Today...well today is gray, rainy, but spring is still in the air. It's not as warm but you can still feel the warmth through the sprinkles. The birds are enjoying spring too and are definitely "twitterpated". Disney reference from Bambi for those of you who aren't old enough to remember that term. :)
I have taken a few days off from my usual workouts for a few reasons. My kids are out of school this week for spring break and I want to enjoy their company and clean the house. I have a challenge group starting up again soon and another ending so I wanted to make sure that I am caught up with posts, recipes, and such for those. And my knees are crying for a little break in the intense workouts that I've been doing.
So I've allowed myself a little break. Sometimes you just need to listen to your body but don't stop for too long. Get back up and start again or else those ugly bad habits will come back. Trust me...I know!
My oldest son, Aidan, is turning 9 this month. I still can't believe he's growing up so fast! When he was 8 weeks old, we moved to Rochester, NY (Upstate about an hour east of Buffalo). We didn't know anyone except for my husband's family and friends from high school and I started a new job at University of Rochester Medical Center (UR Medicine) on the advanced heart failure unit where we specialize in Left ventricular Devices (LVADs & HVADs), total heart replacement pumps (TAHs), and heart transplants. It is a very stressful yet often rewarding unit to work on with a great family oriented atmosphere that is very strong in team-work.
With all these new changes: new baby, new place, new job...I was overwhelmed with life to say the least and let myself go....A LOT! I gained a bunch of weight, dealt with pretty extreme depression, and pretty much just held on by a string.
Fast forward three 1/2 years, I was pregnant with our daughter, McKenzie, (now almost 6). I knew that I needed to lose some weight, and I had...a little...but this time I had to prevent myself from gaining too much while pregnant so that I could easily lose after she was born. With the help of an endocrine nurse assigned to me for borderline gestational diabetes, I was able to only gain 18lbs during the pregnancy by abiding to a pretty strict diet of veggies, lean meats, and fruits. This intrigued my interest in clean, whole foods. If I could prevent diabetes by eating a clean diet, then I knew that I could improve my eating habits and lose weight and become healthier by reducing my blood sugars back to normal and by lowering my cholesterol which had also been on the high side.
When I was okay'd to workout again, I started going to the gym 5 days a week until I saw changes and then backed down to about 3 days a week and also started Shaun T's T25. That's when I really started to see changes and fell in love with Beachbody's workout programs. I lost about 15lbs and then switched to the 21 Day Fix where I not only lost more weight but learned to portion correctly and eat cleaner, whole foods...which basically just means not processed, no artificial additives, or flavoring...and no sugar!
I've tried other programs too some that I loved, some I hated! 22 Minute Hard Corps was one that I really liked but became to intense on my knees....even with the modifications. So I'm taking a needed break.
My next challenge group starting up on Monday, April 11th is going to be for those that want to learn to eat clean, learn new yummy family-friendly recipes, are too busy to workout in the gym or just can't afford the monthly membership...or just don't have more than 30 minutes to get a workout in before starting their day or getting their kids to bed.
There are a few of us in this challenge group. Some are doing PIYO (Pilates and yoga infused whole body core workouts), others will be doing 21 Day Fix (maybe for the second or third rounds), some will be doing Cize (dance based workouts), and others may be doing T25 or other programs. Our group is here to meet your workout goals and needs and we do it all through an app on your phone or device called Challenge Tracker app.
I'm so looking forward to doing this challenge with these ladies. We've started our pre-season already; gearing up for April 11th and I can already tell they will be involved in keeping each other accountable and motivated! Check out the video below to get a sneak peak at what PIYO is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1yDHYVhuhw
And...21 Day Fix:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNl_JXR_Yyc&list=PL-_9M6wxaOsWG-A9Ryj9vctm9gSrkS479
What has been really fun for me is creating meal recipes for the participants in the challenge groups. Most are from the Fixate cookbook but I've also included others from Chalene Johnson's Lean Extreme meal plan and the PIYO meal plans. Pinterest has been a god-sender too.
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