Fuel your body

I eat all day. It helps me digest and sustain energy to eat several small meals instead of less, big ones. 

Breakfast is nearly always the same, even on the weekends. It's easy, it's fast, it's balanced and it works for me. 

I don't always use supplements but on a low energy day they are a must!

Snack time in the morning! Fruit (low glycemic) and almonds (good fat!). 

I try to use leftovers for lunch and keep it interesting. I had shredded meat (addax) and salad and I didn't exactly want that for lunch. Luckily we had some corn tortillas at work and my bomb coworker brought me homemade pimiento cheese. 

I usually also have a post workout or afternoon snack, depending how my schedule plays out. And then dinner. 

I'm not a high performance athlete or a fitness coach so I don't count macros or even track my food. I just try to make good choices, and fuel my body. 

Day 5: Friday

I will admit, Friday was a challenge in a different way. I am SO ready to be over with my period and doing this challenge in a different mindset with different chemical balance in my body and hormones I hate to "blame it" on that but truly it makes a difference in how I feel, what I want to eat and my motivation to be successful. I did wake up feeling pretty great after my cleanse day, which I think I missed the last challenge. I just seemed to wake up feeling starving instead of refreshed. This time I had energy, I had positive feelings and I wasn't dying to eat.

It started off fine, my usual morning routine. I met a friend for a visit in the morning at the MOST delicious smelling pastry shop. Everything was carbs/fat/flaky goodness so I resisted for the most part. After being there about an hour, I really needed a snack and didn't want to go off the rails, so I got a spinach/bacon/mozzarella croissant and split it. I figure the challenge for me this time is to reset and get back on track, so I've been less rigid with the program. In hindsight, next week needs to be much more rigid. But it was delicious!

I got to work kind of in a funk, just because there is much to do and little time in which to do it. I would have rather spent half the day at the gym. There's something freeing about it, and I hate sitting at a desk staring at projects some days. But this weekend I plan to do some work from home to put me in a good, caught up place so I feel less overwhelmed at work. This was the part of the day I really, really just decided I wanted a ham sandwich. I didn't want to drink my lunch today, I wanted something not super terrible for me but something I could chew. I pretty much was just feeling sorry for myself and trying to do some emotional eating.

I run my day pretty close to the chest on time, so I'm essentially always rushing somewhere because I left myself JUST enough time to get there. This day I had a presentation just across the way at the Academy, and went to the cafe with just enough time to eat. I ordered my sandwich, mentally vowed to eat only half of it and waited. And waited. And waited. And then it was time to go do my presentation, so I got my money back and left. It was a disappointment for sure, but I had a job to do.

After my presentation, I was really conflicted about what to do next. Should I go try again to get my sandwich? Should I go back up to my office with the pretense of drinking my shake to go to the gym, knowing that once I get up there I probably won't get to leave to actually GO to the gym? Do I just go to the gym? Well wait I can't do that, I haven't eaten lunch and I know my workout will fail early on an empty stomach. I kind of just sat in my car for a few minutes.

I looked around and realized I had an empty, clean shaker cup in my car thanks to my visit with my friend who returned it that morning. I had left it in her car WEEKS ago and we finally met up so I had it on me (the one I planned to use that day was upstairs at my desk). My lunch bag was upstairs with my shakes and supplements; but look at that, my purse was in the car and it had one shake. Last hurdle, water. I had exactly 8 oz in my water bottle! Okay fine, universe. I mixed up my shake and headed to the gym. With 11% battery on my phone for a workout I hadn't studied yet. JUST DO IT.

I spent a few minutes letting my food digest and then watched my videos for the exercises. I started to get really excited because I knew how to do most of them and was excited about the opportunity to do some new ones. Turned on my music and got to work. I had a rare tank top in my bag, I rarely work out in shorts or tank tops (body image, working on it) but it was serendipitous that I had a shirt that shows off my arms on a day I'm working only upper body! I got to see the progress for myself in how far I've come, but also by the end of the workout how much I had worked those muscles! My gym time has come to be really therapeutic and I love to see my progress.

I went back to work for the end of the day with a renewed faith in myself, in the program, and a TON of energy. I may not have hit all the goals for the day, but I finished strong and loved my workout. I took that momentum and registered for Camp Gorgo this summer, a fitness camp run by many of the coaches I'm working with. I'm nervous to step out of my comfort zone, but I'm excited about the possibility of new friends, new experiences, learning new things...and a weekend away. In July. In Kentucky lol.

I got home from work and my plan was eat leftovers or go out to eat. We ended up watching some basketball before we left, so I was pretty hungry when we finally sat down. I knew I wanted chicken, no matter where we went. I needed a big giant piece of a white meat protein! We went to a steakhouse so I had some pretty good options. I ended up getting a mesquite grilled chicken with sweet potato and salad. I'm proud to say I resisted the delicious-smelling-but-carby-drenched-in-butter yeast rolls and skipped the in-shell peanuts on the table. I had a small salad but went light on the dressing; my chicken came with rice AND sweet potato so I ate some of the rice, a bite or two of the potato and ALL my chicken. My family devoured a banana creme pie but I skipped it, and it was gone so quickly I didn't have time to think about it! Ha!

I mostly felt good about my day, and tried not to dwell on the negative. I'm hoping for a successful weekend and a big prep day Sunday so I feel more successful starting the week off.

Day 4: Cleanse day

Ah, the dreaded cleanse day. Last time around, I was only partially successful at cleanse days so I was determined to do better this time. Armed with a little bit of the science surrounding it, I really wanted to do this for my body.

I started off early, with cleanse for life and Ionix supreme. I took my accelerator and really thought between ionix and CFL, I would be fine. And then it hit me again: the overwhelming urge to vomit. GEEZ. I have to figure out what to do about this supplement! It didn't affect me this way AT ALL ONE TIME last time. But I am not giving up.

So as I'm driving the stretch from dropping Lila off to work, about 30 minutes, I am trying to hold back the feeling to vomit by sheer will. I DON'T want to throw up; it hurts, it's messy, and I've gotten an hour into this cleanse day and I don't want to vomit pure money. So I had a few decisions to make: eat and bust my cleanse day before it really starts; throw up and start over; throw up and throw in the towel.

I opted for 2-3 almonds, and my apple. Small portions of food (50 cal or less) are approved for cleanse day, just not enough to really stimulate digestion. But digestion was what I needed to get over this hump and move forward. I also hate to eat an apple without cutting it but when you're driving and about to yak, you make a choice! So I ate the apple, drank water and kept saying, "You are not going to be sick. You are not going to be sick." It worked! By the time I got to work I was feeling much better.

This day was good because I was busy all around, so I didn't have a lot of time to just think about food. I had a college fair at 10am, which was going to bump a little into my next cleanse serving but not so much that I needed to make it while I was there. I drank TONS of water whilst there and it wasn't really hard to avoid the snacks they had out for us. It was all processed, all sugar and calories and sodium, and all in bags. So at least it wasn't delicious smelling pizza or something. I finished up right at 12 and raced back to make my next serving.

The next two hours were work, water, and wafers. When I got super hungry feeling or just needed to chew, I popped in an Isa Snack. My first time friends are NOT fans of them, but I have learned to appreciate their worth when it's the only thing I get to eat on cleanse day! Around 2:30 I left the office because I had scheduled a haircut! Finally! I never get haircuts because I'm terrible at making time for myself AND spending money but I did it and it coincided perfectly with this challenge and my first cleanse day. So I had a little pampering in my day :-)

I got home and realized the blessing and the curse of having dinner in the crock pot of cleanse day: I don't have to stand over the stove and cook food I won't be eating, but dang did it smell delicious! I felt prepared and slightly empowered, as I made the red skin mashed potatoes that looked wonderful. I didn't even taste them, because I have no willpower and that would have turned into full blown dinner. My family ate, I sat with them and drank my CFL and as an added bonus, the NCAA tournament started on my cleanse day which was a surefire way to keep me busy and my mind off food for four hours until bed time. I like to go to bed early on cleanse days to get them over with, but UNC was playing at 720 and I wasn't going to miss it.

I ended up falling asleep on the couch before the end of the second half but watched most of it and felt successful on my first cleanse day of the challenge!

Fit Mom Challenge: Day 1

So I'm really excited to be doing this challenge with some of my good friends: Carol, Sarah, Mary Hilliard, Lisa and Emily!

I'll admit yesterday was a stressful day for me and I almost decided to quit before I started. What? Why would I choose to fail?

1. I worked until 11pm.
2. I haven't studied the workout plan
3. I don't have a shake day plan
4. I know I'm going to be tired.

Turns out, what I needed was to fail first mentally to succeed mentally!

1. That's an unusual work time for me; it's one day. Not a consistent schedule.

2. Once I sat down and focused, it took me TEN minutes to read over today's workout, watch the videos and make my notes. I can do ALL of those exercises!

3. Duh, I have all the products. Literally everything I need. So I fired up the Keurig for hot water at 630, mixed in my ionix supreme, drank it, filled up my water bottle and shaker cup, and walked out the door. The REASON I use these products is for their convenience for an on-the-go mom! Tossed my shake packs in my bag so I have a few at work, I keep almonds at my desk now and grabbed my orange. Today is a weird day in that we have an event at work and lunch is provided; I'll bring my shake with me and eat the salad that I know will be offered.

4. Of course I'm going to be tired. I got 5 hours of sleep. But I'll feel much better about what kind of tired I am when I get to bed tonight because I will have done great things for my body.

I also listened to the Periscope I missed last night while on the way to work this morning. Love the positivity and the support I'm surrounded by in doing this challenge! I love our group texts! I am so excited to see what I can accomplish and what I can help my friends accomplish.

The Fit Mom Challenge is BACK!

I'm so excited that we're doing this challenge again!

In January I decided to actively start selling Isagenix because it's a product and company I believe in, and has helped me be successful, not only weight loss but general better health and fitness. I figured, I paid that associate fee when I did the first challenge and that allowed me a year of access to my own personal website, why not use it? So I jumped on board with Val's team and there are 5-6 of us that are working together to grow our business.

A huge selling point for me to use the products and introduce people to them was my results from the first challenge I did last spring. So when Val & friends decided to host the Fit Mom Challenge again, I knew I would be successful in getting some friends sign up for it with me!

As of right now I have to friends/former co-workers that are joining me, along with two members of my wine club and one mom-of-wine-club. I can't wait to see how different this experience is when I'm one of the support folks cheering people on! I had a tremendous amount of support when I did this, and can't wait to help cheer my team on.

My products are already here and I can't wait to get started!

Last time I did the challenge I spent the week before as sort of "the last supper" and ate a bunch of stuff so I wouldn't feel like I was missing out on things during the 30 days. I have such a different approach this time, because I know how much my health and wellness revolve around my mental game. So I'm actively making good choices this week and trying to hit some of my targets (water consumption, 4 days of gym time) before I even get started.

Emily, Lisa, Mary Hilliard, Sarah, Carol...let's do this!!

Body forward: postscript

So I've kept up with my shakes and until the last two weeks of travel, my workouts! It was great for the last two months to know that a doughnut or skipping a day of the gym wasn't going to derail all my progress. 

This week my travel season is officially over so my scheduled workouts are officially back! I have lunch prepped for the week, snacks ready and can't wait to get my hands back on a barbell. Baby Sarah I'll post my workouts and what I'm eating just for you!

Hybrid Day 2

Tuesday's workout:

3 sets, 10-12 reps:

Barbell deadlifts
Plates raise
Cardio sprints (25 seconds)

3 sets, 10-12 reps:

Barbell full squat
Barbell bench press
Cardio sprints

3 sets, 12-15 reps:

Dumbbell bicep curl
Cable tricep pushdown

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Tuesday I packed more food (ha) and it seemed to workout better. I did have a random midday visit that kind of threw me off but luckily I had almonds in the car. So this looked like Ionix supreme early morning, shake and 80 oz of water before noon. I had an apple at 930 and then almonds. For my pre-workout snack I had a boiled egg and a spinach brownie. I worked out at lunch and then had my soup again, salad later. For the afternoon I had a spinach brownie and more water! This time, when I got home I wasn't starving.

For dinner I had a chicken breast that had been marinated in greek yogurt, lemon and spices (recipe later!), green peas, 1/3 cup of alfredo noodles (the kind in the little bag that are like 10/$10...don't judge, I'm a busy mom) and I thoroughly enjoyed my yeast roll! Again, I'm not in competition prep. If my challenge taught me anything it's to be mindful of what I'm eating but not to restrict myself to the point that what I'm doing isn't fun or sustainable. I love bread. No regrets.

I totally planned on doing a second workout but HOLY COW I was so sore and tired. So I took a cue from my muscles and rested instead. My first workout (above) was a BEAST with heavier weights than I'm used to and I really felt accomplished when it was over. It feels so good to be back on a manageable schedule where I'm making time for myself!

Hybrid Day 1

My typical Monday workout:

3 sets, 10-12 reps each:

Dumbbell squat
Incline bench press (barbell)
Cardio Sprint (25 seconds)

3 sets, 10-12 reps each:

Leg press
Standing straight bar military press
Cardio sprint (25 seconds)

3 sets, 12-15 reps each:

Plates raise
Close-grip lat pulldown

*I also do Abs on Monday which was 3 sets of 30 seconds each:

Hover on all fours
Plank
Side plank (both sides)

I try to work past 30 seconds for each rep and in some places (side plank) I can get up to 45 seconds.
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This week I've been really inspired by some of my fitness friends and their success at the competition level last weekend. While I don't want to compete myself, I'm so proud of their progress, hard work and confidence. So they are really motivating me to be strong and on track!

Monday I added weight to every set, went the full 12 or 15 reps on each exercise and really pushed myself. For cardio sprints I did jumping jacks, high-knees and jump rope.

Monday also began my "normal" schedule, aka not traveling so I'm able to pack my own food again. I started with Isagenix Ionix supreme in the morning, which really sets the tone for my day and speeds my metabolism up. I have SUPER slow metabolism so every little bit helps. I had my Isalean chocolate shake and started in on water, which I'm trying to get back up to speed with.

I had an apple for a snack and 12 raw unsalted almonds. For lunch I had a cup of homemade chicken noodle soup. I love soup weather! I also had a "spinach brownie" which isn't a brownie at all of course. I'll post the recipe tomorrow. Let's be clear that this is more of a treat than a clean meal, because of the butter and milk, but it's a good way to get more spinach in my diet and it also tastes delicious. This is when I realized I didn't have enough food, because I needed post-workout fuel.

I was definitely starving when I got home and realized I needed a bit more food throughout the day. Small meals for me speed up my metabolism so I essentially eat all day. I got home and ate a handful of everything in sight, which was not in my plan but I felt SO hungry! I remember a Reese cup, handful of Gardetto snacks, 7-10 skittles and a spinach brownie while I was cooking. Oops. For dinner I had 6 oz of grilled salmon, 1/3 cup saffron rice and green beans, as well as a small spinach salad.

I opted for a second, short workout Monday night that was part of my usual Friday workout. It's simple, quick and I can do it at home.

3 sets, 8-10 reps

Dumbbell side lateral raise
Dumbbell front raise
Dumbell Bent -over raises
Dumbbell shoulder press

3 sets, 8-10 reps

Dumbbell zottman curl
Dumbbell bicep curl
Dumbbell hammer curls

I only have 8 lb weights at home but it was a good way to end the day. Here's to being back on track!

Sarah, this is exactly how I worked out and exactly what I ate :-)

30 days past due

Some days you don't have time. You make time. Today I only had 30 minutes. So I used every second. Every rep, every pound, every movement was intentional and intense.

It's for me. Not him not them not pictures or scales or tape measures or checking boxes. It's for me. and today I gave it all I had for 30 minutes. 

30 day challenge wrap up

So the last week of the challenge was an absolute blur. I know I drank shakes, went to the gym, drank water and continued to have no caffeine, sugar or alcohol. I think I started to realize by the last week that it wasn't about the 30 days, it was about after!

The challenge ended quietly with no fan fare or finish line or prizes or trophy. Just a month of learning about myself and my body and moving FORWARD. 

Day 31 came and it was no different than day 30. I had some shakes left over (the only perk to a 30-day supply and having four cleanse days!) so I kept up with shakes for breakfast and lunch to finish out the week. I had also set up some products on auto-ship and they arrived just as the challenge ended. Now I'm prepared for breakfast for at least a few weeks. I've really learned to love and appreciate the nutrition and convenience of them for breakfast and when I have an on-the-go lunch. 

I'm still going to the gym and drinking water and paying attention to the eating habits I developed during the challenge. More fruits, veggies and lean protein. 

I plan to keep doing the workout plan from my challenge for about the next month. Then I'll consult my coaches and see if I'm ready for something new. I already have a great at-home workout plan for when life gets crazy and I don't have access to the gym. Next blog I'll talk about the things I accomplished and the things that were unintended results of the challenge. 

But I completed the challenge! I didn't do every workout, I skipped a cleanse day, had one coffee the last week and even a slice of pizza. The real kind. But the challenge wasn't a points system of checking boxes and making red X's where I fell short. It was about creating healthy habits, making time for myself and changing the way I think about food. 

Day 30

It's here! The last day of the challenge! Sort of. 

This is the last day of the program I paid for. The last day of prescheduled workouts, measured protein, snacks in portions. The app that measures my progress. The coaching calls. The 30 day routine. 

Tomorrow starts a new challenge. Moving forward on my own. Planning meals and scheduling workouts with no one to check in on me. No reminders. Just what my gut tells me and what I've learned. 

Tomorrow I'll talk about the things I've learned, tonight I celebrate my success with Netflix all to myself! 

Finishing strong!

Day 22

Last full week of the challenge! Man it has flown by.

You would think after logging and blogging for 21 days I would have these workouts down in my head. Nope! It's kind of a surprise every day when I log into Trainerize and see what my workout is today. Even though they haven't changed throughout the challenge.

Today for some reason I just didn't feel as strong in the gym. I'm not sure why, but I didn't. I was also SUPER frustrated when I went to the gym so I think I pushed harder but I still didn't feel successful. A few hours later my sore muscles reminded me that I did push myself (maybe a little too much?) and my hungry belly reminded me that my metabolism has sped up in the past few weeks. I think I may have the actual world's slowest metabolism but I can feel it working better since I've started this challenge. These are things the scale can't show me.

I talked to a few friends about my program today, after I shared the pics of my trainer that she posted online. She looks amazing, post-baby and is a super supportive helpful woman. I realized a long time ago that surrounding yourself with supportive, positive people can make all the difference in the world. I think that changed a big part of my life's outlook when I removed so many negative people from my world. We don't all have to agree, we certainly don't have to have the same goals, but positivity is not only healthy...it's contagious! I'm glad I've figured that out and reinforced that over the past few weeks.

I'm excited to do meal prep next week when half of the week is back to "real life" and not shakes for breakfast and lunch. There's some meals I love but that my family doesn't so I can prepare those for my lunches for the whole week! Truth: I kind of miss chewing my lunch. Breakfast isn't so bad, but this girl loves to eat and drinking two meals a day has been a challenge for me. I did set up my order for shakes to still mail to me once a month so I can have them at the ready for breakfast on the go or lunch on a busy day. I'm kind of pumped for this week and my workouts and finishing strong!

Days 17-21: A lot of the same, with something new thrown in!

Gym. Shakes. Water. Repeat.

Although I did have real live, regular pizza this weekend. In the words of my favorite author and her new book, I REGRET NOTHING. This challenge, to me, is all about learning how to balance the better choices with being part of a family that still likes to do fun stuff. Can I make pizza that's better for us than what we can buy? Absolutely. Am I going to do that every time someone wants it? Absolutely not. I have this great recipe for these mini pizzas that I cannot wait to try. Pineapple, chicken, bbq sauce and veggies on a sandwich thin? Sign me up! But some days, your family wants pizza on the way home from the water park and you just say "Yes". It's about real life and enjoying my life, not feeling like I'm limited to what's on a meal plan or recipe book. It's enjoying life in moderation. I regret nothing.

Also.

On Sunday we went to the water park again and for the first time since 2007 I wore a real live two piece bikini. Not because I'm so fit that everyone needs to be impressed, but because I am finally becoming comfortable with my body in a way that I haven't been since before I got pregnant with Hayden. I have stretch marks, I am carrying around more weight than I'm happy about and I'm nowhere near the goal of health and fitness I have in my head. But I'm working on it, and I don't care. If your biggest problem with the water park is me in a bikini, let me introduce you to the sub-par lifeguards working in the kiddie pool. My point is that I wanted to wear one, I could actually WEAR one from 2007 and my stomach needed some sun. I feel like my post-challenge reward to myself will be a bikini I actually feel good in, not that I can just fit in. BUT STILL. Big fear conquered. To my knowledge, no one reported an out-of-shape woman in a bikini at the kiddie pool. But for the record, Lila (queen of the tankini) was SHOCKED that I was leaving the house wearing something that shows my belly. In our house that kind of thing isn't frowned upon, but she's chosen her own bathing suits and none of them show her belly. I want to set an example for my daughter that she needs to be comfortable in her own skin, wearing what she wants (that mom and dad deem appropriate, you're still under my roof young lady) and feeling good about herself. If I had Lila's tan alone I'd feel pretty good about my body, no matter what it looked like.

Day 16: Halfway there, what?

I somehow did not even realize I was halfway through the challenge. Time flies when you're having fun, right?

It sounds silly, but it is fun to do something for me. To make these little changes and have them add up over the course of two weeks. I'm learning more about myself and the process and again, that terrible relationship I have with food.

My solution to my "being a day off/cleanse" issue ended up being: skip the cleanse day this week! So I'm working out Tuesday-Friday, taking my rest day at Saturday (we always have a ton to do so I'm moving it from Sunday to Saturday) and then carrying on with my regular schedule. I'll add in my cleanse day to the final week which isn't really a full week. It's my least favorite thing about this program, so it will be a challenge that I'm determined to complete!

The workouts are getting easier, I'm more comfortable and using more weight. Focusing on reps vs. weight is always a battle, but I'm doing enough weight to make sure the last couple of reps in each set are hard. Some days I feel like the Hulk, other days I'm SO glad no one else can see the puny weights I'm using via my app that records all this stuff. Again, it's all about keeping in competition with MYSELF. She who is the toughest critic is enough to be in a fight with, I don't need other people weighing in.

Day 15: Tuesday, or, the new Monday

I have a feeling I will spend the whole week not knowing what day it is. It's SO hard to go back to work after a long weekend!

I was pretty excited to start my day with an Isagenix shake Tuesday morning. I needed that feeling of a plan, to know what I'm eating, to be back on track and the shake is a great way to start. So I filled up my water cup, shook up my shake, packed my bags and got out the door.

I could tell a little difference in my energy level because of the easy weekend I'd had. I have a good routine down for shakes/water/snack during my work day and loved getting back to that. It was a little harder to get all my water in, since I was used to limiting my intake in the interest of making it home in a decent time. I noticed I was a little hungrier (presumably after some snacking this weekend my body wasn't used to) but still kept up my regular pace and routine.

I was ITCHING to get back into the gym. Once I start working out, I love it. It's just the starting that's hard, which is why I did this 30 day challenge in the first place. Helping my body remember how I feel when I'm exercising was the hardest and easiest thing to do. Doing workouts I never thought of or exercises I'd never tried has been really fun, but it's more fun to know what I'm doing. It's also fun to compete with MYSELF. I have an app as part of this challenge that I log my workouts in as I'm doing them. So that way I can see how many reps and with what weight I have done each exercise. This is important for me because it's a more realistic way to track my progress than the scale or even measurements. It gives me a baseline for improvement without having to remember, "What did I bench last time? Which dumbbells did I use?" and gives me a challenge to myself to try harder each day than I did the day before.

I still hate the cardio sprints but I worked harder on those this time than I did the previous two weeks; faster and for longer. Not by much, but going from 25 to 30 seconds at a full sprint seems like a lifetime!

Ab day is getting both easier and harder, which makes me see and feel my progress. I have a lot of old baby weight hanging around to get rid of before I "see" the progress and I'm a LONG way (perhaps light years) from visible abdominal muscles. But I'm getting there!

Dinner was a quick, leftover affair which was AWESOME to get all that stuff out of my fridge. It was also awesome to have several options of lean protein, of complex carbs, from which to choose. Our stop at the grocery store yielded a few perishable staples for my family (juice, milk) but also a cart nearly half full of fresh fruits and veggies. THESE are the changes I wanted to be making.

Also, the scale continues to be a liar, worthless, and on its last days in my bathroom!

Day 14: Monday, also known as, day in the car

So I'm all out of sorts over Monday. I had a plan for two weeks where every day was basically the same. This Monday was a mess. Not a literal mess, it just wasn't the same as the past two Mondays. I could have had a shake for breakfast, but I had eggs (no regrets). I hadn't had a breakfast I could chew in 13 days and eggs are the jam. No toast, no actual jam, just some eggs.

We got on the road and drove a pretty good bit before we stopped for lunch. I had a choice, and really wrestled with food vs. shake. In the end, I chose food. I like this challenge for many reasons, but I also know when it's over, I won't drink my breakfast and lunch every day. Instead, I got a wrap from Chick Fil A (no dressing) and fruit cup (thank you, CFA, for not having a melon in sight in your fruit bowl; berries and apples, a few mandarins and it's perfection. Fibrous fruits that are light on the sugar and in great portions. thank you.) My family doesn't eat fast food very often but when we do, I need to have the presence of mind to choose the stuff that's not awful. The wrap was actually pretty delicious and I didn't feel like I normally do when I go for a fried chicken sandwich and fries.

I had to dial back my water consumption a bit in order to keep from stopping every 30 minutes on a 7-hour drive. I still REALLY want a coffee but I'm not dying yet so I'm holding strong.

We got home and I really thought about a shake for dinner but again, life without shakes exists and I need to make good choices. So I had some leftover salmon (because I had controlled my portion earlier in the week!) and veggies and did not repeat DID NOT have the bowl of cereal I wanted at 8pm. That's the HARDEST DAMN THING y'all. I have had a bowl of cereal post-dinner almost every night since 2008. Weird that I've gained weight, right? I like old people cereal; low sugar, high fiber, tastes like grains. I just do. Sure, an occasional Golden Graham here and there, but I'm a Special K/Raisin Bran/plain Cheerios/corn flakes kinda gal. But it's still unnecessary refined sugar, carbs and not much nutritional value, even the protein ones. I let myself believe it was "better than dessert" for a long time but the truth is, it's kind of the same. So I hope to continue giving it up after this challenge, but I'm also not going to throw myself in the pit of despair if I do it once or twice.

The other hard part of Monday is that there just wasn't time and energy to do my Monday workout, nor the tools I needed because I work out at my gym at work and don't have those things at home. I contemplated switching out my Saturday workout (steady state cardio + tabata finisher) since I *can* do that at home. But I was just plain exhausted from the weekend, driving, light sleep and being in the car with three people for half of the weekend. My challenge now is to fit my 7-day week into 6 without being ridiculous. I hate a cleanse day but I really want to complete the whole challenge. I *can* workout on a cleanse day but I'll have to figure out a good way to do that, or skip the cleanse day, or skip a workout day. Friday is usually an "optional" workout day but I LOVE that workout. Maybe I could add half of that workout to Sunday's rest day (the part I can do at home, bootie blast) and do half a workout on my cleanse day? Or skip the cleanse day altogether? Goodness. This is why I have a coach for this challenge! I'll see what she thinks. It probably shouldn't be all that serious, but I am a planner and hate things out of order!

Day 13: Sunday

Sunday wasn't a whole lot different. We stayed up late but not all night. Shake for breakfast and lunch, snack, and the other half of my Saturday work out (Tabata finisher). This is the one Lila likes to do with me but she gave up halfway in and continued to watch Big Hero 6. I don't blame her. But I was glad to be getting SOME exercise in even if it wasn't in order. Sunday is technically a rest day but I didn't do this on Saturday so I figured I could do a 30 minute workout even on vacation.

This is what I'm realizing about my life. I CAN get in a 30 minute workout on vacation, on a busy day. I just have to make time for it and excuse myself from 30 minutes of laziness swapped for 30 minutes of using my muscles.

We had a birthday party to go to so we got ready and headed to see The Millers! Man it has been a minute since I've been on a military post, and I've never lived on post (stateside, OCONUS or otherwise) so I had to remind myself of a lot of things. The kids had a BLAST with their old friends and some new ones and we had a great time catching up with our old friends. I opted out of the sweets and snacks, so again didn't feel terrible about eating a burger (no bun) and some beans and macaroni for dinner. Salad isn't always an option, but it's also not always what I want to eat. I don't feel like I "failed" my challenge for eating a burger on Memorial Day weekend. Instead I feel like I put my good habits into play when I could have chosen otherwise.

And Sam, I'm probably the reason you ran out of bottled water! I think I had 8 while I was there (the little 8 oz ones). But it was hot! Sam makes delicious baked goods and next time I'll enjoy them! Hayden had my share this time, with cake & ice cream, a cupcake and one MORE cupcake before we left. It's vacation, right?

Day 12: Saturday

Our trip took FAR longer than expected due to some (avoidable) setbacks so we got in around 2am. Yikes! That meant not as much sleep as I would have liked for sure. But I stuck to my usual routine: breakfast shake, water, midmorning snack of apples and almonds, lunch shake. Dinner I knew would be a little tricky since it's a weekend for BBQing! But I did half of my Saturday workout, which is 30 minutes of steady-state cardio. This is usually a walk for me, but since I had a pool handy I used that to my advantage. Swimming is great exercise and I wish I had access to a pool all the time!

Dinner wasn't the worst choices- grilled chicken was my protein but "BBQ foods" were mainly my choices for sides. So I enjoyed a little macaroni salad, a deviled egg and some corn on the cob. Not my usual greens and complex carbs, but I enjoyed myself in moderation so I didn't feel too badly about it. I still avoided alcohol, caffeine and sugar so I don't think I really "fell off the wagon".

Day 11

Friday. Big day. Busy day. Perfect day to challenge myself!

It's an optional workout day but since we are outta town this weekend I figured I betta WORK. 

It's a complex day, with different sets of muscles being worked all together. I found that with even a slightly stronger core, I had better balance and form. I upped some weights in places and reps in others. 

After that I did try the optional Bootie Blast I hadn't done before. WOW. Bootie burn is more like it. So. Sore! But worth it. 

I ran errands, picked up a kid, met everyone at home, packed the car and hit the road for our GA trip. I am def nervous about maintaining my challenge expectations and goals while away. Fingers crossed! 

Day 10

1/3 of the way through! I noticed a significant difference in my gym workout today, after our challenge call. I wanted to push myself more, I wanted to work harder.

Initially I wondered, "Why don't we have a FB group?" or something like that to keep us accountable, to check in on, etc. On day two I realized how disastrous that might be! Because the second someone had different results than me, different progress, despite a different starting point, I would likely be discouraged. I love that NO ONE I know is doing this challenge along with me, because I'm not spending time comparing myself to anyone but me. I am in competition with myself.

I tried out my hummus kale deviled eggs as my post-workout snack yesterday and I think I enjoyed them as much as one can enjoy a deviled egg without mayo and with kale. I like mixing it up though and this was a good way to do that.

Some nights I haven't been as hungry at dinner as others, but I knew Cleanse Day was coming up so I didn't skimp on my (appropriately-sized) portions of protein, veggies and brown rice (my fave) at dinner. I did find that I was better at recognizing when I was full and not trying to make myself eat everything on my plate.

My legs and butt were still sore from Day 9 when I went to bed on Day 10, so hopefully that means progress!