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Tie Myself to the Furniture

tied_chairDesperate time, desperate measures.

I just did a little 2 day stint in the hospital that has really let the air out of my tires. The long and short of it is that they think I may have gotten a virus, on top of a possible bacterial infection, mixed together with a pre-existing case of gastritis. Put it all together and you get me, laying in a heap on the bathroom floor, moaning, groaning, cold-sweating and scaring the people who live in my house. It wasn’t pretty. Hubby called 911, and much to my own shock, I didn’t protest. I needed to go.

So, after several iv pokes, all-day and all-night alarms sounding, 1 ugly pair of socks, multiple doses of hazy-fog pain medications, lots of vitals checked-many times and a gazillion tests, I’m home. And although I’m feeling MUCH better than I was when I went in, I’m still not quite 100% yet. I might not even be  90%, but I’ll get there.

When I have a sniffly cold, or a sore throat, headache kinda thing going on…I almost always workout anyway. It doesn’t make me feel any better or any worse… usually. But since it’s part of my daily routine, it’s just what I do to stay on track. This however, is an entirely different story. I read somewhere that the rule of thumb is above the neck, and you’re probably fine to workout. Below the neck, maybe not. If you have a chest cold…maybe running 5 miles in the cold isn’t a great idea. Just saying. But, a bad tummy AND a trip to the hospital means I’m going to need to ease back into things. I think I’ll go for a walk tomorrow…but there’s a little voice in my head trying to talk me into getting back to Insanity! After all…I had only JUST done the Fit Test the day of the night I ended up in the hospital. I’d like to see what’s next. That voice is trying to get me in trouble. Because the voice of reason – that makes an occasional appearance in my head – begs to differ. If that little trouble-maker voice keeps it up, I’m going to have one of the kids tie me to a chair. I think they’ll enjoy that.

let_sleep

For now, I’ll look for opportunities to rest. I’ll try to sit once or twice during the day. I’ll even try to get myself into bed at a respectable hour. But look out, cause when I’m feeling better…I’ll be ready to hit the ground running, jumping, skipping, hopping and burpee-ing all over my basement! Fer real!  🙂

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Who Loves FREE Stuff?! GIVE-AWAY!

IT’S A GIVE-AWAY! FREE STUFF…I LOVE FREE STUFF!
Enter to WIN HIP HOP ABS and DANCE YOUR WAY TO HOT, SEXY ABS.

If you love to dance and you want to lose weight and tighten your midsection without doing sit-ups or crunches, Shaun T can show you how. Shaun uses a technique called “Tilt, Tuck & Tighten” to help you burn fat as you dance your way to six-pack abs.

In Hip Hop Abs®, Shaun breaks the dance moves down into steps, so almost anyone can do them. And the workouts are set to hot dance music, so they’re high energy and fun.

BUT WAIT….THERE’S MORE!!!  🙂 Get the FREE DVD BONUS Workout – Hip Hop Abs EXTREME (a $19.95 Value)

hip-hop-abs-contest

Click the link below to enter! Hurry, contest ends Wednesday at midnight!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You’ll get 4 routines (plus bonus routines) to learn Shaun T’s training techniques, burn calories, sculpt your abs, and lose fat all over. And you’ll have fun dancing to the hottest hip hop music.

Hip Hop Abs also includes the Step-by-Step Nutrition Guide to help you lose weight, the Results on the Run Diet Guide that shows you how to eat at your favorite fast food restaurants, the 6-Day SlimDown plan, a 30-Day workout calendar, 24/7 Online Support, and measurement tools to keep track of inches you lose.

If you win…you’ll LOSE (get it?!) 😉

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Another Sunday, Another Meal Plan

meal_planning

I have a little bit of ADD. Seriously…don’t we all? I sat down to do my meal plan, got about 20 minutes into it, and found myself making turkey meatloaf muffins and cleaning the kitchen. I like to start a project, and then start 3 more projects in the meantime. I’m not sure why that is, but it is. I will go to do a load of laundry. On the way to the laundry room, I’ll get sidetracked by a library book that should have been returned weeks ago! I’ll pick that up and go to put it in my bag, so that I won’t forget, and notice my checkbook. Oops, forgot to write that check for gymnastics class. Looking for a pen, I see the phone. First I’ll call my mom back and see what she wanted. While I’m talking, I’ll walk around and put the kids’ toys away that they left out all over the house. I’ll walk up to their bedrooms and notice my laptop that they swiped from me. I’ll carry that downstairs and remember I was looking for a pen. I’ll go get a pen and see the dogs bowl is empty…better feed him. Go get the dog food and see the laundry basket that I set in front of the washer 2 hours ago. And that’s how it goes most days. It’s a wonder I get anything done at all!

But I DID get my meal plan done for the week! So at least there’s that!

meal_4-21
Click here to print and link to recipes.
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Charlie Sheen is Doing It…You Should Too!

winningWhat on earth is Charlie Sheen doing that YOU should be doing, too? WINNING! We should all be winning every day! Because winning feels good! Just ask Charlie!

Don’t you remember when you were a kid how winning made you feel? Getting a blue ribbon, celebrating a big victory at a little league game, hoisting the team trophy, winning a game of checkers, even just racing a friend across the playground…you wanted to WIN! Now compare that with our adult lives…what do we win? Cleaning the dirtiest toilet best? Cooking dinner that most of your family will eat? Maybe…

In 2004 I ran my first marathon and quickly re-discovered what it feels like to ‘win’ again. Of course…I didn’t win the marathon, not even close. I think I finished in the top half though…so around 15,000th place! LOL! But you couldn’t have convinced me that I hadn’t won! As I turned the corner toward the finish line, and reflected on the last 4 months of training, and the 26 miles I had just run….I remembered all the early morning runs, the heat, the blisters, and leg cramps. In the last two tenths of the race I might as well have been all alone, running toward the tape. I was sobbing, in disbelief of what I had just accomplished. When my foot crossed the line, I WON! That’s how it felt. Even writing about it makes me well-up. It was an emotional as well as a physical achievement. And that feeling is most definitely the reason that so many people repeat the whole process again and again. I have run 4 marathons since then and ‘won’ them all! It feels good to win!

Of course the only person I won against, was me. The me that never thought I could do such a thing. The me that would rather sleep in on a Saturday than lace up, fuel up, gear up and go run for 3 hours. I beat the crap outta that me. She never even saw it coming!

I haven’t run a marathon since 2010, but I win all the time. Every time I start a new 90 day program, and see it through to the final day…I win! Heck, every day I choose my workout over an extra hour of sleep, or a t.v. show…I win! Every time (like this morning) that I take an extra 10 minutes to pack up my lunch and snacks for the day instead of feeling the temptation to stop for fast, convenient, junk food…I win! And I celebrate every little victory. It’s usually a quiet celebration: a smile, a sigh of relief, a skip in my step…but it still feels pretty damn good. In my head I’m spiking the football, doing a victory lap, pumping my fist and screaming at the top of my lungs…I DID IT! 😀 “In your face Old Me!” I’m a much more gracious winner now, than I was when I was a kid. I guess then I was a little more like Charlie Sheen.

*A side note: I wouldn’t necessarily recommend winning in the sense that Charlie was winning. Cause on the outside it looked a lot more like losing. But at least he felt good about being the best loser he could be! So in a sense…he WAS winning!

In short…find victory in the little contests of life. We face multiple battles every day, often with ourselves. Show You who’s boss. Put your game face on and be a winner! And celebrate your victories…it feels good! 🙂

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Another Meal Plan! Is it Sunday Already?!

This weekend, in a nutshell, was AWESOME! Super Saturday was 10 tons of fun! I got in killer workout with my childhood BFF Jenelle Summers. And after that workout, we all got to do a preview of Shaun T’s new program, coming out this summer, Focus T-25! It was simple yet intense! Basic moves are combined to create a heart-pumping cardio workout for the full 25 minutes…no breaks! The craziest move was 1-armed burpees! Not a surprise from the creator of Insanity, I guess! 🙂 I give it 2 thumbs up! If you’d like to be notified when it comes out and is available to purchase, provide your email below and I’ll let you know!

So without further ado…here is this weeks meal plan.

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Click here to print and link to recipes.
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Meal Plan and Happy Thought

First my happy thought: I’m so lucky to have such an awesome family! I got to hang out with some cool aunts, uncles and cousins today, when we all got together to celebrate my Grandma’s 85th birthday! Several of them joined me right after the new year, in a challenge group. They are still going strong, working out, eating healthy foods and reporting daily. And I finally saw them IN PERSON today, for the first time since Christmas! Although now they are down 15-25 pounds and dozens of inches EACH! Better than that were the smiles on their faces when they talked about their progress and how happy they are with what they’ve accomplished! What fun! I’ve been smiling all day! 😀

And now my meal plan for the week. This is helping me be accountable so much! I’m hoping that it helps some of you, too! 🙂

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Click here to print and view recipe links.
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This is Only a Test

thisisonlyatest

When you see this:

~ps431.tmp

What do you say to yourself? “Oh…I’m dieting, I can’t have that.” or “I want that so bad, but I shouldn’t.” Think about it for a minute, because I think what you say to yourself in this situation says a lot about your mindset, which translates directly to the kind of results you can expect. So while you’re stirring that around for a minute…let me tell you a little about WHY I’m thinking about this.

I posted something on Facebook and Instagram a couple of days ago about changing your mind before you can change your body. We all agree on this right? I feel like I’ve written at length about how health and fitness is so much more of a mental than a physical struggle. I made a comment that if you haven’t changed your mindset, than you’re just going through the motions. I firmly believe that. Sure you might be working out, and you might be eating some healthy foods, but if health/fitness doesn’t guide almost every decision you make…you’re not quite there.

I don’t mean that in an obsessive kind of way at all. I know to some it might sound that way. How could health/fitness guide every decision? Well, honestly, if you put yourself first…that’s it! What about you? What about your goals, hopes, desires? If that is in the front of your mind as you go throughout your day, you will almost always make the right decisions for YOU! In other words, don’t forget what you want, and what you wish for yourself. If it’s important to you, if it’s in the front of your mind at all times, than you’ll find the ways to achieve it.

So when someone asks me HOW? “How can I stop going through the motions, and be ALL in?” My answer is sadly: I don’t know. Not helpful at all right!? I’m sorry…but it is different for everyone. Your needs and wants are different from mine. We’re all waiting for the CLICK! The click is when you just get it. The choices are clear. The decisions are easy. Once you’ve experienced the click, you’re turned on and tuned in to what you want. And then it’s easy. I can’t create the click for you, nor can anyone else for that matter. However, I can tell you where to start. Just try. Yep, that’s it…try. Because here is what could happen: That conscious decision to try could lead you to make better choices. You might decide to set some goals. Maybe you’ll put together a plan of action. You might stick with your plan long enough to reach some of your goals. Maybe you won’t get frustrated with setbacks and impatient with slow results. Maybe you’ll start to feel better. Perhaps your mindset will start to change and then…CLICK! Now you’re on your way to real changes. It will be contagious. People around you will begin to notice and EXPECT you to make the right choices for yourself. They’ll say, “I wish I could do that.” Or “I wish I had that kind of will power.” …and that’s a beautiful thing!

And then one day, you’ll be approached with THIS.

cheeseburger_fries

And do you know what you’ll say…

I CAN have it, but I don’t WANT it!

And that is when you will truly have the power over every decision you make. You can do anything you want. You get to decide! When faced with the choice to do your scheduled workout, you COULD choose to skip, but you won’t WANT to. Your mind is made up. CLICK!

Did you pass the test?

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What Could you Do in 25 Minutes?

ShaunT_25

Well…let’s see…

You could

  • ALMOST watch a whole Sponge Bob episode.
  • Take a shower.
  • Eat lunch.
  • Go through your junk mail.
  • Hit the snooze button a few times.
  • Play 25 games of Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook.
  • Fold a load of laundry.
  • Do a sink-full of dishes.
  • Look at all of the pictures in a magazine.
  • Wait for a pot of coffee to brew.
  • Drive to the mall.
  • Pick out just the right Birthday card.
  • Look for a kid’s ‘favorite thing in the whole wide world’.

OR!!!!

Coming this summer, to a DVD player near you….Shaun T’s New Fitness Program: FOCUS T25!

Insanity is, well…insane!!  insanitylogo     Insanity Asylum_onwhite-lowres

Insanity the Asylum is…CRAZY!

And they are both so effective!

BUT…would it be helpful to have an INTENSE workout to give you results in just 25 minutes a day!?!? Umm, yes please! If you work SMART and FOCUSED and you eat right, you’ll be AMAZED at the results you can see with just 25 minutes a day! As far as I know, it’ll be available FIRST in limited quantities to coaches, then available to order for all!

Are you interested in what is sure to be the next big Shaun T. craze!? If you aren’t a coach and don’t have a coach, please sign up below to receive my newsletter and I’ll make sure, one way or another, that you know as soon as it’s available! 🙂

 

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My View from the Front Row

lift_spiritsSo, I posted this picture on Facebook the other day, because I liked the message quite a bit. The day before that I posted some pretty amazing results from a couple of my favorite challenge group members, who also happen to be my aunt and my cousin. I have a challenge group going with some of my cousins and my aunt and they have all been so gracious, kind and thankful ever since I invited them to get started. BUT, I insist that THEY are the ones who deserve all of the credit, and that I’m just fortunate enough to get a front row seat. This is truly how I feel about it.

You can’t get the results these ladies are getting without a strong desire to change. It comes from inside of you. You can be inspired by others, and motivated by things you see and hear, but until you flip that switch that’s someplace inside of you, at the right moment in time, nothing can happen. I just have to hope, that what I say and do connects with someone at just the right time, because that’s when the magic happens. Once you flip your switch, you’ll just start to get it. You’ll want it. You won’t stop until  you reach your goals. And then you WON’T stop, because it’s not something that has a beginning, middle or end. It’s a process. It’s a journey.  And if I’m lucky, I get to be there to see it…from the front row!

Losing weight and getting fit and healthy is so much more of a mental battle than a physical one. It’s a mindset. It’s taking the little steps everyday, knowing that this isn’t a quick fix, it’s a lifestyle change. If you don’t want the life-change, than it will never work. Let me say that again: If you’re not willing to change your life, IT. WILL. NEVER. WORK. You really can’t ‘dabble’ in health and fitness. There’s no sense in it. Why would you kill yourself in the gym for an hour, and then stop and get a cheeseburger on the way home? You have to flip your switch to ON. You have to commit to change. And here’s the good news: it’s totally, entirely, incredibly, unbelievably do-able! You can ask anyone of the challengers from my groups who have ‘gotten it’. They switched ON and it all makes sense now!

Here is the secret: Eat clean and exercise. That is it. There is no fad diet that will do what those two things will do for you. Will you have to change your habits? Yes. Will it be hard at first? You bet. Can you do it? I’ve seen people busier, older, more tired, with more physical restrictions, crazier work schedules and more excuses than you, and they’re doing it. How? Their switch is ON! That is all it takes. Because it changed their priorities, the way they use their time and their mindset. I have had a front row seat to see the journey they’ve been on ever since, and they are my motivation!

And here is the nicest thing anyone has said to me in a long time. When I insisted that THEY take all the credit for the hard work they had done, my cousin said this (I’ve copied it and saved it because it really meant the absolute world to me): “you definitely deserve some credit! Without you, I wouldn’t be where I am. I wouldn’t have started… We each have to individually and physically take responsibility for what we put into our bodies for fuel and for what exercise we do with our bodies, but because your heart is so strong (you lift our spirits so much!), you are giving others the strength and confidence to do this, when maybe they couldn’t/don’t do it on their own! Like I said… thanks is not enough. You have a gift and it is such an awesome thing to share with others! You are the greatest coach ever! And I am so glad you like the front row seats!!! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! ”

<Gulp>

I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again. I love this job! I am so lucky! And I can’t wait to help someone else flip their switch and see the results and the success that comes from the hard work, the time and the commitment to their own health and fitness. Is it going to be you? Spring is such a great time to get started, and if you’re ready…I am too! Get yourself signed up for my next 30 Day challenge. It will start April 1. Get the results you’ve been wanting for yourself. You can do it, you just have to want it! Go to the 30 DAY CHALLENGE link at the top of this page to sign up, or get more information. I hope I get to watch you from the front row, too!

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This is BIG News!

I bought a bikini!  bikini

Now…I didn’t say that I was going to wear it, but the mere fact that I bought it speaks VOLUMES!

I was trying to recall a time when I wore one of these suckers, and I think I can remember wearing one maybe twice! Even back in the day when I SHOULD have been able to wear one with confidence, I just didn’t. I’ve always been a pretty self-conscious person, so it’s just never been in my comfort zone. BUT, I’m envious of people who are so self-assured, no matter what their body looks like, that they can step out confidently in whatever what they wear!

Adding to my negative body image and lack of self-confidence, I’ve had 4 C-sections 2 of which went TERRIBLY wrong and left me with really gnarly scars! I’m extremely self-conscious and hyper-aware of one in particular, and it bothers me to no end. I dread the thought of anyone seeing it. 🙁 Now…if you look back through some of the before/after pictures, you will see what I’m talking about. It runs down vertically from my belly button. The inside of that scar adhered itself to my abdominal wall, leaving two bulges on the sides. No matter how much belly fat I lose, it’ll always look like this. 🙁 My dear sweet children tell me that it looks like a “butt”. I can’t believe I’m even writing that sentence down to be read by anyone and everyone. We all have our “issues” right? Well, this is mine. But maybe it’s like a Band-Aid? Maybe I just need to rip it off, let the world see what’s underneath, and get over it!

My confidence is building, each and every day. I’m getting close to feeling like I could do it! I’m talking myself into not caring if anyone notices my flaws and/or scars. This health and fitness journey has been very empowering for me, and has boosted my self-esteem more than any time I can remember! More important than losing weight and building muscle is the fact that I’m building my confidence. When you become more confident, you are just more comfortable in your own skin. When you’re comfortable, you’re happy. And when you’re happy…anything is possible. You can do anything! You might even wear a bikini. 🙂

*Want to start you own health and fitness journey. Join my next 30 day challenge! Want more information? Click “30 Day Challenge” at the top of this page.