Day 59 - Turning the corner.

Think I am finally turning a corner this evening.  Was in a funk today, just allowing the stress of my personal situation get the better of me.  I kept reciting Philippians 4:6 (NLT) "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done." 

Was great that I had some people reach out to me today, one including my Mother.  Love you Mom!  It is great to surround yourself with people who love and support you so you can reach out to them or even better they reach out to you, even when you don't ask them to.

Got a lot to do tomorrow! Planning my day now and making my to do list. Tomorrow is Pump Extreme and I will be getting it done!! Plus, I have an interview tomorrow morning. Pray for me! And then to end the evening we are having Ladies Night at my Antioch Bible Baptist Church. Should be lots of fun!

For my health and fitness goals I am going to be making a few small goals for myself each day.  Trying not to do it all at once.  Tomorrow my 2 goals are:

1. Complete my Pump Extreme workout
2. Drink 128 ounces of water

{Hugs}

Day 58 - Beloved

Beloved,

You are precious to Me. You always have been and always will be. I love you and will always love you.

My creation of you did not stop when you were born into this world. You were not finished then, nor are you finished now. You have far to go. But if you grow weary, remember I am with you and I will carry you. You have so much to discover! May you find joy in each thought that connects you consciously with My life within you.  May you discover wisdom with each feeling that brings you a clearer understanding of your own spiritual identity.

Each time you face a challenge with faith, you help to light up the world with sacred awareness.  And what a light of hope you are! So, My beloved, let the light of My spirit within you shine as you continue to learn and grow, to hope and trust. Yes, I am with you - always.

"I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever." Psalm 52:8

Day 7 of Daily Word for Women

Day 57 - Life Interrupts.

I have been struggling the past week.  I have had some serious personal issues that have taken the wind out of my sail.  I need to be there for someone else right now and it has taken the toll on me emotionally and I haven't been working out or watching what I eat.  I know, right now, the right place for me is to be there for this person.  I love them with all my being and I wouldn't have it any other way.   I will regroup and get back in the game this week with my health and fitness AND still be there and support my loved one. 

I put my faith and trust in the Lord, in all things.

Day 55 - The Oscars!

2013 Oscar Winners

---

Winners are highlighted in red.

BEST PICTURE
Amour
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Lincoln
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

BEST DIRECTOR
Ang Lee, Life of Pi
Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild
David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
Michael Haneke, Amour
Steven Spielberg, Lincoln

BEST ACTOR
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Denzel Washington, Flight
Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables
Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
Joaquin Phoenix, The Master

BEST ACTRESS
Naomi Watts, The Impossible
Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
Quvenzhané Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
Alan Arkin, Argo
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Sally Field, Lincoln
Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook
Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Amy Adams, The Master

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Amour
Django Unchained
Flight
Moonrise Kingdom
Zero Dark Thirty

ANIMATED FEATURE
Brave
Frankenweenie
ParaNorman
The Pirates! Band of Misfits
Wreck-It Ralph

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Amour
Kon-Tiki
No
A Royal Affair
War Witch

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
5 Broken Cameras
The Gatekeepers
The Invisible War
How To Survive A Plague
Searching for Sugar Man

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Anna Karenina
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall

COSTUME DESIGN
Anna Karenina
Les Miserables
Lincoln
Mirror Mirror
Snow White and the Huntsman

FILM EDITING
Argo
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Hitchcock
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Les Miserables

PRODUCTION DESIGN
Anna Karenina
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln

ORIGINAL SCORE
Anna Karenina
Argo
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall

ORIGINAL SONG
"Before My Time," Chasing Ice
"Everybody Needs A Best Friend," Ted
"Pi's Lullaby," Life of Pi
"Skyfall," Skyfall
"Suddenly," Les Miserables

SOUND EDITING
Argo
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Skyfall(Tie)
Zero Dark Thirty(Tie)

SOUND MIXING
Argo
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall

VISUAL EFFECTS
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Life of Pi
The Avengers
Prometheus
Snow White and the Huntsman

ANIMATED SHORT
Adam and Dog
Fresh Guacamole
Head Over Heels
Maggie Simpson in "The Longest Daycare"
Paperman

LIVE ACTION SHORT
Asad
Buzkashi Boys
Curfew
Death of a Shadow
Henry

DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Inocente
Kings Point
Open Heart
Redemption
Mondays at Racine

Day 54 of 365 Days of Fitness Blogging

Pinned a great short article from Shape today, "Your 6 Biggest Diet Mistakes."



Source: shape.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Day 53 of 365 Days of Fitness Blogging

Have had some personal stuff going on the past few days and haven't worked out.  Have kind of been an emotional wreck. 

Day 52 of 365 Days of Fitness Blogging

Snow Day!!

Day 51 of 365 Days of Fitness Blogging



Day 50 of 365 Days of Fitness Blogging

Today was a cardio day on my Les Mills Pump schedule.  Was able to get to the new Aspen Athletic that opened by my house.  It was really nice because I took my daughter.  First time we have ever been to the gym together. 

 

My baby girl!

 



Day 49 of 365 Days of Fitness Blogging

I had Les Mills Pump - Flow (yoga) today.  So happy to have this one today, because I am so sore from my longer and higher rep Pump workouts! Tomorrow is 60 minutes of cardio and Aspen Athletics just opened their new location, which is closer to me, so I will be checking this out tomorrow.

Day 48 - Praise!

Happy Sunday!

Day 47 of 365 Days of Fitness Blogging

Did a partial workout this morning (Combat). I say partial because I got 20 minutes into it and I wasn't even breaking a sweat. My heart was not in it. Plus, every punch I did hurt my chest and arms they were so sore from last night's Les Mills Pump Revolution workout.  So with that said, I went ahead and showered and had my Strawberry Vegan Shakeology for lunch. I was going to pull out some Brazil Butt Lift tonight when I got home from spending the afternoon with my mom, thrift store shopping, but I took a long nap instead.  I think I could have slept all night! 

Now I am going to do today's bible study for The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For?  I am really loving this study.  They have put together audio and video that go with every day's reading.  I am only on day 5 but I highly recommend this to everyone.

Day 46 of 365 Days of Fitness Blogging

Made a confession on Facebook this morning...

Got to confess...I did horrible yesterday. Went out for a Vday lunch that ended up not being on plan that spilled over into the evening. Caculated the damage this morning, ugh, it was bad. Not happy with myself. Just screwed up weeks worth of work! I am Super focused today and will be for the next 6 weeks.

I feel so thankful and appreciative to all the kind words of support.  I know this isn't a sprint but a marathon and there will be slips along the way.   I swear I subcousiously do this because I don't think I deserve to lose the weight. No matter, I am so refocused today!

Went to JoAnn today and bought some foam board so I can start working on my new "vision board".  A few weeks ago I went to a local good will shop and bought a BUNCH of magazines for 25 cents each.  It will be a work in progress, but here is what I have so far.  Do you have a vision board?  Take a picture of it and share with us at http://www.facebook.com/fitclubkc.  

More goodies that I got when I was at JoAnn.

I also wrote out a list of things to do when I am feeling "bored" or any of the other emotional reasons why you eat instead of actually eating. These are in random order.

• Sew
• Knit/Crochet
• Beading
• Bible Study 
• Paint my nails
• Vacuum
• Clean some part of the house
• Laundry (Really, there is always something to clean and laundry to be done!)
• Take a bath
• Call a friend on the phone
• Go workout
• Blog about it

I will continue to add things to this list.  Want to be prepared! I would love to hear some of the things you do to distract you from emotional eating.  Please share!

Just got done doing Les Mills Pump - Pump Revolution.  It was a late workout, but still got it done!  There is a very high possibility that I will not be able to move tomorrow! 

Day 45 of 365 Days of Blogging

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

 

Here is a special Valentine's Day treat just for you. 

Chocolate Shakeology Pudding:

1½ scoops Chocolate Shakeology
1 ripe avocado
1 large banana
1 cup almond milk
1 tsp. lemon juice

 PREPARATION: Mix all ingredients in blender until smooth. If pudding is too thick, add a bit more almond milk. Pour into 4 small individual dishes and refrigerate for an hour. OPTIONAL: Garnish with strawberries and raspberries.

 

 

Day 44 of 365 Days of Fitness Blogging

Got some bad news today.  Difficult part was I had to stay cheerful in the midst of it.  Need to stay positive and pray that things will start going mine and my families way. 

(Luke 12:22-31 ESV)
And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

Today was Les Mills Pump.  Tomorrow is another rest day and then I have to bring out the big guns for Pump Revolution on Friday!  I am pumped and scared. :)

Day 43 of 365 Days of Fitness Blogging

Today was my rest day. :) Have Pump & Burn tomorrow and then Thursday is another rest day and then watch out because Friday is Pump Revolution. That is like 60 minutes and 800 reps!

 

Time to start thinking of our March and April Challenge Groups.  The March Challenge Group is going to be all up to you!  We have LOTS of great programs to choose from; Body Gospel, Les Mills Combat, Les Mills Pump, Insanity, Insanity The Asylum, P90X, Power 90, Slim in 6 and Body Beast to name a few.  You pick the program and do it in your own home but show up in our Facebook Challenge Group everyday for support and accountability.  I will take you through the whole 90 days!  And when we are done you can enter The Beachbody Challenge with a chance to win cash prizes and you will receive your free t-shirt for completing the program. It's a win win!

 

Now I have a real treat for my Turbo girls and guys.  The April Challenge Group is for Turbo Fire only!  Turbo Lovers Unite!  I love, love, love this workout.  Go to http://www.FitCoachAmanda.com and send me a message or leave a comment below with your email address if you are interested in joining the March or April Challenge Group. 

Click to order the Turbo Fire Challenge Pack.  Challenge packs come with your chosen workout program, Shakeology HD and a Team Beachbody Club membership, plus free coaching and support from me!

If you don't know what Turbo Fire is all about, here is a sneak peak. 

Day 42 of 365 Days of Fitness Blogging.

Proverbs 3:5-6

New International Version (NIV)
 

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

⁶ in all your ways submit to him,

and he will make your paths straight.

 

This is a special scripture to me, one that spoke directly to me when I was "searching" to understand last year.  March 1st 2012 I accepted Christ in my life.   I don't know it all, but I don't have to.  I trust in the Lord with all my heart with all things. 

 

Bible study was tonight and we are doing a Beth Moore study on the Book of James, James Mercy Triumps.  My one take away for last week is "Love our neighbors as ourselves." This law is above all others.  If you do this one you would automatically do the others; shall not kill, shall not steal, shall not commit adultry...As Jesus Himself siad, "I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another", John 13:24.
 



Day 41 of 365 Days of Fitness Blogging.

Had a beautiful time at service this morning.  Wish I could start everyday with my church family giving praise to the Lord and learning about His Word. 

Yesterday I had 1827 calories and 10 carbs and I lost 1.8lbs on the scale this morning.  I had more carbs today because I made this brocolli cheese casserole thing. No recipe to follow, I was just throwing what I had together. It is a "low carb" dish, but brocolli does have more carbs, 1 bag birdseye steamfresh has 16 carbs. Brocolli is good for you and has lots of fiber so I am completely okay with having it while low carbing.  Normally during induction you wouldn't have it. So today I will hit 1826 calories and 30 carbs. I know this is about consistency. I just got to do it everyday in a way that I will stick to it.  It is okay if I only lose 2lbs a week or even 1, although I really want more! LOL 

 

Even though I lost 1.8lbs on the scale this morning, I am still 1 pound away from where I was when I took my freakin "cheat" meal which caused me some struggles a few days later in the evenings. So I count the loss and am happy, but not really "counting" it till I get back to where I was before. 

 

Something else that has been giving me a hard time lately is my ongoing job search.  It is really hard to continue day after day looking for work, submitting resumes and not getting called.  I am putting my faith with God and trusting Him that the right thing will find me.  I just need to be patient and keep putting myself out there.

 

So who else is watching the Grammys!  Loving some of the perfomances.  Big fan of Fun, Mumford and Sons and Justin Timberlake.  Excited that he has a new album coming out. 

 

Cheers!

Day 40 of 365 Days of Fitness Blogging

Saturday!!!!  Spent the day close to home thinking of all of my north eastern friends snowed in and watching the updates on the news.  People kept posting pictures on facebook of the snow drifts and conditions in their area.  A lot of people couldn't even open the front door the snow was so high.  One lady posted that she had to climb out the window so they could shovel a path to the door.  I did hear that the did not beat the snowfall record.  Amazing!

Back to Low Carbing today, only had 10 carbs for the whole day.  My sugar cravings are finally starting to subside after 3 full days of being back on plan.  So thankful! Today was Les Mills Pump - Flow, which is a nice stretch/yoga dvd.  After doing 3 days of longer strength workouts it was needed.

Got to hangout with my cousin, Shannon, tonight.  Love having her living in KC now AND she is only a few minutes from my house.  Bonus!  We were able to catch up and watched a movie together, TED with Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis.  Parents, just because one of the lead roles is a teddy bear does not mean it is for children.  Let me repeat, this movie is NOT for kids. 

A couple quick observations about the movie...

1.  There was a whole lot of pot smoking going on but no munchies.  What is up with that? 
2.  Also, for a 35 year old, who smokes pot at 9am with his teddy bear and is late for work all the time he sure was "buff".

Day 39 of 365 Days of Fitness Blogging

Les Mills Pump & Shred today and day 2 of the Fat Fast.  Going back to normal Low Carbing tomorrow, no matter the results on the scale.

Watching Mad Men, the episode where Betsy gives birth to her 3rd child, sitting here counting my blessings that I did not give birth in the 60s! 

Day 38 of 365 days of Fitness Blogging

As I mentioned yesterday, the previous 2 days I did great all day till the evening and then I went off plan.  It has been hard for me mentally to get back my momentum that I had before my "cheat" meal.  As a result I am now up 2.6lbs.  Most likely that is water weight since I only had 4 cups of water yesterday AND chinese for dinner.  I am determined to stay on track tonight and break through and get the ball rolling again!  It might be a while before I take a planned cheat day/meal again.  Thinking I am just not ready for that in this stage of the game. 

My meal plan on most days is no to low sugar, no wheat, keeping my carbs low and my protein and fat at moderate levels.  Right now I am trying to get through one single day on the Fat Fast plan.  A Fat Fast (also called the Atkins Fat Fast), is a tool that low carbers who are metabolically resistant can use to get themselves quickly into ketosis. Ketosis means that our bodies are using stored fat for energy. The fat fast is also used by many low carbers to break a weight loss plateau or as a means of forcing themselves to get back on track when they have gone off-plan. This is ONLY to be done for 3-5 days.

If you are interested in learning more here are a few links: CarbSmart Fat Fast and The Fat Fast.

The key is to keep each meals fat precentage to 80-90%.  1 fat gram equals 9 calories.

For example, 1 ounce of macadamia nuts is 203 calories and 21 grams of fat.  That means 93% of the calories is from fat.  This is a perfect snack on the Fat Fast. 

I hope tomorrow to report a loss on the scale!

Les Mills Pump Sports Attack and Hard Core Abs completed today.

Cheers!

Day 37 of 365 Days of Fitness Blogging

Take the time to watch this. CHOICE. Change your life.

 
Today is Les Mills Pump & Shred.  Now in to phase 2 of Les Mills Pump and having longer strength training workouts.  Really sculpting the muscles now!

Today and yesterday eating wise did great all day till the evening and then just ate with the family, which isn't the best for sure.  Still hitting my calorie goal but no where close to where I want to be with my carbs.  And when my carbs are high I don't see a loss on the scale.  Really need to get that back on track.  Taking that "cheat" meal last week has really thrown off my momentum both physically and mentally.  Really thinking it wasn't worth it.  Back at it tomorrow!

Cheers!

Day 36 of 365 Days of Fitness Blogging

Today I did Les Mills Pump Combat and Hard Core Abs.  Great workout!  Love being able to mix up my cardio with this workout.

Made this video today to help some of my friends who are new to MyFitnessPal.com.  Wanted to keep it short and simple.  Still have questions?  Let me know and I will address it in an upcoming video.

Day 35 of 365 Days of Fitness Blogging

I know this post is coming really late in the day.  Didn't get home from Bible study till 11pm.  Today was Pump & Shred.  Really feeling it, just had a rest day and feel like I could use another one. lol

This week we studied James 1:2-18.  I want to share James 1:2-4 with you an an excerpt from Beth Moore's study.

2. Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3. for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Greek word for "perfect" (teleios) describes "that which has achieved or reached its goal, objective, purpose" and, therefore, "full-grown" and "fully developed."

Out of God's astounding grace, a very imperfect person can still receive a delightfully perfect gift precisely because it's perfect for her.  God's gifts are given with goals.  They're perfect because they're perfecting.  They don't just give today.  They give toward every tomorrow.

James 1:12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

No matter how BIG or small your trials remain steadfast!

Make it a great week!

Day 34 Super Bowl Sunday

Sunday Praise

For all of you that have grown up without a father figure in your home, have peace in knowing you have a Holy Father who knows your name and loves you very much.

I have a Father
He calls me His own
He'll never leave me
No matter where I go

He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And He hears me when I calll his name

Listen to song on YouTube.

Today is a rest day for me.  My DH and I went to the movies, date time. We watched Lincoln. Have no fear, I brought my own snacks. :) Great movie.  For a bit I forgot I was watching an actor and really felt like I was watching Abe Lincoln.  Daniel Day Lewis is an excellent actor.  I was moved to tears several times.  This movie isn't for everyone, but if you are a history buff I definitely recommend going to see Lincoln.

Super Bowl Sunday

Did you know, second only to Thanksgiving, Super Bowl Sunday is the second biggest day for food consumption in the U.S.

Roughly 28,000,000 pounds of chips are consumed, which if laid end to end would stretch for 293,000 miles. 90 million chicken wings, and 8,000,000 pounds of guacamole are consumed during the Super Bowl. If all the guacamole consumed was to be spread over a football field the spread would be 11.8 feet deep, and all this food is washed down by 325.5 million gallons of beer which is enough to fill 493 Olympic swimming pools! 

There are no Super Bowl snacks in the house this year.  Let me be honest, I am usually the only one eating it every year.  It is an excuse for me to totally gorge myself with all my favorite junk foods. I don't need it!  To top that I am not even watching the game. -gasp- For all of you that are, I hope you enjoy yourself and maybe make 1 or 2 healthy dishes.

Cheers!

Day 33 of 365 Days of Fitness Blogging

Whew, don't know why, but it has been a really long day.  At 6pm I was ready for bed!  Just doesn't feel like a Saturday night at all. 

Had my massage today.  Very relaxing and loved having my muscles loosened up.  Not something that I would justify the expense for all the time, but it was a nice treat.

When I arrived back home guess what was waiting for me!

Front of hoodie.

Back of hoodie.

Thanks to Sean for organizing and getting us our great team shirts. 

While we are on the subject of Les Mills Pump, today was Flow.  Got to tell you I had intended on going to the gym early this morning but instead of hitting the snooze button on my alarm I hit the "dismiss" button.  So I didn't make it.  Plan b, I was going to do one of LMP's cardio DVDs at home, however, when I logged in to the SuperGym I discovered that my workout today was supposed to be Flow.  Score!  Kind of happy about that, because really after my massage I wasn't in the mood to do anything else.  It was a nice way to "end" my day. 

Cheers!

 

Day 32 of 365 Days of Fitness Blogging

Official month one results for Les Mills Pump

.....(drum roll)....

down 9.2lbs and 9.25 inches.

<<applause>>

I am very happy with my month one results!  Not only with the numbers, but I am also seeing significant improvements in my Pump workouts and my cardio workouts.  I am setting Monday February 18th as my goal to start my Couch to 5k training.  I plan to incorporate this program on my Les Mills Pump "walk" days.  Can't forget I have a June 1st 5K race to participate in.

With all of that said, I am doing it tonight, going off plan! For the past two days it seems to be all I can think about and it is driving me crazy! After a month of doing it, I think I can have some pizza and drinks. Just going to do it and get it over with so I can focus hard during February. I know it will cause a stall for the next 2-3 days, but that is okay.

I did complete my workout for today which was Pump & Burn.

Cheers!