90 Day Challenge

I've got BIG, EXCITING NEWS! I'm starting a 90 day challenge!! It's like a "Biggest Loser" challenge. It will begin on February 20th! We'll workout, eat clean, and keep each other ON TRACK for 90 days!! Let's get our bodies BEACH-READY! I'm just going to accept 5-6 people in this group because I want it to be a SMALL focus group! Want more details?? Then message me!

Also, as some might see - I have changed the layout of my blog. I thought it was time for a change. I had been using the previous layout for a while now, and I do love changes. I think this is cute and fresh. It makes me feel happy when I see all the beautiful colors first thing in the morning.

Well, I finished my TurboFire regimen. Now I am onto Turbo Jam, which is another Chalene Johnson workout video. She's so bubbly! I can't help sticking with her programs. However, I did buy Rockin' Body, since it was on sale for dirt cheap. I'll do that after my four weeks of Turbo Jam and see how I like Shaun T. I'll make sure to let everyone know.

By the way, totally love my Fitbit!! It's really accurate! I've been using it to gauge my sleep pattern, and sure enough..it catches every single time I wake up.

I've got exactly two more weeks before I head off to Florida! I am super excited. I'm not bathing suit ready yet, but whatever...I've come pretty damn far since September. I figure by this time next year I'll be 10 sizes smaller and fit into a bikini. (I am totally dreaming here. I've never felt comfortable in a bikini. It would be nice to finally feel comfortable enough to wear one though!)

They Fit!!

I was sooo excited this morning!! I slipped on a pair of really comfortable workout pants that I bought back in September. They've been too tight to wear - like so tight that I couldn't get them over my booty. They slipped on with no problem! I couldn't believe it. I was all smiles this morning. :)

I have to say that this is all because of Chalene. She's such a motivating person, and I am not sure I could have pulled through these intense cardio workouts without her. She is truly an inspirational person. Really, if you are interested check out my site and look through the fitness programs that are available. You will find TurboFire, which is my current program or they have programs accustomed for so many different fitness levels. I chose TurboFire because I've always loved kickboxing, and I like to dance, which is a combination of both.

By the way, I'm on my last week of the TurboFire schedule. I can't believe it's been twenty weeks already. I have Turbo Jam and Rockin' Body as well, so I'm going to hop right into one of them. I haven't decided which to do next, but I know both of them are going to be a blast.

Well, here I go - time for my workout. Wish me luck!

Quote of the day: "The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." – Winston Churchill

We all need a little push!

Well, my daughter is sick..poor thing. I think I might be coming down with whatever she has as well, and I didn't feel like working out today. I had to push myself to push the play button. I know everyone knows how that feels! It was tough, but once I got through about ten minutes of my workout I started to feel a whole lot better about forcing myself to workout.

Also, on that note, I'd like to congratulate myself. Monday is my 20th week of TurboFire, which is awesome in my eyes! It's not easy making that commitment to be focused and challenge yourself to this point, but wow...am I proud of myself! I've stopped weighing myself. I did this per Chalene's recommendation. I'm doing this workout for me, to get healthy, and to feel good about myself! I am not going to let a scale control me anymore! I will admit. I was one of those that was obsessed, weighing myself every single day, which isn't good for your or your mental focus.

Also, guys...seriously, check out this deal for Rockin' Body! It's a limited time offer and a great steal! It's such a cheap price for everything that's being offered! I ordered one for myself, and my cousin purchased one as well. This package is typically valued at about $100, and it's a limited time offer! Get it while you can and start working out with me on Beachbody! It's such a great site with awesome tools!! We can beat the trend to obesity together! If you're interested in working with me to battle the bulge you can leave me a comment here or you can contact on my site linked in this post.

On that note, I have an awesome quote of the day to share with everyone!

"Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will." – George Bernard Shaw

Spinach and Cheese Tart Plus Banana PB Shakeology

I have a couple of things to share today. One, I made this awesome tart for dinner. It's a spinach and cheese tart. It has awesome flavor. It's another recipe I acquired out of my vegetarian cookbook. However, it wasn't the simplest thing to make. It took probably an hour of prep work. Still, it had a good taste. If you like spinach and cheese, that is, which I do.

However, my husband and daughter didn't care for it. They are picky eaters though, always have been and probably always will. Still, it's always nice to try healthy alternatives. I'm not exactly sure what the calories are on this dish, but I can already assume it's high in calories because of the cheese then the crust had cheese in it as well. Also, a stick of butter. So..yeah..definitely not the healthiest.

If anyone is interested in the recipe you can drop a reply here or message me at andrena28@beachbodycoach.com, and I will be happy to send the recipe to you.

The second thing I have to speak about is I am happy to say that the Shakeology drinks are going fabulously. I love the taste of them. For breakfast I like to add a banana and a tablespoon of peanut butter to the shake. Sometimes I add strawberries to that. It's so good and so filling. Plus, you get all these vitamins and nutrients from it. It's totally worth dropping the daily coffee purchase for this.

Sunday's Are Always Busy

For breakfast this morning I decided on oatmeal. It was fast and easy. The reason I decided on this was because I was going to church, and I didn't want the meal to take forever to prepare. In it I added a sliced banana, which I covered with oatmeal. I like to put the hot oatmeal over it to warm the banana up. Then I add a teaspoon or two of honey. I used to add tons of sugar to my oatmeal, but I found honey is a healthy alternative to that. If you don't add too much, anyway. I don't like too much honey in it. It tastes like pure honey then. You just want enough to give it a little sweetness.

I haven't decided what I am going to make for lunch, but I promise to post a picture with it. I believe I might make something out of my vegetarian cookbook. It's a meal my daughter picked out. I let her go through my vegetarian cookbook one day and she picked out pictures of things she thought looked good, and she promised to try them all, which is good for me because she's a picky eater. I like it when we find things that she really enjoys.

Also, I will be doing Fire 45 EZ and Abs 10 class today from the TurboFire workout program. I'm going to try and squeeze it in before my daughter's cheerleading game, but if I don't then I plan on doing it after I get back home.

Quote of the day: "Far away in the sunshine are my highest inspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see the beauty, believe in them and try to follow where they lead." – Louisa May Alcott

What's For Dinner Tonight?

For dinner tonight I made a pork roast, vegetable medley, and a baked potato. It was all simple. The hardest part was cutting the garlic and peeling the layer of screen away. I find that making slits into the pork roast and putting garlic cloves down into the slits makes it really, really tasty. Then I put it into the oven at a temperature of 350 degrees. It typically only has to cook for a few hours, but I had a large roast, so it took more like 4 to 5 hours. The first hour I let it cook sitting on a rack inside a roast pan, so the drippings fell to the bottom. I didn't cover the meat, until about an hour of cooking. I then placed aluminum foil loosely over the meat. The vegetables were easy as well. I tossed them frozen into a bowl, covered them with a plate then put them into the microwave for about 4 minutes. Voila~ They were steamed to perfection.

It was a really easy meal. It's a favorite in my household. I actually got the idea of putting garlic cloves into my pork roast from my mother-in-law. She's an exceptionally good cook. I go to her whenever I need a good recipe.

I got my workouts in today. I did the HIIT 25 and Sculpt 30, which are TurboFire workouts. They were so intense. I absolutely love them. Not to mention how motivating that Chalene Johnson is. She makes you feel like you can accomplish anything if you just put the positive thought into your head. I believe it. I've done a lot of positive talking to myself lately. It seems to be paying off.

So, the next time you find yourself saying you can't do something take a little breather and change your mindset to a positive thought. Then keep repeating it until it's stuck in your brain. I promise, it works!

Counting Calories Correctly Makes A Huge Difference

I'm about to get my groove on and do HIIT 25 and Sculpt 30, which is a TurboFire workout. It's a really intense cardio workout with high intensity, but I don't do the jumps because I have bad knees. Still, I've lost 35 pounds, which is fairly impressive..considering.

I found after reading PUSH by Chalene Johnson, which is the creator of the TurboFire workout, that I was not counting my calories correctly. I was not eating enough, and my body was storing fat to use as energy from the daily workouts I was doing. After I made the correction and adding calories to my meal plan, I am happy to say I lost 4 pounds in 3 days, which to me was amazing! It shows how important it is to figure out your caloric intake with the amount of calories you are burning each day.

Also, avoid alcohol! I had one beer last night, and I felt so tired and woke with a headache. I was, also, very dehydrated, which made me feel icky this morning. Now I don't feel like doing my workout. Although, I am still going to do it. I've forced myself to do it in worse conditions. Like when I got the flu over Christmas. After the the fourth day of feeling weak I decided to push myself and just do it. I felt good after the workout, but wow...it was hard doing it. I didn't feel like I could keep up. My energy had been completely depleted.

So, in conclusion, if you are working out, but not losing anything you should use this formula to check your caloric intake. You might be surprised at what you find.

For a woman:

BMR = 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)

For a man:

BMR = 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in year)

These equations will give your total in caloric intake. REMEMBER, as you lose weight you need to reconfigure the total by redoing these equations. Also, the BMR (basal metabolic rate) is based on a common number. If you feel your BMR is different here then you can get that tested or they have things like the Bodybugg or Fitbit, which is a device you can wear to tell you exactly how many calories you have burned in a workout.

I'd like to add I got all of this wonderful information from Chalene Johnson's book called PUSH. You should really look into it. It's a very good read and very informational!

Quote of the day: "Choices are the hinges of destiny." – Pythagoras

Busy Day

Today was a good day. I counted every calorie. I worked out for a good hour to TurboFire, along with ten minutes of abs after, and loved every moment of it. I had such a hard sweat going on that it looked like I had hopped into the shower with all my clothing on. It was a great feeling, to get that intense of a workout in.

I had to make it quick though as I had to be at the school in time to pick up the little one and two friends from school. They had a blast today, which is always good. I like it when she has fun. She's so tired right now that she's on the floor with a blanket over her and watching t.v.

I did alright on the diet today. I could have done better. There were a few things I nibbled on that shouldn't have even entered my mouth, but I live and learn. Tomorrow will be a better day.

I’ve recently signed up to be an independent coach for Team Beachbody. They carry workouts like TurboFire, P90X and P90X2, Turbo Jam, and many other workout programs. They have a product called Shakeology. It can be used to replace meals and gives you energy, along with many other positive attributes. You can also create an account to track your workouts or invite buddies to workout with you, there is a section to track progress, as well as setting up goals, and they have a meal planner also. If anyone is interested in hearing about these products or become a member with the site you can message me or check it out here. If you are primarly interested in Shakeology then you can look here.

That's all for me today. It's been a busy one, and I am whipped.

Quote of the day: "Once the 'what' is decided, the 'how' always follows. We must not make the 'how' an excuse for not facing and accepting the 'what.'" – Pearl S. Buck

Breakfast of Champions

I mentioned a few days ago that I was going to make a dish that I have a lot for breakfast in the mornings. Well, this is it. I got this from the TurboFire workout program. In one of the books that come with the program it has recipes, quite a few recipes that I absolutely love. It's a very light dish, low on calories and has a great taste to it.

The recipe calls for:

1 whole egg plus 2 eggs whites
3 slices (2 oz.) ham (or turkey bacon or turkey sausage), cut in thin strips
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
1 oz. pepper jack cheese (or cheddar, mozzarella, or swiss), shredded
2 scallions chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Nonstick cooking spray

Scramble the eggs in a bowl. Add ham, bell pepper, scallions, and cheese. Add dash each of salt and pepper (if desired). Spritz microwaveable bowl with nonstick cooking spray and pour in egg mixture. Microwave on medium for about 3 minutes. This time can vary though. I had to cook mine for a little over 4.

You can serve 1 slice of whole wheat toast and 1/2 cup of cranberry juice with it as well.

Enjoy!

Nutritional information:

Calories: 395
Protein: 35 g
Carbs: 37 g
Total Fat: 12 g
Fiber: 3.5 g

Quote of the day: "He who cannot change the very fabric of his thought will never be able to change reality." – Anwar al-Sadat

Focused!

I am very focused today!

Also, I was really disappointed in something. I was reading through some of Chalene Johnson's books that came with Turbo Fire. After some calculating I was very low in caloric intake, and she says if it's too low that your body stores fat, especially with as much calories being burned during the Turbo Fire workout. So, I know this now. It could also explain why I wasn't losing that much over the course of the last 17 weeks.

Oh well, we live and learn, right? Life would be boring as hell if we were perfect at everything we did! If you are interested in this formula check out Chalene's products by clicking the link above and searching for Turbo Fire, Turbo Jam, and many of her other products there.

Today was my first day working with a new preschool class. I've worked the lunches for them before, so it isn't like I don't know the kids, but it's a new experience working so closely with the teacher and the other aide. I had fun! We had a little trouble with one of the kids, but nothing we all couldn't handle. The parents aren't too happy with the decision from the principal in regards to that student, but it's a private school for a reason - they definitely don't like to deal with bullying, which was happening.

I'm must run - typing this quickly. I am off to work, yet again!

Quote of the day: "I care not what others think of what I do, but I care very much about what I think of what I do! That is character." – Theodore Roosevelt

Portion Control

I did really well at dinner tonight. I ate a grilled chicken and veggies dish at the Chinese restaurant. I drank some hot tea and lots of water. My willpower was good, until they brought out the cake and a piece landed in front of me. I was going to deny myself the pleasure, but it was a sliver, which I'm glad they were at least thinking of me in that respect. So...yes..I ate it!! I don't feel bad for it as I know tomorrow I'm going to be extra good. Nobody is perfect when it comes to health and fitness, but as long as we learn and grow from what we've done then that's good. Plus, I don't like to deny myself something in fear of dying to eat it the next day, so if I really do want a piece of cake or whatever junk it is I allow myself a small portion of it - very small portion!

I did my Abs 10 class tonight, which is a Turbo Fire product by Chalene Johnson. It can be ordered here if anyone is interested. It's an amazing workout video! I can't even say it enough the wonderful impression Chalene has placed of herself in these videos. She's such a wonderful motivator. She will make anyone feel like they can do anything.

I look forward to tomorrow. It's my first day with a new preschool class. I love the little tykes! They are so much fun and say the darnedest things! I'm going to make sure to pack myself a healthy lunch too. I'll make up a salad then toss in a chopped up banana on the side for a snack. I keep water with me at work to drink throughout my day. The kids keep me so busy that I forget about food for the few hours I am there.

On Top Of The World Feeling

You know what was the most amazing feeling today? When my daughter told me that her and dadda were very proud of me sticking to my workouts. They watched me workout today, which was also a bit of a motivator. I wish I could talk them both into working out with me. My husband won't budge, but I've got my daughter to join in a handful of times now or more. She's only 6, and she gets frustrated that she can't keep up after her first try, so I don't push her. I try to make it fun with her though and let her know she's doing a really great job.

I actually had been contemplating on purchasing a kids workout on Beachbody. There are a couple that they offer, but I think one is more for teenagers while the other is for toddlers. They are both by Shaun T. I asked her if she would workout to it if I bought it. Heck, I would even workout with her on them with her. Of course, after I've completed my own workouts.

Speaking of my own workout, today was such an awesome one! I was completely motivated, and I blasted through them. I was completely winded at the end of each HIIT workout. I did HIIT 20 and Sculpt 30. I wasn't winded in Sculpt 30, but my husband was watching and commenting on how tough it looked. He said he was sweating just watching me, which had me laughing. Then he told me it looked like someone dropped a bucket of water on me. Mind you, my husband is very thin. I always hated how he could eat all this junk food and not gain a pound. Anyway, back on topic. The Sculpt 30 was insane!! My shoulders were sooo sore! The resistance bands really do work, so if you think you need weights to do these workouts - NOPE! You can also purchase a great set of resistance bands on Beachbody. I love that site. They have everything for your fitness needs, as well as nutritional and motivational!

Now that I got those out of the way. I need to get motivated to go shopping for my husband's birthday tomorrow. Happy birthday to him!

Quote of the day: "Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, but only saps today of its strength." – A. J. Cronin