I've reached my goal weight! Now what????

The day I reached my goal weight was an exciting one!  It was also a day that I thought, "now what?"

Well, for one, I want to at least STAY at this weight, so I have to continue my fitness routine and continue my current eating habits so that I am not back on that roller coaster ride gaining and losing and gaining again.

Also, the weight I chose as my "goal weight" was just that.  It was a realistic weight that I am comfortable with.  Could I afford to lose another five pounds?  It wouldn't hurt.  Would it be nice to SEE my ab muscles?  Of course!  So, if I continue my fitness routine and continue keeping an eye on my eating habits, MAYBE, just MAYBE I could lose another pound or two....but, if I don't, I'm okay with that, too.  My goal was not to have six pack abs.  I know that, to do that, I have to be more strict with my nutrition, but I still want those occasional Oreos and Girl Scout Cookies....so.....I have to be realistic.

I've been working 5-6 days/week for almost a year now and am excited that fitness has become a habit in my life that I don't have to think about making time for.  I feel stronger, more energetic, and better about how my clothes fit.  Not only do I not want to lose all of that, but I think I'd be lost if I didn't start my day with my workouts now.

Does this mean that I'm "stuck" purchasing fitness program after fitness program?  Absolutely not!  I could rotate through the programs I have for years and years to come.  Of course, I've become a bit of an addict, so I may have to purchase a program or two more if Tony or Shaun come out with anything new in years to come....

Does this mean I'm "stuck" drinking Shakeology for the rest of my life?  I COULD stop, but why would I?  This is the quickest, easiest, healthiest meal that I have ever made, so why would I stop drinking it every day?  I've been asked if I am sick of having a chocolate shake for lunch EVERY SINGLE day.  Ummmmm....no....but I do occasionally change flavors and branch out to Vegan Tropical or strawberry....however, I always go back to my chocolate!

So, the answer to what to do now?  Keep doing what I've enjoyed doing for the past year!  Duh.  I've gotten to the point where I enjoy what I am doing and it is a part of my life.  Why would I change that?

Need help getting to YOUR goal weight?  Send me a message at momnteach@hotmail.com and we can talk about what to do to get you there.  It IS possible to get off that roller coaster and make fitness a part of your life.

P90x3: Is Weight Lifting for girls?

Okay, I'm here to answer the questions that I have had about P90X3.  I'll give a general overview of the program, as well as my 40 year old female perspective.  Ugh.  Did I REALLY just put my age in there?

General Description

P90X3 is a 90-day extreme fitness program designed to get you ripped in just 30 minutes a day.  Each one of the workouts have been designed to be efficient while still getting results.  The variety in workouts keeps you from getting bored with the program and helps you to break that plateau that tends to occur after getting into a workout routine.  This program focuses on strength, but you will burn calories in the process.

So, is weight lifting for girls?  ABSOLUTELY!  Read on to find out why this program is staying in my workout rotation.

The Workouts (each one only 30 minutes)

Total Synergistics:  Push-ups, balance poses, flip flop crunches and more!  This is a fun and challenging workout.

Agility X:  This is a cardio workout that keeps you moving in short intervals.  I was a bit curious about a workout that had me put two lines of painter's tape on my floor, but it is one of my favorites.  You use the xs drawn on the tape in order to get correct foot and hand placement during your workout.  Okay....I DID feel a bit silly running around in circles in my living room, but it is a fun workout.

X3 Yoga:  The first few times I did this workout, it was HARD!  It is a yoga routine and I was not even close to being as flexible as the crew in this video.  Tony's humor really does help you get through it, though, and improve, you will!  I've gone back to do this video after completing most of PiYo and it actually seems EASY (Okay...I have NOT attempted the little add-ons that Ted does, hoisting himself up into crazy positions, but someday, I will).

The Challenge:  When Tony says to choose your numbers wisely, he isn't kidding.  You are choosing numbers of push-ups and numbers of pull-ups to complete throughout the entire workout.  I cannot actually complete ONE pull-up, so I used a set of bands on my door instead.  The first time I did this challenge, I couldn't do more than 2 push-ups on my toes at a time.  By the end of the program, I was doing 13 push-ups for EACH exercise in the workout (8 sets) and 20 "pull-ups" using the bands for each of the 8 sets.

CVX:  Absolutely one of my favorite workouts!  You get a cardio workout WHILE holding a weight.  It is so much fun and DEFINITELY burns calories.  During the program, I was able to hold a five pound weight and get a GREAT workout.  I recently did this workout again (while in the middle of another program) and I had to drop down some weight.  That was SO upsetting!  But it is STILL one of my FAVORITE workouts!

The Warrior:  Great cardio, boot camp-style workout.

Dynamix:  This workout is scheduled to be done on your rest day, but don't let that fool you.  It is not an intense workout, but it isn't necessarily easy.  I did not use it until it was scheduled into my recovery week, then I wished I had put it in more often.

Isometrix:  This workout involves a lot of balance and core work.  It is not cardio, but it still works up a sweat.

Pilates X:  This is one challenging pilates routine.  I, personally, have a hard time getting the breathing right, but like anything else, it got better the more I did it.  Tony's humor definitely helps you along the way!

Eccentric Upper:  Okay....this routine involves more pull-ups, so I had to use my bands, but those bands STILL did a lot to help my upper body strength.  As well as these moves, there are upper body moves with weights, as well as those darn push-ups.

Triometrics:  HOLY LOWER BODY WORKOUT!  This is 30 minutes at 3 different levels of intensity.  You'll go through 14 different moves, each starting at a low intensity and building up.  I'll be honest....at first, I was good at stopping at the second level of a few of these moves (like kablam!), and still got a great workout, but eventually, it DOES get easier.

Eccentric Lower:  Similar to Eccentric Upper, but now we are focusing on the lower body.  You get to choose your weights to use while doing things like sumo squats and lunges.  It took me a couple rounds to get the right weights for me, but the tracking sheets provided were very helpful for me to mark up with up arrows, down arrows, and check marks.

Incinerator:  This workout is a combination of push-ups, pull-ups and weight training moves that BURN.  Incinerator is an appropriate name.

MMX:  This is a routine where you will kick and punch while burning calories.  Being the uncoordinated person that I am, I think I just WATCHED most of this video the first time through (and maybe even the second...), because some of those combinations...well, it took me a while to get it.  It is fun, however, and I did improve as time went on.

Decelerator:  These moves are CRAZY!  Crane cracker push-ups, crawly plyo push-ups, and big brother burpees were torture!  Although I think this was my most difficult workout in the series, I still saw progress.  Did I EVER get through the entire 30 minutes following Tony....ummmm...no...but I still pushed as far as I could and saw results.

Overall:

This is absolutely a great workout for men and women who want to build strength and stability.  This has great core work and strengthens your entire body.  Having NO upper body strength, like I did going into the is program, is NOT an excuse to not do this program...in fact, it is the number one reason TO do this program.  The gradual progression that you see yourself go through is amazing!  And the more muscle that you can build on your body, the more fat you will burn!

If you want more information on the P90X3 Challenge pack, click here.  If you want more information on the P90X3 base program, click here.

What made me say, "yes?"

People have asked me about why I drink Shakeology and I've posted this answer, along with some of the wonderful ingredients and benefits.

But did I tell you that the first time I was given a packet of Shakeology it ended up going down the drain?

Let's back track....  I had actually gotten into a routine with working out in the mornings and was thinking that maybe trying Shakeology would be a good idea.  I kept seeing the silly promotion for it every time I popped in my workout video (which actually irritated me), and I was curious as to what it could do for me.

Well, my son had a teacher who said he could give me a packet to try, so I agreed.

My son came home from school one day with a Vanilla Shakeology packet.  I was so excited to try it!  I put some water in a shaker cup, along with the Shakeology and shook it up.  OH MY GOD!  I couldn't even get one sip down!  Words cannot express how disappointed I was.  My kids even decided to try it...and they couldn't get it down, either.  My shake went down the drain and I thought, "no way am I drinking THAT!"

Some more time passed and I heard about some people that had great results with Shakeology.  I also heard that blending it with ice made all the difference.  I decided to give it another shot...but, this time, I was ordering a month supply of the chocolate.  One, it's CHOCOLATE!  Two, they have this "bottom of the bag guarantee," so if I hated it, I was getting my money back.

This time, when the box showed up at my doorstep, I wasn't as excited.  I was nervous.  I decided that I was going to take the advice of others and try mixing things into my Shakeology AND use a blender.  I bought some pineapple and some coconut milk and hesitantly made my second shake.  Holy cow!  I actually REALLY liked it!  In fact, I liked it so much, I was afraid to try any other recipe for months!

Now, I've had others try Shakeology and I have given the same warning, you may not like the first recipe that you try, but don't let that ruin it for you.  Some of those people agreed....their first attempt was not very good, but that doesn't mean that they didn't find the right mix!

In the end, I'm glad that it worked out for me.  I won't repeat the reasons WHY I enjoy drinking it every day (you can click the Shakeology tab to read that).

Lesson here...don't let one bad experience ruin something that could be a great thing.  Oh...and don't get irritated by the commercials on all of the Beachbody videos....yes, it feels like they are just trying to suck you into shelling out more money, but it really is just getting the word out about something that can really help you!

Podcasts

Podcast-my new love.

I had been watching a video series online, and it advertised for a podcast that sounded interesting. I checked it out, not really knowing what the heck a podcast was. Thank God I did! I can't believe the number of things that I can just download and listen to on my way to and from work!

From how to build your business, to self help, to teaching tips and tricks, you can find it all in a podcast!

Am I that technologically behind the ball that I really didn't find podcasts until this past summer?!?!

Wow! Just had to share...just incase any of you are as behind as me!! :)

Christmastime Confessions

Okay,  yes, I am getting up in the morning and getting in my workout each day.  Yes, I make sure that I am drinking my shake for lunch each day so that I know I'm having SOMETHING healthy every day.  What is the problem, then?  The rest of the day!

I came home from school to begin our Christmas break and ended up with a counter that looked like this:

I was snacking on chips and eating cookies and chocolates and decided I'd do the 3-Day Refresh to get myself back on track.

It was a great jumpstart to a new fitness program and I felt great after the three days were up....but my family had not made as large of a dent in that stack of goodies as I had hoped.  I'm still grabbing a chocolate....and later a cookie...and then another chocolate.....

Is this really that horrible?  No.  I am human and I like foods that aren't necessarily good for me.  Yes, I said it.  I am NEVER going to be that person that eats completely clean.   I am NEVER going to cut sugar completely out of my diet.  And, yes, I MAY even sit and have a few handfuls of potato chips while playing a game of Parcheesi with my husband.

Will I ever have six pack abs eating this way?  Probably not...but I'm okay with that.  My goal has never been to become a supermodel.  I just wanted to improve my health and fitness.  Should I cut out the cookies and not have pasta a couple times per week?  Probably, but it's not going to happen.  Instead, I've cut down on how many processed foods I'm eating and I've made fitness a habit.  Improvement is the key.  Could I improve more?  Yes, but I also know what I like...and I'm not going to deprive myself...just continue to improve.

So, that is what 2015 is going to be about....continuous improvement.  No big leaps, just little steps every day to keep me heading in the direction that I want to go.  Anyone want to join me?