Day 6 : Saturday

I have definitely been concerned about the weekends for this challenge! Rightfully so, since no two weekends are ever the same and they all come with different challenges. This weekend was no exception from our crazy life!

Jay worked this weekend so the morning started off slowly (thankfully since I got home late!) and I didn't want to do much moving early. We rarely have much time to "do nothing" so I enjoyed a movie in bed with the little ones. Shake and such for breakfast, the usual routine for this 30 days. We had some running around to do when Jay got home mid-morning so I brought my water and nuts along for my morning snack. My timing was a little off since I started later than I do Monday-Friday but that's when I realized this plan is supposed to make my life EASIER. Not harder. So I relaxed a little bit and tried to make it work for me.

We went to Family Fun Day at Hayden's school, with lots of bouncy houses and climbing things and music and Kona Ice. And pizza and Chick Fil A. I'm finding the willpower gets easier when I notice how much better my body feels without the excess, without the junk. It's easier not to put sugar and such into my body when I haven't missed it this week. But it was HOT out there which zapped me pretty quickly!

We took a trip to the Farmers Market and the grocery store and my cart was FILLED with fresh fruits, veggies and lean meats. As a general rule we are good with fruits and lean meat; the veggies are a struggle because I don't eat as many as most people. I did pick up some kale and have high hopes for it.

At around 6pm I did my short Tabata Finisher workout, with my little sidekick in tow! Lila wanted to help and "Play too" so she did my workout with me. This is a big part of my motivation for this challenge: I want my kids to see me making healthy choices too! After dinner I did my steady-state cardio 30 minute walk (man it was still hot out!) and it went by pretty quickly. It also felt like a nice stretch out for my sore muscles.

Day 6 in the books!

Day 4 - Cleanse day

This was the day I was most nervous about! A whole day with no food seems kinda crazy. But it's a great reset for your body and part of my program so I'm committed! 

The day starts with 8 oz hot water and two scoops of the cleanse. It tastes like berries but more on the tart side than sweet! Most of the day is liquid with a few IsaSnacks and 1/4 Apple if needed to regulate blood sugar. Luckily I ended up driving most of my day so I was too busy to think about it. 

Dinner time was a challenge as it was pizza night in my house and that pepperoni and cheese smelled delicious in the oven. And we picked up the cookie dough fundraiser so I had to make room by baking the last of the other cookie fundraiser! I'm happy to report that I made it through cleanse day with no cheats! Super excited to eat again though, not gonna lie. 

No exercise on cleanse days since you're not fueling your body. Nice recovery day! 

Day 3

I'm finding myself waking up ready for those shakes! Today I finished in line to drop Hayden off (by 730) so I started on water. To my surprise I needed a fill up by Lila's school at 8 am! I was on a red nose hunt at Walgreens so I was drinking (water) and driving the first part of the morning. I was shocked to realize I was at 56 oz by 930 am!   

I could tell a difference in my morning snack by having both the apple and almonds. 

I had to run errands right at 12 so I had my shake early. Added plus of Isagenix shakes for lunch: I can drink them anywhere! I really appreciate the convenience on a busy day. I opted for just my carrots and hummus to go with my shake so I have mixed greens in the fridge waiting for Friday!

My workout was awesome and again I knew how to do all the exercises so I was feeling good about doing it. I am so glad I work and work out at a women's college. Maybe after this 30 days I'll be less intimidated by the gym and by men at the gym. But not yet! 

Dinner was chicken and the veggies I'd roasted Monday night which was perfect since the salmon I planned to cook was bad. Waited too long! 

My total water intake by day's end was 142 oz! 

Day 2

So I have a terrible relationship with food. I eat for no reason. Today I thought about giving up. Not because this is impossible (it's supposed to be hard, it's a challenge) but because I just want to eat. Not because I'm hungry; because I'm used to just eating. What a stupid reason to give up. On day two. 

That's WHY I'm not giving up. Because I don't have a good reason to quit, but a million to keep going. 

Tonight while checking over my screenshot of the program I discovered that my morning snack was Apple/pear/berries AND 12 unsalted almonds. I thought it was OR. So imagine my delight to find that I can have both! It's the little things. 

My legs are sore from Day 1, and today has squats. Yikes! I felt more confident in the gym today because I knew how to do all the exercises without watching the videos. And, because day 2 has no abs. 

Body Forward: Day 1

I promise not to post every day. And that they won't be as long.

I got up when my alarm went off and headed right downstairs. Before I went to bed Sunday I took a screenshot of my "shake days" plan so I have access to it all the time. I knew that my first step was an early morning "tea" with Isagenix Supreme. I measured out my water, heated it up and stirred in a scoop of Supreme. It doesn't have a whole lot of flavor but tastes like apples and vanilla so at least it's not offensive to the senses.

My third "aha" moment was the convenience factor of the shakes. Chocolate is in the canister with scoop; berry is in the packets. I do have my old formula shaker that Jay uses for his protein powder but in the interest of convenience and consistence, I decided that I would do chocolate in the mornings and berry for lunch.

I decided to keep notes in my phone to track my progress outside of the Trainerize app. This way I can track my water consumption, the times I eat, even my bowel movements. Sorry, TMI, but this plan is supposed to aid with digestion and girl can use all the help she can get! I mixed my shake, took my Natural Accelerator, filled up my water cup (Starbucks insulated cup with a straw is my best chance for getting in the water I need), tossed my dry roasted almonds in the bag along with my shake pack for lunch, IsaSnacks, plain mixed green salad and IsaLean bar. In my gym back I packed my clothes, my shoes, some deodorant and body spray (you're all welcome) and hoped I was getting out the door with everything I needed.

The challenge started with a call on Sunday night that I wasn't able to attend (see: Mother's Day laziness) so once I dropped both kids off I let that play while I was driving (thanks Bluetooth) (safety first). I finished my shake on the way to work and started in on my water. I'm concerned with making sure my dental health doesn't suffer so I drink water right after my shake to wash it down and get all the stuff off my teeth! By the time I got to work I was already 16 oz in of my water so I'm feeling pretty good about it. I'll spare you all the details in paragraph form but I'll show you what a day on the 30 Day Body Forward Challenge looks like!

Here's what the breakdown of my day looked like when it was all over:

630 6oz water + Supreme
730 8 oz water + IsaLean chocolate shake; Natural Accelerator capsule
830 16 oz water
1030 16 oz water
11 12 unsalted almonds
1130 16 oz water
1240 mixed greens salad with balsamic vinegar, 16 oz water
115 8 oz water + IsaLean berry shake
330 16 oz water, 1 Isa Snack
4 workout!
530 1/2 IsaLean bar
6 16 oz water
730 5oz grilled tuna steak, 1/2 cup brown rice, 1 cup green beans
915 16 oz water
10 1 IsaFlush capsule

Here's what I learned:
* 96 oz is a lot of water! And I didn't quite make my goal, but it's day 1. I'm learning.

* I am really surprised at how the shakes keep me full. I am a classic overeater, and I eat for no reason! I'm glad to have this to keep me under control.

* Heat feels different when you're hydrated! I sat in the sun yesterday just to get out of my office for a few minutes. 15 minutes in direct sunlight at 80 degrees and I loved it instead of hating it!

* By dinner time I was hungry but halfway through I felt myself getting full! It's also REALLY hard for me to eat a normal portion of brown rice because I LOVE it. So I measured it and only ate what was on my plate!

* I love having the workout videos right at my disposal so I can see the proper form, but I need to make time pre-workout to familiarize myself with the workout itself. That way I'm not wasting time at the gym watching the videos for the first time.

* I can do this!!

Body Forward Challenge : Prep work

So last week I decided to make a few changes even before I decided to do the Body Forward Challenge. Little things, like upping my water intake and working on portion control. I went to the gym during my lunch just to get in some light mileage on the elliptical and inch towards fitness. I got in a good sweat, got my heart rate up and was excited to start making these changes.

That's ultimately when I realized I needed The Plan. The all-encompassing to-do list that would put me on the track to success. So I bit the bullet, signed up for Body Forward and waited for my products to arrive, which they did on Friday!

This HUGE box arrived via UPS and I couldn't wait to dig into it. 30 days worth of stuff was a LOT. Two flavors of protein shakes, boxes of packets and containers of powder. A shaker with a bright green top for said shakes, which was currently packed with a sample of five different Isagenix add-ons.

Time out. Why Isagenix? I asked myself, I asked Val and did a little research. Could you do the 30 day challenge without Isagenix? The answer was no. In order to really track your diet and make sure your body was getting the exercise it needed along with nutrition, you needed the products. It's a CHALLENGE, meant to expose you to new ways of eating, thinking, planning and exercising. I was intimidated. I mean, what if I hated them? Don't you get tired of drinking your meals? Why can't I just eat a sensible breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks? I knew my answer to that one immediately...if I could do it on my own, I would have and would have already done it. Val answered all of my questions (plant-based nutrition, tastes great, perfect for on-the-go moms, high protein, soy and gluten free, some dairy free options).

Back to the box. It was also full of bottles of powders to mix with water (for cleansing, mental clarity), bottles of pills (natural accelerator), something called "Snacks" (which looked nothing like the snacks I know), a training manual and CDs and a measuring tape.

I got an email with instructions on how to set up my Trainerize app, PDFs of the calendar I need, the recipes, the plan itself (checklists! oh how I love a checklist!) and the workouts.

I had all the things I needed to get me started and to be successful, and for once, I was really excited about doing something hard, something different, something new.

On Saturday I decided I needed to test out one of the shakes to make sure I could even stomach it. I went with the Natural Berry (dairy free) one and mixed it up with 8 oz of cold water. I immediately realized that it would need to be colder. The taste wasn't bad, but I like stuff COLD. So my first plan: put my water in my shaker cup the night before and refrigerate. I read over the plan, looked at some of the recipes and had them in my head when we went grocery shopping.

Since the plan includes shakes for breakfast and lunch and only cooking dinner, I actually spent less at the grocery store than I usually do! I mentally purchased lean proteins, veggies and fruits with the stuff I normally buy; the only real addition was nonfat greek yogurt (plain) that I can mix with fruit and oatmeal and call "dessert".

My second "aha" moment was that I had chosen the beginner at-home workout, and that would allow me to make room for excuses once I got home. No no, you're doing this Jessica. So I asked Erica to switch me to the gym workout. When I reloaded the app, I noticed I had the Intermediate Gym workout. Hmm. I looked through it and was immediately intimidated. I couldn't do this stuff! And it was 5-day gym instead of 3-day like beginner. I thought. I thought some more. Maybe I should do the intermediate? Maybe I should REALLY challenge myself with this. Then I kept it real. I need to set myself up for SUCCESS and starting with a plan that I know I can't maintain is not the way to do it. I emailed Erica again (already getting my money's worth out of the Fitness Coach part of this challenge!) and asked her to correct the mistake. Once the beginner workout loaded, I skimmed it and knew THIS was my ticket to success.

I should have spent all day Sunday poring over the workout plan, the diet plan, and really digging into what I would be doing for 30 days. But I'll be honest: it was Mother's Day. I didn't want to. I read just enough to get me started on Monday and decided Day 1 is more important than Day Zero, and really just hoped I could get it together and not let myself down. By far, the worst thing ever was taking my "before" pics on Day Zero and seeing myself in a sports bra. And then I had to take them again, because they didn't upload to the app the first time. My second round of before pics were post-Mother's Day- lunch, which involved two glasses of wine, Caesar salad and lobster ravioli. Doh.

I went to sleep feeling discouraged, hating that I let myself get so unhealthy, terrified of the next 30 days.