Week 4 Completed!

I feel so good!  I'm proud of myself for completing the first 4 weeks of Jaime Eason's LiveFit Trainer.  I officially ended Phase 1 and I'm nervously excitedly looking forward to Phase 2.

I've been sticking to the workouts- I haven't missed a single one!  Last week my nutrition was off- between my cycle and my daughter's birthday, I didn't do that great.  One thing that has stuck with my is that this is a lifestyle.  If you can't stick to a nutrition plan, then you shouldn't do it.  This is a forever shift in the way I eat.  Basically, it's "clean eating" pumped up with protein powder and LOTS OF CHICKEN.  

Phase 2 is coming at the perfect time.  We're adding in cardio 3-4 times a week.  Medium intensity, nothing crazy.  I think it will be a challenge to just do cardio at all after all the strength training.  I'll be at the gym for over an hour 6 days a week.  That is a bit daunting!!

However, I'm pretty excited with my results, and that keeps me motivated to move forward.  I've lost 6 pounds and 6 inches.  I've never been able to get these kind of results.  EVER.  

It feels nice to be getting confident and getting compliments.  It sounds silly, but this could literally change the way I move through life.  I find myself doing the things that are important to me, things that I value and forgetting about the silly, unimportant things.  

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,

 who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

Book Review: The Bigger the Hair, the Closer to God

This was a fun, light-hearted book with a great message.  And it had little to do with actual hair, but some meaningful life lessons for this middle-aged woman.

Lessons from The Big Hair Lady:

1. Here are the first sentences of the book:  "Remember the person you planned to be?  Thought you were, in fact, when you were young and innocent and didn't know any better?"  Basically, stop worrying about what other people say about you and just be concerned about the you that God created and BE her.
2. Get and nurture some real friendships.  (Definitely need some work on this one!)
3. Talk to yourself like the little blue engine that could, "I think I can, I think I can..."
4. Mind-blowing quote:  "Even better, you can take a fresh look in your rearview mirror and, with God's help, see a new story-one that's redemptive, perhaps even empowering."  I've learned way more from the difficult things in life than during easy times.  Like my ski instructor used to say, "if you're not falling down, you're not challenging yourself!"  So true!
5. You don't have to have big hair!  "Big-Haired Lady is na attitude!  A cute, darlin', witty, intelligent, passionate, authentic, interesting, 'wow-look at me because I'm God's very best creation,' seize-the-day attitude!"

Are you a Big Hair Lady?  I want to be one!

Weigh-in Wednesday

Good news!  I lost another pound. I also lost an inch and a half on my thigh!  That's NEVER happened before. I'm pretty happy with my progress so far. That is definitely a baby bicep bump growing! Yippee!!

I'm continuing to follow Jaime Eason's LiveFit  Trainer.  This is my 3rd week. I'm working out 5 times this week. I'm sure that I'll be missing 3 days off, but I'm happy to be building muscle and losing fat. This week we only get 2 rest days. 

I got 2 compliments yesterday at work.  It made me feel good that someone is noticing!

I'm still struggling with dinner. Breakfast, lunch and snacks are all on point, but having a healthy dinner when everyone else eats pizza, burgers, and chicken nuggets is so hard for me. I'm thinking that I will need to start meal prepping dinner too.  Either that or make them eat my food (not looking forward to that conversation).  I'll need to make a decision by Saturday when I do my grocery shopping. 

Another plus is finding the BodySpace app!  I'm part of a facebook group set up by Alesha Haley that supports each other while we do this program.  It's a great group, and I had a "dumb" question for the group.  One of the ladies recommended it. Thank goodness she did. It's awesome!  I can enter my program and then it shows me exactly what to do, has video tutorials, rest timers, EVERYTHING.  So great and even better- free!  

Any suggestions for dinners?

Did your desk throw up?

In my classroom last week I learned a valuable lesson. And oddly enough, I discovered it while helping a student clean up her very messy desk. 

Organization has been a problem for this student all year. There is also a bit of a lackadaisical attitude thrown in there for good measure. She would have been a great hippie.   I finally realized that she just didn't have any idea how to start working on this mess. 

How to start a big project

1. Take a deep breath. Okay. This may be a sucky task that you don't want to do, but you know you have to do it.  Whether it is exercise, laundry or a work project, it is your responsibility. Gird your loins. 

2. Get a buddy to help. Everything is better with a friend.  For example, cleaning the house can be fun if it's turned into a friendly competition to see who can get their job done first.  An accountability partner will keep you on track at the gym and a work buddy will be helpful to bounce ideas off of. In the case of the messy desk, I was the buddy!

3. Do the next right thing. Looking at the mess, it did indeed look overwhelming. I realized that she had no idea how to start. So I told her to just do one thing at a time. Gather up the pencils and crayons. Put the papers in the folder. Throw away the trash, etc. This was when I realized that I would probably learn more from this than she would. For her this was just about a desk. For me this was about life.  Trying to lose 20 pounds is overwhelming (20, seriously?) Writing a blog is a bit daunting (what if I run out of ideas?). But I know that it will be worth it, so I keep trying.

4. Keep going until it's done. This step is where a lot of people quit. They realize it is hard work, or worse, that even if they finish, it will never be perfect so why bother?  Let me tell you, my student and I both wanted to quit. But since I'm the teacher, I had to keep going!  We finished cleaning up together. 

Sad to say, I still have to remind her to clean up several times each day. And several times each day I have to give myself a pep talk. No candy!  You want to lose weight. And, go to the gym so that you don't throttle your teenage children. And my favorite, it's okay if nobody likes your blog. You're doing this for you. 

The moral of the story:  encourage yourself to take things one step at a time, even if your desk throws up. 

5 Reasons to do Jaime Eason's LiveFit Trainer

Everyone knows that getting fit and healthy is important, but we've all tried doing that the wrong way at least once.  (Low-carb diet anyone?)  Here are my top 5 reasons for using Jaime Eason's LiveFit Trainer to accomplish your goals.  (no, she's not paying me to say this)

Top 5 reasons to do Jaime Eason's LiveFit Trainer:

1. Lose the "fluff"  I never really considered myself fat, I just had a bit too much fluff.  Perfect for puppies and little kids to cuddle with, but not real sexy.  
2. Only cook once a week.  I meal prep once a week so that my laziness is satisfied.  I'd eat almost anything as long as I don't have to fix that meal.  I love just reaching in the fridge, grabbing my container of healthy food and popping it into my lunch bag.  Cheapskate version of an expensive meal plan- take that Marie Osmond!
3. Save $$ on clothes.  My clothes actually fit now, so I don't need to go shopping for new clothes.  Hmm, maybe that's a negative, I love to shop!  If I lose enough weight though, I could need new, smaller clothes!  Yea!
4. Can do more chores- wait, that's a good thing?  I am able to do more chores- open that jar, haul more laundry, move the furniture, shovel the snow.  LOL- I don't really like to do more chores, but it sure feels good to be stronger.
5. Speaking of stronger...I am also stronger mentally/emotionally.  My confidence is coming back and I'm feeling good about what I've accomplished so far.  

What do you do for exercise?

Weigh -in Wednesday

Let's get right to the good stuff.

 I lost a half of a pound. Not that great, but here's what I'm really excited about:  

I lost an inch on my waist and an inch on my hips!!

Thank you Jaime Eason!  I've never done that in just one week.
She says that the whole idea of Phase 1 (4 weeks) of her LiveFit Trainer is to build muscle.  I think I'm doing that!

Progress pics:

I don't see too much progress yet, except maybe a little in the side view picture. 

I'm glad I took measurements. Otherwise I would have been really discouraged!

Cravings

I have been having a hard time the last two nights with cravings.  I do well until dinner time, and then I want something that I want to eat.  And I don't want more veggies, more water, or gum.

I searched the internet for ideas.  TBH- it just didn't help.  

Maybe I'm tired.
Maybe I'm dehydrated.
Maybe I need more protein, but I doubt it.

I don't have any will power.

You are my refuge and my shield;

I have put my hope in your word.

Psalm 119:114

Maybe I just need to chill for a second, take a breath and be still.  Listen.  Pray.  Relax in God's love.

I'll let you know how it goes.  Tomorrow is Weigh-In Wednesday.  Oh my...