Monthly Archives: March 2011

As the few of you who read this blog may have noticed, a) I’ve been a slacker with my posts. b) There is a recurring theme going on here lately: My fight for motivation.

My life has taken a turn for the crazy. I’ve had the opportunity to take on  more hours at work, which in turn has left me tired and fighting for the strength to get my workouts done.

At first I was scared and panicking about this, but then I realized that this is a winning situation (no…I am not quoting Mr. Sheen, here). It is winning because I AM fighting to get them done. I could easily just make up excuse after excuse…I had a long day at work, I have to do homework with the kids, the laundry is piling up, I have to grocery shopping to do….but I haven’t. I find the time, even if it means a midnight madness session.

I may get overwhelmed at times and I may not be doing the 1 hour a day workouts anymore, (let alone the two a days I used to pull…ahh…the good ol’ days.) but I’m still moving, burning and building and THAT is what counts.

The closer I get to my goals, the more the lifestyle workouts have to set in and form. It is not always possible to do long sessions, but as long as positive mentally is in place, proper nutrition becomes second nature and I find time for a quick cardio/strength circuits – I will never lose the progress I have gained.

Keep moving forward and stay positive, no matter how crazy things get.

No, seriously. I can’t find it anywhere.

I seem to be in a tug of war between workouts and nutrition. For some reason I can’t get the two to co-exist. If I’m having a stellar nutrition day, I am unmotivated to workout. If I am on point and get my workouts in, I mess up somewhere with my nutrition. It’s an endless battle between the two and I know there is a way to make them exist together in harmony….I’m just having some issues figuring it out.

This week I had ice cream, a cupcake and even some bacon. Yes, I said bacon. Yes, I know I have been trying a vegetarian style of eating. (Hangs head in shame) Although, I am not that bothered by my eating it. I like bacon, it tastes good and I went vegetarian for the health aspect of it, not the animal rights reason. (Ducks for cover)

I am coming to realize that there will be weeks like this and it’s ok. As long as the rest of your day is good and you don’t let that one cheat item become a “free pass” for a day of pigging out and being unhealthy.

I’ve also realized I HAVE to become more organized with my meals. This week I have forgotten my lunch at home….twice, not had the proper ingredients in the house to make well balanced meals and I have not taken the time to make the snacks I have to come to rely on. All of these just set me up to fail somewhere along the way.

So, what is your struggle? If you have found balance with this, how did you achieve it? I’ve reached an interesting point in my journey to a healthy “me” and while I get frustrated, I am enjoying the lessons I am learning.

After my last blog, I received quite a few “resumes” for the position of coach. I am happy to report that I chose not one, but two people to coach me and get my slacker ass back on track. I know that they will both do all they can to keep me going. I also know that it is up to me to stay true to my word and give it my all.

Sooooo….what have I done so far to get back on track? Well, I did a modified Shakeology Cleanse to jump start my discipline. The cleanse also works as a punishment, if you have never read my cleanse blogs – check ’em out!

I started Level 2 of the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. I am still enjoying the Shred program because it’s short and to the point. Being that the workouts are short I added some relaxation/stretching yoga to my routine to help me clear my mind. I like having the freedom to add to my routine when time allows. I think it makes a difference.

Unfortunately, Monday night I was stricken by the dreaded stomach bug (again). The lovely little bug knocked me out of my new routine for a day, but I was back at it this morning! I did my shred routine and followed it with a Shape Magazine booty workout that I found on Netflix on-demand.

I’m hoping that between my daily coach check-in’s and some changes in my thinking, I’ll be back on track in no time.

Thank you to everyone who commented and offered to help me. A special thank you to my coaches, Tab and Nate, you guys are the best support team a girl could wish for.

Now Hiring: Someone to keep me on track, make me accountable and get me to fully recommit to my fitness goals. Must be willing to deal with my sometimes (cough-cough) thick-headed attitude, help me regain focus and push me back on track, so I can cross the finish line.

Yes. You read the above correctly. I need help. I need someone to coach ME. I seem to have lost focus with the increase of hours at my job and that can not be an excuse. I need some accountability for myself so I’m turning to my fellow tweeters, Beachbody friends and fitness folks for help.

I am having trouble sticking to a program. Heck, I’m having an issue sticking to anything. I am all over the place with my workouts and I need to correct this.

If you are interested in applying for this (unpaid) position, please comment below, tweet me, Facebook message me, e-mail me or send a carrier pigeon…anything.

This coach needs a coach! Stat!

There is something appealing about a woman who has confidence. A woman who knows she is smart, beautiful and strong.

I believe this is something many women strive for, or want others to believe they are, but many of us struggle with this.

In a society where magazines only show thin models and Photoshop is the airbrush tool of the trade, there is no wonder so many women look in the mirror and think they are not beautiful or think they are flawed. I know this is something I struggle with and I hope that struggle will not last much longer.

The funny thing about this is, the women featured in these magazines do not represent the average woman. The majority of women do not wear a size 0, rock 6-pack abs or have a bikini ready body. We need to stop placing all of this pressure to be perfect on ourselves and embrace our curves.

As a person who spent the majority of their life overweight and unhappy in their own skin, losing over 100-lbs is a huge change. For many months during my transformation, my mind didn’t recognize the changes that were happening. My clothes became loose, inches dropped and the scale began to move in reverse, but in my mind I was still the same over weight person who was embarrassed to go out and be social. I dreaded going shopping for new clothes and I felt like people were looking at me and noticing my “problem areas” because those were all I seemed to focus on.

Even today I have days were I forget how far I have come and that I am not the same overweight woman I once was. It frustrates me that I have lost as much weight as I have, wear a single digit size and sometimes still feel insecure and self-conscious. Is my body perfect? No…..but it’s mine and I know that I need to stop focusing on what I can’t change right now and always be proud of what I have accomplished. Sometimes that is easier said than done, but this is all a process and I don’t have any intentions of turning back so I better get used to it.

I am a beautiful, strong, smart woman and despite the fact that I sometimes let my inner demons get the best of me, I know how far I have come and I am ready to embrace the new me.