5.26.14 Day 98: Memorial Day

Since today was a holiday I had a busy day with taking my son and his friends to the Memorial Day Parade and then to the pool.  After 4 hours of swimming I decided that was enough workout for the day and I just took it easy and enjoyed my evening.  I work 6 days a week so times when I have two days off in a row I sometimes just choose to get a little r & r which is what I did today.  Let me tell you it felt great!  But not to worry, I will be back at it again tomorrow for sure!!!

10 Things You Should Be Crushing Instead of Candy

I wanted to give everyone something to think about if you are on the cusp of improving your health and fitness but just can’t seem to find the motivation.  After reading this I hope you know what you need to do!

10 Things You Should Be Crushing Instead of Candy

                  1.       EXCUSES

                  2.       NUTRITION

                  3.       SELF-DOUBT

                  4.       ABS

                  5.       FEAR

                  6.       EGO

                  7.       TRICEPS

                  8.       BICEPS

                  9.       WORKOUTS

                 10.   YOUR LIFE

I love to play Candy Crush just as much if no more than anyone!  But when I decided to get fit and healthy and I had to get real with myself I had to face a lot of hard truths that weren’t easy or pretty to face and I had to start learning how to change or I was never going to be any different than I was right then.  The first thing I had to overcome was the many, many excuses that I would come up with constantly.  One of my favorite excuses was that I didn’t have enough time or money to eat right, exercise and be healthy.  And when I finally got real with myself I had to break it down so I would take responsibility for my actions.  I didn’t have enough time… REALLY???  I played Candy Crush religiously for at least an hour a day (that was just my lunch hour!).   Before work, at lunch and at nigh I played Candy Crush.  I also watched LOTS of television… but I didn’t have time to work out... LIE!!!!!  An excuse is just a lie that we tell ourselves to make us feel good about bad decisions.

As for nutrition and not being able to afford to eat healthy I ate out A LOT and I ate a lot in general so I was spending a lot on food period.  Once I decided to get healthier I just bought healthy stuff, cut out the crap foods I used to buy, started packing a healthy lunch and healthy snacks for my work day so I had no excuses to eat out or go to the vending machine and make a bad choice.  Now I am actually saving money because I have cut out all of my morning trips to McDonalds, my lunches out and all of the snacking from the vending machine I would do in between (that all just sounds super gross to me now!!!). 

Now let’s talk about self-doubt.  You have all heard of the little angel on one shoulder and the little devil on the other shoulder.  NEVER listen to the devil… he is BAD!!!  He will cause you to make so many bad choices and feed you excuses so you can lie to yourself and others to justify those bad choices.  Then, you know deep down you chose the wrong thing and are on the wrong path and you suddenly feel bad about yourself again… it is a vicious, never-ending circle.  I always tell my challengers that every single day you should pat yourself on the back at the end of the day and give yourself props for a job well done.  Instead of being your worst enemy become your best friend and you will not only get results but they will last a lifetime. 

As for crushing abs, triceps, biceps and workouts I think you all get the idea behind that.  The next time you are playing Candy Crush or you are playing games on Facebook or whatever your choice of killing time may be, just think about all of the other positive things you could be doing instead to be getting yourself closer to your goals!  I’m not saying you can’t play a little Candy Crush now and again but just make sure it isn’t consuming you and causing you to be held back from becoming the person you want to be!

Let’s address the whole fear issue.  Change is scary for everyone there are no ifs ands or buts about that.  But what I want you to do is clear your head for a few seconds.  Now think about something that you have done in your life, an accomplishment that made you feel so proud of yourself that you were busting at the seams with happiness and pride.  Now, the next time you are afraid of changing because you think it may be too hard and you are afraid you will fail I want you to think about that awesome accomplishment that you just thought of and think to yourself if you can do that then this new challenge is doable.  You are so strong and I want you to give yourself props every day and start to really love yourself and be happy on the inside.  This will help you to get your outside where you want it to be a lot quicker and it will last!!!!

Ego is a difficult thing for people to crush but I am going to help you.  Your story, no matter how harrowing, is not any different than many, many other people’s story so you don’t get to feel like you are the only one who has these struggles and you don’t get to feel sorry for yourself.  Check your ego at the door and make sure that you let yourself know that there are other people out there facing the same challenges that you are facing and you need to pick yourself up and get back in the race.  This morning I went to Kroger after I dropped my son off at school.  As I pulled into a parking spot I saw a handicapped gentlemen that works there as a cashier wheeling himself in his wheelchair through the parking lot.  I have seen him at the cash register before and he is always friendly and always has a smile on his face.  I believe he has cerebral palsy and he does not have an easy time doing his job.  But he is there and he is doing it.  When I saw him trying to get through the parking lot this morning he was struggling to turn the wheels of his wheelchair and it really put things into a new perspective for me.  Every morning that I am lucky enough to wake up and I am blessed with another day I should be grateful and humbled that I am healthy.   Not everyone gets to have a choice of whether or not they want to work out and be healthier.  If you are blessed enough to be able to have that choice every day you should make it a priority to do your workouts for all of those that don’t have a choice.  Get rid of your ego!

Each and every one of us that is able should be doing the best we can be each and every day.   I believe in you and I want you to believe in you!  Now let’s go crush our lives… time is wasting!  And as always if you need some help, advice or just someone to talk to I am always hear.  Please don't feel like you have to go through this alone.  My email is tibelling@aol.com or you can find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tinaballingerfitness.

5.25.14 Day 97: Rip't Up & Last Day of Gamma & Picture Day:)

Today was my last day of week 4 of Gamma.  What a difference 14 short weeks can make in your life!  I am living proof that anyone can do this!  You can't succeed if you don't take action.  Now's the time... what are you waiting for???  Do it for yourself, do it for your family and do it NOW!  You are worth it!!!  ANYONE that needs motivation or help I am here for you!  There is no judging, no preaching, no yelling, no negativity whatsoever!  I will not tolerate that.  If you want someone who is real and has struggles and has came through it to help get you to where you want to go... I am your woman.  I want everyone to feel as great as I do right now.  I am 47 years old, am a single mom and I work full-time.  I don't think anyone on the planet had any lower self-esteem than I did & getting started was hard... really hard.  If it weren't for Shaun T. and Focus T25 I honestly don't know if I would have ever had a chance of getting me back.  Now I feel like I have found my purpose in life and that is to help others like me who don't know where to turn.  So here I am just waiting for us to find each other so that I can help you feel as good as I feel!  I'm waiting so whenever you are ready I will be right here for you.

One of my new favorite quotes only because it is sooooo true... when I realized that I was meant to help people like me it literally did feel like the most important day of my life... I am forever changed in the best way possible!!  "The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out WHY!" ~ Mark Twain  

If you want to start NOW just click on the link below and place the most important order of your life... how much is your health and your life worth???? How much money???  How much time???  I hope you said a whole hell of a lot because that is how much I am worth and so are you!!!

5.24.14 Day 96: Extreme Circuit & Dynamic Core

I love working out in the mornings to get my day started off on the right foot!!!  The time is 7:12 am where I am and I just finished Extreme Circuit and man do I feel amazing.  The sun is shining here in Powell, Ohio and it is going to be a beautiful day and my workout is finished so now I can spend the rest of the day doing whatever I want.  Unfortunately I have to work from 10 until 2 today but that is ok.  I won't let that ruin my day.  After work I am going to do some yard work and then take my son to a friend's house for a party.  When I get back home tonight I am going to work on my 2 Week "NOW'S THE TIME" Fitness Challenge that starts on Monday.  The challenge is open to everyone and it is online so it doesn't matter where you live you are more than welcome to join.  This challenge is only two weeks because I wanted to give everyone the opportunity to be able to get in on all of the daily motivational tools that I will be giving you as well as to have the support of others like yourself but not overwhelm you by making it too long for my first fitness challenge.  I still have a way to go in my personal journey and I can use all of the support I can get so I am going to be doing it right along with everyone else!  The challenge starts on Tuesday, May 27^th (the day after Memorial Day) and will last until June 9^th and is an online challenge so you don’t have to live near me and anyone can join until all of the spots are gone!  These are the requirements if you join:

~ You must have a desire to improve your health and fitness (it doesn’t matter if you are a size 22 or a size 2 and your fitness level does not matter… there is NO JUDGING in this group so if you are a judger you are not welcome lol… you just need the desire to be a better you!).

~ You must share with everyone what your goals are for this challenge (what do you want to get out of this challenge… why did you decide to do it?).

~ You have to commit to logging your food and activity daily.  Accountability is a major key to being successful with anything in life… especially for my challengeJ

~ I want you to post something in the group at least once a day.  It can be anything… what you ate or what you struggled with that day… we can’t support each other if we aren’t communicating with one another.  Some days I may ask questions and if you respond to that you have fulfilled this requirement alreadyJ

~ Most importantly I want you to get motivated and get up and get moving and work together with me and the others in the group so that we can all be better versions of our wonderful selves!

If this sounds like something you are ready to do just let me know before all of the spots are gone and I will gladly add you to the group for the challenge.  It’s going to be awesome so I hope you decide to joinJ  Have a great day!!!

UPDATE:  I did Dynamic Core in the evening... trying to get rid of my muffin top:)

5.23.14 Day 95: Stretch

Well I got up early today but got sidetracked and decided to workout after work.  Then I had forgotten that my teenage son was having a bunch of friends over for a get together.  But I didn't use any of those things as an excuse!  I simply hid in my bedroom and did my Stretch workout!  You can literally do these workouts anywhere at anytime and I know you can find 25 minutes and a place to do them if I can!  The old me would have totally used any excuse in the world to ditch my workout but now I need to workout so I feel good!  One of my favorite sayings is that negativity breeds negativity and let me tell you the excuse train is just one negative car after another!  Once you start making excuses and skipping your workouts you start to do that more and more until one day you find yourself back to being miserable.  Let me tell you from personal experience that if you are sitting on your couch or laying in bed dreading getting up for the day you are only hurting yourself!  Just take one day at a time and tell yourself you got this and get up and go make your body feel great.  My son always says if you look good you feel good mama and what better way to look and feel great than to take care of your body.  Excuses are just negativity trying to get the best of you.  Ignore the excuses, start making a list that is exclusively for your excuses and every time your mind tries to trick you into not working out or making another choice that could be better for you (nutrition or whatever) write that excuse on there.  Make three columns... one for excuses... one for the date... and one for how you overcame that excuse!  And make sure you write all of your excuses on the list.  Pretty soon you will see the number of excuses dwindling away until you don't try to make excuses anymore.  Remember, you should always make choices that ARE good for you and not that just FEEL good to you!

Ok, I hope you will incorporate your excuse list today and go out and have a marvelous, positive Saturday!!!

5.22.14 Day 94: Rip't Up

Wow was I slacking today.  I don't know where the time went but I ended up working out at 9:00 pm.  That is usually my bedtime lol!!!  Anyway, this is my last week of Gamma and I have decided to forego Speed 3.0 this week and focus on the workouts that are more for helping you to get ripped!  I have been a little under the weather for the past few weeks and if you have ever done Speed 3.0 then you know that workout is no joke!  It is hard core cardio and with my chest cold it just wasn't a good fit for me right now. You HAVE to listen to your body and do what you know you can do and do what you will stick with.  I am really starting to see more changes in my body and I am loving the things I am seeing and feeling taking place right now.  I am kind of getting over the whole emotional vortex where I was wanting to see everything happen more quickly and have realized that I am getting there at a good pace and that getting the body I want is just going to take perseverance and hard work.  Goodness knows I didn't get that body overnight and I am not going to get rid of it overnight either!  Slow and steady wins the race!!!  To achieve my goals I am going to have to have persistence and perseverance and I will prevail.  Well I have to get ready for work now so I will cut this short.  HAVE A GREAT FRIDAY:)

5.21.14 Day 93: The Pyramid and Stretch

I did these after work and before I watched the season finale of Survivor (my favorite show... well one of them).  I was in such a hurry that I forgot to post my workouts:)  The main thing is that I didn't forget to do them!!!  I cannot stress this enough... you have to get off the couch and get moving if you want to get fit and healthy!!!  You cannot improve your life if you are crushing candies, watching tv, playing on the internet, facebooking etc. and then making the excuse that you don't have the time... you DO have the time and the time is NOW!!!

How I Got Started On My Amazing Journey to A Better Me

If you have seen any of my blog posts, facebook statuses, instagram pics or tweets you probably already know that I have been doing Focus T25 for the past 13 weeks and I have been getting AMAZING results!  What you may not know is that 13 SHORT weeks ago I was very overweight, I was ashamed of myself and I was embarrassed to be seen by anyone I knew.  You also probably don't know that it would sometimes take me 30 minutes just to get dressed in the morning because everything I put on made me look and feel horrible.  My self-esteem was plummeting day by day and I didn't know how to fix it.  Actually, I am a pretty smart woman so I kept trying different things hoping that I would find that magic potion or pill or formula that would fix me instantly.  I tried every diet known to man (my coworkers can vouch for me that I even tried eating sauerkraut for breakfast).  I spent so much time and I spent so much money trying to find an easy fix.  And occasionally I would lose a few pounds but eventually when it was all said and done I would gain the weight back and usually find a few more pounds to go with it!  I knew I wanted to change and change for good but I just wasn't finding a way that worked as a permanent solution.  Then one morning I happened upon an infomercial for Focus T25 and I watched and I watched and I watched... and I started thinking... 25 minutes... I could find 25 minutes.  And then when the infomercial was over I kept thinking... and thinking... and thinking until I picked up my phone and I called the number and I ordered the program.  Then I started getting excited.  By the time the box arrived I was committed in my mind to see it through.  I knew I could find 25 minutes a day for 10 weeks.  After all, 10 weeks before that I was the same as I was 10 weeks before that and so on... so I decided to take the first step.  Because I love to blog I decided to blog about my journey so that I would never go back to how I was feeling before.  13 weeks later just look at me!!!  Turns out I didn't need a magic potion or pill or formula... I just needed a great program that I could stick with and that I could afford.  I don't have the time or the money to waste on a gym membership that I am never going to use.  And sticking to an exact schedule to fit time in for any organized fitness class that I would have to drive to and be in the class with other people was never going to work for me.  This program was perfect... I can do it in my own house (the only room in my condo that is have enough room for me to work out is my kitchen/dining area so that is where I workout.  I roll back my big rug and I put my laptop on my kitchen table and I push play every day at my own convenience and that works for me!  And I can honestly say that I will do this forever.

As soon as I started seeing how amazing this program was and people I knew started asking me how I was losing weight and looking so great I decided to share my story... the good, the bad and the ugly (and trust me some of it is ugly!).  I am a 47 year old single mother and I work full-time so I started having people who realized that if I can do it they can do it so they ordered the program and have been doing great also and I am so proud of them!!!!  The first time someone actually told me that they started working out because of my story and they thanked me I literally cried tears of joy and that was an amazing feeling.  That is when I realized that if I can help one person I can probably help other people and that is what I want to do.  I want to help other people like me who thought they couldn't do it for whatever reason.  Some of the reasons I have heard were that people thought they were too big too work out or too out of shape or they were too old or they didn't have enough time or they didn't have enough money.  Well let me tell you I said every single one of those things myself AND LOOK AT ME NOW!!!!  All of those things are excuse and so I guess you can call me Ms. Excuse Buster because that is what I am here for... to bust up your excuses, haul them off to the dump and help you get on the path to better health and fitness.

I absolutely love T25.  Love, love, love T25 and will be forever grateful that it turned my life around and put me back in a happy place.  However, this is my last week of the Gamma round and I am ready to shake it up a bit.  And what better way to start shaking than with TurboFire!  If you have never heard of Chalene Johnson you don't know what you are missing and if you have heard of her then you know how freaking awesome she is!  TurboFire was created by Chalene and I cannot wait to start this program.  Right now Beachbody is offering a deal that is way to UNREAL that there is no way I am passing it up and if you are wanting to improve your health and fitness then you should not let this deal slip by because I highly doubt that they will ever have a deal this amazing again.  I paid $120 for T25 (let me tell you that was the best investment I have ever made in my life... I invested not just in my weight and health but in my life... I literally am living again and monetarily how can you even calculate a figure that would be worth???) which is also how much TurboFire costs.   The Shakeology nutrition drinks (which are one of the healthiest things you can put in your body... stop spending $5 a day on coffee at some fancy coffee joint and invest in yourself and your health and buy this instead... your body will thank you!) are $129 for a one month supply.  RIGHT NOW (this offer ends May 31st, 2014) you can buy a Challenge Pack that includes the entire TurboFire workout set AND  a month's supply of Shakeology all for only $140... YES YOU ARE READING THAT CORRECTLY... ONLY $140 FOR BOTH!!! Your health and your life are worth way more than that... you are worth it!!!!  CLICK HERE NOW and go to the SHOP tab at the top of the page and drop down to the Challenge Packs and choose TurboFire pack!  YOU CAN THANK ME LATER;)

Here is a preview of TurboFire and Shakeology:

The pic on the left was taken on 2.16.14 and the one on the right was taken on 5.19.67 (my 47th birthday!!!)

5.20.14 My Focus T25 Transformation Story

Above is the day before I started T25.  2.16.14.  I can't even believe that is me!

Above is 5.20.14... 13 weeks into my transformation.  I am amazed at how different I have become in 13 short weeks.  The way I carry myself, my tone of voice, my appearance... all totally different!!!  I LOVE IT!!!

Transformation Tuesday & Fitness Coach

Today my Beachbody coach, Christi Williams, used my transformation for her Transformation Tuesday photo on Facebook... YAY ME!!!   I was very humbled and honored when she told me on Monday that she wanted to use me.  My hard work has been paying off in so many different ways, many ways that I could have never imagined!!  Not only am I improving my health and looking and feeling so much better, but I have had so many people come to me and share their stories and tell me how I inspired and/or motivate them which has been unbelievably rewarding.  When I started my journey I was an avid blogger already so I decided to blog about my transformation so I could look back and see my hard work paying off and see how miserable I was before I started so that I would never go back to that dark place again.  I had no intentions of sharing my story or pictures of my body with anyone, much less the world on Facebook!  But when I started seeing how incredible my results were I decided I was so proud of myself and I needed to stop hiding from the world.  So like a bandaid on a sore, I just did it... I shared my transformation pics after a few weeks.  That is when the support and love started pouring in for me and I used that as fuel to keep going forward.   Right around the 12th week of my fitness journey I was contemplating becoming a coach.  That just seemed like the next step in my transformation so I was lucky enough to know someone who knew Christi and after talking to her I knew I had to become a coach.  I truly, from the depths of my being, want to help others.  If you like helping others and have ever thought about becoming a coach, I encourage you to contact me.  Even though I have only been a coach a very short time I can honestly say I think it is the best thing I have done for myself in a very, very long time and it is only going to keep getting better!!!  Thank you to everyone who reads my blog and supports me!  I need you as much as you need me so please don't stop coming back:)

5.20.14 Day 92: Rip't Up

Well I did better with my eating today... no birthday cake to tempt me lol!  I did not get up in time to do my work out this morning so I worked out after I got home from work (and after the grocery store, putting groceries away, doing a video for my facebook page and cooking dinner... shew... I think that's about it:).  I am never going to stop working out and I cannot wait until my body is ripped up for real!!!!

5.19.14 Day 91 and my 47th Birthday: Extreme Circuit

I got up at 5:30 this morning and did Extreme Circuit before work.  Since I just did Rip't Up yesterday this was a little bit of a struggle but I did it!  I feel amazing and love working with weights.  I can't believe today I am 47 and I am very close to being in the best shape of my life!  I can honestly say that if I can do this in the physical and emotional state that I was in and being a single mom with a full-time job, you can do it too!

After I got to work today I got the greatest news... I am going to be featured for transformation Tuesday tomorrow by my coaches.... YAY!!!!!   So stay tuned and I will give you all the details so you can check it out tomorrow:)  I am on cloud nine and it all started with baby steps!

If you want to get results like me I would be more than happy to help you!  I just became a fitness coach and am starting a FREE 2- Week Fitness Challenge from May 27th through June 9th so we can all get and stay motivated and rock our health and fitness goals!  It's free and easy to join me but spots are limited so message me or leave a comment if you would like more details!!!  Oh and I need to mention that it is an online challenge so it doesn't matter where you live you can do this with me!  Also it is open to anyone... so no matter what age you are or whether you are male or female... you just need to have a desire to become healthier and more fit.  We will start with baby steps and learn how to get rid of excuses and overcome any obstacles that are holding us back!  I am going to be doing it with you every step of the way so that you can see I have struggles just like everyone else and I also need help and need support, motivation and accountability in order to succeed!

Have an awesome day!!!

5.18.14 Day 90: Rip't Up and Ab Intervals

Had to make up for missing yesterday lol!  I know I have been doing Ab Intervals a lot but I need to get rid of this spare tire... while the air seems to be seeping out of it slowly I need the whole thing gone!!!  I am so proud of myself but know I have a long way to go and can't stop now.  This change has to be a lifetime and lifestyle change... not just a few weeks and out.  I NEVER WANT TO LOOK OR FEEL like I looked and felt before T25!  And I want to help anyone who thinks their situation is hopeless.

5.17.14 Day 89: Rest

My goodness I did it again... I did not work out.  For those of you who know me or who have followed my blog at all, you know that I am usually quite diligent when it comes to working out and usually only skip working out if I have a great reason.  Well my birthday is in 2 days and I actually went out of town to attend a social event with some friends.  I came home this afternoon and my mother was at my house from out of town.  She came in to town to stay with my son so that I could go out of town and also because it is my birthday.  Not to worry, I will make up for it tomorrow!!!

5.16.14 Day 88: Stretch

I woke up again feeling blah but I didn't want to not work out so I did the Stretch workout.  This is absolutely my favorite workout.  Shaun T is right when he says this is like the Focus T25 medicine.  Before I started T25 I never had any energy and when I did this workout the first time I struggled with it.  But now, it leaves me feeling refreshed and energized and I love it.

5.15.14 Day 87: Extreme Circuit

I decided to do this workout because with my chest congestion I could not handle a cardio workout today.  This workout makes me feel great!  I had someone tell me today that they are noticing that my arms are starting to look defined:)  That made me feel great!  I really wanted to do two workouts today but I didn't want to over do it since I have been sick.

5.14.14 Day 86

I woke up sick today.  Really sick.  So I took Nyquil and slept all day.  I did not work out:(  There was no way it was possible.

,5.13.14 Fay 85: Stretch in the A.M.

On Thursday mornings I have to have my son at school by 615. The stretch video is exactly 25 minutes so it is the easiest one who did you in the morning on Tuesday and Thursday. Love this video started my day out right!

5.12.14 Day 85: The Pyramid and Ab Intervals

I have some catching up today due to my illness last week so I did two workouts.  My big old belly is going to be the last thing to go and I can't wait until it disappears!  Also, my big news of the day is that I signed up to be a Beachbody Coach.... YAY!!!!   I am super excited but I need to wait until I hear from my Coach and get everything set up before I share the news with everyone but I figured if you are subscribed to my blog I would sneak it in a post and let you be the first to know!  I feel great and I want to share this feeling with the world and I want everyone to feel as great as I do!  

After 12 weeks

5.11.14 Day 84 Stretch & Pics

I woke up with a fever again today & larengitis so I decided I needed to rest my body today which I hate but I want to feel better!   But I am feeling better this evening so I am looking forward to getting up in the morning & getting back on track!!!  I did have my personal photographer, my 14 year old son, take pics because tracking my success & holding myself accountable every single day is important to me!

5.10.14 Day 83: The Pyramid and Ab Intervals

Today I had some making up to do because I missed some workouts this week due to being a bit under the weather.  I decided there was no way my body would ever be able to handle Speed 3.0 because I have had a cough and a little chest cold so I opted to do The Pyramid which I missed the other day and I added Ab Intervals.  If you have seen my before pictures you know that when I started I looked like I was about to give birth... only I wasn't pregnant:(  So I have a large obstacle to overcome when it comes to creating a 6-pack which is why I chose to do Ab Intervals.  My belly is going down slowly but surely but the cooler that my 6-pack is in is not going to disappear on its own!!!  I feel like I am so close yet so far away.  I can do one of two things... give up or keep going!  And I am choosing to go for it as hard as I possibly can!  For those of you who have followed my blog and/or may just have come across my blog, I am seriously considering becoming a Beachbody coach so I can hopefully inspire others to get fit and healthy!  If you are looking for a coach and motivator would you consider using me?  If so please leave a comment below.  I would love to hear your comments:)

Now go do something to make yourself fitter and healthier and have a great weekend:)  Peace out!

5.9.14 Day 82 Part 2: Rip't Circuit

Today I stayed positive and focused on feeling good throughout the day so I would feel like working out tonight.  I made healthy food choices and I drank plenty of water (5.5 16 oz bottles of water just at work today) so I would be hydrated and energized.  There is no point in working out if you just eat junk all day.  To get the most of your workouts you have to Focus all day long... are you making healthy food choices, staying hydrated and most importantly are you staying positive?  If you work in an office like I do you may face similar situations throughout your day that I face.  Not only do I sit behind a desk for 80% of my work day but I also am surrounded by people who do not have any weight issues so they tend to bring lots of snacks for the office... you know the office doughnuts, candy, cookies, birthday cakes etc.  Sometimes it is very difficult to walk away.  I have learned that I have to stay strong and not even take a bite or I will want to eat the whole plate or cake or whatever form the dishes are served in.  It helps me to keep plenty of healthy snacks in my office and snack on those every few hours or so.  That way I do not get famished and tempted to overeat to satisfy my hunger.  I try to eat high fiber stuff to make me full quicker and stay full longer.  Also I drink lots and lots of water.  You should try drinking a few big glasses of water before having cheat foods if you must have them (and occasionally we all are going to cheat and eat something absolutely horrible for us).  Also, if you want cake just have one piece and then turn around and run out of the room if you must but get away from the cake and start thinking about something else (like a dress or outfit that you really want to get into for a special upcoming occasion).    If all else fails look at your before pictures and look at the goals you have for yourself and think about how the satisfaction that cake will give you pales in comparison to the satisfaction you will feel when you have accomplished your goal.  And if all else fails and you give in to your temptations, accept that you had a set back, learn from it and move the hell on! Get over yourself and keep moving forward.  In life we all make mistakes and if you learn from that mistake and become better for it then that is all you can ask of yourself.  Do not make it a big issue and then you can't use it as an excuse.  I truly believe that the reason I have not succeeded in my fitness and weight loss goals in the past is because I had horrible self esteem and it was easier for me to accept that I was a failure and give up than to have to soldier on and then possibly fail anyway.  Right now I am taking one day at a time and just trying to be better today than I was yesterday.  I didn't get the large body that I had overnight and I am not going to get rid of overnight.  I am in this for the long haul and I hope you will be too!!!  I would love to hear your stories if you have faced a temptation and were able to walk away or if you gave in and were able to learn from your setback.  Thanks for letting me share my stories with you and I hope in some small way if you are in the same boat as me that you now know you are not alone and I just maybe inspired you to stay strong!!!  Let's stay strong together.  Have a great weekend everyone!!!

5.9.14 Day 82: Stretch and Rip't Circuit

I woke up this morning still not feeling great so I did my Stretch workout.  I took some Alka Seltzer Cold Plus medicine and am going to keep my thoughts positive today that I will feel better today and will do my Rip't Circuit after work.  The old me would have used my recent bout with the flu or whatever it is that I have been fighting as an excuse to give up on myself.  I refuse to give up!!!  NO MORE EXCUSES.  I refuse to let myself down again and I refuse to let everyone else around me have a reason to give up on me and possibly themselves.  Together I know we can do this!!!  I am no where close to where I want to be yet so I have to keep going.  That's not to say if you are really sick that you should push yourself too hard.  If you truly need a break (like I did the other day) then listen to your body.  My son plays high school football and their coaches tell them that their is a difference between pain and injury.  You can work through pain but you must rest if you have an injury.  Only you know your body best so you have to decide... do you really need a break or are you making excuses?

Happy Friday everyone.  Keep on keeping on... we got this:)  Peace out!

5.8.14 Day 81: Extreme Circuit

I got a little off track today with my diet and my workouts have gotten off track because of me being ill for a few days.  I am going to admit something only because I want everyone to know that I am human and I make mistakes.  This morning I got up and had to fix my son breakfast and lunch and have him at school by 6:15 am.  Needless to say I was not feeling great when I woke up (when you have a cold it seems you always wake up feeling miserable and feel better as your day goes on) so I decided to work out after work.  However, due to my lack of discipline with my workouts today I ate like crap to be quite frank!  I did not eat horrible stuff I just ate way to much stuff!  Wait, I ate way too much stuff at work and then after work I veered from my norm and I stopped at Kohls to do a little shopping.  So, by the time I got home I was famished and foolishly I had a few chips and before I knew it I had 1/3 of a bag of Lays and some ice cream for dinner before my workout:(  Bad, bad choice but not the end of the world!  I have worked way to hard to let one bad choice define me.  I proceeded to do my Extreme Circuit workout and know that tomorrow I have to do better.  The only person I have to be better than is the person I was yesterday (or in my case the person I was today:).  Take note that I do not feel any better for having eaten that crap that is supposed to be comfort food... it should be called discomfort food!!!

5.7.14 Day 80: Break

After the last few days of being sick and still not feeling well I decided it would be better if I took the day off today.  I can make it up when I am feeling better.  I need to get better so I can focus on my workouts and get the most out of them.  If I get super sick it will just put me farther back.  I hated to take the time off but I thought my body needed the break today.

5.6.14 Day 79 Stretch

I have been under the weather for the past few days so I thought I had better take it slow today so I did the Stretch DVD.  I am not sure what kind of bug I had but I had virtually no energy but I did not want to miss a day so I did the Stretch which always makes me feel good.

5.5.14 Day 78: Rip't Circuit

I love this workout.  It is so exhilarating!  The 25 minutes just flew by!

5.4.14 Day 77: Stretch & Picture Day

I am really starting to notice a big difference in how I feel & look.  I am not embarrassed to go out into public any more & that is an awesome feeling!  Its also awesome to be able to find something to wear without having to try to cover up my body.  I can't believe its only taken me 11 weeks!  I can't wait yo see how great I look 11 weeks from now.  All I can say is wow & thank you Shaun T!!!

5.4.14 After my first 11 weeks of doing Focus T25

2.16.14 The day before I started Focus T25

2.26.14 The day before I started Focus T25

5.4.14 After first 11 weeks of Focus T25