The wise words of Eminem...

Happy Monday, I woke up this morning thinking....Never underestimate your ability to do anything you want to do. I know that can be hard sometimes with how daunting things can seem but, you really can do anything you train to do.

Years ago when I first fell in love with the idea of doing races it started with just an admiration for the women that did them. I always looked at them in awe. Wondering how they did it, wishing I was as awesome but then brushing it off with...maybe someday, not really believing that I could do it. But something changed in my life and I was put in a position to be surrounded by women that made me feel like I could and the more I was around them, the more I believed I could, the more I believed I could, the more I wanted it and so I started training. I started with poor training but the belief needed and over the years my training has improved and my belief has grown bigger and so have the races.

 

 Since then I have done; two half marathons, competed in a figure competition, done a triathlon and run the Peachtree road race and loved every minute of it. This year, I will be running the Peachtree again, doing my second figure competition, my second triathlon at an Olympic level this time and taking on the challenge of training for my first full Marathon.  The sheer thought of how far I have come brings me to tears. This is the person I have always wanted to be. I am a true testament to the old adage " you can do anything you set your mind to". It's true, it's real, and all you need is the belief, a plan, support and to get out there and freakin' train. Have a happy Monday and don't sell yourself short....EVER :)

Workout Wednesday

Happy Workout Wednesday, as you know I am getting ready for my race and I have been doing some speed and conditioning work. One of the workouts I designed for myself is this little treadmill gem I am sharing with you. It has really taught me to push myself to get a faster base pace in turn helping me burn more calories and spending more time in the high intensity zone. On the second round if you can you should try to beat your time from the first round.

This next 10lbs

Happy Sunday y'all, you know I was just thinking about goals today and yesterday as it is a new month. I am down 10.4 pounds as of the last time I weighed and I was thinking what that meant for my journey. That means that the next 10 pounds is going to be a huge deal for me. This next 10lbs will completely change my body. It will be during this next 10lb weight loss that the people that I am around daily will start to notice. I will officially go from medium/large (depending on the cut) to medium/small. It will take this next layer of fat off of my body exposing more of the muscle I have built. This next 10lbs will take me from borderline overweight to looking pretty fit. But that is only if I don't give up.

I would be lying if I said this isn't going to be hard or daunting. I would be lying if I said I won't want to give up or quit. I mean let's face it, this shit is hard, it has it's emotional ups and downs and it's not going to be easy. I am going to have those days where I don't want to push myself, I don't want to workout or eat right. I will have days where I just don't want to fight for this anymore and I just want to stop trying and eat what I want. There will be tears and feelings of despair and defeat. But that is when I have to remember my "WHY". Why am I doing this? Why am I fighting so hard to change when the results are so slow? Why do I care? Because even though it's hard, even though it sucks some days, even though I feel like I am never going to get there..... I will and I am happier trying than I am when I have given up. Plain and simply there is by far more joy in my life when I am eating right and working out. The journey is so much more rewarding than hitting the finish line. I know that sounds like bullshit but think back to the last time you had given up....how happy were you? So I look at this next 10lb journey as a possible spiritual, learning experience. The first 10lbs already taught me so much about my body and what works best for it. Now this 10 can teach me more about myself on a deeper more spiritual level. It sounds crazy doesn't it, but think about it. To get past all of the desires to give up I am going to have to tap into something on a much deeper level within me to keep going. Which means getting real with myself about who I am and who I want to be. Anyways, I am rambling. I guess my point is for me to focus on the journey at this stage and what it can teach me along with what it will mean for my fitness level and outward appearance. So get deep with yourself today, what does your goal for April mean to you in every aspect of your life and connect to your "why" for doing this so on those days when your mentally, physically and emotionally tired of the ups and downs of this journey you can push through....at least until the next day. Happy Sunday.

Breaking a plateau

Happy Workout Wednesday :) I have finally broken my plateau. My weight moved in the right direction this morning and I am hoping to keep this momentum going. I was so frustrated with this plateau that yesterday I went back into my food logs to see what I was eating when my results were great last time so I could repeat those things. While I was doing that I also noticed that some of my workouts were of higher intensity than they are right now. 

So yesterday I picked up the pace and pushed myself a little harder in every exercise that I did.  Not only is changing what your eating and the quality of the calories a great way to break a plateau, so is giving more intensity during your workouts. Push yourself harder if even for just a minute more. I heard once that just when you think you don't have anything left to give, you can probably give about 20% more. So one of the things I did when I was seeing great results was push to do my burpees with the correct form and a full set unbroken. So I added this video to show you how to do a burpee correctly. You can always eliminate the jump if you have bad knees and if your a beginner just step back one leg at a time instead of the full thrust back. So add 3 sets of 10 unbroken burpees if possible. During every workout from here on out push a little bit hard as often as possible and keep track of your intensity, how you feel and your results. I guarantee you will be amazed at what you didn't think you could do. As always, have a Wonderful Workout Wednesday

Salads in Mason jars :D

I shared this wonderful tip that I have been using with one of my accountability groups and decided I wanted to share it here as well. I hope you find it helpful.
Mason jars for meal prep. I love them to store my salads for the week because they keep the ingredients fresh if you layer them properly. And when you're ready to eat, all you have to do is shake 'em up!

Here are a few tips for creating the perfect mason jar salad:
Pour dressing in the bottom. That way your veggies stay crunchy and fresh.
Layer heartier ingredients like carrots or beans after the dressing.
Pack your greens on top. Yummm! enjoy.

Pina Colada Shakeology

Guilt free Pina colada shakeology

Thirsty Thurssssdaaaayyyyy!!!!

OMG!! I had this today and it was freakin' amazing.

1 packet of Vanilla Shakeology
1 cup of fresh pineapple
1/3 of avocado
And 1 cup of coconut milk
1/2 cup of ice and blend. 

It was legit so yummy. You know I love a shake that gives me my nutrients and superfoods that taste like a dessert.

The avocado is optional but I added it since I've been having trouble getting in all of my calories and you can't even taste it. It add healthy fat and the extra calories I need and it made it extra creamy. Add a little water if necessary to cut the thickness.

Some recipes call for coconut extract but I tend to steer clear of extracts as they contain alcohol.

I am definitely gonna be hooked on this all summer😋

To purchase Shakeology click here.

So on Monday I got my meal prep shopping done. Well some of it anyway.  I pretty much buy the same groceries every week too. I guess I'm just a creature of habit or I know what I like and what works so I kind of try to stick with it when I can. I really do love my Mondays. I do my meal prep shopping, I go to the bank, I clean, I go to hot yoga, I fill up my gas tank, I try to take a nap if possible, I water my orchid... haha😊 it's one of my favorite days. 

Anyways, on Mondays I always think about goals. I already know that I have a speed goal for my runs, so I want to get faster but that's my fitness goal for the week and my weight loss goal is to get to 10 pounds lost which is 1 pound and a half away and 2 inches off my waist. 

When you're doing a weight lifting program it's all about inches lost. While muscle weighs more than fat so I may only lose a pound and a half and 2 inches off my waist but it looks like more. That pound and a half of pure fat because I'm building muscle completely changes the way my body looks. So that measly pound and a half will look more like five.Which I am super excited about. That is by far my favorite part of a weight lifting program, completely reshaping your body and knowing that what the scale reads doesn't much matter.