The 5 Stages of Grief

I like puzzles.  I suppose that one of the things that make me nerdy :-)  Brandon has learned over the last month that I will sit down and literally spend hours putting together lego sets and puzzles without the kids.  :-)  I can actually feel my brain getting exercised.  It's awesome.  And yes, these are {C}'s puzzles and NOT mine.

I thought I found a new puzzle to work out yesterday...not sure it's one I can figure out, though.  If you've read my past posts, you might remember that at my yearly check-up last March my cholesterol came back pretty high.  So, since I've started drinking Shakeology daily and being more conscious of what I eat, I was expecting my cholesterol numbers to look much better at my last check-up, which happened Friday.

They called me with my results yesterday.  My bad cholesterol is way high, but my good cholesterol is right where it should be.  Their solution: "We want to start you on a diet and exercise regimen."  My response: "Um, I'm ALREADY ON ONE."  The nurse didn't believe me when I told her I exercise intensively 6 days a week.  Or that I don't eat at Chuck-A-Rama every weekend.  Ok, maybe the Chuck-A-Rama part didn't specifically come up, but I said that I only occasionally eat fried foods and stuff with creamy sauces.  Yes, I eat them, but NOT REGULARLY.  She countered: "Well, cut back on the fried food.  Come back in 4-6 months so we can monitor it."  And that was it.

DENIAL AND ANGER: My initial reaction to that call was: "What the $%^#@#%$%$%!!!!! I've lost almost 30 POUNDS!!!! I have a superfood meal replacement shake EVERY DAY!!! How can my cholesterol be the same as a 50 year old, morbidly obese man!?"  

BARGAINING:  For a little bit there, I thought--"Maybe I just need to be better with my eating.  Maybe if for the next 4-6 months I don't indulge in the high cholesterol food, it will go down.  Maybe I can fix this if I'm super good."

DEPRESSION:  The bargaining phase didn't last long, because I knew that I wouldn't be able to pull that off.  I'm still building my self-discipline and will power.  No way I can make it that long without ANY indulgences.  How depressing.  I thought that what I've accomplished the last 5 months would have done something; and it did NOTHING.  At least cholesterol-wise.  Luckily for me, though, Brandon came home, and when I told him he just laughed :-)  And that put it in perspective.  I haven't had a hard life, really.  At all.  And this high cholesterol hasn't bothered me so far.  If I hadn't gone to the doctor, I wouldn't even have suspected it.

ACCEPTANCE:  So, after talking with Brandon, we decided that it might not be something I can control.  Maybe it's genetic--even though I wasn't aware of it.  So, I called my previous doctor today and had them pull my results from last March to compare.  The nurse was very patient with me and sensitive to my concerns.  Turns out my results are pretty much the same as last time.  No change.  Cero.  I told her everything I was doing, and she agreed with Brandon and I that maybe it was just genetic, but to keep going back in to monitor it.  I may eventually need medication to keep it in check, but somehow that conversation made me feel better.  It made me feel better that maybe it wasn't my fault.  Maybe this was a new card I got dealt in life, and I would just have to find a way to work with it.  

CONCLUSION:  Yeah, this isn't ideal.  But I'm on a good path doing what I can do to keep myself healthy.  And I'm so thankful that I have doctors and nurses to help me work through problems that I can't fix on my own :-)  It's all about perspective, and now that I've taken a day to think about it, I'm able to put it in the right place.  Still driven, and still in control of the things I can change.

Camu Camu

It's Saturday, and you know what that means!  Today's Shakeology superfood is Camu Camu.  It's kinda fun to say :-)  Did you ever watch Jungle 2 Jungle, that Tim Allen movie that came out in the late 90's?  Anywho, there's a line in there, something like "Lipo Lipo, so nice they named it twice."  

Same with Camu Camu I'm guessing :-)

So, I looked here and here to see what awesomeness Camu Camu brings to the Shakeology party, and it turns out that it's a fantastic source of antioxidants, potassium, amino acids, and Vitamin C.  In fact, the Camu Camu fruit has 50 times more Vitamin C than oranges.  Whaddup!?  Crazy.  Because of all the goodies in this superfood, it has been shown to balance brain chemistry, decrease mood swings, is great as an anti-inflammatory supplement, and has anti-viral properties as well (all you old farts like me who had chicken pox growing up are gonna want somma this.)  The anti-viral properties in Camu Camu are shown to reduce flare ups in cold sores, herpes, the common cold, and shingles--that thing all us chicken pox veterans are candidates for.   Another noteworthy benefit: because it has so much Vitamin C, it helps decrease depression and anxiety as well.  How many of us are stressed out about everything?  I know I get that way sometimes.  Well, some people who have taken camu camu supplements for an extended period of time have reported that they "require less synthetic anti-depressant medications." reference

In fact, I know an amazing woman, who told her story about dealing with depression, and how drinking Shakeology daily, and I suspect the camu camu played a part in this, helped her lower her anti-depressant medication dosages.  And to be completely honest, this lady's story is what prompted me to become a Beachbody coach.  I took a leap of faith, and signed up without having my own experience with Shakeology to support me.  But I've been drinking it 4 months now, and I KNOW that my body is healthier.  I can FEEL it.  Take care of your body and fuel it right, and weight-loss will be a by-product of getting healthier.  Truth.  Anywho, here is her video: 

And just for accountability purposes, I have been doing my workouts :-)

Nailed it.

See ya Tuesday, folks!  I hope your weekend is fantastic!

Maca Root

Welcome!  Healthier Living Today brought to you by Maca Root!  As it is Shakeology Superfood Saturday, I'll be focusing on this particular ingredient, but first, I want you to think about this for a minute.

and this

I don't mean for these informative posts to be pushy and sales-y.  But seriously, the more I learn about the amazing ingredients in Shakeology, the more amazed I am that it's only $4/serving.  And if you've been reading any of this, have any of the benefits resonated with you?  Do you have a family history of heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes?  Did your mother have breast cancer, or your father have prostate cancer?  Any cancer at all in your family?  Blood disorders?  These diseases are all rampant in the U.S, and I'm willing to bet EVERY. SINGLE. PERSON. reading this has one of these things to look forward to.  Why WOULDN'T you pay $4/day towards PREVENTING some of these things and being healthier?  Something to think about.

So, maca root.  I looked here and here, and so far, this is the ingredient I probably need the most.  It has iron, calcium, Vitamins B, C, and E, zinc, magnesium, phosphorous and amino acids.  It boosts energy, libido, fertility, relieves menstrual/menopausal issues like cramps, hot flashes, anxiety, and improves moods.  Seriously, not to sound stereotypical, but doesn't this sound like a "wonder woman" elixir?  Winning.

Clean Eating

Hey hey hey!  Yeah, I'm not sure I can pull off that phrase....  Has the Christmas/commercialism shopping bug hit anybody else?  I'm one of those terrible people that starts shopping for other people, and then I get side-tracked by how cute these shoes would look with this or that outfit.  Anybody else here like that?

Selfish Brooke.

On to the story.  I started my clean eating group for this month on Monday, and I've been doing much better this month than I did last month.  Already I've reached a new lowest weight and the group lasts through Sunday, which is also Fast Sunday, for those of you who are LDS and know what I'm talking about :-)  So, I'm very optimistic about my results this time around.  Here are some low-res pictures of the kind of food I've been consuming this week.

Teriyaki chicken with asparagus and brown rice

Quaker Cranberry and Almond protein oatmeal with blueberries and a little brown sugar

Of course my chocolate Shakeology :-)

And tonight's dinner of eggs, turkey sausage, and crescent rolls, which really wasn't super healthy, but it was a compromise meal so that the girls would actually eat.  Last night I made a taco soup in the crock-pot and put in large chunks of ground beef.  My girls picked out the ground beef and left everything else.  Eventually I bribed them into eating the beans they left in their bowls by promising a piece of chocolate afterwards.  I'm not ashamed.  They still came out of their room at 9:00 saying they were hungry, so I gave them carrots to shut them up...and they both ate all that I gave them.  And yes, I know I shouldn't be giving my kids food after bedtime.  I have my reasons, and I have weighed the pros and cons.  Pros: My kids actually will eat vegetables, we all sleep through the night.  Cons: my kids' teeth are still screwed up, we (yes me too) deal with a grumpier, sleep deprived "all of us".  Pros have it.  

And that is the story of how Brooke tried to eat healthy while not starving her family.  Stay tuned for the next chapter :-)

Reishi

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  The girls had so much fun playing with their cousins that they hardly ate! Which is how I knew it would go down ;-)  Isn't that how it always is with kids?  I did way better than in past Thanksgivings, and had one plateful of deliciousness, maybe I took an extra roll...or two :-)  And after an appropriate amount of time digesting, I indulged in 3 small slices of pie with whipped cream on the side.  Then I went early "Black Friday" shopping with these guys (my cute "little" siblings, who are all younger AND taller than me).

The next day Brandon went Black Friday shopping and brought home a beautiful Christmas tree for a steal, and we took great pleasure in decking the halls.  I think our tree needs a few more strings of lights, perhaps ;-)

So...today is Saturday.  You know what that means!  Fun facts about Shakeology :-)  Today's special ingredient is reishi.  Reishi is a reddish mushroom which acts as a balancing agent.  I did a small amount of research here and here, and the biggest benefit seems to be as an immune system booster and an agent that returns the body to normalcy, and who isn't interested in that during the season of sniffling noses and yucky coughs?  It's more preventative than a cure, if I'm understanding what I've read.  Other benefits include lowering high blood pressure and improving blood circulation.  Sounds good to me :-)  Bottoms up!

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!

Accountability

K friends.  I have deemed Thursdays my "report what you've been eating so you stay accountable" day.  Ideally I would also be sharing a kid-friendly healthy recipe that I had tried during the week and had success with....However, I am not that cool yet.  Working up to that.  Also, me and the hubs are going to dinner at the resort with my in-laws tonight while Brandon's sister watches the younguns.  A date!  I can't remember the last time we went on a date....But I'm pretty excited for whatever meal I'm gonna have :-)  So I've been very good with my food today in order to accommodate what I'll ingest later.  I took my thin mint Shakeology to work this morning for breakfast, where I also shared half a clementine with Miss {C}.  Lunch consisted of half a grapefruit, a bowl of spinach and tomato salad with Olive Garden Italian Dressing and whole wheat toast with half an avocado.  Very filling.

I may have also cleaned up the left over clementine slices off the girls' plates.  Maybe.

I have definitely gone to town on our Costco bag of these this week.  SOOOOO good!  Our bag last week...meh.  Not so much.  But this week's bag has been DELICIOUS.

I've done well with breakfast and lunch this week, as well as snacks; but dinners have accommodated the children mostly in not-so-healthy ways.  Last night we had grilled cheese and tuna sandwiches with apples and baby carrots.  Kinda healthy?  Then we had an outing and stopped by Sonic on the way home.  I tried one of Brandon's "peppers and cheddar" fried jalapeno poppers.  Those were REALLY good.  MMMMMM.  And I also finished off the girls' blue raspberry slushy.  Not my finest ending.  Today will probably not be much better.  Oh well.  I'm "maintaining" right now anyways ;-)

Finally, exciting-ish news:  I got my prize for hitting Success Club in September.  (Success Club is basically me helping a certain number of people each month).  This shirt fits better than the Insanity and 21 Day Fix shirt.  Funny.  But I like it!

I'm excited to try P90 next year, after Christmas spending is over and I've earned/saved some more monies.  P90 is supposed to be amazing!

That is it for this entry!  I'll see ya Saturday, if I'm a good girl.

Blogging, Round 2.

So, I'm a rookie.  I was so excited to start this blog, and I had a plan, at least for 3 weeks.  Then that project was over and I was all...*crickets*...what do I write now?  So, I've come up with a plan, and maybe I can be better with my time management so that I can stick to it.  :-D  hopefully.

I've been doing T25 for the last 3 weeks, and I like the workouts.  Since I've started, my right wrist still hasn't healed, I rolled or tweaked my ankle in soccer, and I've had a disgusting cough.  Soooooo...I've been doing the modifiers.  Still get a little sweaty and raise my heart rate without ending up like a smoker dying from emphysema.  Winning! Kind of.

Just to show that I do still workout, here's a video from Tuesday; Miss {C} was more than willing to do the exercises with me, or without.  Just as long as I didn't get in her way :-)

 

I haven't been eating as well as I was during 21 Day Fix, but I've managed to maintain my weight alright.  I've visited the gym a couple of times, mostly for the weight machines and so the girlies could play with the kids a little more, as if they don't do that enough :-)

But yeah, food.  Costco has had the bagged avocados and clementines in stock for awhile, but we started buying them last week when they FINALLY looked to be the right ripeness for Brandon and me.  Which means that I've been eating lots of avocados and clementines  :-) Yummy.

Avocado, eggs and toast

Avocado with mesquite chicken and pepperjack on a pita "panini"

Thursday, if I'm remembering right, was the beginning of much cooler weather for us here in Utah, which means SOUP.  So, I got out a bag of white beans to soak/cook for my roommate's famous white chicken chile.  Mmmmmm.  Too bad I burned the first batch because I decided to workout while that was going on.  Whoops.  So, here's bag #2

and the finished product :-) 'licious

For the full recipe, check it out here

I have also been drinking my DELICIOUS chocolate Shakeology.  I'm pretty sure chocolate is just the flavor for me, because I can run to it when the chocolate cravings hit.  My favorite "recipes" have been chocolate with Girl Scout Thin Mint coffee creamer and chocolate with PB2 and a banana.  Yummers!

Along the topic of Shakeology, I've decided to more fully investigate the ingredients, so I can be more aware of how I'm responding to them and know more fully what it is that I love so much ;-)  

First ingredient I investigated? Ashwagandha.  It's fun to say.  Say it out loud, like an French person whispering sweet nothings in your ear: AshwagAHHHHNdha.

Moving on.  This is one of those ingredients that ups the awesomeness of whatever you pair it with, you know, within a reasonable range of whatever...you know what I mean.  Don't pair it with something to kill yourself.  Just like with anything else.

Ahem.  So--ashwagandha is supposed to help reduce stress and anxiety, boost your immune system, help you focus and other good stuff like that.  

The other good things I'm copying from here:

• Improves learning, memory, and reaction time
• Helps reduce brain-cell degeneration
• Stabilizes blood sugar

and

• Helps lower cholesterol

Who isn't interested in those benefits?  And that's just ONE of over 70 superfood ingredients.  (P.S. this information was also corroborated with webmd.com and general information on Wikipedia).  I know that in the 3 months I've been drinking Shakeology, I have definitely been more focused.  I've been able to make a game plan for different projects and not completely overwhelm myself.  I'm taking baby steps to do awesome things, and I'm making progress.  Also, I'm a little excited for my next check-up.  The last time I went to the doctor, my cholesterol was high.  I'm interested to see how it looks now that I'm eating healthier....Pretty awesome, huh?  Stay tuned next week for information on the next mystery ingredient ;-)

And just for fun: a story.  With pictures.

Tuesday, is that right?  Tuesday the new Halo for Xbox One came out and it has all the Halo games, some big whoop that my cute husband and my brothers-in-law were excited for.  That means that I went through all of our still packed boxes from moving, everything thrown into our little storage closet, and random suitcases posing as storage containers that are buried in the girls' walk in closet, looking for all of Brandon's Xbox 360 paraphernalia to sell back to GameStop so that he could have the new Halo game.  That was a successful endeavor, but here's the real treasure:

 

3rd grade me

and (I think) 5th grade me.

Laugh it up folks.  You're welcome.

Have a Happy Weekend!

So, I've decided I want to put a little bit of good karma out in the universe with this post, and share with you some things that have made me happy recently.

First of all, I found these on facebook the last couple of days.  And isn't it wonderful how a little chuckle about something silly can brighten your day?

Secondly, I stumbled across this blog post written by my childhood friend and next door neighbor.  It is beautiful and uplifting, and it made me feel a little bit special that I could remember some of the memories that she shared.  Thanks for writing this, Miranda :-)

Thirdly, Beachbody.  And I don't say this solely because of my "transformation" that I've kept you all apprised of.  I'm a little ashamed of it, but Beachbody has helped form me into a better person in several facets: intellectually, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  I say that I'm ashamed because I should have been the person that I am now before I encountered Beachbody because of my religious beliefs.  But that is in the past, and I'm progressing now, despite the reasons and motivations.  

You want to know what is amazing about Beachbody?  Yes, they have great workouts, and yes, they have an incredible product with Shakeology.  But what makes them OUTSTANDING as a company to work with is that they emphasize personal development.  I have been a coach barely over 2 months, and because I've been improving my mind daily, I have been happier, driven to succeed, hopeful, more patient and understanding, and a host of other things that I probably haven't noticed or acknowledged yet.

And it's pretty great that I can get all my fruits and veggies in one meal and have it taste like a thin mint.  Just sayin :-)

And this man.  He just makes the world perfect and wonderful.

Don't tell him I wrote this, because he would just say, "Oh, shut up."  But he is the most generous person I know.  He is understanding and compassionate.  He stands up for what he believes in without regard to who may disagree.  He is a wonderful father to our beautiful girls, and he treats all three of us like princesses.  He is a gentleman and my best friend.  I'm so happy I get to keep him forever.  And that's all I'll say cuz I'm getting all teary-eyed thinking about how wonderful he is.

Now these girls, they make me laugh EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.  They also make me want to pull my hair out every day, but when it's your kids, the cute things outweigh the trying things in value like 10:1.  Like today, {E} came up to {C} after {C's} nap and said, "{C}, wanna go to the chocolate factory and be a flawless girl?"  I love that she combined her Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Phineas and Ferb references,  Or when we went on an outing tonight, and {C} talked non-stop about her pretty, colored, plastic bracelets.  She was so excited about getting to wear them out.  She must have felt so pretty.

These are the things that have made me happy, along with my daily scripture study, which has helped me keep an eternal perspective, and helped me find the patience I need to nurture my children when they need to be nurtured and set an example for them when they need to be reminded of how to behave.

I hope this weekend brings time for you to spend with your loved ones doing things that make you happy.  Take time to soak in the moment and enjoy it for what it is.  I love ya!  Have a happy weekend!

Day 14: Yoga Fix--Round 2

Alright people!  We are two weeks into this and we have hit the home stretch!  Can you see the end?  Cuz I can! (I sound pretty pumped, huh?) The workout was good this morning, a much needed stretch day, but 30 minutes of yoga doesn't feel like I worked out for the day.  No offense to the yoga following, but to me, it just doesn't feel like enough.  It feels like cheating.  And YES, I did follow ALL the breathing cues, and it did feel BENEFICIAL.  But it doesn't satisfy my adrenaline junky craving or whatever.  Especially since I've added in a rest day; this program is supposed to be ONLY 21 days STRAIGHT.  This yoga workout is supposed to be the rest/active recovery day.  So, I'm basically giving myself two rest days a week; it just feels WRONG.

So, today I righted the wrong.  Do you ever have those days when you take a shift one week, thinking it's a permanent deal, and then show up the same time the next week and it turns out you were just covering for someone?  That happened to me today, to which I sang "Hallelujah!" because Miss {C} needed a nap, and I was not anxious to spend the next 4 hours with grumpy butt and a bunch of other children who probably also needed naps.  But {E} and {C} were both SO EXCITED to play with friends at the daycare, that in order to get them to leave without causing a scene, I had to promise that we would come back later with Daddy.

So Brandon and I went to the gym to workout after dinner, and dropped the girlies off at the daycare to play with friends.  I haven't actually been running for awhile, probably since I started Insanity a few months ago, and it was WONDERFUL.  Granted, it was only on a treadmill, and I only made it 2.5 miles, you know, so I wouldn't be dead tomorrow when I'm supposed to do TWO WORKOUTS, but it felt so good to just run!  I would almost say it was therapeutic.  Just to run, listen to my music, while watching some robots vs. aliens movie, and let my thoughts just come and go.  I didn't have to focus on anything, I just ran :-)

Enough about my love affair with my run.  I did alright with my meal plan today, until I came home from not working at 4:30 and had to fix dinner.  {E} asked for grilled cheese sandwiches, so that's what we had.  I was planning on using the last two pieces of whole wheat bread for my "tuna melt," but I got into a rhythm making sandwiches, and I totally spaced on it.  So my plan for a semi-healthy grilled cheese sandwich (healthy because of whole wheat bread and tuna) turned into a basically not healthy sandwich because I fried it with butter and it was on white bread.  Oh well, I went running tonight ;-)

Pictures!  First, we have my workout picture, me in bow pose or whatever it's called.  I'm amazed it actually looks as cool as it does, because when I do it, I feel like I'm pretty much lying flat on the floor from my knees to my shoulders and TRYING DESPERATELY to grab my ankles.  So we'll call this a win :-)

I know I post a lot of pictures of my kids, but I mean, come on, is this NOT a cute sister picture?  This one will definitely be used at someone's wedding, A) because it's cute, and B) because FOR ONCE they are BOTH looking at the camera AND smiling.  This rarely happens.

Food! Had my v8 energy for breakfast (I may be addicted to those), had my Shakeology with frozen fruit, Greek yogurt and a splash of apple juice for lunch, and the carrots, tomatoes and apples were the snacks I prepared for work, so I've been snacking on them throughout the night.

BONUS INFO: Because I know you are all deeply involved in the mundane details of my life :-) here's a fun story.  Brandon bought me a heart rate monitor for my birthday last year, right after I finished Insanity the first time, and before I started Asylum.  Probably since June-ish, it's had a hard time reading my heart rate.  I assumed it was a problem with the strap, since my watch was still working.  I replaced the battery in the strap, following the instructions in my manual to the "T", and still that did not fix it.  I finally called customer service about it, because it's under warranty for a year, and I sent it in two weeks ago to get the strap replaced.  Well, my replacement strap came in the mail yesterday, and when I tried to pair it with my watch before going to the gym tonight, it didn't work.  I tried lots of different variables, to no avail.  And yes, I checked, and there is a battery in the strap, SOOOOOO the problem must be with my watch, right?  So now there is a puzzle on my bed, and I will probably spend the rest of my time tonight trying to figure out what the &%#@$% is wrong with my HRM.  Sounds fun, no?

K, so tomorrow starts week 3, and that means DOUBLE WORKOUTS!  I am scheduled two workouts each day, to be done at different times during the day, not one after the other.  Another bonus for this last week, is the 3 Day Quick Fix, which is a stricter meal plan to make sure we end on a BANG! So I'll be *trying* to follow that the last 3 days of the program.  Wish me luck, because Autumn just turned up the intensity!  Tomorrow: Total Body Cardio Fix and Pilates Fix. :-D

Day 12: Cardio Fix--Round 2

Hello hello!

Today was round 2 of Cardio Fix and it was great!  Worked up a pretty good sweat and felt good the whole time :-)

Can I tell you something?  Last night Brandon pulled out our bag of Halloween candy, you know, to pass out to KIDS, and he dug through it all, and I may have pulled out some Starbursts and Twizzlers...shhh! Don't tell. :-)  Anyway, I didn't have NEARLY as much candy I as I would have scarfed in previous days, but a little bit later, I got all wiggly and antsy, and I think the sugar actually got to me!?  I can't remember the last time that happened...huh.

So, anyway, I got started on my workout and IT FELT SO GOOD to be moving around and getting the blood flowing.  And maybe I was missing it a little more than usual because I worked this morning, but it was so startling to me to think about how different my body is now than when I first got started.  Crazy how much I've changed on the inside as well as on the outside.

Moving on!

Got my workout on and took my "action pictures" and called it good!  Phew!  Hard work :-)

And me channeling my inner "Autumn"

Like my "to do" list all over the background there?

I've done really well eating today, getting back on track after my indulgences over the weekend.  Shakeology for breakfast, V8 energy and a protein bar for lunch, an apple for snacking, protein shake after the workout, and dinner...

Fish Tacos!

Left over mahi mahi, cole slaw and some homemade salsa :-)  Yes please!

Good day today, and tomorrow: Dirty 30, round 2.  See ya then!

Day 10: Lower Fix--Round 2

Today was Lower Fix again!  I gave it my all, and I feel like I did pretty good.  I'm pretty sure I've complained about my right knee here.  The last week it hasn't been as stiff, and it held up pretty well during the squats and lunges.  I even dared to go deeper into the movements.  Maybe that's another effect of the Shakeology kicking in. I also discovered something:  if I look UP at a spot on the wall, I have better form than when I'm looking at my legs, trying to make sure I have the right form.  Works for me :-)  I used my 8 lb weights the whole time, and I felt pretty good about that :-)  Here's the priceless moments {E} caught of the workout ;-)

We only got pictures of the floor exercises today :-)

And we've gotta have a group selfie with my little supporters.  It's a must.

And now for a braggy moment.  But only because I didn't ever think it was possible.  I have ABS.  This first picture is from a couple of weeks ago, and the second is today.

I feel like I tightened a little of my baby belly in the last two weeks. :-D

As far as eating goes, I feel that I did pretty good.  Had smaller meals throughout the day.  Then the girls and I had a girls' night out with one of my bestest friends ever and her little girl.  We played at the park then went to Smashburger, where I did NOT order a burger and fries.  I had a chicken club (and I did eat the bacon) on either a whole wheat or multigrain bun (I don't remember which) with SWEET POTATO fries.  Yes, I know they're still fries, but don't I get a little credit for them being sweet potato?  And not eating them with sauce?  I think yes.  And here are the cuties enjoying the night out.

As you can tell, we are BYU fans around here.  So, I need to go so I can watch the game with Brandon.  It's our "date."  :-D  Have a great weekend everybody!  Let me know what you're up to!