My Stats!

One of the great things about the Beachbody site is that I can go on there and keep track of my measurements.

I must say, I wasn't feeling too great about my progress these past few days. It's like I have hit a wall I am very slowly trying to climb over, and occasionally I get slapped off of it. But looking back at my progress even since February, I must say I am impressed.

   
 
Sometimes it really pays to record your measurements and watch what is happening when you make an effort to be healthier. And I'm not talking watching your weight. Weighing yourself can drive you nuts, especially if you do it every day! (Seriously, don't do it every day). The scale might say you have gained if you are retaining water; ladies you know what I am talking about. How about the first week or so after you start a new work out program? The scale is not going to be your friend. And when you have reached the point that you are really building muscle, you might not see the scale move for a while.

But how about breaking out that tape measure? Or even the body fat tester. I personally stick with the tape. I haven't jumped on the scale in a couple of weeks, but I do break out the tape and measure the target areas of my body. You might not know it, but I am actually about the same weight right now that I was on March 25! I've lost inches, but not pounds.

Honestly, I don't care about the pounds so much anymore. I focus more on how my clothes fit. I spoke of that the other day. I am now smaller than I was before I got married. I think ignoring the scale can be a great thing when you are making your best efforts.

So to sum it up: Don't let the scale rule your life! You can be making great progress and the scale will beat you down. It has done that to me before. I felt amazing, was on an exercise high, and brought the scale out to find that the number had either not changed or gone up.

I encourage you to go to Team Beachbody and register. Put me as your coach! (If you send me an inbox message I will tell you my Coach ID number to list me). It is a great resource for keeping track of your numbers and also has many great features.

And Happy Birthday Beachbody!! 13 years old today!

My Ultimate Reset

Okay so this post is mainly my shameless advertising.

Beachbody has a new reset out and it is called The Ultimate Reset.

What is the Ultimate Reset, you ask?

Imagine that your body can be reset like a computer to "factory settings." You can detox and flush out all of the bad things that are lingering in your body to make way for healthier nutrients. It can help you lose weight, have more energy, and improve your digestion.

The way it works is in three phases:

• Reclaim
• Release
• Restore

Do you want to know more? Click the link above and my site can explain it much better than I can hope. You won't have to starve yourself on this Reset, and you won't be depriving yourself of nutrients essential to your health.

Just think, in 21 days you can have a noticeable difference in the way your body looks and works.

If you have any questions, contact me!

My Clothing

About seven months ago, I abhorred clothing shopping. I say abhorred because it is a much stronger word than hated. We use "hate" so much in our vocabulary today I feel it has lost its effectiveness. So to effectively demonstrate how I really felt about going shopping for clothing, I shall use words like abhor, detest, loathe, and the like.

Seven months ago I was wearing my maternity clothes most of the time. I was struggling to get my size 10 jeans on and I refused to buy size 12 unless I had the absolute need. And yes, I am sharing my sizes with you. I am an open book here. Ask me anything about my numbers and I'll tell you! (Well, almost anything). A shopping trip to purchase new clothes almost always resulted in kicking myself for gaining so much and buying either no clothes and insisting I would lose weight, or just buying one necessary pair of pants. I loathed buying a pair of pants when I had convinced myself I would lose the weight--I just hadn't committed to exercise and eating right yet.  My shirts were larges and rarely had much shape.

In December, after having been on P90X for about two months, I finally was in a solid size 10, which was pretty awesome. No more muffin top! (As a side note, remember, wearing clothes that fit you is much better than wearing clothes too small. No one will know what size you are wearing, as long as you get clothes at fit you properly. So if you fit well into a 10, don't squeeze into those size eight jeans until you are ready.) My large shirts were a little looser, but I was not yet ready to downsize until I lost a little more.

As Spring started approaching, I knew that my summer clothes from last year would not fit anymore. I went clothing shopping in March once again. By that point I was well on my way with Insanity and has lost over 20 pounds. I was down to an 8 in jean size! And I finally bought shirts in Medium. Needless to say, I was ecstatic. From being a large to a fairly average, healthy size was absolutely amazing. Trying on clothes in the dressing room didn't make me want to cry. As every woman knows, some brands make clothes of the same size that fit differently, so not every size eight jean was a perfect fit, but I could easily slip in to most of them. I remember last summer when I couldn't get a size 8 halfway up to my waist.

So today I went back. My medium shirts weren't fitting so well anymore and I only had three that I kept washing and wearing over and over again (yeah, I tend to buy a couple things at a time because I'm a penny pincer. I will own up to that label), and my size eight shorts kept trying to slide off of my waist. For kicks and giggles, I grabbed a few small shirts and a size 6 shorts and squeezed myself and the jogging stroller into a dressing room.

I am so proud to say that seven months after starting to be faithful to my exercising, I can wear small shirts! And I don't mean that I squeeze in to it. I FIT! I had to give my 18 month old a high five since she was the only person I had with me, but needless to say I felt so accomplished. The size six jeans were a "Squeeze in to," but I'm not far away. I bought a size 8 short that fit better than my others. (Remember, different brands, different fits!) As for what the number on the scale is, I don't know. And frankly, I don't care. The number on the scale doesn't matter as much as the size of the clothes I wear and how I fit in to them.

My Incentive

So this is a good time to mention I haven't worn a bikini since like Junior year of high school, if I remember right. It's not that I didn't have the body for it back then, it was the simple fact that I am entirely too shy and too modest to wear one. Most of the time... And anyone who really knows me can attest to that.

So with my husband's upcoming R&R and our reservation at the beach, I realized I needed a new bathing suit. The one from last year will be a little too big to wear again. (Queue silent cheer!) We went to JCPenny's because frankly, they never disappoint me with their clothes. Of course up front when you first hit the swimsuit section were the friendly suits. The tankinis resided in this area, perfect for covering bellies all stretched out from having babies or having eaten too many sweets prior to swimsuit season. That was what I originally went for. I didn't want a one piece, of course! I absolutely hate it when you have to use the bathroom and you are wearing a one piece. Even worse if you have just been in the pool and you have the sudden urge to "go." Nothing like the bathroom dance to get a wet one piece off! But I digress.

On the back wall were these cute little suits. Solid colored, mix and match tops and bottoms to wear. As I said before, I haven't worn a two piece actual bikini since I was in high school. I have lost a good deal of weight, and I knew I could lose more before my husband's vacation came up, so for the heck of it I decided to try some of them on. I chose yellow, grabbed the two types of tops and the two types of bottoms and carted them off to the fitting room. I first tried on the tankini top and bikini bottom. Cute, covers everything. Love!

Then I got a little braver. I put on the bikini top and the cute little skirt bottom. Okay I'll admit, a little flabby in the tummy still, and those stretch marks are never going to fade (at least not on their own). But considering where I was last year, it was a huge difference. And I realized--with my mom's help, of course--that in the time frame I have left until R & R, I could make the bikini even hotter.

So I did the impulsive thing. I bought the bikini.

The way my thinking goes is this: If I buy the tankini top, I won't do as great with my eating habits. My brain will think along the lines of "well, I have a top that covers my tummy. I'll just eat ONE doughnut at church." Instead, I bought the bikini top and now have the mindset of "Oh dear, I can't eat that at all. I have to lose these last few pounds before my time is up!"

                                       

                                       

So that is it up above. That's the bikini I have pictures of now to remind myself what I am working for. That's the bikini I think of every time I head to the fridge. And ever since I have bought it, I've been pretty religious about what I have eaten. Let's hope it pays off and I can stick to my eating plan. I would hate to have to go back to JCPenny's the day before my husband's R&R starts and switch out the top. Not to mention I do want to look nice when he comes back.

What about you? Do you have that bathing suit picked out for this summer? Are you going to be brave and daring, or safe?

My Inspiration

Besides motivation, I think everyone needs inspiration! And what do I mean by that, you ask? Someone or something that makes you realize that you can do it. You can workout, eat right, and lose weight. It might be a family member, your best friend, or even a story you read in a fitness magazine. For me, inspiration came in the form of my mother, Mary.

My mom had three kids by the age of 26. Afterwards, she was starting to become overweight and unhealthy. So she took the initiative, went out, and bought her first set of work out tapes. I even remember those tapes 19 years ago. "Buns of Steel", "Abs of Steel" and that whole series. I don't really remember the workouts themselves, but those are the tapes that my mom got her fitness journey started with.

After the "Buns of Steel" series, Mom started working out with Bodies in Motion. That's the workout program that had Gilad on the beaches of Hawaii doing aerobics. While doing that program, she decided to add in Step Aerobics. I still remember that step that came with the workouts. My brothers and I thought it was kind of fun to step on. It was purple and felt funny on your bare feet. Even my dad would do the Step Aerobics with her on the days he was off of work.

After 5 years of exercising, my mom decided that the weather outside was too pleasant to keep missing by being stuck inside doing her exercises. She decided to start running! To start, she just ran twenty minutes. When twenty felt easier, she increased to thirty. In not too long, Mom was running 40 minutes. She stayed at that time for about a year. She says "I was determined I was not going to run for more than 40 minutes." But eventually she realized she had a desire to see if she could run a full hour. It wasn't easy at first, but it wasn't as difficult as she thought it would be.

Mom really is my inspiration. She challenged herself to run an hour, and she did it. For most of my life, she has been exercising and pushing herself. She always sets new goals for herself. For a while, she started running two hours at a time once a week. Although she has cut down, she still makes other running goals. My mom decided that she wanted to run a 5k last fall. So of course I trained with her, even though I am not really a runner. She ran a good time of approximately 30 minutes (I came in about 44 minutes--I alternated running and walking). Now she is training to run a 10k! At the age of 45 my mom has decided to run a 10k, and from my experience, when my mom sets a fitness goal, she is going to achieve it!

I hope I can be more like her. She is dedicated to her routine. She does what other people think they can't. And there is nothing about her that causes her to be more athletic or for exercising to be easier for her. She just set a goal, motivated herself, and she did it! Mom is proof that the only limit to achieving your goals is YOU!

For My Friends Who are In the Armed Forces or Married to Someone Who Is...

You should read this. I'm about to tell you the best thing about my being an Army wife AND a Beachbody Coach.

So to be a Beachbody coach in most cases, you have to pay a monthly administrative fee. They give you four total sites, after all, and you get some killer discounts on the products from Beachbody. It's totally worth it for anyone, in my opinion, especially if you are interested in getting Shakeology each month.

BUT--and here is the great part--if you are a military member or the spouse of someone who is active duty military personnel, you get to sign up and be a Beachbody coach for absolutely nothing. No charge. At all.

Now what does it mean to be a Beachbody Coach? It can mean a wide range of things, depending on who you are. Some people sign up to be a coach just for the discounts offered. Keeping up? That means you register to be a coach and you get a discount on the products for nothing. And yes I said for nothing. I know a lot of military wives are big on saving money. If you want to find a program to lose weight and want to save money on it, then there you go.

For me, being a coach means I am more motivated to actually do my exercise. I say I am a coach knowing that people are watching to see what happens, and that makes me less likely to slack off. I eat better and work out harder because my results will show. It also means that I can help other people to achieve their goals, and I have always loved to help people. Oh yeah, the discount is definitely an advantage.

Other people become a coach to make money. And hey, if you aren't losing any money, then why not go for it?

In short, my point in sharing this to you is to show you what advantage you get for being either in the armed forces or being married to a member. You have nothing to lose, but a lot to gain. So go ahead, send me a message and tell me you are willing to be a coach. And then send this page to any of your friends to whom this applies. Even if you don't sign up yourself, send this link onward! You might be surprised at who is interested.

Finding the Time

So one of the big problems that I have heard with people and working out is "I just can't find the time." Especially for those of us who have little children. I know for a while I was one of those people. It seemed every time I thought I'd be able to work out, something would happen to throw me off for the day. My daughter would wake up early from a nap, lunch would be late and heavy, I had a huge exam coming up in a difficult class, and the list goes on.

So what happened to change that? Well let me back track just a hair.

In October, my husband left to go overseas for a year. That's when my workout journey really began. I'm basically a single-mom while he is gone. While I live with my parents for the security and the occasional assistance, I really do most of it by myself. So you would think that being alone with a toddler would make it harder to find time to work out. But one of the things that Spousal support information tells you is that if your spouse is deployed, you need to stay busy and have a routine!

First off, decide that no matter what, your exercise is going to be in that routine at least 5 days a week. If you make it a "must" on your To-Do list, you are more likely to find time to do it. Heck, put it before cleaning dishes. Those dishes will get done, trust me. You are far more likely to skip out on your routine if you don't put it on the top of your priorities.

Next, find a time when you are the least likely to be bothered. Since I have a one year old, I am entirely dependent on her nap times and bed time to get my exercise in. Every day I make sure she goes down for her nap by 1 or 1:30pm, and then my workout can start at 2pm. My lunch has time to digest so I'm not choking up food while working out (I hope you appreciate that visual) and someone is by that point sound asleep. I can do dishes while my daughter is awake. Heck, I can do laundry, fix dinner, even take a shower while she is awake. But exercising while she is awake is a near impossibility unless I have someone else to watch her (which doesn't happen that often). If for some reason I can't get my workout in during nap time, like for instance on Thursdays when I am in my Anatomy lab for 3 hours, then I put it off and pop in my DVD after bedtime, which is 8:30 to 9pm. The television is usually free at that time anyway. I have other things to do in my day that need my full attention, like working on my Beachbody business and studying for my classes, but I can fit in an hour of exercise. I honestly believe that it helps me think, too.

Finally, don't beat yourself up if something happens and you can't make a workout. While it is important to stay consistent and keep up with your exercises, missing one day because you were waiting in the doctor office with a sick kid is not going to make or break your fitness journey. You don't have to try to make it up the next day, you may just burn yourself out or injure yourself. Just let it go and move on!

And hey, maybe even get an accountability buddy. You can have someone work out with your or even just have someone to talk to to keep you on track. Be honest with that person. Having someone to keep you on track may just give you the pressure you need to press play today!