Holidays Without the Weight Gain?

WARNING: Long, AWESOME post.

So, I did something kinda awesome. I finished the WHOLE ENTIRE P90X3 program.

Yeah. That's 90 days of hard core workouts. Nailed it. Well, sorta.

I didn't follow the nutrition plan as strictly as I probably should have, cuz you know, there was cake occasionally, or pumpkin waffles...*drool*

Anyways, that's where my Shakeology comes in, like a superhero I might add. See, this stuff is like magic. It reduces my sweet tooth cravings (which are heavy duty), gives me all the nutrients I SHOULD be getting from vegetables,  and keeps me full for about 3 hours (thus preventing unnecessary snacking, like me driving to Einstein's multiple times a day). And it tastes FANTASTIC. *score*

And now for the results: I can do twice as many pull-ups as I could when I first started, I can curl 20# dumbbells (for a little while), and I can do lots of funky push-ups. I feel pretty cool. AND I maintained my weight the whole 90 days, through anniversary celebrations, birthdays, family get-togethers, and kids leaving their pop tarts lying around the house. Winning.

SO WHAT? I'll tell you: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years are gonna crash down on us all WITHIN the next 90 days. What's your plan? Would you maybe like a safety net so you don't gain an extra 15-20 lbs? You COULD even lose weight through the holidays...just sayin.

I've got a support group for other sweet tooth mommas like me that starts October 19th. Wanna know more? Just comment and I'll give you all the info, cuz we're friends, and I like you!

-Brooke

Goji Berries

Welcome to Shakeology Superfood Saturday!  Today we will be learning about Goji berries :-)  But first, I have to tell you about my dinner date Thursday night, cuz it was AMAZING!

We went to the Cliff Lodge up at Snowbird, and had our dinner at The Aerie.  Definitely the fanciest restaurant I've eaten at.  SOOOOOO GOOD!  We started out with this spicy tuna roll that had asparagus inside (yum!)

I didn't take pictures of the rest of the food, because I just dug into it, but we each ordered something different and shared kinda family style.  We tried the baby kale salad with fried polenta sticks, scallops, salmon, trout, beef tenderloin, and I had the wild mushroom ravioli.  Then we HAD to try dessert, which was white chocolate croissant bread pudding with a salted caramel gelato.  The whole experience was fantastic, and the food was divine!  Loved it!  And this is where we sat:

And now for Shakeology learning.

I did some research on Goji berries, which happen to be rich in vitamins A and C, and they also have a lot of iron.  I'm mostly interested in the vitamin part of it though.  Vitamin A is a natural antioxidant, and is key in cell reproduction, protecting your body from free radicals which speed up aging :-/  Vitamin A is also good for your eyes. Maybe you noticed? I do wear glasses, so obviously, I could use a little more vitamin A in my life.

Goji berries are also a good source of iron, which is necessary to produce blood cells. Low blood production can lead to anemia and other sad conditions, so we like iron around here. The biggest benefit that I'm interested in, though, is the vitamin C. Most of you probably don't know that my mom had breast cancer about 5 years ago. Even though her oncologist said her specific type of cancer wasn't hereditary, based on the prevalence of cancer in general...I won't be surprised if I have a run in with it at some point down the road. Nonetheless, it doesn't hurt to consistently ingest some vitamin C, which is supposed to reduce the general risk of cancer. Score.

So, what have we learned, class? Goji berries=yay!

This is the back of my bag of Shakeology.  Look at the pretty pictures there are of some of the awesome ingredients! I am gonna be so smart ;-) And so will you! Till next time... bye!

Day 13: Dirty 30--Round 2

I'm sorry.  I tried to pay better attention, and I still don't know why this workout is any "dirtier" than the rest of them.  Maybe they just called it that because they couldn't think of a better name for it?

But I digress.  Today I did alright with the workout.  My knee hasn't been bugging me the last few days, maybe even a week, but after my side lunges it started aching again.  I really don't understand it.  I'm pretty sure my form is correct, and I'm not sinking super deep into the bend, so why does my knee hate me so?!

Also, my wrist started bugging me again, so for a couple of the exercises, I down-graded from my 8's to my 5's, and then the next go round I still needed to go down to my 2 lb weights.  Maybe for Christmas I should ask Santa for 3 or 4 lb weights...hmmm.

Here are the pictures to prove that SOMETHING happened in the way of working out.  You'll just have to take my word that I did the entire 30 minutes ;-)

I may need to invest in a photographer a little older than 6.  Or a camera with a timer....

Here, Miss {E} is showing us her balancing tricks...

...and the obligatory group selfie :-)

Don't be fooled; we really are this cheesy.

I did pretty good on food today, but when I got home from work at 8:30 I was a little bit hungry and I may have finished half of Brandon's steak burrito from Chipotle.  MAY HAVE.  And I apologize for this post not being as peppy and excitingly written as my others.  I know that a 4 hour shift is not that long to work, but when it's at a daycare, and it's MY CHILDREN that are misbehaving for most of the shift, it makes for an annoyed, tired, perturbed, exhausted Brooke.  And it didn't help that I was hungry.  So now I will conclude and sit and veg on my couch.  Maybe I will read.  Maybe I will tell Brandon to stop playing Destiny so I can watch "How I Met Your Mother" on Netflix.  Or maybe I should have a healthy snack and go to bed.  Lots of good options there.

Goodnight world!

Day 8: Total Body Cardio Fix--Round 2

Today was awesome for SO MANY reasons!  A: It's October 1st, which means it's officially my FAVORITE SEASON OF THE YEAR!!!!  Yay!  So, {C} and I dug out the Halloween decorations and went to town :-)  For your viewing pleasure, this is the outside portion

And no, I don't know who's big ole red dust pan that is is on the right, but it's been there since we moved in.

Reason B today was awesome: tomorrow is my day off :-)  Reason C: It was actually Fall weather, and I swear, today was the first time the air had that cool, crispness to it.  It was lovely :-) And the last reason today was awesome: I did Total Body Cardio Fix again, with heavier weights than I used last time.  What up!?

So, I'm sure you've noticed that I tend to wear my hair up in a bun.  It's just easier that way.  But it got pretty loose last night while I slept in it, and I knew I was gonna be movin around a bit with this workout, so, out came the sock.  Crazy hair!

Last week I used my 2 lb weights, ya know, cuz of my wrist.  But since then I've used my 5 and 8 lb weights with the other workouts, so I brought out the 5 lb weights for today.  It about killed me.  My arms are definitely sore, especially around the shoulder area.  These raised knee pulls were by far the hardest exercise for me, especially with the heavier weights.  I don't know what Autumn was thinking, saying the surrenders at the beginning were the hardest exercise.  Not.  Even.  Close.  And I have a bad knee, so that's kind of saying something.

But I finished, and that's what's important, right?  After I finished I got my {E} to come take my workout pictures.  This is the cute 6 year old behind the camera :-)

Food-wise I've done pretty good.  Sticking to the same menu that I know I like.  But plot twist!  Brandon had pizza here when the girls and I got home from work.  Tempting...As of right now...9:42 pm, I have only had one piece of the supreme pizza that moved into the house, and that was within my "budget."  Still deciding if I want to be naughty and have 1-2 cheese sticks.  What I should do is go for the banana with 2 tbsp of peanut butter.  That would round things out the "right way."  

Still deciding.

In the meantime, my next challenge group starts on Monday.  And if you've been thinking:

"I really should work out more, and get back in shape, so I can look SMOKIN in my Halloween costume," then this challenge group could be your answer :-)

Would it hurt to try?