Piyo day 7

Piyo day 7 = define: upper body! I love how these 'small' workouts feel even tougher the second time around! Only 18 minutes! I finished & Rob says, you're done already??? lol 
I can't wait for him to start his workouts tomorrow..... I bet we get AC super fast on this side of the house. LOL 

#sweatymom #shortbuteffective

Photo journal, Piyo

6 months, 3 weeks of changing my life!

Day 1 of 60 -- PIYO

1. Post workout shakeology: vegan chocolate, frozen mango, & water with breakfast: spinach, feta, egg scramble 

2. Sautéed broccoli & veggie burger 

3. Cottage cheese 

4. Vegan chocolate shakeology, 1/2 frozen banana, & water 

5. Cabbage, carrots, broccoli, coconut milk, & potatoes 

6. Ezekiel cinnamon raisin toast with peanut butter 

7. Frozen peaches 

Nutrition almost fully on point! #BOOM I am missing 2 veggie servings & a protein! I have to shop. 

Day 1 = alignment: the fundamentals. Great starting workout! I feel better prepared for a full workout now. Lower tomorrow! I hope to survive, lol 

#vegan #vegetarian #twinmom #homeschoolmom #momofboys #momofthree #pittsburgh #movingchaos #relocation #breastfeeding #me #food #commitment #progress #organic #nogmo #wanderingfit #family #homemade #michigan #gardening #selflove

We all start somewhere.

My awesome coach posted this in our challenge group this morning & it REALLY hit home for me. 

Copy & paste: "When we think of dancers, what comes to mind? Beauty, Grace and perfection right? What we don't see is the scars from the hardwork that's involved to get there.

This is true in so many circumstances. For instance, I often see a picture of a super fit person and beneath it will be a lot of comments of how it must be photoshopped or she is blessed or just plain disbelief. Yes there are often many positive comments but how can someone judge without knowing the facts. That what that picture doesn't show is the hard work, the 5am workouts, the saying "no thank you, I'm all set" a lot.

In fitness, I try to not judge bc I don't know what scars and bruises the person in front of me hides from the world. We all have them; they are part of our makeup of who we are.
There's a reason we have them though and usually that reason is for good. For instance, I know that all the struggles I had growing up with unhealthy eating habits and body image make me a better coach; I know how hard it is to be an emotional eater. I get it!

I used to hide my story and my struggles, because I didn't want people to think less of me. But, now I share it openly and I encourage you to share yours because you never know who will read it and have something click or be inspired to change!

Try not to focus on the picture on the right - the end product- but rather on the journey. YEP. It will include lots of bruises and cuts- BUT- it will be well worth it. Don't focus on the outcome but rather enjoy the journey."

End copy & paste. 

So, the reason the above hit home so hard is because I shared this picture on my fb page last night. It's me in the dress I bought yesterday with the goal of wearing it in September to Super Saturday. I received a lot of likes & comments about how great it looks & that I should wear it now. 

Well, I also took these but didn't DARE share them!! They're my 'goodbye' (or before) pictures that I took for the start of Piyo. This is what no one else can see under that dress. 

I have come a LONG way! I've carried 3 babies to full term. I was on 3 plus months strict bedrest with the twins. I KNOW I've come a long way! 

But, that doesn't change wanting to keep my still pregnant looking belly hidden away. 

I'm part of a private Piyo support group & all of the women in there have been brave enough to share their goodbye pictures. And they've inspired me to do the same. We all start somewhere! This is me after 6+ months worth of hard work. I am a work in progress & I'm still plugging along. :) 

I WILL wear that dress without a soul wondering if I'm pregnant. I'm determined, committed & ready to do the hard work! 

I DID IT!

Guess what! Guess what! I  FINISHED T25 today!!!!!!! 14 weeks! 5 of Alpha, 5 of Beta & 4 of Gamma. And the best part??? I feel like this is only the beginning for me. I have never ever ever ever felt like this about fitness! To say T25 changed my life would be an understatement! 

15 weeks ago when I confessed that I regained all the weight I lost & I was starting fresh, I never expected to be at this point today. 

And I know that saying 'if I can do it, anyone can!' is so cliche but ITS TRUE!!!! I hated working out, I was 'too busy' & figured I'd just do it all with diet like every other time. Now? I'm so excited to go pick up the 21 day fix that's waiting for me in the front office so I can start reading up on my next experience! 

I'm going to work on dates this weekend for the upcoming challenges so I can help others feel this feeling. It's unreal. 

#endthetrend #beachbody #fitnessfreak #excitement #ididit #t25 #nomorefatmom #readslikeasalespitchbutitstrueexcitement #accomplishment

I'm a coach!

The 5 day clean eating challenge was a game changer for me. I had been thinking about becoming a coach before it but the commitment just seemed impossible. My husband is just starting a new job (long hours), we have 3 young children, we've moved a LOT in the last 4 years, we homeschool, we live in a temp apartment while we house hunt in a new state. There was NO WAY!! 

But, I felt drawn to it after doing the clean eating challenge. I've been screaming my love for Shaun T & T25 from the rooftops since starting the program so that didn't change, lol Something about getting my nutrition in check really flipped the switch. 

So, I reached out to my coach & she set me up! I'm NOT a salesperson at all. This is actually the first work anything I've even considered in the SIX YEARS I've been a stay at home mom! So, here I am -- IM A BEACH BODY COACH (this is the first time I've publicly said that, lol).   Trying to get rolling, completely overwhelmed by all of the social media available (I'm a Facebook gal, lol) & just continuing to work on my health goals. I'm just hoping to inspire others & light the same fire that's been lit for me. :) 

My ah-ha moment.

UI've always been a huge fan of Weight Watchers. When I restarted my get healthy journey, they were my go-to program. But, combined with the T25 workout -- I was not happy with the scale! It wasn't reflecting my hard work! I decided to forget about the scale (and measurements because those were jacked up, too), focus on the fit of my clothes & my progress photos. 

Then, at week 13 (14 of recommitting - I started T25 a week later to get my nutrition on track), I decided to take a beach body 5 day clean eating challenge. I ate pretty well before I started because of the WW simple start/simply filling programs. But, I could FEEL the difference after just 5 days of 'clean' eating. I allowed myself some indulgences on the weekend after the challenge (sweets, chips, etc) & decided to stick with the 5 days of clean eating again! It makes me feel SO much better! 

I remember reading that some people stick with Weight Watchers or any other program while doing T25 because it's what they're familiar with. But, they recommend following their nutrition guideline. I rolled my eyes, certain Beach Body was just trying to sell me something else & carried on my way. Whelp, I'm now a believer! They were only selling me real results! There was nothing to buy in the nutrition guide! Now I know better .... only 14 weeks in, lol It's a good thing this is just the beginning of my journey. :) 

My beginning.

In December of 2013, I shared with my friends & family that I was struggling with my weight -- I had to buy new jeans to visit family for an extended trip (I only had 1 pair that fit!)! Traumatizing.
But, that kicked me in the rear & got me back on track! Being pregnant with twins & on bed rest for 3+ months had taken it's toll on me. I refused to just give up though & accept being fat because I'm a Mom. I would much rather be an example of health & fitness for our boys! And anyone else that cares to be inspired with me.
So, the journey began..... I rejoined Weight Watchers (it had worked well for me after our first baby & a few times before -- quitting smoking, new marriage weight, etc) & I ordered the beach body program T25. Working out has always been something I've wanted to do but never really stuck with anything. I thought, 25 minutes a day? Even with this crazy life of ours, I could do that! The workouts were NO JOKE for those 25 minutes but I've gotten stronger & stronger. So amazed! And, I've actually stuck with it!
It's been 3 1/2 months since my journey started & I've been sharing a daily collage of food pictures on my private fb page. A friend mentioned she was going to start blogging her garden pictures (which I LOVE seeing) so she didn't clutter up her page. It registered that more than half of my friends & family have probably hidden me from their newsfeeds because they don't care about my food/fitness/health improvements, lol So, I decided to bring it here. I'm no pro, I'm not perfect, just struggling along like everyone else doing the best I can. :)