Whole Foods sticker shock & approaching week off!

One more week of workouts and then I'm taking a week off to visit my friends back in Iowa! Technically, I had a 1 week break back in March when I was sick with bronchitis, but officially, I haven't had a TRUE break of enjoying my time off, time off that does not involve trying to crawl from the couch to the medicine cabinet without hacking up a lung or watching the room spin, since the first of the year. I am READY.

This past week I really hadn't eaten the best, because we went out for our anniversary on Wednesday night, ordered pizza on Friday night, and went to Bird Dog BBQ on Sunday. Mostly due to the fact we needed groceries and were both unmotivated to face the ridiculousness of King Soopers parking lot, LOL! However, I will justify my poor eating selections with the fact that I controlled my portion sizes much better than ever in the past, and I always had the other two meals of the day filled with very lean and healthy products (i.e, salads, nuts, fruit, veggies). This week I am determined to be back on track. As for our trip to Iowa, we are driving, but I convinced Aaron we needed to buy a food cooler, so we could stock it with veggies & fruit, so we wouldn't be tempted to stop for fast food at every opportunity. He agreed. Eating right sure seems easier when your husband is on board, you were right Sarai. It helps to have that other person keeping you accountable...unless he'd rather order pizza than hit up the grocery store. We are a work in progress.

Also, I stepped foot into the Whole Foods store for the first time ever. After I recovered from the initial sticker shock of their prices, and promptly restocked the fruits I had picked up thinking they would be comparable in price to fruits at King Soopers, I actully did get some sprouted grain pita bread, hummus, and organic chicken. It was all I was willing to spend extra money on. Excuse the stereotype, but holy cow, its no wonder hippies are poor. They spend all their income on Whole Foods!

Sarai, I ran into Steven at church yesterday and he told me he's moving there this week!!! YAY!!! I'm so excited for you both. I'll be praying for his safe journey and for your peace of mind until he arrives! YOU DESERVE TO DO SOMETHING FUN AND FANTASTIC WHEN HE GETS THERE!!! You've survived!

Shannon, I can not put into words how EXCITED I am for TurboFire. Thank you so much for posting the link. I put my name on the list to be notified as soon as its available for purchase. I searched Chalene's blog for inside info on it as well, and she explains that if you are already doing ChaleanExtreme, she encourages you to use those weight training videos in place of the ones that come with TurboFire, because TurboFire is more focused on cardio intervals, and the weight training that comes with it is slightly less challenging that ChaleanExtreme. So I'm thrilled her new program will rotate easily the Chalean Extreme intervals. I can not WAIT til it comes out! I am definately getting burned out ont the cardio portions of Chalean Extreme. Supposed to be available in June!!!

You girls are both doing amazing work keeping up your motivation. Shannon, I know how discouraging it is to see weight go up a bit, especially when you are working just as hard (harder?) as the month prior. You encouraged me to stay positive when this kept happening to me, so I'll do the same for you, not that you appear concerned about it=) How you maintain that healthy mindset, I dunno but I'm JEALOUS!!! I will say I do not SEE the 2 lbs at ALL on you. It must be in your boobs, you know, cuz your weights on your chest match your weights on your back!!! J/K, but wouldn't it be wonderful if the only place we put on weight was in our bra??? At least we know its not on your stomach, way to go Abs!!! Shaun T has got NOTHING on Shannon Y. Keep up the great work. I'm proud of you! Sarai, I am thrilled you are having great results with Burn! I too forgot how challenging it was. Definately makes your body recalculate what it THINKS its in for! I'm also happy to hear God is helping you maintain a healthy mindset when it comes to eating right and working out. Its obviously easier to stay on track when God is cheering you on=)=) I need to remind myself more often that God wants us to be healthy in all wellness aspects, spiritual, physical, and mental. I admire you for having such a strong relationship with Him and relying on Him for balance of all these areas of wellness. You are such an amazing example to me=)

Well I love our blog and love you girls. I look forward to seeing the new posts from each of you everytime I log on. We sure have something special here! Have a great week!

Check out this site!

So I was doing some research today on different programs and reviews, etc. and I came across this website. Thought you girls might be interested.

http://www.getmovingcatalog.com/turbo-fire.html

"If you don't get it by now...."

Uhhh....I still don't get it!! Just kidding...I get it, I just don't always adhere to it. I am sure you girls know what "it" is...eating lean....blah blah blah!!

Moving on...

So my week of Tower 200 was good and interesting. I am only using for the lower body exercises on Push. The weight increments for the bands are 25, 35, and 40. I have used both the 25 and 35. They definitely give you a challenge because of the additional weight as well as the balance it takes to maintain your position since the bands are attached to the door. So here is my story...I was doing one of the lower body exercises in Push 2 (I think)...it is the one where you go into a lunge and while still in the lunge position you bring your back leg forward and stand up using the leg in the forward position (know which one I mean Sarai??). Anyway, I do the lunge and all is fine and dandy, but when I go to bring my back leg forward (all my weight is on my forward leg), the resistance bands want to naturally go back to the door...so I find myself on one leg being brought back to the door frame. :) Needless to say, it was an awkward exercise, but kind of comical. :)

My workouts have been going well. Thanks Sarai...I really do try to change things up every couple of months. I found that once I had done the program a couple of times, I knew what I liked and what I wanted to make sure I always incorporated into my regular workout routine. It has been nice to know that in about 8-10 weeks I will be changing it up (even if it's a small change). I am actually thinking about trying the Brazil Butt Lift program from BeachBody. I know it is looks kind of cheesy, but I have seen some pretty impressive reviews on it. I haven't decided for sure, but I am definitely thinking about it.

A bragging moment...So Pat and I were (for some reason) talking about "Insanity" and joking about the instructor (Shaun T) who always lifts his shirt up when he is doing the exercises and why he doesn't just take his shirt off, etc. Anyway, I decided to demonstrate and I looked in the mirror when I did it and I must say, I was very pleased with my abs. I saw nice definition of my obliques and upper abs and those very low abs muscles (you know the ones I am talking about?). Bragging over.

Well, as you girls know, I am not really trying to reach a particular weight goal. My goals continue to be adding resistance to all of my workouts and being pleased with how I look and feel...so far so good! My weights continue to climb in the majority of exercises. Amber, I think I might try your approach of going up in weight if my current weight is too light and just doing as many reps as possible with "good form" even if it is below the 10 rep mark. I will say that my left side in particular improved (in terms of form) the last time I did the deltoid exercises. Yay!! In terms of my actual weight, I continue to range between 121-123, however, when I weighed myself today, I was 125...don't know, but won't worry about it too much.

Well, this has been a pretty LOOOONG post, so I should probably wrap it up. Before I go, I just wanted to say that it makes my heart so happy that you girls are loving this program so much and that you both have seen nice changes in your body (even if they have been slower:)). I love being able to talk with you both about it...it is keeping me motivated and even excited about working out.

Amber, keep up the hard work. I have seen definite changes in your body in the last month, so stay motivated because I bet you will reach your goal soon. :)

Sarai, I am glad God continues to keep you on the right track with your health. Enjoy working out and seeing progress, but also enjoy life!

Love you both!!

PS. I got chocolate milk today...HAH!!!

Got Milk???

I thought you ladies might find this article interesting....

http://health.yahoo.com/experts/eatthis/54828/the-chocolate-milk-diet/

BTW

Amber,

I have run into the dilemna of 6lbs being too light and 9lbs being too heavy. Same with the jump from 9 to 12. I bought 8 and 10 pound weights to make the transition a bit easier. It was not a bad choice because I use them ALL the time. But, I also like your idea of just working up to 10-12.

Sarai

OOOOO EEEEEE!!!!

First of all, I want you girls to know that I love you and miss you very much!!! It's so great to hear from you and how you're doing with your health. Hope you're both doing well otherwise as well...marriages, work, etc.

Shannon, I'm happy that you have found so many different ways to do Chalean Extreme. I've stopped doing some of the cardio workouts for now like Burn it Off, but I know that when I'm ready to do them again, it's going to kick my butt!!! It feels great to be sore though doesn't it? You'll definitey need to share all about your Tower 200 experiences...what's that all about?

Amber, YAY!!!!!!!!! I'm so happy for you. Ok, so now that you've changed your eating, I hope that the changes you're seeing in the mirror and the scale are worth the sacrifices. I'm glad that you're going to try to do the phases alternating with L4L. I liked the way it's going to workout because it will take me to December which is exactly when I'd like to meet all of my weight/body fat goals and maybe try to switch things up again. Who is bringing you Oreo Shakes to work? I need to have a talk with them.

Steven and Sasha have not moved to Texas yet...we just met half way yesterday in New Mexico. I think it's definitely going to make the last two weeks apart a lot easier. I'm ready for him to move down.

Anyway, things are still going well for me in terms of my eating and exercising. God keeps on bringing healing in the way of reducing the mental energy that I put into it which in turn makes it easier to stay on track. Who knew that eliminating your obsessive thinking actually helps you be a more functional person? One thing that I was a bit aprehensive about when I moved into Kyla's is that she has a weight scale which has always been a struggle for me. I used to weight myself like 5-10 times a day so I haven't allowed myself to own a scale since college. Instead, I've just weighed myself at Bally's 1-2 times a week. Well, since I no longer have a gym membership I won't be able to do that once Steven and I move into our place. SOOOOO, I told myself that if I could keep my weighing to a minimum (1-2 times a week) while here at Kyla's, I could purchase a scale. Well, this weekend, I bought myself a Weight Watchers digital scale that also measures body fat and water percentage (hydration)...YAY!!! I'm so excited about this thing and from what I can tell, the measurements are consistent with previous ones.

Burn is so amazing!!! I can't remember sweating this much during weight training EVER...not even Lean. I'm definitely feeling "smaller, leaner, tighter". Oh and I tried Get Lean Intervals for the 1st time this week...wow, I can't believe she calls the light weight, endurance sections "recovery". Whatever Chalene!!

Talk to you girls soon...

PROGRESS!!! (apologizing in advance for tooting my own horn)

Hey ladies. This blog is about a week late, but life has been HECTIC! So, I just want to put the good news in writing and exclaim that last month I lost 2 POUNDS! Yes. 2 entire pounds. I credit the success to my change in eating habits, going OFF the pill, and weighing myself (forgive me if this is TMI) during the unbloated time in my cycle. All I can say is that finally seeing results on the scale (not just in the mirror) has given me such a renewed motivation to continue upping my challenges in working out as well as eating right. So here are my current stats...

April weigh in: 124.4

Weight as of May 10th: 122.2

Goal Weight: 115

Ok enough bragging. Sarai, I saw on facebook that you had some Steven & Sasha time! Have they come to visit or have they moved there for good? Either way I'm glad you are together again!!!

Also, I have decided to follow your lead, Sarai, and rotate the L4L and Circuit Intervals. I just got through my first week of Burn, and have decided to "push" myself forward in weights on triceps and posterior deltoids. Those are my weakest muscles but going with just 6 lbs on those is not enough, and going up to 9 always seemed to heavy. Well no excuses, I am biting the bullet and pushing myself to try 9, even if I fail at 8. I will eventually work up to failing at 10. But staying with the lighter 6 lb weight was not progressing me along. Have you girls had similar experiences?

Shannon, I am excited (and slightly amused) at your breaking in the Tower 200 program! You'll have to fill Sarai in, if you haven't already, on your battle with the device! Talk about a new challenge.

WELL girls, its time for me to grab a shower & get productive with my Sunday! Love ya.

Amber

Memories!!!!!

So, I did Burn It Off and Ab Burner this week after months of not even looking at those workouts. I just did ab burner today, so we will see what my abs are like tomorrow...I did forget how tough it is though. YIKES!!! I did Burn It Off on Thursday, however, and my inner thighs have been sore ever since. TWO...yes TWO full day of soreness in my inner thighs. I think they are so sore from those stupid burpee series that is done at the end of the workout...I really tried to go deeper into my sumo squat and boy am I feeling it now. I just can't believe how sore I continue to be even after doing other workouts and the stretches...usually that will stretch me out and my soreness starts to decline, but not this time. I guess it is good though...tells me my body had a great workout. :)

Anyway, I am doing my rotational thing again. This first week, I did the first Lean 4 Life week excluding the Push circuit. In its place I added Lower Body Extreme. I kept everything else the same...doing one cardio, one interval, and abs. The second week, I will do all three circuits of Push with my Tower 200 (for lower body) and weights (for upper body). Again, I will keep the interval, cardio, and ab workouts the same . I will continue to alternate between the lean 4 life week and push for the whole 8 weeks. We will see how it goes.

Sarai,
I haven't tried the Tower 200 in my workouts, but Pat tried it out and liked it and I did a couple of squats just to get the "feel" of it and I think it has good potential for helping me increase weight for my lower body. It has pulley systems on both the top and bottom giving you options for upper and lower body exercises. Again, I haven't tried it in an actual workout, but I think it should work. I will let you know after this week what I think of it. :) Also, I think it is great that you have "relaxed" on the amount of exercising you do every week. I believe God gave you the right idea to focus on yourself and Steven.

Amber,
You have been doing a great job staying on track with working out and eating right...good for you. It is never easy...especially working at CDC and especially when someone (not mentioning any names) brings you a delicious Oreo Cookie Shake, but you have been doing great and you should be very proud of yourself. I hope you are able to take a week off soon (not counting the one you took when you got so sick) because I bet your body could use a little recovery time. :)

Anyway, I hope you all have a great workout week!

Getting back into it...

Hi Girls!!! It's always great to read your updates and hear how you're doing. Shannon, did you get to play with your Tower 200? I googled it and thought it was really cool but couldn't figure out how you could do lower body on it. You'll have to let me know what you think.


Amber, just stick with it and don't let a few extra eaten brownies discourage you from getting right back on track!! I think we all have our days that it's harder to stay dedicated BUT, as long as you're on the right track most of the time, the results will keep coming...slowly but surely.


Well, I just finished a complete week off and I was getting ready to get started again BUT I thought that instead, I would begin my month by writing you guys. First of all, it was sooooooo nice to not have to wake up at 5am to workout this past week. The rest was amazing and I'm hoping that rest I got will give me the energy I need to get back into it with strength and motivation. In terms of eating, I gave myself no guidelines and no rules. I just ate what I wanted. So, I ended up eating more than I usually would but not by a whole lot. I think that I've brain washed myself so much that I can't actually eat very much even if I allow myself to. Plus, I hate feeling "full." I felt guilty at times but I kept telling myself that my body was strong and that it wasn't going to let me down by gaining 10 lbs in one week. I avoided the scale all week because I was afraid that I would not enjoy my week off if I new what my weight was. Anyway, all that to say that I loved my week off.

One thing that I have changed in terms of working out is that I'm just following the Chalean Extreme Program as written...no extra cardio and no extra ab workouts. Before I moved to Texas, I was doing 1-2 extra Chalean cardio workouts and going to the gym for at least 2 more cardio workouts as well. If you do the math, I was pretty much spending all of my free time working out. With all the changes going on and with the fact that I actually asked God to set my priorities straight, it just felt right to "chill out" and pour myself into other things that also matter like my God and my husband. The result has been amazing freedom both physically and mentally. AHHHHH...


Here are my goals for the Month of May:

Goal Weight Range for May: 119.5 to 124.5

Weight on April 11th: 123.9
Today's Weight: 122.0 (Yippidy...even after lots of chocolate, burritos, and Chick-fil-a)
Total Loss: 1.9
Long term Goal weight range: 112.5 to 117.5 (only 5 to 7 lbs left)

Ok...now I can go do Burn 1

Love you Girls!!!