Week 10: The Positive Mindset

. Bill Phillips talks about the power of a positive mindset. I know for myself I occasionally (sometimes often) have negative thoughts. I know how unhealthy it is for my mind and my body. I like how Bill not only talks about it's powerful effect but also gives us 4 techniques to help bring about a postivie mindset. So here it is:

Bill Phillips says, "Unlike the physical body, the mind is very fluid and it can take on a new form in an instant. We can be confident, believing in our ability one moment, doubtful and uncertain the next. This can be especially true when taking on something new and challenging like this transformation process. In order for us to successfully reach our goals with this work, we must know how to set and reset the mind in a positive direction . Here are 4 tried-and-true techniques to transform your mindset in minutes:
1) TAKE ACTION
The longer we procrastinate and avoid taking action, the tighter the grip of fearful and apprehensive thoughts becomes. There's a surefire way to put an end to that. It's to get up, get moving, and as Nike says, just do it.
2) FOCUS ON WHAT'S WORKING;
We  always tend to get more of what we focus on in life. It's true. This means it's vitally important to be mindful of where our attention is. If we have a habitual pattern of looking at what's not working, according to this tenet, we'll be getting more of that-more of what's not working.
Please remember that energy flows where your attention goes. So focus on what you love, what makes you smile, and what makes you feel healthy, and alive! In doing so, you'll soon have even more to be happy about.
3) THE POWER OF WORDS
The words we say to others and ourselves directly influence our mindset, health and actions for better or worse every single day. Positive language has been demonstrated to improve scores on aptitude tests, boost physical performance, and even strengthen the immune system. And negative talk can do just the opposite.
To harness the positive power of words and put them to work in your own life, you simply start by being more mindful about what you're saying, how you're saying it, and what effect it's having on others as well as yourself. Then speak often of inspiration, love, gratitude, health and healing, and how you're transforming, improving, and making good progress. The more you do , the more you will.
4) ENVISIONING SUCCESS
Another effective way to shift your mindset is to envision a successful outcome. Many people who do well  with their personal transformation make a daily practice to see, in their mind, where they're going before they get there. They envision, with crystal clarity, what their renewed body and improved life will be like. For many this becomes a very powerful practice.
Please consider making a few minutes of quiet time each day to sit in stillness and hold an image in mind of how you want to be, how you want to look, how you want to feel. When you do, you may very wheel be surprised with how rapidly that inner vision becomes your external reality.

Action step:

1. Empowering words and phrases that I will utilize in my daily communication with others and myself include:

2. A description of the future self I envision is:

3. Three empowering, healthy thoughts which are aligned with my transformation objectives are:

Chapter 9: Accepting Responsibility

Note: All quotes used from this post (and my previous posts) are from Bill Phillips Transformation book.

I will be honest..... I've made excuses as to why I'm not losing weight, or why I'm not motivated, or why I'm constantly eating junk food and gaining back the 10 pounds I lost 3 months ago. When I read this chapter it hurt to realize that I am the only reason I'm not moving forward. Fortunately I also felt rejuvenated and inspired. Because I know that I can take that control back in my life. I can take responsibility and move forward. Today is a new day and I will focus on where I'm going. Focusing on the past can hurt and sometimes bring out the worst in us. This morning I woke up feeling lousy and sad. I know it's because I went overboard in my eating of junk food the past 2 days. I started to think of how I totally blew it and what was the point of trying today. It's so hard.  It's going to take a lot of effort to get back to where I was. But I stopped myself because I could see a spiraling downward mindset. That kind of mindset can bring about feelings of despair, worthlessness, sadness, and can lead to depression, anxiety, and behaviors that are degrading and unhealthy.
Today you can take responsibility of your health.

Bill Phillips says it right when he said, "Most every great transformation I've witnessed over the years was preceded by a dramatic increase of self-responsibility. The moment you truly decide to accept ownership of your health, happiness and life is the moment when everything begins to change. When you stop blaming others, give up the victim stories, and you accept responsibility, it's then and only then that you can harness your true power and ability to take control and make remarkable changes for the better."

"Unfortunately, in our society today, we're conditioned to do pretty much just the opposite. Not happy? It's because of the people in my life. They're the ones making me miserable. Not healthy? It's the genetics I inherited. Darn ancestors! Crummy job? It's because of the government and how they screwed up the economy. Haven't been able to consistently eat right and exercise? That's because all the so-called experts make it so darn complicated and difficult for me; besides, I don't have time because everyone else expects me to take care of them first."
"One of the telltale signs that we've given our power away (either knowingly or unknowingly) is by the excuses we make. By their nature, excuses deny our responsibility. Those who've taken control of the things they can in their life choose to share the reasons why things are the way they are, even when those reasons might not always make them look good."

"When we make a resolute decision to accept responsibility for our own health and happiness we are, in effect, becoming a 'no-excuses person.' This is not an action, it's a mental shift. In this stage, we're conditioning our minds, or rather un-conditioning them, to reflect the reality that we're in charge of our own well-being. In this stage, you might wake up and you really don't feel like doing your workout. Rather than making an excuse that you don't have time today, we learn to see in that moment we simply don't want to do it. That's fine. The fact is, I rarely feel like exercising when I get up in the morning but rather than making an excuse, I say, "I'm choosing to take control of my health today and so I'm going to exercise even though right now, I don't really want to."

"Knowing what we have control over and accepting responsibility for it is remarkably empowering. When you reach that point, you really can become the pilot of your life and make it better and brighter than it's ever been. When you do, you'll have more life energy and strength to unselfishly give to others."
ACTION STEP:
 Three specific excuses that I've used multiple times to avoid taking responsibility for my own condition are:

Three things I'm talking control of, starting today, are:

Three actions I'll take this week to demonstrate that I'm accepting responsibility for the things I've written about are:

Three things I realize are beyond my control which I surrender are:

Week 8: The Big Forgive

I wish I could share the whole chapter with you but I'll share some excerpts.  Even just holding the intention of forgiving someone has been shown to have great benefits.
"Those who forgive are those who choose to forgive. There's nothing random or unintentional about it. ...Forgiveness is not done out of weakness; it is an act of strength and courage."
"The price of unforgiveness is high and can include depression, a hot temper, anxiety, emotional pain that takes hold in the physical form (headaches, backaches, fatigue) and toxic amounts of stress. The benefits of forgiveness are many and include improved heart health, brighter energy, emotional well-being, decreased risk for disease and expanding spiritual awareness.."
"Another unfortunate thing about deeply held and suppressed anger towards someone is that it spills over and interferes with our relationships with everyone else. It can make us feel like we're always victims, and there is injustice in even the most insignificant daily incidents. ...The more we dwell on hurtful events, grudges and vengeance, the more anger will take root in our minds and hearts. Before long, negative feelings can crowd out positive ones. Until the anger and bitterness are released, they will continue to leak poison into virtually all areas of your life, and can even destroy families, careers and friendships."
"Forgiveness is something that happens inside of you. It doesn't mean you're saying what happened to cause a resentment wasn't wrong or that it didn't matter. What it means is that you're saying, "I choose to let go of this negative feeling towards the person whom I perceive has hurt me." After neutralizing the emotional charge behind the grievance by letting it go, you may very well file it away in your low-priority memory storage. It's not necessary to work on forgetting it altogether."

1. After some introspection, these are three incidences and people which I've identified I hold some resentment towards:

2. How I rate the emotional impact, on a scale of 1-10, of each of the grievances listed above is:

3. Three feelings I would enjoy if I were able to completely eliminate this resentment from my mind and heart are:

4. Three ways my health and life would improve as a result of completely forgiving the offender and letting go of this resentment are:

5. My Big Hurt story which expresses how I perceive the hurtful incident goes like this:
(In your own words, write out what you are feeling. It can be two paragraphs or several pages; it's up to you. )

6. A nonjudgmental, unconditionally supportive person I can talk through my Big Hurt story with is:
NOTE: After you complete one act of forgiveness from start to finish, please consider setting yourself free from the other two resentments on your list.

Week7: Progress Not Perfection

This is Collette here! Carrie asked me to post for the next few weeks. This is a great week for me to post. I need this as I'm sure many of you do. Bill Phillips talks about a girl who lost 15 lbs but would look in the mirror and just see failure. Because she had an ideal of perfection, like a swimsuit model on the cover of a magazine. It became her exclusive focus and each day she'd get up, look in the mirror and see that she wasn't there yet. She didn't even see the amazing progress she was making. She convinced herself that she was a failure and then she quit. "What happened is she got caught in 'The Void.' The Void is a dangerous place we can wander into if we measure our progression based on what hasn't happened rather than what has. The Void can zap your self-confidence and send your self-esteem tumbling, making it impossible for you to feel good about yourself. Hanging out there can also lead to full-time frustration, which can permeate every aspect of your life."
So how do we change that and avoid The Void? WE focus on PROGRESS instead of perfection. To do that we must start focusing on what we have achieved and accomplished instead of those things we haven't.
Progress is a step in the right direction: it's any action you can take which moves you further away from your point A (where you were at the beginning of this process) and closer to your point B (where you decided to go).
So go back to your goals from the beginning and make sure they are specific, clear, measurable, AND REALISTIC. If not, then go back and please revise your goals if necessary. Making sure they are not ideals (looking like a swimsuit model) will ensure that you can feel good about your progress and take you away from the mindset of perfection.

As I thought about this week's goals I also thought about how it applies to us in other aspects of our lives. As a Latter-Day Saint I could focus on how I don't read my scriptures every day like I'd like to and I could feel like a failure. Instead I can focus on my progress: I say my morning prayers when I roll out of bed, or how I read scriptures with my kids most days of the week.

As part of this Transformation group I could focus on what a failure and bad example I've been. Or I can focus on the progress I've made. Last week I didn't write down the healthy spaces makeover but I did clean out my son's room 2 weeks prior because I had read that chapter and felt like his room needed help. I donated a couple of bags to Goodwill and threw away a bag of misc. toys. And today I threw away a couple of lonely socks because I was thinking of last week's assignment. There is PROGRESS!!!! Certainly far from perfection.

As a mother and housekeeper I can choose to focus on how I failed to give my bathroom a good scrubbing. Or I can focus on how I mopped my floors today and helped my kids clean up the basement. I can choose to focus on what a rotten mom I was when I exploded at my children today; wondering where that demon came from or I can focus on how I brought my kids (and nephew with autism) to the library today and patiently waited and helped them complete 3 crafts.

Which way will make YOU happier? Always focusing on progress rather than perfection. But it is a choice, and it's a choice that we have to make EVERY SINGLE DAY when we wake up in the morning and when we go to bed at night. So I choose happiness and progress.
Here is this week's assignment:
Action step:
Five things I can do between now and the end of the day tomorrow that move me in the direction of my goals and intentions are:
Example:
1. Exercise intensely for 40 minutes.
2. Eat six nutritious meals that are nutrient rich and calorie sparse.
3. Encourage someone else who's also making healthy changes.
4. Check in with my community support group.
5. Restock my kitchen with a dozen healthy fruits and vegetables.

Then and Now

(Note: written last Saturday & finally putting the final touches on it today)

I haven't posted in awhile. Been crazy busy. The good kind of busy. I am Happy. I am glad to be moving forward. I am grateful that I am healthy. I, more than anything right now in this moment, am grateful that my dad listened to his doctor, got surgery, battled cancer, fought hard, and faithfully and without complaint completed his chemo treatments. We celebrated these great moments today by running the Whiskey Row. My parents and kids did the 2 mile fun run and I did the 10k.

 

The day I found out my dad had cancer was also the day I started Body for Life (my very first time to do the 12 week program). The night before the start of the challenge I was skimming through chapters I had already read. One of the chapters hit me really hard that night. Bill Phillips talked about how there would be trials and hard things that would come into our lives. And that when, NOT IF, but when the trials come it all depended on how we decided to handle the trial. The book talked about making the choice to continue forth in making healthy choices and being fit even if life got hard. After reading this I thought to myself, "What hard thing is going to come into my life?" And then I brushed it aside; I sure didn't need to give myself anxiety thinking that maybe some hard thing was coming down the road; there was surely nothing I could do but worry. So I stopped and thought, "Life will bring hard things, I've seen it in the past, and I know it will come. But I will decide now to go forth with the challenge even WHEN hard things come my way." The very next day I started my BFL eating, journaling, and fitness routine. Right after finishing my 45 minute arm workout with my sister-in-law Joy I got a phone call from my mom. I was sitting on the couch relaxing and recovering after a hard and awkward first work out. I received devastating news about my dad; cancer was discovered during a routine colonoscopy. I couldn't believe it. I broke down in tears. My dad was going to have emergency surgery the very next day and I HAD to be there, I desperately wanted to be there for him and my mom. Cancer has taken several loved ones from my family and so fear, heartache and the unknown set in. When the kids came home from school I told them about grandpa and his cancer. We sat on the couch and we cried and we held each other and I told them everything was alright. My nine year old said' "It's not fair!"  and sobbed into my chest. And I cried and agreed with her. Mike was so supportive and got the next day off work to drive me there. Family stepped in to take care of the little ones. We visited my dad at the hospital for the 3 days he was there. I carried protein bars and shakes with me. I ate salad at the cafeteria. I felt like the only thing I had control of was my diet. My fitness routine included walking Claire around the hospital floors and walking to and from Wendy's across the street. Thankfully the cancer was removed. Dad had to start chemo 4 weeks later. He did chemo for 6 months and experienced nasty side effects:bleeding gums, nauseau, vomiting, extra cold sensation, metallic taste, etc. But all the while he worked full time, shoveled snow from the driveway for my mom and went on with life. We know many people prayed and fasted for him and for us. We are so grateful for others' love, faith, and prayers in our behalf. My dad completed his chemo just a few short weeks ago and to celebrate we did the Whiskey Row run together. We did it in honor of my dad and his battle with cancer.

 

I am happy for my dad. I continue to pray that his cancer will not come back. I thank Heavenly Father for answered prayers and blessings. I am proud of him for taking care of himself, eating right, and exercising.

 

It was a HARD thing for me to find out my dad had cancer. It was devastating and depressing. I was hopeful but I have seen too many lives taken. But I continued forth with my goals and eating right and exercising. I had made the choice before the trial came that I would carry forth no matter what hard thing came.

The night before I found out my dad had cancer these are words I read from Bill Phillips, "We must all accept that ill fortune is an inevitable part of life, and it is because of, not in spite of, misfortune that we grow. You see, our character will never be fully tested until things are not going our way. Those who have the courage to succced in spite of adversity become an inspiration. They contribute value to the lives of others. They make a difference...whenever you encounter adversity-whenever something comes up that you believe might prevent you from finishing your Program and successfully transforming your body and life-immediately ask yourself, 'What can  I do to turn this negative into a positive? How can I make this work for me rather than against me?'"

 

I hope that each of you that are doing the Transformation with us can take this little nugget of inspiration and know that when hard things come your way you will have already decided that you will carry forth and make it work for you instead of against you. You will find inner strength that you didn't know you had. You will do great things! I am grateful that this challenge came into my life during what could've been a very depressing and hard time in my life. I was able to focus on my health-physical and mental-and focus on the postive in life. When we make goals and try our best to follow them-even the smallest and most simple of goals-we will see our lives slowly transform. We are routing for you!!!!!

 

 

 

 

This is a picture of me on my 2nd day of Body for Life.

This is a picture of me today at our race that we did in honor of my dad. I am continuing to set goals and trying to take care of my body. I've kept off the 25 pounds I lost since the day I found out my dad had cancer.

  



Why do I do this?

Carrie told me I should post about the reasons I am trying to lose weight, exercise and be my best self. I have thought about this several times in the last few months and years....but especially since I started this challenge. I know that one of the first things that comes to my mind is that I am doing this for my kids. My kids have overweight genetics on both sides of the family. Not only that but both grandpas have diabetes. We have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and cancer, and who knows what else. The odds are not in our favor. So I want to give my kids the best chance possible of living a healthy, long, and fun life. I actually think that exercise is fun. There are many people who may look at me like I am crazy but I truly enjoy it. Not always, but most of the time. I love to pick up my kids from school on Wednesdays and take them to a nearby mountain to  hike up. I love looking over the scenic mountain top and enjoying the crisp air and knowing that we did something hard TOGETHER.  I love telling them how much I love living in this area where we can drive 2 miles down the road and go on an amazing hike. I love that we are doing the Whiskey Row race together. I love that they are willing to pay for a third of the price because they so badly want to walk/run with grandpa and grandma. I love that Mike bought me a bike a couple of years ago. I am going to start taking the girls on bike roads around the lake just across the street from my house. Clearly exercise is usually not the problem for me. I've enjoyed it for as long as I can remember. I have the energy, the desire and the commitment. I guess the hard part is the eating part. I have become a stress eater, a bored eater, a social eater. A downright emotional eater. I don't want my kids to see that or think that's how they should deal with their emotions. I don't want them to think it's okay to down a bag of potato chips or carton of ice cream or bag of cookies (I've never actually done that but I felt like I wanted to and would've easily forged ahead). I want my kids to feel the stress, acknowledge it, and then turn to healthy outlets of dealing with it. I'm still trying to figure out healthy outlets. Exercise is one of them. I think that is why I enjoy it so much. It releases the feel good hormones and just makes me feel downright good because I accomplished something hard. I love my kids so much and I want to be a good example to them. My 2nd reason for doing this is because when I am turning my bad habits around and making goals and commitments and doing hard things it just makes me feel good and downright happy. And who doesn't want those things in their life? When I start to slide on the eating and exercise I feel like other things in my life start to slide:my house cleaning, my relationships, how I treat my kids/husband. But especially the way that I feel about myself. I'm not a person that is depressed or sad. I am generally happy and try to enjoy life. But there was a time in my life where depression took over. I couldn't eat,drink, sleep, pray, drive, go to school, without feeling a deep and dark weight surrounding me. It overtook me like nothing else I've ever felt. Intense feelings, thoughts and doubts took over my life. I don't normally share these feelings. But I think it's important to realize that one of the reasons I am doing this is because I am emotionally strong and capable of handling hard things that come my way when I am physically strong. I could get all spiritual right now but I'm not. I just know that for me I will always be striving to eat nutritiously and exercise. My physical health is as important as my mental and emotional health. Those are my top reasons I may seem overly obsessed about being healthy and fit.

Food log for Wed.

I felt hungry today. I don't know if that meant my metabolism is working harder or what. I went a little over my calories again. I don't want to eat trail mix anymore. The calories add up too fast and it isn't very filling. The kids and I hiked up Thumb Butte (with Claire in a hiking pack). It took 40 minutes up and 25 minutes down. It was a great workout and I enjoyed my protein bar at the top as we overlooked the beautiful scenery.
1. Protein shake (with pb/frozen bananas/flax seed)
trail mix
250 Calories
2. Oatmeal
Egg beaters
trail mix
290 Calories
3. Turkey sandwich (no cheese, no mayo)
Clementine and salad, sugar free dressing
5 wheat thins
240 Calories
4. 3 nibbles of low fat cookie (Ha,ha. I took a little nibble out of each of my kids' cookie)
2 whooper eggs (hey no judging , I needed some quick energy for my intense hike)
Protein bar
clementine
265 calories
5. Chicken/apple/craisen/sunflower seed salad
sugar free dressing
a small helping of Quinoa/pork
230 calories
6. 1 cup Sugar free jello
10 calories
About 1285 Calories

Food log for Tues

I did great today! I felt like I had plenty of energy...even after running 4 miles. I didn't feel hungry at all. I loved my chicken salad at dinner. Seriously one of the best salads I've made. It was soooo yummy and easy. I hit all of my goals except that I went over just a tad bit on my calories. I drank a lot of water but didn't keep track of it. I need to tally up the cups I drink for the day. I normally drink 80 to 100 oz a day.
Side note: I am proud of you Carrie! Even with an injury you are still going at it. The eating part is 80 percent of looking and feeling good. So keep at it and keep doing that core work. You'll be able to pick the rest of it up when you heal.

1. 8 am
Lower sugar maple & brown sugar oatmeal with 2 T fat free milk
1/4 cup egg beaters
230 Calories
2. 11:30 (normally I eat at 11 but I was on my run)
Apple
Light string cheese
150 Calories
3. 2 pm
Oatmeal Toasters-Cranberry Orange(1st time trying this. It was tasty)
with 12 spritz of butter spray
1 T sugar free apricot preserves
170 Calories
Side salad with 2 T sugar free raspberry dressing
6 pieces of deli turkey
80 Calories

So far at 630 Calories

4. 4 pm
Protein bar
200 Calories

5. 6:15 pm
Chicken, Craisen & Sunflower seed salad
with sugar free raspberry dressing
6 wheat thins
275 calories

6. 9  pm
1/4 cup Trail mix
160 calories
Total is 1265 calories

Getting back on track

After having a free day on Saturday night and Sunday it has been hard to get back on track. I did so good yesterday until about 6 pm. I was making dinner for my family and was "tasting" it. It was pretty dang good. I made quiona for the first time and mixed it with some canned chicken and cream cheese. I spread it on wheat thins, cut up some apples and threw a salad together. By the time it was said and done I had pretty much eaten my calories for the day. So I just had a big salad with sugar free raspberry dressing. After our FHE  and putting the kids to bed I ran to the store. While there my husband asked me to get some discounted Easter candy....which I swore I wouldn't touch. I got home and next thing you know I was sharing that cadburry egg with Mike and ripping open a small bag of mini cadburry eggs and digging in the freezer for cookies. Dang Easter candy! I woke up this morning feeling a little defeated and wondering if I had the determination to meet my goals today. So I decided to keep myself accountable I am going to post my food log on this blog for the next few days until I get back on track. My goal is to run 4 miles today, eat 1250 calories or less, stick to the BFL eating plan, and eat 1-2 fruits, and 2 salads. So stay tuned; tonight I'll be posting my food blog
I love this quote:

 

A little celebration

I am finally losing weight again! Yeah sweet success! I was at a certain weight or 1-2 lbs above for about 4 weeks. It was really frustrating. Going to my mom & dad's house for spring break kinda threw me off. Even though I mostly stuck to the plan I knew I was eating too much food. It was hard when my mom was cooking a delicious homemade meal and everyone was indulging while I was eating my salad. So to make up for feeling deprived I added craisens and extra cashews and protein to my salad. And a few extra crackers during the day or a few pieces of sugar-free candy. Although it threw me off for 3-4 weeks it also helped being there. My mom bought me a huge container of greens. And feeling obligated to not waste I ate 2 big salads a day. One as a side with my lunch and one as my main dinner meal. It helped me to see that I needed to be eating that extra veggie that the BFL diet calls for. So what am I doing differently you ask? I am following the BFL nutrition plan but I started recording my calories this week. I realized I was eating too many when I wasn't losing weight.  I was popping a small handful of goldfish or Cheerios here and there. Or eating an extra protein bar because I was having a stressful day. Those calories add up. I also increased my runs by 2 a day for the past 2 days and the next 2 days. I've seen results in the past when I increased my cardio to 2 a day (about 30-45 min. each session). I won't do it for very long; just a few days. Otherwise I'll just burn my body out. But I finally hit a number that I've been dying to see in a long time. And I did push ups the other day. I went from being able to do 12 last week to 16 this week. Yahoo!!!!

The last 3 weeks

I can't believe it! We only have 3 weeks left to the end of our challenge. I decided I am going to step it up. I have at least 5 lbs to lose to meet my original goal that I set at the beginning of the challenge. So I decided to keep a food log and write down everything I eat and record the calories. I decided to do this because I'm not seeing the results that I want to see. The weight is coming off very slowly. In fact I'm maintaining instead of losing. I've been eating more than I should. I want to keep myself accountable. I want to see where I can do better. I believe that food is a main factor to losing weight; it is 70-80% what you put in your mouth. I just started counting calories today and I can see that I have been eating too many. I'm not surprised...a little frustrated. But now I can make improvewments and move on. I am happy to say that I am happy with the improvements I have seen this far:11 lbs lost, my tight capris (like hurt your back to wear them tight are now fitting comfortably,my hips have slimmed down, I can see definition in my arms, it is much easier to run uphills and to run in general, I can run faster and longer,  I can do 12 push ups, and I am eating fruits and a salad, sometimes two, every day. Not only that but when I am following the food/water plan my complexion is clear and I don't feel I need any makeup except eye makeup, I feel my best emotionally and physically, and I have a desire to improve my efforts in all areas of my life. I am looking forward  to these last 3 weeks and making the best of them.

Perseverance & Gratitude

Yesterday was a tough day. It's spring break and so all of the kiddos are home. We got home at 11 pm the night before from Show Low and had a lot of unpacking to do. We got our unpacking done and Claire went down for a nap. Perfect timing for me to sand down the nasty paint job on my shoe/coat hutch. So I spent a couple of hours sanding, re-puttying, and priming & painting. Just to realize that it was another crappy paint job. Arrrrrrgh! So dang frustrating. I sanded the bench down again and decided I needed to buy new paint (the more expensive brand, and satin instead of semi-gloss). So I got the 4 kids ready and in the car. Just then Calli starts whimpering which turns into screaming within seconds about her ears hurting. She has had a cough & runny nose for a couple of days. So instead of going to paint store we head to the doctor. It's confirmed that she has an ear infection and we get a prescription. I no longer needed to go to the paint store because I didn't have the money anymore. So we head home. I was frustrated because this piece of furniture has been sitting in our garage for months and I just wanted to finish it during spring break. I had planned all day to work out at 7:30. Well Mike didn't get home until 6:45 and I had to run to get Calli's medicine and get some food. I didn't get home til late and finally when we put the kids to bed it was 9:15. I kept telling myself I should just skip my workout tonight. But I kept remembering Carrie's text that said to make these last 5 weeks count....and to remember this is the time when the most results come....and she said remember that when you are thinking of cheating on your diet or workouts. I knew I'd be disappointed if I skipped my workout. So I got my music and did my 20 min on the cardio. I was sweating harder than usual and I felt great. I'm glad I didn't skip it because this morning I feel great. And last night after my workout Mike said he can see my abs are becoming more defined. Things I am grateful for: 1. a doctor's office that has sick walk in hours. 2. modern medicine:ibuprofen & antibiotics 3. electric hand sander. 4. a daughter who made dinner and did dishes. 5. a cousin who motivates me to finish out strong. 6. a treadmill that was handed down from a friend. 7. good music to run to. 8. a husband that waited patiently for me to finish my workout so we could watch our show together. 9. Salad and apples that are on sale. 10. Yummy, delicious, and sustaining protein bars for post kick butt work-out.

Getting antsy

I am on a great path to a healthy and active life. However, I am getting anxious, or impatient, or frustrated with not seeing quick results. Maybe I'm just speaking for myself but I'm getting antsy about not having those ripped muscles that I see on all of the champions. And then I worry that by the end of the challenge I'll be disappointed because I didn't step it up and reveal that 6 pack that's hiding under a layer (or several) of fat and loose skin. But I have to remind myself that there are WAY more positive rewards to this challenge than ripped muscles. I remind myself that we are examples to our husbands, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, cousins, friends, friends of friends, etc. But most importantly we are learning how to take care of ourselves and our bodies. We need not be ripped or the 2013 BFL champion. What matters is that we are slowly but surely learning great ways to fuel our bodies with the right kinds of food, and exercise daily. We are giving ourselves one of the greatest gifts we can. Just give yourself time and be patient with the process. I need to stop & enjoy the progress that I've made. I went from eating boxes of cookies & bags of candy several times a week and not exercising (maybe an occassional walk) to having just one cheat meal a week and exercising almost every day. My husband started an intense diet (and has lost about 35-40 lbs) after I started my first BFL challenge. And now he is going to start lifting weights with me. My children want to go to the track with me and run around. They want to do races with me. They want to go out and ride their bikes every day and jump on the trampoline.They cheer me on at my races, they say good job, and ask if I won (to which I always reply, "Yes I won!!!! Of course I won, I finished the race and that's winning to me.") We are 6 weeks in to the challenge and thinking that it's half over we may not see the results that we want with the lost inches and pounds, or the revealed six packs. But when I start to feel that way I'm going to try to stop that negative voice in my head. And remember all the things I've accomplished this far, and how it's a journey. The 12 weeks will be up shortly but that does not mean that it ends there. Give yourself time and be patient with your body. Do the best you can and try to learn from your mistakes. Keep up  the clean eating, and workouts. When you get discouraged write down how far you came and remind yourself of your goals (always write down your goals and review them often, maybe post them somewhere you see them daily).
Sidenote: I was in Wal-mart today and walked by the Easter candy. I picked up the largest bag of mini cadburry eggs and just stood there and stared at them. I jiggled the bag around and thought how many delicious eggs are in that bag? And then I could feel the obsessive sugar addicted mentality coming out in me like a demon. I had to put that bag down and get out of that aisle. A few minutes later I had to walk by that aisle again. I started having crazy and absurd thoughts like, "Why am I even doing this challenge? I'm not seeing the results I want to. My weight is staying the same. And I really want those cadburry eggs. Oh how I love those Reeses eggs, too. They are pretty much my favorite thing-I could eat all 6 of them in one sitting like a crazed person. And those Snicker bar eggs look pretty delicious, too." That was a pretty tough moment. But I walked out of there as fast as you can say ADDICTED. And I went and bought myself a Cliff Builders mint chocolate chip bar (thank you Carrie for introducing me to them). We all have our own struggles and mine is definitely sugar, and anything chocolate related. In fact, I have a friend whose husband nicknamed me "Cha-Collette. Pretty clever if I say so myself! But I'm doing better now, now that I'm away from the sugar. I will not buy that stuff or have it in my house. If I buy something on my cheat day it has to be a small serving or I somehow justify eating the whole bag. I've got issues, yes I do.

High intensity training

 

I love the high intensity cardio workouts from BFL. But I am training for a 10k in May and need to step it up a notch with my mileage-20 minutes doesn't get me far. I'm sharing this with the hopes that it will help those who have been doing longer than 20 min. sessions of cardio and don't feel like 20 min. will cut it. Don't get me wrong. The 20 min. high intensity cardio sessions from BFL will do it's job if you are pushing yourself. But this is just for those who want a little more. It is a HITT workout plan divised by a former BFL  champion Emily Alvers.  I think this is one of the training plans I will be using to get ready for my next 10k.

You should see her, she has a killer body. She is now a fitness trainer and model.

If you want to check out her training-cardio & strength here is the link http://www.emilyalvers.com/training.html

From Emily:
Once you master walking HIIT, take it to the next level by trying running. Even if you think you "aren't a runner", don't be scared to try it. I used to say the same thing! When I started this program, I could only max out at 5.5 mph and now I am up to 8.5 mph. It just takes a willingness to try new things. This is now one of my favorites...

Food for an overnight relay

Before I forget I wanted to blog about the food we packed and ate. It is hard to eat on an overnight relay. You don't always get to stop at a food joint or even a gas station for that matter. And you don't always get a say in where you go. Most teams want to eat fast so they can find somewhere to rest. And you also don't want to go and eat a large meal somewhere, or something you don't normally eat. That would wreck havoc on your race and digestive system. So here is what I packed (some I ate some I didn't),
1. trail mix (just the kind from walmart) with nuts, raisens, and M&M's
2. crackers
3. Bagels & cream cheese, and peanut butter (the ones in disposable cups) LOVE this!
4. String cheese
5. oranges & bananas
6. graham crackers and chocolate peanut butter dips
7. 8 mini packages of peanut butter M&M's (do you see a peanut butter/chocolate trend here)
8. Dove chocolate covered almonds
9. Cliff Builders mint chocolate chip bars.
10. Cliff mini mint choclate chip bars.
11. Atkins protein shakes
12. Gatorade powder
13. water bottles
14. Panini ham & cheese sandwich & Cheetos & diet soda (BAD, BAD, BAD) (from Fry's)

Simple meal ideas-for a week

Looking for simple meal ideas? Here is a week's worth of meals from a former BFL champion. I'm going to try some of them out...like the black bean chicken salad (Friday). Also I just realized that I'm only supposed to eat light string cheese. I've been eating the regular kind. So I went out yesterday and bought a bag of light string cheese (on sale at Fry's, yipee!).

http://bodyforlife.com/library/meal-plans/sarah-brown

Ragnar-Part 1

Here is the short version of my Ragnar experience:
Leg 1: 5.5 miles in 46:19 min. I think that's a 8:25/mile pace. Had cramps above my clavicle around mile 1.5 or 2. I wanted to walk and slow down. But then I thought about how hard I'd been working and training and I thought about Claire. It was really weird because I immediately got a surge of energy and my cramps went away. I picked up my speed and finished out strong & no walking. It was hard especially with the sun beating down (even though it was still freezing cold). My legs hurt and I was pushing myself.
Leg 2: 5.7 miles in 50:16 min. I was hoping to get an 8 mile pace. I was pushing myself really hard. I felt like I was running harder than my first leg. I was a bit disappointed when i found out I ran slower than my first. But I was happy that my pace was under 9 and that I killed 10 other runners. Within a half hour or so I was suffering from major stomach cramps for about 4 hours. That was miserable. I crawled up in the fetal position in the back of the van and tried to rest.
Leg 3: 7.6 miles. The last 3 miles all UPHILL. Yikes! I was scared for this one. The map showed a steep hill. I was running up that hill, my legs were really tired, as if I was almost running in place. I felt like I was running so slow. Almost cartoon like. I kept thinking, "I can do this. The hard part hasn't come yet. Don't walk, wait until the hill is steeper." I also used my technique of running past the first 2 landmarks where I told myself I was going to walk. I ran past the third and decided not to stop. And I told myself I can run one more song. And then I kept going and ran through one more song and a few more landmarks. So I ran about 2 miles up that hill before I walked. I only took 3 short walking breaks and ran the rest of the way. I was happy that I had a 10:06 min/mile pace.

 

This is the end of my 7.6 mile leg. I felt like my legs were barely moving.

 

 

Ragnar-Part 2 long version

Here is a long version of what happened. I will write it up in short version for those who don't want to know all of the gory details.
Ragnar is an overnight relay race with 12 team members running 3 legs each. The first 6 drive in a van/suburban and run their 1st legs and hand off to the next runner in order. When runner 6 is done he/she hands off to runner 7-12 and they run their first leg. Van 1 (with runners 1-6) gets a break between legs. It goes through the night until runner 12 is finished with his/her 3rd leg and the whole team runs in at the finish line. Here is how my fourth Ragnar went:
4 am: leave Prescott with Mike and head to Wickenburg.
5:40 am: Find team mates at starting point, load up my stuff in the suburban. Wishing I had brought a winter hat/gloves all the while listening to Mike say, "I told you so."
6:20am: Wait outside in what may have been 20 degree weather for our runner 1 to start. Witnessed  a lot of strangely dressed folks like the Burger King (who apparently took a picture with some random girl and then made out with her).
8  am: I ran my first leg. 5.5 miles. Within the first 2 miles I started to get cramps above my clavicle and I could feel my shoulders/neck tightening. I wanted to slow down and walk but then I thought about how hard I'd been training for this race. And I immediately thought of my baby Claire and how I was going to give it my all. My cramps went away, and I felt a surge of energy. I was able to pick up my speed and give it my best. I was still huffing and puffing and my legs felt tight. But all in all it was a great run. I decided to make it a goal to run the whole leg and that's what I did. When I found out that I completed it in 46:19 min I was happy. That is about a 8:25/mile pace.
9-1 Our team is awesome. We had a stereo tied down to the top and played music as we drove from exchange to exchange. We also pulled over on side of road to give support to our runners. We had a mic and talked to other runners. Most of them appreciated our music and our mostly encouraging comments. Some gave us dirty looks. We laughed a bunch. Some of the folks we witnessed or named: the turtle man with a big butt, the hula girl (who apparently has a coconut bra on), the dancing freak girl with a tight/shiny blue leotard, and the Burger King.
1 PM our van is finished and we went and ate at Fry's. I got a delicious panini ham&swiss cheese sandwich and Cheetos, and a diet soda (I don't recommend caffeine during a run) because I could tell I was about to get a migraine.
4 PM we went to the major exchange at a high school, changed into our next running outfit, laid out our sleeping bags on the grass field and tried to sleep. Got free mint chocolate chip cliff bars (I threw that in just for you Missa & Sian).
9:30 pm I ran my 2nd leg in Surprise, AZ. It was a 5.7 miler. I made another goal to not walk at all and I did it! I ran it with the intent of beating my first time. I was hoping to get close to an 8 min/mile pace. I killed 10 other runners. That felt great. I was a bit disappointed at the end when I found out I did it in 50:16 min. That is about 8:49 min/mile pace. Still a great time!
11 pm started to get bad stomach cramps. So much that I crawled in the fetal position in the back of the suburban and was miserable for about 3 hours. Finally took immodium and felt better.
2 am Got to major exchange and cleaned up. Laid out sleeping bags on gym floor and slept for 2 hours. Ahhhh! That felt great.
5 am Got up, brushed teeth and left for our next run.
7 am I ran my 3rd and final leg in Scottsdale on Dynamite Blvd. 7.6 miles. The last 3 miles were all uphill, no breaks or flat parts. I ran the entire first 6 miles and the last mile and a half I ended up walking 3 times about a 1/4 a track long. My time for 7.6 miles was 10:06 min/mile. That was a great time for me!!!! I was excited to end my last leg like that.
12 pm Our van is done and we end at Fountain Hills HS. I change and try to relieve the pain from being engorged. I told you this had all the gory details Yes, I still nurse my baby 5-6 times a day and hadn't nursed her for 32 hours. I was in pain and worried that I was going to get mastitis.
3:45 pm Our team ran in to finish line. I was sore everywhere. I was completely exhausted with only 2 hours of sleep. I was ready to eat. I was so drained and in so much pain from being engorged that I cried for 20 minutes.   I nurse Claire & finally feel better.
5 pm Go out to eat with Missa, Sian & families to an awesome burger place and then I got Cold Stone Oreo's filling with oreos in it. YUM!
8:30 pm Got home to Prescott, took an Epsom salt bath, took Ibuprofen, iced my neck and went to sleep. Yeah!!!!

Ragnar-post one

Yes, there's more to come. But I wanted to share a few thoughts. Ragnar is like childbirth in some ways (yes I know someone may be offended that I just compared a relay race to one of the most beautiful and astounding gifts given us...but just hang with me for a second). You see, it's painful, excruciating, hard, and nothing can prepare you for it. And there are many times during it that you think or complain,"What was I thinking?"  But then, after all is said and done and you have the memories, the pictures, the inside jokes, etc. you think "That wasn't so bad, it was actually pretty awesome".....and then you end up doing it again.

Some things that might bring me back: my awesome cousins Sian and Melissa. So glad that I got to be in the same van as them and share some insanely funny jokes with them (and I say insanely because you have to be insanely tired, exhausted, hungry, and sore to appreciate them). My awesome team mates who were nothing but encouraging, funny, and supportive. My pictures, although there are only a few, that show that I had a great time....with a genuine smile to prove it. The hard work and preparation that helped me get ready for the race and lose 9 lbs and increase my race pace and efforts. The incredibly awesome t-shirts, medal, and car decal. The free food (darn I missed out on the finish line pizza) like mint chocolate cliff bars & pop chips. The fact that my husband and kids are proud of me for doing something hard. The delicious food I enjoyed afterwards at Smashburger and Coldstone; with no guilt knowing that I had burned close to 2,000 calories the 2 days of the race.
Right now I can't say whether I'll be going back to do a Ragnar anytime soon but those would be some of my top reasons I'd sign up again for an insane relay race of 202 miles long.

Ragnar-Del Sol

By now most people know what the Ragnar is but when I ran my first one I think it was just becoming known. I had never heard of such a thing before. It sounded intriguing and yet very absurd and crazy. And here I am 5 Ragnars later, thinking that exact same thing. It is very intriguing and yet very absurd and crazy. It's also very addicting. Once you do one you want to do more. This will be my 4th Ragnar to run (I volunteered for Ragnar last year when I was 7 months preggo). I am soooooo excited. In fact, I hardly could sleep last night, and I dreamt about packing and shopping for food for the Ragnar. I'm also nervous and anxious. Because no matter how much fun it is I'm nervous before every race I do. No matter how hard I've trained, or what shape I am in, I get nervous every time. I haven't added any new music to my player for about 2 years or more. So last night I stayed up for 2 hours deciding which music I should buy from Amazon and downloading it took forever. Anyways here are some songs I added; you might love 'em, you might hate 'em.....1 Starships by Nicki Minaj. 2. I Knew You Were Trouble by Taylor Swift. 3. I Cry by Flo Rida. 4. Hall of Fame. 5. We Are Never Getting Back Together (Mike isn't very fond of this, especially when I sing it as loud as I can). 6. What Makes You Beautiful.

So I'm leaving at 4 AM tomorrow to meet my team in Wickenburg. I am runner number 2. My legs are 5.5, 5.7, and 7.6 making for a grand total of 18.8 miles. Wish me luck!!!!

My first Ragnar-my cousin Melissa came to support me at the finish line.

Never feel defeated

Now that's a title! I went back and forth, back and forth, trying to decide if I should share some of my experiences this week. With Carrie's last post I decided it's time to come clean. First I want to mention that I love Carrie's post and it is so true. When you make those little decisions to push a little harder, or go a little further, give your 100% then you will see your life start to change for the positive. I have seen this in the last 3 weeks of doing Body For Life. I've started to really push myself on my runs. I, like everyone else, get tired when I run, especially uphill. So I like to take breaks and walk. But I decided to push through my first initial desire to walk and keep running. It takes practice and a lot of positive self-talk. Now I push through the first 2 times I want to walk. When I get to the 3rd I finally walk but it feels great to look back and realize that I pushed through those first 2. I always give myself a landmark to run to whether it's a parked car, a light post, a large boulder, a street sign. So when I look back to see how far I pushed myself it's very obvious how far I was able to go. Sometimes it's just  a few feet and sometimes it's a few yards and sometimes it's all the way up that darn hill.
But now on to the part I feel ashamed about. Last week and this week (yes two weeks in a row) I took 2 cheat days in a row. Yes 2 cheat days in a row. You read it right. I'm sitting here thinking, "Carrie would never do that! She is going to be so upset and disappointed in me. She is going to look at me and only see failure." Boom, I said it. That is how I was feeling about myself. "Wow, how could you fail like that? The 2nd week of BFL and now the 3rd week. Why can't you get your act together and get it right?" But then I looked at my failure (which the 2nd day wasn't a complete failure. I did eat BFL for part of the day) and tried to think of every excuse of why I failed and tried to squirm out of my guiltiness. I had a migraine on Sunday because of my past neck injury; it flairs up when I do intense arm work and runs. And our financial stresses really took a toll on me. Cole was home all day and can be very intense and high maintenance. In fact I went to my room and cried and prayed twice in 2 hours. Man, it was a hard day! I coulda let myself drown in my sorrows about what a loser I am. I coulda let myself give up on the BFL program (I mean, come on, I can't even get it right). I coulda stuffed myself today with bad carbs, and food loaded in sugar just because. I coulda thrown in the towel and said life is too hard right now I'll try again another time. But instead I decided to make today the best day that I could make it. I went on run. I made myself a BFL approved breakfast. I packed 2 BFL meals while I was out doing my errands. I decided to look in the mirror and tell myself that I am doing awesome. Because even though I messed up I didn't give in. I didn't let those thoughts defeat me. I decided to make a change and make this day the best day I can. Life is hard right now; really, really hard. But when I am focusing on making little changes, things seem to not be so hard. So when you've had a hard day and messed up (my goal is that those days are few and far between) don't throw in the towel, don't give up and never, ever, ever feel defeated. Brush yourself off, get up and keep on going! Because we love ourselves too much not to.

Hello Jello Arms!

I just finished my upper body reps and am giving myself a giant 'pat on the back' (with my jello arms). I'm feeling proud of myself--just as you should--for making the choice to do something different. Before the BFL challenge, I would've fought internal dialogue like..."I'm too tired, I've been working all day, I'll do it tomorrow"...BUT...so many times before, 'tomorrow' became an ambiguous and non-committal excuse. Not anymore! Seemingly small choices (get up and move a little) and baby steps everyday, WILL lead to BIG changes and the cool thing is...it's up to me to make a difference in my own life. Although the scale is holding pretty strong and there's no need to purchase smaller clothes yet, it's all good...there's already been a positive change. I'm committed to improving my health and feel confident that any efforts (even the small choices) will yield great rewards.

Water

You're probably very aware that our bodies need lots of it  I love water! It helps curb my appetite and if it doesn't I drink more of it. The Body for Life recommends at least 8 cups. I probably drink 10-14 cups a day (I'm breastfeeding so need a lot of H2O). As an added bonus I've noticed that it also helps clear up my skin. So if you haven't implemented this great advice into your routine (hint hint mom.....I love you and want you to be around for a long time) start with 8 oz at each meal and build up to 16.

Advice to self....

Boy I'm on a roll here. 3 posts in a row. Just a little advice to self.
1. Don't weigh yourself after just 1 week of Body For Life, especially at night (when you normally weigh yourself in the morning). Remember that you are building muscle so you are going to see the numbers drop fairly slowly. I get a little antsy and impatient and just want the numbers to drop by twice the speed. But I need to remember that the muscle I'm building will burn more calories and will look much better on me than my pounds of fat. So just keep eating clean and exercising and building those muscles. BE PATIENT. 
2. Don't go to Target and try on all of their super cute workout clothes just for fun. You know..... the really tight purple/black running tights and the sporty halter tops (some of which you are trying on in a size too small because they don't have your size). Are you trying to torture yourself? They were the least bit flattering. However the black/purple running tights matched well under running shorts. Maybe in a couple of weeks I'll go back and reconsider trying them on (as long as thunder thighs are covered with running shorts.)

Running....taking it slowly

Carrie had some great pointers and tips for people who have never run before or are a bit rusty. This is what she said, "I'm definately NOT much of a runner...but I have been in the past. The MOST I've run is 6 miles at one time. My legs just aren't where I grow the best muscle...but for anyone ready to take on the challenge of running, the idea is to START SLOW. I think people think running means you have to run the WHOLE TIME right off the line. SO NOT TRUE. It may take months and months before someone builds up the muscle, including heart muscle to handle that kind of consistency. If you start out in intervals and walking for 3 minutes, running a minute than you can start building up the time you are running as in walking 1 minute, running 3 minutes until you are running the whole time. "

When I first started back at running when Cassideen was just 2-3 months old I remember it clearly. I could only run (jog) 20 steps and then I'd have to walk. Then I'd try another 20 steps and then I was exhausted. I decided I'd walk and get up my strength to run. So I walked for a few weeks before I tried running again. And then I started slowly and walked a lot. Heck I even walk in my races. And while other runners would NEVER EVER EVER walk in a race, I am not one of those runners. I have specific goals when it comes to running but running the whole race has not been one of them...YET...doesn't mean that won't change one day.  So if you are thinking of racing don't let what you think a "runner" should be intimidate you. There are all types of people, ages, and abilities that race.

A new favorite dinner

I have a new favorite dinner. And it's as simple as they come. A big salad with protein (chicken, tuna, or even cottage cheese) drizzled with fat free raspberry poppyseed dressing and 1/2 sweet potato (topped with a tsp of light butter....I need to buy the butter spray). I don't normally buy sweet potatoes because Mike doesn't like them. But I figured I would and glad I did it. Claire loves them as well so she gets to eat the other half.

Disclaimer: the beautiful picture is not mine, it's from health.com.

Just do it!

I like to run. Somedays I love running. But then there are the days I hate running. Yep, I said it. I have days where I HATE running. Some people may think it's easy for me to get out there and run. But I struggle with it almost every time I do it. I have an inner struggle with it; whether I'm too tired, it's too cold, it's too dark, it's too lonely, I'm too sore, I have a million loads of laundry to do, I haven't seen my husband all day, on and on and on. BUT when I finally get over those feelings and just get it done I feel amazing. The endorphins kick in and I wonder what my bad attitude was all about. I've consistently run for the past 10 years (except when pregnant and post pregnancy) whether I went out and did 2 laps around the block or 120 minutes on a treadmill or a 12 mile run. I've run in multiple 10k races, 5k's, 2 half marathons, and I'm going on my 4th Ragnar Relay. Some people wonder why or how I do it. I'll tell you a few of my secrets to my motivation: good music turned up all the way so I can't hear myself breathing ridiculously hard (I'll make a post someday with some of my favorites), signing up for a race (the commitment is a huge driving force; I don't want anyone to have to peel my butt off the road), and a little ibuprofen (3 to be exact...about a 1/2 hour to an hour before my run or race). Last Saturday I ran 3 miles at a 8 1/2 to 9 min. pace and then another 3 miles at a 10 min. pace. And that included part of Hasayampa hills-if you've ever run the Whiskey Row race you'll know those are not easy. Not too shabby for not training as hard as I'd like to (with the holidays, cold weather, and multiple commitments it's hard to find the time....EXCUSES, EXCUSES). So if you're thinking about taking up a bit of running go ahead and sign up for a race You don't need to be fast. You don't need any type of special gear. You don't need to be a "runner." So what are you waiting for.... JUST DO IT!

Why did I choose to do another round?

40 Weeks pregnant

Nov. 2012-After my first 12 week challenge-I lost 20 lbs (Before the challenge I lost 28 lbs for obvious reason and eventually counted calories for a couple of months) Yep. You counted that right. A total of 48 lbs lost on my small frame. Hallelujah!!!

 

Obviously I had lost weight before starting the challenge so my pregnancy picture isn't an accurate "BEFORE" picture.

 This is a question I asked myself today and the days before starting another12 week challenge. Not because I was regretting it. But because I really wanted to dig deep and know why I wanted to do this. Bill Phillips said, "When you make a decision to make a change and you know your reasons, you will harness the force-the desire to make something happen."  One of the reasons I wanted to do this challenge is because I like the clean eating and the way it makes me feel. I've had 4 opportunities to lose weight after giving birth. None of them were easy; the fat didn't melt off even though people told me it would. In fact, if I don't exercise and eat carefully while I'm nursing I start to gain back the 10-15 pounds I lost the day I had the baby. I start to see the numbers creeping back up. The difference between the way I lost weight the other 3 times was in the way I fed my body. I'm continuing to learn about healthy eating and the best way to nourish my body and I've come a long way since having Cassideen. I've lost weight through counting calories or doing weight watchers before now. But when I look back on all of my food journals I see that I was not eating very well. That is why I like Body For Life. You don't count calories, you don't count points....BUT you are eating the best way possible. I love the way it makes me feel. That is one of the reasons I am doing this. So that I can feel better about myself and be the best example to my kids of eating healthy and being my best self.

3 Days Down!

Although it has been awhile since I've followed such a specific diet & fitness routine, and seemingly years since I've blogged anything, I'm excited to be on this quest for improved health with Carrie, Collette and anyone else that would like to join us. It's going to be AWESOME! I'm really not an old lady; in fact mentally, sometimes I feel like I'm twelve! But physically, WOW...my body (imparticularly my hips, especially after interval training)...well, I must have been 'late to the party'..."When God was handing out bods, I thought he said wads...of LAME!" I must have gotten a 'refurbished' one! Like an old beat up truck, with a rebuilt engine. None-the-less, this body is a gift and it's high time I started treating it better. After all, it's got to get me around for another 60 years, or so. So, three (3) days down and getting ready to tackle day four. Modified Interval Training, here I come!

Quick & Easy

I provide childcare 3-4 days a week. I also have 4 kids under 10, one being a baby, and I provide respite care for my nephew. So meals generally need to be quick & easy, especially since there are 6 of them on Body for Life. Here are a few of my favorites....Meal 1:8 am.Weight Control oatmeal (Quaker-only 1 gram sugar but is so yummy) mixed with water & throw in microwave for 1 min, add 2 T milk, sometimes I add a 10 small pieces of walnuts, and an egg white (sometimes 1 t salsa)on the side. Meal 2: 11 am. String cheese & apple. Meal 3: 1:30 pm. Sandwich thin, 1 tsp light mayo, 6-8 thin slices deli turkey, 1 tbsp of mozzarella cheese (add a small side salad or cucumbers to get my 2 veggies), Meal 4: 4 pm. Protein bar (I like Atkins or EAS mint chocolate or peanut butter. Meal 5: 6:30 pm Large spinach or romaine or green leaf salad, 1 T light rasberry/poppyseed dressing, 1-2 chicken tenderloins, 1 T sunflower seeds, 1-2 small oranges. Meal 6: 9 pm. Grrek light yogurt or regular light yogurt mixed with small portion of cottage cheese.