New Years!

Oops! The holiday craziness got the better of me and I slacked off on my posts. :) Now the festivities are winding down and my commitment to my health is ramping up! I took my workouts a little easy this last week, and ate WAY too many sweets. Now i'm back on the bandwagon and hit my workout hard this morning. I'm sitting down today to set my goals for 2013. I'll post my speicifc fitness goals here as soon as I've nailed them down! Think about yours. What do you want to accomplish? How do you want to FEEL at the end of 2013? Pick achievable goals, but also goals that will CHALLENGE you! If you need help, let me know! I'd love to help you! Here are some good ones for you:

Here's to a better you in 2013!

Food as Fuel

Eating right can be hard! I've made so many changes to my diet, all for the better, but i'm still tweaking. I haven't gotten the results that I've hoped for from my 90 days of ChaLEAN, and after a long talk with my coach we've decided I need to cut back my calories a little more. It's hard to adjust to a new calorie range. I'm kind of a grump today. :) But I'm really working on changing my mind set from eating food for fun to eating food to fuel my body. My body needs good quality food to work as hard as I expect it to. Good quality food can also taste good! It just takes some experimenting. I'm working on it!! So I will be successful at fueling my body. Will I slip up? Yes. But I'm going to keep working until  I know what my body needs and wants.

Muscle!

When people think of a weight loss journey, obviously they think about the numbers on a scale. I always did, and still often do. But today I want to talk about the other ways you can notice changes that are even more important! I learned from a great coach that when you are training your body correctly, often you will not lose weight quickly, but you will see dramatic changes in the shape and size of your body. We all know that muscles weighs more than fat. We also know that muscle is much more compact than fat! So if you are eating well and training your body in a way that creates muscle, you will slim down. Even if the number on the scale doesn't change! Its still a process and you have to learn how your body works, how much food and exercise it needs, but its true!

I often focus on the fact that the scale hasn't moved much for me recently. HOWEVER, even though I still weigh more than I did when I got married, and I still weigh more than I did after I lost my weight after baby #2, I am a clothes size smaller (if not 2 sizes) than I have ever been in my adult life! I have lost a lot of inches in the last year, I wish I had kept better track, but I know I have lost more inches than I have lost pounds. That is because I HAVE MUSCLE! I don't waste away my time on a treadmill or elliptical. Although I do love cardio and I do a LOT of it when I'm training for Triathlons and other races, I've learned that steady state cardio does not change my body. I need more! So when I do cardio, I try to add intervals, change up my heart rate so my body doesn't get bored. I also make sure that I eat enough so that my body doesn't want to use my muscle as a source of energy. YOU CANNOT DIET YOURSELF FIT! You have to eat enough food, and food from the right sources for your body to maintain muscle!

So, what I'm trying to say is, don't focus on the scale! Weigh in once a week if you must, but don't let the number on the scale make or ruin your day. More importantly, take measurements and pictures. I take my measurements and pictures once a month. Its a great motivator and its nice to see everything shrink and tighten.

How to Survive the Holidays!

I really recommend reading Lindsay Brin's post on her blog about surviving the holidays without weight gain. Her recommendations are right on and totally attainable! I'm going to try and follow them!

Read it HERE!

1 Year

This time of year marks 1 year since I got serious about my journey to Health. I was trying for a little while before that, but it was the holiday season of 2011 when I decided enough is enough and took charge of my life. Here I stand 20 pounds lighter and a lot stronger. Like i've said in previous posts, I am far from perfect, but I am a better, much healthier person now and I am so happy about that! I realized today that I am finally to the point that I don't have to beat myself up when I make mistakes. I've realized that I know how to take care of myself and that I can't undo that with one bad meal or one missed workout. I am not where I want to be, but I am on the path and I will get there. I'm determined. I have the tools. I have the knowledge. And I have the heart! Its taking longer than I want, that's for sure, but its a journey. I think in our society we are just so used to getting what we want right when we want it, that its hard when we have to be patient! Be I will be patient. I want it bad enough. :) Do you? Be patient. Your hard work will pay off. If you get discouraged, just remember:

I have to remind myself of this A LOT! And so far, I have decided its worth it to work my butt off! :)
Here's to another year of hard work, character and muscle building, and being proud of the person I'm becoming.

Motivation Monday

I think this quote so SO much! I wish the world could see everyone this way. I wish we could be measured by what we CAN control and what we are trying to become. Love it.

Motivation Monday

The Mind-Body disconnect

Sometimes I realize that my mind takes a lot longer to catch up then my body. I honestly have to look at the tags on my clothes every morning to tell myself that I am a size 6, not a size 14 like my mind tells me I am!

My whole adult life my goal has been to be a size 6, I haven't been that size since early high school. When I finally got there, I was super excited! But I was also confused because I didn't feel like my body was where I wanted it to be like I expected. I couldn't even comprehend that maybe I could actually be smaller than a 6! But I can! I still have plenty of weight and inches to lose. I can set my goals higher!!

Also, I remember a day in January when a trainer handed me a 12 pound weight for squats and overhead tricep presses and I thought she was nuts! This morning I did bicep curls with 12.5 pounds in each hand, overhead tricep press with 22.5 pounds and I did squats and lunges with 25-30 pounds in each hand!

Why do I not see my own progress? Our mind is a tricky thing! So my challenge to you (and me!) is to focus on how far you have come, not how far you have left to go. I am a totally different person than I was 20 pounds ago and I am grateful for that!

Truth Tuesday

A friend of mine posted this link to a video for me to see on Facebook. It hit home in so many ways! I think so many of us feel like the girl in the video. We want to be happy and we think that making our bodies exactly like the image in our heads will make us happy. Exercise and fitness is a huge part of finding happiness for me. It gives me time to focus on myself and it pushes me to accomplish things that I wouldn't normally push myself to do. And I have found that I feel a great amount of accomplishment when I knock down a goal or help someone else knock down the walls they built around themselves. However, I have learned that being more fit is not the end all, be all of being happy. I'm learning this as I go along. I have learned that above all I need to love myself as I am. Do I want to change my body? Yes. Do I want to be healthier and more fit? Yes. Do I have fitness goals to accomplish? Yes! But I need to accept that me, as I sit here at this very moment is all that I ever need to be.  I need to accept myself and all my flaws and love myself! I'm working on it step by step. And I want you to work on it too! Here is a good mantra for us all:

Motivation Monday

I will be focusing on body image this week. We all have body image issues, or at least most people I know do! I know that I am plagued with them. So, here are some tips I found

Practice up! There will be more on this topic tomorrow.  We will never achieve the goals we have for our lives and our bodies if we are constantly focusing on the negative and beating ourselves up for our weaknesses and our imperfections.

Trying something new...

Since eating has been my struggle lately, especially since its Halloween week and i've been eating a ton of junk food, I am trying to help my body recognize how it feels when I eat junk compared to how it feels when I eat healthy! Today I started a junk food journal. Every time I eat junk, i'm going to write down what I ate and how it makes me feel. I've eaten NOTHING healthy today, seriously, and I feel like crapola! So now when I'm feeling tempted I can look at my journal and make an informed decision about whether that junk is worth it to me! Will I eat treats? Of course, but will it help me do it in more moderation? I hope so!

Also, in the book I talked about a few posts ago, he recommends that if something is very tempting to you, you can visualize something very disgusting happening when you eat it. I'm trying to work on that too, its hard though! I love my junk too much. ;) But I want a healthy body more!!! This will be a gigantic challenge for me, but I know this is true:

I'm here for positive change. That is my goal. So I must challenge myself! 

Truth Tuesday

Confession time. I had a total candy binge last night. Candy is a HUGE weakness for me. But, I'm not going to beat myself up about it. I ate well the rest of the day. So far today i'm eating great. The candy made me feel awful. I just need to remember that the next time I am tempted! (Which will be every day this week because of Halloween!). Its OK to have treats! You just have to remember to be careful with portions. Make them occasional, and savor them when you have them. Its ok to be a normal person! One thing that really helps me is thinking more about adding nutrition to my diet. If I focus on that, then I fill up on the right things, and then if I have a treat it isn't going to undo everything. And its a much more positive way to think than focusing on all the things you aren't allowed to have! There is a whole world of healthy, vibrant fruits, veggies, grains, proteins that you can eat! Find new ways to cook and prepare them. Find a way to enjoy them! I'm working on it, its a process.

Here is one of my favorite veggie recipes at the moment:

http://www.delightedmomma.com/2012/01/baked-cauliflower-poppers.html

Motivation Monday :)

This is something I have to remember regularly! 

The Gabriel Method

If you have explored this blog, you might have noticed that I have a list of my "must reads". I'm slowly adding books and articles that have struck a chord with me during my journey. One is the book "The Gabriel Method". 

I just started re-reading it yesterday and am remembering why is was so pivotal for me when I read it early in my journey (Oct 2010). It is a bit out there, its a different way of thinking for sure. But, it really resonates with me. Everything I read I just want to say "YES! That is so true for me!".

The basic premise (although I don't know say it as well as he does), is that there is a strong connection between your mind and your body. If you don't get your mind and body on the same page when you are trying to make changes, then the changes will be a battle. That's what weight loss often feels like, right? We restrict our diet, work our butts off and sometimes see no results. We feel like our body is fighting back, not wanting to give into the changes. Jon Gabriel explains the "whys" behind that. He gives lots of techniques for helping to get your body on board with what you want in your mind. There is a lot of visualization, positive thinking, and changing your beliefs about what you are capable of. 

These things are so huge for me! I tend to be very hard on myself. I tend to see people who have accomplished great things and I think "Great for them, but I will never be able to do that/look like that" etc. I know their is power of our beliefs. When I do have moments of knowing I can accomplish something, and truly believing it, I DO IT! I am determined now to get my body on board! To get my mind in line and believe that I can create the body I want. I've found pictures to motivate me. I'm doing the meditations/visualizations. I'm listening to his meditation CD at night as I fall asleep (ok, I've done it once, but I plan to do it nightly). And I am speaking to myself in a positive way. I am creating an environment where I feel safe and my body knows that it is safe to do what is necessary to get to where I want to be.

Another thing I really like is that he is against depriving yourself! He explains why restricting the amount/type of foods you eat is actually detrimental to your goals. He focuses instead on adding nutrients to your diet first. Once you start adding nutrients and giving your body what it really needs first, your body will start to learn what it doesn't want and your cravings will adjust, but at first, you eat what you want to eat. Obviously this is all within reason, but it makes sense, and its an approach that I can handle! I have kind of been doing that for a while now already and I notice it does help. If I focus more on getting what I'm supposed to get and less on NOT getting what i'm not allowed, I do MUCH better and I feel more satisfied with the food i'm eating.

So, that is my review of the book during this re-reading. I will keep you all posted with my progress and any other insight I gain from it as I keep reading. I hope my blog is helping motivate someone out there in the world wide web. :)

Challenge Group!

Who is tired of making excuses? Who is ready to take control? Who wants a big head start on your new years resolutions? Who wants to lose weight over the holidays? Who needs some accountability? I have completely changed my life and the way I see myself by TAKING CONTROL! You can too! I'm starting a fitness challenge group on Monday November 26th (plenty of time to get ready!). Spots are limited. You don't have to live near me. IT WILL BE WORTH IT! Comment on this post or find me on facebook and we can get started!

Truly I cannot explain how much this process has changed my life. It is an investment. But its an investment in YOU and in YOUR HEALTH! What better investment can you make? And ITS FUN!

I didn't make this blog to sell stuff, that is really not my intention. I hope it doesn't come off that way. I just want people to feel what its like to change their lives like I have. I want to help you in your journey! Whether you buy fitness programs or nutrition from me or not. I want to be here for you!

Strong

I LOVE feeling strong. Seriously. These workouts are hard, but I love them! I end them panting and sweating and shaking, but I feel like I could conquer the world! This is a picture of my doing one of my favorites from my current phase, a single leg dead lift. It makes me feel like a super hero. :)

One things that my journey has taught me is that I can do hard things! I used to doubt that about myself a lot, but not any more. I know I can do what ever I put my mind to. Thats why I set my goals high and push myself. I love the feeling of accomplishment.

This is my motto:

YOU CAN TOO!!!

Nutrition

So, how do I eat? Well, not perfectly, that is for sure! :) I'm positive I would be farther along in my journey if I could give up junk food cold turkey, but that ain't gonna happen! :) I know myself too well and I would go on a complete food binge if I didn't allow myself the food I love, so I just try and be smart about it. I also try to get all of the healthy food I need first, and then if I'm still hungry or need a little treat, I can have it! The best things I have done for my nutrition is add more fruit and veggies, often through green smoothies, tried to stay away from white bread products as much as possible, and I started drinking Shakeology. I am always skeptical of meal replacement shakes and the like. I tried a different kind that expecting me to replace two meals a day, and I felt like it was hard to get real food in, and my kids were always wondering why I only drank my meals. I felt like I wasn't being a good example to them of real healthy eating. Shakeology is different for me. Its a quick breakfast replacement when I'm in a hurry, or I drink it as a snack after my intense workouts. Its full of great ingredients. The company is meticulous about filling it with only healthy ingredients from all over the world. It has all of the nutrients you need, fruit and vegetable like crazy, antioxidants, super foods, all sorts of things I couldn't stand to eat on their own! :) It tastes good and it helps my energy and I know i'm getting lots of good stuff. I can tell my body loves it! It costs a pretty penny and for a while that kept me from trying it. But once I realized that healthy eating in general costs a lot of money and that I actually get more bang for my buck drinking it, I was sold. Also, I realized a few months ago that investing in my health is the best investment I can make, so we make room in our budget for what is important. Another thing that convinced me was watching this video:

I have a lot of genetics for health problem, cholesterol being a big one, and I want to stave that off as long as I can and I feel like Shakeology will help me do that! If you are interested in really turning your nutrition around, this is a fantastic place to start! I have some of my favorite recipes if you want help knowing how to make it! My favorite flavor is Chocolate Vegan. :)

ChaLEAN Extreme

I thought I would share a little bit about what i'm doing right now in my workout regime. I am in my 5th week of ChaLEAN Extreme. This is a muscle building program by Beachbody. I LOVE it so far! Because of my triathlons and races this past year I have done a ton of cardio and I knew I needed to majorly change things up to get the changes I wanted in my body. Plus I wanted to gain some muscle to help me with my race goals. Its a 90 day, 3 phase workout program. The program is 3 days a week of heavy lifting and 2 days a week of cardio and stretching. I am in my 2nd week of the 2nd phase and it makes me happy! I feel like a super hero! I bought Selecttechs weights to use for it. They are the coolest things. They are adjustable from 5 to 52.5 pounds in 2.5 pound increments. They cost an arm and a leg but I know I will use them for a long time to come. I've worked up to using 22.5 pounds for some exercises. I love feeling strong. 

Here is a picture of me at the 30 day mark. I'm hoping all the new muscle will start showing through soon. :) I lost 2 inches and 3% body fat in the first 4 weeks, and they say the results pick up a lot after about 6 weeks. I'm excited to see where it takes me.

The Love of Racing

I just thought it would be fun to share a few pictures from my fitness events over the past year or so. I've had a lot of fun and made some great friends along the way.

Goldilocks 40 Miler

Women of Steel Triathlon

Tour de Riverton

First time up Rose Canyon

Larson Cup Triathlon

Wicked With Cycling Relay

 Love your Body 10k Run

My Journey!

Hello Everyone! I decided it was time to start a new blog for my fitness journey so I would stop talking about only me on my family blog. :) 

Here is my back story just to fill in my new readers. I am a mother of 3 kids, ages 7, 5, and 2. They were all born via c-section, and did quite a number on my body. I gained weight after getting married, and with each baby, of course. I managed to lose most of my baby weight after my son (baby #2), but then thanks to a miscarriage and baby #3 I gained it back. I have been working diligently to lose the weight now for about a year. I have lost about 20 pounds, and have about 20 more to go to my ultimate goal. I have done 4 sprint triathlons, a few 5k's and just completed my first 10k this past weekend. Now that it is the off season for racing, i've decided to change my approach to my fitness and am doing ChaLEAN Extreme from Beachbody. I'm working to gain muscle and lean down. I'm looking forward to having more muscle to help me in racing next year! I just completed the first phase and started the second phase this morning. Its exciting to see how much stronger i'm getting.

I became a Beachbody coach about a month ago because my journey has made me obsessed with fitness and I want to help others learn how to enjoy being fit and I love seeing people make progress toward loving themselves in their own skin. I want to eventually get my Personal Trainer certification. So if anyone wants someone to support them on their journey, i'm your girl!

Here are some of my personal records so far:

Sprint Triathlon: 1:33:57
5k: 32
10k: 1:05:06

Here are some before and during pictures to show my progress:

I hope you will enjoy sharing my journey with me! And maybe I can inspire you to start yours or rededicate yourself to the journey you have already begun.