Workout Perfectionist

I'm a workout perfectionist. That doesn't mean that I do all of my workouts perfectly with 300% effort. That also doesn't mean that I never miss a single day of exercise. I'm not perfect by any definition of the word. It means that all of the conditions around me must be perfect, or I'll simply give up, or stop and change said conditions until I feel that things are perfect again. This is quite annoying to anyone who doesn't understand it, but I think it's quite reasonable.

My shorts can't be too short, or ride up to high on my waist. Workout fail.

My ponytail can't bounce too much, or feel like it's going to fall out. Workout fail.

My bangs can't fall in my face while I'm trying to get my sweat on. Workout fail.

See where this is going?

Shirt can't be too tight, or too loose. Shoes can't be tied too tight. Headphones can't be falling out of my ears. Hands can't be cold. Underwear can't bunch up. Can't need to pee!

There are a MILLION conditions that must be met before I'm going to go through with a workout. I can't remember not struggling with this. Oh, wait. Yes I can. When I was a high school athlete, we had no choice but to wear these ridiculously short shorts - part of our required uniform - that were terrible. I made it through that time, but just barely.

Today, I'm super particular about what I wear and how I'm dressed. I know what I like, and what I don't, and when I find a brand of shorts that fit me well, I buy several pair of them. I have favorites and I wouldn't dream of deviating from them. I can say that things have improved three thousand percent since I started doing my workouts from my home gym. I LOVE WORKING OUT AT HOME. No one judges me. No one watches me. No one knows how ridiculous I look. It is FANTASTIC! We've invested in some great equipment. I love the BowFlex SelectTech adjustable weights. They are so great!

I'm pretty sure we all have to find our favorite things that make our workouts feel the best. I have a certain type of sports bra that I like - if it's too loose or too tight, again, I won't be finishing without changing that. I use Under Armour ones. I like my Brooks athletic shoes, but I also found a pair of Nike that are pretty good too.

Do you have things that must feel right before you do your workouts?

Meal Planning

I have a love/hate relationship with meal planning. I know I need to do it, but I stress out about it. I'm not a fan of cooking - never have been. I'm a quick fix kind of gal. I have been studying meal planning and trying to find the best way to make the process easier for me. Today I created a template to use. I've meal planned on a tiny hotel room note pad before. I used notebooks. I bought a tracking book. I didn't find anything I loved. So I made one. What do you use to keep your meals straight and your grocery lists easier?

I'm posting my meal planning template on the blog today for everyone to download. I couldn't find a template that I liked, so I made one! I'm happy to share it with you. Here's another meal planning template version that I made too.

Why do you do fit?

Paleo - No Carbs.

Today was my first focusing on a more paleo way of eating. After 5 weeks of exercise, I've lost 5 pounds and 15 inches with healthy eating and exercise. I've decided to cut out as many processed foods and breads as possible, and focus on meats, vegetables, fruits, and select foods that are "paleo" friendly. I've decided to keep my Shakeology meal - it's incredibly filling and packed with nutrients. Today went pretty well, except I wasn't very hungry - which can become a problem if you eat too little. I'm going to track what I'm eating this week so that I can really become good at identifying what I'm taking in and burning, and fine tune it to a really good place. Looking forward to seeing my results at the end of the week.

T25 - STATurday

Today is the end of week 5 of T25. It's STATurday, or the day we do our body measurements. And it's also the last weekend of the Alpha round of the program. It's exactly the half-way point in T25. On Monday I will begin the Beta round with new DVD workouts to do. Alpha is called the foundational part of the program.

So far on this journey I have not seen my scale drop as quickly as I had hoped. I haven't let this discourage me because I know I am eating to fuel my body to exercise. I know that I am burning fat and increasing my strength and muscle. And a pound of fat takes up more space in my body than a pound of muscle. 

I am doing weekly body measurements in several key areas. Bust, waist, hips, thighs, arms, calves. And thank goodness for that! I have lost 15 inches overall. I can hardly believe it but it is true! I recalculated the numbers a few times. There isn't an error.

T25 Beta - here I come! I can't wait to see what happens at the end of 10 weeks.

Reaching For a Goal

I can't do a push up. There. I said it. I simply can not place my hands slightly outside my shoulders, while up on my toes, and lower then raise my body weight. I try. I can't. I can do "girl push-ups" but I never mastered the real thing. This week I decided to do something about it. 

How do you reach a goal? How do you overcome a challenge? 

At the most foundational level, you set the goal. 

In my case, I felt it was important to state the goal out loud. First up I told the one person I was the most hesitant to tell - Mr. Push Up himself - my military man. He does push ups FOR HIS JOB. What would he think? I was afraid he'd judge me or laugh at me. But I did it. I told him how I have been modifying the push up segments of my T25 workouts and how I would really like to build up my ability to actually do a real push up. 

Then you make a plan.

He didn't laugh. He didn't judge. He went into his super cute "I can fix this" mode. We did a few demonstrations together and he told me he'd help me. 

Next, get to work.

Friday night we went down to our gym and we worked on it. He showed me some build up movements I can start doing to improve my strength and confidence. And we did some basic dumb bell reps and resistance band movements to start the process. My shoulders and arms can feel it today - which matches nicely with my sore legs from my Lower Focus and Total Body routines from yesterday. 

He empowered me. He showed me what to do and I will incorporate it into my routine. I will stick to it and reach my goal.

I thought it was important to tell my son about this goal as well so tonight I talked with him about my goal, my plan and my steps to get to the goal. I hope it will be a lesson he will recall someday as he chooses to put in into action in his own life.

What goal would you like to reach?

T25 Week 5 - Alpha Phase Done!

I'm sooooo excited to officially have completed the Alpha phase of T25! Beta starts Monday! Hooray! I am so motivated. I can hardly wait! Did you exercise today? :)

Evolve to Fit Challenge - Starts October 14!!!

Today I realized that there are only 12 weeks - roughly 90 days - left of this year. Before you know it, it's going to be Christmas! I'm starting to see Christmas trees and Christmas candy in the stores. I can't believe it. This year has completely flown by. The holiday season - from Halloween all the way to New Year's - will be filled with candy, calories and cakes galore. It's the time of year when I try to totally skip as many desserts as possible. All I see when I look at that carmel covered chocolate is all the calories I'll have to burn to make it worthwhile. I get crazy looks, but it's just how I like to handle this time of year. If I eat "just one" before I know it, I will have 10 empty candy wrappers next to me.

Let's start to evolve to fit now! My next Evolve to Fit Challenge begins October 14, and I'd love to have YOU join us! I'll show you the tools I recommend, and I'll give you all the support, motivation and accountability that you need to succeed. I fell in love with the challenge group process the first time I saw it and my first group was awesome. I'm honored to get to lead these groups now!

Want in? Email me, and let's get started!

My new kicks! :)

New shoes make me happy. And I am loving these. Nike Free. Super comfy and light weight. :)

T25 - Week 4

I can't believe I just wrapped up Week 4 of T25 Alpha. I traveled for work last week and missed a few workouts, so I used my weekend as a catch-up weekend rather than a rest weekend. On Saturday I did two workouts - Ab Intervals and Total Body Circuit. On Sunday I did Cardio and Lower Focus. I shredded 422 calories on Saturday and then 550 on Sunday! And the time just flies by! :)

Saturday:

And on Sunday:

Happy me!

Exercise Dread

I did not want to exercise today. I tried to find excuse after excuse to skip the workout. But I kept remembering the commitment I have made. And how bad it would feel to have a missing day on my calendar. So I paused my tv show, got on my gear and forced myself to get it done. And I got through it. 

Shakeology

Cute shaker cups make me happy. :)

Yippee! Another T25 Workout is DONE!

Today was cardio. Piece of cake. Um, I mean piece of avocado! :)

Tilapia with Tomato and Kale

Diced tomatoes and kale sautéed in olive oil served with grilled tilapia. I use salt, pepper and garlic to flavor mine. And my kale chips!!

Kale Chips

Spread washed and dried kale on a baking sheet lined with foil for quick clean up. Mist with olive oil and salt. Pop into a 400 degree oven and turn the oven OFF (to prevent burning). 15 minutes later, enjoy!

T25

Today I finished the Speed 1.0 workout. I am in love with Focus T25. The DVDs are only 25 minutes long. The calories burn in fantastic. And it's FUN. :) I look forward to doing the workouts each day. And that is HUGE.

Double Day Friday - 541 Calories ERASED!

Today is my first double workout Friday. And I DID IT!! :)

I am loving my check off calendar.

Goodbye to you; all 541 of you!

Chocolate Peanut Butter!

Thursday - Ab Interval

232 calories burned. I'll take it!

Cinnamon Ricotta Berries. Yummy!

1/3 cup skim ricotta cheese

1/4 cup fresh strawberries

1 tsp slivered almonds

Cinnamon

104 calories! And delicioso! (...said in my very best Dora the Explorer voice.)

Day 2 - Speed 1.0 done!

And 271 calories burned along with it!

H20

I'm loving my new mug from Bubba Brands. I'm using a dry erase marker to record my intake. It's a fun motivator for me. And these straws are AMAZING! They are soft flexible plastic. Gummy almost. Love them!

I survived day 1 - Cardio!