My Fitness Journey: An Update

2012

Since it has been close to 2 years since I began my fitness journey, I decided to update my transformation story.

My serious transformation story didn't begin for any particular reason. I wanted to begin working out. I wanted to get into better shape. I didn't think there was anything wrong with the way I looked. I always felt loved, no matter how much I weighed. My husband never criticized my weight, nor did other family or friends. I was content.

Yes, my clothes were getting tighter, and I did notice the numbers on the scale going up, but I don't remember being bothered by that fact. I thought I was keeping active enough. After all, I had a 3-year-old boy that I was keeping up with. At least, that's what I thought. Looking back at the pictures, I wonder how "active" I really thought I was.

 

You know the saying "calories in, calories out"-well, my calories in were quite a bit more than calories out. Ever since our son, Isaac, was born, we were told he was small, and we needed to see a dietician. Heck, from the day he was born, the nurses were forcing formula on him, because they were concerned for his health! We continued to hear it up until only a few months ago, at the age of 6.

 

Well, my husband and I tried to remedy Isaac's weight gain predicament by feeding him donuts, and quite a few other fattening foods over the course of about a year. No wonder I had gained so much weight-I was eating as many donuts as Isaac. I wasn't the one who had a medical condition that prevented me from gaining weight-Isaac did. He was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in September 2012. His body wasn't able to use all the sugar that we were feeding him. Looking back, we're saddened, because although the sugar wasn't the cause of his diabetes, it certainly wasn't doing his body any favors. If you want to read more about my son's story, you can find it in previous posts, including this one.

 

Since that summer, I've lost close to 40 pounds, and my husband has lost about 20. About 5 years ago, I began using Jillian Michael's at home fitness programs, but I wasn't very consistent. The habit formed, but fizzled out for various reasons. I just wasn't motivated. I moved on to other fitness programs, and then did some month-long challenges. I did a burpee challenge, and various other challenges that focused on different parts of my body, and I slowly trimmed down.

P90X & Focus T25

Sometimes I would be consistent at working out, but I still wasn't motivated. I found my motivational soul-mate workout in P90X a little over a year ago. In fact, I was so motivated by this workout and my Beachbody coach, that I signed up to coach. At first, I didn't really want to coach others, but then I thought about how many lives I could reach, and how many others I could help to live healthier lives.

Nervous about starting Focus T25

After P90X, I began Focus T25, and faithfully did the majority of the workouts at 5:30 in the morning-before my brain knew what I was doing. The workouts were good, but I missed Tony Horton (even though he is a little annoying). I also enjoyed how short the workouts were, and since I was back in school, 25 minutes was a better length of workout.

 

I like my short workouts

 

Clean Eating Support Groups

Around this time, I began hosting clean eating support groups. With these clean eating groups, I provide clean eating recipes, shopping lists formulated from the recipes, as well as providing support, tips, and advice about clean eating. These groups have helped multiple members lose an average of about 1.5 pounds per week just from eating healthier! It's exciting to see lives changed, and healthy habits established. You can learn more about these groups here. You can also check out some of my other clean eating blog posts, including this one, as well as get more healthy awesomeness at my 'like' page, Sarah's Drive, on Facebook.

P90X3

 

P90X3

I decided to try out P90X2, but didn't make it very far before P90X3 came out. My coach had invited me to join another challenge group with her doing either Focus T25 or P90X3, so I decided to snag P90X3 and go for it! Then, a month into the workout, our car decided to retire, and I hurt my back trying to push the car off a tow dolly. So, after a month of recovery, I jumped back into P90X3. And then, one month into Restart #2 of P90X3, my mom surprises me with the Beachbody Ultimate Reset. So, poor P90X3 was postponed for another month before I restarted it. And now, it's safe to say I will finish P90X3 this time...unless some other unforeseen event interrupts P90X3 for a third time.

 

Food for week 1 of the Beachbody Ultimate Reset

Beachbody Ultimate Reset

My journey through the Beachbody Ultimate Reset was a life-changing experience for me. I learned a lot about myself, and the unhealthy relationship I had with food at times. After my Reset, I feel more in control of my eating, and I think before I eat. Nowadays, weeks after finishing, I still don't drink water during most meals. Drinking water during meals dilutes stomach acid making it harder to digest.

 

Another tidbit I've learned, not from the Ultimate Reset, but from the research I do almost daily to become a better fitness and nutrition Beachbody coach, is that you should eat your meat first, and then your salad. This is because it's harder for your body to digest animal protein, and your stomach acids will need to work on that first, instead of being diluted with salad first. You can read about my Beachbody Ultimate Reset journey, beginning with my preparation here.

In the months leading up to my Reset, I had gained about 7 pounds, and I definitely wasn't happy about that! I didn't think I was doing anything differently, except that I was probably stressed, and sitting on my behind more than I should have been. I'd also started having some digestive issues. My mom has always had digestive issues, at least for as long as I can remember.

 

I mentioned the Ultimate Reset to my mom, since it's known for straightening out many of the digestive issues that can complicate our lives. I'd also told my mom about the digestive issues I was having, and how I hoped to, some day in the future, go through the Reset myself. Long story short (you can read about the long story in previous blogs), my mom bought a kit, along with one for me! My mom lost over 15 pounds, and I lost 9 (which was about 7% of my body weight). 

 

Now

Since the completion of my Reset, I took up running again, and do that twice a week in addition to my P90X3 workouts. I recently began using the MyFitnessPal app on my phone to map my caloric intake, as well as output. My husband bought me a heart monitor for Mother's Day, so I've been mapping my calories using that. Unfortunately, that heart monitor was having a few issues, so we purchased another one, so I could continue mapping the calories burned from my workouts.

I've completed P90X3, & have since then completed the 3-Day Refresh, which is a 3-day cleanse (kinda like a mini Ultimate Reset), Chalene Johnson's PiYo (low-to-no impact, but amazing sweat with Pilates, yoga, body weight training, & flexibility), and P90X2.

 Yes, I'm a free coach, and I take helping others seriously!

 

new heart monitor!

 

Do you want support?

If you want help getting started on your fitness journey, I would love to help you! Together, we'll help you make a plan, and find what works for you!

 

www.beachbodycoach.com/iib4

Day 19 & 20 of My Beachbody Ultimate Reset

Day 19, Friday

Breakfast

I decided to try the horned melon, or kiwano, a fruit from Australia. It's really interesting-looking, and tastes better than it looks. It's green and slimy-looking when you cut into it, and reminds me of citrus fruit in how it's made up of little pockets inside. You can't quarter this melon, though, like you could an orange. You scoop out the melon's flesh. It's great in the fruit salad, because it sticks to the other fruit, and not to the bottom of the bowl.

 

Kiwano (horned melon)

 

Lunch

Lunch of hearty vegetable miso soup and microgreen salad was good and filling. Today, I finally admitted to myself that I've been having some digestion problems. My stomach feels like it's cramping. I think it may be from drinking Shakeology, since my body isn't used to so much good nutrition (after all, I'm eating nothing but fruits and vegetables this week). I plan on drinking #Shakeology every day again, once I'm finished, so I will continue to get my body used to it again.

 

Dinner

Curried cauliflower was good, although I would have liked more flavor. I kept expecting it, too. The lemon-pepper kale, on the other hand, had a strong flavor provided by the lemon. I have no idea why 'pepper' is included in the title, because there is no pepper used.

 

Curried cauliflower & Lemon-pepper kale

Day 20, Saturday

Lunch

The lunch I had planned ended up needing to marinate for an hour: jicama-avocado salad, so I swapped it with tomorrows lunch, Carrot-Seaweed Medley and microgreen salad. At least it's prepped for tomorrow!

I'm still having pain in my middle. I'm going to have an Epsom salts bath to see if I can find some relief. I had mint tea last night, but that didn't help relieve any of the discomfort.

 

Carrot-Seaweed Medley & Microgreen salad

Dinner

Tonight's dinner involved quite a bit of prep work, as there are 3 dishes to prepare. Mediterranean beets bake for 45 minutes, then cool for 30, while baked tempeh bakes for about 25 minutes, and has an hour soak time. These dishes also cook at different temperatures. Coconut collard greens is the third dish. It was a good dinner, however long it took me to make!

I'm ready to be done after tomorrow, although, I'm still going to be having the same meals for the following couple of weeks. On Monday, I'll be finishing up my blogging on the #BeachbodyUltimateReset talking about my last day!

www.myultimatereset.com/iib4

 

Mediterranean roasted beets, Baked tempeh, & Coconut collard green

Day 11 of My Beachbody Ultimate Reset

Thursday
What do you consider half way through 21 days?

Breakfast
 
I still feel refreshed, regardless of the restless night, although I am pretty hungry. I'm really glad I opted to make my breakfast fruit plate into a fruit salad (fruit cut up and mixed together in a bowl) last night. Now, I'm waiting a few more minutes before it's time to eat.

 

Today, I'll be shopping for some more ingredients. Also, I weighed myself this morning, since I'm halfway through my Reset. I'm down 4.5 lbs in 10 days!!! That's about 0.45 lb loss per day! My body is getting rid of the extra baggage, for sure!

Lunch

I'm all prepped for lunch! I'm having quinoa-lentil salad and cucumber-tomato salad with avocado. I cut the dressing part of the recipes in half, as it is pretty strong. One thing I continue to do is annotate next to the recipes about how I feel about certain recipes, especially if I need to change quantities. I also make sure to read if a meal only calls for half of a recipe serving, or if that recipe is going to be used the next day (then I get a chance to cut my prep time by making double, and the amount of ingredients I use versus waste if I accidentally make too much).

 

This morning, I noticed my spinach was getting droopy, so I snipped the ends and put it in water. I've been doing this with herbs too. It makes produce last quite a bit longer.

Dinner
 
Unfortunately, my peppy attitude from this morning is gone. Dinner was ok, although I still hate wakame seaweed, and I'm not used to miso paste yet, because I think it leaves the soup tasting weird. The Swiss chard was ok, as was the quinoa. I'm just in a crabby mood. Darn life changes. At least I know things will get easier, as my body adapts and improves!

If you are interested in learning more about the Beachbody Ultimate Reset, and use a few of the recipes, May 7 I will be hosting a free and private week-long support group on Facebook. Comment below, or send me a Friend Request on Facebook, and you'll be added to the group! The Ultimate Reset did wonders for not only my body, but my mind, as I took back control of my eating habits!

www.beachbodycoach.com/iib4

Day 7 of My Beachbody Ultimate Reset

Sunday

Breakfast

I wasn't very hungry for breakfast, but I think it's because of the banana I had before bedtime :/ I swapped out the tempeh, avocado, and steamed spinach for another breakfast: farina with walnuts, apples, and maple syrup. YUM!

We went shopping today after church, and I wished I had brought another bottled of distilled water with me. Drinking water helps to bed my hunger moderately, as well, and since I couldn't eat until I got home, it would have been nice to have the extra water! To make matters worse, I didn't sit down to eat until 1:45, since the Beachbody Ultimate Reset recommends waiting 30 minutes before eating after taking supplements.

Lunch

Quinoa Salad & Microgreen Salad

Quite a few of the dishes are a little overwhelming, and as I realize this, I make annotations in the guide. I plan on using many of these recipes in the future! One of the overwhelming dishes is one I had today; quinoa salad. It was paired with microgreen salad, which has cucumber, tomato, shredded carrot, jicama, baby salad greens, red bell pepper, and sprouts. I grow my own sprouts at home, since I can't seem to find them at any of the stores I've looked at. They are so easy to grow, too!

Homegrown Wheatgrass Sprouts

Dinner

Baked Tempeh for dinner was a little late, but actually quite good. It was marinated for an hour in apple cider vinegar, Bragg Liquid Aminos, sesame oil, pure maple syrup, and garlic. I hadn't liked it before then, that's for sure! Tomorrow, is my son's 6th birthday, so while the tempeh was marinating, I was preparing his cupcakes for his class. I was actually less tempted to lick the spoon than I thought I would be! Unfortunately, I'm becoming used to eating late, and tonight was no exception, as I ended up eating at 7:30.

Day 6 of My Beachbody Ultimate Reset

Saturday

Breakfast

Breakfast was a little less tasty than I wanted it to be, so I stirred up the apples, flaxseed, and oatmeal, then put it back in the microwave for another minute. The apples were slightly cooked, I added cinnamon, and it was delicious! The recipes for the Beachbody Ultimate Reset are very stove- and oven-intensive, but I'll occasionally use the microwave, especially for foods (like oatmeal) that I've been cooking for a long time in the microwave. This saves a little electricity and time. Most of the recipes call for water that is heated on the stove to boiling over medium heat. This takes quite a bit of time!

About an hour after I'd eaten my breakfast, I realized I'd forgotten to eat the yogurt that I was scheduled to have with my oatmeal, so I went ahead and ate it. It's sometimes difficult to remember each facet of the meal, as there is a lot of flipping back and forth between the meal plan for the day and the recipes in the back (I have, now heading into Phase 3 today, memorized a few of the recipes, so it's definitely gotten a little easier).

Oatmeal with apples & flaxseed

Lunch

I had my lunch all planned out in advance! I made the quinoa salad, which has, of course, quinoa, olive oil, Himalayan salt, Bragg Liquid Aminos, lemon juice, tomato, cucumber, kalamata olives, parsley, and mint leaves. I made the salad about 2 1/2 hours before I had planned on having it, then my parents arrived. I knew they were coming, but not the time. They came to celebrate my son's 6th birthday, so we ended up eating out for lunch, and I ended up having a salad pre-coated in vinaigrette dressing :( and it was just a head of lettuce! It was quite an excruciating meal, as my son had pizza, and it smelled amazing, especially on the walk back home after lunch (since I carried the leftovers home). I've never thought I had a weakness for any foods, but this cleanse is revealing how much I've liked the ability to eat whatever I wanted. This is not to say that I chose to eat everything junk all the time, but that I liked to eat a donut, pizza, or a couple of little cookies every now and then.

I did try a few bites of the quinoa salad I'd made earlier, but the taste of the mint was a little overwhelming. I saved it to have for tomorrow, so we'll see if marinating overnight will help to blend the flavors a little more evenly.

Dinner

Dinner was good, and was called Roasted Root Medley, as well as Zucchini-Cashew soup.

Roasted Root Medley

I'm definitely not perfect, and it's been nice having my husband and mom available for support. Even my son has reminded me not to give up. Last night, I had a banana before bed, because I was so hungry. This journey is stressful, but it will be worth it! If you want to take back your health, strengthen your will power, and begin to take control of your eating habits, this Reset has been doing this for me!!!

www.myultimatereset.com/iib4

Fewer Excuses, More Results

Clean Eating

Yes, you can get good weight loss results simply by changing your eating habits; sticking to an 80/20 clean eating diet (not diet, as in calorie-counting, starving, guilt-ridden dieting). I've seen it over, and over, and over again. In fact, over 80 pounds have been lost  gotten rid of by 18 members in just 30 days of clean eating! If you want to know what an 80/20 clean eating diet is, it's 80% clean eating (check out another one of my blog posts to see what I mean by clean eating), and 20% of just about whatever you want. The 'whatever you want' could be during those holidays, birthday parties, or unexpected moments that call for a fast food trip, or a sweet treat fix.

Functional Fitness

Clean eating is a very valuable part to weight loss, and I do contribute the majority of the weight-loss from my clean eating groups and their healthier eating, some of the members incorporate exercise into their daily routine, as well. I'm a big proponent of exercise, because you can eat well and live well, but I want to eat well and live strong! I want to be fit, not thin. I desire ab definition, and a toned body. I believe in the importance of not only cardio, but weight-training (so you burn more calories), flexibility (so you don't strain your muscles and tendons), and balance (so you're less likely to fall, as you get older)! I love that Tony Horton (creator of P90X, P90X2, P90X3) stresses the importance of functional fitness, especially as we age (Tony's pushing 60, and he looks 40). You can choose to work for hours at the gym, hoping that you cover all the muscle groups and important aspects of fitness. OR you can snag a fitness program, without the hassle of a contract, monthly payments, traffic to get to the gym, daycare, old equipment, confusing equipment, scheduling, etc.

Fewer Excuses, More Results

What are you focusing on to get ready for Spring Break or warmer weather?
I'm on day 33 of P90X3, and I have decided on this motto: "Fewer Excuses, More Results." You can learn more about my journey, and see my results here, at a previous blog post! I'm not perfect; I still miss a work out here or there, but I haven't given up! Yes, it's hard. No, it doesn't get easier; you just get stronger. Are you ready to see how strong you can become? Think about the goals you want to achieve, and start today! One of my goals, after finishing P90X3, is to get certified to teach P90X before the end of the year! This time, last year, I had only heard of P90X, and never imagined completing it! Imagine where YOU could be this time next year!

Now, what's stopping you?

How do you want to get started?

Do you want some help?

I'd love to prove it to you that I want to help you reach your goals! I host free clean eating support groups on Facebook, where I'll give you 30 days of clean eats recipes, shopping lists, and clean eating tips. Also, if you want to get started with a fitness program that will work for you, I will help you get started right! www.beachbodycoach.com/iib4

Control Your Eating Habits

Another Beachbody coach did an amazing job putting together posts for those coaches who wanted to host clean eating challenge groups, and this blog post, 5 Ways to Stop Binge Eating, is one of the posts that she included. In a past blog, Food Relationship, I've talked about knowing what your relationship with food was, and about having a conscious awareness of how it affects you, and how you can begin to take back or strengthen your control over what you eat. Failure is an event, not a person! Remember, every day is a new chance, don't give up, because you will get stronger!

5 Ways to Stop Binge Eating

When you change your eating habits, it can take time for you to adjust. When I started this challenge, I had trouble making sure I was getting enough healthy calories, and I was really hungry all day. Slowly, I discovered that I needed to eat enough protein and foods like nuts and pistachios and almond butter in addition to my intake of fruits and veggies in order to stay full.

Binge eating, or overeating a large amount of junk food in a short time, is a real problem.

Eating everything in sight can be both an emotional response, or a response to hunger. Remember, the key to good health is eating PLENTY of good food! Starving yourself is NEVER the answer.

Here are five ways to stop binge eating:

1. Eat enough good foods. If you’re always starving, you’re doing something wrong. Make sure that you’re eating plenty of fruits, veggies, lean protein, smoothies, and nuts. Track your protein throughout the day and make sure you’re getting enough.

2. Eat every 2-3 hours. This is key. If you let yourself get famished, then it’s easier to give into cravings for things like fast foods. But if you always have healthy snacks on hand, you’ll be able to curb that tendency.

3. Drink enough water. It’s easy to confuse hunger with thirst. So make sure you hydrate! Shoot for 8-10 glasses of water per day.

4. Chew gum when cravings take over.

5. Eat treats from small bowls and plates. Don’t eat straight from the carton of ice cream or bag of chips. It’s definitely okay to have a little of your favorite junk food now and then if you follow the 80/20 rule (80% of the time clean eat, while 20% of the time, unexpected (or even planned) events may come up where you don't have clean eating options (birthday parties)), but if you don’t measure out portions it’s easy to just keep eating.
It’s important to cultivate a healthy relationship with food. Food is fuel!

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http://www.beachbodycoach.com/iib4