Fitness Classes!!!

Hey Guys! Well....I am SO EXCITED to announce that I will be instructing fitness classes in my town beginning on Feb. 8th!
Here is the schedule:
Tue 9-10 am: Bootcamp
Wed 9-10 am: Pump
Thur 9-10 am: Bootcamp
Sat 9-10 am: Interval
This place has wonderful facility with mirrors, bathrooms, awesome flooring AND a play area for children with toys and a TV/DVD.
The owner said "You just wouldn't believe what perfect timing this is!" and I thought...OH YES I WOULD! God's timing is PERFECT!

If I have good reception with these classes, I also have the ability to add a Monday evening and Friday evening class. (6:30-7:30).

Anyone who attends the pump or interval class will need to bring their own set of hand weights. For girls I suggest 5, 8 or 10 pounds and for guys 12, 15 or 20 pounds. There is a weight-area where we can leave our weights if we want.

Classes are $5 each. I will be providing each person with a punchcard. After 10 punches, you get a free class.

Let me know if any of you have any questions or suggestions and also let me know if you plan on coming!! AND PLEASE PASS THE WORD AROUND TO ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS!!!

I am beyond excited at how God is working all of this out!

One last thing...I am trying to think of a creative name for my business...something that involves fitness and also lets people know I'm a Christian. If anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears!
Love you all,
Jen

Bootcamp: Cardio class. (jumping, squats, push ups, lunges, jacks, punches, kicks)
Pump: Weightlifting. Will focus on all major muscle groups (chest, back, shoulders, biceps, triceps, quads, hamstrings and core/abs)
Interval: Alternating between weights and cardio. 5 minutes cardio/3 minutes weights.

Ps. If any of you are local and want to know where it's at...just message me! :) Husbands are welcome too! :)

Beachbody Bargains!

Just wanted to be sure I let all of you know about the sale that is going on at Beachbody right now! For a limited time you can order the P90X Results and Recovery Drink and the Peak Protien Bars for a great discounted price. I'm not sure of the exact (to the penny) cost...but I think the Recovery Drink is around $25 right now (instead of $50) and the Protien bars are around $15 instead of $23. So, if you've been thinking about ordering some or want to try it...this is the time! Be sure to order using this link : http://beachbodycoach.com/onetoughgirl (fyi: if you don't order using that above link, I will NOT get credit for your purchase, unless I am already currently your Beachbody coach. If I'm not your coach....I would love to be!)

Ps. fyi: The Recovery Drink is a orange-y tasting drink that you use after a workout to help relieve soreness and restore energy for the next workout.

Don't stop eating when you feel full...

STOP SOONER!

We all grew up thinking (or at least I did) that as long as we stop eating when we feel full, then we've done good. But something our elders failed to teach us, is that it takes a good 15-20 minutes for what you've eaten to register with your body....So by the time you start to think "Man, I feel full" you probably should've stopped 15 minutes ago! Yikes! (okay maybe not exactly...but you get what I'm saying!?!)
Surely I'm not the only one who, while sitting at a restaurant with friends, suddenly feels the need to be wheeled out in a wheelchair because I feel like I'm gonna be sick if I move. How many millions of times have I said to myself "WHY did you let yourself eat so much?" "I should've quit a LONG time ago!!" "Being a little bit hungry is a zillion times better than being over-full!" Ugh!

Well, now that I'm back to eating food for fuel rather than pleasure, and monitoring my portion sizes, I'm remembering what it's like to stop eating BEFORE I'm full. And its actually rather enjoyable. With this TurboFire nutrition plan, I never get that "FULL" feeling. Instead, I may actually leave the table still feeling like I want more. But that is your mind playing tricks on you!! Don't fall for it! Wait 15-20 minutes (or probably even as few as five minutes) and see how you feel. I almost ALWAYS feel satisfied. And THAT my friends, is what you're after!
And furthermore...are we really going to sit back and allow ourselves to be RULED by our feelings? EVEN IF I don't feel full OR satisfied, if I've just eaten an apple and 1 tbsp. of almond butter then I know I've had a very ample and nutritious snack and that is that. My feelings aren't going to dictate to me that I need more...and neither are my tastebuds. I'm the boss!! :)

Let's brainstorm some ideas of ways we can stop this over-eating phenomenon! Here are my top 10:

1) At home, ACTUALLY MEASURE your portion sizes. I know...you're dirtying up measuring cups that you'll have to wash. Boo! I agree. BUT...after a few times of doing this, you'll be able to eye-ball it and stay within recommended portion sizes. FYI: Your plate should be divided up into 3 parts. 1/2 is for veggies. 1/4 is for lean protien. 1/4 is for good carbs. If you're filling up your plate and thinking "this is never gonna be enough" that's okay. Just tell yourself that you'll eat this much to start with...then wait 5-10 minutes. If you're still hungry, you can refill the veggies half of your plate! :)

2) At a restaurant, split your entree with someone!

3) At a restaurant, ask the waiter to bring you a to-go box when he brings out your food and immediately put half in a container. Not only will you be getting 2 meals for the price of one, you will keep yourself from eating enough food for 2 people at one setting!

4) At home, eat off a smaller plate. It has been proven that we automatically FILL our plates. So it's pretty simple math that if you have a 10" diameter plate you'll fill it with less food than you would a 14" plate. I eat off the same plates my kids use a lot of the time.

5) Before any meal, drink a glass of water...and possibly even eat a snack. Especially when I know we are going out and I am probably going to be eating something not super-healthy, I will eat a banana before we leave or drink a large glass of ice water. You are taking up space with something healthy and therefore...you instantly have less room for chips and queso (or bread
and olive oil) or whatever your favorite appetizer food is!

6) At a restaurant: Seat yourself AWAY from the freebies. Or, move the freebies out of your reach. It is much less convenient to eat the free chips and salsa if you have to reach across the table everytime. When it's right in front of your nose, you will eat them mindlessly without ever noticing. You'd be AMAZED at how many tortilla chips ONE PERSON can put away when basket after basket are set down in front of you!!

7) Chew and chew and chew. Ideally, you will chew 20 times per bite. I've counted and tried this...and that is about 13 more chews than I normally do. Slow the heck down! Eat intentionally...and make sure your mind realizes what you're doing. I've actually been so busy some days that I had to mentally think and try to remember if I ate lunch or not!!!

8) Put your fork down! The majority of people load their fork for the next bite while they're still chewing the one they JUST put in their mouth. Watch around at restaurants. People everywhere will be chewing while they hold their fork a mere inch away from their mouth...just hovering there while they wait for the swallow and re-load. :) Put that fork down, drink your water, again...slow down. :)
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9) At a restaurant: Sabatoge your dinner. I don't personally recommend or use this technique because I don't believe in wasting...but if you just have to....ruin your food. When you've eaten an adequate amount, dump salt or sugar or salsa or whatever is handy on your plate on the remainder of your food. It's childish, yes...but hey, sometimes we gotta do what we gotta do! At least you will guarantee yourself that you won't just keep sitting there and picking at it!

10) Don't order your favorite entree. I know that sounds crazy, but if you order something that is healthy but isn't your favorite...the chances of you going over-board stuffing yourself are MUCH LESS. Matt always says when I'm cooking super-healthy "well, at least we'll be guaranteed to lose weight. Not only is the food healthy...but it's not very tasty so we aren't tempted to over-eat!" I know that is NOT a compliment :)...but he's right. It's a lot easier to leave steamed broccoli on my plate than it is crispy french fries!

So, do you have any other suggestions we can add to the list? I'd love to hear them!

TurboFire EATING

Posted by me on Facebook last week: I hate it when people say "I tried P90X and it didn't really work". And then I ask them if they followed the nutrition plan and they say "no, but I did the workouts." If you ONLY did the nutrition part but didn't do the workouts, would you say you "did it" ? NO, of course not...so don't say you "did it" if you neglected the nutrition aspect of it. It takes BOTH.

So, in an attempt to NOT be a hypocrite :), I am going to actually start following the nutrition plan that came with my TurboFire workout.
You'll notice, that I am substituting Shakeology for my lunch everyday. I won't do this on the weekend because I want to be able to eat with my family. I am hoping that by adhering to this meal plan very strictly during the week and trying to stay "in control" but not overly strict on the weekends will still allow me to lose around a pound a week.
I thought I'd post my meal plan on here, because in the past, a lot of you have mentioned that you enjoy following these with me.

Monday:
B: Guiltless Egg Sandwich*
S: Apple with 1 tbsp. almond butter
L: Shakeology
S: Banana and 10 raw whole almonds
D: Herb-Roasted Chicken, mashed cauliflower*

Tuesday:
B: Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal*
S: Celery with 1 tbsp. peanut butter
L: Shakeology
S: Banana and 10 raw whole almonds
D: Grilled Lemon Salmon, candied carrots*

Wednesday:
B: Fruit & Nut Muffin*
S: Apple with 1 tbsp. almond butter
L: Shakeology
S: Banana and 10 raw whole almonds
D: Panko-crusted Chicken, simple spinach salad*

Thursday:
B: Oatmeal w/ banana
S: Celery with 1 tbsp. peanut butter
L: Shakeology
S: String cheese, apple
D: Sneaky Turkey Spaghetti, green salad*

Friday:
B: Guiltless Egg Sandwich
S: Apple with 1 tbsp. almond butter
L: Shakeology
S: Banana and 10 raw whole almonds
D: Island Pork Tenderloin & steamed asparagus

Recipes:
Guitless Egg Sandwich
1 whole wheat english muffin
2 egg whites
2 turkey sausage links (approx. 60 cal/each)
1 slice low-fat cheddar cheese

Herb-roasted Chicken
1 whole chicken, approx. 3 lbs.
2 tbsp. dried herbs
1/2 lemon, juice
butter-flavored non-stick cooking spray
salt & pepper
~Roast chicken in oven with herbs, lemon juice and spray on it.

Candied Carrots
8 c. shredded carrots
4 tbsp. honey
~Steam carrots, add honey and stir until coated.

Fruit & Nut Muffin
1 whole wheat english muffin
1 tbsp. nut butter
1 tbsp. fruit preserves

Panko-crusted Chicken
8 5-0z skinless boneless chicken breasts
3/4 c. Panko (Japanese style bread crumbs)
1/4 c. dijon mustard
1/2 c. non-fat plain yogurt
2 tbsp. sesame oil
3 garlic cloves
1 1/2 tbsp. dried parsley
~Wash chicken breasts, pat dry with a paper towel and set aside. In a large bowl, wisk together mustard, crushed garlic, yogurt and sesame oil. In a sperate bowl, mix parsley with panko. Dip chicken into mustard mixture and then roll it into bread crumbs. Place on a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray and bake it at 475 degrees for 20 minutes or until coating is golden brown and chicken is no longer pink. Then use a meat thermometer to test chicken or pierce the thicker portion to make sure juices run clear. Serve with Dijon sauce.

Dijon Sauce
1/4 dijon mustard
1/4 c. non-fat yogurt
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce
~Combine all ingredients. To serve, place a dollop of sauce over each chicken breast.

Simple Spinach Salad
4 c. spinach
1/2 tbsp. balsalmic vinegar
1/2. tbsp. olive oil
medium tomato
medium cucumber, sliced
~Combine all ingredients, toss

Sneaky Turkey Spaghetti
Whole wheat spaghetti noodles
Lean ground turkey
Sugar-free organic spaghetti sauce
diced zuchiini
shredded carrots
~Brown meat and season with italian seasoning, garlic, salt and pepper. Add sauce, and veggies and cook until veggies are tender. Serve over cooked noodles

To find recipe for Island Pork Tenderloin, just type it in under "search this blog" and you'll find it! :) YUMMY!

Make a profit as a Beachbody Coach

I had a request to explain how to make a profit as a Beachbody Coach..and I'm glad you asked (Kelly) because that is a great question that I've failed to really explain on here.

The moment that you sign up to become a coach, you can start earning money. With every sale you make, you earn 25% of that sale. So for instance, let's say you sign up and then your friend wants to purchase P90X. You would earn $30 and get a check that week in the mail. So...that is one way to earn money...by finding the people who are looking for help with getting fit and healthy (just about EVERYONE these days) and setting them up with a fitness program (which comes with a nutrition guide) as well as suggesting Shakelogy to them for their nutrition. Once they make a purchase, you get a check!

Secondly, (and the possibilities here just NEVER end!) you are also on the lookout for other people who would like to benefit financially through this opportunity. Once you get 2 coaches to sign up beneath you, you become an EMERALD coach and the awesome thing about that is then Beachbody starts GIVING you customers! Yes, at that point, anytime someone calls in from the infomercial or goes onto the website and purchases any program or supplement, they get assigned a coach and BOOM! You start getting customers left and right that you didn't even have to "work" for! (this is the level I am currently at!) Everytime these people buy anything, you make 25% of the sale!!!

As you continue to add coaches beneath you, and they add coaches beneath them, the financial possibilities increase at rapid rates! You advance from Emerald to Ruby to Diamond (and so on).

Something that I didn't realize until my coaches helped me, is that there are ways to get yourself to Emerald very quickly (I did it in a week!) and then you can start getting those "free" customers right off the bat and start earning money that you didn't work for. Of course, in order to maintain those customers and be a helpful coach that will excel...you will want to maintain contact with your customers and encourage them as well as help answer their questions. This is what the "work" is. (Not too shabby! :)

Another thing that I've been clueless about, but am getting started with, is having Beachbody home parties and hosting a Fit Club event. A home party is basically like any home party you've been to. You have samples available (Recovery Drink, Shakeology, protien bars) and even have a sampling of the DVD's playing so they can see what the workouts look like. You can explain a bit about the company, the programs, the nutritional supplements and the coaching opportunity.
For the Fit Club event, you want to find a church gym or hotel meeting room, etc. where you can host an actual work out using one of the cardio-based DVD's (Insanity, TurboFire, P90X Plyometrics, etc.) You don't charge the people for this, but you do give them the opportunity to try out a workout and see how awesome they are (or a sample of Shakeology or Recovery Drink) and you can hand them a business card and show them how they can go to your website to order the program for themselves.

So as you can see, there are numerous ways to make money by being a coach! (and I've only listed out a few). If you want more info, just let me know!

**SUPER IMPORTANT DETAIL: If you just took the time to read all of this and have decided to become a coach, PLEASE respect me and the information I've given you by becoming a coach on MY TEAM! :) Besides the fact that I would love you have you join me...you will be joining Team Wildfire, which is a large group of very succesful, enthusiastic coaches who will tutor and train you every single step of the way and remain in constant contact with you so that you can be succesful! (not to mention we are headed up by a husband and wife team who know Tony Horton personally and have been in magazines and infomercials!) In order for you to join our team, I first have to be your coach. Then you can click "Be a Coach" and you will get to join my team!
**FYI: If you've ever purchased anything from Beachbody before, then you have been assigned a coach, but a quick call to Beachbody Customer Relations can get you switched over so that I am your coach (onetoughgirl). Just holler if you have any questions!

devastated, but not defeated

I don't even know what to call this post...because nothing seems to fit. Let me just tell it like it is...yesterday I got fired from the gym that I instruct at.

It all started on Thursday morning when I invited some girlfriends over to do a workout with me. That morning while I was waiting on them to arrive, my over-active brain started working on an idea...an idea of how COOL it would be if I could rent a space or borrow a church or school gymnasium and teach a fitness class in the small town I live in. I live about 25 minutes away from the town that the gym is located in-and in our little town-there isn't ANY kind of place that offers group fitness classes....so....I thought this would be great! I could teach a class in town on a day that I don't teach at the gym. It would also be beneficial for my Beachbody business because since this wouldn't be associated with the gym, I could use my P90X, Insanity and TurboFire workouts for these classes...sort of a "Fit Club". It sounded pretty exciting and cool, so I posted on Facebook to see if any of my hometown buddies would be interested....and lots of them were. Cool beans I thought! This is gonna be so fun!

Then Friday got here...
First of all I got a "reality check" email from a sweet friend who was helping me see the un-profitable-ness of my idea. If I only charged $3 per class, it would never be enough to pay the rent somewhere. She was right. I was discouraged....BUT....I'm a dreamer and I'm quite impulsive sometimes. This particular time my thoughts got away from me and I guess before I'd really thought it through, I let my excitement get the best of me and I posted on FB to see if there'd be a response. But after reading her e-mail and seeing her put the "pencil to the paper" and show me the figures...I could see her point. At that rate, I was going to be LOSING money. Poo!

It was oh....a few minutes later when I got an email from another friend, letting me know that she was going to cancel her "coach" status under me. Another disappointment. I understand her reasons completely, but...still that was something I've been hoping for and working towards and it finally happened and then it was being taken away.

So...then I start to see a major shift in my mood...suddenly I'm not in a chipper cheerful mood anymore. I'm feeling like I've just been slapped.....NO! I say to myself....I am God's chosen daughter, whom He deeply loves and has empowered and nothing can touch me! I post that on FB....and I'm trying---really trying to not let these little disappointments ruin my day.

I can NOT let them ruin my day because today is Brooklyn's BIG 10th birthday slumber party at a hotel and I've got to be "ON" for 3 very excited and expecting little girls for the next 24 hours.

Fast forward a couple of hours...I step out of the shower in time to get a call from my boss at the gym. She starts out by saying "I love my job but I hate this part of it"....and I get that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that KNOWS something bad is coming.
She then proceeds to tell me that I'm fired. I can't teach at the gym anymore effective immediately...and all because I posted on FB that I "was thinking about teaching a class in my town somewhere"......!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT??????????
I was in shock...I mean......really???? It was just an IDEA...a THOUGHT...something I hadn't even begun to carry out. How can that be a reason to FIRE ME? Do they think I'm a malicious evil person who sets out to do wrong things and then post it on the world wide web for everyone to see? I've done nothing but bend over backwards for that place. I give them 110% every. single. time. I've taught when I'm sick, I've canceled plans to sub for someone else, I've covered for people with only 10 minutes notice. I've taught 3 fitness classes in a ROW before because the teacher after me didn't show up for her class so I stayed and taught YOGA even though I was 100% unprepared...because THAT is the kind of person I am. When I work for someone, I give them ALL of me. I work for them as if I were working for the Lord. I believe that is the right way to be and some people call me a brown-noser or a butt-kisser but I don't care because that is who I am and that is the kind of person I would want working for me. I have a pure heart that never seeks to do wrong or harm anyone and the last thing I would ever intentionally do is hurt the company that pays my bills. I felt like my person, my integrity and my intentions were being attacked...and so...then came the tears. Buckets and buckets of them. Sobs. All my friends from class. All my relationships that I've made there. All the hard work I've put in and money I've spent! MONEY!!!!!!!! It dawns on me that I JUST SPENT $300 to get AFAA certified and now I'll never have the opportunity to make that money back. Not even to mention the wireless mic, countless CD's and workout gear!....more tears....

Then...chalk it up to irony or coincidence or salt in the wound, but as I leave the house for this slumber party, I quickly grab the mail and LOW AND BEHOLD what is in there? My "Congratulations you are now AFAA Certified" papers! Yes...when I normally would have been celebrating and breathing a GIGANTIC sigh of relief and gratefulness that I passed my test (and with an 89%!) ...instead it just feels like someone is poking a needle around in an open wound. At that moment, I don't even WANT to be AFAA certified...I just want this whole nightmare to END!

Nevertheless...I know I HAVE to put this out of my mind for the evening and focus on making this party special for my daughter....and so I did.

But now it's Saturday and reality slapped me in the face the moment I woke up...and it's eating at me from the inside and I feel like I'm wasting away. I'm shutting down. I want away from people and facebook and organizations and businesses and corporations and groups. The devil is having his way with my mind...telling me what an idiot I am and that I can't EVER keep my mouth shut. That every time I talk I mess something up and I should just SHUT THE HECK UP for good.
But sadly for him...I know what a liar he is and I recognize his evil voice when it speaks to me. Thankfully, I'm wise enough to know that I need to run hard and fast into the arms of God....and so I read my Bible (actually, it was Gideon's :) this morning and although I turned to Psalm 91 for some encouragement...after I read it...I happened upon Psalm 94.,,,"The Lord my defender!" Wow...that is EXACTLY what I need right now....more than anything in the world...I need the Lord to be my defender. I didn't do anything wrong at all...and anyone who knows me KNOWS that I live to 1) please the Lord and 2) please people and if "Corporate" at the gym felt that I was a threat to their business more than an asset, then it will have to be God Himself who defends me.

Lastly, I have to say a HUGE thanks to 1) Shelley...who taught me everything I know. Who has been a million times more than "just" an instructor to me. Shell you are a precious friend and I will forever be a different and better woman because of you!
2) Matt, my better half, my best friend. You left work early, brought me roses home and had tears in your eyes for me as you handed them to me. Nothing on earth has ever meant more to me than those tears did. That said "I LOVE YOU" more than anything ever has in my whole life!
3) Rene, my dear friend, who listened to me cry and then without a second thought went straight from regular conversation into an amazing spontaneous prayer for me. That touched me so deeply. Thank you for being with me for the last 24 hours and keeping me from doing anything stupid or crazy that I would have surely regretted!
4) All of my other friends, classmates and loved ones that have supported me and will support me as soon as you read this and know what's going on. I love you...and my cup overflows!

Please pray for the man who fired me. He needs the Lord-obviously. And while you're at it, throw a prayer up for me too...cuz this "tough girl" doesn't feel tough at ALL anymore. (sniff-sniff)

Insanity meets Zumba=TurboFire

So...many of you have been asking...what is TurboFire! Well......let me tell you!!!! :)

It is SO FUN! It is not quite as challenging as Insanity and not quite as dancy as Zumba...but the perfect combination of both! So far, I've only come across one person who didn't LOVE it (and I won't mention who THAT was!!! ;)

Things I LOVE about it:
1) It really does feel like you're in a group fitness class! So many people tell me that they wish they could do an at-home workout program but that they just can't stay motivated at home and that they do so much better in a group setting. And you know what??????? I totally get that! I completely agree!! Why do you think that even though I am a Beachbody coach and have all these awesome home-programs...that I STILL go to the gym 2-3 times a week?? Because I LOOOOOVE people and I LOVE the group setting. I love the energy you get from your neighbor and how watching them push hard and kick high makes me go even harder and challenge myself even more. I love the fun, modern music and hearing the instructor yell at us to SQUAT LOWER or GO FASTER or KICK HIGHER!! That completely floats my boat. And for the first time ever, I get that same feeling at home...with these workouts! But now I don't HAVE to go to the gym and workout at a specific time slot to get that...I can do it whenever I want!

2) It works you HARD...but not so hard that you puke and feel like you have to crawl for the rest of the day. Basically the workouts (that I've done so far) are set up to be a steady-rate cardio class...until you hear the sound of the "Fire Drill"...when the "Fire alarm" goes off...you do a 1-minute all-out (highest level of intensity humanly possible) drill. Basically during these fire drills, you should push yourself as if you were being chased by someone with a chainsaw threatening to cut your head off! But...that's only for ONE MINUTE and then you get a whole one minute recovery period to get your heart rate back under control and get going again.

3) You don't have to spend an hour+ exercising every day! Nope, it's like the best of both worlds...the workouts are shorter, but with the way they're set up (interval training) you get 9x more out of them than a regular steady-state cardio class!

4) They're instructed by a woman! If you haven't "met" Chalean yet...omg! Be prepared to fall in love! ha ha...that sounds weird, but besides being SO toned and beautiful...she is SO down to earth. She is the REAL DEAL--a mother of 2 and not some young tiny thing in her 20's. She's such an inspiration and she has an addicting personality! Love her bits of sarcasm, toughness and sweetness all at the same time. She's tells it like it is...but she's so cute and sweet when she says it that you can't help but love her while you're hating what she's saying! I was ready for a break from all the testosterone--sorry Tony H. and Shaun T. :)

5) You don't need all kinds of equipment. No hand weights or pull up bar to purchase here. Nope, everything you could need comes with it! 2 kinds of resistance bands as well as a great nutrition guide (like all the programs) and a 5-day Inferno plan to help you lose weight quick right when you start.

6) The music is HAPPENIN'!! Sorry P90X ...but your music sucked. I LOVE this music!

Okay, those are my TOP 6 reasons, and I could probably go on and on...but I have other things I need to do before the kids get home from school! As always, if you're interested in learning more..check it out at www.beachbodycoach.com/onetoughgirl. Just click "Shop" and scroll down to TurboFire!

Redecorating...

Don't you just get the "itch" sometimes to redecorate? I sure do and honestly, it's been a couple of years since I've felt it...but over the past week, it's been creeping up again. It started with wanting to re-do Brooklyn's "little girl" room into a "pre-teen room" since she is turning 10 tomorrow. I got nowhere with that though because furniture costs TOO DANG MUCH! Yikes! All I realllly have to have is a large desk/shelving unit and I can work with everything else we already own...but gee whiz...the ones I've been looking at (which match or at least coordinate with her bed and dresser {white}) are anywhere from $699.00-$1899.00!!! I'm starting to think the piles in her bedroom floor of hats, scarves, belts, headbands, leggings, purses, etc. aren't THAT horribly bad afterall! ha ha
Anyway, this got me started wanting to get new living room furniture---since we now have, I think, 4 holes in our couch---anywhere from the size of a baseball to the size of a basketball! Thankfully, it is an italian leather sofa and the holes are in fairly discreet places, so it's not as awful as it sounds...but still, we only have one couch in our house that seats 3 people...and there are 4 of us, so it would be REALLY NICE to have a couch AND loveseat or sectional or something so we can ALL sit comfortably together.
But again...no one gives that stuff away for free... and debt? --No can do!

So.....here I am!!...redecorating my blog and guess what!?! It didn't cost a CENT! ha ha :)

Lastly, I HAVE to add...that I am BY NO MEANS IN ANY WAY complaining in this post. I am so unbelievably grateful for all that we have and I would never trade all the new furniture in the world for being out of debt...so I am actually VERY THRILLED that we have what we have! ...and I know that in "due season" when we've saved up for it, we WILL get new furniture. Until then...I'll look at the bright side: It doesn't even matter if the kids spill their WHOLE hot chocolate on the couch...because 1) it's leather and 2) virtually nothing can harm that thing any worse than it already is! ha ha

I think this post should have went on my "personal" blog instead of this workout blog...seeing as how it had NOTHING to do with healthy eating or fitness...but...it was THIS blog I "redecorated" so...here it is. :)

I'm so ashamed...

So I just visited the blog of one of my real-life friends and fellow fitness instructors...and I'm SO ASHAMED at how much HEALTHIER she eats than I do! :)
Really...all this time I think I've just been eating "faux" healthy! I don't even know what a lot of the stuff she cooks IS CALLED let alone..what it is or what to do with it or where you buy it!
Anyway...I'm feeling VERY inspired and ready to try out some of her amazing-sounding (and looking) recipes! I love it that she takes pics of the ingredients AND the finished product (and tells us the review from the whole family-kids included). Go check her out at www.mrsbyn.blogspot.com and see how to eat healthy for 365 days in a row! :)

"The" Jeans

So..here is a pic of one of the pairs of jeans I was telling you about...the ones I don't want to shrink out of. :) ha ha

But I agree with all of your comments...I'd rather keep shrinking and have them taken in than to carry around an extra 10 pounds JUST so I can keep wearing them. :)

Blame it on the JEANS

I think I am sabotaging my weight loss because I don't want to NOT fit into my new jeans. Isn't that sad?

I love it when my jeans fit right...and I just bought 2 new pair of UHMAZING jeans that fit me like a glove.
Yay!
I've also been dropping weight fairly regularly (a pound a week) lately. SUPER YAY!

But now I can already feel myself cheating a bit on my eating and thinking in the back of my head that if I lose very much more weight...my new jeans won't fit right anymore.
On the other hand, I've been trying to lose this last 10 pounds for about 4 years and it's FINALLY starting to come off.
Aughhhhhhhhhh! this is crazy!
What's worse? Carrying around an extra 10 pounds? or not being able to wear the fabulous jeans I just spent 2 weeks of my income on?

Welcome to the Family (and duh-sometimes I'm a ditz)

First of all, I want to welcome Stacey Krull to the Team Beachbody family of coaches! I am SO EXCITED to have her join my team along with Carla Kohler! Three spiritually and physically FIT Women of God...all joined together! Wooohoooo...the world betta WATCH OUT! :) (still waiting on you Lori and Kirsty :)

Also, I am a ditz because I just told Stacey about my blog as though she'd never heard of it...and she's been following for over a year! ugh. Sorry Stacey! I have too much going on in my head at the moment and obviously wasn't thinking clearly!

Lastly, just as a small update...Hubby and I started P90X on Jan 1st and are still doing it every day (with the exception of my gym days--but that is how we planned it). I'm loving it and especially loving watching HIM workout with me! (such a hottie when he's pumping iron!)

I am very excited about the arrival of my new workout program TurboFire which should be here any day -AS WELL AS-the arrival of SHAKEOLOGY, Beachbody's meal replacement shake which has EVERYTHING your body needs, only has 140 calories and tastes amazing! THANK YOU to my hubby for giving me the "ok" to order these new products!

I can see/feel/sense that this is going to be a year of exciting change and growth! To GOD be ALL the GLORY! It is only by His Grace that I am anything good!

Keepin' it Fresh with TurboFire

So, I've done Tony Horton and Shaun T....time for some Chalean!!! Yep, I just ordered TurboFire (along with a new tub of Recovery Drink) from Beachbody! I'm SO excited! It's so easy to justify buying new programs and supplements when I get 25% off and buy them with the money I'm making from being a coach! :)

Sometimes having a new workout regimen is all the boost I need to keep the passion fresh and alive and I feel like I have butterflies in my stomach right now just thinking about doing TurboFire! I've heard awesome things about it and I'm looking forward to being instructed by a woman this time! I'll let you all know what I think once it comes in and I try it!!

Check it out for yourself at http://teambeachbody.com/workout-routines/turbofire-workout

More of Him, Less of Me

The theme for 2011 in my house "More of Him, Less of Me"
I am taking the verse "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God" literally and have begun (yet again) having my morning devotional time with the Lord FIRST thing in the morning. Before anything else.....I need to be reminded whose I am...and what I've been given...and what my purpose is.....THEN....I can do my day.
I've recently learned something that has been in front of my face all my life, but until now, I've never understood it like this. There is a lot of detail I could explain, but to make it short and sweet...I've come to realize how CRUCIAL Holy Communion is to our lives. We all know that it is the blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross that forgives our sins, but it is the body that was broken that heals our bodies. Jesus told us to "Do this in rememberance of Me" as we take it...but usually I've always been directed to "examine myself" at which time I usually conclude that I am SO UNWORTHY of the sacrifice that was made for me (Jesus' life).
Anyway, that is not what this is talking about....Jesus doesn't want us thinking about all of our sins or "issues" as we eat His "body" and drink His "blood", He wants us to remember what He took on His perfect self so that dirty, sinful, unworthy US could be forgiven, healed and saved. He took our sins and gave us forgivness and rightousness...but He also took our sickness, weakness and pain so that we could have HIS perfect health. (full of energy, vibrance and wellness!) WOW! Now as we eat the cracker/drink the juice---I imagine (and have the kids do this too) seeing all the "dirty, yucky stuff" just rolling right off of us as we consume the precious body and blood of Jesus and then we visualize ourselves "fresh, clean and pure white"-like Jesus.
He encourages us to "do this often"....so, we, in our family, have chosen to spend a few moments each day remembering what Jesus did for us and believing in faith that we have been made blameless and sinless, healthy and whole just as Christ was (and is) when He went to the cross. What am amazing blessing that is going to bring into our lives as we look not at ourselves to determine our value, worth or success, but upon the ONE who gives us all good gifts! I'm very excited about this, if you couldn't tell! :)
Btw...if you want to know more about what I'm talking about, you can go to www.destined2reign.com and search for "Health and Wholeness through the Holy Communion". I HIGHLY recommend it.

I don't normally write out New Year's Resolutions...but this year I decided to make a few.
1. Daily time/communion with God.
2. Spend more time visiting with family.
3. Daily devotions with the kids at night.
4. Health-ful eating and regular exercise, of course! :)

One of my favorite quotes (regarding parenting) (but I don't know who said it) is "Every day that you feed them, you're teaching them how to eat."
For years, I had that posted on my fridge...and would still now except that the paper became so tattered and torn that I finally took it down. It's such a wonderful thing to remember when you have small children in the house!

Today, Matt and I started Day 1 of P90X again. Ha Ha Ha! Who knows WHAT that means...beyond that we worked out today. :)
I have a LOT of subbing at the gym already on my calendar for this month, so that makes sticking to a 90 day program at home very confusing and hard. I refuse to let exercise take over my life :)

Anyhow, that's what's up with me today---on January 1st, 2011. I hope you had a great Christmas and enjoyed a safe New Years Eve/Day!

I finally went out and spent my $100 from the challenge and got myself a ROCKIN' new pair of Big Star jeans that are stinking ADORABLE! I had wanted a pair of Miss Me with a sparkly cross on the back pockets, but I guess they don't make them like that anymore. :( It's okay though because LOOOOVE the ones I found! I'll take a pic when I wear them and show you! :)