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.

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

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.

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

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!

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

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.

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

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!