Feel The Burn!

This week I just realized that within the next 66 DAYS, I have to finish wedding planning, go house hunting and hopefully move in sometime soon after the wedding! No big deal right? Josh and I are blessed times a million to have such amazing and supportive families or else I think I'd be bunking with Amanda Bynes somewhere. I keep on telling myself, "we can do this!" "We got this!" When really...that tiny voice in my head is all, "girl you better grab a box of thin mints and a bottle of wine for the shit storm of stress that is about to consume you. (Too late it already has).

Source

Since I'm just about finished with most of the wedding planning and have a bunch of final appointments lined up, it's not TOO daunting...but I'm sure Josh will have to suffer through a few more cryfests before I get my shit together. Can I just be in Barbados with my hubs already? That brings me to my next issue. I went to Target the other night and bikinis are ALL on display (this makes me rethink that box of Savannah Smiles at home). I'm really not all too worried, but I think every girl just coming out of sweater weather's reaction would be similar- if not close to- THIS.

Josh is my biggest man cheerleader when it comes to my body image and it's an amazing thing to have. Even before my fitness transformation and I would rather die in the fiery pits of hell before even stepping foot into a bikini, he told me how beautiful I was in and out.  It wasn't until last year (see post here) until a friend dragged me on a bikini shopping date and I actually didn't feel like death. Before visiting Rihanna's homeland, I should probably kick my fitness routine up a notch now that I'm through with being sick. It's been a little above freezing for the past couple of days and I've been DYING to go for a run outside. I'll have to start thinking of ways to multi-task...i.e. running in place or doing burpees to test out the floors in the homes that we visit? Testing the integrity of the floors is always helpful right?

Nothing feels better than kicking my ass at the gym after not being able to go for so long! Stupid stomach bug...This med ball right here is the very reason why my abs feel like they are on FIRE (in addition to some hardcore kickboxing). Several V-ups, Russian twists, med ball push-ups, med ball slams etc. are definitely making me feel the burn!! I have three measly weeks until my alterations appointment for my wedding dress and there is NO room for excuses! Does anyone else feel like the Incredible Hulk the first day back to the gym post sickness? I always feel a million times stronger and have WAY more energy to burn.

In order to take things a little more seriously though for the sake of my wedding dress, I wanted to try out Advocare's 10-day Cleanse Phase that is part of the overall 24-Day Challenge. I'm not doing the whole challenge simply for monetary reasons. It's not that cheap and with all of these wedding expenses, my bank account has me by the throat! I've heard nothing but good things about it so I'm excited to see what it'll do for me!

I think the biggest challenge for me is eating breakfast on time. I'll have to eat according to the schedule that comes along with it and have my Spark drink 30 minutes before each meal. It's essentially supposed to kick your metabolism up a notch. You know, like Emeril Lagasse style. Has anyone else done this? What were your results??

Even better, I got my advance copy of my book in the mail today! It's called The Weight of Blood and spoiler alert to a future post, I'll be reviewing the book and hosting a giveaway in the beginning of March! It looks like an awesome thriller and I can't wait to dive into it!

Also, happy blog hop Wednesday!! Link up with Fitness Blondie and co-host High Heels and Treadmills. They're both pretty much amazing ladies. Liz over at Fitness Blondie is also hosting a giveaway for an amazing fitness package! What are you waiting for??? Go look!

Fitness Friday

Yesterday was the best day ever. Why? Because I finally got my body and muscles to respond enough so I know what I must do in order to hit my final fitness goal leading up to the big wedding day. WOOT!! *cheers* I absolutely love my boxing gym that I go to and it keeps me going throughout the week. However, it just didn't seem to be enough for me. Now my trainer from my old gym transferred his power circuit classes over to the gym I go to now and I am ECSTATIC. After I went to my power boxing class, I decided to stay for the 30-minute power circuit class that I've been missing SO much since I left my previous gym #fitnessproblems. Well..it's more like a love/hate relationship since they fricken kick my ass every single time even without a prior workout.

Instead of just making you sweat a lot, these circuits work every muscle in your body. It's a HUGE pet peeve of mine when people focus on sweat...just because you sweat a lot during a workout, doesn't mean jack when it comes to reaching fitness goals. You can sit on your ass all day in a sauna and sweat buckets, but does that mean you'll look like Gisele at the end of the day? No. Of course I'm not a certified trainer, but I've been trained by some fantastic people and you really shouldn't be measuring a workout by how much you sweat, but by the quality of the workout. At least this philosophy led me to where I am now which is officially about 40lbs lighter while replacing my fatsy cells with muscle.

I was in a fitness rut for awhile and did the same routines, but now I'm finally back to REALLY kicking my ass now that I'm almost at the three-month wedding marker. Shit just got real. Looking at my before and after photo is definitely my motivation every single day. I don't know about anyone else who has fitness goals out there, but staying focused on how far you've come is a great way to keep going strong.

I've had a few people ask what I did and what they can do to lose weight and really...I have no magic pill. If there was one, believe me..I would have found it by now. I reached each fitness goal by working my ass off (literally) by hiring a personal trainer at first and then once I was knowledgeable enough to tough it out on my own at the gym, I did just that. Hiring a personal trainer at the beginning was the best thing I could have done since I knew that I wouldn't slack at all or make excuses if I knew someone ELSE was counting on me to show up at give it my best. A great trainer gives you the tools for the bod that you want and he did just that. He also let me know what I should be avoiding and what I should be focusing on. When I began my whole fitness gig, I was in college...SO naturally my diet consisted of alcoholic beverages, pizza and everything that was not good for you. Lately, I've been making myself kale and baby spinach salads with turkey. I've also replaced a lot of empty carb foods like breads and pasta out of my diet to hit my final fitness goal. (Wish me luck...) I just about attacked anyone with a sandwich or bagel within the past two days since I'm pretty much a carboholic. These Sambazon superfood juice blends have become a favorite of mine to keep me satisfied throughout the day. The blueberry + pomegranate is probably my favorite.

I think the hardest part right now for me is to avoid the extras such as Starbucks, avoiding things that come out of a box and sticking to my meal plans. I'm also planning on trying out the AdvoCare Cleanse phase to detox my body a little. Although I've always been scared of "cleanses" since I don't really have the time to be hitting the bathroom every 15 minutes...oh well, I need to hit my next level of badass!

Taking On 2014

2013 brought on a lot of many strange happenings and that's not even counting the many celebrity breakdown and the birth of the twerk nation we're living in right now. This year is going to be the best - not only because I get married this year - but because it just has to be. However, so many things are wrong right now including the fact that it's -10 degrees right now in Chicagoland....and I had to leave my warm bed to chisel the ice off of my car and not suffer from a bout of hypothermia all at once. I'm one of those that like to curse the fact that I have to suffer through this each year knowing full well that it's eventually going to happen since I, duh, live in the Midwest. I don't even know why meteorologists need to say the exact temperature once we're in the negative degrees zone. There's cold (slightly above freezing), fucking cold (below freezing), and really fucking cold (anywhere less than 0 degrees).

Coldness and winter storm weather aside, there are many things on the horizon that I look forward to including:

1. My wedding and honeymoon in Rihanna's homeland (can I get a hell yes?)
2. Maintaining my fitness routine and trying out some new health tips and tricks
3. Ditching carbs (I can pretend like this is going to happen)
4. Being less judgmental (lol I know that was funny too)
5. Saving more money and not succumb to every Nordstrom sale (okay seriously stop laughing)

The new year also started off with a bang, considering my boss got fired - I mean...quit or else be fired...for telling the president of the company to go fuck himself. If there was a list of things not to say within the workplace...I'd imagine that would be on the list....sober or shitfaced status aside (thank you Christmas holiday party). Considering we're only a few days into the new year, I don't have any doubt that 2014 will bring a year full of crazy news and events...hopefully more good than bad. It started off with a kiss from my hubby-to-be so I think the odds are in my favor. (Please ignore the Bears jammy pants and dragon T-shirt...)

 

 Next month is also my birthday...which means one year closer to 30...I'll try not to have a panic attack at the thought. I'll also try to ignore all of the pregnancy notifications on my Facebook feed as I'm now officially at the age where it's pretty much acceptable to have kids... unless all of the other areas in your life are messed up and unstable. However, that doesn't seem to be stopping anyone these days. Anyway you look at it though, I'll take each day going forward with my head high and great ambition....while holding a glass of wine of course.

Better Work Bitch

As someone who was brought up to appreciate and earn everything that I have, sure I can be pretty bitter when people receive handouts...but even more so when I see ungrateful little snots walking around with their iPhones and UGGs like they own the damn place as they bitch about how their mom or dad didn't buy them this or that. Back in my teenage years, I had something called an allowance...something that was earned and was a fixed amount. Oh and I had a job. If I wanted something that was outside of that amount and I didn't save up...tough cookies. Did I hate it? Yes. Did I think that it wasn't fair? Oh hell yes. BUT now, I appreciate what I have that much more. Why? Because I worked hard for it. I feel like a lot of people these days have this crazy expectation that they are owed something when they've put themselves in a certain situation (i.e. having kids way before they were ready or dropping out of school). I really want to understand this mentality...okay maybe I don't...but really...HOW does one think this way? Maybe it's just my Republican roots speaking, but I was brought up in a family that understood the saying, "hard work pays off."

 I feel like my generation and younger ones are being coddled to the core. This is happening right underneath my nose and I can't stand it. There is no shortcut to success...unless you plan to be some kind of trophy wife. I hope for Kim Kardashian's sake that her face and body can sustain a lot of Botox. What else does she have to fall back on? Besides a bed? Okay that's not fair. She always has her failing clothing line at Sears.

 

 Working hard doesn't just apply to one aspect of your life either, it's also essential to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. People are still working very hard looking for that magic pill to lose 50+ pounds and not have to walk into a gym. If there is such a thing, please let me know...but as of right now, put down that doughnut down and go do a couple laps around the block if you want to lose the tire around your waist. It's not easy and it will suck something awful, but you'll feel even better about yourself once you've earned those rock hard abs. Achieving my fitness goals were the hardest to do, but it's all about your mindset and focusing on what you want the most. Yes, sometimes I do decide that I want that extra glass of wine errr..bottle.. that night but that just means I have to spend some extra time at the gym kicking my ass for succumbing to temptation (and yes, sometimes those pumpkin spice lattes are also worth every extra push-up). I suppose there will always be those people who feed off of others to succeed in life and depend on others to move up or take the easy way out...but that doesn't mean I can't glare at them and rant about it later. I think my cats do the same thing. Awesome, I'm turning into Apollo.

Fitness Feedback

So due to the many personal responses I received from my previous post about my journey toward more of a healthy me, I've decided to incorporate some tips that have helped me throughout my battle with weight loss as some of you guys have requested. Take note, I am in no way a certified nutritionist, personal trainer or anything of the sort. These tips are things that I've gathered from other trainers and have tweaked them a bit so they were more effective for me personally.

A lot of people may have different things they need to work on such as eating more healthy foods or finding the motivation to kick your butt enough at the gym. For me, it was getting my mind in the right place. If you don't make fitness a main priority in your daily schedule, then you'll find yourself piling on the excuses. "Oh I have too much work to do." "Oh I'm so tired." Blah, blah, blah. Once you finish that workout you'll feel accomplished and on your way toward a better version of you. (Ugh, totally sound like some kind of Dr. Phil character...my apologies).

 

One thing I have learned to do in the very beginning was to plan my workouts ahead of time so they were in my schedule right away. Once I scheduled my workout, there was absolutely no canceling it unless it was for a work-related reason or family emergency. On Sunday when I planned my workouts I also made sure I was doing something different almost everyday. One day it was boxing, another for running after work and others were reserved for strength training with kettle bells. Switching up my workouts prevented me from plateauing in weight later on. Once my body gets used to the same old workout, it just doesn't have the same effect. Oh and for those of you who whine about lifting weights because you don't want to "bulk up" PA-LEASE you're not going to turn into Arnold Schwarzenegger for doing some kettle bell swings or bench presses and the strength training will help turn that flab to FABulous muscle. It's awesome when you work yourself so hard you can barely lift yourself out of bed in the morning.

Another tip that I found useful was to find a way to hold myself more accountable for my progress or lack thereof. I realized that I needed to hire a personal trainer since I knew that if I didn't do my workouts in the middle of the week, he would definitely notice if I wasn't up to speed. Other more affordable ways I've learned to do this now is partnering up with a friend and meeting them for a workout or run in the morning. What are you going to say? "Oh no, I'm too tired" when they're there knocking on your front door? Nope!

Yet another beginner tip I absolutely had to focus on doing was to find my motivation and KEEP IT. It's easy to start out since your motivation is at its peak, but to keep it there I did several things. I did things like purchased a goal dress or picked out a goal outfit that I would get once I achieved a goal for myself, I created a motivation board on Pinterest that is full of inspirational photos and hard bodies that I wish I had myself and I subscribed to fitness magazines so I could not only read about adapting to more of a healthy lifestyle but also maintain that state of mind. Baby steps kids, you'll get there! It's all about progress!

Happy 2013!!

First thing is first...HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

2012 was full of amazing things from start to finish. From getting engaged to attending many family weddings and receiving so many opportunities regarding my career. Although 2012 was full of amazing things, I am so excited to see what 2013 has in store for me. I love new beginnings and a new year is always refreshing. According to statistics, the most common New Year's resolution is to of course lose weight....I am happy to say that I am not part of that majority. I'm particularly not a fan of resolutions because there is so much pressure and really just sets you up for failure if you aim too big. However, my main goal for this year will be being more focused than ever on finding a place Josh and I can call our own and with that comes being more conscious of my budget and spending. I want to be able to start off 2014 in a home we can call our own or at the very least be very close to finding the perfect place. So that's the main goal that will be floating around in my head for the next year.

Staying focused will be the key to my success and I am motivated more so than ever to make some major financial progress. Now that the damage of the holidays has been done to my bank account, I can recover from that and work my way up from there. I totally got this. While I have my main goal in mind, I do have a checklist of things that definitely need to be done throughout the year...

2013 Checklist

- Finish reading my stockpile of books
- Donate A TON of clothes
- Register and finish the Super Spartan Race
- Keep up with my fitness goals
- Continue planning for the wedding
- Appreciate the little things in life a little more
- Write for myself more
- Travel and see new things
- Embrace change

and most importantly....