Confusion

Ok, so am i the only one that is confused about the workouts that i want to do?? I decided to change things up and start doing my TurboFire videos. I did it last night and it was ok but i was totally lost. There were 2 videos...Fire 30 and Stretch 10. I did both of them just like the schedule says. Fire 30 is a faster paced video that is almost like a dance routine. You do a few moves and then add on to them each time. There were like 3 different sections that you do these moves and add on to them. I.WAS.LOST. Totally. There were some instances where i just had to stand there to watch so i could figure out what was going on. I am not going to lie, i cannot stand being lost and not knowing what was going on. I know after a few times that will get better but it was not a good feeling. The Stretch 10 was fine because it was stretching exercises that didn't take a genius to figure out. I am now totally contemplating just going back to good ole running and doing arm and ab weight training videos. I will not be lost doing those. With TurboFire, you only have 1 rest day and there is no room in the schedule for running. And i really didn't like that idea. However, there are HIIT workouts with TurboFire that i may try to incorporate. UGH...enough about that. Here is what i made for dinner...

Southwestern chicken & avacado salad

And oh my goodness it was GOOD! I am hoping that tonight's dinner is good too. It is called a Harissa Pork Shoulder and roasted butternut squash goes with it. Fingers crossed about the squash part. I know the Pork Shoulder will be good. It was a crockpot meal and has good spices on it. Wish me luck with the Butternut squash...i sure hope i like it!

To Paleo or Not to Paleo . . .

That has been the question? I have been trying to decide if i wanted to eat a Paleo type diet (aka Caveman diet). This diet focuses on eating things that our ancestors ate back in the day before agriculture came along. It basically excludes grains, legumes, starches, diary, sugar, alcohol and refined salt. That does sound like a LOT of things that you cannot have but there are good things that you can have. Some things that i have read say that you can have sweet potatoes in moderation. I have decided that i am going to try my best to follow this way of eating as close as i can because a friend of mine says that once you have been eating this way for a little while, when you do indulge in a cheat meal, you feel like crap! I have joined E Meals as well. This is a company that allows you to choose the eating plan that you are following and they send you weekly meal plans, along with the recipes and shopping lists! This was perfect for me because i do try to plan my meals weekly and this takes the guesswork out of planning. I am sure there will be recipes that we do not like for dinner but we are going to try everything at least once and will mark things off accordingly. I am doing this plan for all of my meals and the boys are going to follow this plan for dinner at first and then see where we can take it from there. I am trying to get my kids off of a sugar kick!!! They would literally eat cookies, candy, cupcakes, candy bars, etc (you get the picture) EVERY meal if they could. I truly believe that this is the reason for some of the crankiness, irritability and tossing at night while they are trying to sleep. I know that sugar is REALLY bad for everyone and has been linked to cancer in many different situations. And i do not want to be the one responsible for any of this! So, i am trying my best to change things for the better in my house. It is going to be hard but i think it will be better for everyone.
Today is Day 1 of my Paleo diet and it has gone well so far. Here is what my meals have looked like:
Breakfast: Green Smoothie (spinach, banana, strawberries), small serving of grilled chicken strips with 2   cherry tomatoes.
Lunch: Salad with leafy green lettuce, broccoli slaw, broccoli sprouts, 3 cherry tomatoes, sirloin steak (about 4oz), juice from 1/2 lime and sriracha sauce on top. YUMMY!!
Dinner: Southwestern chicken w/avacado salad. (and i cannot wait to eat this!! Love everything about it)
I have taken my vitamins like i was supposed to and have been drinking my lemon water. Hopefully things will continue to go good. I have got to get the rest of this weight off!! I will be doing some type of exercise later as well!
Here is a little info on Paleo if you are interested:
http://paleodietlifestyle.com/
http://paleoaholic.com/

Update & HIIT Training

Ok, ok, ok! It has been forever since i have blogged. Like a whopping 2.5 months i think. I have not been slacking. I have been busy. I was doing GREAT working out everyday and have lost 18 lbs so far. I did take a little break over the Christmas break and have not really gotten back into my routine. I am FINALLY motivated to get back to it. The spring and summer are coming and I.WILL.BE.SKINNY. I have hopes of doing more 5K's this year and even want to run a 1/2 marathon sometime before the year is up. And i will make sure that happens. We joined Memphis Runners Track Club as a family yesterday and will make sure that we log our miles this year and do races. Chayton is even a member. HA! Now, we know he wont be logging the miles...not in his cast at least!

Fitspiration Photo!!

(the one on the far left is my favorite)

High Intensity Interval Training...this will be my new workout. I ordered the videos months back but felt that i was too out of shape to start them. I have gotten back in better shape and was doing really good running. I have gotten back to running a little over 3 miles straight so i am ready to jump in to these videos. They are still going to kick my tail but i think i will be better prepared for them now. The schedule shows them starting on Monday but i am going to follow it like it shows but adjust the day of the week to start. May be a little confusing, but i am going to make it work.

TurboFire classes include Fire Drills, also known as High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).

These drills push you to your max for up to 1-minute bursts, with quick recovery periods. Studies show that HIIT ignites your metabolism, enabling your body to burn more calories for up to 24 hours after your workout.

Not only that, with TurboFire, you'll work out less than half the time you normally would doing regular cardio—and burn up to 9x more fat.

* Clean Up *

I feel like i spend more time cleaning up than i do anything else. But i guess that just comes along with owning a house, living in it and having people to share it with. When you look at it that way, it doesn't make the cleaning seem so bad. I do not despise cleaning because i love things organized and in their spots. However, the way may house looks right now, things are definitely NOT organized and in their spots. I have about 15 John Deere tractors in my kitchen floor right now. Yes, those belong to Chayton. And if you move them, he will get highly upset. I learned that the hard way. I am hoping later that i can coerce him into taking 1/2 upstairs and putting the other 1/2 in the floor of his closet. Wish me luck with that one!! Tonight will be a cleaning night for me. The upstairs needs to be cleaned and re-arranged. I am hoping that i have cooperation from my 2 boys in letting me accomplish this. It will make one less room that needs to be cleaned for Saturday or Sunday.
The weather is going to be so nice on Saturday that i think the rest of the cleaning will have to be postponed for Sunday. I may just plan on sitting outside and watching football for the majority of the day tomorrow!! I will just have to see what things i get accomplished tonight!!

That is FUNNY stuff right there! If it were only that easy!

-> Weight Loss Game <-

I am not sure what is going on with my weight loss, but i feel like i am playing a game that i am not doing very well at. I guess i need to re-phrase that... I have been playing the game VERY well until this week. I have not done anything different and have not really changed anything. I have still been working out every day and eating healthy. I have not felt good since Monday but i am feeling better today but surely that is not why i am stuck. I am stuck at a 14 pound loss. All i need is to lose 0.1 lb to get to 15 and i CANNOT do it!! I do weigh myself every single day like you are NOT supposed to do but i have always done that. It is not something that i can do just once a week. Yesterday, i weighed and the difference is + 2.2. Yes, that would be me gaining!!! HOW?? WHY?? I have no clue but i am totally frustrated. I have re-traced everything that i have put in my mouth and cannot figure it out. And i know i will not figure it out. This morning i weighed myself and i was back down 2.4 pounds, which puts me 0.2 less than i was on Tuesday morning. I am going to continue on the rest of the week and weekend like i have been and see where i am come Sunday morning.  If i have not lost a few more pounds, my diet will change to low carb for a little while to get out of this rut. I hate to cut out fruit and some veggies that i love but i gotta do what i gotta do!! This too shall pass (i hope) and i will be back on the road where i need to be. Having said all of this, my clothes are still continuing to show a difference in the weight loss so i am not going to be too discouraged just yet. I will WIN this game. I will not let this weight loss game defeat me.

OOH La La

I would have never thought in a million years that i would tell someone that i love a pair of socks!! Socks, really?? YES! The picture is a pair of Zensah compression socks that i ordered from Zappos to run in. Here is the description of what the sock claims to do...

• Whether you're looking to break your P.R. or training to set your first, the performance enhancing technology of these Zensah® compression socks are sure to keep you on your feet.
• Ideal for runners, cyclists, triathletes and any person regularly on his or her feet.
• Made with a gradient compression that provides support for muscles in the shin and the calf.
• Designed to prevent blood from pooling in the foot and help increase circulation.
• Can be worn pre-workout to help activate muscles and reduce the risk of injury, during exercise to enhance performance, or post-workout to promote speedy recovery time.

I got the package yesterday and decided to put them on and see how they felt... OH MY GOODNESS, i actually left them on and slept in them. They make your legs feel so good. I actually have them on today at work also. I am going to try them out later when i workout and see if i can tell a difference. Who would have thought that a $50 pair of socks were worth the money?? If i wouldn't have had a scare with my legs swelling something awful last Friday, i can assure you that i would not have paid that much money for a pair of socks regardless of the hype. But, since i was not sure if the swelling was from pounding the pavement running or from a heater on my feet daily at work, i took the chance and ordered them. I also ordered a pink pair and that brand was Vitalsox. Here they are...

This brand was a little cheaper so we will see how i like these as well. I hope i love them as much as the Zensah. We shall see!

| PROGRESS |

I have now been on my path to a healthier life for 3 weeks and 1 day...but who is counting right?! I am HAPPY to say that i have lost 14 pounds so far. I am 0.2 pounds away from 15 pounds. It is going really good. When you are trying to lose weight, you never lose fast enough but i am trying not to focus on that at this point. I have already convinced myself that this will take at least 4-5 months to get to where i prefer to be. I hope i am not disappointed with that time frame but it is better than saying it could be done in a short 2 months (which would be pure perfection)! However, i am trying to be realistic. I am just making sure that i workout on a daily basis and i make smart choices with my eating. I am doing fairly well with running/walking 4 miles a day. I still need a little help on getting my weight training video done but that is a work in progress. I am hoping to at least do it 3 times this week. Time management is always a challenge...especially now with the time change. I am going to make it happen. By adding weight training, i am hoping to maximize my weight loss!