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, #16

Could you change your life by creating a healthy habit in 30 days? That's my mission and I am on day 16. Today, was really cool because I did something totally different. With no food in the house and having slept late, I wanted to get a jump on my day so upon arising and having a glass of water, I dove right in and worked out! Here are today's stats.

Workout:

P90X Cardio X as dictated by their lean plan. 

Nutrition:

Brunch post workout - Egg, cheese, and zucchini shreds with 2 cups of coffee.

Lunch - Subway 6 inch Veggie Delight with Avocado on Whole Wheat no cheese, bag of Lays Salt and Vinegar chips, water to drink.  This was my first time trying this sandwich and I really loved it. It was refreshing and healthy. Thumbs up!

Dinner - TBD :)

I am owed a reward of a new workout outfit which I will get since I did not like the options at Target. I am happy to say I had bought a scale though so now I will be able to factor in those numbers as well. I am now 115 lbs which is 3 pounds lighter than when I started two weeks ago.  I am trying to keep things short and sweet. My hope is that any readers will stay, go through the content, and be inspired!! So with that, I'm off!! 

Big hugs.....

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 Day 12

Gosh, I feel myself getting stronger. Make no mistake I could totally take a nap right now but I feel myself being able to handle the workouts better. I seriously encourage anyone that is interested in achieving a fitness goal to do it today. There is much to gain both physically and mentally.

Today's workout:
P90X Legs and Back with the Ab Ripper X.

Today's Nutrition:
Many glasses of water. I am up to 9+ now.
Breakfast - Cream of Wheat with almonds, ground flaxseeds, and honey. 3 cups of coffee.
Lunch post workout - Fresh juice made of carrots, apple, and lemon. 1 cracked wheat sourdough toast with hummus. 2 hardboiled eggs.

*I sense I am not eating enough to fuel my added activity. I am making due now because I will have to go grocery shopping soon.

Today's Tip:
Have a hard time maintaining your focus when in the middle of a tough workout or exercise? Think about what you are working for. Example: Today while my muscles were burning instead of thinking about that pain, I was imagining my body transformed into my ideal vision. This kept me going and focused on the exercise.

Hope this helps!

& remember.....   You can do it!!!!!!!

30 Days to Greatness Day 10

Today was hard. I just finished a bit ago. These last two days I have been doing my workouts later in the day and while I am happy to say that I can do it if I need to, it just is harder for me when I do. I prefer to get my workouts in before noon. That said, I did complete and I am feeling good about that.

Today's workout:
P90X Arms & Shoulders along with Ab Ripper X

Today's Nutrition:
Breakfast - Cream of Wheat with almonds, ground flaxseeds, and honey along with 2 cups of coffee.
Lunch pre workout - Tuna sandwich on cracked wheat sourdough toast with some Lays Jalapeno Kettle Chips.
Dinner post workout - Fresh juice made of carrots apple and lemon with Thai fried rice and vegetable medley leftover from last night. I satisfied my sweet tooth craving with a Jello pudding cup.
Water all day.

And now, I'll leave you with this. have a great rest of the day!

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.

- Aristotle

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

30 Days to Greatness, Day 5

Today was mighty special to me. I woke up to my monthly visitor. Boooo! Usually, this would put a pause on any kind of working out. It sure has in the past. But today, there was no way I was going to let it or anything else get me down and keep me away from my fit time. Things are changing, in DEED.

I went the P90X Lean route once more. Today called for an hour and a half of Yoga:

I personally love yoga and was grateful to be doing it. Even though P90X Yoga is more intense than other yoga I have done in the past, I still enjoyed it very much. Each daily workout seems to be helping my sore muscles. It's like they get warm and I feel good. I also noticed how much stronger I am already getting. Not only in my mind but physically as well. There were tough moments in today's workout but I was able to complete and once I did I again felt emotional in that really good, accomplished, winning way. 

Before during and after my workout I had plenty of this:

After my workout I enjoyed this:

As for today's food intake:

Breakfast pre workout - Steel cut oats with strawberries, blueberries, almonds, ground flax seeds. 3 cups of coffee.

Post workout - Fresh carrot apple lemon juice.

Lunch - Open faced ham sandwich with tomato, avocado, spinach, and onion. Greek salad on the side (cucumber, tomato, feta, and olive oil.) V8 to drink

Dinner consisted of a hot dog with ketchup and mustard, 1/2 cup popcorn no butter, and some yogurt covered pretzels. I also had some of my hubby's Sprite. We went to the movies and saw Snow White  and the Huntsman so I splurged a little. I do not drink soda so when I say a little it was probably about 4 oz.

Tomorrow is my last day for the week since I've given myself permission to have Sundays off. I don't know if I will take it off though. I'm really enjoying this feeling. I may just do something outdoors. Well see. Remember friends:

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right." 

- Henry  Ford

30 Days to Greatness, Day 2

I am on a mission to change my life forever. My goal is to develop the healthy habit of exercising daily. This is not about weight loss although I do expect to see positive changes in my body. For me, this is about strength, health, discipline, confidence, and accomplishment. Yesterday was my first day.

This morning I woke up stiff and sore. It wasn't unbearable but I definitely felt various parts of my body aching from yesterday's workout. The main parts I was feeling were my calves, upper arms, back, and shoulders. I have to admit this made me happy because it was proof I had done something. It also made me a little scared because I was going to do another workout today. Hubby recommended I take advil. I decided instead to have breakfast first. This is another way I am going about this differently. In the past, I would attempt working out by starting my day with a workout first thing. This is because I do prefer the morning but it was also because I was afraid I wouldn't do a workout if I didn't. Now I am letting myself have breakfast first. It gives me fuel and a sense of calm. This is a new day and a new me. There is no time or space for fearful thoughts. :)

After breakfast I decided to do the P90X stretch workout. This is an hour of yoga type moves with stretching and holding patterns that work your whole body. It turned out to be the perfect remedy for my stiffness. I especially liked the frog, circles, and morning stretch moves. It was fantastic to have body parts I didn't even know were stiff be opened up. I also would like to incorporate these into my life at random times. Afterward I felt a sense of calm, accomplishment, peace, and flexibility. No advil required.

I am finding that both these days I am a lot more hungry than usual. That has alarmed me a bit because mentally I feel more eating equals more calories and that turns into fat. However, I am making healthy choices and will be going to the market to stock up on items that will give me what I feel my body needs at this time, in a healthy way. Some things I am looking to get are:

Greek yogurt
Tuna
Kale
Berries
Chicken
Steel cut oats

As for what I have eaten today so far:

Egg, spinach, and onion scramable with 1 piece of whole wheat toast. - Pre workout
Fresh carrot celery apple juice. - Post workout
Quarter chicken meal from Zankou with basmati rice and tabbouleh sides. No pita.
Multiple glasses of water. (Right now my average is about 6 glasses a day.)

I'd like to mention that my girlfriend Jennifer reached out to me out of the blue to go on a hike. I was unable to at the time she was available but I was really happy to have gotten the invitation and thought it was a wonderful "coincidence" cause no sooner had I made space in my life for this goal and other things I have been desiring in my life are manifesting.  YAY!