Day 36: Sculpt

And so begins week 7. I swear I just did this one a day or so ago. 9 more weeks, and I'm done with this program! It's bitter sweet, but I'm excited none the less.

Not much to report. I have been wearing my Vivofit since Friday, and it has been working very well on helping me get my steps in. I'm not up to the goal it has set for me yet, but at least now I can track it. It also tracks my sleep, which is nice. Being winter, it's harder to get out of bed in the morning with it still being dark out, and Wednesday is really going to suck, as I have to be at work at 4 a.m. instead of 8 to cover a shift for the studying students. Yea for finals weeks! My caffeine intake will probably soar that day.

My shoulder is still inflamed a bit, so I didn't do anything that required the use of my shoulder. Aleve is helping, though, as it's not as sore as it was. Hopefully a few more days, and it'll be back to normal.

Day 35: Sweat

I woke up in the middle of the night with severe stomach cramps and nausea, so the fact that I can even do this impresses even me.

It's not one of my favorites, but I got it done. Woohoo!

Day 34: Drench

Drench this morning. I think this exercise is growing on me. Again, I had to modify it due to my shoulder - for some reason, push ups don't feel good, but I can plank without too much pain, so I planked when they did push ups. Drench is also a 45 minute workout, and I only had 30 minutes to play with, so I didn't do the whole thing, but hey - I'm still lapping all y'all that are still in bed, or still on the couch, so what now? Yeah, think about that one for a minute.

It helps that this is my workout view:

Isn't it pretty? It's amazing how much light that tree gives off. Coffee, shower, and then I'm off to work. 

What'd YOU do this morning?

Day 33: Sculpt

I'll just say now that I tweaked my right shoulder two days ago, and I just messed it up again. That being said, I didn't double up like I originally planned. Instead, I'll do one workout tomorrow morning, and another tomorrow night.

I haven't done sculpt before tonight, but my legs are going to feel it tomorrow. All the tricep dips had to be lessened due to my shoulder, and my right hamstring cramped up on the last rep. Needless to say, I'm reminded why I had stopped working out, but that won't stop me for tomorrow. Off to have a hot bath with epsom salts, then go to bed - 5:30 a.m. comes early.

In other news, I invested some soon-to-be-had Christmas money in a Garmin Vivofit! I've only had it on my wrist for 2.5 hours, and I've already taken 559 steps. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Mulligan

Due to sheer laziness - and not wanting to get out of bed at 5:30 to work out - I haven't done PiYo like I should have. For shame, I know. Thankfully, I have some lovely ladies who are awesome role models and motivators, so tonight when I get home, I will be hitting it again. Since I joined Allison's 8 week PiYo Challenge Group, and I'm stuck on week 6, I plan to double up on workouts for the next few days to make it through to week 8 so I can be completely finished by the time we get to week 8 (week 16 for me). After that, I'll do Les Mills, then it should be time for my boudoir photo shoot. then do TurboFire, just to stay in shape. After that, who knows.

I bought a Garmin Vivofit, so that should help me get up more from my desk. The fact that I've been drinking at least one 16 oz bottle of water at work a day (I'm on my second one today). I've even put times on it to keep track, although the last few days, I haven't needed them. I just bought a bottle of fruit infused water from the cafe down the hall, but when I got it back to my desk, the strawberry kiwi flavor was not as good as it should've been, and the water was bubble infused. There's a reason I don't often drink soda - I don't like the carbonation. Save the bubbles for bath time, keep it out of my drinking water, so I dumped it out and started over. Then I had a marvelous idea and tore off the labeling, and measured the bottle into thirds, making sure I drank a certain amount by 10 am, noon, and 3 pm. Genius, I thought!

There she is, in all her glory. Isn't it beautiful?

Ok, so that is my masterful plan. I'm off to snack on peas and get back to work.

Day 32: Buns

I have pretty much come to the conclusion that I hate buns day. I'm not a fan of the exercises (squats out the yin yang, mixed with some lunges). I have a preferred method of doing squats, and they require my husband's help.

Anyway, I came home the other day to find the next program awaiting me on the front porch. Les Mill's Body Combat! The small gloves that they sent fit Zach better, so I might be able to get him to do it, too. I'll use my weighted gloves that I know fit me, and get more pack in my punch.

Turkey day is coming up (tomorrow). If you want to stay on track, continue doing workouts, drink a full glass of water before the meal, and put less on your plate. Don't forget to thank the cook and host for all the work that put into the day, and show your appreciation whenever possible - NOT by belching.

Have a good one, and I'll see you tomorrow after Sculpt!

Day 31: Core

I actually - with Lola's help - woke up at 5:30 this morning and did my workout! I'm so impressed with me! I am able to do the pikes and side bends now, but I definitely need to do them on a mat, as my wrists and the bottoms of my hands hurt when I do them on the carpeting. Because I did awesome this morning, I get to have chocolate Chex for breakfast!

I did some hunting yesterday, and found these two photos, which are now the photos on my lock screen and home screen on my phone.

I have also updated my screen to change to various motivational posters, and it seems to be helping. Whatever it takes, right? My phone is the Galaxy 5S, which comes with a health app on it, so since I get two paid 15 minute breaks a day, I plan to walk and explore the building while having the pedometer app turned on. I'll record the steps on here at the end of the day. 10 more weeks, and that PiYo tshirt is mine!

Pedometer steps:

Day 30: Drench

Welcome back after a hiatus. I was down with strep, started a new job, and let life get in the way. Not anymore. I have a photo shoot coming up in the spring, we're looking into buying a house, and I need my stress reliever back. I just ate, so I'm going to let that settle, then kick some drench butt.

Ten more weeks, and I'll be ready to blow TurboFire away. I also bought Les Mill's Combat, as I love me some boxing. My hope is to get a few more programs under my belt, and then I'm going to take a personal safety class put on by work. If I like that well enough, and if finances allow it, I may look into taking some karate classes, as I'd like to be able to protect myself with more than just mace.

After taking a four week hiatus, I can safely say Drench is not the way to return. My legs are all wobbly, and I don't think I'll be taking the stairs at work tomorrow.

Starting up again just in time for the holiday season! This is going to be rough.

Day 29: Core

Today is supposed to be Drench, but since I did Buns and Strength Intervals yesterday, I'm doing good to be able to walk right now. Core it is, and I'll do Drench tomorrow. I also have a sore throat and don't want to push it, as I'm already tired.

I couldn't keep up with her in the scissors curl since my legs are sore from yesterday, so when they gave out, I switched to leg lifts until they went on to a new exercise. For these, I just hold onto the underside of the couch and lift my legs straight up until I'm at a small angle. Lower back down. Trust me when I tell you, you'll feel those in your lower ab muscles.

I get to buy new jeans today, as my waistline is too small to hold them up, and I found out last night that I have a whole in one of my last good pairs. I may also need a nap later.

Day 28: Buns and strength intervals

I was a bad girl and took Saturday and Sunday off. I'm not sorry about it, either, as I got to spend time with my family and a few favorite coworkers in doing so. That being said, I get to spend tonight with one of my least favorite coworkers, so I may be working out again this evening after training him on reference, just to ease my frustrations. That, and uncorking a bottle of wine.

BUNS! Those magical things that allow you to sit with a built in cushion. I've worked mine enough that I am able to fit them into my new size 3 pants, and they look awesome (Zach agrees).

My legs hate these exercises because of all the squats and lunges, but they look so good after!

Ok, so I went ahead and did strength intervals, too. If my legs weren't shaking before, they definitely are now. Tomorrow is drench! Hope I can move...

Day 27: Drench

I have to get myself to the point where I can get out of bed by 5:30 and do this before work every day. Or be doing them as soon as I get home, one of the two. Since I'll be working at Purdue, I may even shoot for a membership at the gym on campus. Who knows.

Today was drench. I hang out with Michelle on this one, as my balance is not where I'd like it to be, and she does the "easier" versions where you're less likely to lose your balance. I love the core part of this exercise, but not a fan of the rest of it. Today, I'm not a fan of much of any of it, as yesterday's core ripped my abs apart, especially my obliques, so I'm a good kind of sore today.

I'm trying to get all this done so I can go grocery shopping before work. We'll see what happens - I make my own hours today, so I may be a tad late. Oh well.

Day 26: Core

A few changes have been made over the last week. I used to coach for Beach Body (the makers of PiYo and TurboFire), but after chatting with Zach a bit, I realized I only want to do this for me. I don't drink the shakes most of the time - in fact, I haven't purchased new since I ran out, and have no intention to. I have no ability to sell anything to anyone, and no real desire to, and I got kind of tired having $16 a month taken out of my bank account to have them give me a website that no one ever visited. My Masters degree is in library science, so I'm going to stick with what I know and do this for me, making my health the best it can be so I can continue taking care of my family the way God intended. If, however, you would like to buy Shakeology or any other product, or would like to become a coach yourself, I can get you in touch with a couple awesome coaches would love to have you on their team. May you be better at it than I ever was.

CORE! I love core like Brick loves lamp. I'm actually a bit more pumped about today's workout knowing it is core. Since I'm tired and not looking forward to spending 4 hours in the basement after doing it, I'm going to have to drag myself over to the family to do it, but I am a bit more pumped about it. It also doesn't help that it's only 68 in here - doesn't really make me want to take off my robe or socks. But here we go!

I noticed during my workout today - and all day so far - there's been a voice in my head spewing negative thoughts everywhere. "I don't want to do this." "I did the first half, just shut off the DVD - that's enough for today." "I don't know how people do this day in and day out - I'd rather be making cookies." You know what I told that voice? To bite me.

I still can't do all the crunches she does, but I can do most. My core is burning, and that's all that matters. I did it, and that voice in my head can shut her whore mouth.

Day 25: Sweat

Days 22-24 were done at my in-laws house while we were there for a wedding. Their computer wasn't working right, and I didn't feel like typing it all up on my phone, since my phone was also on its last leg. When we got home Monday night, I upgraded to the Samsung Galaxy, and then took the next week off to finish writing a paper, and celebrate my transitioning to a new job.

Here we are, a week later, and it's time again for sweat. This is not one of my favorite ones, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. I have to admit that even doing the ones I don't like has helped back me into a size 3 dress slacks, so they can't be all bad.

Let me just say now that when I started the workout this morning, I had the hiccups. This made working out harder, and I found I lost my balance a bit more, as it threw me off a bit.

Still not one of my favorite workouts, but my abs feel tighter already. Maybe that was the hiccups, I don't know, but I got rid of those by the end, so we've also found a new cure!

Day 20 & 21: Buns and Drench

Ever apply for a new job, go through the entire process, and are just waiting - somewhat impatiently - for the potential employer to make up their mind? I've had nightmares where they've called and said I didn't get it, even through all the evidence points to me probably getting it. Ugh! How do I deal with this stress, you ask? I exercise!

Due to not enough hours in the day, combined with having to finish up a paper and make cookies for a get together, I didn't get my workout in yesterday. Today was buns and drench, so it's probably a good thing that most of tomorrow is going to be spent in the truck driving to the in-laws, as I am gonna hurt tomorrow! But hey - it's so worth it, as it means I'm going to look better, feel better, and getting chased around the house by my husband is wicked fun! 

Considering the amount of leg work that goes into the Buns workout, I DO NOT recommend doing Drench right after. You will be wobbling, you will lose your balance, and you just might feel a little nauseated from so much work in one shot. Buns is a 28 minute workout, Drench is 48. 

I can't tell you how good the fans feel today. Remember to drink lots of water. I am terrible at this part because I'm picky about my water. It has to be ice cold, or I'm not interested. I have taken to creating a batch of fruit water - usually 1 lemon, 1 lime, and 1 orange, although I have swapped out the lemon and lime for apples or strawberries before. Cut the fruit so the juices can get in the water and let it sit in the fridge for a day or two. Pour that water into ice cube trays, and the next day you can pop those ice cubes into your water for a little flavor boost. Just drinking plain water gets old after a while, and the flavored waters you can buy at the store have added sugars and other garbage in them. Put garbage in, feel like garbage. The more you make at home, the more you know what ingredients are going into them, the healthier you know stuff is! 

Keep up the good work, guys! I know you can do it, because I have been! 

Day 19: Core

I swear, I started out saying this was for me, but the more I do it, the more I see results, the more it the reason is for Zach. I'm looking better, feeling better, and it's kinda fun to get chased around the house.

CORE! I love this one. I swear, I could do this series all the time. When I first started PiYo, I always forgot to pull in the ab muscles, so I didn't feel it as much. Once I started pulling those in, I started feeling the work more, and I can still feel it when I'm done. It always kills me once I get done, too, how I lounged in bed, internally whining about how I didn't want to get up and work out. There's something we all need to remember about that inner voice that whines and tells us we can't, etc. - it's a liar. That little voice is like every politician in existence - if its lips are moving, its talking a bunch of crap. I'll give ya a chart - print it off and put it in your bathroom, bedroom, or anywhere in the house you may need it:

This bad boy is on the back of my bathroom mirror, as well as this one: 

This week is week 4 for me. I've seen changes in my clothes, but I couldn't tell a difference while standing in the shower. I still can't entirely, but it's getting better. My husband says he noticed a difference, but he's been gone the last 2 weeks and then some, so I'm thinking his memory is off. Then there's mom, who says I look fine and need to stop. The thing is, though, she's only seeing me in my clothes, and as I sit here in my workout gear, bare belly exposed to the world, I know I'm not done yet - and no, I don't have any eating disorders or see myself as a fat blob, because I'm not one. I'm trying - nearly 4 years after our wedding day - to take off those ten pounds I gained right after we got married. I made poor choices, and now I have to account for those and fix what I screwed up. 

If I can do it, you can!

Day 18: Sweat

Day 17 was strength, and although I did them, I didn't see them as anything to write home about.

The lovely ladies in my accountability group helped me realize that this is a 16 week program, not an 8 week, so I revamped my sheet today. You're welcome to it, if you like

I filled in and crossed out what I already had, so at least I don't have to start over. With so much homework to contend with, it's tough finding time to do these, but do them I must! 

I have a love/hate relationship with Sweat. I honestly think it lasts a bit longer than it needs to, and of all the workouts, it's got some of my least favorites on there. Oh well - they won't do themselves, and I'm loving the progress I'm making - as is my husband. 

Day 16: Sweat

This is my workout area. Not pictured is the box that the cat has been playing with for a few days. Ya know how I always say 'If I can do it, you can'? This is what I'm working with. It's a pretty small area to play in, so I mean it when I say that. 

As you know, I've had a sinus infection for the better part of a week. Today, I finally don't hurt when bending over, so I decided to hit up PiYo again. I only had to stop a couple times for a tissue, so I'm calling it a win, but Lord have mercy am I tired now, and there are still 6 minutes left of the exercise. 

When going back to exercising after an illness, do what you can until you can go back to normal. Since I made it 24 minutes out of 30, I'm definitely calling it a win. The last 5-6 minutes are just stretches, anyway. 

Zach comes home today, so this is a short post - I gotta toss dinner in the crock pot, shower, and eat something before headed to the airport. If I can do this, you can! Happy Saturday!

Illness interruption

I spent a few days where I didn't take my allergy pill like an idiot, and I worked in the dusty basement of the library. Between that and all the pollen and other allergens fall drops on us, plus stress from a pending interview, pending practical exams coming up at the end of this week - I let my immune guard down and wound up with a wicked horrible sinus infection. I've had a headache for the better part of a week, with pain searing past my eyes, and all I want to do is sleep. I got 12 hours Sunday night, 9 last night, and I'm still tired. Thankfully, I went to the doctor Sunday afternoon and got antibiotics, so at least there is an end in sight, and my headaches stopped sometime in the wee hours of Monday morning.

That being said, I had today off from work, so I thought I would spend today working on homework and recuperating. I haven't done any PiYo since Thursday, as bending forward just made my skull feel like it would split in two. I managed to drop the soap in the shower this morning, and bending over to retrieve it didn't make my head hurt, so if I can get up some energy later today, I may try to get back in the swing of things.

That being said, I've had a few questions as to what PiYo is. PiYo - a contraction of Pilates and Yoga - is a low intensity workout that only uses your own personal body weight to achieve results. I'm on the tail end of week 3 of 8 weeks, and I'm already able to fit into dress slacks that I haven't been able to wear in 7 years! Who knew? Here's a video that does more justice than any explanation I could come up with:

Now, the important thing to remember is it doesn't matter how much you work out - if you're not fixing your diet to be more healthy, you're not going to see results quickly. Milky Ways and Milk Duds do not help get those 6 pack abs or that hourglass figure. It may be hard at first, but I can tell you from personal experience that skipping the junk food aisles while grocery shopping gets easier with practice. I can sail on down them now and not even think twice. I'm also not saying you have to permanently banish donuts from your diet, either - just make sure everything is in moderation. Honestly, once you eat less and less of the junk, you'll truly stop craving it altogether.

If you decide you want to try this, please feel free to order it here. If you have any more questions, just ask! There is a comment box below, or you can email me at chelsieschuette@gmail.com.

Remember, if I can do it, you can!

Day 15: Strength Intervals

What is it with the lazy days lately? I managed to get nothing done in the 6 hours between getting up and going to work (other than watching the Sex and the City marathon), so I'm doing my workout now. Strength intervals! The title alone scares me. Also, I don't plan on changing twice before hitting my jammies for the night, so I'll be doing this in my work clothes - this should be a feat in itself.

Tomorrow is supposed to be an off day, but Saturday brings working from 9-5, followed by a girls night that will contain pizza, brownies, alcohol, and possibly candy. I'll be doing my workout tomorrow sometime instead so I can really enjoy myself Saturday.

Ok, here we go!

......

That can only be described as delightfully awful. Within the warm up, with all the squats and lunges, she introduces a slight peek into TurboFire, as one of those moves has been used in that program. Once I get better at this program, it'll be no problem, but after a day of not feeling productive and not caring, this is not what I had in mind for an end to the day. Know what, though? I'll be glad I did it tomorrow.

If I can do it, you can!

Day 14: Core

I woke up today wanting to just go back to bed. Men are so lucky they don't have to deal with all the garbage that goes on during period week. I forced myself out of bed, and while the coffee maker did its thing, I popped in the core workout. If this isn't what's best for cramps,  I don't know what is.

I suck at side planks - my wrists aren't very strong, and eventually I get a sharp pain in my wrists, so I don't do as many of those as the rest of them do, but I was able to get a few in. One day I will get them! I promise you, though, if you keep up with these exercises - do as many as you can along with Chalene - you will not only feel it the next day, you will see results.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm a visual learner. That being said, here's this lovely poster:

When you're doing some of these exercises, you may think "how is this supposed to help me tighten this muscle?" First off, thinking that Chalene is going to steer you wrong is only going to lead to that nasty little voice in your head telling you that you've just wasted money on these DVD's. Nobody likes that voice - it's a complete liar, and you should tell them to shut up and get out now. Second, All your muscles are connected through ligaments, so all muscles are attached to each other in one way or another. My point? If she tells you to bring your knee up to meet your elbow, do it. You'll be working out your obliques, which are those lovely muscles on the sides of your stomach, and when these are toned, they essentially act like a corset and give you that hourglass shape every woman wants. Love your muscles, and they'll love you back!

That being said, I need to get to work. Remember, if I can do it, you certainly can!

Day 13: Buns

*Disclaimer: Guys, this is more of a girlie post, so if the mention of feminine products, Midol, and cramps make you queasy, go do your workout and come back tomorrow.*

I got up this morning with a headache. Actually, I went to bed with a bad headache, and woke up with the toned down version. We all get these at least once a month - the cramps that think they need to reside inside your skull while the ones in your uterus wage World War 3. Welcome to Aunt Flo. As I laid in bed, contemplating calling in sick, not wanting to get up and deal with the world, I had an internal dialog going:

Me: My head hurts.
Brain: I know, I can feel it.
M: I don't feel like working out today. I don't feel like doing much anything today.
B: Get up and do your workout. It'll help ease the abdominal cramps, and it'll probably help the headache as well.
M: I don't wanna.
B: Chelsie Louise!

Fine. I got out of bed. I hate it when my brain turns into my mom and uses my middle name against me. But ya know what? My internal waistline doesn't hurt near as bad as it did when I was lounging in bed.

Ok, boys, you can come back now. BUNS! That is what we're doing today - or did, rather. It's on disc two, along with the Core workout, and since I'm starting week 3, I hadn't gotten to this one yet. I couldn't do the whole thing, 'cause I gotta shower and eat before work (see, this is why you get up earlier). I suggest wearing tennis shoes for this one. I didn't, and I had some trouble. I may redo this one when I get home tonight, just so I can actually get the workout in, as I feel like I jipped myself by hanging out in bed and wallowing in self pity.

One of the exercises she does is called bowlers - it's the finishing stance you wind up in after throwing the ball down the lane, and after bowling with my high school for 4 years, I can honestly tell you you'll feel those tomorrow.

If I can do it, you can do it!

Day 12: Define: Upper Body

Today is definitely a fall day. It's thunderstorming, it's chilly, and I have my pumpkin candles lit. Loving today! It is, however, a bit cold in the house. I refuse to turn on the heat, so I decided to use PiYo to warm up today. The upper body exercises are only about 20 minutes, so it doesn't take long to do.

My core was already sore (no rhyme intended), but I still managed to get a killer workout in - my obliques are screaming at me right now, and it's AWESOME! My favorite part about PiYo so far is how much I enjoy it. My pants are proof that I've been sticking with it, as I was able to wear a pair of slacks to church yesterday that I haven't been able to fit into in a couple years. My jeans now need a belt in order to keep them on my waist. It. Is. Phenomenal!

This is the start of week 3, which means I have 5 weeks to go! I can't wait to see what I look like in 5 weeks! If I can do it, you can!

Day 10 & 11: Sweat & Core

Day 10: I worked all day yesterday, and Zach had to go back to Florida, so by the time I got home, I had no desire to workout. I spent the evening watching Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers with my husband and getting as much of him as possible before I had to drive him to the airport drop off location today. I decided to do both workouts today instead. SWEAT! It definitely makes you sweat like crazy. It's 40 minutes long, I made it about 30 minutes before I started getting nauseous. Since I still have core to do, I decided to take the last 10 minutes to recoup some energy. My legs are shaking, I'm sweating from every pore, and the cat wants nothing to do with me. This is awesome!

Day 11: Holy Core. This was the reason I bought the DVD in the first place, as my abs are in serious need of work. I may very well fall asleep in church today, and there's no way I'm wearing heels like I had originally planned. My legs are shaky from the Sweat, and my stomach is delightfully pained from the Core. I am definitely going to need a nap later, and I still have homework to do!

I don't think I'll be doing these two together anymore, as that is just much too much work for one day. I'll be getting up early next Saturday to do it before going to work at 9:30. Remember, if I can do it, you can do it!

Day 9: Define: Upper Body

Real quick here, then I have to hop in the shower and get to work. Thankfully, Define: Upper Body is only 20 minutes long, as I didn't sleep well last night and let myself sleep in til 7:40 this morning. I was tired, I was cranky, and I wasn't very happy about my husband asking if I was ever going to get out of bed today. He was joking, he asks me this a lot, but I was in no mood for it. I've done my PiYo, I have my chocolate mocha heating up on the stove (thank goodness for those Starbucks VIA packets), and my mood is improved considerably. I'll have to slam some yogurt for breakfast when I get to work, but that's ok - it's only a 3.5 hour shift, and then I get lunch. I can handle that.

I ran out of Shakeology a few weeks ago, and since funding was a bit tight from paying off the credit card for our Florida trip, I ran to the local vitamin shop and picked up a can of Raw protein mix. It's not near as good as Shakeology, so I think I'll be putting in an order for that soon.

After yesterdays constant rain, it is a gorgeous fall day out today - high 50's, just a little chilly, and most of our windows are open to the burglar stops with the A/C kicked off. Perfect day for reading, but I have to go to work. So, have a lovely Thursday! Don't forget to keep the 9/11 families in your prayers today, as I'm sure 13 years without their loved ones is no easier than the first year, especially today. God bless you all, and keep moving forward!

Day 8: Core

I went ahead and did yesterday's workout (Define: Lower Body) along with Monday's last night. Considering we went bowling, and I used muscles I haven't used regularly since high school (GO BRONCHOS!), I was already a bit sore in certain places. Then I did my PiYo. I love PiYo, but never in a million years did I think yoga and Pilates could make a person sore like weight (as in dumbbell) based exercises. Boy, was I wrong. I did the core today, and since it worked a few areas in the legs as well, I had to modify it a bit so I would actually be able to stand up and walk today at work without the help of Aleve. Then I got to work...

I spent 5 hours in the library basement tonight, and as soon as my feet hit the floor, my boss asked if I could put the donations up on the shelves for her to sort through (into the book fair to be sorted by genre, Goodwill, recycling, or to be placed on the library's Amazon page), but before that, could I bring down the new donations from upstairs? I internally whined, cried, and whimpered, but I dutifully said yes and took the cart up to collect everything. I was always, always, ALWAYS told by daddy to "lift with your knees, not with your back," so I always do. Needless to say, I got yet another workout from lifting all those heavy, book laden boxes onto the cart, dragging the cart to the elevator, off the elevator, and lifting the heavy boxes again onto the floor. It was a long 5 hours. I'm having a glass of wine to celebrate my survival.

Thankfully, tomorrow is Define: Upper Body. I work another 11 hour shift, so it's quite possible I either won't get an update on it on here, or it'll be late in doing so, as it is now. Thankfully, tomorrow's 5 hours in the basement are just sorting books onto the book fair shelves, so unless I box a few full shelves up, there shouldn't be heavy lifting involved.

Oh, and did I mention I'm fighting a sore throat on top of this? Yeah. Not fun. Enough about me! What have you been doing today to

?

Day 6: Sweat

Pumpkin flavored stuff is out, a new semester has begun, football season has descended, and soon we will hear and see commercials for all things Halloween. I've already purchased a few Halloween-esque movies for the coming weeks, Hocus Pocus being one of them.

I took a week off between weeks one and two, as school was starting up again, and I prefer to really dig into that week and see what I'm up against. Now that I know this is manageable, I started week two of PiYo. I was supposed to start yesterday, but Zach bought an Xbox One and had it all hooked up, which means he unhooked our Blu-Ray player. Guess where my PiYo disc was? Yep, in the Blu-Ray, and I couldn't find where he'd stuck it. This morning I found it, and today was a sweat day. They call it that for a reason. 20 minutes in, I had to pause the DVD in search of cooler clothing, and now I'm thinking a nap may be in order shortly. Holy good workout, and I was able to stretch out the sore muscles from bowling this weekend. I'll either have to do today's workout later, or claim yesterday as my rest day and push everything else back so I'm doing it Friday.

I can feel my legs getting stronger, my headaches are less frequent, and my overall feeling is just generally better. I've been reading my Bible more, as well as spending more time with the Father in private, so I've also got a more positive outlook on every day life, and both mom & Zach have mentioned a noticeable difference in the amount of swearing I've been doing. Zach also mentioned I don't seem to get as annoyed or let things bother me as much as I used to.

So, what does my improvements mean for you? Come closer, I'll give you a hint: If I can do it, you certainly can. Isn't that fun? Now, what was that saying I used a few months back? Oh yeah!

Day One

Welcome to starting over from scratch. I went to Florida with my husband a few weeks ago - he had a business trip (the 3rd 2 week trip in 6 weeks. Blah.) and I went for the fact that a) I hadn't seen him but one week each between his two week trips to Florida, and b) I hadn't personally had a pack-and-go-somewhere vacation since our honeymoon in 2010. I had already fallen off the exercise track before we left and figured I'd use my time stuck in the hotel room to get back on track - took my PiYo and laptop with me. On the flight down, we found out my motion sickness is more severe than we originally thought, and I lost 5 pounds between the flight down and the flight back just in vomiting. While I looked tremendously better in my bikini, I don't condone vomiting for weight loss. Not only do you feel like hell while doing it, that stomach acid is terrible for both your esophagus and teeth, among many other upper body organs. Unless you can't help it due to circumstances beyond your control, just leave your stomach fluids in the stomach where they belong. God didn't create the world in a day, so don't expect to have a flat tummy in a day - just ain't gonna happen.

That being said, I leaned on my best good friend Lauren (kudos to those of you who got the movie reference), and asked her to help keep me accountable to get back on the exercise road. Zach's tossing the phrase "start a family soon" around, so I need to get with it so I can lose baby weight in a few years (!!!!), which I'm thoroughly excited about. I slept in a bit late today, but I did get up and print off my schedules for my workouts. I'll be doing only PiYo for the next 8 weeks, followed up by 8 weeks of TurboFire, and finish it all off with 47 weeks of a combined PiYo and TurboFire.

Above, you will see my chart. It's easier to read in person, I swear. I'm only doing before and after measurements, and I need to do new photos, but I have to leave for work in about 10 minutes, so I'm trying to post fast. I'm not entirely sure those measurements are right, as I never was good at measuring stuff other than my weight, but you just stand on a scale for that. I'm going to cross off the workouts as I do them, so the first two are crossed off, and I'll do the Define: Upper as soon as I get home. I ran out of time this morning, and still had eating and showering to do after the Define: Lower (which kicked my hindparts, let me tell ya). 

Did I mention I'm also trying to stop swearing during all this? Mom - who is my cheerleader and ref on that front - has said I sound less sailor-ish, so I'm claiming a win. Amazing how you want to change yourself when you know you'll be spending a lifetime as someone else's role model in a few years. 

Now it's your turn. Get out there and move around, even if it's just house cleaning chores! Whatever you do, you're lapping everyone on the couch. 

A little good advice

During lunch today, I did a little pinterest surfing, and came across a site called The Happy Gal. In the post she had for September 9, 2013, she discusses eating before working out, and drinking protein shakes after. If you want to read the whole thing, go here, but the excerpts that stood out most to me said:

Remember that our whole objective is to build muscle.  Our muscle is the only thing that can burn fat for us (see my post Food is Your Friend.)  So it’s probably a good thing to know that when you begin exercising on an empty stomach (as in the early morning), guess what your body starts burning?  Muscle.  Yikes! 

Pre-workout

This little piece of information was enough to sell me on pre-workout nutrition.  If you have the time before you go, you can have something like half a banana or apple.  Just be aware that food takes 30 minutes to digest, and you’ll want it to be digested so your body can use that food as an energy source instead of using your muscles.  If you like to exercise first thing in the morning, like me, then you’re going to need another plan.  I’m sorry, but I’m just not willing to get up 30 minutes earlier so I can eat half an apple and then wait around to go to the gym.

The solution for me was to find a pre-metabolized protein powder. Pre-metabolized simply means that your body can instantly convert this into energy, and so it is a ready fuel source for body to burn when I hit the weights or the treadmill at 5:30 in the morning.Each morning I mix a few tablespoons of Isa Pro with 1/2 c. water, and then send it down the hatch just before I walk out the door to the gym.

Remember, we want to build up and preserve muscle in everything we do.  Knowing the facts about what our body burns when we exercise on an empty stomach makes this little tidbit a pretty important part of your workout routine. 

Post Workout

This is what always killed me.  As I mentioned before, the last thing I wanted to do after exercising was to replenish calories I had just worked so hard to burn.  One of the best things I’ve learned when it comes to exercise and nutrition is this:  nourishing your muscles after you have just broken them down during exercise is the fastest way to build them back up.  And how do we nourish our muscles?  I talked all about it in the Eat Smarter, Not Harder post?  Protein.  And even better than regular old protein from chicken or eggs is – you guessed it – instantly metabolized protein (a.k.a. protein drinks.)  So it turns out that all of those body builders at the gym aren’t morons after all!  They are simply working with the science of nutrition and exercise.  Immediate nourishment for fatigued muscles not only repairs them more quickly, it enables them to accelerate their calorie-burning potential for up to 38 hours after exercising!  This process is called EPOC   (Exercise Post Oxygen Consumption) and is available to utilize within 45-60 minutes after exercise.  Simply look for a protein source (protein shakes are ideal) with approximately 15 grams of protein, 20-30 grams of carbs, less than 6 grams of fat, and under 200 calories.

The same can be done using Shakeology or any other protein powder. I've found that I also like the Raw protein powder, especially in vanilla chai flavor, so I've started buying that as well. Case in point today - I was in a bit of a rush this morning, so I slammed down some yogurt, a little apple juice, and flew out the door. Lunch was reheated cheese, red pepper, and spinach pizza with water, and between breakfast and lunch, I've had a Clif bar. I. Am. Starving. My normal breakfast includes one of these protein shakes, and I'm seeing the difference - it's not good. I just have a granola bar to get me the rest of the way til 4, when I can go home and make dinner. In the mean time, I'm using water as a filler. The only upside to this is that I'm 15 oz into my required 48 ounces (thank you, 20 oz water bottle!), and still have 3 hours to drink more. On top of all that, I still have a workout to do tonight. I just hope I don't get a migraine or pass out before then.

Be smart, eat healthy, and drink your protein shakes!

Turbo/PiYo day 4

Welcome to day 4! My hips hurt too much from the last three days, so I decided to take yesterday as my rest day instead of Sunday. Today is a PiYo Upper Body day, so it won't deal with my hips at all. 

I don't drink Shakeology as religiously as most would like me to, but I drink it as often as I am able - mostly when the blender is clean, because the blender is a pain to clean. That being said, I decided to change up the flavor today. One of my favorite ice creams is the dreamsicle - orange sherbet over vanilla ice cream. I decided to try and replicate it today, and put a peeled and sectioned orange in the blender with vanilla shakeology, a little vanilla almond milk, a little of water (to keep the thickness down), and blended the crap out of it. It has some orange bits in it, like chunky OJ, but the flavor is spot on for what I was shooting for. Dreamsicle in a cup! The best part is I didn't make a ton of it - I tend to get bored with shakeology really quickly. I like to slam it and be done, as I don't have all day to be sipping on on a drink. 

PiYo was short lived again today, but I got up late and am currently trying to fit a bunch of stuff into a small window before work at 2. I am definitely liking PiYo more than Turbo, but I think it's because I'm not losing all my breathing to fast paced movement, plus I can automatically feel the muscles I'm working out, whereas with Turbo, I feel it the next day. I'm an instant gratification kinda girl, so this is awesome. 

Off to shower and find lunch before work. Keep moving forward!

Turbo/PiYo day 3

Today was a wicked quick one, so I didn't get this typed up earlier like I wanted to. Today was a TurboFire day, another round of Fire 40. I kept up, made it 30 minutes in and could've gone longer, but I had to shut it down and shower so I could make it to work on time. I nailed it today - I don't know what my deal was, but I was kicking and punching harder, jumping higher, putting my all into it more than usual. It. Was. Epic.

My hips are sore from the PiYo yesterday, jumping around today, plus standing up for 7 hours straight at work. Tomorrow is Define: Upper Body in PiYo, so it'll be nice to give my legs a break.

I'm proud to say that there have been a few people who have noticed my hard work. I still have a ways to go, but I'm tackling them one day at a time. I'm most proud that our grocery store's juice aisle is shared with the candy aisle, and I can march right down it and not add the junk food to my cart. Our cookies are now in the form of Fig Newtons. There are no junk cereals in the pantry (although I do pick up Cinnamon Toast Crunch on occasion for an evening snack). I read labels before I stick it in the cart, so we're not putting junk into our bodies. Believe me, if my 24 year old self could see what my 28 year old self was doing, she'd be impressed. Zach jumped on the health food and workout band wagon way before I did - it's just been in the last few months that I really started up, and it's amazing how much better I feel. I've already posted this to Facebook, but I'm going to stick it on here, too. I found this on Pinterest:

Got cravings? This'll fix it. 

Ok, that's all I've got for tonight - I'm exhausted. Keep moving forward!

Turbo/PiYo day 2

Holy sweet Moses, but PiYo is awesome! First things first - I forgot to put up my before photos last night, so pretend it's last night for a few minutes. Please ignore the blur of the first one. I was getting ready to hit the shower and thought 'Crap! I forgot!' and took those without my glasses on. I'm practically blind without my glasses, so just be glad I wasn't squinting.

Before and after photos really make this, so don't forget to do those. I also need to take measurements, but I am terrible at doing those on my own, so I'll try to remember to do that when Zach comes back home this weekend.

Ok, back to PiYo. I knew my head would not be turned all the time in order to see the TV, so I watched the 20 minute workout before I did it. The entire time I watched it, I kept thinking, well this should be easy. HA! It's so not. I found out tonight that I'm a little more flexible than I originally thought, but I still have a ways to go. I had to modify it in a few areas, especially where my leg had to go back behind me. However, there is a workout involved with this, but the best part is that it stretched out stuff that I worked out yesterday. Win win!

Now to put another marble in my jar and eat dinner. I gotta say, I'm pretty impressed with me, as I was exhausted and didn't think I'd get a workout in tonight. Go be impressed with you! Keep moving forward!

Turbo/PiYo Day 1

That's right, my count is starting over - I even dumped my counter jar. Welcome to a brand new workout day.

TurboFire kicked my ass tonight, and I'm not afraid to say it. Today was Fire 40, and I was unprepared. I got used to the 15 minute workouts, where you pause for a break every 30 seconds. Not here, my friends. The 40 stands for 40 minutes, as that's how long Chalene has you moving. Not the wicked fast paced movement of the other stuff, just easy things, and I still couldn't keep up. I told my husband I think she had A.D.D. that day, as she constantly changes what she's doing, so there were a few moments when I was standing stock still in the middle of my family room trying to figure out what she'd switched to. But ya know what? I have sweat pouring off of me, and I feel fantastic. Wicked hot - thank God for A/C and fans - but still fantastic. If you have trouble keeping cool, do this workout in shorts, not capris, as it'll just make you hotter.

I wasn't able to do the full workout, but I got 30 minutes in out of the 40, which I think is pretty good! I'm calling it a win, and putting a marble counter in my success jar. One day at a time, guys - remember, Rome was not built in a day and neither will you be! I'm off to find a towel...Keep moving forward!

Calling a Mulligan

Lauren keeps saying how long these programs take, and I kept wondering why  - until about an hour ago when I suddenly realized that the programs come with schedules. I'm not usually this slow, I swear. Since I'm doing TurboFire and now PiYo, I decided to combine the schedules and take it up a notch. SO, here is my plan, and I'll alter it as I have to based on how I feel each day (too sore, etc.):

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
1	Fire 40	Define: Lower	Fire 40	Define: Upper	Fire 40	Sweat
2	Abs 10	Define: Lower	Low HIIT 20	Define: Upper	Fire 40	Sweat
3	Low HIIT 20	Define: Lower	Low HIIT 20	Core	Low HIIT 20	Define: Upper
4	Low HIIT 20	Sweat	Fire 40	Core	Low HIIT 25	Define: Upper
5	Fire 40	Buns	Low HIIT 20	Core	Low HIIT 25	Define: Lower
6	Fire 30	Sweat	Low HIIT 20	Strength	Fire 40	Sweat
7	Low HIIT 25	Core	Fire 40	Buns	Fire 30	Drench
8	Fire 40	Strength	Fire 30	Sweat	Abs 10	Sculpt
9	Fire 30	Sweat	Fire 40	Core	HIIT 15	Drench
10	Fire  40	Buns	Low HIIT 20	Strength	Fire 40	Drench
11	HIIT 15 + Abs 10	Core	Fire 40	Buns	HIIT 15 + Abs 10	Sculpt
12	Fire 40	Drench	Low HIIT 25	Sweat	Fire 40	Sculpt
13	HIIT 20 + Abs 10	Sweat	Fire 40	Core	HIIT 20 + Abs 10	Buns
14	Fire 30	Drench	Low HIIT 25 + Abs 10	Strength	Fire 40	Drench
15	HIIT 20 + Abs 10	Buns	Fire 40	Sweat	Fire 40	Core
16	Fire 55	Sculpt	Fire 30	Drench	Fire 30	Define: Lower
17	Abs 10	Define: Upper	Fire 55	Sweat	Fire 40	Define: Lower
18	HIIT 20 + Abs 10	Define: Upper	Fire 45	Sweat	HIIT 15 + Abs 10	Define: Lower
19	Fire 40	Hardcore	HIIT 15 + Abs 10	Define: Upper	Fire 55	Sweat
20	HIIT 20 + Abs 10	Hardcore	Fire 45	Define: Upper	HIIT 25	Buns
21	Fire 40	Hardcore	HIIT 20 + Abs 10	Strength	Fire 55	Sweat
22	HIIT 25 + Abs 10	Full Body	Fire 45	Strength	HIIT 25 + Abs 10	Hardcore
23	Fire 40	Full Body	HIIT 25 + Abs 10	Drench	Fire 25	Strong Legs
24	Fire 40	Sweat	Fire 55	Full Body	Fire 30	Sweat
25	Core 20	Hardcore	Fire 55	Drench	Fire 40	Strong Legs
26	HIIT 15 + Sculpt 30	Sculpt	Fire 45	Drench	HIIT 15 + Core 20	Hardcore
27	Fire 30	Buns	HIIT 15 + Tone 30	Strength	Fire 40	Full Body
28	HIIT 20 + Sculpt 30	Sweat	Fire 45	Sculpt	HIIT 20 + Core 20	Sweat
29	Fire 30	Hardcore	HIIT 20 + Tone 30	Strong Legs	Fire 40	Drench
30	HIIT 25 + Sculpt 30	Full Body	Fire 45	Drench	HIIT 20 + Core 20	Buns
31	Fire 30	Sweat	HIIT 20 + Tone 30	Strength	Fire 40	Sculpt
32	Fire 40	Drench	Fire 60	Strong Legs	Fire 30	Full Body
33	Core 20	Define: Lower	Fire 55	Define: Upper	Fire 40	Sweat
34	HIIT 25 + Sculpt 30	Define: Lower	Fire 60	Define: Upper	HIIT 30 + Core 20	Sweat
35	Fire 55	Define: Lower	HIIT 25 + Tone 30	Hardcore	Fire 40	Define: Upper
36	HIIT 30 + Sculpt 30	Sweat	Fire 60	Hardcore	HIIT 25 + Core 20	Define: Upper
37	Fire 55	Buns	HIIT 30 + Tone 30	Hardcore	Fire 40	Define: Lower
38	Fire 60	Sweat	HIIT 30 + Core 20	Strength	Fire 55	Sweat
39	HIIT 30 + Tone 30	Hardcore	Fire 40	Buns	Low HIIT 20	Drench

The columns don't entirely line up, but you get the jist. It'll take me 39 weeks, and I officially start on Monday. I got my workout in today mowing the lawn. Lord knows I sweated buckets, and since I've only ever used the tractor to mow, my shoulders and legs got a hell of a workout. Cleaned the bathroom and the kitchen...I need a nap. But hey! I'm finally on a schedule, so this'll all make more sense now. Score for having it together! 

Keep moving forward!

Days 25 and 26

Day 25 - I attempted PiYo yesterday, but I found I wasn't feeling tightness in areas I should've felt tightness in, according to Chalene, so I asked Lauren to come spot me sometime to make sure I'm doing these moves right.

Day 26 - I came home yesterday to find a new box of Shakeology on my doorstep - a box I don't need yet, and didn't order. I asked a simple question on a thread, got one simple answer and a snippy one. Being a Dutch/German/French girl, I've got a hot temper with a short fuse - something I've worked to keep a lid on my entire life. I used to find deep breathing and walking away from the situation to work out fine. I've also found complaining to my husband helps. Today, I complained to Zach, and followed it up with a TurboFire workout. Nothing helps you calm down faster than taking your aggression out on a workout, especially since the abs that follow that workout is like an inner "up yours" to whatever made you angry in the first place.

Happy Independence Day! Have fun, be safe, and keep moving forward!

Day 22, 23, and 24

I'm getting really bad at updating this lately, and I apologize for that, as I know some of you read it. Here we go!

Day 22 - I did my TurboFire and got myself in trouble. I haven't been drinking water like I should, and I almost passed out halfway through the workout, due to overheating. Always hydrate! Every cell in your body uses water, so make sure you put back in what you're sweating out. You don't want to get to know your floor on a first name basis. My situation was especially dangerous, as if I'd ignored the lightheadedness and managed to hurt myself, no one would've known for days, as my husband is on a business trip. Know your limits, listen to your body, and don't do anything stupid. 

Day 23 - I generally don't work out on Tuesdays, as those are my uber long days - 6 hours at my internship, followed up with 5 hours at my job, and that last one usually involves some heavy lifting. Tuesday was no exception, as my volunteer and I packed up several boxes worth of textbooks and dragged them across the basement to the Goodwill pile. My legs were sore on Wednesday, which leads us to...

Day 24 - More heavy textbook moving, as well as moving other heavy boxes. For a girl that weighs in the 120's, you'd think I wouldn't be able to lug all this stuff, but I've been working out enough and building up my muscles enough that I can get things accomplished now - and surprise the mess out of my boss. 

Remember, looks can be deceiving. Just because you're thin, doesn't mean you can't play with the big dogs. Keep moving forward. 

Days 19 and 21

Day 19 - The 25th. After working out on the 24th, I went outside to transplant a baby tree that sits on our front porch. After getting it transplanted, I happened to look over at the garden and saw how overpopulated it was with weeds - so I fixed it. After an hour and a half of being bent over yanking weeds out of the ground, the backs of my legs and lower back were KILLING me. Want a good workout? Weed a garden. Seriously. The next day was my long day at the library, and there are stairs I have to take the stairs to get to where I need to be. I claimed the stairs as my workout, then came home and decluttered the house - more stairs. By the time I went to bed, I had gone up and down a flight of stairs 30 times. My legs are still on fire from that, but ya know what? I got up and did my TurboFire this morning!

Day 21 - Welcome to a brand new day! I have gotten laundry going, baked a cake, done my HIIT workout for the day, and am now sitting here drinking my vanilla/blueberry/banana shake! I also have a whiny kitty at my feet, because she's not getting played with.
I have a hard time keeping up with Chalene and her crew, but today, I was able to find a little inner strength and push myself. Any time I'd head toward the couch, I wouldn't let myself sit down - stay standing during these workouts, or you won't get back up to continue, trust me. I was able to do two full intervals out of the three this time - the first and the last, and I still tried to keep up during the middle one, but just couldn't breathe. My cardiovascular system isn't up to all three yet, but that's ok - I'm getting there! My arms, and legs are jello, and my abs are sore - but that's good! It's fat and inability leaving the body.

I raise my shake to those of you who have found the will to at least try! I promise, once you get started, it's hard to quit. For those of you who aren't, what's stopping you? I've been at this off and on for 2 weeks. When I started, I weighed 124 and felt like crap - constantly tired, always stressed with no end in sight. Ya know what? I'm down to 121, and my stomach looks like this: Keep moving forward!

Day 18

Welcome to a brand new day. I don't know about you, but I am exhausted. Our bedroom is one of the warmest in the house in the summer, even with the air conditioning on, the fan going, and black out curtains on the windows. Last night, our cat decided she wanted to snuggle, so I woke up several times drenched in sweat from the hot room and the hot cat. I think the dreary, rainy weather (which was nasty and muggy yesterday) has something to do with my exhaustion, too. But ya know what? I still got up at 7:15 (thanks to a reminder/wake up text from Lauren) and did my workout. My knee has been bugging me the last few days, so I just did the warm up on TurboFire, then reverted to my old workout of sit ups, push ups, lunges, and squats. It's not a terrible knee pain, but still tender, and I don't want to make it worse - especially since I have a lot of stairs to maneuver over the next few days. I may go out after work and buy a knee brace, just to be safe. 

Yesterday I found myself going back to just sitting on the couch and watching TV. After my show was over, I hopped up and did the modified version of TurboFit (primarily to shut up the voice in my head that was nagging me to do it). Eventually, this will turn to habit, but until then, I have to force myself to make it habit.

It's a quick post today, as I have work to do and coffee to drink. Happy Tuesday! Keep moving forward!

Isaiah and Jeremiah

Remember that post about an off week? I've had another one, only this time none of me was into it. I even gave up on the Shakeology stuff, 'cause it tasted to me like I was chewing on a leaf. Something in me this morning decided to kick it into high gear, so I made a shake without ice, which helped immensely. I'm still working on that as I sit at my internship (not getting a whole lot done, as my eyelids are droopy), but I will prevail today if it kills me. 

Exercising today is going to include not only doing TurboFire later, but also helping a few friends of mine move. So, what lit the fire under me? I'm tired of being tired, as well as feeling like a slug in general. Stress has hit hard this week, and instead of fighting back, I let it run over me like a train. No more! I'm gonna kick some tail and take no prisoners, and I've got two verses to help me get there. One I wear around my neck every day with my cross, the other I just found in my Verse of the Day email.
"Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and will not be faint." — Isaiah 40:31

Ya know how Jillian Michaels has the saying "unless you puke, faint, or die, keep going"? Same principle. Every night you go to sleep and wake up the next morning, God's renewing your strength. When you train hard, your body recovers to give you more endurance, which then makes you able to train harder yet. Never give up, never surrender!

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." --- Jeremiah 29:11

This one is for those of us that worry. I, for one, am a huge harborer of stress. I'm getting better at letting things go, but I have long way before I've got the 'give it up to God' thing down. When I stress, since I'm new to working out, I veg out on the couch and channel surf. Last night I did it with a bag of popcorn and a glass of wine. This morning it took everything in me to trudge out of bed, and a little voice in my head was "nice" enough to remind me that if I'd worked out last night instead of vegging, I would feel a lot better today. Don't you hate it when that voice is right? I do. Besides, how the heck am I supposed to have wicked hot abs and unflabby arms for my high school reunion if I'm sitting on the couch eating popcorn (hint: I won't). I need to remember - and the ring on my necklace helps me to do so - that God's got the rest of my life handled for me, it's up to me to stay in shape otherwise. 

That is one thing that always annoyed me about the way-into-fitness people. They all seem to have their crap together, constantly have energy, etc. Very annoying, and make the normal humans looking on think about secretly switching their coffee to decaf so they'd be like the rest of us. I'm still like that to a degree - thinking Chalene needs a pot of decaf, and wondering if she's thinking about the laundry list of crap that needs done back at home while she's giving out instructions for the next round of kicks and punches. So while doing this, know that I'm just like you - I wonder when I'll get a workout in between homework, dishes, laundry, making dinner, and managing a trip back home to visit my in-laws. It's called life, we all go through it. What needs to be learned in all this is time management. I always forget there's 7 days in a week, trying to push Monday through Sunday into just Monday through Wednesday. Laundry will always be there, as will the dishes. Family is important, friends are important, YOU are important, so focus on what matters (and get help with the housework). 

I'll post today and tomorrow's workout info in tomorrow's post. Have a good Monday, and remember to keep moving forward!