30 Days are UP! I've Arrived at Greatness.

Friends, I am happy to say that I have completed my 30 Days to Greatness fitness challenge. Yesterday and today I continued to follow the P90X lean program. Yesterday was Core Synergistics and today was Kenpo. This is the first time in my adult life that I have been active every day for 30 days in a row and I must say it has been a wonderful, fulfilling journey in which I have learned a lot. I have absolutely cultivated this healthy habit into my life and am looking forward to continuing a fit and healthy lifestyle. Here is what I have discovered so far on this journey...

Some benefits:
Boosted confidence and esteem
Relief from back pain / knots
Increased physical strength
Increased mental strength
Freedom from really painful cramps and fatigue during my period.

The joy of keeping my promise to myself.

The realization of how powerful I am and can be.
*There have been many things to celebrate, this is just some of the list.

Why am I writing this? Because I'm a person just like you:
I owned the P90X DVDs for a couple of years and it wasn't until now that I started using them.
I was previously a member of Bally's and then LA Fitness and like many people would pay for membership a lot more than I would use it.
I believed I didn't have enough time to work out.
I wondered why I would start a fitness regimen totally jazzed and then fizzle out one to two weeks after making a commitment.
I started to believe I would need a personal trainer to change my pattern.
*I think we can all relate to this. But now those days are over. I'm here to tell you if I can do it, you can too.

What changed?
1. DESIRE. For once in my life my desire to cultivate this healthy habit for the rest of my life outweighed any of the previous excuses that used to stand in my way.
2. I also went about it differently. Instead of wondering if I could do it or would do it this time, I made the decision that it had already been done. When you think of yourself as someone fit and healthy, you start acting like it. This helped me keep my promise to myself, not sabotage myself with food, and engage in my workouts with vigor and the knowing I was coming back tomorrow. You know, the marathon vs. the sprint mentality.

Friends, I will continue to post up about fitness, health, and nutrition. My new goal is to continue the P90X Lean Program for a total of 90 Days and then, purchase another workout like the Insanity or Zumba programs. If you have missed my daily posts while on this journey, click below and remember that subscribing and commenting is love. I write about all kinds of goodness on this blog and I'd love for you to be a part of it. Cheers to living our best life! xo

Day's 28 & 29 of 30 Days to Greatness

Day 27 of 30 Days to Greatness

30 Days to Greatness #26

30 Days to Greatness, Day 25.

30 Days to Greatness, Day 24

30 Days to Greatness, 22 and 23

30 Days to Greatness. Days 20 & 21. Let's go!!!

30 Days to Greatness. Day 19, Hitting a Wall...

30 Days to Greatness, Days 17 & 18!

30 Days to Greatness, #16

30 Days to Greatness. I'm Halfway There at Day 15!!!!

30 Days to Greatness Day 12

30 Days to Greatness, Day 11

30 Days to Greatness Day 10

30 Days to Greatness, # 9

30 Days to Greatness, THIS is Day 8.

30 Days to Greatness Day 6

30 Days to Greatness, Day 5

30 Days to Greatness, # 4

30 Days to Greatness, Day 3

30 Days to Greatness, Day 2

30 Days to Greatness

30 Days to Greatness. I'm Halfway There at Day 15!!!!

Gosh, here I am at the middle mark of my challenge. I am so excited and feeling really good about it. It's so funny because I had given myself an incentive of a nice new workout outfit (I currently do not own workout clothes) and now here I am and just making it here is awesome enough!!! I will get myself my reward too though ;)

I just realized I did not post on Saturday so we will start there:

Saturday's Stats:

Workout: 

P90X Lean Plan called for Kenpo. It was my first time doing Kenpo and although there were difficult moments I LOVED IT! I really enjoyed the fighting stances and the movements because it felt as though I was training. We also incorporated sound and it felt goooood. Talk about a total release. 

In addition to the P90X workout, I also swam and danced at a friends pool party. It was funny because I felt the fatigue in my muscles after dancing hard for a bit but that just served to remind me of what I am doing and it's like a little proud secret when it sneaks up on you like that. 

Nutrition:

Breakfast pre workout - Cream of Wheat with ground flaxseeds, almonds, and honey. 2 cups of coffee.

Lunch post workout - 4 Blue Moon beers, 6 watermelon wedges (thinly sliced), 3 carne asada tacos (soft shell al carbon style with 1 corn tortilla each only) at the pool party.  

Dinner - 1/2 of a burger from The Habit with cheese (1 of the bun halves removed, water to drink)

**On a whole this day was not good nutritionally. I do not recommend this to anyone wanting to lose weight. If anything, please note the ways I modified my choices to save myself from empty calories. 

Sunday I was sore all over and tired. I enjoyed healthy calorie conscious foods, walked around Hollywood with my husband, and enjoyed the rest of my day off. 

Today's Stats:

Workout:

P90X Core Synergistics as dictated by their lean plan.

Nutrition:

Breakfast - Steel cut oats with blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, ground flaxseeds, and 2 cups of coffee. 

Lunch pre workout - Vegetable Ramen from Ajisen with 1/2 side of chicken, water to drink. 

Dinner post workout - Mahi Mahi with brown rice, garnished with sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, and ground flaxseeds. Water to drink. 

I was so happy to see someone comment on my blog and show appreciation for the content. This was coming from a personal trainer which made it even sweeter. Thanks to anyone who is reading this. 

If you are having trouble starting or sticking with your fitness and nutrition goals, here are a couple tips!

1. No matter what weight you are now, YOU CAN DO IT!!! Don't believe me? Watch Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition These wonderful people will inspire you as will their trainer Chris. 

2. Finding it easy to slip away from your goal? Write it down and put it where you can see it!! Bonus points if you add an encouraging phrase or a picture of your dream body. :)

Remember.....

Pain is temporary, GLORY IS FOREVER. 

Go get it! I believe in us. :)

30 Days to Greatness, THIS is Day 8.

First off, I'd like to give thanks for the glorious weekend I had. A movie on Friday night with my husband and then Saturday and Sunday we spent at gatherings that totally enriched our souls. It was really great and I am so appreciative. Do you ever get to take stock, just really let yourself review and be grateful for the goodness? I hope you do, there is so much goodness around us. Something about noticing it seems to let it know it's welcome and then it shows up more... So yeah, I'm really grateful that this weekend was so great.

Sunday was my day of rest. I did not do any workouts. I still drank a ton of water because I genuinely enjoy it now. I also had a delicious salad that my Mom had made, it was so good I did not need any dressing, and lasagna, two helpings. What??? ;)

For those of you wanting to drink more water, you can try:
Make it fun! Give yourself a cup goal and mark off each cup you drink.
Add some healthy natural flavor! Lemon wedges, lime wedges, orange wedges, or cucumber taste good! There are also added benefits to this.

As for today, I wondered if it would be hard getting back to it. After all, I had just enjoyed a day of rest and I still feel sore daily. But, I was excited to get my workout in and when my husband suggested we go to the park, I told him I sure would once I exercised. It felt good. I felt empowered at keeping my date with myself. It was totally different than any obligation I might have felt in the past and that was wonderful.

Today's P90X Lean Plan called for Cardio X. It was good. I found I took a few more water breaks than I remember taking the first time. On the flip side I hung in on the kicks a lot better than the first time. It was great. I was sweaty, heaving, and happy. In my first 30 Days to Greatness post I mention the reward I am going to give myself upon completing 2 consecutive weeks. I do not own workout gear so a nice new workout outfit is motivating to me. I have always been tomboyish at the gym. Sweats and large t shirts but I am feeling so good I just may buy something cute. There may even be a little midriff showing... If you're thinking about being fit, taking a stand for health, or just releasing extra stress regularly by working out, GO FOR IT. It feels that good.

Speak soon... <3

Magazines. Oh The POWER!

I have been a lover of fashion magazines for as long as I could remember. Growing up, they were a bit of a luxury. But as a teenager, once I was able to score my mags, our love affair was sealed! Fashion magazines showed me a world I could only dream about. Far off places, unmistakable beauty. Riches displayed via clothing and other material items hinting at an amazing world. A world where adventure, health, beauty, was not only possible but THRIVING! I know this is where my love of photography, fashion, style, and beauty was born. These are things that still bring me great joy.

My first dream ever, was to be a supermodel. I have since been blessed to experience a piece of that dream. My very 1st passport stamp was provided when I was flown out to the Bahamas for a swimsuit shoot and runway show. As for my latest modeling bit, a feature in FHM Malaysia coming January 2012!

That aside, which one of us, woman or man, hasn't seen something in a magazine that just held our breath for a minute? That amazing article of clothing you just know you'd stop traffic with, that gorgeous model's body, that ultra cool gadget, or amazing home you just see yourself living in.

There are people that say that magazines are bad. That they depict things that are impossible. Visions unattainable by most. To that, I say boo.

Who's to say what's attainable and for whom?

My preferred subscriber status not only gives me amazing deals on my beloved subscriptions but also ensures that each month, treasures will be delivered into my mailbox. Pages of dreams, aspirations, knowledge, and beauty. Yeah, I have yet to buy my $1,000 pair of shoes or safari in Africa, but as I look back I see a whole world of stuff no one but me thought I'd be able to do. Who's to say I will  not accomplish these?  ;)

I am sure you too have done some amazing things. So let's get on with our bad selves and make "it" happen. I'm right here if you wanna tell me about it. Now, back to my magazine....

: *