A challenge you say?!?!

I have learned over the last 9 months not to back down from a challenge. How else will you learn what you are capable of if you don't push yourself to try. My first was The Warrior Dash which I survived and am so pumped to do it again. Now.... a 90 day challenge. My Trainer and very good friend Sandra Compton is sneaky by putting them to me. She says it and I go " hmph, why not right? " This one was no different. I had some pictures taken a couple years ago and I love them very much. They were my angelic sexy photos with my husband. I want to be that gurl again but a little darker and dirtier this time ( like in Flash dance but much darker ). So that is my goal. Not only will the end of this year bring me to the end of my personal year goal but having this little side road will be her whisper in my ear. I know I can do it. Look how far I have come already.

I decided that I wanted to lose 10 more pounds. So that is only 6 more beyond where I wanted to be by the end of the year. I just felt like I needed a little "cushion" or some bouncing room. Now I know that there are people that will say it is because it is my "what's next" and they're right too. Why stop. Today as I write this I feel great. I have days because of my current health issue where I sleep a LOT! Like 16 hours, so when I have my good days I bust it out and don't look back.

So with all this said I am having to adjust my training regime a bit. Beautyfit Bootcamp came to an end last Thursday night and it was bitter sweet for me. I have spent 9 months with some of these ladies and they have seen me through the good and the bad. They were there to support me from the first sit up to the last push up. While wiping my tears of sadness and my tears of joy, they have become a part of my extended family. I will miss them all. I have met new friends along the way as well that came in to my life a few months and even a few weeks ago. Each person that I have met has taught me something different about myself. Ponder this thought and embrace it. It will change your life if you let it...

Surround yourself with people whom you admire and allow you to aspire to be who you want to be... Accept nothing less than what you deserve

 I did a note after the last camp and I feel it right to tell you a few of the things that I learned these 8 weeks as well...

1. Push yourself harder each and every time and you will never be able to say you didn't try
2. Listen to your body!
3. Focus on yourself and how each and every movement feels.
and finally..
4. I ROCK AT LUNGE FOOTBALL!!
My NEW shirt truly defines my state of mind when it comes to my training these days .... so to that I say .. and WHAT?!?!

Mojo...

Taking some down time to heal yourself inside is so very important.... Taking care of YOU is more than just exercising and eating right.

These are some of the most powerful words that you will ever say to yourself. We all get to a point where our bodies say I am done! I have nothing left to give! This is not a bad thing. This is what happened to me and it was time to listen.

I have been so stressed out with so much home stuff and my health for way too long and my body just shut down. I spent 4 days in bed which ran over one of my BeautyFit Bootcamps. That was a tough message to send to Sandra saying that I would not be there that night but I knew that I needed to heal inside to be able to give my all once again. I don't like to give up but this one was different. It was not a physical exhaustion from goes "balls to the wall" for weeks on end. This was a mental exhaustion. Thank goodness I have a supportive husband and children when it comes to me being "down for the count". He spent 2 days in bed with me just watching tv and getting me what I needed so I didn't have to get up and my children actually got along. I have not been 100% for quite sometime but I deal with it. I go through my everyday and do what I can to make it through without ever complaining about it. I usually say, "I am OK" when people ask. I think that's a prerequisite of life when for most of us. 

We spend a lot of time trying to fix our "outside" but our "inside" is what drives us forward and keeps us going. So why do we neglect that so much? It is more than just be heart healthy and watching our cholesterol levels and caloric intake. But it is being mentally healthy and prepared to take on each and every day. Each of us deal with this differently and we think we are doing it the right way until one day we crash. 

I am doing much better now. The stresses are still there but I am more clear headed and able to focus. I am back on track with my eating and my gym time and I am ready to finish out this year strong. Wise words came from a little woman with a big voice. Take heed my friends and listen with an open mind and an open heart..

If you don't take of YOU how do you expect to take care of anyone else......

Gun-Tacular

I joke a lot with my husband about who has the bigger "guns". Of course HE does, but I still make him go through the whole "look at my guns" process. I never understood why as a woman our arms seem to be the weakest part of our body. As a mother I either had a baby in my arms, grocery bags or laundry baskets, so they were always being used and I thought that they were being pushed to max capability. If this were the case.... why is it one of the hardest places to define muscle?

I like to call that hangy skin under my arm my "Hello Hello". This is because when I wave hello to someone, it reverbs and waves a few more times after I am done. Apparently that is called your tricep muscle, and on Sundays I get the pleasure of working them until I wanna puke or drop a weight on my head. I never used to like to lift ANY sort of weights with my husband ( I usually ended up in tears in the change room ) but now that I have a routine in place it makes it easier to get my workout in. He lifts with me. He spots me when I need assistance and he makes me keep going when I say I am done and I can't do anymore. In my head I scream to myself  "JUST DO IT" but at him it sounds more like this.. "Will you just SHUT IT!!".

It has taken months of slow steady movements to have clear definition of muscle in my arms. It is not massive muscle but sexy. I can see where time and effort is a paying off and I am noticing it. TIME... that is the key to all of this. Remember that it is NOT going to happen over night.

Sleek and Sexy!

Goodbye to my Hello Hello

These are my Lady Remingtons. They are sexy and fabulous because I made them this way. So next time you want to kick it up a notch... Look at your husband, Get in to the best muscleman pose there is, kiss your bicep and say.. " Welcome to my Gun show!! "

Toxic Purge

Negativity will drag you down. Even if you think that it isn't bothering you, deep down it is affecting you without you even realizing it. This can come in many forms: words, expressions, jobs. friends and even personal items. I slowly started purging just with observations. Ever hear the statement," If you would shut up long enough you would be able to hear what's going on around you?"  How very true it is. I started listening to how people were talking to me. Taking the time to dissect what they REALLY meant behind the " I don't want to hurt you" or "I just wanted to get your attention" statements. It didn't matter if they came from family or friends, they were said. We ALL have or had people in our lives like this. I felt GREAT when I let them go out of my life. Like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. Getting to the point of just letting someone know that they are negative and you do not want them in your life anymore can be harder than it sounds. But think of it this way.... You have an old pair of jeans that have served their purpose, You just bought a whole new wardrobe and feel fantastic about it. As you are putting everything away you come across "the jeans". They don't fit in to your new wardrobe (life) because they are just not right for you anymore. Dilemma... Toss them or keep them around just because. How many "just because" items do you have in your life?

Purging makes us feel better. It is healthy in so many ways. Mentally, Emotionally, Spiritually and Physically. Did you know that you can actually make yourself sick from keeping unhealthy things in your life? If you don't want to call it that, try "Spring Cleaning ". We all know it's hard work and we know it has to be done but no one really wants to get their hands dirty. So when IS the right time to take care of business? For me, it was when I started to get angry. Last week I dumped 2 garbage bags of clothes off at The Goodwill Box. I kept them around as my safe clothes. My just in case I gained 5 or 6 lbs. Or the "fat day" clothes. Really?!?! 2 bags worth??? It was the next confident step in to my next phase. I am pretty sure I did that with "those" friends too. I just kept them around just in case. See where I'm going??

Letting go of my fat past has helped me to move in to this new life with a new perspective. I love it! I love all the new positive people I have in my life. The ones that are a breath of fresh air. The ones where I don't have to hide my enthusiasm for feeling good. Or when I am having a killer boot camp night they are in my ear pushing me. I tend to get a little angry when I am focused and I hear things being said TO me. So I would like to publicly apologize to Crystal Cox and Jenna Inglis for getting mean while doing tricep dips. They are not my favourite exercise. Like they are right up there with burpies but I do them because I know they are going to benefit me in the end. And YES they were pushing me with positive words and energy like I have always done with them but that night, during that round in the circut there was nothing I wanted to hear.. LOL. I'll show you how those triceps are actually shaping up next time....

So create a new you. Peel back the layers that are just hanging around and are not really necessary in your life ( kind of like your tailbone ) and get rid of them. Underneath all of that toxicity is this beautiful flower waiting for clean air to breathe and flourish and grow. Don't be afraid to still hold on to some thorns to keep away the pests either.

This is my Positive for the day.... " I am an ecological treasure. Without me here this earth would not be the same". Find your positive and tell the world :)

Eating really is easy

Food... It is everywhere and we have to think about it every day. The favourite question in my house is, " Mom, what's for supper?" So let's start at the basics. We have families and it is hard to just rip everything out of their mouths because WE can't fit in to anything in our closet anymore. They didn't make me fat, I did! When I started changing my food choices I never emptied out the cookie cupboard and said that's it. I knew that no matter where I was going to be there was going to be food and decisions to make. So I started at home and I knew that was going to be hardest part. But, by leaving it in the house I was building self control and I don't even know it. I just want to point out that my husband and children have learned to adapt to the changes I made ( whole wheat bread, skim milk and a LOT of chicken ). I say it was by choice. My husband says it was for survival.

Groceries 101...  Shop the outer circle. All the basic food groups that you need are there. Take note that the packaging is also very simple. No fancy boxes or lingos on it. Just what it is and that's it.

I can see what's inside THIS packaging

Eating off the Menu 101... look for something Grilled or Baked. Fried = Fat. For salads, ask for your dressing on the side so that you can control how much goes on. Sometimes the wrist gets a little weak and your lettuce needs a life jacket.

Ask for your dressing on the side

 

 

For breakfast ask for egg whites only and dry rye toast

Chicken Fajita guts.. ( no shell and no cheese )

Keep it Simple 101. I keep my food choices simple and limited. By doing this my meal choices are easier. It is a no-brainer when it comes to what I am going to eat at each meal.

4 oz Veal on salad

Special Occasion 101. Super Bowl in my house means Nachos. Lots of cheese baked on top of ground chicken and nachos. This doesn't mean that I can't eat.. it just means that there is a healthier version available as well.

Their Super Bowl Nachos

My Super Bowl Nachos

 

 

Basically just choose wisely. It really is easier than we think. Once you have it under control then you can start to implement more changes in to your life and your family. And, you never know when you might have to talk a friend off the Banana Split diving board and throw them a lifeline of yogurt and berries.

So be confident, keep it simple and keep your best friend on speed dial.

Hot to Trot

It's 9:30 pm on my ab/cardio burn 500 night, I am BeautyFuel'd and ready to go.. Or am I? Not just yet. I get to the gym and apply my BeautyBum. Not just to my bum, but to my thighs and to my belly ( because I am jiggly there ) and I am off to get my workout in. I'm rockin out with the music in my ears and concentrated so deeply in my plank, there is NO DROPPING allowed, that when my 1 min timer goes off I notice the heat that my body is putting off. It feels good! After ab work I get my cardio in. I head over to the stair mill for 10 min of warmup before jumping on the treadmill. Let's just say that my warmup was more like a RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!! My finger slipped and I hit an extra number and I was off to the races. Literally!! Now imagine running up stairs and not being able to slow down at all while trying to press a button to change the speed and not fall off looking like you just got shot out of a cannon!! Ya HI!! That was me :) You can stop laughing now... After catching my breath, I realized if you just ride it till your feet hit the ground it stops. Who knew?!?! Did I give up and say, " oh no Mr. Scare mill you win!" ... Nope. I got back on, started over, finished my 10 min and survived.

I headed over to the Treadmill to get the rest of my Burn 500 done and I was nice and toasty. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that I was getting the "look" from a few stragglers this late at night. I ignored and kept on my way. Sure I was sweaty but then you start to wonder do I have something hanging out of my nose? Nope it was just the fact that I was truly a sweaty mess... This is what they were looking at

I would like to say that it is just the lighting or a bad angle of the camera but that would be a lie.. It is full on Tummy sweat from a kick ass BeautyBum intensified Cardio workout.

So what have I learned from all of this, other than don't press buttons with sweaty fingers? I learned that mistakes will happen and there is nothing pretty about going to gym and getting the job done. I may walk in some Saturday mornings with my makeup on and my coffee in my hand but when it is all said and done I will be a sweaty mess and hungry like a beast! Don't worry about what the girl next to you is doing on the machine or how many calories she has burned. You worry about you! Pull your hat down and put your blinders on.

So put your ear buds in, rub your BeautyBum on and spend the next hour on the best ride of your life! It's ok to scream a little while on it but please remember to keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times or you may get injured :) ..... or fall off like some of us.

Bumps in the Road

What happens when you get a wrench thrown in to your game plan? Do you whine and complain? Throw a fit like a 2 yr old? Or do you just give up without even trying?! My choice has been to push right through it. I have learned to modify and adjust to be able to push through just about everything that could possibly be thrown at me in the last 7 months. I mean really, we don't lay there on the delivery table and get away with saying.. "I'm out! That's it .. I'm going home now." We push through and get the job done. So why do we think that it's ok to do it with our health? It's because that is what we know. What we are used to. Think about it for a second.. We have all quit on ourselves at least once without even knowing we're doing it. Excuse is just a bigger word for quit. We teach our kids to never quit, don't give up, give everything you've got and do your best! Be the Best you can be.... When is it time to take our own advice.

The new 8 week BeautyFit Bootcamp started last week. I knew going in that I was going to have a mental struggle this time around. I know my body can and will do all the things that Sandra wants it to so now it's time to test my mental will power. Use whatever words you want.. Push, Pull, Drag, Throw, Jump.... but they all need to equal up to wrapping my head around these 8 weeks and focusing on what needs to get done. I have already accomplished so much and I just need to get through this little mental block. 31 days smoke free, 5 years Doritos and sour cream free and a whole bunch of weight and inches free. Those were big hurdles for me. Now I see them as speed humps. They were just big enough to irritate me and slow me down but not big enough to stop me from getting to my destination.

I'm human and I'm working on myself daily inside and out. I will never be "finished" because there is no fat lady to sing at the end of this for me. I know what my body can do on the outside... Now it's time to push the inside and see how far THAT will go. "Strength comes from within" means more than you will ever know some days.

Through all of this, mental meltdowns will occur. So if you see me laying there in my own sweat and tears, just hand me a kleenex and move on, I'll get over it.