P90X/D5/R3

Friday's are always tough. It seems like I have a million things I want to get done 'before the weekend' and the workout seems to get pushed to the bottom of the list. This time since I knew we were having friends over for dinner at 6:30, I was busy cleaning house and preparing food and I saved the workout to do until Matt got home at 4:30. I had it all planned out in my head that we would workout immediately when he got home at 4:30. Get finished at 5:30 and get right into the shower and be ready by 6 so we could start cooking the food.
Ha!
If there were no traffic/kids/animals/phone to deal with, that maybe could have happened, but as it was, we didn't get started on the workout until 5. It was 5:55 when I got in the shower and I think I had been in the kitchen for maybe 30 seconds when our company rang the doorbell! Whew!
Today's workout was Legs & Back and I thoroughly enjoyed that routine this time. Not that it was easy by any means, but I have pretty strong legs and I felt like I got a great workout and did a great job at it. The pull ups on the other hand...ugh. Our workout room is upstairs but our pullup bar is downstairs, so we have to run UP and DOWN over and over throughout these videos. I figured it would be great--an extra little cardio boost every so often. What it ends up being is me doing pullups as FAST as I can and then running up the stairs 2 at a time to get up there in time for the next exercise with my heart POUNDING. If I hadn't been in such a hurry, I could have paused it, but there wasn't time.
Anyway, eating started out o.k. and then got worse and worse as the day/night wore on.
We had the above pancakes for breakfast.
I had apples, grapes and pistachios for lunch.
I ate a turkey sandwhich (2 slices of whole wheat light bread, mustard, turkey) at around 3.
For dinner we had grilled turkey tenderloin, fried squash & zucchini, sweet potato fries and rolls.
Then at like 11:30 pm--while playing cards and getting sleepy--we ate dessert to celebrate our friend's b-day and had low-fat brownies with vanilla icecream, fresh sliced strawberries and hot fudge sauce! EEEEEeeeeek!
We ended up staying up till 1 am! That is a record for me. I don't think I've been up that late in YEARS! Whew!
Matt and I both went to bed saying, "WHY did we eat like that???" I had already made up my mind (earlier in the day) that this was going to be a cheat day for me. But, I did regret it later. I could have at LEAST done without the fried veggies and the dessert. Oh well...I'll do better next time.
**I just want to say to those of you who are doing P90X for the first time and are thinking to yourself that maybe it's not so bad to cheat since I keep doing it---don't do it!
When we did P90X the first time, I NEVER would have cheated like I did yesterday. I also had a lot more weight to lose then,than I do now. I probably won't get very good results if I keep cheating on my eating like this. You guys who are doing this for the first time really need to be STRICT about your eating. Once you reach your goal weight, you'll be able to have "cheat" days like me occasionally and it won't affect you too much...but right now you have to stay focused and keep your eye on the goal! I hope that doesn't sound hypocritical of me..I'm just tryin' to keep it real!

Healthy Pancakes

So, this morning instead of having egg whites again, I decided to make this Healthy Pancakes recipe from the Thin Kitchen's cookbook that I got from Beachbody. I don't know why I've never tried this before, but they were pretty good. After tasting the first one, I decided to add a little cinnamon to them, which I liked better. Just FYI: This recipe makes about ten 5"diameter pancakes. (enough for 3-4 people)

Healthy Pancakes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 c. wheat germ

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 c. canola oil

2 c. milk

Directions:

In bowl, mix eggs with oil and milk. Stir in baking soda, wheat germ and flour; mix until blended. Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium-high heat. Pour the batter onto the griddle. Brown on both sides, turning once.

*Use fresh fruit and a small amount of real maple syrup or honey as a topping.

***I used Sugar Free Maple syrup because I haven't gotten to the store to get any "Real" maple syrup yet. The bad thing about these "pancake syrups" is that they contain corn syrup and other processed sugars that you want to avoid.

Approximate nutritional values (depending on what kind of milk you use)

Serving size: 3 pancakes

Calories: 210 (made with low-fat milk)

Total Fat: 9g

Saturated Fat: 1g

Carbs: 24g

Fiber: 4g

Protein: 8g

P90X/D4/R3

EXERCISE OVERLOAD! Today has been nuts! I got up this morning and practiced my routine for my class I was teaching at the gym (so got a light work out there). Went to the gym and did a 45 minute step class. Then taught a 45 minute interval class. Came home, put on my swimsuit and push-mowed (hardest work of the day!) the front, back and side yards. Then I hopped on the riding mower and mowed the rest of the acreage. Next Matt got home from work and we did Shoulders & Arms and Ab Ripper.
It's been non-stop movement since I opened my eyes at 5:15 this morning!
To counter-balance all that calorie-burning, I ate like a PIG today.
Really guys, I am hiding my face in shame right now.
Here's the list, in no particular order:
egg white veggie scramble with 1 peice turkey sausage
3 apple slices/10 grapes
20 pistachios
3 bites of Grant's ham sandwich
2 Doritos
Salad with tomatos, bell peppers and ham (my lunch)
handful of carmel corn
1/2 Recovery drink
Moutain Dew Icee from Kum-n-Go
Sweet & Spicy Chicken pasta stuff (frozen dinner-light on calories)
3 cherries
1 bite of Grant's Snickers bar
See....so. not. healthy.
I will say this at least: all the bad stuff, I ate just a LITTLE bitty bit of. My big meals were the eggs for breakfast, the salad for lunch and the chicken pasta stuff for dinner.
Still, my sweet little P90X team-mates who are looking to me for inspiration....this is a case of DO AS I SAY--NOT AS I DO!!!
I love you guys! I'm glad you all love me!

P90X/D3/R3

ohhh....well....it's like this. We have decided to make Wednesday's our skip day. It's just impossible to get a work out in AND make it to church. I wish I could say we'd do it after church, but I'd be lying. I know that when we get home from church, we're ready to change into jammies and hit the sack. So...today was rest day from P90X. I did go to the H.S. track with my buddy Rene and we walked during the hour the kids are at gymnastics. I think she said we burned 148 calories. hmmm...not much, but better than what it would have been if we'd sat and talked.
Eating today was not great but not horrible.
We started out with egg white scramble with FF mozerella for breakfast with 2 slices of turkey bacon.
Lunch was a salad and 2 small slices of left-over Kashi thin crust margarhita pizza. That probably wasn't the BEST choice, but it was quick and I was hungry and it was all I could do to take time to make a salad to go with the pizza.
Snack was celery with 1 tbsp. natural peanut butter.
Dinner was SOOOO yummy! I baked some flounder as our meat. Then I boiled 1. cup of whole wheat spirally noodles (can't remember what they're called). I sliced up a squash, red bell pepper and green bell pepper and layed them out on a large cookie sheet. I drizzled with EVOO and sprinkled with garlic salt and some Mrs. Dash. Then I baked with the fish for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. After I took the fish out, I turned the oven to "Broil" for about 3 minutes till the veggies started to get a little dark around the edges. I drained the noodles, dumped the roasted veggies on top and mixed up. That is all we had with our fish and it was DELICIOUS! I will definintely make that again!
Then for "dessert" we each ate a couple cherries and a few bites of watermelon.
Man I am STUFFED!

P90X/D2/R3

Day 2-Plyometrics. I can sum that up in one word---OUCH! Man! When you're not used to an hour of jumping, this workout is KILLER! But what's EVEN worse is how you feel the day after and the day after that! Thankfully I do quite a bit of jumping in my workouts at the gym so it wasn't sooooo painful for me (as it has been before) BUT my poor neice and SIL who are doing the program for the first time are having a hard time even walking!
Eating was pretty good.
Had veggie egg-white scramble for breakfast with turkey sausage again (matt with milk and toast, me with water)
For lunch I had the Chef salad from the nutrition guide with 1 tbsp. light ranch dressing. I also had a couple bites of some left over catfish (fried) but it was cold and old-tasting so I just threw away the rest.
For "snack" at about 3:30 pm I had a baggie full of celery with 2 tbsp. natural peanut butter.
For dinner I went to a fellowship at church. Luckily I hit the serving line after everyone else and there wasn't much left other than some salad (with no dressing) and some fresh fruit. I did have a small 2"x2" peice of some kind of mexican casserole. They also served some special jewish cookies "Haman's Ears" as part of our Bible study on Esther. (it was the last night). I had 2 of the cookies. They were soooo good and they had fruit filling so that counts for a little bit healthy, right? ha ha
Besides doing Plyo, I also did my hour of Core at the gym followed by 3o minutes of Bootcamp, so I'm pretty sure I burned plenty of calories to cover my 2 cookies!

P90X/D1/R3

Matt and I are at it again....P90X. We have several friends who were planning to start today, so we decided to join them and begin the program again. I am calling it "Round 3" because although I've started several times and do the workouts intermittantly, I've only actually COMPLETED the entire 90-day program twice. This is the beginning of my 3rd time. I REALLY REALLY want to get P90X+ and add in those workouts this round, but I have about 3-4 really pressing things that I need money for right now..and I just have to take it one thing at a time.
So, today was Chest & Back with Ab Ripper. We saved doing the work out for later in the day because I had a dr. appointment to get a new IUD put in today. For most women, getting one is not that big of a deal...but for me it is a BIG deal. Many of you don't know that I had cervical dysplasia (the beginnings of cervical cancer) during my pregnancy with Grant. They had to monitor it closely and do biopsies every other month until I gave birth. Then as soon as I had him and healed up from delivery, they took me to surgery to remove the "bad cells." Now I have a ridiculous amount of scar tissue that makes it nearly impossible to insert an IUD. To say it is very painful for me is like saying cutting your arm off hurts a tiny bit. It is everything I can do to lay still on that table. Sweat beads up all over my body and tears drip out of the corners of my eyes all the while I'm WILLING myself to be strong and not have that reaction. I just kept reminding myself that I am One Tough Girl (my Beachbody coach name) and that if I can give birth to 2 children, endure kidney stones 3 times and do 100 push ups in one workout---SURELY I can take this pain. Matt came with me to the appointment and bless his heart, he nearly faints when he sees me in that much agony. I heard him praying in the Spirit while she was working on me and it immediately calmed my pounding heart. What a blessing it is to be married to such a mighty man of God! I could go on and on and on...but it just astounds me at how God has worked in his life in the recent years. He has become the most thoughtful, caring, gentle, affectionate man. (traits I thought he was incapable of in our early years of marriage). It really is a testimony to what the Bible says about marriage and if a woman will show respect to her husband (as unto the Lord--not just because her husband does or doesn't deserve it)--how God will use her obedience to turn the heart of her husband. Don't get me wrong--Matt has always been a WONDERFUL man and husband, but there were areas that I wished he was a little more attentive to...and I believe that through my obedience to God's word...he has turned into my "dream" husband!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAnnnnnyway....sorry about that little bunny trail I went off on. As I was saying, we saved the work out until a little later in the day because after my procedure, I was pretty crampy and having considerable low-back achiness. We went out for lunch at Red Lobster and did very well. He ordered grilled chicken and shrimp over brown rice and I had the grilled shrimp skewers with steamed broccoli and a small (maybe 1/2 c.) serving of brown rice. We did both "flub up" and have ONE biscuit...but...that was my ONLY bread/carb of the entire
day so I'm not beating myself up about it.
For breakfast we had egg white scrambles with fresh tomatoes, onions and peppers from our garden mixed in, with 1 peice of Turkey sausage. (Matt drinks skim milk and has 1 slice of whole wheat toast. I drink water and skip having any bread).
For lunch: Red Lobster as above.
For dinner: We decided to eat dinner right after doing the work out and neither of us felt very hungry. I had a salad (with no dressing--just LOTS of fresh garden tomatoes) and I made us up a Chocolate Peanut Butter Protien shake as our "dinner."
The work out was tough but it felt GREAT to be at it again. I wish Tony didn't spend so much time chatting though. I think if they left out all his little comments and quips, we could be done 10 minutes sooner. However, I think I only feel this way because this is the 3rd time we are doing this program and I practically have these videos memorized. The first time we did the program, I thoroughly enjoyed all the talking. I think next time I'll choose the "Silence and Cues" option and maybe just put on my own music. I decided to go up on my weights this round of the "X" and see what I can do. I used 20 lbs. for all the exercises (except back flys where I did 15 lbs.) and I surprised myself that I could do almost as many reps with 20 lbs as I used to with 15 lbs. Hmmm....maybe I'll think about going up to 25 lbs next time we do this work out. I mean...if I can still do 15-17 reps with 20 lbs...I should probably keep upping my weight to where #12-15 are hard, right?! I think so.
Okay, so that's it for Day 1. Next is Plyo. I'm not sure how I am going to handle Tuesdays since I already go to the gym for 2 classes on that day (and we do a LOT of plyo in those classes). I know it will be REALLY hard for Matt to do it all by himself...so I mighit join him but just ease off of the intensity if I'm feeling bonked already. We'll see. For now, I'm going to give it my all and see what that gets me!
I hope you are all pushing play and doing well!!

You don't know SQUAT

None of us are strangers to the squat, but did you know that with incorrect form, you can do your body some serious damage rather than good?

I attended a new group fitness class on Monday at a different gym than I normally go to. There were probably 30-40 people in the class, all or most of which were not new to exercising. When we got to the portion of the class where we were doing squats, I was SHOCKED at what they were doing! I SOOOO wish I knew how to make and upload a video and put it on here because I'd love to SHOW you what they were doing...but use your imagination and go with me here: About half of them were doing their "squat" by bending at the waist (with just a slight bend in the knees) and bending over--bringing their chest down (parallel with the floor) and then back up straight. Down and up, down and up with the chest not the butt. Now if you can't picture that...hop up from your chair and try it. You'll see that it doesn't work your legs AT ALL. It may stretch your hamstrings just a teensy bit, but for the most part, all that up and down with the head just makes you dizzy after a while. Then you've got the other half of the people--actually bending their knees--but as they lower--looking more like a frog than a person sitting in an invisible chair (which is what you want). It was like there was a string attached to their butts that was pulling them straight down towards their heels rather than back like into a chair. Again----try it if you need to. You'll find that doing "squats" that way will stretch your calf muscle and strain your shin but not give you the good quad workout that you're after. Also, by that, you are putting way too much pressure on the knee joint and are opening the door for injury.

A correct squat uses these rules:

• Toes and heels the same distance apart (unless you're working inner thighs).


• Keep your weight in your heels.


• Lower down to a sitting-in-an-invisible chair position.


• Can see knees at all times--they should NOT go out past your toes.


• Upper half of body remains up, looking straight out in front of you.


• Don't let butt drop lower than your knees.


• At the top of the movement, do not lock your knees--keep a slight bend.


• Keep abs tight and pulled in towards spine during move.

2 ways you can check your squat--Hold a medicine ball (or any object) in your hands. As you come down to squat, extend your arms straight out, holding the object in front of you. The weight of the ball will force your hips to sit back and perform a proper squat.
You can also stand facing a wall with your toes about 6 in. from the wall. Squat down. If your knees or your head hits the wall---you need to sit further back in your heels and keep your top half more erect.
A slight tilt forward of your upper body is fine, but you should not be leaning so far over that you are looking straight down at the floor. Keep your eyes out in front of you.

Lastly, to get the Beachbody scoop on squats, go check out the TRAINER TIPS with TONY and scroll over (about 5 clicks) to the video labeled "Squats". If for no other reason, check it out to see what Tony Horton looked like in the way early days! (so glad he decided to cut that hair!!!) ***You have to be a Team Beachbody club member to access Trainer Tips.

Bargain Swimwear

Hey girls!
If you were ever thinking about ordering a swimsuit from Athleta--now is the time! They have almost ALL their stuff on sale up to 70% off. (including my new suit-dang it!) They are still fairly pricey but a lot of them are down from $59 a peice to $24 and even some $19. I browsed through their work out clothes and casual wear and found a few things I liked but overall, they're still just too expensive for me. I did find a watch (the Slice watch in green) that I might order because I have a $10 gift certificate and it's half price right now. Anyway, just had to pass on that little tid-bit of info to you! Can't pass up a sale! :o)
Here's the LINK.
Also, you may have remembered me mentioning the MOST AWESOME SPORTS BRA in the WORLD...the Moving Comfort Maia bra. Well, Athleta carries it and they have it marked down from $46 to $29. It comes in blue, white and black. I would LOVE to have a black one but...again....stinkin' money issues. Oh well.... Anyway, I have YET to find a single woman who doesn't think this bra "hung the moon" where sports bras are concerned. Your girlies won't be swingin' to-and-fro in this!

$4 a day for 30 days

If I said "I have something that will change your life--that will enable you to get healthy and fit FAST--and will add years and vibrancy to your life--and all it will cost you is $4 a day for 30 days." Would you buy it? Is your health--your life--your future worth that?
Have you been telling yourself you'll join a gym or start an exercise program just as soon as you can afford it? (I know several of you have told me this.)
Could you give up your daily cappuccino for it? Maybe down-grade your Dish subscription for a month? Eat out a few less times for a month?

Well, I do have this thing. It's P90X. I know, I know...you've heard me go on and on about this for over a year now...but I'm telling you people...you need it in your life. It is SUCH a minimal cost for such a HUGE investment.

WORST case scenario is this: You buy it, you try it, you quit, you sell it on Craig's list.
MORE LIKELY scenario is this: You buy it, you try it, you see that you CAN do it and you lose some weight and get in better shape.
BEST case scenario is this: You buy it, you try it. You find a sense of determination deep inside you that you didn't even know you had. You dedicate yourself to it (no cheating) for the full 90 days and have phenomenal results that shock everyone who sees you.
BESTEST case scenario: Best case scenario PLUS you decide to become a Beachbody Coach and help others have the same success you have had.

Even with the worst case scenario, you've lost a whole lot less than many of us do in one month on eating out alone. Not only is eating out expensive, but (most times) it is also unhealthy. Or, maybe you're one of the ones who could cut back on cable. What kinds of return or payout do you get from investing your time in front of the TV?
Whether you realize it or not--one of your most precious assets is your TIME. What you do with it is an investment. Maybe you invest your time into your job. Maybe you spend it investing into your children's lives. Maybe you invest your time in a hobby. (all good things) but MAYBE you invest (too much of) your time in things that don't offer ANY kind of a pay out--or even worse--a BAD pay out. (tv? video games? fictional reading?) I am NOT saying that those are bad things..I am just saying that from my experience, no one ever said "I am so glad I spend 3 hours a night watching tv...that has just enriched my life in so many ways!"
But...what if you could take just an hour of your time each day and invest it into something that WILL give you a good pay out and enrich your life and change your future? And...we're only talking about a 90 day commitment here folks.
90 days from today is Nov. 3rd.

I know several people right now who are about to start P90X who, despite the tough economy and being out of shape, have decided that THEY ARE WORTH IT. They definitely "didn't have the money" and they definitely didn't wait until they were in "better physical condition" (which I've also heard a lot of you say). They picked NOW to start. Hooray!

I remember back when I got my laser eye surgery. The only thing I regretted about it is that I didn't do it sooner. I kept waiting until I had the money. Eventually I realized that I was never going to have such an excess of money and that if I was ever going to get it done, I was going to have to just MAKE a way. Looking back, I am SO GLAD I did it...but I just wish I hadn't waited all those years. All that time I spent fidgeting with contacts and struggling with glasses.
You're health is the same way. Don't waste more and more time being out-of-shape, breathless after climbing a set of stairs, exhausted by everything and uncomfortable, unconfident and unhappy. Make today the beginning of your new life.

I'm not saying P90X is the only way, but if you're not currently doing something that is paying you out amazing dividends on your investment...then consider making a change. This program comes with a guarantee of success--and all you have to do is DO IT. Click HERE if you're ready to make one of the best decisions of your life!

Demi does P90X

Check this link out to see what actress, Demi Moore, looks like at 47 after using P90X. (HA! You thought I was talking about OUR Demi, huh? Gotcha!) By the way..just for the record..OUR Demi looks EVEN hotter than Demi Moore...but since DM is famous and all, I thought you might wanna see this! :o)http://www.beachbodycoach.com/uploads/fckeditor/mdbody/File/downloads/peoplemag_demi_P90x.pdf

The thorn in my flesh

Some of you may be familiar with Paul's writings in Corinthians where he discusses the "thorn in the flesh." Well, I'm SURE he was speaking of things spiritual and much more "deep" than this...but I just couldn't help but use his words to title this post.

For the Operation Fat Blaster Special Mission #1, we are supposed to post about the one thing that keeps getting in the way of us achieving our weight-loss/fitness goals. Well, I almost took a picture of myself, because in all reality and truthfulness, it's me and my stinkin' stubborn head that gets me in trouble about 99% of the time...BUT...I opted for a more practical take on the subject--which is why I am showing you a picture of my pantry and fridge. Literally...in the same corner of my house stand the 2 biggest speedbumps in my weight-loss journey. What can I say? I LOVE FOOD!!! Not just eating it...but cooking it and experimenting with it and even decorating with it. Ironically, through my P90X Journey and over the past year of extreme eating-habit changes, I've come to love it even more because I've been forced to try things I never would have touched before. There's hardly an item in the produce section at the grocery store that I don't at LEAST know the name of...and very few that I haven't tried. It's like I'm a kid who likes to color and I just went from the 8 basic primary colors of crayons to the jumbo box of 64 crayons with the built-in sharpener! What could be more exciting?? and tempting!!??

So there you have it...my thorn in the flesh. Very tasty, succulent, scrumptious--yet nevertheless---STILL a thorn---and we all know you can't mess with a thorn without getting STUCK!

Even this morning, as I sat eating my breakfast, I browsed through a new cooking magazine my mom gave me the other day and I came upon recipe after recipe that I couldn't WAIT to try. That was UNTIL the hammer of reality smacked me in the head and reminded me that NONE of these recipes is in any way healthy. Oh ya. I forgot that Pork Baby Back Ribs smothered in BBQ sauce and brown sugar aren't in the P90X nutrition guide. Dagnabbit! {{big sigh}}

Such is my life, I suppose. Those meals aren't meant to be the norm---they are meant to be the exception.

I love what I heard Tony Horton say one time. He eats healthy and carefully 90% of the time...but the other 10% of the time he throws caution to the wind and eats what his tastebuds tell him to.

I think many of us do that exact thing--but in reverse. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! (I put that on there for when I read this post back to myself! :o)

No more 90% junk and 10% healthy. Let's get that thing switched around!

Okay, so that wraps up my post for special mission #1. If you just read this and are going "what in the world is she talking about?" just click on the words Operation Fat Blaster and see for yourself.

Baby got BACK

So today as I chillaxed out in the yard on my lounge chair I browsed through Matt's Mens Fitness magazine. I came across an interesting article talking about the importance of back strength and how a lot of people neglect to really work out their back. We tend to focus on the muscles we can SEE more than the ones behind us..if you know what I mean. Anyway, my back is one of the areas of my body where I have really seen a drastic change after doing P90X. I had really never worked out my back specificially before. Well, wanting to see how I "measured up" to the pictures in the magaznes, I went in and set my camera on auto-pilot and took a pic of my back. Not too shabby. Not perfect, but waayyy better than a year ago when I was packing as much flab on my back as I was on my belly!

(bummer that I didn't clean my bathroon BEFORE i took this pic! Augh! Ignore the MESS! Tomorrow is cleaning day!)

Bring the Heat

One of my fit-buds, Michelle, started a little thingy called Operation Fat Blaster. While I don't really have time to add "another thing" to my list of to-do items, I couldn't resist joining up with her on this. Our first mission is to introduce ourselves. Well, I just can't see writing up a whole post about me when it's already here for all to see and read. If you wanna know more about me--just read my blog and if you still can't get enough (HA HA) you can check out my other blog. Either way, check out this site to join Operation Fat Blaster or to see what we're up to.

Have I not commanded you?

The scripture of the day is Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

Did you know that the command given by God more than ANY other command in the Bible is "Fear not" ??? God clearly knew that this would be something we would struggle with and He also knew that we would need to be reminded over and over and over to Fear Not!

This morning I am about to teach my first full group fitness class ALL BY MYSELF. 2 classes actually. First will be an hour of Core (strength training with the stability ball) and next will be a 30 minute Boot Camp class (all high-intensity cardio). Ever since I 'got the call' last Tuesday that I would be teaching today, just the mere thought of it made me nauseated and my heart would go into ridiculous spasms pumping so hard I honestly had to check and see if my chest was throbbing. I've been doing spiritual battle all week long and have discovered some awesome truths about who I am in Christ and Who it is inside of me that enables me to stand up in front of a group of 30-40 people, speak into a microphone and "teach" them something I am not even certified in yet.
I have had SO MANY PEOPLE come up to me lately and say "I could NEVER do what you are doing." (meaning get up in front of a class and teach).
You know what my answer is to them?? NEITHER COULD I!!
It is a marvelous thing when God uses the LEAST LIKELY person to do something completely uncharacteristic. It proves that it is TRUE LY God at work!
Of all the "qualified" people out there to instruct others, I am NOT one of them....however PRAISE THE LORD that God doesn't call the qualified...he QUALIFIES THE CALLED!
Can I get a WOOT-WOOT!!!

Peace OUT

Hey guys!
Don't want you to think I'm neglecting you all or this blog...but I'm gonna be outta here for the next week. No phones, no computer and no facebook. Guess what? No going to the gym either! Augh!! I will certainly miss my classes and all my buddies (at the gym and on here) but Matt and I and the kids need this time together, without all the influences and interuptions of the world. I have lots of pictures to post when I get back...but for now...I gots 2 B going!
Have a great week and workout some for me!
XOXO-Jen

Can you handle it?

See post below for more info!

Can you handle it?

in-sane: adj.;-absurd, extreme.
in-san-i-ty: noun.;-extreme folly or unreasonableness; something utterly foolish

I just think it is so fitting that Beachbody's newest workout program is called Insanity--and that the definition of insanity is "unreasonableness". From what I've seen...that's right on.
Everything about this program is "unreasonable" to the AVERAGE human. But for those of you reading this blog, you are NOT average. You, my friends, are reading this blog because you're not satisfied with mediocre health or mediocre fitness. You're extreme work-out-aholics who get a sort of "high" from seeing how far, how hard and how intensly you can push yourself. Can I get an Amen??

Well--Good News! Now we have another opportunity to get drenched in sweat, toss our cookies and look better than EVER! Check the above video out!

Go to my website for more info or to order! (that is---if you're tough enough to handle it!) Just click on "Get Fit" and then on "Fitness Programs".

Put the fork DOWN!!!

Have you ever noticed how in a hurry we are to eat sometimes? Watch people (or even yourself) at a restaurant sometime. See how many people load up their fork for the next bite while they're still chewing on the last one. Watch them hold their fork, piled ever-so-high with the next bite of their dinner, letting it hover mere inches from their mouth while they wait for the swallow so they can shovel it in and hurriedly prepare the next bite.
It's actually very entertaining....
I caught myself doing this last night. I was eating a bowl of fruit and watching a DVR'd episode of "Superstars" when I looked down and saw myself holding my loaded spoon right about chin-level. Even though I wasn't in any kind of a hurry, I was doing this subconsciously...probably because my body/mind are so used to be in "hurry" mode that they don't know how to S-L-O-W down!
The problem with this is that we practically inhale our food before our bodies/brains even have a chance to register what it's taking it. Imagine a checker at Wal-Mart scanning your purchase so fast that the computer(register) can't even keep up. No waiting for the "Beep!" that confirms that it read the bar code--the guy is just going as fast as his hands can move taking one item after another from the conveyor belt, across the scanner and into the bags like he's in a competition. When we eat like this, our stomachs often get full WAY before our brain catches up to the idea. By the time the "I'm full" thought makes it from our belly to our brain, we're STUFFED.
Sound familiar?
So...maybe you won't be able to remember this every day for the rest of your life...but for today...try putting your fork down between each bite. You could even go so far as to put it down, take your hand off of it, get a drink of water/wipe your mouth, etc. before picking it up again. You'll find yourself eating much more slowly and intentionally and it will give your esophagus a chance to see what it's swallowing before it's already down the hatch.

Convincing Enough???

This morning during my prayer time, I asked God to give me some ideas for how I could promote my Beachbody coaching business. It's no secret that things have gone slowly for me, but I am not giving up. I know that "whatever I put my hand to will prosper" seeing as how I am one with Christ, made rightous through Him.
That being said (and prayed)..I went about my normal morning business when this thought occured to me: Make up a flyer to hand out to everyone in gym class today! So, I did. The words came like lightning and I didn't hesitate or (take a breath-so to speak) until the last word. I have to believe it was the Holy Spirit working through my fingers typing this. The next prayer was "God help me have boldness to be able to actually hand these out to people!!" I am just NOT assertive like that (naturally). Before I knew it, class was over and I knew it was now or never so I ran to the back of the room and started handing them out as people walked out. To my complete SURPRISE people were lining up behind me to GET ONE!! No WAY!! I just quickly explained that it was a little something I had typed up telling 'my story' and how I had gotten to where I am. Everyone seemed interested! (YOU GO GOD!!)
Anyway, I know it's sorta long and not anything most of you haven't already heard...but I wanted to post it on here anyway in case anyone is interested!
So...here ya go! (I had a cool P90X logo and Beachbody logo on there too, but I can't figure out how to get them to show up on here. oh well)

Are you ready to take your fitness to the next level?
Are you ready to burn off that layer of fat covering those muscles you have been working so hard for? I have the solution for you! No—no pill. No--no crazy diet. Just time-proven exercise and foods that work!

For 4 years I had been a member of the gym, faithfully attending classes and working out. Though I had gotten much healthier and lost a lot of weight, I was still dissatisfied with my amount of muscle tone and I just didn’t have that “cut” or “ripped” look that I wanted.
I heard about an at-home extreme fitness program that guaranteed to get you in “the best shape possible” in only 90 days! I was skeptical. But as I watched the video I realized that their approach was completely different than anything I had done or seen. Every day for 90 days you work out a specific muscle group. Focusing entirely on that one muscle group for nearly an hour (instead of the 5 minutes you might spend in a class) took my muscle tone to the next level. I began to see changes by the 30 day mark and by 90 days, the changes were undeniable! People everywhere I went wanted to know what in the world I had been doing! In all, I lost 17 pounds and went from a flabby size 10 to a muscular size 6.

It’s been a year now since that first day and even though I finished my “90 days”, I still incorporate these workouts into my life and I expect I will forever. They work. Plain and simple.

Of course, there is another part to the equation I haven’t mentioned yet. Food. During these 90 days, I learned how to eat for fuel instead of for entertainment. Surprisingly, it wasn’t nearly as hard as I had expected. Because the program provides you with a Nutrition Guide that not only tells you what foods to eat but also gives you the recipes to prepare them, it was amazingly simple. Sure, there were times that I looked at a particular recipe and though “Ick!” but I was always amazed that it really wasn’t bad and apparently these people know what they’re talking about! For the first time in my life I had NATURAL energy. No pills, no energy drinks. I was waking up in the morning feeling awake and energized and vibrant just from the foods I was eating and the amount of exercise I was getting! Imagine that!

I’m just a regular stay-at-home mom with a million and one things to do, so if I could do this and change my life, I know you can too! As a huge bonus, my entire family has gotten WAY healthier as a result of my doing this program and now we are all getting regular exercise and eating healthfully. My children, ages 5 and 8, are growing up thinking that this is how it’s done. They won’t enter into adulthood obese and lazy because as far as they know, this is how life works. What a blessing! What a gift that is! No toy or game I could buy them could ever compare to that.

I’m not a salesman nor do I like to ask people to buy things, but this is something I believe in so whole-heartedly that I feel it’s selfish to NOT spread the word. Since I have completed the program and had such success, I have become an Independent Coach for Beachbody. That means that if you decide to pursue this program, I will be available to you (for free) anytime you need anything—to answer your questions—to hold you accountable—to cheer you on! Just visit my website for more information or to order this amazing program for yourself. www.teambeachbody.com/onetoughgirl
Jen

TwisterX

Last night was game night at our house. Our kids got several new games for Christmas that (gulp! I'm ashamed to say) we hadn't even OPENED yet!! Eeeek!

Anyway, we got 'em out last night and got all set to play away. First on the list was Twister. Oh, what fun! I had forgotten what Twister was like! After the first 3 moves were called out, I was stuck in an X position. Legs in an X and arms in an X. You should try standing in that position for a few minutes. In order to have your hands touching the floor (and your feet) you have to bend your knees a little. Well, you know what that means right? You're holding yourself up entirely with your quads. After about 30 seconds of that position my legs were trembling! I couldn't help but think--GEE WHIZ--this is a Work Out!!! ha ha ha Seriously though, all of us had SO much fun with that game! And believe me, you'll work up a sweat and get your muscles burnin'! I haven't heard that much giggling in my house in a while!

Chest & Back/Ab Ripper

Today I decided to revert back to Day 1 of the program and do Chest & Back as well as Ab Ripper. It's been a while since I've done this video and I admit, my push ups are not what they used to be. It seemed I was stronger with some and weaker with others. Regardless, I got my sweat on, that's for sure! I had a special treat today: My 8-year-old daughter, Brooklyn, decided to join me!! She has popped in a few times before for a push up here or a kenpo kick there...but this was her first full work out. I was totally amazed at how she hung in there! She did everything but the dive-bomber push ups! (yes, even chin ups using the chair!!) She also did about 75% of Ab Ripper with me! I don't know how much she enjoyed it...but I was pumped to have her in there with me!!
I know I mentioned a couple of weeks ago about just taking it easy during the summer where P90X is concerned and just fitting in workouts whenever it was convenient...but I just can't get past feeling like a slacker. (plus, I don't want to see my hard-earned muscles deteriorate either!) So....I'm not setting anything in stone, but I am really going to try to fit in some strength-training workouts on the days that I don't go to the gym. I figure if I will just get my butt in gear early in the mornings, it really won't interfere with our (mine and the kids) rest-of-the-day.
So...that being said, I would like to encourage YOU, my fellow fitness fanatics, to consider doing P90X with me!! I know, many of you are already "x'ers" so that's cool...but I also know there are plenty of other readers out there who aren't. I really don't know any way a person can get in tip-top shape without pills, without a trainer THIS fast besides this program. I love my cardio at the gym...so I will probably skip out on the cardio segments of P90X for now...but there is nothing like taking an entire hour to focus on just one or two muscle groups to give it the workout it really needs to make major changes. In just a month of doing this stuff, my back and arms look completely different. You only actually work legs (besides cardio of course) once a week...yet I have muscles and definition in my legs (quads especially) that I've never seen before. The moves are all basic, so anyone can do it! If you're interested and want me to be your coach, to see you through every step of the way, click here to get more info and see how you can order P90X for yourself!

Attention: Deposits and debits may take up to 3 days to show on your account!

You're all familiar with that concept right? You write a check today...but it could be Thursday or Friday before you actually see it hit your account.
Well, I've discovered something profound. (more like DUH!, but profound to me nonetheless)
Our bodies are the same way!
When you spend several days eating "bad" and then say of yourself "wow, I can't believe I've been off my diet since "x" and I haven't gained a pound!"
Don't let yourself be fooled. Deep down you know better. There is no 'cheating the system' with eating. Sooner or later it WILL catch up with you. (just like that check you wrote knowing full well you didn't have the money in the bank to cover!)
The only way to 'get ahead' in your fitness account (your body) is to make more deposits than debits. Makes perfect sence!
So what are deposits? Work outs, veggies, vitamins, healthy meats and whole grains, fruit, water, more work outs!

The same is true when you're doing good. Just like a deposit might also take a few days to be available to you in your bank account; you also can't expect to eat good and work out for a day or two and BAM! see a huge credit (or difference) in your body. It just doesn't work that way.
I'm sure we've all been there where we've eaten well for a few days, worked out until we were exhausted and then the glorious day arrives when we step on the scale expecting to receive the reward for all our hard work---only to have our excitement instantly crushed when the scale still reads out the same old balance (weight) to us.
Believe me when I say I've BEEN THERE and DONE THAT!

But as my body has proven to me time and time again---just keep it up. At some point-you WILL reap the harvest of what you have sown--whether good or bad. Don't allow yourself to believe the lie that "it isn't working." Our bodies are ingenious and were created to be amazingly complex, but they aren't capable of manipulating the system and sabatoging our efforts.

I'm writing this to encourage you...if you're doing the right thing--eating good, getting in your work outs, do not let yourself get discouraged. There is only one result that comes from that kind of behavior---healthiness! Your body may respond quickly (lucky you) or it may drag it's heels so-to-speak, but it has no choice but to obey.
Likewise, if you are eating junk, missing your work-outs and are shocked every time you put on your size 4 pants and amazingly they still fit...don't let yourself be deceived. They don't call it "junk in the trunk" for nothin'!! Yo junk is on its way honey!

That being said---Now get out there and make your deposits!!!

For Better? or For Worse?

A random question, I know...but I've wondered this just about forever. I've never read anything on it...so I'm coming to you, my fellow health and fitness nuts to see what the verdict is.
Eating before you go to bed....for better or for worse?
Here's the scenario:
You eat a late lunch (say 3-4 o'clock) and have a busy evening. Don't get time to eat dinner until you're home for the night (say 9-10-11 o'clock). You're STARVING. You're exhausted.
What do you do? Do you eat and then conk out? (seems like a "waste" of calories) or do you go to bed with your stomach growling (seems cruel) and just binge in the morning?

I did this on Saturday. The kids and I ate a light lunch/early dinner at 4. Then we headed off to our town's freedom festival for the evening. I got the kids smoothies and nachos and pizza while there, but all I "allowed" myself was a pickle. By the time we got home (after the fireworks), it was about 10:30. By the time I got them all cleaned up and into bed it was 11. It was at about that time that I realized I was SOOOOO hungry. I opened up the fridge and saw that I had a left-over bowl of chopped lettuce and some cut-up celery in a baggie that I could easily and quickly eat. I shut the fridge and pondered the prospect. I thought "It would probably be better for me to just go to bed and not eat" and then my stomach said "GRRRRrrrrr" and I thought "but this is at least very healthy and low-cal so no harm." In the end I decided to eat. I sat in my bed munching on lettuce drizzled with light ranch dressing, 4 kashi whole-grain crackers and a baggie of celery with 1 TBSP. of natural peanut butter. Doesn't sound awful, right?
Well, when I got done, I set my bowl down and felt STUFFED. Then I immediately was mad at myself for eating. "WHYYYYY didn't I just go to sleep?" I mentally tallied up how many calories I had just consumed and came up with somewhere around 300. Eeek. For salad and celery?
So...what do you guys think/do in these kinds of situations. I know that at LEAST I ate healthy food instead of fast-food or junk, so that's good. But would it have just been better to have went to bed hungry?

You are my business!

I got my Beachbody business cards in the mail a couple of weeks ago. I've been handing them out but I thought I'd share them with you all as well, just in case there are some of you who didn't know I am a coach.

I am anxiously awaiting my first "victim." ha ha....no...just kidding. Honestly though, I can't wait to finally have someone to coach and encourage along their fitness journey! Beachbody offers so many great programs that take all the thinking out of it for you. That's what I loved about P90X the most, I think. There were no "I wonder this...and I wonder that...". EVERYTHING you need is included. You know exactly what workout to do every single day. You know exactly what to eat every single day. And, just to be positively sure you have ALL your questions answered, they even provide you with a FREE coach (me!!) to help and encourage you every step of the way! What could be better than that??? How about this: You can have the results you're wanting in only 90 days! That means that by September of THIS year...you can be walking around in the body that you're only dreaming about right now! I mentioned something to Matt the other day about not having time to work out. I said "If I quit working out then I would have time to take care of the house." You wanna know what he said back to me? He said, "then you wouldn't be taking care of THIS house!" and he pointed to me.

Wow! He's right! Of course I need to take care of my home...but this body that God has given me is also my "house." God requires us to be good stewards with what He has given us and I think that includes the life and the body that we were given! I love it when my work-out habits are justified!! hee hee

Anyway, I really do want to help you! Just click here!

Summer Ab Plan

So........ughhhh....I hate to say this. It's sad but it's true--I am just too busy to be totally committed to P90X right now. That does NOT mean I am abandoning it completely, it just means that I am giving myself permission to enjoy my children this summer without the DAILY pressure of an hour + work out.

However....since my abs are my biggest "problem" spot, I have decided to make a realistic committment. I will do Ab Ripper X every Mon, Wed, & Fri. for the rest of the summer.

I also plan to attend my classes at the gym on Tue, Thur & Saturday's and throw in my P90X workouts whenever I can, but only if it's convenient.

I sort of feel like this is a cop out. I'm such a hard-core work-out fanatic...but I realize that my kids need my time and that they are starting to resent the time I spend each day working out. There are lots of ways to stay active during the summer (mowing, swimming) other than just being at the gym all the time or in front of the tv doing a video. I encourage you all to definitely get your work outs in this summer and stay active and healthy---but don't forget the most important thing of all---living your life!
hey...if the ab thing works out really well for me, maybe my 6-pack will finally come out of hiding by the end of summer! :) My zumba teacher says "we all have a 6-pack--its just that most of us keep it in the back of the fridge!" ha ha

By the way, I had my meeting on Friday with the director of fitness at our gym and I am now on the payroll as a sub! All that really means is that I have filled out all the paperwork (releases and such) and have shown her that I can teach a class (which was the scary part!) Now at any time my phone could ring asking me to come in and teach whatever class they need a sub for. When I let my mind "go there" it sorta freaks me out--the whole getting up in front of a bunch of people I don't know and talking into a microphone and knowing that I am responsible for the kind of work-out they get that day as well as their saftey while doing it! EEEeeeek! I just remind myself that I am simply a vessel following the leading of my Heavenly Father. I view this as an opportunity for ministry and I believe that if I will continue to diligently seek Him and allow Him to "complete His perfect work in me" that when the day comes for me to sub my first class, HE will give me the words, the confidence and the wisdom to do a fabulous job! I am being cautious to not let this become a vain ambition or a prideful thing. I am nothing. HE is everything. I never want any of the glory. My goal: As you see less of me (literally), you will see more of Him!

Reality Check!!!

Okay, so I just endured the hardest work out of my life-to date.

A week or so ago a friend told me about a "boot camp" going on in town. She said "its supposed to be really tough." She knows I'm a P90X'er and thought it would be right up my alley. Unfortunately, it turned out that it is on the same days and time as my classes at the gym so I didn't figure I'd ever go. But then Tuesday, my instructor from the gym, Shelly, told us that she was going to be out on Thursday (today). I thought, "hmmm...maybe I will check out that boot camp class after all!" I rallied up a few of my buddies (Rene & Rachel) and we ventured out to the high school football field at 9:30 this morning for what would soon become one of the hardest hours of our LIVES!

This is all I knew: Some girl was teaching it. It was free. It was at the football field. It started at 9:30.
This is what I thought: "Oh yah---tough! HA! I'm gonna go and show these girls what TOUGH really is!!" I expected maybe 5-10 overweight, un-fit women to show up. Maybe do a few jumping jacks, maybe some running, maybe a handful of push ups.

As I pulled into the PACKED parking lot, I began to get nervous---but the real nerves kicked in when I saw the instructor! The woman is like a solid muscle from head to toe. NO FAT. She is the first woman I think I've ever seen in real life whose muscles bulge everywhere without even flexing! (Picture those women who do the fitness competitions). Then when she began to talk, I could tell she was going to resemble Jillian from BL a lot. GO GO GO! PUSH PUSH PUSH! HARDER HARDER HARDER! If you're tired--KEEP GOING!
Oh! My! Gosh! What was I in for??? Us 3 girls just kept looking at each other like WHAT have we gotten ourselves into??
So...this is what we did:
Warm Up: Run laps around the field, jumping jacks, front & side kicks.
Circut Training:
Circuit #1: With partner, flip monster truck tires top over bottom up a hill and then back down.
Circuit #2: Lift a regular truck tire into the air above your head and throw it up into the air as high as you can. (over and over and over!)
Circuit #3: Traveling lunges down field and back. Run with a 70 pound back of sand over your shoulders to the end and back. Carry a 70 pound KEG to the end and back.
Circuit #4: 3 sets of bleachers. Run up the bleachers, across the top, back down. Repeat for all 3 sets of bleachers. (over and over and over!)
Gathered all back up together and did all kinds of varietes of planks, Plyo/squat jacks, Burpees (aka prison cell push ups).
Back to bleachers. Run up to the top and back down as fast as you can for like 5 straight minutes. Then standing at the bottom, either plyo jump (both feet) up onto the first seat (not step) or do a basic step (right, left) up and down as fast as you can. We did several intervals of these.
Back to the field in a bridge position--crab walks. Backwards and forwards, over and over. Then one leg in the air--hold and switch.
We stretched just a teensy bit and then GLORY TO GOD it was OVER! My heart rate monitor was going off almost the entire time telling me I was above my target zone. Once I looked at it and I was at 190! That's a record I think. I ended up burning 519 calories. For me...for one hour...that's a lot!

Sound fun? What really made it hard to almost the point of unbearable was the HEAT! It's in the 90's here already and getting up towards 100. I have never worked out out-side before so I was NOT prepared for that! I'm used to my nice air conditioning with huge fans blowing right at me. This was awful. There was no way to get cooled off. Even now, an hour and a half later, my face is as red as a lobster. I don't think it's a sunburn either (I wore 30 spf sunscreen thank goodness!). I just got THAT hot!

Anyway, I did find out that this same lady teaches this class 4 days a week. Tue & Thur at the football field and Mon. & Wed. inside a church gym. I may try to hit the Mon. & Wed. classes next week. We'll see! It's pretty cool because it's all free, they have childcare AND the best part was that we all joined together and prayed at the end! Awesome! Another cool thing was that I wore my P90X tank top so I got to spread the word about our awesome Beachbody business a little! Hopefully I did us proud and didn't look too much like a wuss out there! I kept reminding myself that I was "on the job" wearing that shirt and that if for no other reason, I had to keep going because I couldn't let people think that a Beachbody coach whose been doing P90X for a YEAR can't keep up! ha ha ha

BTW: Tomorrow I meet with the fitness coordinator at the gym to sign all my papers and get signed up to be able to teach at the gym. I have to show her a few of my routines so I'm a teensy tiny bit nervous but I'm sure it will be fine. I just keep telling myself that I am only doing this (whole instructing thing) by the GRACE of GOD. It is HIM working in me that makes me able to do this. If this is really His will for my life, I know that tomorrow when I am "put on the spot" I will do just fine. Still, feel free to say a little prayer for me! I'll let you all know how it goes!

For now, I'm going to go eat some chicken and drink a big glass of recovery drink!

The hardest muscle to train?

Your BRAIN!
I proved this point today as I pushed Play (P90X style) for the first time in weeks (other than Cardiox). Oh. My. Gosh! I picked Chest, Shoulders & Triceps since that is (was) one of my favorite work outs and since my schedule is all messed up since I took about a month off. I cannot believe how hard it was to convince myself to keep going! Yes...my body was definitely struggling (haven't done that many push ups in a looooong time) but it was nothing like the battle going on in my head! I was literally having a FIGHT with my own self about this work out! ha ha...
The tired, exhausted me was saying "push stop. you are exhausted. you are weak. you can't do anymore. you've done enough for today."
The tougher-than-nails me was saying "no way baybee--you're in this to win this. you keep going and when you can't go anymore, drop down and give me 10 more!"
Sheeeesh!
All I can say now that I'm done is: Somebody show me the recovery drink!! My triceps are throbbing so Lord KNOWS I'm gonna need every ounce of that recovery drink today!
How about you guys? Do you agree that the brain can be the hardest muscle to train?

Sweaty Memories

I got a super-dooper special treat on Monday and got to go visit my girl Kandy. I don't even know where to begin telling you how MUCH this single girl has impacted my life. She gave me my "fresh" start and really introduced me to the world of fitness. I know I had to put in the work...but she really was my "coach" over all these years. She has held me accountable and kept me on track and I love her so much! Not only is she an amazing friend, but she is as sold out to God as I am and we have so much in common. There is no doubt God was working when He brought us together as friends over 11 years ago! Even though we only lived near each other for a very short time, we have remained friends over the years and have never lost touch. Now as we both are pursuing fitness (and P90X) even more...we are getting closer than ever before, I think!

On Monday, I got to take a trip to where she lives and do a work-out with her again (after about 11 years). We did Cardio X. It was a BLAST! I know this is a LOT of pictures...but I loved all of them and just couldn't pick only a few. As always, Kandy looked FABULOUS! She's always been my role model in fitness and exercise and just as I knew she would, she looked better than ever. Her muscle tone is beautiful and shows all the hard work she puts in! These pictures don't even do her justice! She is a total knockout! Stephen is ONE LUCKY GUY!!!

If you've ever been curious what one of the P90X work outs look like...well here's a sneak peak of CardioX!

Squat X-Press (the last 10--we were going airborne!) I like how Kandy put it: See! White girls CAN jump!!

Running Man. Okay, Kandy took the cake on this one! She was "running" so fast that you couldn't even SEE her hands! WOW!

Here I am "running" --trying to keep up with Kandy!

Oh and the Beloved Superman/Banana. Here I am in banana...

Here is Kandy during the turn! Lookin' good girlfriend!

And here I am in Superman. Oh how I love the super hero exercises! Spiderman rocks too!

I believe this was the KenpoX portion--front kick/back kick. Look at them legs!

Airborne Heisman (I always hear Tony say "stop---and then go! Stop!--and then go" on this one! ha ha)

And last but certainly NOT least--Wacky Jacks. Just when you start to think you're looking pretty good and are starting to feel confident, they throw in something like this to make you feel like a total WACKO. But, I can attest, they WORK! "ripping on the obliques" as TH would say!

Ahhh......done with another AWESOME work out!

Time for the bikini's and some sun-bathing by the pool now!!

Not too shabby for 2 momma's in their 30's huh?

But before we say goodbye...you must remember we are Girls with Guns!! :o)

Work outs--where are you?

So, I scrolled down through my past posts after I finished typing that last one and I saw that it's been a little while since I've posted about my workouts and where I am with P90X and my whole fitness instructing/coaching journey.
Here's a little update:
Started P90X (for my 3rd round) about a month ago. Put it on hold for a couple of weeks while I worked on polishing up my routines for the gym. Taught classes in my work out room at my house to my friends during the month of May twice a week and instructed a little bit during classes at the gym.
Getting CPR certified tomorrow and will sign legal papers at gym and will become an "official" sub sometime this week. (which means I can instruct classes by myself in the event that the actual teacher can't be there).
Studying for my Instructor Certification slowly but will eventually get certified so that I can start teaching my own classes at the gym.
Today, June 1st, getting back into the P90X swing of things with Matt (who has been doing it by himself during May).
Gained a few pounds over Memorial Day weekend and got back up to 132 on the scale . ACK!
As for the BeachBody coaching business, I'm just gonna be real frank with you all...I'm not having any success. I'm not sure what the problemo is. I talk about it constantly--sometimes on my own but mostly because people ask me about it all the time. Everyone I know who wants to do it can't afford it or they buy it secondhand (or someone gives it to them). That's great because really...my heart is to see people lose weight and get in shape...however...I purchased the coaching kit and signed up for this (partly) as a means of supplemental income. But so far, I have conducted ZERO business. I'm not even considered an "active" coach until I generate at least $50 in business...which I can't seem to do for the life of me. What's strange is that I still feel like it's what I should do. I am working on ordering some business cards and hopefully that will help.
I know I probably shouldn't be telling the whole world about my struggles with this coaching thing...all the rest of you coaches never mention anything but amazing success...but I have to be who I am. And who I am is a blabbermouth that tells the truth about everything and hides nothing. Maybe that's not as much of an asset as I thought...I don't know. One thing you can be sure about....with me you get the real deal.
So anyway, to sum all that up....somebody please go to my coach site and order something!! Ha ha
Surely one of you out there is ready for P90X+ right? Or maybe your recovery drink is getting low? Ever thought about tryng the P90X protien bars or maybe Shakeology?
okay...that's pretty bad...I think I'm begging.

Well, in a nutshell, that sums up what's going on with me in the fitness part of my world. :o)

The Showdown

A little friendly competition never hurts, right?
But what if your competitor is your spouse? mmmm....not so great for the pride...but still...I'm a force to be reckoned with. If he can do it, I can do it (or so my mind thinks--with the exception of pull ups!)
Anyway....the point is, Matt and I had a total impulsive "show down" doing push ups the other night. It started out with me busting out 30 push-ups (on toes). Then he jumped down and did 30. So I hopped down and did 30 more. So he hopped down and did 30 more. (we're at 60). Down I go again for another 20, which he again matched--and added another 20 to (he's at 100). Of course...I wasn't going down without a fight...so I began pushing them out---ALL on my toes...ALL the way to ONE HUNDRED!
Yes, girls and boys, in just a matter of minutes, I did 100 boy push ups right along with my hunky hubby. WHO KNEW??
The most I have ever even attempted before was 50 (and that was in the fit test).
yahhhhoooo!
Since I'm telling of fitness victories...I also want to add that when I did the fit test last time (a few months ago) I also held my wall squat for just a little under 6 minutes!
I thought it was hard holding for 1 1/2 minutes in P90X Legs & Back but let me just tell you...after about the 3-4 minute mark, your legs actually go numb and you feel like you could just hold and hold and hold...but eventually..they WILL give out on you and you will land on your tush. :o)
One lesson I learned through this...husbands don't particularly find it attractive that their wives are as tough as them. Matt is WAY WAY WAY stronger than me...but my endurance is right up there (or above) his. I don't think I did myself any favors by "showing him up" with my impressive push up skills or wall squats. hmph!....oh well. I shocked my own socks off...and that counts for something! :o)