What's Your WHY?

I got my Fitbit in yesterday. It took some time to really get it going. I had to download a driver from the site, which I didn't know at first. Anyway, it's all squared away now, and it has been tracking all my steps, stairs, calories burned, and my sleep pattern. It's pretty darn cool! I guess my sleep pattern is fairly good. I got a 99% effective sleep pattern when I woke up this morning, so that's good to know.

I used Instagram to post up a picture of my calories burned so far today from my Fitbit, along with my overall weight loss goal. I love Instagram. It's my newest addiction on my iPod. Chalene Johnson was the one that introduced it to me. I didn't even know it existed!

Here's the photos I've put up for Chalene's fitness photo challenge, by the way. I mentioned it to you in my last post. If anyone would like to join in on this 30 day challenge she says to do so at any time.

This is for Day 1 of the challenge. She wanted a photo of you, so at the end of 30 days you can show your before and after, but I decided to show the difference already since I began my TurboFire workout.

This is for Day 2 of the challenge. She wanted a photo of something you ate healthy for lunch. I happened to have a chef salad that day. It was delicious too!

This is for Day 3 of the challenge. She asked for something to show that days workout, so I got a picture of the workout I was doing for that day and took a few fun pictures with it.

This is Day 4 challenge, which she asked to show pounds to lose. As you can see I want to lose 150 pounds in total. I've already accomplished 33 pounds of that, so I have about 120 to go. I'm pretty focused on doing this. I'm hoping I'll lose five more pounds by the end of the month, since we are heading out to Florida for vacation then.

So, I wonder what everyone's reason is for wanting to lose weight. Is it for family? To become healthier? For yourself? So you can run around and play with your little one without getting out of breath? Or maybe it's a health reason? Did your doctor tell you that you are borderline diabetic or something of that nature? Everyone has a reason WHY. What is your reason WHY?

Let me share you my reason WHY. I have quite a few reasons, and these are things that I open up to share with you about. Some of them are something that I don't speak to people about because they are scary, and I find that I pushed them aside in hopes of them just..disappearing.

Here's my WHY list:

1. To be able to play with my daughter without huffing and puffing.
2. To take the weight off of my knees that have spurs in them due to a really bad car accident about ten years ago.
3. To look good in a bathing suit for the first time in a long time.
4. To fight the effects of cancer, diabetes, and many other health troubles that were hitting me. The first one wasn't cancer, but this is one I don't share with people too much. A couple summers back they found a mass on my left breast. It had to be removed, so now one is slightly smaller than the other. It was the scariest thing that happened to me, and it was after it came back as malignant that I broke down and cried over what I was doing to my body. I began investigating eating organic vegetables and cut out meat. I now have brought meat back into my diet, but I don't eat red meat too much.
5. To feel good about myself, and I already am feeling so proud of myself. The accomplishments I have made since September. My weight has dropped 33 pounds. I can get through my workouts almost without stopping at all. Also, I've noticed my knees are starting to hurt a lot less than they used to.
6. To finally get knee surgery. The doctors didn't want to do it until I dropped some of the weight.
7. To teach and show others that with weight loss and exercise that life can be so much better!

That's my WHY. I'm curious to know what your WHY is. Share it with me! Post in comments or send me an email, I don't mind. I like to hear from people and try to help them push towards their fitness goals.

Effectiveness of Energy and Endurance, Also Chalene's Fitness Photo Challenge!

I received the Energy and Endurance pre-workout formula from Beachbody a few days ago. Yesterday was the first day I used it. I'm not too fond of the tart flavor, but Chalene Johnson's sister posted up on her Facebook that it tastes better with Crystal Light Lemonade flavor. I'm going to give that a try and see how it goes. I don't plan on giving it up though. It gave me a wonderful boost of energy before my workout, and I don't shake from it. I burned hardcore calories during my workouts yesterday and today. I was sweating buckets, no joke - that's how hard I went. So, yes, E&E is the perfect formula if you need a boost of energy or don't feel your workout needs more strength behind it.

On that note, I have to tell you - it's so, so, so important you don't workout when you are hungry. I thought I'd be fine to get my workout out of the way while dinner was cooking, but during my workout all I could smell was my pork roast slowly cooking in my George Foreman roaster. To say the least, my stomach growled through my whole workout then I felt sick when I finally finished. I think it messed up my energy level too. Well, you live and learn a little. This working out and eating right is a whole new playing field for me, but I haven't given up since September, and I don't plan on doing it anytime soon either.

Also, for those that might be interested, Chalene is having a Fitness Photo Challenge using Instagram. It's a cute and 30 day challenge to post up what she has for each day. For instance, Day 1 would be a picture of yourself that you would post on Facebook or Twitter, and Day 2 would be a picture of something healthy you ate for lunch. It's going to be tons of fun! I encourage all to join to get themselves motivated for 30 days.

Going Without Breakfast

This has to be the worst thing to do...not eat breakfast. Today I have not been feeling so well, but after I dropped off Allison at school I realized that I was very hungry feeling, despite how icky my stomach was feeling. Well, the husband asked me to hit the grocery store after I dropped her off. We haven't gone in a while and stock was getting low. I bought so many snacks that were absolutely unnecessary. After I got home and rested for a bit I realized the errors of my way. I felt like the old me..buying anything and everything because it looked yummy.

Well, they weren't super bad snacks. I got chewy granola bars, so I'll just make sure to toss them into Ally's bag for lunch and snack at school. She likes them. I got donuts too. Gah! My husband will devour those. I'll tell him to take them to work with him.

So, lesson learned - if you are starving get something in your stomach before you browse those grocery aisles. You will more than likely pick up things because you are hungry, which isn't a good thing. If you have to run out the door without something then try grabbing an apple or a banana, something quick and easy to munch on before you step into the grocery store.

While I was standing in line I sparked up a conversation with the cashier because she mentioned that she was starving. I agreed with her and mentioned how I shouldn't be purchasing half of this. Her reply was "Imagine working here when you are hungry." Ouch...that must really suck. It got me thinking. I'm not sure a grocery store would be a good place for me to work, not someone that is trying to be healthy and lose weight.

I did get fruit and gluten free whole grain waffles from the health food section, so I didn't strike out hard, but some of it was still unnecessary purchases.

By the way, those waffles in the health food section are so yummy! If anyone needs a quick fix for the mornings. They have a touch of honey added to them, so you don't even need syrup on them. I like to toss blueberries or strawberries on top of them. They are delicioso! It's exactly what I had when I got home. It only came to a whopping 301 calories, which is great! That's exactly around where I short for in calories when I eat breakfast.

Quote of the day: "The most important things to do in the world are to get something to eat, something to drink, and somebody to love you." – Brendan Behan

I think it should be "The most important things to do in the world are to get something healthy to eat, something to drink, and somebody to love you." Like how I tossed in healthy? ;)

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

Pistachios - Low in Cholesterol

I read an article today on this site that made me get really excited! It appears pistachios lower cholesterol and do I love pistachios!

The study revealed that eating a handful or two a day could lower cholesterol. It appears these aren't so bad for you, as long as you eat them in moderation. Do not exceed 1.5 to 3 ounces a day. Then you start to tack on excessive calories and fat.

As stated in the article "Turns out, these little powerhouses are a great source of phytosterols, the natural plant compounds that block absorption of dietary cholesterol. They’re also rich in monounsaturated fat, fiber, and antioxidants — all of which are good for heart health."

That is super news that I had to share. I have always loved pistachios! They are one of my favorite nuts.

Madonna Rocked Superbowl XLVI!!

I have to tell you that Madonna is another inspiration to me! I have always loved her music, her style, and her energy! When that halftime show started my spine actually tingled! I was like "Wow, Madonna went and did it again!" I can't think of a time that she has disappointed me with her shows. Good job, Madonna! You're looking good too!

Great Accomplishments Come with Great Gifts

I had a great weekend! Because of all my hard work and efforts in working out for the last 20 weeks my husband brought me an iPod Touch. Woo! Love you, hubby! He knows I had been wanting one to become more organized and type down what I eat when I'm not at home, so I was super excited when I got it. However, he told my little one it was for both of us, so guess who has been playing with it more? Yup, she's been downloading all sorts of free games. I think before the years over she'll probably assume it is hers.

So, I was making my Shakeology drink this morning and decided to play with the camera on it.

The images aren't the best, but I think it does a good job when you are in a pinch. Also, Ninja is the best thing I could have gotten for Christmas. That blender speeds right through everything. My old blender took like 5 minutes to blend the ice. The Ninja takes like...30 seconds. I love, love, love it! Seriously, if any husband's out there have a wife that uses her blender a lot, I highly recommend this product. Even men that make a lot of shakes and things out of their blenders, if your blender takes forever, check out Ninja. I couldn't be happier with it. I have used it every single day to mix or chop things up. Also, it's dishwasher safe, which is a major bonus in my eyes. I hate doing dishes. My old blender was hard to clean because it was so big, and I had to take so many pieces apart.

Here is the finished product. My thirty seconds of blending brought me about a smooth product and absolutely no ice chunks. I couldn't be happier. I gotta say thanks to my brother-in-law, Robert, for getting me that one. He's always buying us girls in the family awesome presents. He has some maaaajor brownie points.

But, that's not the only thing that's a great gift. It's the sense of self accomplishment! To know I've gone 20 weeks of doing workouts for 6 days a week...that's impressive for me! I have never committed myself to such a long goal, and I don't plan on giving up!

Also, I gotta tell ya...I should have gotten into a bet on the Superbowl game!! I would have definitely won some money! Gardner-White Furniture posted up a Facebook game to whoever got the correct score could win a $500 gift certificate, so I posted up Giants 21 and Patriots 17. Well, I won, but so did two other people. Of course, they drew our names. In the end -- I didn't win. I was so sad over it. I never win anything, and it would be my type of luck to lose in the final drawing. Bah humbug! Oh well, I don't like to complain about that stuff, not even if we always could use a little cash our way. It was still cool to know that I came really close to it, and a huge congrats to the lucky winner.