21 Day Fix "Before" Photos

Miss Autumn Calabrese is going to be the death of me!

And yet, I still love her.

Here workout videos that came with the 21 Day Fix package are amazing.  Last night, I did Lower Fix, a lower body strength training video.  Usually, I don't get too sweaty doing strength moves, but last night I was drenched!  Looking at me, you would have thought I did a high intensity cardio workout.

The picture doesn't really do it justice, but my entire face was dripping sweat.  I had so much chest/boob sweat that when I was bending down to stretch, it was flowing up my neck and chin.  

Gross, but so awesome at the same time!

Last night, I finally took "before" photos.  I had Nick help me, and I felt a bit embarrassed.  Let's be real, he sees me naked all the time, but having him behind a camera was awkward.  Oh well.  Imma have a rockin' bod soon enough!

Excuse the fact that Nick kind of sucks at taking pictures, and they are a bit blurry, and the doofy look on my face.

The number one thing I dislike about my body is my back fat.  Those rolls on each side right under my sports bra.  In high school, I loved my back.  It used to be my favorite feature.  It was muscular, sleek, strong looking, and I didn't have those rolls.  I can't wait to get that back...well, back!!

Have a happy and healthy weekend!

Non-Scale Victories

Holy cow, it's already Thursday!

Having Monday off was a perk, but I am so happy this week is flying by. 

During the summer, I work half days on Friday so I am only in the office until noon tomorrow.  Saturday, Nick and I will attending Janae's wedding.  Janae is a good friend of mine and actually signed up to run with me during my very first half marathon in 2012.  She is going to a gorgeous bride, and I cannot wait to celebrate with her!

On to the real reason for this post, NSVs.

Granted, I am only on day 3 of the 21 Day Fix, but I already feel awesome!  I have tons of energy, and for once, don't feel like skipping my workouts.  I haven't been craving junk as much as I usually do because I am filling my body with wholesome nutritious foods.  Getting out of bed in the morning isn't as much of a struggle because I now feel rested and amped up to start the day.  Resisting temptations such as candy and alcohol is already easier.  

I am happy because I have finally found a program that works for ME.  The nutrition plan is easy to follow and tells me how much of what kinds of food I should be eating.  The workout videos are fun and actually fly by.  They probably fly by because I've developed a woman crush on the amazing Autumn and her rockin' bod :)

If I could trade bodies with one person, it would be Autumn!

When June 16th rolls around, and I am finished with the first round of 21 Day Fix, I know I am going to see and feel some awesome results.  I am beyond excited to share this journey with you!

WIW

Another Wednesday, another weigh-in.

175.9

Ugggghhhhh.

I'm up 2.1lbs from two weeks ago.  That's what happens when you eat like a piglet and don't workout.  I am hoping it's a lot of water weight from all the sodium packed foods I've been eating.  Since I started the 21-Day Fix yesterday, I'm sure next week's weigh-in will be much better!

Speaking of 21-Day Fix, day 1 went really well!  My nutrition was spot on, and I didn't even crave any sweets yesterday.  I really wanted to have a beer after a long day of work, but I was strong and resisted the temptation.

Besides doing really well in the food department yesterday, I also got in a killer workout.  I did the program's Cardio Fix video.  Holy shit.  It was tough.  Many times, I wasn't able to do the full move and had to do the modified move instead because I am super out of shape and it was intense!  I was already sweating bullets after the warm-up.  My entire body is sore today, but it feels so good at the same time. 

Today, I have the Upper Body Fix video and a walk with my aunt and the dogs on the schedule.  I might try to sneak in a 2 mile run also.

I want to make the most of these 21 days, and make my coach proud, so I'm going to pack in as much activity as I can, without burning myself out.  If I want to see results, I need to double my efforts!

Happy Wednesday!

Update

Hello! It's been a while.  

Between horrid mouth pain, warm temperatures, and traveling, I've been a busy girl!  Here is what I've been up to during my blogging absence.

Having my wisdom teeth removed, and experiencing the joys (NOT) of dry sockets.

Chipmunk cheeks

Flying out to New Jersey to see my bestie graduate with her MBA.

Spending a day in New York at the MET.

Not exercising.

Helping Nick's brother demo a 20-year-abandoned house on the lot next to his place that he just bought. This was cool, and disgusting at the same time.  It is miraculous what 4 men, 2 women, a skid loader, a huge dumpster, and fire can do in a weekend! I really wish I would have taken before and after pictures of this project!

Drinking  a lot of beer.

Hosting a baby shower for my brother & his girlfriend.  Her due date is 6/14, but she could pop any day now.  We're all holding our breaths, and waiting for the call that my new nephew is on his way!

Getting sunburned.

Eating like a cow.

That basically sums up my life since my last post.

Now, on to goals and such.

My May goals (Get out of 170's, track everyday, 30 mins of movement a day) from the beginning of the month have not really panned out.  The month isn't quite over, but I can already tell you that all 3 were a bust.  Over it, and on with it.  June it right around the corner, and I will make it a much better month!

Today, I officially kicked off the Beachbody 21 Day Fix program.  I'm pumped to get my nutrition back on track, and to get my body moving.  I have myself a Beachbody coach, and her support has already been amazing.  I am really excited to see where the next 21 days take me!

Before I develop some monthly goals for June, I'm going to share my goals for this week.

Stay on track with my meal plans.
This means no candy or booze this week!

Log 50 miles.
Between running, walking, and biking.

Take before photos & measurements.

Track. Track. Track.

WIW

This one is going to be short, sweet, and probably my only post for the week.

Getting your wisdom teeth out really sucks.

I'm 99% sure I have dry sockets.

Five days later, the pain is constant, the meds are not working, my mouth tastes really bad all the time, I can barely open my mouth wide enough to properly brush my teeth, and I'm still eating soft foods.

I have an appointment today for a checkup. 

I haven't been working out because my mouth hurts so much that it gives me a raging headache.  Luckily, the last 5 days of eating soft foods/liquids has helped me lose some weight.

Last week I was 174.8. This week 173.8.

Booyah.  1 pound.  I'll take it.

On Friday, I'm off to NJ & NY to visit my BFF until the following Tuesday.  I'm super pumped, and really hope my mouth feels better by then!!

I hope everyone is having a fantabulous week!

Non-Scale Victories

Hello, lovelies!

It has been quite some time since I have had any non-scale victories.  Finally, I have a few so I am linking up with the awesome KTJ to share.

Numero uno

I have hardly had any sweets this week.

For me, this is a miracle!  My sweet tooth is out of control, but this week I have finally managed to overpower it.  Often, I get in the bad habit of buying a candy bar everyday at work.  Every. Single. Day.  But this week, I have only bought one, and it was a York Peppermint Patty with only 140 calories :)

Numero dos

Last night, I tried a new workout.

I went to Zumba with my aunt and sister-in-law.  I'm a tall white girl so dancing in not my forte.  Actually, I've absolutely awful at it.  As it got closer and closer to class time, I started trying to come up with excuses not to go.  I didn't want to bail on my peeps though, so I stuck it out and went.  Guess what?  I had a blast!  Even though I was way off on the moves, and probably looked ridiculous, it was a ton of fun.  As long as we can fit it, we'll be going back next week.

Numero tres

I know these are supposed to be non-scale victories, but the scale is still going to be brought up in this one.

 Despite Aunt Flow visiting this week, I managed to have an awesome loss.  Usually, I gain on this week, and/or use Flow as an excuse to pig out.  Instead of using excuses, I stuck to eating healthy foods and made sure to workout.  My dedication definitely paid off!

This has been such a phenomenal week for me thus far.  Tomorrow, I have to get my wisdom teeth out.  I need to be careful that a soft-food diet and potential pain/discomfort doesn't lead me back down the path to laziness!

I also need to make sure I get a run in tonight since I'm probably not going to want to do much tomorrow after my surgery.  After a couple more walks with the dogs, I am now at 11.58 of my 25 mile challenge this week so I need to get my booty going!

WIW

Do you know what happens when you get off your ass, exercise, and eat well?

You lose weight!

Apparently, I'm a little slow to catch onto this.  I'm not saying losing weight is easy because it's not.  It is a constant struggle of trying to make the right choices and fighting temptation.

This week though, I have finally started to get my shit together.  I've been working out, and eating quite well, and guess what?  I lost over 2 pounds!  Woohoo!

Last week I was at 177.2 and this week I weighed in at 174.8.

That's 2.4 pounds in one week!  Something has finally clicked for me, and I couldn't be happier.

If I continue anywhere near this rate, I'll blow my May goal of getting out of the 170's right out of the water.

My weekly goals are also going really well.  I'm at 8.38/25 miles for the week from just Monday & Tuesday.  

Monday night, Nick & I took the dogs for a 4.13 mile walk around town.  Last night, I got him to go for a 3.22 mile run with me followed by a 1.03 mile cool-down walk with the dogs.

I have been tracking everything I eat this week too, but strength training has been lacking.  

Tonight, I plan on going through an arm routine.  I will also be going to my first ever Zumba class with my sister-in-law.  Just Dance for the Wii is my all-time favorite game.  I may be awful at dancing, but at least I have a lot of fun doing it.  Zumba can't be that much different from those dances, right?  

Weekend Recap & Micro Goals

 My macro May goals (tracking everyday, 30mins of exercise everyday, and getting out of the 170's) are not off to the greatest start.  So far, I have only tracked and exercised 1 out of 4 days...oops.  

Over it, and on with it.  I still have 27 days of the month to turn things around!

Here are my excuses, besides being lazy, for not tracking and working out in form of a weekend recap.

Friday after work, I sped home to let the dogs out, feed them, play for a bit, and wolf down some dinner.  Then, Nick & I headed off to the symphony.  It was so much fun, and I would love to go again!  I wish Nick and I would have taken a picture together that night.  We don't dress up too often, and we both looked so nice, I wish I had the evidence now!

Saturday, we had a wedding to attend in another state.  Well, two states actually.  We live in southern Wisconsin, and the wedding ceremony was in northern Illinois, and then the reception was in north eastern Iowa...LOTS of driving!

Both Friday & Saturday, I was go, go, go from 7am until after midnight.  I am NOT an early morning workout person, so there's my excuse for those two days.

On to Sunday.  I did absolutely nothing on Sunday.  Nothing.  Not a single thing.  Besides using the bathroom or getting something to drink (Nick brought me breakfast in bed) I didn't physically get out of bed until 3:30pm.  

It. Was. Glorious.

I still had plenty of day to get a workout in after my laziness of the morning, but instead, I decided to bing-watch Archer, do all of my Spanish homework for the week, and clean out the refrigerator.  I may not have been active, but at least I was productive and got my school work out of the way and have a spot less fridge!!

Now, some micro goals, to help me through the week, and to aid in chipping away at the macro goals.

1.  Between walking the dogs, and running, log at least 25 miles.

2. Start a strength training routine.

3.  When I feel an urge to binge, do something active instead, e.g. walk the dogs around the block, do 10 push-ups, run up and down the stairs a few times, etc.

What are YOUR goals this week?  Link up with the beautiful Carolyn to share!

May Goals

How is it May already?!

This is what my month of May looks like, non-work-wise.

5/2 - Nick & I are being classy and going to the symphony!

5/3 - Wedding in Iowa

5/9 - I get my wisdom teeth out

5/10 - Baby shower for my brother & his girlfriend (if my mouth doesn't hurt too much)

5/11 -  Mother's Day which means helping my mom plant flowers at her house

5/16-5-20 - I'm off to New Jersey to visit my BFF!

5/24 - I'm hosting a family baby shower/cookout for my brother

5/25 - MADISON HALF MARATHON!

5/31 - Wedding in La Crosse

Whew!  It's going to be a busy month!

Despite being busy, I have high hopes that May will be the month that I really kick-start a healthy lifestyle.  

I started the month off right by going for a run this morning.  I haven't uploaded the run info from my Garmin yet, so I don't have the stats to share.  The run was just over 2 miles though in roughly 21 minutes.  Not going to lie, it was a shitty run.  It was cold and drizzling and I was tired after just a few minutes.  I'm glad I got my butt out there and did it though!!!  I also walked the dogs for a 10 minutes cool-down walk to get in 30 minutes of activity. 

Since I have such a great feeling about May, I am going to set a few goals I would like to accomplish this month.

1.  Track my food.  Every. Damn. Day.

I have really sucked at tracking lately.  By not tracking, I just give myself excuses of being able to eat more.  If I don't know how many calories something is, it can hurt me, right...?  NOT.

2.  Get out of the 170's! 

No goal weight in mind.  I just don't want to see the 70's on the scale anymore.  That means I'll need to drop 7.2lbs.  Totes doable. 

3.  At least 30 minutes of activity each day. 

Seriously.  Each and every day.  It can be anything from running to biking to walking to strength training.  I just need to be active for a mere 30 minutes each day.

Boom!

There you have it, folks.  That's my month of May.

Do you have anything exciting planned this month?