MichelleRenee12’s BodyBlog

Some would say that it’s a bad thing… some would say that it’s a good thing… but I’m realizing more everyday that I’ll never be satisfied with my progress.  On the down side, there are times discouragement, insecurity, self-doubt. On the up side, it’s those very moments that cause me to stop, rise up and say, "No way - I just need to push harder, eat cleaner, and work more consistently, so …. get to it!" 

Maybe it’s the point where we’ve realized our dreams that we should be depressed.  "When Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept for there were no more worlds to conquer.”  As long as we have goals, we have a reason to keep going - and the hope of the thrill of achievement.

Summary for week 1:

Eating Daily Avg: Calories 1300  Protein 44% Carbs 35% Fat 21%

                      
    Free meal was Saturday evening.

Training: Pre-breakfast HIIT x 5, Weight training x 4, Evening moderate cardio 30 min x 4

              Rest day was Thursday.

Plan for Week 2:

       Training:  Pre-breakfast HIIT x 30 min x 6 days

                     We
ight training x 4

                     Ev
ening cardio 30 min x 6 days

         Eating: Keep calories about the same, cycle carbs keeping fat low, cut out dairy and breads.

                    Use whole foods rather than relying on pre-mixed shakes and bars.

         Supplementation: More consistent use of CLA and fish oil. Change over from Lipo6 to

                      
             Cytolean. Add a liquid multi-vitamin.

I’m loving the new workout tracker!

I had a late workout today, because I decided that it wouldn’t hurt to rest my eyes for just a few minutes on the sofa before starting… and, of course, I fell promptly to sleep! An hour later, there I was… groggy and sitting there… debating whether to just go to bed or to get myself in gear and get the workout done.  I’m grateful for the home gym, that’s for sure. I talk myself into a lot of workouts that way, "Shelley, just go in there, and start, and if you want to quit after 5 minutes, you can…"  As we all know, there’s no way you want to quit once you’re in there and going at it…tricky me! 

So, it’s done, but it was really a pretty pathetic workout overall. I did chest and shoulders using very light weights, but still had some pain after just the first set.  I tried 1 set each of dumbell presses, flyes, and incline presses to see if any of them felt ok, but they all hurt somewhat, so I switched it over to shoulders.  This was a little more tolerable, and I did complete all planned sets keeping the dumbells 10 lbs and under.  Then put in a little time on the treadmill (second time today.)

Tomorrow is LEG DAY - my favorite! Gotta work the flatness out of my glutes, too..haha.

Nothing is wrong and no one has offended me, I’ve just decided to limit my friends, comments, and replies to women only. Nothing against the guys at all, I’m just more comfortable this way. Thanks for understanding!

After a 4 week break, I’m finally able to start working out again - whoo hoo! Had my first pre-breakfast HIIT cardio this morning, and was able to work up to a good sprint 4 times! I can definately tell that I’m not at the level I was 4 weeks ago, but I didn’t perform as badly as I’d feared, so HURRAY!   I’ll be hitting the weights again later today - can’t wait! 

I had the terrible task this morning of taking new photos to track my progress, but that’s done, and they are posted, and I’ll just remind myself that it will get better from here.  Knowing that I have to post new ones each week really helps to keep me focused!

As always, I welcome any suggestions from the fit and fabulous women on this site! I’m looking for a new fat burner/weight loss aide.  Also, diet and training tips are always needed! 

My doctor gave me samples today from a company called Isagenix.  Has anyone tried their products or know anyone who used them?

I know that I’m going to be taking in a few more calories than usual with the holidays upon us.  I’ve been the  killjoy-stick-in-the-mud-that-never-joins-
in since this summmer, and have  decided to take 1 free day each week so that I can participate in holiday events. My plan is to add extra cardio, but I will still weigh in and measure everyday to make sure I’m on track.

Here’s a summary of my holiday workout plan:

1. The Body for Life 20 min HIIT cardio first thing each morning in a fasted state x 6 per week.

2. Afternoon weight training x 4 per week broken down into legs, back, chest and shoulders, arms

3. After dinner 45 min - 1 hr of moderate cardio - probably walking on the treadmill since it’s dark so early now x 6 per week.   

I’m open to any suggestions to enhance this schedule. I just cannot put on holiday weight and waste all of the hard work I’ve done!  

I’ve had a few people ask what I’ll do now that my 12 week challenge is over.  While I LOVE Body for Life, I’m deviating from it a little now, eating a few more healthy calories and working harder than the plan calls for. I want to keep my weight around 115 lbs, but drop the bodyfat%.  How low, I’m not sure, but I guess I’ll know I’m there when my abs are showing!

Sent off the completed official Body for Life packet this morning.  If you’ve read any of the inspirational essays, you’ll know that people overcome great tragedies at times by refocusing their efforts on their health. I’m always amazed at the strength of people who can rise to be their best when times are the worst! Now, in my case, I’m just a regular gal who was tired of wearing cover ups at the beach, so that’s the approach I took for my essay.  The results will be announced in January. I can’t imagine that I would win anything from EAS, but I’ve won a new life, and you can’t top that!  BTW- On the inner transformation questions, I listed this site as one of my motivators in getting through the challenge.  For everyone who has helped me, written nice comments, and sent such encouraging emails to push me forward, thank you!!!   Shelley