30 Days into Insanity

Kristen's Journey

In January, I decided I needed to do something different with my life.  I was tired, moody, and the heaviest I have ever been.  Of course it affected everyone around me too especially my husband and daughter.  Being a stay at home mom and my husband working night shift for the air force, I found it very easy to just stay at home.   Luckily, I woke up one day and realized that something needed to change and that I was cheating myself and my daughter out of this beautiful life here in hawaii!

So I joined a Beachbody Challenge group.  I started clean eating, drinking shakeology, and I did Insanity for the second attempt, but this time I DID IT!!!  I lost 10 lbs in the first month, and then my weight kind of plateaued.  I noticed the rest of my weight slowly fall over the followings months, but what kept me going was the support of my groups and also feeling a difference in my energy levels, my happiness, and my clothes!!!

Currently I am doing another round of Insanity.  I just finished month 1 and am doing recovery week mixed in with some Island adventures including hiking up to a beautiful ocean view of a lighthouse!!  I can feel my body changing again, and all though the numbers on the scale are not really budging again, it's okay.  I know I'm being healthy, and the weight will come off if I just keep with it!!!

When I first started this journey, I kept focusing on becoming one of those "Before & After" photos.  I never thought it would take me this long, and that has caused me a lot of frustration at times and temptation to give up, but again these accountability groups have kept me going!  So as I continue on my journey I'm reaching out to others and trying to help them make this lifestyle change too!

Being a teacher myself, I know how hard the summer months can be.  So many plans, and so little time.  You would think we would have all the time in the wold to workout, but knocking of a to-do list, time just seems to slip by.  So instead, let's focus on Clean Eating and Shakeology.  Mark your calendars for July 15, and join me as we do a 30 day Challenge - Schools out for the Summer.

If you are interested please contact me @ anewyouforgood@gmail.com

Week 1 Review

Well, I finished that last of the Insanity workouts for the week!  I think Plyo Cardio Circuit is the most trying workout for me because you do your exercises and then repeat them 3 times through!  This is where the mental struggle comes in for me!!!  I know what I still have to do and if I don't like...(for example suicide jumps...AKA BURPEES!!!), then I dread doing them 2 more times!  However, I have come a long way since the first round of Insanity.  Mentally I am stronger and push myself to do the exercises I don't enjoy doing or am not that comfortable with!  The only way I am going to see different results is to start doing things differently!  So "old Kristen" would have given up and just not done the exercise she didn't like or maybe conveniently take a water break during that time, but not the "new Kristen".  No breaks.  No cheats.  and that is why this time is going to be different for me!

Still staying off the scale until the second fitness test next Monday!  This is the first time I have ever followed that fitness rule of don't weigh yourself every day, so I am excited to see if it really works!

Now time to enjoy a little family time and maybe a cookie!!

Portion Control

a guest post from a good friend who has lost 35 lbs. in the past 4 months from adding PORTION CONTROL to her daily workouts!!!  She is a mommy of two, works, and still finds time to make it happen. Way to go Erin M.  and thanks for sharing :)  

Portion control can be one of the biggest challenges when trying to live a healthier lifestyle. Most of us eat very unbalanced diets focusing on the wrong types and amounts of food. Here are some tips to make portion control a little easier:

1.) Pay attention to serving sizes, and then measure out exactly what you are going to eat. Measuring cups and measuring spoons will become your best friend. A food scale is also a great thing to have, it really helps in weighing out those meat portions. You can also have the butcher at a grocery store weigh your meat out in the portions you would like and then they are all ready for you at meal time.

2.) Before putting your food on the plate, divide the plate in half. Fruits and veggies on one half, and the other half should be equally divided between your protein and grains.

(Note: whole grains and complex carbs take longer for the body to break down, are typically healthier, and make you feel fuller longer)

3.) Try eating on a smaller plate. From a visual standpoint, it will seem like you are getting to eat more or at least just as much.

4.) Drink a glass of water before every meal. 

5.) Fill up on veggies and fruit first when you are eating. They make you feel full and really get your digestive system working. 

(Tip: try adding a small salad to your dinner each evening and eat it first....you will be surprised how you start to feel full in the middle of you meal.)

6.) Snack size Ziploc bags and small food storage containers are great for keeping your snacks in....again they are visually appealing.

The key to healthy eating is truly portion control and good food choices. Hope you find these tips helpful.

Week 4

Here we go into week 4!  The end of this week was a special moment.  We surpassed day 21!...and many say...it takes 21 DAYS to create a habit.  And that we have done!  It's now a habit for me to wake up every morning drink a large glass of lemon water, then make my shakeology (almond milk and PB2), followed by my one cup of black coffee while I sit snuggled up on couch with my baby girl. As we move into week 4, I'm down 11.5 pounds and a couple inches off almost all my measurements.  My thighs might have gotten bigger, but I'm thinking I am either not measuring in the exact same spot or I'm building muscle which will eventually help me burn more fat!  Next week I'm going to do an intense cardio week to kind of reignite my weight loss! 

Now onto the mushy stuff!  I originally joined this challenge because I finally admitted to myself that I was not going to get where I wanted to be unless I did something drastic.  If you are not happy with yourself, but yet you are not making any changes, then who else is there to blame than yourself.  Well, I woke up and boy am I glad I did!  My days of Old Kristen were filled with pajamas/sweats, coffee with creamer, Diet Pepsi, and having my daughter watch tv all day.  Now...I have a my morning routine followed by getting in my workout clothes, doing a household chore, and taking the kid out of the house.  I don't just watch her play, I get my butt down on the floor and I play with her!  I honestly can't even believe how I wasn't bored out of my mind before.  So yes, this is probably the number reason I am SOOOO happy with this lifestyle change, but the number two reason is pretty darn close to being tied for first!  I am impacting my family.  My husband has jumped on the Shakeology train.  He's on board with eating CLEAN, and guess what...he gets his butt on the floor and plays with the kid now too!  We even both took her to the playground yesterday for the first time in 20 months!  (oh by the way...she's 20 months old!)  Back home on the mainland, my dad is making changes in his diet too!

I know it takes 4 weeks for me to notice the changes, and I am starting to see it in pictures.  It takes 8 weeks for your family and friends to notice the changes.  And 12 weeks for EVERYONE to notice the changes.  I keep focusing on the 8th week when the people I love can see the changes and start asking questions!  You can bet your bottom dollar, I am going to be eager to share my ways because guess what...you don't have to diet or torture yourself to lose weight... you just have to change what you eat and get active!  I didn't think I had the energy to work hard at losing weight, but I found out eating healthy is what gives you the energy to work hard! 

So as I continue on this journey I visualize my end product of my hard work.  This is my little black dress that is calling New Kristen's name in 78 more days!  

And to get there...here is week 4's plan!  

Week 3

Week 3

This was a big week for me!  I finally start seeing my numbers change.  I lost roughly 10 lbs over two weeks, and at least an inch in my waist.  I have a hard time measuring myself because I always second guess where I had the tape measure before.  I think that's why I like watching the scale and of course noticing my clothes fitting better, and ever one day (soon)...being too big!   The biggest change I have seen this week is my energy level.  I have an almost 2 year old, that I thought I was a great mommy too, but in the last two weeks, I have become an energetic and active mommy.  I have more patience and therefore am more loving.  I'm glad she won't remember those first two years, but I am looking forward to the kind of mom I can be by sticking with this.  

Below is my weekly meal/fitness plan.  I will also be including running throughout the week when I get the opportunity.  I want to get up to 2 miles this week!  I am excited for this week because if I stick with it and continue to see the same results...I will most likely break my "weight wall".  Since having a baby, I have never been past my weight wall.  Even after training for a half marathon last year, and having phases of hardcore working out/dieting too, I have never gotten past it.  It's not about a temporary change...it's about permanent changes that create permanent results!  

Week 2

Well, as you all know...the family has been visiting the last two weeks.  This is my first time being away from home, and so their trip here has been planned for some time and before I ever thought I would be committing to this 90 day challenge.  Since it was their first trip to paradise, I knew I would regret not indulging in all the treats of Hawaii but wanted to commit to my challenge too!  So somewhere in this past week, I found a compromise between completely clean eating, dieting, and making better choices!  I'm proud of myself, but can't wait for Week 2 of this challenge because it's about to get real SERIOUS!

Here is my meal/fitness plan for this week:

Yesterday was Day 1 of the 90 Day fitness challenge.  I have family visiting right now, so playing host and tour guide has left little time and not the best conditions for starting this challenge.  However, I must say my family and especially my husband have been so supportive of my commitment.  I am a big believer in being able to live a healthy and fit life without sacrificing good food/drinks and memories.  So I think this is a great week to start practicing making the best choice in any situation.

This morning, I woke up and started my day off right with my lemon water and then a nice healthy breakfast of coffee (no cream/sugar) and some egg whites.  Then off for my run!  Before kid, I had gotten into running half marathons.  I have ran one since she was born, but I still am not back to the shape I want to be, so this is one of my biggest goals!  I would love to be able to run a marathon just once!!!

Now with every family vacation comes eating out, so here is probably the biggest challenge (that and living in paradise where it's 5 o'clock somewhere...all the time!...so no more lava flows and margaritas for awhile!).  So today we went to Bubba Gump's for lunch.  Typical meal would have been the fried shrimp po'boy sandwich with mayo and french fries of course.  Oh and did I mention the multiple refills of Diet Pepsi.  Well not today!  Today is the first day of a new me and the rest of my life.  First change was water!  I love water now!!!  It is actually one of the few things that quenches my thirst.  (I'll go into detail later about my motivation for giving up soda.)  Second change...I ordered a Caesar salad (no dressing) with grilled shrimp.  I also went back to an old habit of eating my salad dressing on the side.  Then with each bite, you just dip the tip of your fork in the dressing before grabbing some lettuce.  It's amazing, and a little disgusting seeing how little salad dressing you use this way compared to the normal amount served on the salad.

For dinner, the hubby made beer can chicken on the grill, and I actually did not eat the skin!  If you have ever had the skin, you would understand the sacrifice that was!!!  With it...asparagus and nice salad!

Water Water Water!!! and two snacks...apple & dark chocolate almonds, carrots & hummus!

A Makeover Takeover

I've been blessed with the opportunity to join a 90 day fitness challenge that WILL completely makeover my body and my health.  Since it's been a year since I last updated my blog, I have decided to highjack it and start blogging about my transformation over the next three months.  Our challenge starts tomorrow, but I'm going to get technical and say it starts at midnight tonight!

My Challenge:

1.  90 days of clean eating and working out.
2.  My fitness programs:  Turbo Sculpt, Insanity and Yoga Booty Ballet
3.  My diet:  transitioning into a "clean" eating lifestyle and Shakeology
4.  This week's goals:  10 minute run, no soda, no cream/sugar in my coffee, and 6 days of fitness.