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!

Day 21: Yoga Fix and NOT eating a bunch of junk food

"It came!  It finally came!" Name that movie (A).  Those are my feelings right now.  And it's not because I didn't enjoy it, because I really did.  But by the end of it, I'm just really impatient about getting my final results and moving on to something new and different. "New is always better." Name that show (B).  So, today is the last day of documenting 21 Day Fix, and TOMORROW I will post my official loss stats.  Super exciting!  K, pictures:

Triangle pose.  Suddenly I'm insecure about the length of my legs in proportion to the rest of my body. Hmmm.

Something pose I don't remember.  That old ballet muscle memory came in handy today.

Today was the start of Fall Break for {E}, and I didn't have work today, so we didn't need to go ANYWHERE today!  I about peed my pants I was so excited :-)  So, naturally, we all stayed in our pjs and watched Halloween movies and ate popcorn all day.  I had a bowl of plain popcorn, but then {C} insisted that she share her buttered and salted popcorn with me.  So I ate a bit of that too, more than I should have.

Also, this week has been the perfect storm (meaning I'm unprepared). We ran out of pretty much all of our kid-friendly-shut-up-and-eat meals.  You know the ones, chicken nuggets, peanut butter sandwiches, hot dogs, you know, that kinda stuff.  So, Brandon and I made an executive decision: Brandon will bring home dinner for the kids.  So, Brandon came home with a pepperoni pizza from Papa Murphys, AND...

...barbecue.  Jerk.  I grew up in Texas.  Barbecue is part of my pedigree.  I asked my Grandpa to cook a brisket for our wedding luncheon.  And he did.  We love barbecue in this household.  I did NOT resist.  BUT, I did restrain myself.  Portion control people: it saves lives.  The brisket was pretty good, the ribs and shredded pork weren't my favorite, but the smoked chicken wings were AMAZING.  Yum.  Also, I did eat the carrot and celery sticks.  Moving on.

Tomorrow I start T25.  Pretty pumped to get going on that :-)  I've even got it all written on my calendar.  There is something about checking off everything after it's done that I just love :-)

So, I'm just gonna leave you hanging a little longer, and pictures and everything will be up tomorrow!  See ya then!

(A) Toy Story

(B) How I Met Your Mother

Day 19: Cardio Fix AND Upper Fix + The start of something...well, something.

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!  I've almost made it to the end, and now I've hit the home stretch!  To celebrate, I started the 3 Day Quick Fix meal plan, to put a little "oomph" towards my final results :-)  (I'm smiling now, we'll see if I'm still alive in two more days.)

First, the workouts:

Cardio Fix oblique knee pulls

Upper Fix rows and lateral raises

And the post wouldn't be complete without a picture of me and at least one of my helpers :-)

Now for the strict meal plan:  

This is what I ate today, and what I'll eat the next two days.  The coconut oil is the only fat I'm allowed, and the only seasonings are spices, or lemon/lime juice. NO SALT.  I worked tonight, so I substituted a couple of my proteins with a protein shake and a protein bar.  It's almost 10 pm now, and I still need one more meal.  I haven't starved at all, its just kind of "blah" food for me.  I haven't steamed any of my veggies, like it says to, I've just eaten raw cucumbers and carrots so far. 

Another confession:  I did bake some chicken in the oven, seasoned with garlic powder and pepper, and I planned to have some of that after work.  But when I got home, Brandon had purchased a rotisserie chicken, so I cheated a little and had that instead :-)  (Shhh! Don't tell Autumn!)  There was definitely salt on the skin, and some yummy juices around there as well, but I mostly pulled my white meat from the inside and didn't get a lot of the skin.  I feel, for that reason, that it wasn't TOO BAD of a substitution.

And that is all for tonight :-)  I plan to have some more chicken for my last meal, with some spinach and a little lemon juice.  And I'll see you tomorrow for Dirty 30 AND Pilates Fix!

Day 17: Lower Fix and...Indoor Soccer :-)

Hola!  Yesterday was fantastic!  For the most part.  It started off wonderful with my workout, and then we had plans to meet with Brandon's family and do some going out and about.  First, the workout:

Once again, I did the exercises cautiously, so as not to aggravate my knee.  But I thought this picture turned out pretty good.  Sometimes I think I'm not going as low as the people in the video, but sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised at how well I actually do the exercises.  You should try it sometime.  If you think you aren't doing something the right way, take a picture or record yourself doing the "something" and actually SEE how you're doing.  It gives you an unbiased perspective.

Now for going out and about.  My husband recruits for one of the ski resorts here in the Salt Lake area, and we went up for their Oktoberfest celebration, and also to ride the tram up to the top of Hidden Peak.  It was a fun outing for the little ones and we got some good pictures :-)  This is officially the beginning of the holiday season, where every weekend, it feels, there is a family get-together "to-do" to attend.  (Brandon and I both have lots of family within a 30 mile radius, so it gets pretty busy for us.)

So, we thought we might try to take some family pictures while we were up here, like some fancy ones, but...they're doing construction at the top of the mountain, apparently they're putting a restaurant up there, and they had this awesome gravel pit that the kids were immediately drawn to.  EVERYONE got dirty, whether you played in the pit or not.  Also, it was chillier than we were expecting all the way up there, so Brandon was the only one still showing off his sweater by the time we got there :-)  But the view was gorgeous!

After we came down the mountain, we walked around Oktoberfest.  We don't drink, and also, we had kids with us, so we passed on all the ale options and found the Belgian waffle stand.  This is the "Ultimate" option, complete with nutella, vanilla ice cream, strawberries, and whipped cream.  The girls and I made short work of it, while being entertained by some German folk bands.  We had a lot of fun :-)

Later that day, we went down the valley for our weekly soccer game, which again, we lost.  But it's so much fun to just play :-)  I was scheduled to do 10 minute Ab Fix for my second workout yesterday, but once we got home, we had a damaged finger crisis to deal with (pics to come) and I just didn't buckle down to do it.  I'll tack it on to tomorrow's workouts...somehow.

We also did our weekly grocery shopping, and, like I said: it's the holiday season.  And I'm in trouble.

Moderation in all things, right?  I drank the top quarter of it last night, and I'm planning to have a little bit more tonight.  Baby steps.  For me, that's portion control.  I may not be able to say "no" all the time.  But when I can't say "no," I CAN say "when!"  :-)

Tomorrow: Pilates Fix + 10 minute Ab Fix AND Total Body Cardio Fix.  Also laundry and two shifts of work.  I'll get it all in.  Right?

Day 11: Pilates Fix--Round 2

Yesterday was actually the day I did the workout, since Sunday is my rest day, but once again, we didn't get home until late, and I didn't want to worry over posting.  Saturdays we usually make the trek down to Utah County and visit all the fam.  There is also, usually, a soccer game involved, but yesterday our game was scheduled for 6:10 pm, which happened to be during the Priesthood Session of Conference, and since our team is made up of only Brandon's family, half of them thought it would be better for them to attend their church meeting.  So we forfeited.

It's ok though, because instead of tiring myself out at soccer, I got to have a nice, semi-relaxing evening with my female in-laws :-)  (The "semi-relaxing" is because there were also younger females running around the house screaming, so, yeah.)

And here's the confession:  I partook of not healthy food.  (gasp!)  Also, I am feeling pretty good about it, and I'll tell you why.  When I started this "getting healthy" journey, I had no intention whatsoever of giving up deserts and hamburgers and delicious food altogether.  The end goal of this whatchamacallit is to yes, lose weight, get healthy, tone/firm up, but also to enjoy and participate in family gatherings/functions.  The holiday season is coming up, and that's the time when I tend to pack on my extra 10-15 lbs of winter weight.  There is SO MUCH yummy food floating around the holidays, and it is ridiculous to expect that I'm not gonna eat any of it.  That wouldn't make for a happy holiday anyways.  Rounding back around to my point: the good news about me indulging last night/today is that I've been able to CONTROL IT.  The major progress being made here is that I'm not gorging myself on deserts, and turkey and gravy, potatoes with extra butter and soft, warm rolls.  (drooling yet?)  Yes, I'm eating the good food, but in the last two months I've developed a relationship with my body where I LISTEN to it when it says "You're satisfied.  Don't eat another helping."  I've removed daily sugar highs long enough to know that THIS PARTICULAR TREAT is not going to taste as good as I think it will, and I know that I WON'T FEEL GOOD if I eat it.  And I can make a logical, conscious decision about it and stick to it.  For the most part.

And THAT, my friendlies, is progress :-)

As for the pilates workout, it was still a workout :-)  I'm still having the hardest time with the side/mat glute exercises.  You know, the ones where you lie on your side and then do the leg lifts, and "stir the pot/mixing bowl?"  Yeah, those ones.  They are killer.  So, that part was hard still, and then it didn't help that {C} kept trying to sit on me during my low plank hold.  Stinker.  Other than that, I felt like I did well with everything else.  Definitely still loving that these workouts are only 30 MINUTES!  It is so wonderful, it just goes by so quickly :-)

And I am now, officially, half-way through this program!  And a happy note to end on: I got my Insanity T-shirt Friday!  If you do a Beachbody workout the whole way through, you can go on their website, upload your before/after pictures, tell them a little bit about how you liked the program, and then they will send you a FREE T-SHIRT.  Score.

Day 9: Upper Fix--Round 2

Hola Friendlies!  Today was a fun day :-)  It was my day off, so I decided to bite the bullet and start potty training Miss {C}.  Cuz, ya know, that's something you do on a day off.  It started off pretty great, the first time she sat on her "portable" potty, she peed.  Which was great, except she peed through her big girl panties and her pants that she hadn't pulled down.  Oh well, we counted that as a win and started her off on her sticker chart (seen here).  And that's how many times she sat on the potty, not how many attempts were successful.  We reward attempts here, too :-)

Yes, this was a spontaneous decision to potty train today.  Can ya tell?

The rest of the day went about as expected.  After potty training {E}, I had a good idea of what was in store; we had a few accidents, she screamed bloody murder went I rinsed her off in the shower, we went through ~5 pairs of panties, blah blah blah. After the 5th pair of underwear, she was tired of the idea, and asked to go back into a diaper.  I said ok, b/c she had alluded to a "stinky" all day, but it never showed up.  I didn't want to clean that out of her underwear, and I think the shower may have traumatized her.  So we called it a day.  It was our first attempt, anyway.  If she keeps showing interest, we'll pick it up again soon.

Now, I know that THAT was what you came here to read about, so I hope I didn't disappoint ;-)  But, today's workout was Upper Fix again.  I really like this workout, b/c I'm starting to get proud of the little grooves and definition that I actually have in my arms now (yay!)  But I'll tell you what, the worst exercise today was the low-plank hold.  I don't know if it's just because I'm over holding plank, after substituting push-ups for that for the last 6+ weeks, or that it's just boring that I'm not moving for a whole minute.  I wasn't able to distract myself thinking about how I was supposed to be doing the exercise.  I just held the plank. *crickets*

BUT, in the way of VERY GOOD NEWS!  I did the push-ups this time around!  Granted, I had to bring over Brandon's weights so that I wouldn't have to bend my wrist hardly at all, and I had to modify on my knees as well, but seriously, I haven't attempted push-ups since August 8th. (I know that because my accident was the next day, and August 8th was the day my brother-in-law got married.  Fun fact.)  Here's photographic evidence.  I look pretty weak, huh?

My meals were, once again, pretty much the same.  But since I had the day off, I actually made dinner: Chicken Enchilada Soup.  It's Fall now, I can make hearty food; it's allowed.  And you can't have chicken enchilada soup without cheese, sour cream, and chips.  That would be sacrilege.  So I was good, and pre-measured my "allowed" portions of those ingredients, and mixed it all together (not the cucumbers) and it was DELICIOUS!  

Now tell me, who doesn't want summa that? 

Oh!  Oh!  Other good news: I hit my lowest weight this morning!  Remember how I was eating terribly last weekend?  Well, I put on a little that weighed me in at more than I started at, but now I have officially lost 2.4 lbs from my starting weight!  *Autumn is not joking around with that meal plan, you WILL SHED those pounds.*  So, it was a good day.  Tomorrow is Lower Fix again.  See ya then!

Day 7: Yoga Fix

Ok people!  I am one week into this thing, and it is looking good!  Granted, I pretty much botched the first 5 days with the meal plan side of it, but I'm getting back on track :-)  I would have written this earlier, but you know, when the husband tells you to look at Zulily for Halloween decorations, that's whatcha do.  I mean, it would be RUDE not to listen to him, right?  I may have found some things that made the horrible, AWFUL ordeal of shopping worth it, though ;-)

Probably, I should have prefaced this with: Halloween is our FAVORITE holiday.  We might could make a car payment if we sold all of our decorations...maybe. :-)  WE LOVE IT.

Moving on!  Yoga...hmmm.  I wasn't sure how this was gonna go, because I haven't ever really DONE yoga before.  Also, I have this sprained wrist that is healing, and it doesn't do so hot in downward facing dog.  And lastly, I wasn't sure what level of yoga this would be, so, before I got started, I may have felt something akin to this:

BUT, I marched onward (metaphorically speaking) nonetheless.  I had my helper to guide me through the moves and calm my nerves.  In the end we made it through all right.  Autumn also did a great job with vocal cues and telling me when I should be breathing.  I feel like this would be a good yoga workout for a beginner, which I thought I was.  Turns out Shaun T had me doing lots of yoga during my stretches and I didn't even know it!  Idiot.  Me, not Shaun T.

Miss {C} in her ready pose...

...and in Warrior II.  Dude, she totally rocked it.

Annnnnnndddddddd this is the picture {E} took of me actually doing the workout.  Hey, notice the VERY different angles of my wrists there?  Yeah, that is what I'm working with.  So annoying.  

I did pretty good with my foodies today.  Can't start my day without my V8 energy, had some oatmeal, a protein bar, and of course, Shakeology was included.

However, after I got home from work, hunger hit me hard, and {E} had been begging for a hamburger for about half an hour, so I ran down to Wendy's.  I REALLY wanted a BIG, FAT, JUICY, CHEESY HAMBURGER...but I was good and got a grilled chicken go wrap.  It's been about an hour and a half since then, so I'll probably munch on an apple or banana, maybe throw a home grown tomato in there for fun :-)  Stayin strong!  Tomorrow: Total Body Cardio Fix, Round 2.

Day 6: Dirty 30

I've got lots of pictures today!  I know ya love em.  :-D  Today was the Dirty 30 workout, and while I still am not 100% sure why it's called that, once again, the day's workout was great.  It actually reminded me a lot of Jillian Michael's No More Trouble Zones work out.  Almost every exercise used weights, so that meant I moved slower than everybody else.  Oh well.

So here's the picture of me being awesome and actually doing one of the exercises.

Also, today I really, truly, committed to following the meal plan.  So, report:  I had my V8 energy drink (peach mango) which takes up one of my yellow containers (I think), my 100% whey protein drink for after the workout, my Shakeology for lunch (both of those are red containers), and then I had spinach, salmon, parmesan, and poppyseed dressing salad something

and when I got home from work I had a snack of baby carrots and an Asian pear.

And THIS is my food tracking device :-)  The bottom one is today, and that top part is how many of each container I should be consuming each day.

I still have some boxes left over, a starch, a protein, and some more fruits and veggies.  Maybe I'll have homemade street tacos.  Hmmm.  But now the post is over, because me and the hubby have to get caught up on the new season of Big Bang Theory.  Oh yes, this is happening.  Tomorrow: Yoga Fix.  Stay tuned!