Ahhh, life has been really busy lately. We’ve been doing a lot of traveling by car. Between our trip to P-town a few weeks back and our road trip to Burlington, VT this past weekend, I feel like I’ve either been preparing to keep the family content during lots of hours in the car or spending my time in the passenger seat.

To say the least, I’ve been knocked out of the groove that I love so much. I’ve been getting in about 2 workouts per week, which is just making me crazy. It’s apparent that I need my daily workout to maintain balance in my life. It makes me more productive, too. It’s crazy to think that spending an hour a day exercising will help you get more things done, but it does for me.

I’m adamant to get back on track today. We don’t have any travel or hectic plans for the next couple of weeks, so this is the perfect time to refocus and continue on this journey.

I won’t blame my lack of commitment solely on travel, though. It has been so hot here in MA the past few weeks. I can’t remember a stretch this long without rain, but finally, we’re seeing some droplets today. The humidity has been horrible too. Sitting around makes you drip with sweat. The last thing I want to do is sweat gallons while exercising.

One good thing to mention is that my eating has been pretty good considering the lack of schedule I’ve been keeping. Chobani has been my savior. I love it! It travels well and can be used as a meal or a quick snack.

On today’s schedule – TurboFire 30.

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We went away for a few wonderful days at Race Point Beach in Provincetown, MA. Our days were filled with beautiful sunshine, crashing waves, and playing in the sand, while our evenings involved a nice walk into town and delicious seafood dinners. We couldn’t have asked for better weather, and I will remember this vacation and the happy memories we made together for a long time.

I certainly ate my fair share of food, and I enjoyed every single bite. My dinners weren’t all that bad. They were all either haddock or cod, but I didn’t shy away from the bread basket, nor did I refuse any of the delicious sauces that covered each dish. I’m ok with that. What I’m not entirely comfortable with was my eating on the beach. We brought the grill, so my protein choices were fine; however, I caught myself mindlessly eating cookies and chips several times. I knew I was doing it, and I did stop myself once I realized what I was doing. I will not fall into old traps and get back on the destructive path I used to be traveling. No way!

I am still on vacation for the next week, but I’ll be spending it at home relaxing with my family. I have a vacation to-do list of all small projects, many of the unfinished variety. I would like to cross a few off the list this week so that I feel somewhat productive, but I will definitely not skimp on the fun stuff. Looking at the above photos (I do know the WB is off) makes me miss my camera and photography (I have a small side biz for family and friends - Little Bird Photography), and I’m officially adding “Do More Photography” to my ongoing list of self-improvement. The focus for this week is Re-Balance – a time to enjoy finishing projects I started long ago so I can feel no regret and move on to new projects.

I have already resumed my Clean Eating and exercise this week. I’m not backing down on that, and I’m happy to report that the scale is just about back to where it was before I left for P-town, which is a wonderful thing. I’m going to read up a bit on the 5-Day Inferno Plan for Turbo Fire right now, while enjoying a cup of coffee on my deck.

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Just head on over to Jasmere for this current deal. Jasmere is offering a $25 [me]&Goji Voucher for just $10!!! I have been dying to try this Mix-your-Own Custom Cereal for ages, but the price was a bit high for me. So, I’m totally jumping on this!

Shipping will be about $4.99 for the first tube and just $.99 for each additional tube, and if a bunch of us order, the voucher price may go even lower!!!

Not sure what Jasmere is? Check out an explanation here.

Also, this deal only lasts for about 3 hours so HURRY UP!!!

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Soon The Mr., Little Miss C and I will be going on a little adventure to one of our most favorite places in the world, Race Point Beach in Provincetown, MA. For those of you who have never been to nor heard of Provincetown, or P-Town!, it’s basically the gay capital of the Northeast. Dare I say it’s magical? I’m not sure why, but as soon as you enter Provincetown, all worries and inhibitions go right out the window (and probably some clothing goes out the window for some of the visitors as well). Maybe it feels so freeing because it’s pretty confined, being that it is the very tip of Cape Cod, and the only reason you’re there is because you want to be. There’s no just “passing through on your way” to somewhere else. The beaches are beautiful, the people are kind (and sometimes a little wacky – which I love! Can you say “hello, fishnets and purple boas on men?!?!” LOVE it!), the nightlife is crazy, and the restaurants serve some wonderful food.

Most of our days will be spent on this little gem here, Race Point Beach (photo courtesy of google, but that’s really Race Point Lighthouse, and yes, those are tire tracks in the sand):

Race Point Beach is gorgeous! If you have a 4wd vehicle, you can drive all through the dunes and right up to the ocean. You park just feet from the water. Nothing beats it!

How do I plan to Eat-Clean while on vacation?

Well, the first success factor is that I’m actually planning what I’ll be eating, for the most part. We are staying in a hotel room that only has a mini-fridge. We will not have a stove or a microwave or any way to heat our food while at the hotel (there may be a microwave in the hotel office, but I’m not really sure). We will be living out of our coolers, for the most part. Thank god for free hotel ice!

Breakfast

We will most likely NOT be eating at a restaurant for breakfast. The Mr. will most likely get a muffin at the coffee shop. I will pack some cereal for Little Miss C. For me, I’m planning on bringing 1 dozen hard-boiled eggs to eat with whole wheat bread and some Chobani to eat with raw oats and fruit. I may even make some overnight oats!

Lunch

Normally, we buy sandwich fixings and have soggy sandwiches on the beach for lunch, but this year, we are planning on bringing our portable grill, after drooling over the food our beach neighbors were cooking last year. I think the grill will certainly help with keeping me in check with my clean eating during the day. I’m going to marinate some chicken and steak to grill along with some peppers and onions.

Dinner

We will definitely be eating dinner out at a restaurant each night we’re there. I’m not too worried about this. There are so many seafood options available, I’m sure I can make some good decisions to keep my meals fairly clean.

Snacks

Snacking will definitely be tough for me. I will have extra Chobani and hard-boiled eggs. I’m also bringing some apples and string cheese, since they travel well and Little Miss C loves both. I’m going to try my Shakeology this week without the blender to see how I like it, and if that works for me, I’ll bring some individual packets along for the ride. In theory, these snacks all sound great, but when I’m walking through town, I know I’ll be tempted by the homemade ice creams and fudge and Portugese Fried Dough.

Exercise

I’m not really sure what I’ll be doing for exercise. The plan is to bring my bands and worksheets so I can keep up with my ChaLEAN Extreme, but I’m really only going to miss one CLX workout if I can squeeze one in before we leave in the morning. I know I’ll be walking at least 5 miles each day (going into town and back is 2 miles). I’m hoping to just do a bit of strength training in the room to keep me honest. We’ll see. I’m not going to be too hard on myself as long as my eating stays clean.

Even though I will be limited, I don’t think it’s an excuse to not follow my Eat-Clean ways. P-Town is a very health-conscious town, and I can be very successful if I plan and commit.

Any tips from those who have traveled and had minimal ways to cook/heat their food? I’d love to hear them!

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TURBO FIRE IS NOW AVAILABLE!!!

TWO FULL DAYS EARLY!!!!

I am so excited! I just ordered my copy. If you LOVE Turbo Jam, then this is what you’ve been waiting for. I’ve done the 15 minute HIIT workout, and it is SUPERB!

Order your copy of TURBO FIRE HERE!!! (if you would like to learn how to get 25% off the list price, please contact me for more info!)

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This past weekend was so rainy! The Mr. has been bugging me for, oh, about 8 years to clean out our basement. It’s a pit. Or it was a pit. It’s getting better, though, thanks to me spending many hours down there this weekend, throwing stuff away and selling unused items on craigslist. I made enough space for a nice little workout area for myself. I was so excited that there was actually an area that could be/needed to be vacuumed! That’s how much junk was down there. Our old big screen tv was already there, so I just needed to invest in a DVD player. Thanks to my craigslist selling, I was able to do this! Why the big push to get this done? Well, I’ve been working out in my home office for the past 3.5 months, but I really can’t jump around because our floors are kind of “spongy”, but now I can jump to my heart’s content, which is what I plan on doing once I receive this next week!

I CAN’T WAIT FOR TURBO FIRE!!!!

The basement is not entirely cleaned out, but I like to think of it as a work-in-progress, kind of like me.

I am down a total of 3 lbs for this week!!!

I know that being thin and healthy can’t make all of my worries go away, and neither can being rich, but I can tell you that both of these things make everyday life so much easier! I’m still working on acquiring a fortune from somewhere, but losing weight has certainly helped me in so many ways in my daily life. I’m still working towards my goal, but I’m enjoying the process, too.

• I love the fact that getting dressed in the morning is so much easier! I can pretty much pull any pair of pants from my current closet and not worry about fitting into them. This doesn’t seem like a big deal, but if you’ve ever been overweight, getting dressed is not a happy time of the day!
• I have so much more energy due to my weight loss and healthy eating and exercise.
• I no longer hide from mirrors.

Again, I still have a long way to go, but these small changes have made such a huge difference to my life overall. I really am loving my life these days. What a difference from where I was just 4 months ago.

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What my waist looks like 90 days later:

Even though P90X is taking the world by storm these days, I had heard very little about it when I decided to start the program. I was in the worst shape of my entire life, I weighed about as much as I did when I gave birth to Little Miss C, and I was completely depressed because of this. I didn’t have a real plan or any expectations; I just knew I needed to do something. Anything. Whatever I did was going to be better than what I was currently doing…which was absolutely nothing.

A few friends on Facebook were posting about doing P90X, so I decided to get a copy and join them. I started right away, and I committed to completing the full 90 days NO MATTER WHAT! I had nothing to lose. I would take it one day at a time, and I would not get discouraged by my results; I would see it through to the end because there was no way in hell that I wouldn’t be better off than I was in the beginning.

I woke up each morning at 6:30am, and I was pushing play by 7:00am. It was not easy. Some days I didn’t want to do it, but in my mind, I didn’t really have a choice. So, I just pushed play and 5 minutes into it everything was fine. By the end of the video, I was pleased with myself for completing it, and I would go on with my day with a sense of confidence and accomplishment. Every workout was tougher than just about anything physical I’d ever done in my life, and I would be dripping with sweat and breathing heavy.

After 30 days, I had lost 4 lbs. WHAT? I’ve been getting up early and working harder than ever, eating all clean foods, and I’ve only lost 4 stinkin’ pounds?!?!? I was seriously ready to quit. And then I looked at my photos. There was a pretty significant difference compared to my starting photos, but I was still looking like a Pillsbury Dough Girl. Okay, I thought, this is sort of working so I’m just moving forward. It was almost as if I just did it blindly and trusted that something good would happen at the end. I also used the P90X Facebook Page to keep motivating myself and others. I found that I really enjoyed helping others with the process.

After 60 days, I had lost another pound. Okay, just keep moving forward. On day 68, I took some more photos to keep me motivated, and I was pleased with the results. Only 22 more days to go. During those 22 days, I lost another 7 lbs.

I hit day 90 and took some photos, and I really couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I was completely amazed at my results. Granted, I put a lot of work and effort into this program, but the results definitely showed this. I had built some nice muscle all around, and that pack of hot dogs under my bra was GONE! I’m not yet where I want to be, but I’m well on my way.

It’s pretty safe to say that P90X changed my life! I am a much more positive person than I was 90 days ago. That alone was worth the time and effort. I’m more motivated to make my health and life the best it can be. I can’t thank Tony Horton and this program enough. My journey has just begun, and I’m very excited to see what’s in store for me.

My Final Results in Numbers:

Pounds Lost: 12

Inches Lost: I have no idea. I never took my measurements, unfortunately; however, I am down at least one size in pants. The pants that were slightly tight on me when I started can be put on and off without unbuttoning them.

Body Fat % Lost: 6%

Some final thoughts and advice for those considering P90X:

1. This is not an easy program. It’s hard work, but if you stick with it, the results will be well worth the effort.
2. I was not in good shape when I started, but I was able to modify everything until I could complete each workout. Do Your Best and Forget the Rest. Simple as that.
3. If you are in great shape, you will probably see results like the infomercial. If you have lots of fat to lose, you will certainly lose some of it during the program, but you will have to continue on with another P90X round or switch it up with another program.
4. TAKE YOUR PHOTOS and MEASUREMENTS! I can’t stress this enough. The scale is a horrible indication of results on this program due to muscle growth. Don’t step on the scale for the first 30 days, and when you do step on it, just know to expect nothing earth-shattering.
5. Most of the results will come in the last 30 days. This was true for me, and from what I’ve seen from others, it was true for them.

So, what am I doing now?

I’m currently doing a hybrid of ChaLEAN Extreme (which is a strength-training program, but totally different than P90X) and Turbo Jam. My goal is to keep the muscle I built during P90X, while continuing to burn off more fat to make the muscles more visible. Once Turbo Fire is released on June 18, I will start incorporating it into my rotation. If you’d like to follow my progress and get a daily dose of motivation, follow me on Facebook.

Are you interested in P90X, ChaLEAN Extreme or Turbo Jam?

I love the Beachbody products so much, and I am such a believer that they are life-changing, I became a Beachbody Coach while doing P90X. Initially, I became a coach for the great discount on all the products, but I soon learned that I could help others get in shape while keeping myself motivated, too. I am currently an Emerald Coach working my way up to Diamond!

If you are interested in any of their programs, or just using their meal plans, FREE online workout tracker called WOWY, and talking with others about the programs on the message board, sign up for your FREE membership on my coaching page here. I send out FREE samples of Beachbody products to those I coach, so that’s motivation to sign up

If you are interested in learning more about the Coaching opportunity and getting fit both physically and financially, please let me know and I’ll be happy to send you some information.

There is so much more to be said about P90X, but this post is getting pretty lengthy. In the future, I will do a disc-by-disc review if anyone is interested.

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Sorry for the break everyone! Things have been a little hectic around here with the long weekend, Little Miss C’s last day of school, getting ready for summer, etc. I am happy to announce, though, that I have stayed on track through it all. I believe that exercising and eating healthy have really helped me deal with the stress so much better than I would have had I been eating junk and not exercising. Amazing, right?

So, big news – I only have TWO days left of P90X, including today’s workout, and then I’m an official graduate of the program! I didn’t miss a single workout the entire program, and I actually did Doubles (added a cardio workout to a strength day) several times throughout my final 60 days. What happens tomorrow when I do my last workout of the 90 day program? Am I done with exercising? Am I ripped? Do I get to start eating ice cream before bed again?

Um, the answer is NO to all of the above. Am I ripped? Not exactly. BUT I am in much better shape than I was 3 months ago, I’ve lost a good amount weight and I am considerably stronger.

Since I’m not ripped, no, I’m not done. Honestly, I will never be done. This is a journey where I’ll strive to be my best for a very long time. I’m okay with that. I’ve been in great shape before, didn’t continue the journey and where I was a few months back is what happens when you think there is a start and an end to getting fit and healthy.

So, what am I going to do? I’ve spent a good amount of time the past couple weeks figuring out what my next step will be on this journey. Many people do another round of P90X and many move on to Insanity (you can view both programs by clicking on Shop and then Fitness Programs). At the moment, I don’t feel like I can do another round of P90X without getting bored. In a couple months, however, I think I will do another round, and I’m excited to see what improvements I’ll make over Round 1. Insanity looks a little too intense for me right now. While P90X is a great program, I don’t think it had enough cardio to get someone who was in my shape ready for the intensity of Insanity.

Wait, that’s two programs?!?! Yes, I’m doing a hybrid of ChaLEAN Extreme (CLX) and Turbo Jam. CLX is another strength-training program, but it is a lot different than P90X. The reps are long and slow, and the burn is phenomenal. I must admit that I’ve been sneaking in a Turbo Jam workout here and there the past week, and I LOVE IT! It burns a ton of calories and it’s just SO.MUCH.FUN! For the next 90 days Chalene Johnson and I will become very good friends. Plus, on June 18 TurboFire will be available, and I will start incorporating that into the mix. I’m very excited about this next adventure.

This weekend, I will wrap up Round 1 of P90X and take measurements and photos, as well as evaluate my accomplishments and see if I met my goals. I’ll also be thinking about what I want to get out of the next 90 days and form some concrete goals to go along with my expectations. Wish me luck!

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I’m actually happy today is Monday. Call me crazy, but I like to think of it as a fresh start and make the best of it (if you had talked to me 12 weeks ago*, I probably wouldn’t have said anything like this). The way that I start my week really sets the tone for how I’ll feel and what I’ll accomplish the rest of the week.

I’ll be honest; this morning was a bit rushed. I slept a little late after watching the LOST finale last night; therefore, my workout started late. I had to get Little Miss C off to her speech lesson with my mom, finish my workout, shower and get to my PT appt on time. I barely made it. Thank goodness for greek yogurt and raw oats. It made the PERFECT quick and easy, no-cook breakfast for me. I added a bit of honey, and then I was out the door.

After my PT appt, I met a friend for a very brisk walk around the track. It felt GREAT! I am so energized for the rest of the day, which is fantastic, because I have a list a mile long!

I was also happy to make a fresh start because I slightly fell off my Eat-Clean wagon this weekend. I almost fell victim to an old trap. I have to bake a few things for Little Miss C’s last day of school concert, and I know that I don’t get along well with baked goods when they’re in the house. I made an amazing Italian Buttercream frosting for some cupcakes I’ll make later in the week, and I may have had a few more tastes than I should have.

At the moment I was tasting, that horrid little voice came back for a split second; that voice I haven’t heard for several weeks. That little witch was actually telling me it was ok to have another taste because it didn’t matter if it made me gain weight; I don’t mind carrying around extra pounds, and I still feel ok when I’m larger than I have been before in my life. I’m still the same person no matter how much I weigh.

For a moment, I actually believed that voice. And then, I literally shook my head, regained my composure and packaged up the frosting to store in the freezer. I am NOT the same person when I weigh more. It took me a very long time to realize this. I’m miserable and depressed and shy; I am NOT myself when I weigh what I did 12 weeks ago. In reality, I’m a pretty happy person, and I’m far from shy, and that excess weight has been hiding who I truly am. It’s very scary how quickly that other voice came back trying to convince me it was OK to eat more; it’s the first time I’ve heard from her in 12 weeks.

*Speaking of 12 weeks, today marks the beginning of Week 12 on my P90X journey. I really am a different person than I was such a short time ago. I may not look completely different (yet!), but I do feel different. I feel like myself.

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