You HAVE to listen...

Greetings and salutations my friends! Hope this blog post finds each and every one of you happy, healthy, and working hard to meet your goals.

I know that you all truly challenge yourselves every day in order to transform yourself into the person that you know you can be. I'm on that journey right alongside you, however, it's important that no matter what your goals may be that you LISTEN to your body. Yep, you heard me...you HAVE to listen to the clues your body is giving you, and you must heed those warnings or else you may find yourself in the situation that I was in, with an injury forcing you to take time off.

As many of you know, during my 2nd round of P90X, I challenged myself by committing to a doubles rotation. I was up at 4:30 a.m. four days each week for my first workout of the day, and also worked out in the afternoon each day. Right around week number seven my body started talking to me...and sadly, I ignored it.

In week number nine, two weeks after my left hamstring told me I better rest, I had to stop doing my leg workout each week. I simply replaced it with something else that I felt didn't nag the hammy. Of course, that little tweak was still there, it just wasn't screaming at me as loud. Thus, since I was so focused on that goal of finishing 90 days of doubles that, once again, I pushed through and ignored the pain that was there nagging me in the back of my left thigh. In week twelve, I was in the middle of a cardio workout, reached down to touch the floor prior to leaping into the air, and a sharp, stabbing pain shot up my leg, through my butt, and into my lower back, where is stayed. I was done. Ignoring a hamstring is one thing, but I know better than to ignore my back. I stopped right where I was, and made myself take a full week off. I visited my chiropractor, stretched my legs multiple times each day, and I did nothing more than walk my dogs. It was agony for me to not push play every day.

The week turned into 8, then 9, and finally 10 days. I started back with a few days of easier workouts, and now I'm back into the P90X groove again, but I assure you I will now LISTEN to my body. I also make sure that I do a LOT of preventative things to insure that the hamstring is truly warmed up and stretched prior to putting any stress on it. Fortunately for me, I received my September installment of the Tony Horton One-on-One program during my forced rest, and it has become a lifesaver. September's One-on-One is called, "Patience," and it is a 30 minute yoga/stretch workout. It's perfect for my tweaky little hamstring, it's now my daily warm-up prior to any workout that will stress my hamstring, and it's also a great day starter at 4:30 a.m.

So, lesson learned. I knew that my hamstring wasn't just sore from working out. I knew there was something going on, but I ignored it. By ignoring those warning signs, my body had to say something that I would listen to. Had I ignored those red flags flying in the air, the results could have been far more detrimental to my goals that a mere 10 days off. So listen...when your body tells you something, it's important that you pay attention, back off, rest, recoup, and then when your body says it's ready, get back into the groove.

Now I'm feeling strong and am ready to start round #3. Ding, ding, ding...P90X+ starts in five days. If you'd like to join me in the journey, send me a message.

If you're feeling 100%, go push that play button and BRING IT! If you're not, be patient and crush it another day.

Burn, baby, burn!

Greetings and salutations my friends. As many of you know, I'm currently in my 2nd round of P90X, and in an effort to really try to dump some poundage, I committed to doing doubles. That simply means that I work out, really hard, six days per week, and on 3-4 of those days, I add in another cardiovascular workout. You'd think that the weight would just be sliding from my body, but alas, such is not the case. Sure, I've lost a few pounds, and I'm pleased with the progress I've made with regards to fitness, strength, and the like. But I felt like I'd hit a bit of a plateau, I didn't know if I was eating too much, too little, or if my newly fit body was just more efficient, and I wasn't burning the calories like I was 20 weeks ago. So, I purchased a Bodybugg, an electronic device that you wear around your upper arm that calculates caloric expenditure throughout the day. It is accurate to within 90%, and I felt that this would be a good investment that could provide me with additional feedback while working towards my goals.

I started wearing my Bodybugg a week ago (I wear it 24 hours/day unless I'm in the shower), and was really surprised with the findings thus far. Now keep in mind, this is just my experience with the device...everyone is different, and your body may react differently to exercise than mine does, but there were a few things that surprised me enough that I felt the need to share with you, in the hopes that, perhaps, you might be able to take one piece of information to use along your own journey towards fitness.

To begin, I really was quite surprised at how many calories I burn in a typical work day (2850, which includes a one-hour long workout). As a teacher, I'm on my feet most of the day, and that walking around the classroom really helps the numbers add up. Throughout the day, I average a 2.4 calorie per minute burn while at work. On the weekends, when I'm just sitting on my caboose, it drops to 1.9-2.0. Doesn't seem like much, but spread that through an 8 hour workday, and see a significant increase in calories spent. In addition, I've found that by walking the dogs or doing a 30 minute cardio workout in the morning before work, it boosts my calorie burn another .3 per minute for about 2 hours after the workout. Also, while I show a 12 calorie per minute burn during workouts such as plyometrics (jump training), I still burn between 6-8 calories per minute during brisk walks with the dogs. Heck, even those muscles that I've worked hard to develop help burn 1.2-1.3 calories per minute while I sleep!

Today, knowing that I wasn't going to have the benefit of walking around the classroom or up and down the school hallways, thus gaining that extra burn, I decided that I was going to burn 3500 calories from midnight to midnight. When I woke up this morning, my 'bugg' showed that I'd burned 520 calories from midnight to 6:20 a.m., and at 6:30 p.m., I'm already sitting on 3207. So, I've burned just over 2500 calories in a 12 hour period. To do so, I had to do the following: Cardio workout (42 minutes), brisk dog walk (up & down hills--40 minutes), yard work (1 hour, 15 minutes--push mowing with a self-propeled mower, trimming two shrubs, and raking up scraps), Strength training and ab workout (65 minutes), OLD SCHOOL exercise video (25 minutes--it was MTV's The Grind with Eric Nies), and another 35 minute dog walk. Now, don't get me wrong...I'm not saying to go out and do this every day. This was simply a scientific exeperiment to see what it would take to burn those calories if I wasn't at work, moving around all day.

I'm sure many of you are wondering what my point is. I promise, I'm getting there. Here's the deal...if you want to lose weight, you simply need to burn more calories than you consume. However, it's not as easy as just limiting what you put in your mouth, because you still need to feed your body. I've eaten a LOT today, and I'll definitely be at a calorie deficit, but without that nutrition, I could never have done what I accomplished today. So, you've got to eat...and you've got to eat good stuff: Whole grains, lean meats & fish, fresh fruits & veggies, legumes, nuts, etc. You also need to eat often. I try to eat three big meals per day, and 2-3 smaller snacks interspersed between. You need to ditch the Doritos, white bread, and sugar-laden foods that make losing weight harder.

Next, you've GOT to move. If your job requires that you sit at a desk all day long, you're going to have to move a LOT more at home in the evening than someone who has a job that allows them the freedom to move while working. In addition, working out causes your body to burn calories at a higher rate. So, not only are you reaping benefits during exercise, but you reap benefits for hours afterwards! That, to me, is a win, win situation.

No, I'm not suggesting that you go out and purchase a Bodybugg. However, by working out five-six days per week, you can burn up to an extra 500 or 600 calories each day (depending on your current fitness level, body efficiency, and how hard your push during workouts). Your workout can be programs such as Power 90, Slim in 6, or Turbo Jam, or one of the many others offered through Beachbody. OR, it can be something as simple as walking your dog or pushing your child in a stroller for forty-five minutes to an hour. My point is, if you truly want to lose weight, you must move your body, and burn more calories than you consume without limiting your calories so much that you prevent weight loss.

If you want some help, or have some questions, PLEASE feel free to ask. You can contact me through my coaching page, and I would be more than happy to help you out. My services are FREE...all you need to do is ask.

Here's to taking the stairs, going for a walk, push mowing the lawn, or pushing play on your favorite workout. Bravo to you who are already investing sweat equity in yourself. I'm sure you can feel that calorie burn!

"Pay it Forward" workout--FREE!!

Greetings and salutations my friends! Last month, Beachbody, the company for whom I am an Independent Coach made an incredible gesture in an effort to help America meet their goals of fitness, and to help reverse the trend of obesity. They provided a beginner workout DVD called, "Pay it Forward," to all of their Tony Horton One-on-One customers with the directive to give that workout to someone who wants to get into shape, but feels they're too out of shape or too big to workout. The individual that I shared it with has pushed play at least twice each week since receiving the workout, and her husband loves it so much that he's incorporating it five days a week, and is almost ready to invest in a more challenging workout program! If that's not success, I don't know what is!

So for those of you who keep saying, "I'm too big to workout," or "Workouts are too hard at my size or fitness level," have I got a surprise for you! Just by clicking HERE, you can view the entire Pay it Forward DVD and utilize it to help start your fitness program. All you need are some clothes you don't mind getting sweaty, good supportive shoes, and some light dumbbells or even soup cans for the resistance work. What are you waiting for?! It's free! It'll change your life! You'll be so proud of yourself for pushing play and investing some sweat equity in yourself that you'll want to do it again, and again, and again!


Along the way, if you need some help, or have any questions, just send me a message by going to my coaching page. My assistance, like the Pay it Forward workout is FREE! If you'd like to join my fitness crew, you can also sign up through my coaching page by clicking the "Join" tab and selecting the free membership. Free workout, free coach...that's a great deal!

Finally, after you've worked out with Tony and Brian for awhile, and you're feeling fitter, stronger, and are ready for more challenges, check out the fantastic programs available through Beachbody. You might try the 10-minute trainer or Power 90, Slim in 6, Turbo Jam, Shaun T's Get Real, or a variety of other programs that interest you, and will get you in the best shape of your life! Send me a message if you have questions about any of these programs.

What are you waiting for? Go push play and begin your journey towards a fitter and healthier you! Today's the day...all you've got to do is: "Decide. Commit. Succeed."

Confessions of a Peanut Butter Junkie

Greetings and saluations my friends! It is with great regret that I am forced to ban my good friend, Peanut Butter, from my household. I truly love him with all of my heart, and I know that in moderation he is high in protein, low in carbs, and contains 'good' fats. Sadly, my relationship with my Peanut Butter friend, and all of his cousins, the 'other' butters (i.e. Almond Butter, with whom my relationship was even more reckless) is one that I simply must give up. Goodbye my friend...I hope one day our relationship can be one that does not focus on obsession and gluttony.

On a serious note, I know there's a lot of us out there that simply crave certain foods, and time after time, we submit to our cravings too often. Such is the case with me and peanut, almond, and cashew butter. I simply love them. I love them so much that I can put it on celery, in protein shakes, on pretzels, or just eat it straight out of the jar with a spoon, fork, or even a serated knife. In moderation, the 'butters' are great snacks, but when you keep traipsing back into the kitchen for just 'one more spoonful,' something's got to give.

While allowing yourself an indulgence from time to time isn't a bad thing, daily indulgence can wreck your progress towards your goals. If you're like me, and you simply cannot walk past the peanut butter in the cupboard, you've got a choice to make: 1. Get some SERIOUS willpower, 2. Wreck your diet for the day, or 3. Get the food out of your house. I have zero willpower around peanut butter (none, zilch, nada, the big goose egg), I've added too many servings of PB into my diet on too many days, so it's just got to go. It is my goal that with more time, I'll get my Peanut Butter obsession in check. But until then, the temptation won't be there because I just refuse to ruin the hard work I've invested into myself.

Got questions or comments? Send me an e-mail.

You, you, YOU!

Greetings and salutations my friends! Last night, I had the opportunity to listen to Tony Horton speak about the "Zen of Fitness." Now, don't think I'm going to start 'ohm'ing or requiring you to meditate, but he brought out some really valid points that can be helpful to many of us.

First, he talked about the last 20 years of life. Now I'm sure most of us are nowhere near that phase (at least we hope we're not), but what you do today clearly will affect how comfortably you live the final phase of your life. It's important enough to repeat...what you do today will affect how comfortably you live the final phase of your life. Look around at the older generation with whom you come into contact. There's a tremendous variety, and I assure you, some took better care of themselves in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, which is why they do so much better in their 70s and 80s. It makes sense, so start taking care of yourself today, so that you can truly enjoy those twilight years when they come.

Second, Tony talked about accountability. Look, I'm not going to sit here and say that working out six days per week and eating healthy is easy. Oftentimes finding the motivation and willpower to push play or to not eat that entire strawberry pie is quite the challenge. Too often we make excuses for ourselves. I hear it all the time...it's too hard to cook healthy, I don't have the energy to workout at the end of the day, I don't have any time to workout, my husband and I were working out together, but he quit, so I did, too. I know all of them, because I used to use them all the time. Put the excuses away...you deserve to be healthier. You deserve to be the best version of yourself that you can be.

Quit thinking that you NEED others to be successful with YOUR goals. Quit thinking that you need your spouse to be your workout buddy. If he or she quits, fine, but don't let that be your stumbling block. If I waited around for my husband to workout with me, I'd be waiting an awfully long time. No energy? Well I'm here to tell you that if you workout, you'll actually gain energy from the endorphins that rush to your brain during exercise. No time? Put down the remote control, step away from the computer, and make time for yourself. Let your spouse watch the kids for 30 minutes and do something JUST FOR YOU. I experienced a lot of grumbling on behalf of my spouse when I committed to me. He grumbled about what we ate, he grumbled about the hour I needed with our one television, he grumbled that there weren't potato chips in the house. After he started seeing the changes in my physique, energy, and attitude, he stopped grumbling. Heck, he now is trying to quit his smoking habit and is cutting back on the Coca-Cola and Ding Dongs. So while my changes may have helped motivate him, HE is making the choice to invest in changes for himself.

Noone is responsible for you except for you. As Tony Horton wrote in his own blog, "It's not your mother or your father. Not your sister or your brother. It's not your God or your Government. It's not the high school bully or your eighth grade home room teacher. It's not your therapist or your wife or your boyfriend. It's not luck or even circumstance. It's not your height, weight or age that makes life great, or not. It's You!" While it's great to surround yourself with positive, supportive individuals, noone except you can make the decision to change your life and make it better.

Let me know if you're ready, and we talk about fitness and nutrition goals. Just go to my coaching page and send me a message. I will be in your corner, if YOU are ready to invest some sweat equity in yourself.

Day by day...it's a process

Greetings and salutations my friends! It's been awhile since I last blogged, but I just returned home from a fantastic two weeks in Ohio with my parents. I dragged all of my P90X gear to Ohio with me, and didn't miss a workout while I was out of town, for which I give a big kudos to myself. On the other hand, I fear that my diet did suffer a bit, but rather than beat myself up for my transgressions, it's important to remember that this is a process. I'm not going to change 38 years of bad habits in 115 days.

The worst foods at my mom's house were, sadly, the two things that I crave the most...ice cream and pretzels. Yep, I ate them, but unlike the old me, I didn't eat half the carton or half the bag of pretzels dipped in cheese. Also, my parents go out to dinner once per week, and I met some friends from high school on several other days, so the opportunity to eat at restaurants was much more frequent than normal. Restaurants really do pose some challenges for those who are trying to eat healthier and with moderation.

We like to think that a good old fashioned salad is always a great choice, but some of those 'nutritious' salad choices contain over 1000 calories and 40+ grams of fat! I had lunch one afternoon with my mom, and after searching the menu, chose a grilled chicken sandwich, thinking I was doing myself a favor. Upon coming home and entering my lunch into myfitnesspal.com, I realized that my 'good selection' boasted 910 calories JUST FOR THE SANDWICH! I was devastated and really angry with myself.

After that, I was determined to really make sure my choices were the healthier one on the menu. In many places, it was hard to find a single option that was less than 900 calories, while other restaurants do go out of their way to provide less fattening fare for the calorie conscious. If you're going to go out to eat, do your homework first. Most restaurants provide nutrition guides for their menus online. Also, myfitnesspal.com has a food search, and many chain restaurant foods have already been placed into the database. Do some searches and write down your options. This is what I ended up doing, and it saved me a LOT of heartache later. In addition, the options were still good tasting food, they simply didn't provide me with an entire day's worth of calories in one sitting.

So yep, I struggled. As each day would close, I would promise that I'd do better the next day. And I did, for the most part. The surprising thing is that even though I felt like like I had disappointed myself with regards to my diet for the past two weeks, I came home and got on the scale, and I'm down 3 pounds. Go figure...I'm obviously making MUCH better choices than I would have made 4 months ago, but still have a ways to go. I just have to remember, day by day, it IS a process. Some days will be good, some not so good, but in the end, we will make positive strides towards a fitter lifestyle.

If you have questions about diet, nutrition, or fitness, please feel free to ask. Just go to my coaching page and send me an e-mail. Day by day folks...we just have to take it day by day.

90 Days to a Better Life

Greetings and Salutations my friends! It was 90 days ago today that I made the decision to invest some sweat equity in myself. Ninety days ago the naysayers told me, "I'll give you a week with that P90X before you quit." Ninety days ago I felt fat and was uncomfortable in my own body. It's amazing what can happen to a person in a mere 90 days.

I made the decision to attempt P90X not because I wanted to 'get ripped,' but because I wanted to feel good inside my own skin. The number on the scale had risen to a level that I swore I'd never allow, but alas, there it was, staring me in the face in late March. I had made a comment to my cousin, Sarah, who was yammering on about loving this workout program she was doing, about how I wished I loved exercising. That was the day she told me to go to YouTube and check out P90X. I did, and was mesmerized, but worried that I wasn't strong enough 'to work' the program. She assured me that I'd be okay. I invested my $120+ that same day. I then waited anxiously for my package to arrive from Beachbody.

Upon arrival, I completed the fit test. I couldn't do a single push-up on my toes, couldn't do a wall sit for 60 seconds, a pull-up wasn't even in my vocabulary, and I thought I was going to keel over dead during the last 30 seconds of the 2-minute jumping jack drill. I decided the "Lean" program would be a better choice for me due to my fitness level, I pushed play the very next day and never looked back.

With the support of the fantastic Beachbody community, as well as some fantastic 'friends' on Facebook, I didn't miss a day. I made the decision that I was going to make time just for me, and that nothing was going to prevent me from becoming a better version of myself. Along the way, I fell in love with exercise, and more importantly, I fell in love with myself again. I had no idea that this body was capable of the things that it can do.

Now, don't get me wrong, it was HARD WORK! There were days when I didn't really want to work out, but I knew that it was necessary. On the days that I needed some motivation, I simply contacted my own coach (thanks, Keith), and he busted my chops for all of 30 seconds, and off I went to bring it. Just knowing that he was in my corner was enough to motivate me. Changing my eating habits has been the more challenging part of the program for me. I have good days, and not so good days (I have those days where I think I'd eat the kitchen counters if they weren't nailed down), but I accept the things I do well each day, and vow to do better the next day on those things that I don't do so well. Ninety days in, I can say that I have truly revamped my former eating habits, but it's still a tough road. It's a progress...and I must remember that each day is part of that progress, and each day that I am successful will make the next easier.

Along the way, I started coaching for Beachbody. I must say, it has been one of the most fulfilling and motivating experiences in my life. I have met some wonderful people, have inspired many to push play every day, and myself, am inspired by their perserverance as well. So, a little shout out to small part of my 'crew' who allow me to be their 'coach' and who motivate and inspire me along the way...thanks to Carolyn, Katrina, Noah, Alisha, Reem, Matthew, and Crystal. You are all ROCKSTARS for pushing play alongside me!

So my 90 days is up...but for me, this journey is far from over. Tomorrow I set new, realistic goals, and push play on a new day. I'm ready to invest another 90 days of sweat equity into myself with a second round of P90X, this time the 'classic' version. Who wants to go along for the ride? If you're game and ready to make some changes in your life, sign up for FREE Team Beachbody membership with me as your coach, here. Let me know how I can help...because I'm willing and able as soon as you are committed.