My Favorite FitnessBlender Workouts

I love working out with FitnessBlender on youtube! I have been working out with them since I started this journey in January. I highly recommend them! They have over 350 full length videos to choose from ranging from beginner to advanced.

One of the first videos I started doing was low impact cardio. Twenty-two minutes of quiet, no bounce cardio. There is not a warm up or cool down included but you can easily add one yourself.


I also love a good kickboxing session! Punch and kick out your aggression! Get out of here fat!

A few months ago I started doing tabata or HIIT workouts. They are my favorite go-to workouts. HIIT stands for high intensity interval training. The great thing about these workouts are that you do them at your intesity level. So pretty much anyone can follow along. I can't do a lot jumping so I typically modify when needed.


If you don't have a much time, FitnessBlender has more than a handful of quick workouts. Sometimes I do a quick video before work and a quick one after work if I am pressed for time.

Here are links to my favorite workouts. Enjoy.
Quiet Cardio Low Impact
Fat Blasting butt and Abs Tabatta
Crunchless Abs Workout
Cardio Kickboxing
Barre Workout for Butt and Thighs 
Tank Top Arms Round 2 


Weigh-in update! I weighed in on Friday 12.16.16 and I was down two pounds for the week. That's a total of 59 lbs! I'm under 180 which was my first mini goal. Guess it's time to set some more goals!

Self Image Struggles

I have been struggling with the time change. I feel like I am trying to hibernate! The last few evenings I have been carb loading and trying to pass-out around 7:30pm. Plus there was the stress of the Election...

I have also been struggling with body image lately. I feel stagnant in my weight loss. It is coming off more slowly as the year progresses. Which is understandable. It typically comes off faster at first as you introduce diet change and physical fitness. I keep pushing forward even after I fall down...This week I lost 4 oz. Better than a gain though.

I can remember at one point early into my weight loss journey my resting heart rate was at 94. Did you hear that??? 94!!! That's not good! Now my resting heart rate is about 64/65. So over the last 10 months I have reduced my resting heart rate 30 points. My heart is working more effectively now.

So over the last 10 months I have lost 51 lbs, lost several inches(I need to find my starting inches), a few pant sizes and lowered my resting heart rate 30 points and I still struggle to see that big of a difference. I emotionally feel like I am still 237 lbs on some days.

I am trying to focus on what my body can do rather than what it isn't. I know that I will never have my body back to the way it was before I had kiddos. I gained 90 lbs with my first pregnancy. I didn't just get stretchmarks, I got skin tears. Everywhere. Even the backs of my knees. That cute little belly ring I was once able to wear will never see the light of day again. There is loose skin and sad boobies. lol But you know what? I can walk. I have all of my limbs. I can play with my children. I am otherwise healthy (with the exception of my PCOS and anxiety disorder). My husband thinks I am beautiful.

Why do I put so much value on my outward appearance? Of course you feel better when you take care of yourself. That's not what I mean...but when I look in the mirror all I can see is my "mom tummy" and the bags under my eyes. I am getting older by the minute. I am more than that though. I know this. 

I am on a mission to love my body and to be comfortable in my own skin. I know it has to be possible. It won't matter how much weight I lose if I can't love my body as it is now I will never be happy with it.

Progress of 24 Day Challenge {Day10}

I meant to post a few days ago...then the weekend happened! We went rollerskating Friday night after work, I had a training on Saturday followed by a baby shower and then we visited with my momma for most of today for our birthday, which is tomorrow.

I completed my 10 Herbal Cleanse on Wednesday 10/12/2016. I weighed in on Thursday morning and my scale read 188.0. That's a total of  4.2 lbs from 10/3. I didn't really feel like the scale represented the true progress of the cleanse because Aunt Flo had visited me earlier in the week.

 

My typical weigh-in time is always Friday mornings. I went ahead and got on the scale Friday as well and it read 186.2!!! So I feel this is my more accurate results of the cleanse even though there was one extra day added to the total.

For those of you that don't know, I have PCOS and I typically get multiple warning signs when my visitor is coming. This time I had no clue. There were no crazy cravings, no mood swings and no cramping except a little on the first day. It was kinda awesome. I am usually always miserable a few days before and even after.

I have not taken measurements. I will save that for the end of the 24 Day Challenge that will end on 10/26/2016. I can tell you that my clothes are fitting looser...especially my pants!

Now I am on to the Max Phase and I am excited to build up my core nutrition and continuing to work towards my goals. Stay tuned for the final results!

Progress of 24 Day Challenge {Day 5}

I am super excited about my progress with the AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge!!! I started on Monday 10/3/16. I had been stuck at 192.2 throughout September. Between our move and the kiddos back in school my stress levels where crazy high and with PCOS that just makes matters worse. I am happy I was able to maintain and not actually gain during September.

However, I know that I needed to step things up if I wanted to keep progressing towards my goals. My next goal is to get to 180. See where I started here.

  

I weighed in on Friday 10/7. That's 4 full days of my 10 day cleanse phase of the challenge. I have already lost 3.6 lbs!!! I've never been on a cleanse that was this easy before! I actually get to eat real food and I am not in the bathroom 27/4. I work full time and it hasn't interfered with my job. I feel pretty amazing too. I will tell ya around day three I was a little irritable. I vented to a friend and got over it and by Thursday morning I was feeling great.

 

I feel better than I have in a long time. I eat 6-7 times a day. I count Weight Watcher points to stay on track with my calorie intake. I know all too well how quickly calories can get out of control! I do follow the Herbal Cleanse precisely with the exception that I have added an extra dosage of OmegaPlex daily.

I will post an update after my full 10 Days of the cleanse and then my weight and measurements after the 24 days! So stay tuned!  

Weight Loss Update Since the Move: Back on Track!

We are starting to settle into the new home. Still have a garage full of boxes but life is starting to look normal again. I was scared to weigh myself since we had been grabbing convenience food for a week or so. I did finally get on the scale because I knew if I didn’t I would continue to let it get out of hand and it would end up worse than what it could be. I dreadfully stepped on the scale and it read 195.6. Okay. Not as bad as I thought. I only gained 2.4 lbs. over three weeks or so. I was really scared that it would be more.  

I know the only way to lose weight and even maintain my weight is to make healthy choices and keep track of everything I am eating. I did not do that. I was highly stressed and didn’t manage it well. Plus I ran out of my AdvoCare vitamins! 

I was starting to feel defeated again and starting to plan my next pity party. This is when I remembered my new motto: fall down seven times, stand up eight...I am only a failure when I give up!

 

During the midst of the craziness I decided I would try the 21 day fix. I wanted to change things up a bit. I thought it would give me something to focus on. I bought containers, made a binder, started a pinterest board and looked up as much info as I could. I failed on day one. 

Although the plan seems great, there wasn’t much wiggle room. I realize it is about clean eating and portion control but there was no “cheat” meal, no day off…nothing to look forward to lol. (Of course this is just the info I found online and I did not speak with an advisor for the plan.) It set me up for failure right away. All of a sudden I felt restricted and controlled. Don't get me wrong I still think this plan is good and can work for others but for me it just didn't fit. At least not at this time in my life. I do like some of the tips and food ideas and will incorporate them.

With that said, this is why I love Weight Watchers. Freedom. I get to choose. I track what I eat and stay within my daily points. I do plan out my days and I do the prep work. I love fruits and veggies so I always get 5+ servings in a day. If I get in a pinch for time, Weight Watchers is much more forgiving. I am back to following Weight Watchers since 9/4/16. It works. It’s all about portion control. I weighed in on 9/9/16 kinda nervous since it had been online 5 days but I was at 192.2!!!

I just know that this is where I need to be at this point in my journey and am excited to be back at it. I was feeling really blah! Next stop 190!!! See y'all there!

Weightloss Journey Update: Ups and Downs

The journey is hard right now. Ups and downs are expected. The downs suck. I have been completely sidetracked. I am exhausted mentally and physically. I am trying to juggle so many things. I started relying on food again. I am starting to recognize the emotional eating cycles.

I haven't worked out in a week and a half. I haven't actually cared. That's a bad place to be. I hate it. I skipped my weigh in last Friday because I didn't want to know. I'm going to guess a weight gain. My sacroiliac joint is acting up and has been creating pain and issues with walking at times.

My family and I took a three day weekend and went to the beach. It was nice to get away and have fun. We were headed down to Texas anyways to take my step-son home. Spent time with family while we were there too. While I was there I picked up an audio CD at a rummage sale. It is called Body for Life by Bill Phillips. It helped me refocus on my goals. It is getting me out of my slump.

I know I can be hard on myself. I think we are always harder on ourselves. What would I say to a friend? It wouldn't be things like: you suck, you're a loser, you should be ashamed, etc. Why do I tell myself these things? I would tell my friend it's okay, your mistakes don't define you, you can do this! These are things I should be telling myself. This goes back to affirmations.

I will make better plans. I will make healthier choices. I will get through this rough patch. I will weigh in this week, no matter what! I am already back on track today.

Sometimes I find that if I am going hardcore, a break is nice. It can jump start me back in to the game. The problem is when the break is too long and your old lifestyle drags you back. Not going to let that happen. I need to extend myself some grace. A week off isn't going to kill me. It's over. I can't change it now. I can only move forward and try to stay positive.

Dog Days of Summer...Still Need to Workout!

It is smoldering here in the South. Heat index has been 103-106 with high humidity. That alone will make you tired! Having the energy to workout is sometimes non-existent. I am an October kinda gal. I am ready for fall y'all!

I have a daily goal of getting in 10,000 steps, which is approximately 5 miles. I have a desk job so I spend my day setting at a computer but I move as much as possible.

I usually do at least one mile in the morning when I get up or a 15-20 minute quick workout to get going. Then I walk around on my two 15 minute breaks I get during my work day. Sometimes I will walk around at lunch as well. When I get home I try to do up to 2 miles or a 30 minute workout depending on where I am at with my steps and what I need to get done with my family. There are days that I do nothing...or next to nothing. LOL

An easy way to get physical activity in is walking at home. You get moving and stay inside in the nice cool air! I have been walking with Leslie Sansone off and on for several years. I have a handful of her DVDs. More recently I found her on youtube.com. I also like Jessica Smith TV for walking at home. Both these ladies do a great job of keeping you motivated during your workout. I do go to the park with my kiddos LATE in the evening and walk around while they play. I can usually only tolerate 30 minutes at a time. Did I mention I like Octobers?

My favorite workout videos are from FitnessBlender! I discovered them 2 years ago. I've got to try new workouts with them like barre and tabata /HIIT. They have over 500 videos. Fo' freeee! They are very knowledgeable and teach you proper form as you go through the workout. I highly recommend these two. Plus I am super thrifty and they help me stay within my fitness budget. :)

Although I have not been putting in heavy workouts the last month or so due to the ridiculous heat I am continuing to move and stay on track as much as possible. My weigh in this morning was 194.4 lbs. I am super excited about that! I have had a handful of off days...that's a given though. The struggle is real! Being healthy in an unhealthy world is hard work!



I have officially been blogging for one month (and a few days) and I have lost 7.6 lbs! My total weight loss so far is 42.4 lbs. Remember, fall down seven times, stand up eight! Keep going and you'll get there!

   

Why weigh yourself?

My personal experience with weighing-in used to be one of two ways; avoiding the scale at all costs because I didn’t want to “know” the truth or obsessing over it and weighing myself every few days or every other day. Both of these methods proved to be unsuccessful. 

Avoiding the scale is never good, especially if you are scared. There’s a good chance that you already know you’ve gained weight and by not stepping on that scale you are avoiding having to deal with it or take responsibility for the actions that got you there. At least this has been true with me. Admitting is the first step to recovery, right? 

Over weighing is not good either. Your body weigh fluctuates so much day to day. Factors like your hydration, whether you’ve went to the bathroom, if your Aunt Flo is about to visit and what you ate the day before can affect your weight. Weighing all the time became very discouraging and I felt like all my efforts were wasted. I would just quit trying. I figured, what’s the point? I would go back to my old ways, gain all the weight back I had lost and then some. 

I still weigh myself though. I have a set weigh-in every week. Only once a week. Never more. (Unless I am on a DietBet online and the weigh-in and weigh-out days are different). You have to know your weight if you are going to manage it. I find that Fridays tend to be the most accurate. On Friday morning I get up, go pee and step on the scale. I typically do really well during the week at work because I am on a schedule. I usually have my “cheat” meal on the weekend. This week I am down to 198!!! Super excited about that! Of course with the long holiday weekend and multiple get-togethers I am going to have to work extra hard this week to maintain it...

If you’ve been avoiding the scale…take that first step to taking back your weight and get on the scale. Then regularly weigh yourself but don’t over to do it. Talk to you next time!