30 Days to Greatness, Days 17 & 18!

Hi there, hope you had a great 4th of July. I apologize for not blogging on the 4th I had a DJ gig which is why I didn't blog. I can tell you that I did work out and as for my nutrition I'll fill you in on what I remember... Here we go:

Day 17 Workout:
Arms & Shoulders with Ab Ripper X as dictated by the P90X Lean Plan.
I enjoy this workout very much. So far, I have been using resistance bands and they have been working although I will soon buy dumbbells because I think it will make the movements more fluid and I will not have to worry about setting up the bands for each exercise.

Day 17 Nutrition:
Breakfast pre workout - Cream of Wheat with ground flaxseeds, almonds, and honey. 3 cups of coffee.
Lunch post workout - Open faced tuna sandwich, with tomato, onion, and spinach on cracked whole wheat sourdough bread. Low Sodium V8 to drink.
Dinner - Tuna (leftover from lunch) in an open faced sandwich. Water to drink.
*Water all day. I usually have 10 cups+ but this day I didn't because I had cocktails at my DJ gig. I had 3 vodka cranberry drinks. I'm noticing that drinking is not what it used to be. My night's sleep was terrible and I am starting to wonder if drinking is really necessary at all. Perhaps it's because when I am eating and drinking good things that fuel and nourish my body, it feels so good. So now, when I have drinks it may be fun for a bit but I don't enjoy the feeling afterward. My body just doesn't feel top notch when I do that. I'll share more on this when I come to a more of a conclusion.

Because of last night's sleep and the fact it was overcast I was tired most of the day. I also did not set myself up for success. Still, I did get my workout on. I also got myself part of the reward I set up for myself when I took on this challenge. Here's today's 411.....

Day 18 Workout:
Yoga X as recommended by the P90X Lean Plan

Day 18 Nutrition:
Breakfast - 3 cups of coffee
Lunch post workout - Fresh juice made of carrot apple and lemon. Egg scramble of tomato mushroom onion and spinach along with a buttered cracked wheat sourdough toast.
Snack - Bowl of cherries.
Water all day.
* Not eating before my workout was not good. I was already feeling sluggish but didn't eat because I wasn't hungry. My energy during the workout and after has been lacking.

However, I did got to Sport's Authority and got one of my rewards!! I am so excited, I absolutely LOVE my purchase and I signed up for a free rewards card with them (Not a credit card, it's like a Ralph's card) which means I am going to save $5.00 when I go back for clothes!! Plus, I had gotten blessed with a 20% off coupon for Sport's Authority in the mail so I got these for 20% off! Check it out, my swanky new workout kicks:

"Success doesn't come to you, you go to it." - Marva Collins 

Go after it!!!

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 11

Ever feel like you could just dream forever?? That's how I awoke this morning. Had to be up and at 'em for 2 auditions and other business. Fit my workout in between it all and now, at 7:08 pm, I'm beat. I can feel myself getting stronger already though. There are exercises that are getting easier and muscle groups that are not burning so badly. Also, I am noticing less soreness which is wonderful. Night's are great because I am genuinely tired and I don't have to work to get to sleep. I am also noticing freedom from back pain which is something I used to feel regularly. I posted about it in my 1st 30 Day Challenge post. My back is where I hold my stress and I know that working out is helping me release stress. It's great to get physical every day. With that said, here are today's stats...

Today's workout:
P90X Yoga X as dictated by their lean plan.

Today's nutrition:
Breakfast - 1 egg on a piece of sourdough toast, 2 cups of coffee.
Lunch pre workout - 2 blueberry waffles with syrup 1 cup of coffee.
Dinner - Chipotle Bowl with romaine lettuce, black beans, fajita vegetables, carnitas, light sour cream and light cheese. Chips and guacamole.
Lots of water all day, I am averaging roughly 10 glasses a day now.

Today's workout tip:
I had posted about working out on my facebook page and asked people when they like to work out. It was then that Luis let me know he was still trying to get started. In honor of him, here's a tip!!

How about approaching a friend, family member, coworker, and seeing if they will work out with you or lend you their workout DVD so you can get your fitness goals started! This can help make you accountable because you will have a partner counting on you and can save you money if you are not interested in joining the gym  or purchasing DVDs right now. Where there's a will, there's a way. So go and find your's today!

;)
See you tomorrow...

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, # 9

Today was so good I sweat my heart out!! :D

Today's P90X Lean Plan dictated I do Core Synergistics.

This workout is targeted for all the muscle groups in the torso. There were moments I was burning! I took a lot of water in throughout the workout and pushed through the pain. There were a couple of exercises I am not strong enough to do yet. A specific one that comes to mind is the push up knee kick. I did as many as I could and then held the plank position to continue working out my core while they stayed on that exercise.

As for today's nutrition so far:
Breakfast - 3 cups of coffee, 2 glasses of water, and a fresh juice consisting of kale, cucumber, apple, lemon, and ginger.
Lunch pre workout - Grilled chicken breast half, raw spinach light mayo and mustard on a piece of cracked wheat sourdough toast. My favorite salad on the side (cucumber, tomato, feta cheese, and olive oil.) V8 to drink.
Since working out I have only had water so far because it is only 5:33 pm. I plan on having something high in protein or fiber and possibly another fresh juice.

If you are also on a fitness journey here are some tips:
1. Push past your comfort level but not to the point of damage. Ask yourself, is my ego leading? If the answer is yes, cool out.  Do a couple more than your body wants, and a couple less than your ego wants. ;)
2. Positivity really makes a difference. What are you grateful for in this experience? How strong, fit, thin, you are getting? Extra energy? Mental clarity? Think of that. So far, the hardest work out I have had just so happened to be the one I went in dreading. Give yourself all the mental support you can.
3. Make sure you stretch, warm up, cool down. This will help you stay flexible while you are getting stronger. You do not want to lose range of motion and end up stiff. You will feel sore when you are working muscle groups in a new way but you shouldn't be getting stiff. Help your body stay limber by stretching. Respect the warm up and cool down process.

Ok, I'm outta here. See you tomorrow. <3