Thoughts Are Powerful...Use Them Wisely

I am on week three of my new workout plan. I have combined two different workouts, Turbo Fire and ChaLEAN Extreme. I love, love, love my Turbo Fire, but I wanted to add some weight exercises to my daily routine. Why? Because muscle burns fat! I am building muscle so I can burn more fat. I am becoming lean and strong! 

I've had a few set backs the past two weeks, mostly weekends. But I just keep picking myself up and moving forward. I found a great article that addresses that by Chalene that I feel is going to help me succeed this coming weekend. You can check it out here. 

I changed my workouts back to late afternoons. I know I changed them from that to early mornings but it just wasn't working for me. I was dead tired by 10 a.m. and I can't afford that when I have children to teach. I found I started sleeping better so I really needed that extra 2 hours of sleep in the mornings since I tend to stay up just a bit late with reading or personal stuff. I don't get a lot of me time during the day. I'm doing my best to make time for me. My workouts are part of that. 

Last week was kinda crazy. We had a fun 4th of July weekend but during the night on Sunday someone let out dogs out of the back yard. One of them was hit by a car and killed. The other was lost. We spent all day Monday looking for her and the whole week was filled with looking for her or getting people to share pictures of her, etc. And like I said, I didn't work out that weekend or the past weekend. Yesterday, Monday, a week from the time she went missing, our lost dog showed up on the front porch before sunrise. So Monday was filled with excitement and joy over her return but not so much of a workout. 

Today I got back on track and hit PLAY on my videos. I felt wonderful! I remembered WHY I work out. I feel so good after I complete my workout. I know I am making healthy choices for my body and my life. I remembered WHY I do the videos I do. I do my CE first, the free weight workout. Each time I do one I know I am building more muscle. I have been able to increase the amount of weight I am using with each exercise. At some point I will have to get some more weights since I only have 20's. She uses 25's on some of her exercises. My coach tells me to push myself because I am stronger than I think I am. I found out today that is true. I pushed myself to harder weights than I did before. I know I am going to be sore tomorrow! And that is totally OK with me. That means I actually did it right. Next, I get my Turbo Fire on. Turbo Fire is what is called my soul-mate workout. I love it. It is fun and I just enjoy doing it. I have never fallen in love with a workout like this. Every time I do it I try a little harder to get the form correct and to put just a bit more effort into each move. Let me encourage you to do the same. Whatever workout you are doing, no matter what it is, go a little extra each time. Put forth a bit more effort to get more results. You can do it!

My eating is better most of the time. I am having my Shakeo every morning, even weekends now. I prepped my food this weekend so there is fruit salad and tossed salad in the fridge to eat on daily. We grilled Monday so there is different kinds of meat ready to add to any meal without the hassle of cooking it for long periods of time. I hard boiled half a dozen eggs to add to my salad or just to have one as a snack with a touch of cracked pepper and sea salt. It helps me provide healthy meals quick for my family on days when I need to be in and out of the kitchen quickly so I make the right choices. I have juice sometimes at dinner so having most of the meal ready for my family makes it easier on me to say no to a meal and just have my freshly made juice. Any amount of prep time you can accomplish at the start of your week will help you succeed in the area of food. You can workout every day but if you do not change your eating habits it isn't going to do much good. As long as you are putting junk IN your body it will NOT function properly. It will be like a car that has water in the tank. Let me encourage you in this way, too. Each day change one thing to get to healthier food choices. Cut out sodas and alcoholic beverages and replace them with water with a touch of lemon or other citrus fruit. Stop smoking. Cut out processed foods and replace them with healthier, fresh food choices. The old saying "you are what you eat" is true. What you put into your body will determine what your body looks like on the outside and how it performs for you on a daily basis. 

A big part of your fitness journey is how you talk to yourself and the goals you set. You have to tell yourself you are going to do it. You can't use the words try or maybe or whatever else falls into that group. You have to set real goals and tell yourself every day you are going to do it. You are going to eat a healthy lunch. you are going to work out. You ARE strong. You are going to finish your challenge for the month, etc. Don't allow any negative words to get inside your head because what your mind hears is what your going to believe. Tell yourself you are going to meet those goals. Even give yourself a date. But believe it. The more you say it will help it become a reality. The positive can push out the negative from your mind. Then you will see results. 

I turn 50 in 4 1/2 months. I am going to be so amazingly strong by then after doing these awesome workouts during that time. After I finish the 18 week program I am seriously considering doing the Body Beast, I hear tell there is going to be a new addition later this year. Can't wait. I might partner that with the new CIZE workout since that is a fun dance series. I have to keep this in my mind at all times because I can let my everyday life get me so busy I forget that I have some series fitness goals for ME. One of the things I AM going to do for my 50th birthday is a photo shoot. I can't wait to document what an amazingly strong body I am going to have to show for all this hard work. 

My coach and I are starting a new free challenge next Monday. A Summer of Salads is going to be a great way to make summer healthier and easier without turning on the stove to have a delicious meal. If you are interested in this new group, visit my fb page and look for more details. I would love to have you join us. 

Changing my life one day at a time. 

New Workout Program Schedule

I have five months until I turn fifty...the BIG 5.0. I've been "planning" to "get in better shape" before that BIG day. So many times I have let other things distract me from what is important to me, things that are for me, personal wants and needs. I put myself on the back burner so much of the time. But I have kept in my mind that I need to do SOMETHING every day that is a better choice than the day before. That is why I picked up the tagline "Changing My Life One Day At A Time". I am taking it one day at a time and doing something to change it for the better. 

I started drinking Shakeology a few months ago. I got consistent this past month, I have one for breakfast every morning. Even when the other stuff I did wasn't great, that was in place.  Build your routine one day at a time. For the past month this was mine: Get up, brush teeth, get dressed, fill my water bottle up, make my Shakeo, and start my work day. I got that down so that it became second nature. I don't even think about it anymore because it is my routine. The only thing I added to my routine that was already in place was the Shakeo. I already have the habit of doing those others things right when I get up, have for years.

Monday I added to my routine, again. I had been doing my workouts in the evening after a long day and it was keeping me up at night. I wasn't sleeping and some people had suggested that one reason might be my working out so late in the day. Let me just say this, just in case you don't know it already. Some of you may not know me well enough yet. I am NOT an early riser on MOST days. I like to sleep in the mornings because I tend to fall asleep after 3 in the morning, sometimes closer to 4 or even 5. I had to make some hard choices in order to meet my goals. Goals that I don't want to miss...again. I can't let myself down this time. This is just too big of a milestone year for me not to do it right.

When I signed up to be a BeachBodyCoach I got to choose my challenge pack. I decided what would serve me best would be the On Demand. I get so many great programs on there, including the extras for the programs I already own on DVD. I used to run but my feet started to hurt a great deal so I backed off of that. My favorite workouts are the Turbo Fire. They are super fun and really work it. I've been doing that routine in the late afternoons for a month. I decided to ADD a weight workout to my daily routine. Since I have this super On Demand filled with so many GREAT workout programs I picked ChaLEAN Extreme for my weight workout. The great thing about Beach Body is you can go on the website on your personal profile, you don't have to be a coach to have this, and you can put in what programs you use. Then PICK a Program Schedule. No more guessing what workout to do what day. I printed off one for Turbo Fire and one for ChaLEAN Extreme. The rest days fall on different days. That means that some days I do both and some days I do just one workout. There is a stretch class that I do after my Turbo Fire workout, too. These schedules are 18 and 20 weeks long. Not all of them are that long. I picked these because they will keep me focused for a longer period of time while advancing in intensity as the weeks go along.

I added these workouts to my MORNING routine. I took my workouts off my late afternoon routine to leave more time for family and personal time so I could wind down and sleep at night. I set my alarm for 5 a.m. That is super early for me and I tend to get pretty sleepy mid morning. It takes me about 15 minutes to get dressed and awake enough to walk in the den and push play. But once I do I feel great. I know that by the end of this year I will be used to it and even crave getting up that early to get my workout done to start my day positively. After finishing these two workout schedules I plan on doing the soon to be released Body Beast 2. I can't wait for that. What a great birthday gift to myself.

My food has been a bit tricky and isn't quite what I want yet but each day I am working to make changes. I still have my Shakeo for breakfast made with unsweetened almond milk, cinnamon, and a banana. I have some fresh fruit for a snack mid morning and mid afternoon. For lunch I have a portion of meat, either beef/chicken/fish/pork with a tossed salad filled with lots of fresh veggies and a cooked vegetable or some more fresh fruit. I am doing my best to eat as little bread or grains as possible for now. My goal for dinner is to juice. I juice a ton of different veggies with a bit of fruit. I add a half an avocado for the natural and good fats that my body needs. The last two days I didn't had that for dinner and haven't made the best choices. I still need to get on track with my entire plan. But remember, don't beat yourself up if you don't do everything just the way you planned. Just do better tomorrow or the next meal. As long as you are taking steps forward you are going the right direction and you will get there. We don't get out of shape in one day and it will take more than one day to get back in shape. I have to keep telling myself that when I allow myself to get down about how far I am from my goals. I have to look at the positive things I am doing every day and tell myself "I am amazing! I am doing this!" You have to be your #1 cheerleader because your going to listen to yourself more than anyone else.

If you are interested in finding out more about the workouts I do or the free support I offer, check out my website or my fb page for more details. I would love to help you by giving you encouragement and helping you find the tools that are just right for you.

Changing my life one day at a time. 

New Game Plan

The past couple of months have been crazy busy in almost every area of my life. It usually is but I'm talking really crazy busy. I've been working on my kid care business, doing my best to fill the open spots and the ones that will be opening this summer. I have 6 wonderful kids graduation from our school. That will leave a huge hole in our hearts as well as our income, unless I get them filled. I do special things for the kids that are graduating and I have been getting those things together. I was also working really hard with those 6 kids to make sure they finished up the reading lessons before the end of the year. I am proud to say that they can all read, plus one 4 year old that isn't graduating until next year. If you know of anyone looking for kid care or a good preschool, send them to my website. 

Last week, I started a challenge to drink 1 to 2 ounces of NingXia Red every day. That stuff is wonderful. It has helped me keep down the cravings for foods I shouldn't have an abundance of. I have more energy. I don't feel like I am ready to call it a day after lunch. I feel like I could just keep going and accomplish so much. It is so worth investing in it for all the benefits you get. If you are interested in that, just let me know. I love my YL and my NingXia Red!!! We have been using our oils and our household products like crazy and loving the lifestyle with less chemicals and a healthier us. If you want to read more about it, you can check out my fb page here. You will find lots of great articles plus links to find out more about the products and company. 

I have let some personal areas of my life go during the past several months and it is time to get back on track. I know from experience that when I am eating right, sleeping enough and working out my whole day goes smoother. Sunday afternoon my youngest daughter and I cleaned out the cabinets and fridge before heading to the store for groceries and supplies. We got a few items to help organize our kitchen better and lots of good foods to make. I really had no rhyme or reason to what I bought, other than I wanted only good foods in my home. My oldest daughter came over on Monday and helped me in an enormous way. She knows how to prep and precook foods and plan meals for the week. She does it all the time for her and her man. She is also MY Beach Body coach. 

Together with my younger daughter, we managed to prep, store and plan for every meal this week, including the meals we serve the kids. We portioned out salads for me for lunch and made a HUGE bowl of salad for my husband and teens to eat. We made a huge bowl of mixed fruit and portioned it out for me but left a huge amount for the family and preschoolers to eat during the week. Extra fruit was washed and bagged to be eaten by itself when we need a little something or don't want the mixed fruit. My hubby grilled chicken and burgers on Monday. I made a huge bowl of rice and mixed in green onions, carrots, green, red, yellow and orange peppers. Each day at lunch I take three cups (1 for my hubby and each teen) and reheat it with some olive oil in a skillet. Today I added some boneless pork chops that I sauteed with olive oil and spices to make a main dish with veggies included. Other options this week for the rice will be seasoned hamburger meat or grilled chicken. We made the salad dressing from scratch. It is a bit tangy so we might work on that or just use less. My lunch is the salad with two hard boiled eggs for the protein. I am staying away from a lot of grains right now. I am making our bread to keep us away from all the added ingredients and I may or may not have a small slice with dinner from time to time. But I am limiting myself to that amount IF I feel the need to have a slice. At least I know it is healthier than the things we used to purchase all the time.  

For snacks we have fruit or nuts, or a healthy granola. I started dinner around 5 before heading into the den for my Turbo Fire workout. Some options for dinner this week are baked salmon and asparagus, steak and new potatoes, skillet pizza, and spaghetti. Any leftovers are put in a container or a baggie and available to add to one of the other meals. At the end of the week we may decide to have a combo meal with everything we have left over so it doesn't go to waste. 

I will be doing my shopping on Saturdays and my food prep on Sundays late in the afternoon each week, when time allows for that. I am going to be flexible when needed. Depending on the time I make it to the store on Saturdays, we COULD grill the meat and some veggies on a Saturday afternoon and then I would prep it to put into meal plans on Sunday afternoon. 

 I set timers to go off on my phone all day long. I had a timer for each meal and snack, for the workout (I need to change the time because I really like working out earlier rather than later) and for cooking. It was GREAT! I stayed ON TRACK, I ate well and I got my workout in. I know for me, planning and prep is KEY. I HAVE to have that, always. Today, the first day of this plan, went off like clock-work. My family ate the food I put on their plates and seemed to enjoy it very much. 

If you are interested in learning more about meal planning or Shakeology or great workout videos, let me know! I would be happy to help you any way I can. If I don't have the answer to something, hang on, I will ask someone higher up and let you know. I am super excited about this journey to better health and I would love for you to join me. If you want to check out my fb page on fitness it is here. 

Now for a really cool surprise.....drum roll please...... 

I decided to become a Beach Body coach. I did it for several reasons. I know a great deal when I see it. I get 25% off my BB products by being a coach. Who wants to purchase full price on something they purchase every month? I sure don't. I don't have all the details yet, but when I do, I will fill you in. While you are waiting, why don't you check out my pages and let me know if you have any questions about anything. We have monthly online and in person YL parties to share more about different oils. There are monthly challenge groups for BB that keep you inspired and excited. 

My goals for the rest of this year are pretty simple. I will get into a size 8 jean/dress again. I will get back to running in fun races all year long, maybe one a month, maybe more in the cooler months and less in the really HOT months. I will become an expert at every Turbo Fire workout PLUS PiYo. I am looking forward to the NEW Cize workout that is coming in July!!! I can't wait to get my hands on that one. I know my younger daughter and I will have super fun with that because she is my dancer. 

Thanks so much for stopping by and reading my update. I hope to share with you more often, as my life allows. I love the fact that it is full. When my teens are all grown, I don't think I will enjoy the quiet and I will miss them deeply. 

Changing my life one day at a time.