Round 2 - Ding Ding Ding!

Accountability: Insanity Day 2 (which is the first real workout - lol) Plyometric Circuit - ch ch ch check!

I had tummy issues all day. It was weird...I got myself back to eating every 3 hours (I had taken last week off) and I was feeling hungry within an hour after eating. More than that, as the day went on I was in the bathroom at least 5 times today (sorry if this grosses anyone out.. not talking ralph or tinkle here. and yes, I say tinkle) and had that a nervous tummy (butterflies?) feeling all day. Finally @ 8:30pm I decided to just go for the workout and if I was dizzy, felt like ralphing or hitting the john then I'd just can it for the day and pick it up tomorrow. Well, I made it through and with gusto. I had to take breaks,which surprised me because of how far I'd come since I started, but I could still feel that I was stronger and could push harder than in Round 1. Such a cool feeling!!
Anyway, moral of the story is that you CAN make it through your workouts even when you think you can't. I'm excited to see what Round 2 does for my bod because Round 1 made a HUGE change!

Bridal Bootcamp

Many of you know that a big part of my *why*...why I'm pushing myself to shed the lb's and get healthy.. is due to the fact that I am getting married in August of this year. I have to tell you, not one bit of the idea of getting married scares me and I am so excited to wed my best friend and the man of my dreams. What DOES make me nervous? The way I feel in my dress and the way I look in the pictures! If I don't feel beautiful on my wedding day, I certainly won't look it. And, the pictures are forever. Yes photoshop exists, but who can afford the time or money it would take to go through every last picture and airbrush away the weight?? Ummmm, yeah.......... not me! So I'm working out hard six days a week, eating 5 meals per day, drinking lots of water and making sure I'm getting impeccable nutrition into my system (ie - Shakeology). Yes - it's working and I'm going to absolutely look and feel amazing on my day. *not trying to sound vein - it's simply an affirmation* In any matter, now and then I get nosey online. What are other brides out there doing to get in shape or shed unwanted weight? You would not believe what I found today!!! There is something out there called the K-E Diet. It involves being on a slow drip of protein and fat. Your doctor inserts a feeding tube through your nose and down into your stomach. The tube is connected to a baggie full of a solution containing the proteins and fats. You remain on the slow drip for 10 days. You don't eat anything else, just what you're getting through the tube. The claim is that you can lose up to 20lbs in 10 days and that your body undergoes ketosis which leaves the muscle intact.
Here is what ketosis is in regards to a diet according to Wikipedia:

"If the diet is changed from a highly glycemic diet to a diet that does not provide sufficient carbohydrate to replenish glycogen stores, the body goes through a set of stages to enter ketosis. During the initial stages of this process, blood glucose levels are maintained through gluconeogenesis, and the adult brain does not burn ketones. However, the brain makes immediate use of ketones for lipid synthesis in the brain. After about 48 hours of this process, the brain starts burning ketones in order to more directly use the energy from the fat stores that are being depended upon, and to reserve the glucose only for its absolute needs, thus avoiding the depletion of the body's protein store in the muscles.^[7]
Ketosis is deliberately induced by use of a ketogenic diet as a medical intervention in cases of intractable epilepsy.^[6] Other uses of low-carbohydrate diets remain controversial."

Sounds like nothing more than a liquid version of the Adkins diet if you ask me. And, we all know that absolutely it works.. at first. It's what happens as soon as you introduce any form of carbohydrate back into your body that strips this "diet" of it's credibility or viability. Fellow bride's and friends alike - be smart and make choices for yourself and your body that are healthy and sustainable. Make a lifestyle change and DON'T chase after magic pills and quick fixes!!

If it sounds or seems too good to be true, it probably is!!

http://gma.yahoo.com/k-e-diet-brides-using-feeding-tubes-rapidly-080053646--abc-news-health.html

#1 Reason For The Unemployed To Get Healthy

I had a good friend of mine on the phone today talk to me a little about her why.... why she wants to get in shape, get healthy and lose weight. She's a new teacher here in California and has not been able to get a teaching job for the past two years! She's been very lucky to find tutoring clients and have the district give her students who need home schooling. Her masters degree is actually making it harder - but this is not the point. Her future financial "situation" is now a high priority. In our conversation she mentioned to me that on the news recently there was a spot in which they talked about how companies are not hiring individuals who are over weight and/or obese. Companies can afford to be picky when there are a plethora of people looking for work. My friend went on to express that people who are over weight may appear undisciplined or "un-kept" to employers (her words not mine). She is onto something, even if this isn't the reason employers aren't hiring. Extra weight on our bodies usually comes with health risks and even problems. Many individuals who are struggling with their weight are also battling one or more health issues and thus has higher medical bills. So, why would any company want to take on an employee with more medical needs and potentially have to foot part of the bill? Or, why would a company take on someone who may require more medical attention and thus be away from their job more and even possibly have to file disability. Sick and sad as it may sound for any employer to "judge" an individual based on their outer shell, it does make sense and, for now, cannot be defined as discrimination.
So, back to my friend.... One of her #1 reasons for getting fit and healthy is to help her find and keep a job! WOW! This absolutely caught me off guard and blew me away as it is something I did not think I would ever hear! Glad she shared this and I hope that just maybe this motivates you to get healthy or stay healthy!! If not for your own self, then for your job...

Here's an article I found - she wasn't kidding!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16755130/ns/business-careers/t/fat-chance-its-not-easy-obese-workers/#.T44y4tlMuSo

Halfway Point

Well, here I am just over the 30 day mark in my Insanity journey. My weight has actually fluctuated up and down, but the inches are certainly falling off. This program is difficult, like I expected, but much harder than P90X ever was - my opinion. I think that I personally find lifting to be somewhat enjoyable and cardio just somehow always feels scary or hard. It's truly a love hate relationship. I'm finding that everyday I'm so much stronger! I still cannot do a *full* push up, but I am much closer than I was when I started. And, even now into month two, I can't hold every single interval and have to take breaks. But you know what?? IT'S OK!! As long as I push hard and give it my all, I'm still working my a** off! No guilt trip allowed! Here's the proof:

I'm only half way, but I am looking forward to starting another round! AND I want to take a few people along for the journey, so I've created a challenge group based off the Beachbody Challenge. Space will be limited so

that I can actually give each challenger my full attention. The Challenge starts May14th! Ready to train insane with me? Message me on Facebook for details and to reserve you spot!

Portions, Consistency & H2O

It's been one heck of a long day, and I really don't have the energy or the mental stability to put a lot of thought into a full on blog entry for today.
As I had already mentioned, I am doing the 5 Day Inferno meal & work out plan from TurboFire. I've been diligent in taking pics of all my meals as this is a GREAT way to stay accountable. People might tease or mock you for posting your food pics on your FB or your blog, but by doing it you're accountable now to a whole network of people! I highly recommend this to anyone trying out a new meal plan or who is just trying to eat healthier.
The one thing I know I'm learning is about my portion size. Now, the 5 Day Inferno is pretty restricted in calories, so I know that after the five days are up, I need to add at least another 300 calories to my daily intake. YAY FOOD!! Yes, I love food - especially good food! If it doesn't taste good, forget it! I'm happy to report that everything on this plan tastes amazing. It's great - it's five days with every single meal and snack recipe lined out for you and a work out (sometimes two) for each day. It doesn't really get easier than that. In any matter, I'm learning that this love of food I have causes me to eat to my hearts content instead of just what I need. Not that I go out and binge, but you get what I'm meaning. It's nice to make a small plate of food, consume it, and feel satisfied. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm sure I could just keep eating, but the thing is I DON'T NEED TO. And, some days, I will admit I've felt that feeling - "I'm not hungry but I just have this insatiable urge/need to eat/keep eating!" The only tricks I've learned are to keep yourself busy and to do what my Dad always told me - drink water. :) Water does make all the difference, but don't you dare go telling my Dad that he was right! In all seriousness though, as long as I've been eating every 2-4 hours I haven't felt that nagging desire to stuff my face or the burning in my stomach telling me I'm starved. Portions, consistency & H2O.

Simply Inspired

I've thought all day long about what to put in my very first blog entry, and I think if I entered all of my ideas, it would be one very very long post. The point is to inspire and motivate others by sharing my own inspiration, not to bore or overwhelm. So I will keep things simple... most of the time.

I came to realize this weekend that if I wanted to gain respect, and recognition from others and to be a leader, then I needed to act like one. In short, if you want others to follow you must lead by example. So before I can begin any sort of real coaching, I must first establish that I am worthy to be followed.

I had decided last week that part of living by example would mean that three aspects of my life would need to be shining examples. The first, my diet. I began eating clean as of today. If you visit my FB page and look at my photo album called "BeachBody" you can see a photo journal of the day's meals (minus a few snacks usually - sometimes I forget to take photos..). Eating clean means several things:
- eating fresh and non processed foods
- eating proper portions regularly
- no alcohol
- no added sugars or desserts
The hardest of the these for many of my friends and loved ones seems to be the "no alcohol" rule. And, don't get me wrong, I love a glass of red or and ice cold beer, but it has never been a necessity nor have I have I ever felt a strong urge to drink. I think I like sitting down to watch a show on the sofa just as much and it is just as relaxing.

The second area to work on, my fitness. I've begun following the TurboFire 5 Day Inferno eating & work out plan to kick start my metabolism and get me on the right track into eating cleanly. My starting weight this morning was 168. This was sad and somewhat depressing (as I've gained since summer), but it is also a loss for me in the last month (of 4lbs!) I'm looking forward to weighing in again Saturday morning. The first goal is 5lbs, with a second goal of 10lbs.

Today I ordered Insanity and will begin the program, shipping time willing, on Monday 3/5/12. These last few days I've had a new personal mantra flood my thoughts and help to push me into making the decision to attack the program Insanity - "Train Insane or Remain the Same." You can imagine now, how this blog got it's name. Ha! I decided that it didn't just have to apply to a specific program but to all training from here on out.

I also ordered "Push" by Chalene Johnson and it arrived today - a day earlier than expected! Don't you just love when that happens?? The only downside? It was pouring rain and incredibly windy and the mail man decided to stuff the cardboard envelope into our tiny mailbox (which opens from the top and not the front) which allowed our mail to become drenched and also for the edges of my books' pages to ripple. Sad day! Oh well.. worse things have happened, right? In any matter, I plan on beginning this book ASAP as it deals more than just in fitness and nutrition, but also in ones personal life... The third area to transform. I'm looking forward to a full transformation and to daily being inspired by Chalene.

Get ready to hear all about this physical and personal journey. As I am daily pushed, challenged and inspired, I hope others will also be.