far without it.  I will continue to push myself through without it.

On top of smashing my finger today in between my two fifteen pound weights and forgetting that I put my shakeology in the freezer too long, today was another great day!  I hope you will stay with me because tomorrow I want to share my story with you and how my life has gotten me to this point and on this journey.

I know that there are people out there that are thinking of starting a fitness journey or are thinking about changing your life with a healthier lifestyle.  It is a process and it takes time, commitment , even having some ups and downs on the way.  It's OK were human, and we make mistakes.  We fall down but we get back up.  If you want support, or a cheerleader, advice about nutrition, and a new fitness routine that works with your time and schedule don't be shy.  Please contact me and I will help you.  I am having a 21 Day Fix challenge group on the 26th of May and I would love to have you join.  Please fill out the online form and I will get back with you as soon as I can.  Thank you.

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21 Day Fix Day 8

So I have made it to day number eight and I am pretty excited.  I am getting off to a good start.  My workout today was the Total Body Cardio which is what I was supposed to do on the Monday that I started but I didn't look at my DVD's closely enough.  No biggie I got the workout done.  In my workout though I did find that I had to switch from my ten pound weights to my eight pound weights.  I really pushed myself very hard so I had to stop for a second two times altogether.  I didn't beat myself up I just kept going with it.  The worst thing that you can do is throw in the towel if you are getting tired.  The best thing to do is catch your breath and keep going.  My belief is that if you stop you will tell yourself it's OK to quit and you are only giving up on yourself.  Change takes hard work it takes getting out of your comfort zone and going against the grain.  If you never stop to tell yourself that you may always be stuck.

When I finished my 21 Day Fix workout I decided to add in High and Tight from the Brazilian Butt Lift DVD's I know I created a certain calendar of workouts but I wanted a little extra work on my legs.  The High and Tight in my opinion is the gold nugget of the Brazilian Butt Lift because it really targets those areas in a woman's legs that need to get the work.  For me, that workout goes by fairly quickly and I really enjoy it very much.  I could even do it twice but I don't want to overdo it.

After that I had my Shakeology midday again, with ice cold water and coffee.  It gave me the boost I needed to get through the afternoon.  Although I didn't really have any homework or anything because school is out I still had a busy day.  I found that I had food left over at the end of the day which for me is good and not so good.  The reason I thought it was good was because I am reassured I have enough to eat, but there is the factor of eating late in the day.  I made sure I ate just about everything, but the only thing that I had left was some shredded cheese.

So for my meals tomorrow I have 96% lean beef with garlic and pepper, yams, shredded cheese, eggs, olives, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, spinach, coffee, water and Shakeology.  Now this may seem like a boring meal plan, as I am typing it looks that way, but the great thing about prepping and packing your meals this way is that you can get creative with what you have available to eat.  For example, I will crack an egg over bell peppers and spinach that I have cooked slightly in the pan with my one teaspoon allowance of oil.  Have that freshly cooked with pepper is very tasty to me in the morning and filling till my next meal.  If it tastes bland you can add cheese from your allowance to spruce it up, so it's all about being creative.  When it comes to the kitchen I am far from that so if I can do it anybody can.

So put a fork in me I am done for the day.  I am ready to get some sleep.  Till tomorrow.  

There is still time to join my challenge group on the 26th of May if you would like to do the 21 Day fix in a private group with all the help and support to get you through I am here to help you.  There are some spots available and I would love to offer the support you need to succeed.  Please fill out the form below and I would be more than happy to contact you.  I am in this for all the right reasons and ready to help you succeed.

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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 Fix To Drink or not to Drink

OK so the weekend is here and yes it is a holiday as well, and typically I would be hitting up the local grocery store for a bottle of wine to relax and wind down the week.  I am going to be very real in this post because I have my thoughts about alcohol and weight loss.  Now before I go there to the deep personal stuff, I want to mention that on the 21 Day Fix program you are allowed alcohol three times a week if you choose.  That seems like a lot to some people and it sure seems generous to me, in fact if I were really attached to alcohol I would do the program just for that.  But the good news is I can let go of the idea of drinking for three weeks straight.  When I started the program I made a commitment to myself that I would stick to the plan for the entire three weeks.  So far I have been true to my word.  I couldn't be happier that my commitment to me is important this time around because in the past I have failed, gotten back up, and then failed again.

When I say failed, what I mean is I will start an exercise routine stick to it for a few days, then I will say to myself OK great job lets celebrate this weekend with some wine, or lets go have some drinks.  A few drinks may not be too bad, so I have a couple of glasses of wine big deal!  A margarita won't kill my progress right?  Well it's not really the drinks that kill my progress, it's what happens afterwords.  So I have been seduced by that second glass I am feeling pretty good, I am relaxed, on top of the world, and the next thing you know I am looking for food.  You see for me alcohol not only makes me feel good but it also makes me feel hungry.  Once the alcohol is in there I am doomed to ruin my progress by attacking the kitchen.

Hunger always hits me after I have had a few drinks.  It's at this point that I may look for something salty, then sweet then a little more salty then sweet.  I really don't think about the consequences in that moment.  I am a free bird, if you will, eating till my hearts delight.  So I guess it's safe to say it's not really the act of drinking that gets me in trouble it's what happens after.  A glass of wine only has usually 125 calories for 5 oz.  That's not really too bad for calories, but after the next glass and all of the food I have consumed it adds up.  Foods I have been known to go for are chips, chocolate, cheese, olives or anything that goes well with wine.

So I have decided that I can live without alcohol.  I don't really want to be anywhere near it.  I only have three weeks to really see some changes in my body and if you ask me it's not asking a lot.  I mean that much to myself to stay away from alcohol while I am doing my program.  I know myself, I know what I will do if I drink and I think I have worked too hard to sacrifice my progress for a couple of glasses of wine that will lead me to a disastrous night for sure.  So this Mother's Day holiday I will refrain from drinking and I am perfectly happy with that decision.  I feel that it's the best decision for me.

I am fortunate to be surrounded with like minded people and there will be no alcohol where I go to celebrate tomorrow.  We are committed to our fitness goals and want to succeed.  And come to think of it when I am done there will still be alcohol available for me to purchase.  It won't disappear from the earth while I am on my program and it will still be there when I am done.


21 Day Fix Challenge Group
May 26th 2014
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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

Fill out my online form.

Online contact and registration forms from Wufoo.

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.

Fill out my online form.

Online contact and registration forms from Wufoo.

21 Day Fix Day Four

So I am still on track for the day.  Today was the Pilates Fix workout.  I really enjoyed the workout because although it was challenging, it wasn't strenuous in the sense that I was dying at the end.  It was a recovery workout, but I did feel like my body was challenged.  I was hoping to add an ab workout after but I had an interview to go to and I had to plan a few last minute things that did not allow me to do that today.  I am happy however that I kept my commitment to myself and got my workout done.

Food was on target I ate all of my meals before 7:00 p.m this evening and I am ready for bed.  I love that I got my meals in earlier I really do not like to eat very late, but you absolutely have to get all of your meals in on this plan, or any plan.  If you go under your nutritional plan you could hinder your progress and you don't want to do that.  Well at least I don't.  I also got my fair share of water, I made sure that I got in the amount I need for the day.  Water is the tough one for me but today I made it a priority.  Drinking 32 oz. first thing got the majority of it out of the way.

So here you can take a look at the schedule that I made out for myself for the 21 days.  I have the tendency to be a workout addict.  I love the way exercise makes me feel, it puts me in a great mood, boosts my confidence, and overall raises my self-esteem.  When I got my Brazilian Butt Lift program my friend and I started to incorporate the BBL workouts with the Chalean workouts.  One of the advantages of the Beach Body programs is that you can begin to mix and match workouts to create a program that works for you.  

Now Chalean Johnson advises that you can work your abs often because they recover quickly, so I added an ab workout to supplement my program in the first two weeks.  Because my caloric intake is less I decided not to add any additional cardio workouts for that time period because I want to stay as true to the program as possible.  In the last stretch you are allowed to supplement your workout with another one so I added two workouts per day from the 19th on to the 24th of the month.  The 25th will be just yoga.

I can handle the additional ab workout, I still feel soreness in my legs from the lower half workouts that I have done so far and I am quite happy about it.  

If you are interested in joining a 21 Day Fix Challenge group there is time for the 19th of May, I will be having a group and there will be others there to support you, as well as myself and Melanie Mitro.  Please feel free to contact me and fill out the application form.  I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Please fill out my form.

21 Day Fix Day 3

What a last couple of days! I always wonder how we can do so much in one day.  When the day is over I can look back and say WOW, you really did all of that?  Anyways today was day three of the 21 day fix program and today was lower fix.  Now I was completely amazed at how sore my legs were from the cardio fix, and the soreness lasted till today.  So if you are thinking about doing the program then keep that in mind.  The reason it got my attention is because I haven't been that sore doing the other programs.  I am not by any means complaining in fact just the opposite.  I was super ecstatic about being so sore simply because I know it has shocked my muscles.  Shocking the muscles means change and that's what you want.  Stretching for longer periods after the program is over helps, even a hot shower is soothing to those muscles, but I have to say I welcome the pains.

So much like my day on Monday I pretty much had to follow my same routine.  Monday's and Wednesday's for the last three months turned out to be very complex because of the way I scheduled my life drawing class in the evenings from 4:30 p.m to 7:20 p.m.  I also work a few hours in the morning so as you can imagine they are days of just running around everywhere.  Today I was thinking to myself it just can't be a good thing to have to run around so much because it gets in the way of the healthy habits you are trying to form, but life can't get in the way of health.

Again like my Monday I took portions of my meals on the go with me to work and school.  I had my shakeology for breakfast along with my coffee, and water.  My two main meals I ate at home and of course felt very satisfied.  It was my goal once again to stick to the plan and my determination got me through today.

The lower fix workout was really great, we had quite a few varieties of squats and lunges including weights.  I started today with ten and fifteen pound weights because I know that we have more strength in our legs and should be able to use heavier weights.  I would not advise though if you are trying the program for the first time to use very heavy weights simply because you have to figure out what you can handle.  Starting out with no weights or even five pound weights will get you a fantastic workout, just be sure to write it down for the next time, consistency is the key to your success on any strength training program.  I love that before you know it the program is done.  All of the workouts are thirty minutes long.

So today I feel more tired than normal all of the running around gets to me after a while so tomorrow I get to rest.  I am giving myself the gift of sleep because it is so important to your weight loss program.  Today was the last day of class and school is officially done for me.  Sleep is the next thing on the agenda.

There is a fitness challenge group on the 19th of May if you would like to try the 21 day fix and have full support from myself as your coach and a ton of amazing people please email me at lulu_love13@yahoo.com or find me on Facebook (Lucia Perez).

Till tomorrow, sweet dreams.

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 Preparation

I am preparing myself for the 21 day fix program.  There are several things that I need to do before I get started.  First thing's first I am looking to see what is expected of me.  I am looking at the time frame for the program and making sure that I have the 21 days marked off of my calendar to make sure that I know exactly what is going on.    

       

This program is all about portion control and with that it will teach you to the proper amount of food you should have on your plate.  Along with the program you receive a package of small containers that are different colors.  (purple, green, red, yellow, blue, and orange to be exact)  The colors represent certain food groups that you will be able to choose from as your food selections for the day.  For example the purple container would represent the fruits food group and depending on your intake plan you would have a certain number of servings in this container.  Some fruits listed are raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, figs, banana, papaya and apples.  These are only a few for there are quite a few to choose from.  

Green-veggies

Red-meat

Yellow-starches and carbs

Blue-good fats 

Orange-nuts seeds

The plan is designed so that you will get 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 30% fat, the balance you need for weight loss proper energy levels.

My plan is to make lists of acceptable foods for the household since I do have two teenagers to feed as well as myself.  Fortunately I have two teenage girls who like to eat their fair share of healthy foods, and begin to prepare some batches on Sunday to make sure I have what I need to get through the next three days.  I chose six foods from each list to have variety and Saturday I will go grocery shopping.

Another thing to keep in mind is that this meal plan is a clean eating plan.  For twenty one days I will not only be eating foods that will bring me back to a completely balanced diet, but I will have to do away with some items.  

SALT (some 21 day recipes allow a small amount)

COFFEE CREAMER
SUGAR
HALF AND HALF

CREAM

SYRUPS

can all say goodbye because I will not be able to have any of these.  I can live without this for 21 days after all I have made this commitment to myself that I have to do this right.  I don't have to give up coffee and green tea is okay to have too, but if you add anything from List B (1-2 tbsp. nonfat milk, or 1-2 tsp. of raw sugar, honey, molasses, maple syrup, agave syrup, or stevia) you are limited to two cups a day.  Now if the program said no coffee I would rethink it.  I am a coffee addict and I need it in the morning.  I am willing to compromise although I use a stevia that has zero calories, zero carbs, zero sugar.

Now what I love about this program is  that it's not so strict that you don't have room for cheat treats.  You do have some cheat treat options to choose from should you need a fix.  This eating plan is so clean that a cheat treat given, not abused, can be eaten in their proper portions.  Some examples that I can live with are chocolate covered almonds, potato chips plain kettle, tortilla chips and oatmeal cookies.  Now knowing how I am, and I am far from perfect, if I give myself a treat and I think I have been good I may over-indulge.  I am going to do my absolute best to be good.  I have done it before on past cleanses and I can do it again for 21 days.  I always remind myself that 21 days from now chocolate, wine, chips will still exist and we can live without each other.  

Last but not least, water water and more water.  It is crucial to this plan to drink enough water.  They cannot stress it enough.  They give you a ton of great ideas for creative ways to drink water.  Now I find that as I have gotten older I have a harder time with water because it runs right through me, and I have a pretty busy and hectic schedule most days.  But it is not going to be an excuse for me to fail on this program, so I will make sure to consult my physician to see how I can get this resolved.  Drinking water is so important to your overall health that I plan on making it a priority.

Shakeology is a part of this plan.  This part of the plan I am looking forward to because since I started using this product I have felt so amazing.  Because I will be eating at a calorie deficit I wont miss out on any nutrients with this product.

I almost forgot to mention that you do get some spice recipes that you can use to bring flavor to your foods, they are listed in the free foods page as well as things like ginger, fresh garlic..the usual suspects.  

With all that being said next time I will touch on the caloric part of it.  I plan to write about my journey on this program in hopes to inspire others to have the courage to try and get healthy and fit!!

Ciao amores!!

If you would like to be a part of a 21 Day Fix Challenge group please fill out the application below. There will be one beginning on the 12th of may and there is still time to participate if you think this is something that you would like to do.

contact me at lulu_love13@yahoo.com

Site URL -http://www.beachbodycoach.com/lululove13