15 changes that have come with losing 25 pounds.

1. I have more energy!

Before, it was a struggle to get through the day without a nap. I felt tired and run down, constantly. If we had evening plans, forget it! That maybe nap became a MUST! Now- I can run and go all day without missing a beat! And still have energy left over to push play at night with Aaron.

2. My pain has almost disappeared.

Most of you know that I struggle with Fibromyalgia. At my highest weight, it hurt to walk. I used it as an excuse NOT to work out. “It hurts to bad”. I woke up every day feeling as if I had the flu. Achy and bluch. Last week- I had my first flare since beginning to work out in March- before it was a weekly thing. And, on top of that- it lasted one day, not several.

3. I have gotten better at saying “no”.

I guess when I got used to saying “no” to certain foods, I realized that it wasn’t so bad. I could say “no” in other areas of my life and not feel afraid that someone was going to think less of me. I am a former “yes” gal. Someone needed help, I was right there- no matter if it ran me down to the ground. “Ooohh, its no trouble at all!” Now- I can say “no” if I need to. Its empowering- and guess what? I haven’t lost any friends over it.

4.I love working out!

I love my computer. If it came down to possessions, my computer would be the one thing I probably would not part with. I enjoy  playing games on my computer, and browsing the web. My computer holds countless pictures and videos of my favorite people. 6 months ago if you had told me that I would love to work out and sweat, I’d have laughed in your face. I like sitting at my computer to much thankyouverymuch! Give up free time at my computer to work out? No thank you. But its true- I love it. I love the sweat, the energy, the feeling. Its second to none!

5. I am less stressed.

This is NOT to say I don’t have the same stressors as before (or more), because I absolutely DO! But this is saying that I handle the stress better. I don’t get the panic feeling that I did before, I am not snapping at those close to me etc. If you look at number 4, that’s a huge reason why I handle everything better- working out helps SO much. I start to feel overwhelmed or stressed, I do some stretches, or jumping jacks. Get that blood pumping in a positive way!

6. I don’t dread getting dressed.

This is a biggy for me. I don’t know if its just me, or if other people struggle with this as well, but I used to hate getting dressed. I hated trying to find something that I felt ‘ok’ in. I hated going anywhere that I needed to get dressed up for. Now, I look forward to it!

7. I am comfortable in my own skin.

I am proud of what I have accomplished. No, strangers in public don’t know how hard I have been/am working, but I do. And that makes a big difference. I know I’m smaller than I used to be, and that’s all that matters. I’m not afraid that people are staring or making fun of me anymore. I’m proud of who I am and what I’m doing.

8. My kids are proud of me.

My ten year old daughter is one of my biggest cheerleaders. If she hears me announce a victory- she claps and jumps and screams “yay!”. Fist bumps and high fives abound. A total WOW feeling for sure.

9.People notice.

This is good for the ego, and good for business. People see me and tell me how great I look and ask what I’m doing. Perfect plug for the biz.

10. I am stronger.

I am doing things I never thought possible before. I can run with my kids, I can do jumping jacks. I can lift and pull and push and tote with the best of them. No more “I can’t” here!

11. I’m sleeping better than ever!

Ok, aside from kids waking me up at all hours of the night (if anyone knows the magic to keeping THEM asleep all night, let me know!). I sleep and I sleep hard! No more tossing and turning for this chick!

12. I’m a better wife.

This is really a combination of everything above- but all of it rolled into one has really made me a better wife. I am not sleep deprived, stressed to the max, no energy for my husband woman anymore. I am lets go, lets roll come on lets do it woman! Date night? Sure! Push play together? Of course! Late night movie session? No problem!

13. I’m happy!

This one is pretty self explanitory.

14. I’m not afraid of the camera!

I look back over my pictures through the years, and there are very few of me.  The ones I do have are of my face only- and even then I hate them. Not anymore- no, I’m not where I need to be, but I feel proud of how far I’ve come. I’m not afraid to be captured where I am anymore.

15. Um hello! I’m down 25 pounds, 20+ inches and three dress sizes!

That’s awesome in and of itself!

Milestones, Progress and Fun!

Sorry its been so long since I posted. Things have been super busy!

Kids finishing up school, hitting it hard in P90X and keeping up with my business. My  hubby is joining me as a coach soon, and I cannot WAIT to work with him! We have big big dreams!

Just a short little update for y’all.

Milestones- I am ONE pound away from hitting my 20 pound milestone. I’m going to hit it next week! This thrills me SO much! I can’t even put into words.

Progress- I love how I can measure my progress in so many ways. Thursday night during our cool down stretch, I realized- I could touch my toes! Without bending my knees! I cannot tell you the last time I could do that. Its just another proof of progress.

Finally- Fun!

Tonight Aaron and I took a ballroom dance lesson! Now, this is something I never would have done before. Yeah, I went dancing with friends, but that was in a club- in the dark- in a huge crowd. Now a small(ish) group of people, in the light- where people can see me! We had a blast! It was hard- oh was it ever. We decided we probably shouldn’t have taken quickstep as our first lesson- it was pretty difficult. But I do believe I am hooked- I can’t wait until next time.

I leave you with a picture from our evening.

 

Stay Healthy and keep pushing play!

Man oh man!

I just have to take a moment and brag on my hubby. He and I started P90X together two weeks ago. In those two weeks he has lost 7 pounds! He is doing So well, and I am so proud of him!

 

Men of course, need more calories per day than women, but he is doing great. I refuse to tell him that he can or can’t eat something, lol, but I have no problem giving him advice or helping him figure what is best for him to eat since he sometimes eats out for lunch.

His biggest problem is eating on a regular basis. Up until he started working at his current job a little over 6 months ago, he would go all day without eating, eat a big dinner and a late night snack and that’s it.

When he started working he started eating lunch, but was still skipping breakfast. Recently though I have been able to nudge him out of bed just a few minutes earlier so he can have a bite to eat before he heads out the door. Makes a huge difference people, I’m telling ya!

So there is my brag. I am hoping that at the end of the 90 days he will allow me to share his before and after pics. I have a feeling based on these early results that they will be as amazing as he is!

Shakeology in the Media-Part 2

 

As my husband and I sat in the room while our daughter slept, we kept ourselves busy with discussing, and sometimes lightly debating the role nutrition makes in our current health epidemic.

This quote from the article stood out to me:

“It’s no accident that walnuts, with their squiggly oval hemispheres, are the ultimate brain food. Or that a plant the rainforest natives call chanca piedra (“stone breaker” in English), which produces tiny green balls, is a natural remedy for kidney stones. Or that dragons’ blood, the sap that acts as a coagulant, actually bleeds out of the tree”*

Isn’t God amazing? He put all these plants and foods here for us to enjoy and to keep our body in tip top shape and we turn our noses up at them. I told Aaron that most people assume that all people who live in a third world country are starving, poor pitiful people. They don’t have cell phones! Cars! Facebook! But some of these people are sitting on some of the richest, healthiest foods in the world- and they know how to use it!

 

“The body with its unknown galaxies of cells, its unseen cogs and wheels, its ropes and coils of DNA, needs to be nourished, and it doesn’t thrive on red dye #40 or propylene glycol or butylated hydroxyanisole with a ciprofloxacin chaser.”

Oh how true!

Now, most of the foods listed in the article, I have never heard of! They certainly aren’t on the shelf at the local grocery store! So how can we fill the gaps? Well- that’s where I believe Shakeology comes in. The tagline is “The healthiest meal of the day”. With 70 awesome ingredients, and a great taste. Replacing just one meal a day with a Shakeology shake can seriously help close that nutritional gap that today’s food creates.

To learn more, visit :

www.myshakeology.com/mlhowe81

 

And remember, YOU are worth it!

Shakeology in the Media- Part 1

 

If you can, get your hands on a copy of the May issue of O magazine.

 

Towards the back, is an article about super foods.  This isn’t your average article either, it kept going and going and going. The information getting more and more interesting.

The article mentions Shakeology several times.

We had to bring our oldest daughter to the ER last night, and as we sat, I devoured this article. Highlighting, reading, re-reading. The information and praise for Shakeology was of course, awesome to read. But there were also some startling statistics. Of course, we all know them- we are aware of them. But there is something about seeing them right there in black and white that just makes them so real.

“Americans are the fattest people ever in history” *

In HISTORY! How is this ok with us? Have you watched TV lately? Commercial upon commercial for greasy, fast food. Some, even hiding behind the word “natural”. I think some people here the word “Natural” and assume it means “healthier”.

Recently, my husband asked for help deciding what would be best for him to get for lunch. He normally brings his lunch, but this day would be eating out. He asked if a small order of fries from a chain that boasts “natural” fries would be ok. I hopped onto their website, grabbed the nutritional info for a small fry and informed him that would be 360 calories. His response? “In a SMALL?!? No thanks! That’s not worth it!”

It is hard in this day and time to find a true healthy alternative sometimes. We live in a fast food society. And the result is this:

“Obesity, a body composition topping 30 percent fat, is the most pressing health crisis we face, with 34 percent of the adult population falling into that category (plus 29 percent of all children).”

I have taken a vow to try and end this trend. Even if its just within my circle of family and friends. Join me won’t you?

(To Be continued)

To learn more about Shakeology, visit www.myshakeology.com/mlhowe81

*All quotes are from the May 2011 issue of O magazine and an article called “Good Morning World” Written by Susan Casey

Partner Up!

If someone asked me for my number one suggestion for making a work out successful, I would tell them: “Find a partner!”

Yeah, I can push play on my own, and I do fine. But when Aaron (my husband) and I started pushing play together, amazing things happened. I found myself pushing harder, and longer. It has become sort of an unspoken competition between us.

Plus, its something we do together, each evening and we have such a sense of accomplishment when we do it. We are doing P90X, which is TOUGH! But we encourage each other through it all, and have grown to love it.

 

Now I certainly understand that it might be hard to find a partner. Your spouse might not be “on board”, and you may not have a friend that you can work schedules out with. But, if you have a friend who is doing the same program as you, you could still make a little challenge out of it. Call or text each other before you start, and after you finish. Keep each other accountable. I think you will be surprised how much more you can bring it when you are working with someone else.

Now, go buddy up!

Fabulous Friday!

 

The day started off with me having to make a choice. I would either get discouraged that the scale didn’t go down at all this week (like I would have in the past) or recognize the other changes in my body that are occurring and keep moving forward. I chose the latter.

   I got dressed, grabbed a bite, watched some wedding coverage, and then pushed play. For some reason I struggled. I wasn’t doing anything new, but I just struggled. I felt tired and discouraged. At once point I said “forget it” and turned it off. I sat in the recliner for two seconds before I stood back up and said “No” (and yes, all of this conversing was out loud- in an empty room lol) “I can do this! I have done this! I’m going to do this!” I started the DVD back up, cued up where I left off and brought it hard. I left it all on the floor.

But, I finished!

Here is a very sweaty, but very proud me. In the past I have given up to easily. I refused to give up today! I refuse to give up this time! It was hard to keep going, but by golly, I felt so proud, and so just WOW afterwards. It is so worth it.

After my shower, I was getting dressed and decided to try on a pair of capris that I had picked up at a garage sale several weeks back. I couldn’t wear them when I bought them. (I didn’t know it at the time, thought they would fit, got them  home and they were way to small)

The last time I tried them on was two weeks ago, I could get them on, but had to lay down to button and zip them….oh and hold my breath if I wanted to keep them on. Bracing myself, I pulled them from the closet, slipped them up my legs, buttoned and zipped…without even sucking in! WHAT?! Oh yeah, that’s right! The scale might say the same thing it did last week, but baby this fat is melting!

I hope your Friday is as fabulous as mine. Have a wonderful weekend!