Shake it!

I made an awesome shake this morning using Shakeology. It's 1 scoop of Shakeology, 1/2 a banana, and 1/2 cup of strawberries with some ice then about a cup and a half of water. I love it! It packs a wallop of flavor! Also, the Shakeology is so tasty and very filling! I've noticed after drinking it that I have a considerable amount of energy. I'm not talking about the type of energy that makes you feel shaky. This is a natural energy that makes you feel more alive and awake. It's amazing the difference it can make for your mornings! Plus, my workouts have felt it from the little boost of energy. Once I get moving I start off with a bang! No joke!

Something that I would love to add. Beachbody is having a sale on Rockin' Body workout package by Shaun T for only $19.95! It's 75% off! You can't go wrong with that, and it is a very awesome workout program with 4 free gifts!! It's fun and gets the job done! If you are interested click this link or click the Rockin' Body picture. It will lead you to the shopping page. You will find Rockin' Body under the Fitness Programs! Act fast before the sale ends!! I'm not letting the opportunity slip by. I am picking one up for myself!

Quote of the day: "Happiness is neither virtue nor pleasure nor this thing nor that but simply growth. We are happy when we are growing." – William Butler Yeats

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

If I can do it, so can you

Let me tell you that I have always been a very lazy person. I hate to do house chores. I hate to exercise. The only thing during my middle and high school days that kept me active was sports. It was the only thing that was remotely interesting to me. I was very competitive - still am, and I loved the feeling of the crowd cheering for me. As I get older those things aren't there anymore. I don't have a crowd cheering for me to clean the house or cheering for me to finish my workout, but I have started to cheer for myself. I tell myself I can do this and get myself motivated before I step into a workout.

Today I had to do just that thing. I was up at 5 am to do my workout because I knew if I did my workout after I finished work it would either not happen or it would not have much intensity behind it, so I have to do my workout first thing in the morning. It's different for everyone, but this is how I feel and accomplish my daily goals.

It really is all about pumping yourself up and getting the motivation. Let me tell you that I cannot express how important it is to get your head set into the right state of mind before beginning a workout. It's all psychological. If you set yourself up for failure, you will fail. If you set yourself up to win then you will win. I set myself up for failure many, many times. It is why that I had gained so much weight, but now I've lost 30 pounds, and I promise that you can do it too if you set out with a positive attitude.

Good Intentions

I had good intentions this morning. I took a picture of the meal I made for breakfast. It's one of my favorite meals and gives me a good boost of energy before I workout. The problem was that when I went to upload the picture from my camera I realized my SD card was not in it. What a bummer, huh? So, my picture got lost, but don't fret. I will be making it again tomorrow, and I found my card to put back into my camera, so all is right in the world now.

For now, I should tell you that I am a bit sleepy. My husband had to go into work early today to do the snow. He was not quiet about going through the house and woke my daughter up - who is excited about going outside in the snow today. I am about to make some coffee to sip before I workout. It always gives me a little boost of energy just before, but I don't add much to it. Actually, I found that sugar free French Vanilla by Coffee-Mate seems to work well. All I add is two tablespoons, and before you say "OMG that's a lot of creamer!" My coffee mugs aren't small. They are the tall ones as I do loooove my coffee.

Also, I'm a little sore from yesterday's workout, but wow...was it intense, and I loved it!! I did the Fire 45 EZ class along with Abs 10 class. The Abs 10 class is killer! For ten minutes she really makes you work it hard! It's what I love about her though. She really packs power to the punch.

Today I will be doing the HIIT 20 and Sculpt 30 classes, so it's going to be intense cardio along with strength training (using bands). I need to purchase weights soon though. I am on week 17 of Turbo Fire. Monday will be week 18, which means I will only have 3 weeks before I incorporate ChaLean Extreme into my workout schedule. I can't wait for that!!

I'm off to workout now! You all should do the same and join me!!

Waiting On Shakeology

My hubby and I both had the day off today. I've been up early doing chores and errands. One was us hitting the grocery store with my grocery list of all healthy things. It wasn't too much stuff, which is funny. If this had been 4 months ago I would have had a lot more things in my cart, and it would have mostly been junk food or carbs. While I have skimped out on the unhealthy foods and turned to the healthier alternative I have not noticed much of a price change, which makes me a little sad. It doesn't mean I'll go back to the cheap carb lifestyle though. It just means I'm going to have to watch for sales on certain vegetables and fruits.

Today I tried out a shake. It wasn't Shakeology as I am still waiting for my order to arrive, but my sister had given me a single helping of her whey protein powder, so I tossed it into my new Ninja blender with strawberries and a banana. It turned out really good! By the way, the Ninja blender is awesome!! It took like a minute and a half to blend everything into a smooth consistency - ice included. My previous blender took like five plus minutes of stopping to stir then blending yet again.

I've, also, posted up a new photo today of my thirty pound weight loss. It might not be noticeable to some, but I can feel a difference, and as I compare my before and current photo I've noticed that I don't have as much baggage below the chin, which is awesome! Also, my arms look a little smaller to me. If you can't view the photo and are interested in the site, go ahead and join up. You won't be disappointed. Beachbody is a powerful site for losing weight, working out, and finding new and innovative ways to stay motivated.

If you have any questions about the site or need some help you can send me a message on there, Facebook, or Twitter. Whatever site is the easiest for you. At the top of my blog there are links to my accounts if you would like to contact me.

Fresh Start

So, I haven't posted on here in a while. Life has gotten the best of me, but I have been sticking to my weight loss goals. Recently, I have become obsessed with Chalene Johnson, which you can find on that site. If none of you have heard of her, check her out. She is absolutely amazing! Not only is she a fitness expert, but she is a motivational speaker as well. Oh, also, she is a firm believer on organization, which I have been doing fervently!

The exercise program that I am doing by Chalene Johnson is called Turbo Fire. You can find it on that link above as well. It's a great program! It has a little bit of everything in it - kickboxing, dancing, skiing. Really, I love the variety, which is something for me, since for years I have fought the battle of boredom. I found exercise programs were so monotonous, and the exercise machines were even worse!

As of today, I am on week 17 of my Turbo Fire workout. I have lost 27 pounds and a total of 34 inches! Not only that, but I am down two dress sizes, which is an amazing feeling! I feel like a new person, and I plan on continuing with this journey.

I have become addicted to the high feeling after a workout. It was hard the first couple of weeks, but after those two weeks of doing it I began to really love the feeling after I had reached those goals.

Also, I have very bad knees. I need surgery on them, but I don't have the time to stop and do it. I have a 6 year old to take care of, and I work. It's nearly impossible for me to settle life down just to get it done. The reason I am telling you this is because I was so afraid I wouldn't be able to do this workout, until I saw that Chalene has someone that modifies her workouts next to her. I follow the modified workout, and I am still losing tons of weight!

So, take my word for it. If I can do this, so can you! Go get a try and let's all beat obesity that is claiming our lives!

Love For Bicycling

I had forgotten how much fun it was to go for a bicycle ride. It brought back some childhood memories, and I tried to think why it was that I ever stopped.. I couldn't come up with a reason, except for afraid of being judged by people for enjoying a little perk such as that or afraid that people will say things to me as they pass by.

I've come to realize a couple of things. If people are going to judge you for enjoying something or make fun of you, they are not secure in their own lives to do what they want and not fall in with the rest of the crowd. The other thing I realize is that bike riding can be an adult sport just as much as a child sport.

Honestly, I've always been very self conscious of myself. I remember all the times I was made fun of when I was a kid for being chunky. I wasn't even fat, but it's those little things that stuck with me over the years and has made me very self conscious of what others think.

The other day I dropped off my daughter at school I was speaking to one of the woman I've become good friends with. She's very athletic. If she isn't at the gym, she's out for a run. It's no joke for her. She runs about ten miles each day. She's real healthy and skinny. We were discussing how healthy she is, and she informed me that her childhood she got made fun of a lot for being slightly overweight. It was in her late high school days she started to run. But, she told me something that made me think I shouldn't let people bother me. She said she's still self conscious, and even when she's out running now people will yell things out to her, call her fat and other things. She said it really bothers her, and she will go home and have to tell her husband just to get it off of her chest and not let it eat at her. That's when I realized that no matter what size you are that there is always going to be someone that ridicules you. It's how you handle it and continue on.

Be strong. That's my new motto.