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
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