Getting Prepared for the Long Haul

So today I was definitely not on my A game. I didn't go grocery shop. I wasn't sure what to get because I will be in and out of town. I think I got a little nervous thinking about how this could derail my progress thus far. I didn't push play this morning either. Then I got an email from my coach, coach Barbie about her clean eating challenge. I thought that I'd have liked to try it but I wouldn't be able to this time around. I was really feeling discouraged by now. Hubby and I went to the mall and then vegged out in front of the tube. I went to the fridge looking for something to eat but nothing was prepared so I fixed a sandwich and dragged myself to my home gym for today's workout.

After my workout I felt more motivated. I came down to hit the kitchen to broil some fish and grill a little chicken. On the floor was a little strip of paper. It was a fortune from some long ago fortune cookie. It read, "we are made to persist. That's how we find out who we are." I needed those words today. While some things may be out of my control over the next few weeks, I can remain in control of myself. I can make the best choices possible from what is available and remain faithful to my workout regimen.

I have got to focus on resting and keeping up with my workouts. Once I get back from my "tour of duty" I am planning to use a commercial meal delivery service. I know that might sound nuts to some of you but I think it's the best idea for me. I want to make sure I am on a strict schedule with my caloric and nutrient intake and think it will make it easier to get back into the program. I'll post more on this later. Off to get myself together for next week. If you don't plan your workouts and meals in advance, now is a really great time to start!

The Beginning of My New Body!

Progress might be slow, but it's coming guys. No crash dieting or quick fixes here. Better eating choices and good old fashioned sweat works. The best part about it is that change is lasting when you develop the right mindset and habits to support and sustain the changes. That's the thing about fad diets. Trust me I know. Right now life is crazy but my goal for March is a month of clean eating. But first there's February to maximize. I will be on it 6 days a week. I know that I will press play and leave everything on the mat. I have been working hard and I am pleased to finally feel like there is some change!

Hitting the Road . . .

I know I haven't been blogging with any kind of consistency lately but that okay. What I have been doing instead is consistently working towards my goals. I got serious about this whole getting fit thing when I realized I wanted to be healthy enough to withstand the stress and rigor of earning my PhD. After five years of planning, talking and going no where fast I finally cranked the intensity up. I am happy to say I just had my first interview last week and was accepted for the fall class.

I am one step closer to being cheerleaderbody, PhD and it feels damn good. It took hard work, sacrifice and determination to get here. Most importantly, I had the support of those I love to help me through the rough patches. I made the connection today that this weight loss/ fitness thing is the same type of beast. If I use similar strategies I can make this thing happen too. Things will be pretty crazy for a little while. I am going to get quite a bit of travel in. I have to go to Birmingham, Atlanta, Seattle and Dallas in the next month. Wish me luck! I hope that at the end of the month I have my choice of schools to attend but never fear, I am still doing ChaLean Extreme.

I have worked diligently to get to this point and even though it's been tough I don't regret it for a moment. Today the light bulb finally came on. I could pass on parties, vacations and tv because I could see the goal. It was easy to visualize what I would do when I reached the goal and how it would feel. With getting in shape, I never quite managed to do that. I plan to work on being able to picture myself at the finish line. I spent today thinking about my goals and devising a strategy to get there. Chalene continually says in the ChaLean Extreme videos " Write your goals down!" I need to heed that advice.

My goal is to get down to a lean, fit body. I plan to get my weight down below 140 pounds- somewhere it hasn't been in the last decade or so. Even with the travel, I don't intend to slack on the exercise. I got a travel DVD player and I have my resistance bands to make sure of that. When I get back home from all of my interviews, I already have a game plan for getting my food intake on point so that I can reach my goals. I promise to check back in and let you guys know how it's going but even if you don't see me for a few days, know that I'm pressing play. You should be too . . .

Cheers!

Treat Yourself Well, You Deserve It!

I know I've slacked off in my blogging. Forgive me but things will be super hectic the next two months while I work on trying to get into graduate school. Preparing for interviews has kept me hopping but I am handling the stress and challenge much better than I would have before. I promise I'll get back to my regular schedule as soon as the dust settles!

I wanted to post this morning about my first really exciting healthy living moment this month. So I decided I didn't want to force 100% raw. I know it's possible to work out hard and eat 100% because I've done it before. . .but I wasn't a full time student and the economy didn't blow like it does now. 100% isn't feasible for my budget and lifestyle now but it's amazing how easy it is to not get your 5 a day of fruits and vegetables. Now that I am making a consistent effort to eat only foods that are all whole foods and raw when I can the difference is becoming obvious.

This morning I was getting ready to head off to my first grad school interview weekend. I almost didn't recognize myself. Who is that happy, confident girl in the mirror? Now I know it's not just the food but really it's the food! Since I have started eating better, I have been more motivated to take care of myself period. I am sleeping more. No more running on 4-5 hours of sleep and wondering why I'm always ill. I take my supplements pretty much everyday. I exercise regularly and take the time to treat myself to a weekly at home "spa" day. We're buying what we can locally and/or organic, fair trade.

The sum total effect is mind blowing. My skin is clear and the texture is soft and smooth. The wrinkles around my eyes are smoothing. My eyes are sparkling and my smile is bright. Most importantly, I feel peaceful. I am finally purging so much of the bitterness and anger that has held me back in life and it feels damn good. That girl smiling back at me from the mirror is my new best friend and she's awesome! Treat yourselves well guys, you deserve it. In the end, it will make you a much better person.


Cheers!

ChaLean Day 30 Comparison Pics

Day 30 Day 1

Eat 1873 Calories for Weightloss!

I finally used my trial club membership at teambeachbody.com and one of the useful things I found on the site was the nutrition section. I took a look at Michi's ladder which is supposed to provide a basis for healthful eating. I was pleased to find most of the foods I purchased this week fell into the top two tiers which they say is perfect eating. The only thing from my clean eating shopping trip that didn't make the cut were the whole wheat tortillas. Who knew?
I tried out the body fat calculator and the number it generated was pretty close to the scale I tried out a few weeks ago so it may be fairly accurate.

The caloric needs calculator might be another story. It generated the number 1873 for my daily intake for weightloss. That number seems a tad on the high side. Everything I've been reading says to aim for 1500-1600 calories for weight loss. I've been feeling a constant sense of starvation so I decided to try it today and I couldn't do it. It's one thing to eat that many calories when you are consuming fast food like McDonald's or eating my favorite Cadbury chocolate bar but when eating whole foods this task is daunting. I did get close though, I ate 1,792 calories today. I sort of cheated at the end and had peanut butter covered rice cakes- mostly because I was tired of chewing- and it still was not enough to quite make it to 1873.

I tried this out to see what it would feel like because I haven't really noticed any major results from ChaLean Extreme other than an increse in strength. This week I even added extra cardio to try to get the scale - or my measuring tape- to budge just a tiny bit. I was worried that maybe I was indeed overeating and that's why my body wouldn't release any weight. After today, I am not sure that's the case. I feel like an overstuffed turkey right now and the thought of more food turns my stomach. I think I'll elect to take my chances with 1,600 calories a day and see what happens from there.

I'll be doing a fitness giveaway next week to one lucky reader. Stay tuned for details. Cheers!

Motivation Mondays: What to do When You Feel Tired

Some days you are going to feel tired. Today is one of those days for me. I have been stressing myself out about getting into graduate school and it's interrupted my sleep at night. I was lying in bed awake at 4:40 this morning. I thought man I'm not working out at 5:30. I should just try to go back to sleep. I was willing myself to go back to sleep but I just couldn't. I found myself getting up at 5:15 as usual and logging into WOWY. I popped Burn 1 into the DVD player and what do you know. Just 5 minutes into the workout I found my energy.

Not only did I do my scheduled workout this morning, I also came home and put in a bonus cardio session. And I brought it y'all! What got me going was my desire for self improvement. I want this badly enough to workout. Now the other parts of the equation need to come together and I'll be set- eating clean and resting well. That's my trifecta of health and fitness. I'm not there yet but I'm working on it. In order to push yourself towards your goal you have to find the drive. Once you find it, fixate on it when life happens. Trust me, that intense desire is what will allow you to dig a little bit deeper and go a little bit harder. For me, it's knowing I will be experiencing a ton of life changes over the next few months and wanting to be prepared to handle them.

How can I excel at moving my education and career forward if I am ill or have low self confidence? That would be super hard. Because I recognize the road ahead, my desire is burning strong. Visualization is such a powerful tool. When you picture your fitness goals, how do you look? How do you feel? Grasp onto that image and that;s what you need to call to mind the next time you're tempted to cheat by eating crap or skipping your workout. When you feel tired, suck it up and bring it anyway. You'll appreciate it later. Now it's time for me to hit the shower and then the sack!

Rest Day Update

Ahhhhh Sunday. I love my rest day. I just wanted to post quickly about where I am now. I just completed week 3 of Burn and I still feel like something is missing. I don't really have soreness outside of my obliques and I feel like I didn't really "work" this week. I love the program but I really feel like an additional day of cardio might be a good idea for me. So tomorrow begins week4 of Burn and I plan on trying a little extra cardi by using one of the Deluxe upgrade workouts on Tuesday and ramping up my intensity on Thursdays and Saturdays. I'll let you guys know how it is. Look out for a new piece on motivation tomorrow. Night!

Excuses Are So 2009!

As Nick and I work towards making major improvements in our lives, there have been so many obstacles standing in the way of change. I thought long and hard about deciding to opt out of getting a master's degree and instead pursue applications to PhD programs right now. Something inside said that waiting another two years was not the right move for me and that it was time to take a risk and jump in with both feet. Well yesterday I found out I got my first interview and I am both excited and humbled. I have often wondered why it's taken so long for me to get to this point.
One of the graduate students in my lab answered the phone and by the time I got off she had pretty much figured out what the call was in reference to. As soon as I hung up she asked me how I felt. As usual you might be wondering if I'm off on some tangent or if this is really relevant to a health and wellness blog. It is, I promise you. I had to admit I felt great. Strangely enough the feeling was not only due to the fact that someone somewhere might have recognized my potential to succeed in a doctoral level program but because I realized my perspective has finally shifted.
There were so many struggles just getting to this point, not only in terms of my career but in my personal life as well. I recognize that I am not unique. All men struggle. Such is life. My husband keeps telling me "New Year, New You Trace". Well this morning I finally understood what that meant. I knew what that weird feeling in my gut was all about yesterday. I thought it was anxiety but I really didn't feel nervous. After completing week 3 of ChaLean Extreme this morning, I realized that feeling was actually the hum of anticipation. It seems so sudden but I realize it is the culmination of 27 years of life.
Life can be challenging but how we do at this game call life is a matter of perspective. I can look back over my life and feel sorry about how much I did wrong or I can look forward to the multitude of opportunities I have to do things right. This morning I collapsed onto my mat, exhausted and spitting out sweat. Two years ago when hubby was trying to whip me into shape I would have been resentful and downright pissy. See I wasn't trying to get fit for the right reasons. I wanted other people to be happy, other people to be impressed. I wanted my husband to stop nagging me about my self neglect. I wanted other people to stop making me feel small because I was the fat friend. But this morning, flat on my back and too tired to bother wiping the sweat I realize one important truth. It's all about me right now.
I know that probably sounds super self centered and it is. If I don't put myself first I won't have anything to share with the important people in my life. How can I support my husband in his endeavors or love and care for my mom if I'm dead? With my family history of diabetes and stroke there is no excuse not to finish what I've started. I have to do this thing, to see it through. It's not just about fitting into dream jeans or looking hot in a swimsuit. It's about being there for the ones you love and reaching out to help those you may not even know. Now that my perspective has changed life is looking a whole lot better. Excuses are so 2009, I'm ready to win in 2010! Are you ready?

Life Happens: We Got Food Poisoning

Yesterday the hubby and I took to the road, heading to western Maryland for some much needed R&R. I've been really stressed out about my applications and it's costing me. I normally hate to interrupt my normal work schedule but sometimes something has to give. On the one hand, I can say I had a pretty relaxing day. By the time we piled back into the car to head home I felt much more calm, a significant improvement over Monday when stress had made me so absent minded I washed hubby's wallet and Tuesday when I forgot to pay an important bill.
While we were there I decided I could have a cheat day. Everything I ate was still vegetarian but the options were pizza, grilled cheese or a veggie burger. The food tasted awful and at the time I assumed it was just a lack of proper seasoning. When we woke up this morning I realized it was likely something far worse. I abandoned most of my meal because I thought it was pretty stupid to blow my results for terrible tasting takeout. Unfortunately my husband ate his entire meal. We got food poisoning. Sadly, Nick got the worst of it. I realized something was not quite right when I stumbled through my morning cardio, unable to complete the workout. Dazed, I went back to bed. Within the next hour I became extremely thankful we were blessed enough to have a home with two bathrooms.
So what does this have to do with getting a cheerleader's body? Sometimes you just have to know when to slow down. I was so proud of the fact that I was diligently following the rotation calendar and looking forward to seeing great results later this month at the end of the Burn phase.Now I feel that it doesn't matter so much what happens this month. I have well over 50 lbs to lose and it won't happen in 30 days. Everyday that I eat right and exercise puts me one step closer to my goals. If I miss a day the world will not end. I just have to get up and get back on it. For now rest is what I need to continue my progress, so I'm heading back to bed. Tomorrow, I hope to wake up at 5:00am ready to bring it. Until tomorrow folks . . .

Motivation Mondays: New Year, New You. . . Not!

I thought I'd start a regular feature in the blog for the New Year. I know tons of people have made it their New Year's resolution to lose weight and get in shape. Well I have some theories on the New Year's resolution and what you should do right now if you haven't already. Because to go from that to this:

takes a whole lot of blood, sweat, tears and possibly a professional glam squad:) Most importantly it takes a ton of motivation. Why is it that for some people every year they make the same old BS resolutions. Get your head out of the freaking clouds. Just because it's the beginning of a new year does not mean that you will magically transform into a new person. This year hubby and I started a new tradition. We didn't pop champagne or kiss at the stroke of midnight. We did spend a quiet evening together reflecting on what we accomplished in 2009, what our goals were for 2010 and what strategies we devised to work towards them.

See the thing many people miss is that Jan 1st isn't really any different that June 1st. Sitting down with pen and paper and writing down not just your short and long term goals, but also your strategy, time line and measurable outcome are all key to your success. I can't tell you how many people I know that don't do this last one. If you don't have some way to measure the outcome, how will you know you achieved your goal?

Instead of talking smack about how horrible the past year has been, I really wish people would do something constructive with your time. I cleaned my house, gave myself the deluxe beauty treatment, spent some time planning and enjoyed QT with the one I love. Why is this important? Because it takes more than jumping on the treadmill or pumping iron to lose weight. What? Yeah I said it. Notice I didn't mention anything about food or excessive alcohol being apart of my plans.

Too many of us use food as a crutch. Sugar and alcohol are socially acceptable, legal drugs. It takes time to wake up to the total and complete inappropriateness of the Standard American Diet (SAD) but the real problem is when people know and don't do anything about it. Now before you get your panties in a bunch, I'm not getting preachy here. What I am saying, is that the first step is recognizing you have a problem. The second step is to get up and do something about it. For me that meant cleaning a bunch of crap out of my kitchen today. There may be healthy produce, grass fed meat and dairy products and filtered water on tap but even I am guilty of housing some trash in my kitchen.

It was hard but I threw out the pizza. . .and the coupons for more. I tossed the cookies and the cakes and all that mess that doesn't belong in the kitchen of someone with my goals in mind. Now I know it's not all my stuff but I'm sure my husband will understand. If you want to succeed, you have to get up with something on your mind everyday. The road to success is made up of hundreds of little steps and those steps are made up of a combination of our decisions, actions and opportunities. Today, getting my stuff straight was on mine. So the question I'll leave you with today is what did you get up with on your mind today?

Cheers!

Raw Breakfast Success!

I also tried my hand at almond milk yesterday. It was a little on the messy side but I was satisfied with the final product. I decided to explore breakfast foods with a little more punch than raw foods. I do my workouts first thing in the morning and I need a more substantial breakfast otherwise I'll run out of gas. I took the fresh almond milk and ate it with raw granola purchased from Whole Paycheck, aka Whole Foods and sliced apple. It was decent but will take some getting used to. I'm a fruity pebbles girl and this breakfast, while naturally sweet, was nothing close to my usual garbage. Change isn't easy but in this case it's an absolute necessity so I'll just keep trying new things until my taste buds acclimate to the absence of those nasty food additives.

Making Flax Crackers

I tried my hand at the Spicy Flax Crackers recipe from Raw Food Real World. I figure they'll go great with dishes like guacamole or salsa when I want something other than chopped fruits and veggies. If I like them, they will quickly become a staple so that I can keep my diet balanced. I'm not the biggest fan of flax seeds but the batter tasted fine. We'll see what the finished product looks like later. I'll reserve judgment until then!

Week 2 Complete w/ Progress Pics!

Since I decided to continue this round of ChaLean Extreme raw, I spent some time yesterday preparing a few things I know will help me through the week. It's really important to me that my athletic performance doesn't suffer. When eating raw it can be easy to under eat in terms of calories so I will be continually making some of the more gourmet dehydrated recipes because they tend to be more calorie dense.
I'm finished week two and looking forward to week three of Burn. I don't think there's really a difference this week other than feeling more confident about the moves and lifting heavy. We'll see what week three brings. I am going to see if I can get my hands on a scale today. I don't want to go back to compulsive weigh-ins but it's difficult to gauge short term progress without scale weight.
I need to be a little more consistent with how my update pics are shot. I'll work on that. I don't really see a difference. The pics on the left are just prior to beginning ChaLean and the pics on the right were taken yesterday, week 2 of ChaLean, beginning of raw.