Ive recently started a new journey...to get healthier, happier and in much better shape so I can be active and physically happy for myself and my family.
Im not the healthiest person....Im actually pretty darn lazy. Not in the sense that I lay around and let dishes pile up or dont clean my house and dont get things done. I just HATED working out. I mean I dreaded it and would avoid it at all cost. We joined the Y when we moved here. We went twice and literally walked around, lifted a few weights and called it a day. I needed something to REALLY inspire me.
You see, I got really lucky after I had Owen. I nursed him for 16 months and lost ALL of the baby weight so fast and I actually weighed less than when we got married. I ate whatever I wanted. I did harm to my body by all the food I was consuming. I would meet friends for mexican on my lunch break and then have pizza for dinner. I was burning so many calories everyday that it didnt matter cause I would still lose weight. But I basically made my appetite so big that when I did try to eat smaller meals nothing would fill me up. And I was still nursing and burning those calories so I was starving all the time. I gave into every snack, treat, restaurant etc! It was not good.
Once Owen started nursing less I wasnt burning as many calories but I was still eating that way. And slowly- or not so slowly, I was gaining the weight back. Weight that I hadnt worked very hard to lose. I could have taken advantage of burning all those calories & really lost alot of weight but I ate instead. Once my all time favorite jeans started to get snug I had it. I LOVE those jeans. I have never found a pair of jeans that I love so much and I hate wearing jeans. So I knew I needed to change!
I had seen lots of friends of mine on facebook changing their bodies with the BeachBody program. They were eating clean, working out really hard 6 or so days a week and I thought I could never do it. But I dont have an excuse. I am home all day. Whats my excuse? I felt guilty being home and not taking care of myself. So I knew I needed to make a change. I know from when I lost the weight with Owen that I felt so much happier in my skin. I felt good in cute outfits, I felt like I wasnt still "the bigger" girl among my friends. Something Ive struggled with after gaining weight after college. So this is my time to make a change. Sometimes we just need a little inspiration!
I started this by joining a facebook "challenge" group. A group of girls who are all doing the same workouts and posting about their progress, asking for advice, or just venting when we have a bad day and couldnt fit a workout it. We give support, advice, and encouragement. It kept me from sitting on the couch all day and really starting to work on ME. The group is really what has kept me going. Without it I know I would have already failed.
I'm doing the Turbo Fire videos which are no joke but since I knew I was spending the money and working my butt off to do the workouts I am ALOT less tempted to reach into the kids goldfish bag. I am really conscious about what Im doing to my body and what we are eating on a daily basis. Everyday we try harder and harder to eat "clean" meals and get processed food out of our diet. I have had amazing self control lately. Something Ive never had. I ALWAYS said yes to just one more handful or just one ice cream cone. Not anymore- I burned those calories off and I dont want them back on!!
So in just the first 2 weeks I lost almost 7 pounds and Ive lost 6 inches mostly in my torso and waist. It feels great. I feel great. The workouts are HARD but I feel awesome afterwards. Like Ive really accomplished something for the day. For instance, I just burned 640 calories in one 40 minute video!! Thats crazy!! It was tough, Im sweaty but I feel so good about me.
I felt so inspired by the group that I wanted to help others. I became a "coach" and I use that term loosely cause Im no fitness expert, but I became a coach for the discounts on the products. Ive been drinking Shakeology, which is AMAZING by the way. Its my meal replacement for breakfast and I love it. I think that has helped me take off 6 pds in 2 weeks! I loved it so much and I had several people asking me about it and saying they wanted to be in a group like that so I figured I would start my own. We start November 4th and I know this is going to help me keep going. I LOVE motivating people, I love this group already! We are already sharing recipes, tips and encouraging eachother. I cant wait to see not only my body transform but also the girls Im doing this with. Also, being far away from everyone it connects me to them on a daily basis. I LOVE it! We of course would love as many people to join as possible so please feel free to get ahold of me!! Everyone is doing a BeachBody workout. Some are doing Turbo Fire, Insanity, T25, etc.
We are at the start of our 3rd week in the group I started in and I just know the next two weeks will already change my body more than the first two have. I just cant even believe I went from barely doing anything to burning almost 700 calories in one video!
A few things I cant live without right now:
My Polar FT4 watch and heart rate monitor...and most importantly calorie tracker. I swear knowing how many calories Im burning really makes a HUGE difference!
Shakeology- its so delicious! It really helps eliminate any question what Im going to have for breakfast. I am not a fan of healthy breakfast food so this replaces that! I add all kinds of things.My favorite- peppermint mocha vanilla shake!
Turbo Fire- I was nervous when this came in the mail. It had about 6 CD's with 3 workouts each. I almost cried through the first video because I couldnt keep up. But after two weeks I am MUCH more comfortable with them and I really like Chalene. I tried the 30 Day Shred but Jillian Michaels got on my nerves. I LOVE that in this video Im working everything. Cardio, abs, legs, arms- reshaping my body in a range of videos from 15 minutes to 55 minutes. She has a schedule to follow so you dont plateau, Im only in the first month so the longest video Ive done is 40 minutes. Its tough- and I do have to stop and walk around but you cant beat that calorie burn!!!
Also I couldnt do it without a supportive husband who would rather eat hamburgers instead of spaghetti squash but he has really been supportive with all my crazy, clean, or maybe I should say bland recipes :)
Im ready to get ME back and feel so good in my skin again!
