So I am loving the meal ideas in the Weight Watchers Simple Start booklet. It is neat to get different ideas for healthy meals. Friday night, we went to Applebee's and I ordered one of the meals under 550 calories. My husband and I laughed when they brought out our plates and our meals looked smaller than our sons kids meal. He ordered grilled chicken tenders and a side salad. I was surprised when I went home to look up the nutrional info and calculated the points to reveal that little plate I had was 13 points. I can't imagine what a typical meal without watching it would be if I was honest with myself on the points tracking. Last night, I made the mistake of going to eat without doing my homework first. Of course, there was only bar food and not even a single healthy option. I knew I should've just waited or tried to figure out something, but I was hungry. I ate chicken wings, fried pickles, and onion petals. I will use my extra weekly points to help cover that one. I made sure I went to Zumba this morning after church. :) I seen this great picture on an MS page that indicated our diet can have an effect on our symptoms. I have been researching on information on a healthy diet and improving MS symptoms.

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year!! I hadn't written anything in awhile and decided to read some of my old posts. Although I hadn't posted much for awhile, I have been keeping active. Since I lasted posted, I have ran a few half marathons, did two girls mini triathlons, a girls mud run, tried Zumba in 2013 and fell in love with it, started at a workout place called 9round with my husband, Richard- It is 30 min cardio kickboxing.

I have been back at Weight Watchers since October 2012, and still totally love going to meetings. Personally, I am more of a meeting type person when it comes to WW. I do love my etools though!! We spent a week back in Texas visiting family and I fell off track a little. The scale was up about 6 lbs. I followed this 24 hour jumpstart I seen in a magazine (eating clean is what it was, but it gave you a guide on what to eat. When I went to WW this morning to weigh in the scale was only up 2 lbs, so eating clean helped flush out the water retention I was experiencing. I sat at the WW meeting afterwards and listened to the information on their new Simple Start. A few of the things I need to work on: Eating cleaner and Less eating out. I do love to cook.... But by the time I get home from work, exercise, take care of stuff at home, and make sure the kid does his homework or if he has some type of sports practice........... I know EXCUSES, EXCUSES....... I also have been reading information about people with M.S. (I was diagnosed in 2006) and a tendency to be gluten sensitive. I am still researching it and haven't really decided for myself. I do enjoy reading about health, nutrition, and fitness . Hope everyone has a Great New Year!!

P90X2 Here goes!!!

Ok, so Rich and I are about to start P90X2 on Monday!! Time for me to shake it up a little, and get the scale moving down again. I am going to follow the nutrition plan, since that is where I know I need to focus my efforts to get the scale going!!

Excited and nervous about the challenge!! Rich and I aren't really that good at getting up early in the morning, so hopefully between the two of us we can motivate each other when the 5 AM alarm sounds.

Although I really really love Turbo Fire (definitely my soul mate workout as Chalene says), it will be nice to workout with Rich, since I know I wouldn't be able to get him to do Turbo Fire. (LOL)

I'll let you know how our first day goes.........

Day 116 of Turbo Fire/CLX Hybrid, Bodybugg, and Happy Turkey Day

Ok got up and put the Turkey in the oven at 7 am.

Yesterday was a bit like an early Xmas!! My BodyBugg and my Scentsy kit showed up. I wasn't even sure which one to play with first. The Bodybugg needed to be charged, so I had to wait on that one!! I also heard a rumor from the wonderful Premiere Lady, Kelly that my Premiere jewelry from the party I had at my house will be here on Friday.

My husband, Rich got me a BodyBugg for my birthday. I have a lot of friends who have them and love them. They have the ones that work with smart phones. With my corporate blackberry, I can't download any Apps so I needed to get the version where you can upload to your computer and/or get the digital display. Being the savy shopper, I googled and found a coupon code to save $30, and found it on sale so I was able to get both. I am still working on synching the digital display, but I have it figured out where I can see how many calories I burned with I hook to my computer. It is a psychological thing, but I am finding myself moving a little more, hustling a little quicker, and doing random exercises (No one else is awake to see me, LOL) to see how many calories I can burn. Hopefully soon I will figure out why the digital display isn't synching!!

Today was Core 20, and I will get to that here soon. I did Turbo Fire HIIT 15 to see how many calories I burned. I was at 158. It is my favorite quick workout when short on time (15 minutes). I like the 10 Minute trainers and the Great Body (10 min workouts), but the HIIT 15 is by far my favorite of the short workouts.

Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

My review of Body Gospel Live

So I got this dvd of Body Gospel live, I don't have the full Body Gospel program. I wanted to check it, so I got just the one disk.

I have been doing Chalene's hybrid program of Turbo Fire and ChaLEAN Extreme. I am about 111 days! I totally love the program, and am not bored with it. It is just every once awhile it is nice to mix it up.

So the first few minutes of the program (keep in mind I am used to the fast pace of Turbo Fire), I think this really isn't challenging enough for what I am used to. Then about 12 minutes in, I think, "Man, my calves are starting to burn a little. Ahhh, the marching is a little different than my body is used to. Hey, all this arm swinging may help tone up the arms some." It is definitely a low impact workout. I think the moves are repetitive enough for a beginner. They do have level two moves to make it a little challenging.

It was a little different than the TF that I am used to, but it was a nice change of pace to mix it up. The church choir music and the instructor are uplifting. The last few minutes with the Body Gospel line dance was kind of fun, and found myself laughing a little while doing it.

104 days of ChaLEAN Ex/Turbo Fire

104 days in and still loving this workout program combined. I am definitely getter stronger.

I am really excited about starting Chalene's Push program with her book release. I made a lot of like-minded friends last night through the Push party. I really need to push past this plateau and take it up a notch, and happy to have interacted with some people on the same course. It is really great to be able to motivate and encourage others while they are also helping to do the same for you.

I started with Day 1 of Chalene's program last night of identifying my 3 top priorities. Today I need to work on 10 goals I want to accomplish. I completed her her 30 day challenge a few months ago and absolutely loved the motivating videos and assignments.

I am resisting the urge to jump ahead with her program and just complete the process. It is tough, since I feel like a kid in the candy store.

Happy 100!!

Well I officially hit 100 days of ChaLEAN Extreme/Turbo Fire Hybrid. For the most part, I followed the exercise schedule pretty religiously. There were a few days I missed, and some days I did more.

As I mentioned before, my 119 lb boxer is also on a diet. As I measured out her food, I thought man this is so much easier for her than me. She kind of has to take what she is given. It is perfectly measured and portioned. No sneaking in the fridge for snacks, no relaxing with a glass or two of wine, no one bringing in office goodies, etc. For me it is a matter of will power, probably about 80-90% of the time I have it right, and I am still working on the other 10-20%. I may never get to a 100%, but at least I keep trying and acknowledging the need to improve.

I tried Dreamfield's healthy carb pasta (Bought it at Giant Eagle.) It was totally yummy and would never had guessed that it was a healthy carb pasta. They make it several types. To name a few: Penne, Macaroni, liguini, lasagna noodles, and spaghetti.

Excited to watch to Chalene's Push book launch on Friday!!
http://www.chalenejohnson.com/pushjumpstart/

Day 96 ChaLEAN Extreme/Turbo Fire Hybrid (Replace your bad habits)

So I have entered the Lean phase of ChaLEAN Ex/Turbo Fire Hybrid. My biceps/triceps were a little sore from Lean Circuit 1, so I was thankful that yesterday was a Turbo Fire workout, and today Lean Circuit 2 focused on shoulders and back. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the sore feeling. I know that sounds wierd, but it means that I pushed myself farther, challenging myself, and that the muscles will improve.

Towards the end of the workout Chalene said something to the extent of identifying your bad habits and replacing them with good.

One of the bad habits that got me out of shape while I was going to college was relaxing with a few glasses of wine. Then that would turn into some mindless munching. I have replaced that with a more regular schedule of exercise. Of course, I didn't give up that habit completely, but stress relief is back to being exercise again.

Another bad habit is my Coke Zero. I know water is better for me, and I really need to cut down on the pop. Although I should, I don't think I can completely cut this habit out. So everything in moderation is what I should shoot for.

I used to have the bad habit of smoking, but I kicked that 10 years ago. I am really happy about that and honestly don't miss it. At the time, I replaced that habit with running. During that period, I decided to train for a marathon to keep myself busy, to not gain weight from quitting smoking, and to see if I could do it.

My point is that there are always things you can do to improve yourself whether it be for your health, mind, body, etc. I am looking forward to reading Chalene's Push book that is coming out shortly.

Think about it........ Is there a bad habit that you have that you should work on replacing with a better one?

Day 94- Chalene Extreme/Turbo Fire

Although last week with travel wasn't perfect and I didn't get in all the workouts from the schedule, it was still SO MUCH better than where I was. Sometimes we become hard on ourselves if we don't follow something perfectly. I love the feature on the beachbody profile page where you can review your previous months workouts. This helps put it back in prespective for me. I compare where I was in the beginning of 2011 to how much more regularly I exercise now. I still have work to go to get back in shape, but compared to when I got back on track in 2011... I HAVE COME A LONG WAY!!

I start the Lean phase of ChaLEAN Extreme and looking forward after to picking the weights back up after the Cardio Round of the Chalene Extreme/Turbo Fire Hybrid.

Still working on the diet, but I think for me that will always be the thing that I work on. Again, looking back where I was to where I am.. I did have a yummy fish taco on a low carb tortilla for lunch. Ok lunch time is done and time to go back to work....

Day 84: Still working on a lighter Lisa and time to work on a leaner Zoey (our dog)

Well I am 84 days into my Turbo Fire/ChaLEAN Extreme hybrid journey. Have I mentioned lately I love this program!!!

I can tell I am building muscle, but I still need to burn some fat. Chalene said at the end of one of her Abs videos unless you clean up your diet your 6 pack will never show. I really need to clean up and get a little more real about the rest of the day.

So let's take a look at my day:
Shakeology for BREAKFAST.

I do eat healthy SNACKS while people at work may be munching on doughnuts and the freshly baked sweets. Sometimes it is a hardboiled egg, string cheese, an apple, 90 calorie Fiber One brownie.

LUNCH for the most part I run home and eat something light.

I really think my problem is the NIGHT TIME eating. I think the meals are for the most part pretty healthy. I may need to measure the portions. I think eating out is also to blame.

In Texas, we ran with the runners club. I realized when I first moved here to Ohio, exercise was replaced by glasses of wine while relaxing on the porch. The stress of finishing school, while moving across country, and a busy work schedule didn't help matters.

THE DOG

In Texas, the dog weighed 97 lbs. She is a pretty tall boxer, and we were told her father was around 128 lbs. I still wonder if she is mixed with Bull Mastif. In May 2011, she weighed 112 lbs. So we decide, we need to get her exercising a little more. This week, I take her back to Pets Mart to weigh her, 119 lbs. The scale went the wrong way!! The vet says switch her diet, measure her food, and get her exercising more. Hmmm, sounds familar??

There really is no magic bullet: EXERCISE MORE and EAT LESS/EAT RIGHT

Fear of the Before Picture

I keep debating on whether I am ready to post my before picture. I ask myself what am I afraid of? Is that I haven't quite made it to my "after"? Is it that I embarassed of the "before"? Is it hard to admit to myself that after keeping weight off for 9 years that a hard year of college and a cross country move derailed my previous efforts?

It is almost like when you try to quit smoking and you backslide. You are disappointed in yourself. You are afraid of what others will think. You start by sneaking the cigarettes. After awhile you can't hide it anymore and you are right back where you were. At least with the smoking, I am happy to admit that I made it 10 years.

The weight I was close to maintaining for 9 yrs, but unfortunately trying to crank out my Bachelors degree in a short amount of time didn't leave much time for exercise. Although I still have some to go, I have taken almost 20 lbs of the gain off and getting back in shape.

Once I work up the courage, I will post my "before" pictures. Until then, I will just keep working on my "after"!

Woo Hoo!!

Ok, today was a Woo Hoo Day! Well technically everyday above ground is a good day, but some days just give you a little extra Woo Hoo!!

I get this newsletter this morning from Pam Young talking about a game her and her husband played about telling each other what they were thankful for about the other. She said at the end of the day although it was a game that she really enjoyed hearing what her husband was thankful for about her. All too often, we may forget to tell the people around us how much we do appreciate them. (Even little things). Well I decided to unofficially play the game and let some people know about things I appreciated. Woo Hoo!!

By lunch time, I get a phone call from my neurologist. I have MS and have to get MRIs every few years to ensure the medicine is keeping the disease at bay. The nurse said that my MRI results were the same as 2009 and as 2006. She said your disease is stable. This means I have had no new disease progression in 5 years. That is a major Woo Hoo!

I get home, my son tells me he did good on his spelling test. Last week, he was upset saying he wasn't going to ever get out of first grade, because he didn't think he could pass the test. Woo Hoo!!

Yesterday I decided to switch my workout day off from Wednesday to Tuesday, since I was a little sore from weekend workouts. Today I realized I hit 200 workouts this year in WOWY. Woo Hoo! I may have done more workouts for the year, but these were the ones that I actually tracked. I like tracking them, because I can look back and see what I have done.

I also made it 66 days into ChaLEAN Extreme/Turbo Fire Hybrid and about 2 1/2 weeks in to Brazil Butt Lift. Woo Hoo!!

day 58

Well, I am 58 days into ChaLEAN Extreme/Turbo Fire Hybrid and 10 days into the Brazil Butt Lift workout. The numbers on the scale may have slowed some, but I am starting to see some muscle tone.

My husband is lucky enough to be able to practically just touch a weight and end up looking sculpted. Me on the otherhand have always had to push hard to get results.

I have started to run a little again. My dog who also gained weight when we moved to Ohio is enjoying it as well. My son this summer had decided he was done with training wheels, so he now can ride along side while I run. We went through that period where he rode in the jogging stroller when he was little to the point where he was too big for it. Unfortunately, that and a few other reasons put my running on hiatus for awhile.

Sometimes if you just hit the play button...................

Ok, so fun day of meetings!! I thought, "Do I really want to go home cook dinner & exercise? OR tell Rich and Nathan that I want to go out to eat. Technically, I told myself it is my rest day of the Chalene hybrid program. As I held my internal debate, Rich started his Power 90 and P90X workouts (He is doing both simultaneously.)

Him starting his workout was enough to convince me that I just needed to start. I am on my 5th day of Brazil Butt Lift and today was a rest day of the ChaLEAN Extreme/Turbo Fire hybrid (52 days completed). As usual a few minutes in, I was happy I chose the workout instead of skipping it.

Day 50

Woo Hoo made it to Day 50 of the TF/ChEx Hybrid. I've done other workout programs, but this is one of my favorite combinations.

I just received Brazil Butt Lift. Since the hybrid I am doing is mostly weights, I am working in the Brazil Butt Lift. I made it to Day 3 of The BBL program. The BBL is a month long program, so not too bad.

It comes with a pencil to do this test. If the pencil stays put then you fail. Well I passed the test. I told my husband, and he said your butt is not saggy it is just big. LOL, he's right, so I didn't take it personal.

day 48

I missed my day 47 workout. I don''t know why I do it maybe it's my competitive nature, but I almost feel like I let myself down.

I was trimming my hedges and I seen this vine (luckily I had gloves),so I pulled it out. About a day or 2 later, I figure out by looking at my forearm that was poison ivy. I have always gotten a pretty bad reaction to poison ivy. Who would've thought I would find poison ivy in my front yard!! Only me would that happen to!

So Thursday, I had to go for my every few year MRI checkups for my MS. Imagine having to try to lay still for 2 hrs, when your arms are itchy from poison ivy. Thursday night I didn't sleep well so I decided to try to sleep in a little bit Friday morning. The plan was to do my workout before we had to bring Nathan to his PJ party for a parents night out. Well, when we get home from Nathan's school, he hands me a note about having a rough day at school. The long discussion with Nathan took up the planned workout time.

I keep reminding myself that I have added extra workouts on some days and even worked out on rest days. I plan to knock the day 47 and day 48 workout today. One was Turbo Fire 30 (cardio) and the other is Push Circuit 3 (weights).

Day 41

Well, I made here to Day 41 of the ChaLEAN Extreme/Turbo Fire Hybrid. It's amazing that many times before I get started that I don't really feel like exercising. Yet when I am done, I am always glad that I did!

Since it is good to keep changing your routine,I am trying to decide what program I want to try next. I am considering either Brazil Butt Lift or Slim in 6. Anyone tried either one?

If I was going to give myself a grade on well I am doing with the eating, I would say about an 85%. I do drink the Shakeology everyday, since it is extremely healthy I get high marks for that. I do extremely well at work with two healthy snacks and lunch. I even do well when they bring in the doughnuts and unhealthy treats. So where do I need to focus on?: Nighttime! I have been trying to make our dinners consist of more vegetables and lean protein rather than pasta or starchy carbs. I am even trying to cut back a little on wine and Michelob Ultras. I have been keeping a food and exercise journal on the free site: www.myfitnesspal.com

I really like using Beachbody's workout calendar where you can auto populate your workout schedule. I know ahead of time what my workout will be and have no excuses for the amount time I spend working out. I just know that this is the workout that I am supposed to do on that day! It also helps on the days when I think I really don't feel like working out, because I am somewhat competitive with myself and feel disappointed in me if I don't stick to my schedule or least try to.

It is kind of like when you run 5K's, 10K's, half, or marathons. There is something in running called a PR, which stands for Personal Record. Many runners always try to push themselves to beat their previous time to keep bettering that PR. When I stick to the schedule or push myself to lift the next heavier weight, or crank out that extra push up, I know I am only going to improve my fitness level.

Also when you auto populate your calendar, in a way I am mentally pushing myself to finish that workout schedule much like when I signed up for a Race. If you have ever ran a 5K or marathon, etc, you know you can't just show up on race day and start running. It always gave me an incentive to run knowing that I had a race I signed up for, and knowing I put my schedule in my workout calendar I know I need to PRESS PLAY!!

Day 39 TF/CH EX Hybrid

This morning was ChaLEAN Extreme Push Circuit 2.

I can kind of do a pull up now without the chair. I can pull up and down, but can't pull back up so not sure if that counts. My point is that I am getting closer, and it gives me something to push for. Still a little rough on the tricep push ups, but I'll get there too. I still have more work to go, but at least I am seeing some progress. This helps keep me motivated!

Although I have never been much of an early morning person, I have been doing really well at getting up early to workout since Nathan's school started. I just find that most days if I don't if I don't get the workout done before I start the day that the rest of day kind of gets in the way of itself. Then before I know it, it is time to go bed. Definitely works better for me as much as I don't like to drag myself out of bed.

Doing pretty good at making sure I am making healthier eating choices for the most part. One of my Admin people even remembered when she went out for doughnuts for the group to grab a fruit n yogurt cup for me. I guess they are kind of getting used to me trying to eat better. :)

Keep Pushing Play

Well I am completing day 38 on my ChaLEAN Extreme/Turbo Fire Hybrid. I have completed about 154 WOWY workouts for the year. It is not an easy process to get yourself back on track after being derailed, but I have really committed myself to it this year. After being on track for so long (Fitness/Health wise), once you let yourself get derailed, it requires a lot of push and internal shove to get yourself back there. The last eight months, I have pushed myself to get back there. I am a slow loser, but I continue to press forward to try to regain where I was before I got DERAILED so to speak.

I have pushed myself to do things I didn't think I could do, so I know EVERYTHING is possible. I ran a marathon just a year after quitting smoking (2002). _Quit date 7/31/01. In between then and now, ran another full marathon and about half a dozen half's. I ran a half (2007), a year after being diagnosed with MS (Multiple Schlerosis). My point is that I continue to prove to myself that I can push myself to achieve things physically that I didn't think possible. The pursuit of completing my Bachelor's degree (2010) was a physical setback, but I know that if I keep at it I WILL get back to where I need to be!!

Day 35 of Turbo Fire/Chalene Extreme Hybrid

Today is Turbo Fire 45 EZ, and after I get some coffee it will be time to get to it. Need to get the workout done, before it is time to watch Hungry Girl on the Food Network. Really enjoying her show.


Yesterday, I did Push Circuit 3 and even managed to get in a 30 minute run! There aren't as many races that I have found here in Columbus, Ohio as compared to Dallas-Fort Worth. You literally had your choice of almost a half dozen races every weekend there. I really miss the Fort Worth Runners club races. My small town of Grove City doesn't have a runners club.

I did find a FIT CLUB in Grove City at Putt N Play, which I have met some great people. It is kind of hard when you move to meet people, and I am thankful to have met some people that are trying to do the same thing to improve their health.

Hope everyone is enjoying their holiday weekend.