Just the beginning

Although the official challenge may be over I feel that this is just the beginning of the changes I want to make in my life. SoI have decided to continue my blogging adventures and I hope that my sharing will continue to inspire others in their own journey.

As most of you may know my boyfriend, Dennis and I just returned from a week long vaction, driving up the coast of California, from Newport Beach to Sacramento. The scenery and the weather were beautiful the entire way. We missed all the fog and overcast conditions that typically shadow the coast from Morro bay to San Francisco and were able to drive topless the entire trip. Our first stop out of Newport on our way to Morro Bay was that of REI in Santa Barbara... Dennis recently purchased some Vibram Five fingers. Yes toe shoes, yes ugly. But supposedly great for running as well as light hiking and even training in the gym. I heard they were great for obtaining muscle definition in the calves so that was my selling point. So he bought me a pair, now we can look "silly" together the sales associate remarked ( he is obviously not yet a convert).

I must say they are rather comfy. Typically when we run around I am in flip flops and end up with sore tootsies and or an achy lower back so I decided to test them out on our excursion through Monterey Aquarium and a walk thru the Wharf. Surprisingly they did the trick all day. Even with out a cushy sole I felt comfortable and no aches after our day out. They say you are supposed to ease in to wearing them on a regular basis so I retired them during our time in San Francisco and took to sandles and wedges for a cuter approach to vacay wear.
 I am happy to say all my pre vacay clothes still fit although I did gain a few pounds from all the yummy goodies we splurged on over the course of the week. I mean who can pass up fresh fish and a bowl of clam chowder that has been voted best in town 12 years running at the Old Fishermans Grotto in Monterey, and dont forget sourdough bread from Boudin in San Franciso and no vaction would be complete with out cocktails.... and we indulged in some of the best, from dirty martinis to fresh peach sangria. Needless to say our trip up the coast proved to be a fun vacation however I was a bit eager to get back at it in the gym when I returned home.

So today I am happy to say I woke up a bit sore due to a chest and back workout at Hardcore fitness followed but a little jaunt on the treadmill at Cardiogirl. Yep I went for a double day right out the gate and it felt amazing. And my toe shoes proved to be durable in both environments. Cant wait to test them out with some higher impact cardio today with a double session of CardioTREAD!



Before & After

Well at first I was nervous to post these pictures but the fact of the matter is these are reality. I had let myself get to a point where I was unhappy and certainly uncomfortable. But Now here I am confident and on a path to feeling better inside and out. I proud of my progress thus far and cant wait to see future results as I continue on my journey for a healthier more fulfilling life. So there you have my before and after pictures.

As part of the Challenge we also were asked to write an essay so I thought I would share mine with you....

"I am not getting fit so some guy will love me. I am not getting fit so people can stare at me in a bikini. I am not getting fit for the compliments. I am getting fit so I can feel good about myself. So I can be proud and say, "My hard work and perseverance really paid off". So I can live a long and healthy life. That's why I am getting fit. For ME."

A little over a year ago I joined Hardcore fitness with a girlfriend in the hopes of slimming down for the 3 weddings I would be in over the course of the following months. This hope was just that... time spent hoping and wishing I would slim down and tone up. Occasionally I would go through the motions of a solid workout even doing so a few times a week, but never consistent enough to make a difference. So when It came down to crunch time I would revert to old habits that were unhealthy but got the job done. Now here I am a year later and finally a changed person. It took the last two months and the Slim 4 Summer Challenge for me to stop wishing and start doing.

A few weeks prior to the challenge something inside of me had changed. I had returned to the gym with a new attitude. I was finally there for myself. For my own goals not someone else's. And for the first time in a long time I was ready to do what it was going to take to make solid long term changes. So when Nadia approached me about going the challenge it felt like a no brainer. It was the perfect way to jumpstart the new lifestyle I wanted to progress towards. When the challenge began I was 161 lbs and at 5'7" I had come to a point where I was no longer able to hide the weight that had been creeping up over the last three years. I lacked energy and my body fat percentage was teetering on that of an unhealthy number. I was unpleasant to be around on most occasions as I was so unhappy with the way I felt and looked. Now two months later I am back in to the jeans I hadn't had the heart to toss, as they continued to get smaller and smaller, as my weight increased. I have lost close to 20 lbs and 7% of my body fat. And it feels amazing. The best part is knowing this is only the beginning. 

Doing the challenge has given me the confidence to get out and try new things without fear of embarrassment or failure. It has led to the mindset that I am  a work in progress and even the smallest of accomplishments are still accomplishments. It is the small things that have kept me motivated and helped me to work hard everyday to get to this point. Going in to the challenge I did not set goals in regards to my weight loss or give way to the picture of what I wished to look like. I didn't want to set myself up for disappointment. However the results have far outweighed anything I would have deemed possible for myself. I have found joy in running and been able to shave time off each mile we tracked, added reps to each strength training movement and learned that if Im not covered in sweat Im not happy and Im not working hard enough. 

If you had woken me up early two months ago looking to go on a 5 mile hike as a way to start the day I would have rolled over and hit snooze. But not today. Today, with my boyfriend, that is exactly how my day started. The best part was the jogging down the hills on our way back to the car. I have always watched others do this in awe and today I became that person. It was a proud moment. One I plan on experiencing more often from here on out. All the things Ive though were impossible for someone like myself are now possible. After all  "The word impossible says Im Possible". 

Final Assesments

The beginning of week 8 marked the transition in to our final days and what would prove to be some of the toughest. However my assesments going in the end stretch gave me the added boost I needed to make it down the finish.
By week 8 I had lost 19lbs during the course of two months. My body fat percentage had dropped from 31.4% to 24.6% and overall I had lost close to 10" as well as gaining muscle. All of my reps had increased for the various excercises we caculate monthly and my mile run time had improved by 55seconds.

The week of assesments also marked my 1 year anniversary with Hardcore Fitness and the results from my progress over the year were something to be proud of. Over the past year i had gone from 168.4lbs. to 142.4lbs. Over all the inches I had lost added up to 21.75" and a body fat loss of 8%.

This may have been the end of the SLIM $ SUMMER CHALLENGE however I feel it is just the begginging of the changes and transformtaions I want to make, not only in my body but my lifestyle.

The things that keep me going....

So I thought I would share a few of the things that keep me motivated day in and day out. First of all I love motivational quotes a few of my favorites that I keep in mind everytime Im at the gym or I get a craving for something that I cant have just yet I think of these things...

and the one I tell myself during my final "sweat sesh" as Ilike to call it...

I also keep a "body binder" each day is a running countdown of the challenge timeframe and begins with none other than what I refer to as "fit quotes" that I look to every morning. Each day I track my workout and what I eat and when. The binder also keeps workout tips celeb hot body pics and a my diet rotation and guidelines so I am never at a loss for information.

& right now my new obsession is my Polar wrist watch and heart rate monitor which tracks the calories I burn every day the above was yesterdays count from the time I left in the morning around 7:30am to the time I got home a little after 8pm. Today I bypassed this number by nearly 1000 calories!

Most off al I couldnt do any of this without my amazing trainers that are a wealth of inspiration Thank You Larry, Nadia & Ryan and of course the HCF TRANSFORMERS of http://www.hardcorefitnessinc.com/ as well as Mandy and Cory of http://www.cardiogirl.com/

These are just a few things that keep me on my toes, what motivates you?

XOXO

Mid Challenge Assesments

The 11th marked the beginning of week 5 and with that came our mid point assesments, and I am happy to report I was quite proud of myself and what I have accomplished so far. First of all I made it thru the first 4 weeks that in itself was an accomplishment considering  those weeks came with the girls trip to Palm Springs, a Graduation party with my favorite food TACOS and this past weekend a birthday celebration and Bridal Shower for one of my dearest friends where an array of frosted sparkly desserts were at arms reach for most of my day. Second who knew I had it in me to continually workout up to 3 times a day and push myself with countless reps of weights and hours and hours of cardio. I guess you all knew... Ive had the most amazing support system and best cheerleaders and feel so blessed for all your motivational comments and sideline check ins.
This was me on my way to orientation (Im not quite ready to post my bikini clad "before" but I will I promise)

and this was me fri

look at those collar bones and the definition in my face Im making progress....

Ok so I promised some stats so here are a few that I was proud of ( I was proud of all of them but there are alot) I officially weighed in 12lbs lighter losing 3" off my waist and almost an inch of my hips. My upper arms as well as calves and thighs have all stayed about the same however instead of being jiggly they are getting defined by toned muscles meaning I will soon be selling tickets to the "GUN SHOW" and over all I have lost 5% body fat over the last month. I was also able to take another 15 seconds off my mile run time putting me 30 seconds closer to my goal of a 10min mile. This may not seem like much to some people but when the numbers begin to double over the next month it becomes a greater achievement than I could have hoped for.
I didnt set out very specific goals when I started the challenge but every day I find something to make me smile and some small feat to be encouraged by, its the little things that keep me going day after day.

XOXO

I am worth it...

As week 3 is coming to an end I keep reminding myself that it takes 21 days to form a habit. And I am now one day away... however I think my new habits have already been formed. I am already obsessed with my 3 a day workout schedule and if I dont make it to all 3 sessions I feel like I missed out on something. And I no longer have to refer to the clock to keep on track with my eating schedule, my body just knows.I feel like any type of cheat is only cheating myself and I know that I am worth everything I am giving up, beacause the reality is I am gaining so much more.
Now I will say this week was a little more challenging than the last two. This week I was tired, my body was drained, and I was having a hard time sleeping at night. I tried melatonin and sleepy tea, but neither did the trick. However last night I slept well and even let myself go back to sleep this morning after feeding the horses. I needed it and it is my off day so I deserve it. I know my body needs rest to keep going. There was one day this week however that I really had to push myslef thru... Thursday was a second day of arms at bootcamp followed by a 30 min cardio session on the treadmill where I literally just wanted to sleep on the screen. And then trying to get back in the evening for class proved to be even worse. I hit every red light on my way in causing me to be late and unable to do tread and I could not find my ipod (mind you I know I had it in the morning otherwise I def would not have been able to do cardio) AHH but alas it was found by Mandy, I had left it in the bathroom silly, and then there was a light at the the end of my dark tunnel day. Two of my girlfriends whom are trying to get back in shape have also now joined cardiogirl so I am getting two free personal training sessions with Cory the owner, what a nice surprise, it made my few bad moments fade away. But then friday morning came and I just couldnt seem to get a jump on it and I really just wanted to put on something cute and not my usual yoga pants and tank top. However as I was lying in bed I recieved a message from Nadia at hardcore fitness, asking if I would be interested in being part of a documentary that would follow 10 participants of the challenge. YES! then a moment of yikes someone following me around at the gym when Im all gross and sweaty... atleast when I blog you all cant see what a mess I am. But if Nadia and Larry ask you do it, it means they have faith in your progress and faith in your desire. I figure I have already put myself pretty far out of my comfort zone in just starting the challenge, the blog and telling all my friends as well as postings on fb that being part of the documentary would just be an extension of that. Needless to say this got me up and at it.
I am excited to see what the next 5 weeks bring. I know there will be more hurdles and more days where I have to defeat my inner demons and power on. But at the end of the day I know I AM WORTH IT! I am worth every drop of sweat, every calorie I burn and every little moment that makes me proud of what I am accomplishing day to day. It doesnt have to be big to define my process it just has to be my own!

XOXO

"Eat Clean. Train Dirty"

This statement has definately been me this past week.

EAT CLEAN* Originally going into this challenge I thought my life in the kitchen was going to be reduced to bland boring food, and for those that know me this was actually going to be the hardest thing to do for 60 days. I love the kitchen, I love to cook and I love making other people happy thru food. However over the past week I have found some really great marinades and dressings that were not only dairy, sugar, and gluten free but were low in sodium, the brand was Drews and  can be found at Sprouts. I also realized how easy it is to toss a few spices in a bit of red wine vinegar and splash of oil and voila dressing! There have been a few food revelations for me this week making the kitchen enjoyable again. So I thought I would share...

Spring and summer veggies are the best and some of my fave hot day foods it turns out are super easy to make even on a diet. First off I made myself a chilled cucumber salad... you know diced cucumber red onion, and tomatoes and as I have to have protien with EVERYTHING I added in some cold grilled chicken I already had measured out previously. For the dressing I used 1T of e.v.o.o (extra virgin olive oil) and red wine vinegar with a dash of garlic powder with parsley and pepper with a splash of lemon juice. So yummy and refreshing after being outside with the horses or a seond time when I packed it for an after gym snack. I also redisovered spaghetti squash this week. Its been years since Ive eaten it and it was something I had never cooked. Yet so easy, (if you have a very sharp very large knife). I cut my squash in half and baked it rind up on a foil covered cookie sheet at 375 for 45 min without any seasoning or e.v.o.o. Alone it was delicious add to it some homemade sauce and ground turkey... yummo! And usually I dont even like spaghetti. Im sure this next one, which I will include the full recipe for, is the best yet. For those of you that read this and or are doing the challenge this is a must try...

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/02/cilantro-lime-tilapia-tacos.html

This brought new life to tilapia!

TRAIN DIRTY* First things first Im pretty sure Im already a gym addict and were only 14days in. Not only am I feeling stronger and more confident in my bootcamp classes at http://www.hardcorefitnessinc.com/ but Ive found a new love for the treadmill and even dare I say running, thanks to CardioTread at http://cardiogirl.com/ Cory the owner at Cardiogirl has been super supportive of my efforts with this challenge and always present for motivation and his signature triple high5! Between these two gyms its made a 3 a day workout schedule easy to maintain and fun. Yes I said 3 a day! My routine now consists of an hour long bootcamp session at 8am follwed by 30 to 40 min of low imapct cardio then its off for a full day of work only to return for a final round of low impact cardio for another 30 to 45 min. Bootcamp sessions range from single muscle group work to full body the toughest of which was last mon. Our workout consisted of ten strength training moves in reps of 75 (most of which were done with weights) were talking

bicep curls*shoulder press* sqauts* leg lifts* sit ups... just to name a few.  My cardio rounds are a rotation of 3 machines...treadmill, elliptical and the amt (my fave). This weekend at home I also mapped out a 3 mile loop from my house around the park and back. I also like to count our stairs, all 39 of them that lead to the horse stalls as a good mini workout. With that said Im sure you can see where the dirty comes in... Im a sweaty stinky mess for a good portion of my day esp. the two this week that I forgot deodorant. Oops! Now I have an extra one in the car just to be safe.

As for the fruits of my labor this week, yes I am already seeing results and so are others...My waist is already trimmer and so are my wrists. I know you are thinking well thats a little silly but when youre working this hard EVERY INCH COUNTS!

XOXO

look out weekend....

 

Week 1 COMPLETE! I am hoping that was the hard part... My first week came with plenty of ups & downs. From kids home sick from school, making 3 a day workouts difficult, to a total meltdown over food cunsumption on day 4 (6 meals a day can be a little daunting in the begining). Not to mention my 3 day weekend in Palm Springs with my favorite girlfriends, surrounded by sweet and salty snacks as well as an abundance of beer and mixed drinks. I wont lie though there was a bit of trail mix that did find its way to my tummy. But here I am. I made it.

The diet itself however was less difficult to follow than I had expected. The diet being very cut and dry has been easy to maintain and has never left me wanting for more. Although fish at 9:30am is not exactly my idea of a tastey breakfast or post workout treat. I have also eaten more eggwhites than most people consume in months. & do not even get me started on how much water I have been drinking...With that said going in to week 2 I am down almost 7lbs and not only do I feel energized but confident I will conquer the next 7 weeks.

Below is a sample of some of the meals I eat throughout the day...

Thank you to my amazing JUGS this weekend. You really helped keep me on track even with all the temptaion at The Hen House. I love you all and you each inspire me in your own way! I am truly blessed.

Ready...for anything

Tomorrow will mark day 1 of the Slim for Summer Body Transformation Challenge, my food is weighed and measured, packed and ready to go. My emotions are varied as I embark on this journey to a healthier more fit lifestyle, they range from nervous and anxious to excitement. The guidelines set in front of me are strict and to the "T". No cheating no excuses! One thing that I know will get me through to tomorrow... I am ready!
I am ready to make the neccessary changes in my dietary habits as well as my physical appearance to make me feel better, look better and live an all together more balanced happy life. I am ready to push myself beyond what I think my limits are. Ready to embrace the fact that where I am right now is not where I have to stay. And ready to let go of my past failures and turn them into positive building blocks of the habits I will not revert back to for instant gratification.

XOXO

The FIRST last time...

We've all said it, most of us on more than one occasion, "This is my last meal" or " This is my last day as a quote on quote Fat Kid" or the one we all hear most often "My diet starts tomorrow".

About a week ago I decided this coming sunday the 13th of May would be the FIRST last time I so much as utter any of the previous phrases. I've joined a body transforamtion challenge thru my gym Hardcore Fitness Inc. (http://www.hardcorefitnessinc.com/) Ive been a member here for almost a year and though I have seen results they have not been on par with what I had expected, however the only person that I can blame is myself! Im looking back going wow look at what I could have done if I had only put my all in to it and put forth the effort in myself that I deserve. So instead of beating myself up for what I didnt do it's time to kick my ass doing what I need to do. It's time to make a difference in my own life! Now don't get me wrong that $15000 carrot dangling on the rope at the finish is a pretty great motivational tool, but I have to do this for me, for the right reasons... for my health and my happiness inside and out. The idea of finally loving my body and being happy with my physical appearance is what will help get me out of bed earlier than I prefer and in to the gym.

I've decided however that I can't do it alone. I need support and some major cheering on the sidelines from friends and family. That is why Im creating this blog to share my journey and to keep my progress on track & maybe even inspire others. From this moment on I never want to look back and say "I should have started that yesterday" instead I want to be able to say " look how far Ive come".

So please help support me. Follow my journey and don't hesitate to send words of wisdom and encouragement along the way.

xoxo Jamie