New Year, Fresh Start - 30 Day Push Challenge

Now, I am moving on to another challenge of sorts. Chalene Johnson (of Chalean Extreme, Turbo Fire & Turbo Jam) has a free 30 day challenge to master organization and achieve goals. Chalene is absolutely awesome. She is upbeat, energetic and the most positive person I have every encountered. Granted, what I see of her is recorded, probably scripted, and may not be the whole picture. But compared with other popular female fitness gurus, she is head and shoulders above the others.(And I have a bit of a girl crush on her too).

You can check out the program here: Thirty Day Push. Like I said it's free and you will receive a daily email for 30 days. Each email will contain a short video clip as well as daily "homework assignments", but most will not take more than 10 minutes.I did get stuck on Day 2 for a few days. That was the most thoughtful one for me, so far.  The first few days, for me, were thought provoking, and while I am over-thinking some of the exercises, I am certainly thinking about things that have not been on my mind in years. 

I told my group that this process feels like I am pulling pieces of myself back to me, like putting together a puzzle of myself/life where all the pieces had been scattered to and fro before, and are finally finding their rightful place. I find this liberating and frustrating. Liberating because I feel my life coming back together. Frustrating because this stuff takes time and emotion to figure out. Nailing my top 3 priorities has helped me align myself to future goals and endeavors. 

Here's a quick rundown of the some of the first days of the program:

Day One was about naming my life priorities. It was basically a brainstorming exercise to figure out how we want to be remembered, by naming what is important in our lives.

Day 1: Values

My values:Family
Friends/relationships
Physical, emotional and spiritual health
Faith

I want to remembered as a loving wife, caring sister and the funnest aunt/grandmother. I want to be remembered as being a loyal friend, and someone who was willing to help when needed. I hope to leave a legacy as being one who reached out to others with compassion and who encouraged others to be their best in all things.

Day Two was figuring out the top three priorities and writing mini-mission statements for them.

Day 2: My Priorities:

My priorities are my family, maintaining peace in my life and home, and doing the best job I can at work.

My husband is the most important person in my life. To honor him and my relationship with him I will spend quality time with him. To do this I need to use better time management to get my workouts completed in the mornings. I also need to really be present when I am with him, not thinking about all the other things I think I need to do. Eating well also plays a part because not eating well causes mood swings and crankiness. Taking care of myself with clean eating and healthy exercise also honors my husband. I will also spend less mindless activity on the computer in the evenings.

He deserves my best, which includes all my love, respect and support.

Day Three was fun - ten goals for the year.

Day 3: Goals:

1 & Push Goal: I will PR a 10K - April 2013
2. I will lose 20 pounds - November 2013
3. I will run my first Half Marathon - November 2013
4. I will increase weekly running mileage to 15 miles or more. June 2013
5. I will get stronger - 75 push ups - June 2013
6. I will get super cool stuff for "Swag Bags" for PAC Run (I'm race director) - May 2013
7. I will have a couple Bible Devotion/prayer w/ Dave once weekly - starting Jan 2013 and continue.
8. I will plan/cook dinner 3x weekly (at least) to share meal with Dave - Feb 2013
9. I will pay down credit card debt - Dec 2013
10. I will buy a sleep number bed with cash - December 2013

Days 6, 7 and 8 were interesting. Charlene asks us to put our "To Do" lists on a smart phone. This was kind of overwhelming for me. I tend to over-research things. So I looked at several different apps. Did Google searches for the best kinds of apps and then searched for reviews of the top apps that I found. One thing I really wanted was a program that I could also access on my computer that would sync with my iPhone  And I found "Orchestra". So far so good - but I've only been using it about 3 days. I've committed to it for 2 weeks and will then give my group a review of the Pros & Cons.

I love always having my list with me. I've had things scattered all over my house, my office, my purse. Now it's all in one spot. I can look at it anytime (either on my phone, ipod or computer) and update it anytime. The bulky notebook I kept in my purse is gone, the notebook I kept in my day-timer is gone as well. I'll still use pen/paper for quick notes, but can quickly add things to Orchestra. One of the neatest things so far is that it has a voice option. I can press a button and dictate a new task. How freakin' cool is that?

If you have set New Year's resolutions this year, but haven't put any plans in place to meet those goals you may want to check out the 30 Day Push Program. It's free and will help you make positive changes in your life. Goals are great, but there absolutely must be a plan so you can reach the goal! 

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90 Day Challenge - 30 day update

So I'm 30 days into my 90 day Challenge. Time for some results!

To recap - for exercise I have been doing a Beach Body program called Chalean Extreme, and running 3 days a week. The program is divided into phases. There are two ab DVD's in the Chalean program, and I've been doing those as well. I've tried one of the two cardio DVD's, and liked it but am depending on running for cardio right now. 

For nutrition, I'm using Shakeology for one meal a day and following  a lower-carb, lower fat, higher protein diet. I'm not counting calories, exactly, but I am logging my food into My Fitness Pal for accountability. 

I have a Beach Body coach, Lindsay, as well as a Facebook support group with other challengers of like minds and similar goals. The Facebook  group is really awesome. Our Coach Lindsay is attentive and supportive. She really wants to see each of us succeed in our health journeys.

I enjoyed the first month of Chalean Extreme. The first phase is called "Burn".  There are three Burn Circuit programs for each week. And most of the exercises certainly do burn - in  the best kind of good way. I splurged and bought a set of adjustable dumbbells.

These are the ones I ended up getting:

Power Block  SportBlock 24

They adjust from 3 pounds to 24 pounds, had great reviews and were mostly in my price range. I got them just in time. to up from 10 to 12 pounds, and they worked great. I like them very, very much.

My running has improved - the squats and lunges have really helped me with hills and endurance. Our running club is hosting a Half Marathon in November. I will be doing a Color Run the same day with my two sisters, but am still training for the 1/2 because I want to improve both my distance and speed.



So, Results!

I weighed, measured and took update photos.

30-day Weight loss - 3.5 pounds
Total weight lost from start of 10 day challenge - 7.5 pounds

30-day Inches lost - 4.5
Total inches lost - 7.25

Photos: I can see a slight difference, hopefully next month will be more, uh, "dramatic".

The main thing is my clothes are fitting better than they have in a long time, and that's a great feeling.

At the beginning of our challenge we had to come up with 30, 60 and 90 day goals. My 30 day goal was to PR (get a personal record) in a recent 8K race. And I did it!! You can read about that HERE. Meeting a goal like that is so empowering!

We have to come up with "Can, Will, Did" goals each week. The last two weeks my goals were about the number of sweets I would/could eat each week. It helps to have the goals because they keep us focused and accountable, and sugar is one of my weaknesses.

This week we had to come up with a theme song that described our life at this point. My song is "On top of the World" by Imagine Dragons.

This is one of the Color Run 5K theme songs. The first time I heard it I loved the happy music beat. Then I listened to the lyrics and realized they spoke to me where I'm at right now.

"I’ve tried to cut these corners
Try to take the easy way out
I kept on falling short of something

I coulda gave up then but
Then again I couldn’t have ’cause
I’ve traveled all this way for something

Now take it in but don’t look down

‘Cause I’m on top of the world, ‘ay
I’m on top of the world, ‘ay
Waiting on this for a while now
Paying my dues to the dirt
I’ve been waiting to smile, ‘ay
Been holding it in for a while, ‘ay
Take it with me if I can
Been dreaming of this since a child
I’m on top of the world."

With my weight loss journey, I have definitely tried to cut corners and take the easy way out, but kept falling short. And that way may work in the short-run, but in the long run it really does take focus, discipline and hard work to become a healthier version of ourselves.

I've learned a few things this month.

• I've been crushin' on my calves lately, which is funny because I've never liked them. Thought they were too think, too stubby. But now I just really like them. I like standing on my toes and seeing definition in them. Muscles! I don't really know if they look any different, or if I am seeing them different. When I look at them now they look strong. I'm still courting my thighs and my upper arms, but I think we might have a thing going on by the end of 90 days.

• I really can control what I eat. It's hard sometimes, especially on those days where I think I deserve something, or when I think food is going to help me feel better or comfort. But it really is in my control. I am learning to eat to live, and not the other way around.

• Lifting weights is awesome. I was one of the people who thought I would bulk up with heavy weights. Not true. Building muscle helps you burn calories longer...muscles burns fat.....bring it on!

• Having a support system of people who are doing the same thing is invaluable. It's  wonderful to have support of friends and family. But being able to converse with others about temptations, successes, ups and downs really makes a huge difference! I have never met any of the girls in my support group face-to-face (except my dear sister), but I feel like I've known them a long time. Some of the most helpful, supportive women I've come across.  And, by the way, my sister is blogging her experiences too over at Forty By Forty.

If you are interested in joining a similar challenge, please contact me or check out Lindsay's website by clicking HERE. She is starting another one on Oct 22. Lindsay lives in another state, so you do not have to be close geographically to be involved!

I'll post again in 30 days with my 60 day update. Hopefully my results will be as good or better than these first 30 days.

Do you have fitness or weight loss goals? Have you written them down? Do you have a plan to achieve them?

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Ninety Day Challenge - Week 1

Despite a slight set-back involving Reese cups & chocolate & cake (see here), I've had a really good first week.

For my workout program, I chose Chalean Extreme. So far so good. The workouts are very different from strength training programs I've attempted in the past. There are three phases - Burn, Push and Lean. For the first month I am in the Burn phase. It is heavier weights, lifted very slowly with a fail between the 10th - 12th repetition. This means that my weight should be heavy enough for the reps to feel really, really hard by the 10th, and almost impossible by the 12th. If they don't feel hard for me, than my weight is not heavy enough. I've always thought that this method created bulky muscles, but from what I am now discovering, that is not necessarily true. There are three different Burn circuits, and I've done all of them at this point. There are certain exercises on each that I like the best. I can't believe I actually wrote that. But it's true. There are a couple of them that I really like. All of them are pretty hard for me. I'm using between 5 and 10 pounds, depending on the exercise and muscles being worked. But I can already tell that I need to get higher weights. I'm thinking about some of those adjustable dumbbells. The affordable ones only go up in increments of 5 pounds, and I would rather have increments of 2.5, but I'll keep looking at this point. I'm not going over 10 pounds this week, that's for sure.

I haven't watched any of the Push or Lean circuits, so can't tell you what that means, yet.

There are two ab workouts included in the program. Ab Burner is 10 minutes, and Extreme Abs is 16 minutes. Well last weekend after a 5 mile run/walk I thought I'd just pop in the Ab Burner and get some ab work. Ten minutes wasn't that long, I'd just run for over an hour. hahahahahaha. My core was positively trembling about 4 minutes into the workout. When will this be over??!! I thought I had tried every kind of tummy exercise out there. Not so, at all. These were different, intense, and very effective. Of course, for my stomach to have significant changes, I need to keep changing my diet as well as continuing the workouts.

The meal plan is great. I feel like I am eating more often, but much better stuff. I have an alarm set on my phone to remind me to eat a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack. Each meal/snack should have lean protein and I can add a complex carb up through dinner, but no carbs after dinner, and none at all right before bed. I am waking more rested, and it's easier for me to get up early. I think the diet is playing a big part in these changes. I've never, ever been a morning person. Have wanted to be a morning person. All I know now is that it's easier for me to get up early. I really like getting my workouts done first thing, then I don't have to try to fit it in somewhere later. That doesn't always work out so well.

Our Facebook support group is really nice. We post our food/workouts daily. Encourage one another and have weekly goals/homework to keep us focused on WHY we are doing this challenge.

Around day two I took all my "before" photos. I would not let my mister take these, I used the timer on my camera. The booklet that came with the exercise program gave example poses that I should include. I took them all. Then I looked at them, and was nauseated. That was plenty of motivation for why I want to complete this challenge and become a better version of me. I also took all my "before" measurements. I will take photos and measurements again on days 30, 60 and 90. 

This is my latest reality check to keep going:

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Friday Confessions 8.24.12

I confess that ONE of my guilty pleasures is going to the tanning bed, occasionally. Be quiet haters, judges, whatever - I really enjoy going to the tanning bed. First I like a glow on my very white skin, and second, most important, its one of the few places I can be completely alone for 20 minutes. Well, I went this past week, after not going for some time (I'm not a regular). So she told me to do half & half. Legs first, rest after. So I situated my legs up under the bulbs, set my timer and enjoyed. Then when it came time to do the upper half things got a bit tricky. I ended up with my legs sticking out one of the ends of the bed, trying to rest on the chair. My feet fell asleep so I was trying to move about to get a little more comfortable (like being in a body-sized microwave is comfy) and my back stuck to the bed. You know what that means - huge fart-like sound coming from getting my sweaty back unstuck. Humongous,  - and good grief, it was just my back. I was the only one in the boutique, and even with my fan on full speed I know, I just KNOW that the owner heard it. Ugh!! She probably knew it was a full body fart, but still, just a bit awkward, ya know?

I confess that something happened this week that confirmed my status as a runner. I can't post the details, but trust me, if I didn't know before, I now know that I AM A RUNNER. It was one of those things that will never be forgotten, has probably happened to many people. But one day it may come in  conversation, and I will be able to say "Oh yea, that happened to me once, that's when I knew I was a runner."

I'm ordering this necklace too.

I confess that this past Wednesday, I started my 90 Day Health Challenge with my sister Mary- who is also blogging here. Ninety days of tracking my food, working out 5-6 times weekly, daily check-ins on a private facebook page. I had to take my before photos, I've since taken to calling them my porn pics. They were just awful. A very good motivator to keep me on the straight and narrow! I will do them again, along with measurements on day 30, 60 and 90. The plan is that by day 90 I will be unrecognizable. Well, probably not that drastic, but you get the idea.

I'm doing the Chalean Extreme 90 Fitness program. I've only done 2 of the workouts so far, but so far so good. I can see already that I'm going to need heavier weights. This program focuses on heavier weights with very, very slow reps. I need something heavy enough to fail at 10-12 reps. Fail is a good thing with this program. 

I confess that I would love to have these:

These are made by Bowflex, and unfortunately a bit out of my price range. I don't want to have to sell a kidney to get them. There are some others out there that are more affordable, so we'll see. Maybe I can find a great sale.

We have a birthday coming up at work next week, one of my co-workers. I volunteered to bake the cake. She likes Red Velvet and German Chocolate for sure. I've made a lovely Red Velvet - check it out here. I personally don't really like German Chocolate - so given my health challenge, that would be the best choice. B U T, my friend loves anything chocolate, and Reese cups.....and there is this cake that I have been wanting to try for years....

So, I might surprise her with this...I'll keep you posted.

What are you confessing this week?

What are YOUR guilty pleasures?

Hit the link to join the 'fess up.

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Better Me Countdown - Days 9, 10 & results!

Counting down to the 10th day of this Beach Body Challenge...Results will be revealed at the bottom of this post.

My sister, Mary and I decided to take the plunge and jump into a 90 day challenge with our coach. Mary is blogging her experiences here.

I'll still be running 3x a week, and then supplementing with a Beach Body program called Chalean Extreme. So I probably won't follow the BB program exactly, but I will be working hard.

I still have my 8K coming up in September - Ache Around the Lake. It's a very hard course, with lots of hills and switchbacks. But it was my first race, so it's one of my favorites.

I'm a bit nervous about 90 days - can I commit for that long? I will be a part of a face book support group, will continue to post my food/exercise daily (hopefully daily), get support, give support and continue to make a positive difference in my life.

I've learned a few things during these very short 10 days:

• planning is imperative, and for my OCD self - this means planning breakfast, snacks, lunch, dinner and workouts. It just makes the days easier and smoother.
• early morning workouts are getting slightly easier. it's great to get it out of the way. And if I tell someone I'm going to do it, that makes me much more likely to actually do it (instead of just thinking it would be a good idea to get up early....)
• supportive friends and family are worth more than a pound of cheesecake (well at least equally tied, just kidding silly). having someone cheer you on and make you do the things you don't feel like doing is real love and commitment.
• real food just makes you feel better - in lots of ways, and I won't count them, just trust me. I'm trying to eat food that doesn't have a shelf life, has ingredients I can pronounce (and recognize), and that will go bad in a hurry if I don't eat it.
• exercise that makes you sweat really does give you a nicer  mood, and in my two-person family - "if Caroline is happy, we're all happy."

I won't be blogging everyday, but will shoot for weekly updates, and monthly results.

Soooo, drum rolllllll please.....

The results from my 10 days to a better me challenge:

Weight loss - 4.6 pounds
Waist - 1 inch

Very impressive! Can't wait to see what the numbers (and my body) will look like at the end of 90 days!

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