On Monday, I shared with you how I had gotten to the point of needing a performance coach and some of the ins and outs of working with her. Today, I wanted to take some time and dive a little deeper, but starting back at the beginning…
Last week, I took a very short hiatus from Fitness Fridays. I decided to take the time to regroup and refocus on what I wanted out of these posts, because what I previously had wasn’t really working. Well, it was working, but it wasn’t what I had in mind when I decided to revive these from the dead.
I find my Fitness Friday posts to be very motivational and inspirational because I am forced to come here and report to the internet at large, what my goals are and whether I met them. There is nothing that holds me more accountable than not wanting to report a failure to my readers (or anyone, really).
I decided to keep these weekly posts light on the advice (with the occasional advice post, when I have something I really want to share) and heavy on how the week went for me, what worked, what didn’t, etc. I don’t want that to be relegated to the very bottom of the post. For me, the whole purpose of this is to be like an online journal where I share my trials and tribulations, keep myself motivated and maybe inspire someone else in the process.
So, I’m hoping you’ll join me on this new and improved expedition!! There won’t be a link-up at this time, but I’ll re-evaluate that as time marches on.
For now, I hope that you can except my brutal honesty towards myself and support me as I do so. Ready? Set… GO!
Week of 7/26/14 – 8/1/14
This was a hell of a week! It was my first full week back since being on vacation and I wasn’t happy about that, so I was really caught up in the emotions of work and not really paying attention to my eating or exercise. However, I did manage to keep my nutrition to at least a 7 (out of 10), for the majority of the week.
I got back into drinking my Shakeology, which keeps a lot of my cravings at bay, but I was still wanting salty / carby foods, thanks to PMS. I did manage to eat lots of veggies all week long, which helped keep me full and away from the junk. I didn’t weigh-in this week, because I just didn’t want to face the music AND I’m considering taking the scale out of my life, at least for the near future, (more to come on this in future posts).
But, while my eating was around a 7 all week, my exercise was a big FAT 0. 🙁 I felt low in energy all week, and just couldn’t find the get up and go to get a workout done. I did walk with Emmett a lot, but no intense sweat sessions. I do realize, that if I had worked out, that low energy probably would have gone away, I’d have felt amaze-balls (yes! I did just say that). 🙂
I do want to say one thing, and it is a REALLY important thing. I refuse to beat myself up any more, for anything. Whether it be a lack of motivation to workout, or the way I naturally react to a situation. I’m sick and tired of always hating the way I am, or the way I look. In order to overcome that I need to change my mindset, and realize that I am okay the way I am. I’m not saying no to self-improvement, but I am saying no to beating myself up for not being 100% amazing RIGHT NOW.
Have you heard of theSkimm? No?! You need to! It’s an online, daily email newspaper, that shares all the important stories from the previous day. It’s free to sign-up, and you’ll start receiving the newsletters daily (Monday-Friday). You can check them out, and see what they’re all about by clicking here.
1. Fitness Fridays – They’re going to be a little different around here. Kathy, my co-host has decided to take a break from writing on her blog for a “to be determined length of time.” If you were an avid reader or visitor of her blog, be sure to stop on over and wish her well!!
In the meantime, I am planning on continuing with Fitness Fridays, with a break today because I wanted to cover a couple things. 🙂 I also will be doing some brainstorming on how to make it bigger. I don’t want anything huge, but I’d like to reach more blogs, get more people to link-up or get involved. If you’re interested in teaming-up, feel free to comment below or email me at jillianokeefe1022@gmail.com
2. TheSkimm – I am deeply in love with TheSkimm. Every morning, Monday-Friday, I get an email in my inbox, BRIGHT AND EARLY, with a rundown on the day’s news. Now, you’re probably wondering why you would want to sign-up for something new when you have the internet at your disposal. Well here’s the answer, #1 TheSkimm is free to sign-up for and #2, the news descriptions they provide are brief, to the point and explained in a manner that anyone can understand. I have felt tremendously more educated about the world’s events since joining them. Below is a snapshot of what their daily email looks like.
3. Beachbody – I am slowly but surely working and learning the ropes of the Beachbody community. It’s a lot of fun and I’m learning SO much. I actually just ordered the 3 Day Refresh and PiYO. I can’t wait to receive them!! I also have a 13 day clean eating challenge beginning on August 4th. If you’re interested in learning more about it, please comment below or email me. I’d be happy to send along the information, I just need commitment by July 28th.
4. A GIVEAWAY! Yay! My final update for today is that I’m joining Logan from Logan Can… in celebrating her 2 year blogaversary! She’s hosting a really great giveaway that you NEED to be a part of. Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below and be sure to stop over to her blog and say HAPPY BLOGAVERSARY, Logan!!!
All I need to do is get through today, and I will officially be on vacation for 12 glorious days!! I’ll be busy on some of those days, but there will also be plenty of relaxing. I deserve it!
Alright, let’s get down to business, first things first, I’d like to thank Hanna Lei for linking up last week. I’m really digging her blog. First of all the layout is simple, and I love that. It looks so fresh and clean and is easy to follow. Secondly, her posts are relevant and fun to read. I’m a big fan of the post she linked up about Sports Bras and a Confession (go ahead and click there, I’ll wait).
You can follow her on: Instagram, Bloglovin’ or Pinterest.
If you read my blog frequently, you know that I’ve struggle with Binge Eating Disorder. For a long time I had no idea what it was that I was dealing with, and I assumed there was no way of overcoming it. Thankfully I was wrong!
I started writing about it on my blog, doing research, reading everything I could get my hands on about the disease and realized that with hard work, I could beat B.E.D.
It has been a long slow process, and I still occasionally find myself craving junk, but for the most part, I am now able to ignore those feelings, and fuel my body in healthy ways. You’re probably wondering what has helped me get to this point, right?
My Tips to Keep Your Diet on Track
1. Hard Work and Dedication – There’s a quote by Theodore Roosevelt that resonates true here.
[Tweet ““Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty. -Theodore Roosevelt”]
There are so many times when I’ve reached for junk food, and had to talk myself out of actually eating it. Telling myself that isn’t how I lead my life now. I am conscious of my decisions! It is a constant struggle, happening multiple times a day, but each day it gets easier to tell myself no and to enjoy the fresh food I bring from home.
Eating better and fueling my body appropriately is well worth it. I have been feeling amazing and so positive! I feel like I’m on top of the world. 🙂
2. Surrounding Yourself with Supportive People – This is HUGE! I have several people in my life that I trust entirely, and that I feel 100% comfortable with. I share everything with them, every single success, and every single downfall.
For instance, when I ran an errand in the middle of the day and managed to come back without stopping at McDonald’s or any other fast food place with a drive-thru.
To some people that may seem insignificant, but to a food addict, being able to go out on your own, and come back without junk is one of the biggest accomplishments you can have. Having someone to share that with, that understands how HUGE that is, and celebrating with you is one of the biggest things that will help you through this.
3. Drink Shakeology – Okay, I know you probably think this is a cheap shot, added for a sale. But I swear to you, that it is not. I simply want to share what has worked for me.
I’ve been drinking Shakeology for a month now. In the beginning I didn’t notice even the difference and I really thought that all the hype was just that, hype. However, now a month in, I realize it isn’t. It has been life changing!
Prior to drinking Shakeo, when I’d think of a Big Mac or Quarter Pounder, my mouth would instantly water (I’m being 100% truthful). Now, a month out, when I think of those foods, I think of all the grease and fat involved and how awful it made me feel. That type of thing NEVER phased me before, I didn’t care what was in the burger or that my blood pressure would raise and my fingers would swell, I just wanted the burger. A bad food day to me now, is something like a salad or turkey sandwich at Panera.
I’m not touting it as a miracle drug (it’s not), but the different nutrients and herbs involved truly help stave off cravings. And it is now clinically proven to…
So yes, I’m smitten with Shakeology and I’m not afraid to scream it from the rooftops, so that everyone knows it.
I haven’t had a binge in 4 weeks!!!!
I want that to just sit there a second, because it feels amazing. I’ve never gone more than a few days, even on previous diets.
If you would like more information on Shakeology, you can email me at jillianokeefe1022@gmail.com or check-out the Shakeology website.
Those are my 3 tips that I proudly standby and support!!
Amount of Weight Lost
I’m happy to share a success with you…
I lost another 2.2 lbs!! Bringing my grand total to 7 lbs, which means I can get my manicure. 😀 I think I’m going to wait until my nails are a bit longer, though. I just trimmed them and they wouldn’t look very pretty painted so short. I can’t wait!
Exercise Goals
Last week I set a goal to continue with the 21 Day Fix and workout with it 6 times and then 2 additional workouts of running or biking.
COMPLETE! Boom! I sure did do six days of 21 Day Fix workouts and 2 run/bike workouts. I am on FIRE!
Next week I am going to stick with the same goal – six days with 21 Day Fix and 2 run or bike workouts.
Food Goals
Last week, I stated I wanted to continue with the 21 Day Fix Meal Plan and Shakeology. Another success to share, I ate on point and followed the meal plan perfectly, with only 2 handfuls of m&ms all week. Goodness it feels good to share successes!
I’m going to stick with the same program because it is working and I’m not bored.
Okay, that’s enough from me for today. 🙂 Be sure to share you posts with us in the link-up below. We love featuring new blogs!
Kathy at The Panda Post|Bloglovin’|Facebook|Twitter|Instagram
Jillian at Baby Doodah!|Bloglovin’|Facebook|Twitter|Instagram|Google+
I’m so excited for this long weekend! We don’t have a lot planned, but it is shaping up to be productive, purposeful and fun. 🙂
First up, I’d like to thank Rebecca from Flex and Shout Fitness, for stopping by and linking up. Please stop on over and give her some love!! She has a great circuit workout on the post I linked up there, make sure you pin it for future use.
This week’s Fitness Fridays is a bit different, Kathy is taking a week off, but I wanted to post this week for two reasons – number 1 being so I can talk about my weight loss (we’ll get to that in a bit), and number 2 is because I want to keep the routine going. I tend to get lazy if I stop a routine. So, here I am!
[Tweet “How I Find Motivation in the Darkest of Moments.”]
It’s no secret that I have struggled with depression, I’ve talked about it on here and in my in personal life. My moods swing up and down, but lately, they’ve been swinging more UP! I’m really happy that I can say that it isn’t just happening, I’m working hard at it. I am doing things to make my life better and stronger!
1. Wake-up and Make No Excuses! On those days when I wake up at 4:30 in the morning and I don’t feel like doing anything but hitting snooze and the pillow, I literally force myself out of bed, I won’t except no for an answer. Once I’m up and moving I tell myself that I need to move around, make my coffee, sit at the table and think, anything but lay on the couch for at least 10 minutes. 9 times out of 10, once that time has passed I’m awake enough to get my workout in and don’t feel like laying down, wasting the quiet time. That workout is KEY to my happiness, right now!
2. Follow Health and Fitness Accounts on Instagram. If you’re about to consider eating that doughnut or skipping that workout, open Instagram and skim through the hundreds of thousdands of motivational pictures there. You have inspirational quotes, before and after photos and even short videos of people working out. People post healthy recipes, or short-burst workouts, the motivation is endless. I use IG a lot to find my motivation when I’m struggling. Something about other people accomplishing their goals moves me to mine. You can follow my IG account here: Jillian41681
3. Surround Yourself with People that Motivate and Inspire you. I know this seems like a given, but so many people don’t understand the necessity of having people who like to workout and eat well in your life. These are people who are a walking billboard for health. They’re the ones that kick your a** when you say you don’t feel like working out today, or that you’re going to eat that delicious cupcake. They’re also the ones who praise you and high five you when you do EPIC sh*t! 🙂
Those are my top three! I’d love to hear about yours in the comments!
Amount of Weight Lost
Are you ready for this…………..?
3.2 lbs!! Bringing my grand total to 4.8 lbs! I am .2 away from my first reward. Yay!
This is what happens when you work the program. I’m still following the 21 Day Fix (if you’re interested in learning more about the program, please email me at jillianokeefe1022@gmail.com), and it is working AWESOME!
I haven’t taken my measurements yet, but I will as soon as I get a chance. However, I know I have lost lots, because my tight pants are no longer tight. WOOHOO! 😀
Exercise Goals
I wasn’t completely successful, but I am not disappointed in the effort that I put in. I did 6 workouts, but only once a day. I just couldn’t squeeze in that 2nd workout. I need to work on that!
Next week’s goal is to continue with the 21 Day Fix, doing 6 workouts and then 2 days of running or biking outdoors. Getting outside and in the sun will really benefit me.
Food Goals
Before I go into what my goal was and will be next week, I want to share that I have not had an emotional binge or any other type of binge in 3 weeks. That’s not to say that I haven’t had some junk foods (ie: pizza), but I did not binge. I ate a normal, healthy amount, and felt no guilt! THIS IS HUGE! I’ll be talking more about this next week. I honestly truly feel like I can attribute this curbing of cravings to Shakeology. The stuff is so darn good, makes me feel good and has cut out most of my cravings. And the ones I do get, I am getting better at ignoring, or finding ways to cope with them.
Alright, last week, I stated I wanted to continue with the 21 Day Fix meal plan and Shakeology. I did both to a T! Go me!
Next week, I will continue to stick to the 21 Fix Meal Plan and Shakeology (love this stuff!).
If you’re wondering the reason for me continuing with the 21 Day Fix Meal Plan, it’s because it is so easy to use. The different colored containers and the lists of foods that you can eat, make it completely fool proof.
If you’re interested in learning more about 21 Day Fix or Shakeology, I can provide you with information on both. Please email me at jillianokeefe1022@gmail.com I’d love to hear from you!
Okay that about does it, be sure to link-up your posts below, I love reading them and highlighting your blogs on mine. Let’s grow our followings together!
Who remembers watching TGIF on ABC on Friday nights?? Anyone? I’m sure I am not the only one! I used to look forward to that night of TV more than anything. Well, that’s not entirely true, I did look forward to the night Full House was on. I’d love that show, still do (and I still watch it today).
Anyhoo – I completely veered off topic there. We’re in week #2 of our Fitness Friday link-up and I’m really excited because we had two great blog posts link-up with us.
Meet Brianna from Hungry Gator Girl!
Meet Katie from How to Make the Sun Shine.
Thanks for linking up ladies!
Last week, I explained that we would be picking a weekly theme to talk about on our blog. Last week’s theme was ensuring you fit exercise in while traveling, this week we decided that we’d discuss how to keep motivation for working out when the newness of a fitness program has passed.
If you’re like me, it’s can be really difficult to stay motivated to eat right and workout hard, but there are ways to overcome your slowly waning drive.
1. Assess the Workout You are Doing. Consider the workout you’re doing, is it something that you enjoy or do you find it boring or repetitive. If you find that your answer is yes to either of those, PICK A NEW WORKOUT! There are so so many options out there for staying active, don’t ever let yourself get bored and fall off track.
2. Have You Plateaued? If you’ve been doing the same routine or type of exercise for some time, it’s possible that you’ve plateaued. When that happens, you can get frustrated and have a hard time keeping your focus. Switch it up, try something new, take a different running route, anything that will shock your muscles back into action.
3. Are you getting lazy? Yes, it may sound harsh, but are you getting lazy? Is your motivation disappearing because you just can’t “find the energy” to get up off the couch and put your sneakers on? Then stop making excuses, put the sneakers on and just work out. Even if you convince yourself to do 10 minutes, that 10 minutes is better than keeping your butt on the couch.
Amount of Weight Lost
Last week I maintained, this week I gained 3 lbs. I’m not really surprised, I had pizza Wednesday night and on Tuesday, for lunch, I had pulled pork and pasta salad (at a work meeting). Neither lend itself to being healthy, so I gained.I need to get focused next week!
Exercise Goals
Last week I said I wanted to keep working out, using the 21 Day Fix and I can share that I have continued to stick with it and I am enjoying the workouts so much. I got through the entire 7 days and I loved them all, even the hardest day, Total Body Cardio Fix. Yikes! That’s a toughy!
This week, I am going onto my 3rd week of 21 Day Fix. I’d like to continue with that and get 7 days worth of workouts! On the side, I’d like to take some more walks with Emmett and get to the outdoor pool with him a few more times.
Food Goals
I set a goal to continue sticking with healthy eating and drinking my Shakeology, and I partially completed that. I had my Shakeology every single day (I am loving it!) and I stuck to the 21 Day Fix Meal Plan about 75% of the time. It’s a wonderful feeling, I just need to get to 100%. 😀
Next week, I want to continue following the 21 Day Fix Meal Plan, and drinking my Shakeology. I look forward to reporting a loss next week. 🙂
Alrighty, that about does it for this week’s Fitness Friday – We’d love it if you shared your awesome fitness related posts with our link-up below.
Kathy at The Panda Post|Bloglovin’|Facebook|Twitter|Instagram
Jillian at Baby Doodah!|Bloglovin’|Facebook|Twitter|Instagram|Google+
Your turn!
If you want to start your Monday off on a generous foot and want to support cancer research, donate to my ride. I’m riding for Roswell Park Cancer Institute and their Ride for Roswell. Anything will help me reach my goal, and further advance cancer research. Just click HERE to donate.
Guys! I’m super duper excited because a friend of mine and I have decided to join forces and create a brand-spankin-new fitness/health focused link-up. This is going to be so much fun, and it will be recurring post, happening on Fridays!
I’d like to introduce you to Kathy from The Panda Post. Her blog is focused on leading a healthy life, through healthy eating and exercise. She is super active and willing to try just about any workout, which really inspires me to try something new and different (something I struggle with). You can also check her out on Facebook, by clicking here.
Our link-up is going to be a bit different than some link-ups because our posts will not be exactly the same. We will have a common theme between blogs, but what we write about will be entirely different (or possibly the same, if we feel similarly). This week, we decided our theme would be (drum roll please)….
I honestly don’t travel a lot, hardly ever, actually. Except to my parents for the day, but the few times that I did stay overnight in a hotel, the easiest way for me to get in a workout, was to bring workout DVDs from home. They’re compact (so they pack easily), they don’t require you to leave your hotel room and go workout in the hotel gym (not that there’s anything wrong with doing that), and it requires very little motivation to get started. The most you need to do is convince yourself to get off the couch and put the DVD in. 😉
There are loads of places to get workout DVDs, but my current personal favorite would have to be the Beachbody site. I realize you probably think I’m just saying that because I’m now a Beachbody coach, but I assure you that is not even remotely why. The workouts available through Beachbody consist of P90x, TurboFire, Insanity, 21 day FIX (my current workout, more on this in a second) and plenty more are freakin amazing! They’ve changed people’s lives, made stronger more confident individuals and I’m truly happy to be a part of that bunch.
So yes, I’m a Beachbody coach, but that doesn’t mean that I am biased. I know a good workout, I used to be in amazing shape and the workouts I’ve done through Beachbody are some serious muscle building workouts!
If you’re traveling, there are a few other sites that you can check-out for DVDs, but you can also stream a lot of workouts on your iPad or other tablet, and even some hotels (or if you’re staying with relatives) have ways you can stream them right through their wifi and TV.
One thing I will say, is that you should not let vacations derail any progress that you’ve made!
Amount of Weight Lost
I stayed exactly the same as last week, but I am not even remotely upset. I know I worked hard, ate well – so the weight will eventually come up!
Exercise Goals
Last week, I stated that I wanted to complete 7 days of 30 minute workouts, following the 21 day FIX schedule. Well…Success!! I didn’t do 7 days, but that’s simply because I started on Monday, but I’ve worked out every single day since then. I feel amazing, I’m so sore (a good sore), but my mood is soaring!
This week, I’d like to continue to focus on my 21 day FIX workouts and do the scheduled video each night. 30 minute workouts may not seem like much, but when they are as intense as these are, 30 minutes is plenty. Seriously! Such an amazing workout!
Food Goals
Last week I said I wanted to follow the 21 day FIX meal plan, once again, I can report SUCCESS! Man is it fun coming on here and reporting successes.
I ate so well for the entire week, I was drinking my Shakeology, feeling fueled and not stuffed (which is a great feeling), and my cravings were minimal. I can’t wait to continue with this same goal, next week!
Alright, folks, since we’re still hammering out the details on how this blog hop will work, for now, feel free to link-up any of your fitness related posts. You should absolutely try following your hosts on their social media, but also check-out some of the other blogs linked up. Nothing says party, like mingling! 🙂
Kathy at The Panda Post|Bloglovin’|Facebook|Twitter|Instagram
Jillian at Baby Doodah!|Bloglovin’|Facebook|Twitter|Instagram|Google+
