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!

Day 9: ROCK your life

Today was a good day in the gym and in my eating habits! The water is going down, the weights are going up, the sweat is running down and the heart rate is going up. I continue to be excited for "after"...for the habits I hope to keep after June 11, the progress I can make after I'm not mentally and financially committed to a 30-day challenge.

Tonight I rushed home right after work (gym was at 4) and made some delicious turkey burgers for dinner. I usually skip the bun and cheese anyway so this isn't a big meal adjustment for me. I was DYING for a good turkey burger with tzatziki sauce (the only thing I've ever actually used plain nonfat Greek yogurt for) so I whipped some up. My garlic salt comes FLYING out of this new container so it was a little grainy and more salty than I wanted. But I'll try again! I also tried out Perrier Sparkling Water with grapefruit. Ironic, since I enjoy neither sparkling water nor grapefruit, but I was fighting a juice craving. It's not bad! It's not my favorite, but a good alternative to juice and soda.

The reason I rushed home was because we had a check-in call at 7 and I wanted to be done with dinner and ready for it. So I was. And then I discovered I read it wrong and it was in fact at 8. So that gave me time to shower and get settled in before our call at 8.

Our call is like a webinar, where we can see and hear Erica (our Sisters in Shape coach) and we can chat with her and each other via text box. So it was a good check-in and place to ask questions, but also a great motivator! We were through week one so we had a good handle on the meal plan, the exercises, the routine. So this call was a challenge, to ROCK our workouts this week. Erica used the work "rock" as a verb, but also an acronym. For the Reason we're doing it (do you know why you're doing this challenge? Have you told someone about it to help keep you accountable?); the Opportunity we have (both physically and mentally but also financially if we're interested in joining her team); Change (look at the changes we've already made and how we can make them lasting habits); and KILL the voice. This was my favorite! Kill the voices that tell you "you don't have time for this", "you'll never be able to do this", "you're not strong enough". Erica shared some of her story with us and it was so nice to hear things coming from a REAL person; not a sales and marketing standpoint, not a "buy my book and products" person, not someone who was single, independently wealthy, without kids, etc. She's so real and honest and that is a big part of why I feel like I can do this challenge. She's not judgmental, she's compassionate and she knows where many of us are coming from as we began this challenge.

I'm not into motivational speakers. It's not my thing. But there was something about our call that was super uplifting and made me want to be successful. Something about women supporting each other, even when we have different goals and are in completely different places. And really, something about perfect strangers lifting each other up instead of so much of the tearing down you see these days. I'm pumped for the rest of this week and this challenge!

Day 8

Week one down! 

Start of week two. I have a better handle of what to do when and how the exercises work. I'm more confident in the gym but also realistic! I have limitations, but I'm pushing myself and challenging myself more every day. 

I look at food differently already. Food for fuel. Knowing how different I feel after a week of no caffeine, no alcohol, no processed food, no sugar, and nearly no dairy and gluten is really changing the way I look at how I eat, prepare and shop. 

This week I swapped my apples for berries and love knowing what foods fuel my body and my workouts. 

I still hate the cardio sprints but I'm digging the rest of the program. Water consumption wasn't quite up to par after a leisurely Sunday but I hope to get back up to almost a gallon tomorrow. 

Cool water shakes are not awful, just took some getting used to! 

Week 1 observations

So I'm down a full week of the program. Yay! 1/4 of the way there, and I'm still standing. Here's a few things I learned:

* My cold water trick for the shake backfired, as it makes it more difficult for the shake to completely be absorbed. But after drinking them a few days, I don't need them as cold. So back to cold-ish water!

* I can learn to eat some veggies, but there are others I just. can't. do. No matter how small they're chopped or what they're mixed with (I'm looking at you, cucumber)

* I have a terrible, toxic relationship with food. I eat for no reason. This week I've reminded myself, every time I eat, "You're eating for fuel". I need to pay attention to what I'm eating.

* This challenge is about structure and habits, but not set-in-stone methods. I need to have things on hand to snack on  when I get hungry that are good for my body, will satisfy my cravings and fill me up. Otherwise I'm stuck with being hungry (and hangry) or making bad choices.

* I really do like the convenience of Isagenix shakes. I won't drink them twice a day every day when this challenge is over, but I would love to have them on hand for days I know are going to be crazy or I just won't have time to eat in the morning.

* I really like working out! I like the burn, the sweat, the almost-throw-up feeling when I'm done. Knowing I have pushed my body and it pushed back and we made it through it.

* The scale is a liar! I stayed off the scale all week (which was surprisingly challenging; I had NO idea how many times a day I hopped on it "just to see") and when I got on it Sunday, there was little change from the previous week. I KNOW muscle weighs more than fat. I KNOW it takes time to see progress. But I feel different, my progress pictures are different, my measurements are different, and the scale hasn't caught up. So it was a little bit freeing to know I didn't need to pay attention to those numbers to feel like I was doing something right. Suck it, scale. Also, I have a significant weight fluctuation throughout the day, so I can't wait to ask my trainer about that during our progress call tomorrow night.

* There is a huge difference when I don't eat dairy or carbs. I will never give those up. But I need a better relationship with them.

* I have survived a week without coffee. I can do it. But I'm gonna get one in this week, an iced one with natural sweetener and a splash of milk. I just have to.

* I can do this!

Day 7

Rest day!

Sunday was a little calmer since Jay works ALL day and it was me and the kiddos. The problem with calm is that it lacks structure! That's the hardest part for me: the senseless eating. I'm around, the food is around, I eat when I'm not hungry. So I was excited to conquer a lazy day.

I got a small workout in by mowing the yard, which ended up being a terrible error in judgment since I woke up bothered with allergies. It was full on miserable after mowing and kicking up all that dust and grass. But a good little cardio blast in the heat!

So I haven't had much dairy this week, save for a literal, actual teaspoon of cheese on my salad one night. I am a milk/cheese GIRL. I love my dairy. But I know it causes a good amount of bloat so I have been pretty good about eliminating it. I did have a snack last night with plain nonfat Greek yogurt with strawberries and cinnamon. Well. If all dairy tasted like that, I could give it up no problem! I realized I had never had plain Greek yogurt and it is TART. Even with sweet strawberries it was hard to get down. I have some agave syrup I may dabble on there (the recipe in my cookbook calls for Stevia, which I don't have, and peaches, which I subbed the berries for because peaches aren't in season yet!) next time to make it feel like I'm treating myself.

I did measurements and progress pics (torture) so I can see progress. That's why I'm doing this, among other reasons, is to see a difference. I found that by dinner, I didn't really want a full plate (even of fish, brown rice and veggies) and wasn't hungry when I went to bed, so something is working!

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!