Wow!

I haven't posted in a while. Life is passing by... busy teaching full time and working on my Masters degree! I came across a post today I made back in July about my journey with joining Beachbody. Wow! I have come a long way. I never ever dreamed I would be this happy with where I am with my health. I still have quite a ways to go to meet my end goal, but I do not forget about where I have come from.

The girl on the left... sad, fearful, living behind jokes and sarcasm to feel good about herself, overweight, scared, hateful, negative

The girl on the right... HAPPY, energetic, loving life, positive, motivated, a coach, inspired, full of laughter

I WANT TO HELP YOU TO FEEL LIKE THE GIRL ON THE RIGHT! 

It's not about "What's the next diet I can go on?" or "How can I lose weight fast?" It's about a lifestyle change. I had to make informed decisions about foods I was eating. I could no longer stand in my kitchen and eat everything in sight. I had to make a change. I committed to a fitness program and Shakeology for 90-days and it was the BEST decision I have ever made. In fact, it has inspired me to be a COACH for others who feel like they just can't do it alone. You need to feel supported, loved, and motivated. I am here to help you because I know what it's like to be overweight, sad, depressed, angry, etc. 

PLEASE do this for yourself - I'm not out to just promote the next best deal to you. I am asking for you to join in these challenges; to take the next step to becoming a happier person because of how you feel. Are you ready to commit?

Write me today: commitwithemily@gmail.com

You won't regret it... here's to committing to a happier and motivated YOU!

Need some inspiration?: How I lost over 25 lbs and you can too!

Beachbody (TurboFire) Journey

Goodbye Chocolate Shakeology

Well... I was a little let down this weekend. Team Beachbody changed their formula for the chocolate flavor of Shakeology about a month ago. I didn't get a chance to try it out until this weekend. Needless to say, I was not satisfied with the smell or the new taste. :( It really was a huge let down. I LOVE me some shakeology and have used it as my breakfast since February! So I had to make a choice. I didn't want to cancel my home direct or else I would lose my coach status and so I called Coach Relations (who are super helpful!!!!!!!) and I changed my HD to Tropical Strawberry. I've heard pros and cons to it, but I don't know until I try it. I just am not willing to give up my morning Shakeology. I am really hoping I can drink it and that it doesn't have a funky aftertaste like the new chocolate one did. :( BB is in the midst of reworking the formula since so many were unhappy! I am glad to be under a company that cares so much about people's opinions and wanting to produce a quality product :)

With that being said, goodbye chocolate shakeology.... until we meet again :)

Day 75... 15 days to go!

I can't believe I am almost to the end of my TurboFire journey. I really have fallen in love with the TurboFire program. In fact, I have almost considered continuing it... AGAIN... Round 3! :)

Which is funny I say this because I did NOT want to push play this morning. In fact, I probably should have taken today off because I did boot camp yesterday for an hour... and I about died. I really pushed myself and at the end, I felt like I was going to pass out. Not good :)

Anyway... Day 75. It was Day 75 that I stopped during my Round 1... so 15 days to go to continue pushing play! :) I'll take a little break (like 2 days) and then will jump back into it again. I am going to try the Insanity, but I just don't burn as much with it because I stop frequently to BREATHE! hahaha! It's tough!

So I was thinking yesterday... I am super nervous about my motivation when I get back to work. I am really counting on the Facebook group I created to hold me accountable. I always seem to make excuses when I get back into the swing of things again. Next week I need to get in the habit of doing my workouts around 4:30 or so. I always feel good about being back at work because at least I'm moving around, but it can get stressful very quickly and don't want to work out... which is the opposite of what I should do since they say working out can relieve the stress. I also will be back in full swing with teaching AND grad school which I haven't had for a while so I just don't want to get overwhelmed. Another thing is... I have made it this far. I feel like I am REALLY fit (even though I might not look like it ;))... and I don't want to lose EVERYTHING I have worked for to get to this point.

I'm gonna need motivation.... so Facebook groupies, you better help me out! :)

Have a great day!

Day 68... hit my best record today!

I woke up this morning and had so much excitement and energy. I am SUPER pumped about the challenge group I made on Facebook! It is so cool to see people get excited about getting fit and feeling better about life :)

I did Fire 55 EZ today... LOVE this workout and normally my heart rate doesn't remain all that high throughout the workout. Today I let my watch run for 57 minutes. Here are the results:

Time = 57 minutes

Calories Burned = 665!!!!!!!!!!! ONNN FIREEEEE!!!!!

Average Heart Rate = 170

WOW!!!!! I looked down at my watch on several occasions to see where my heart rate was at and generally it fell between 175-180. The highest it got up to was 185 during the HIIT fire drills. What an addiction!

If you don't have a heart rate monitor, I would suggest getting one! They are a great tool to have during workouts if you are counting calories. 

There have been a couple of days that I have worked out with my husband. He has been doing the Insanity program. Yesterday was basically 30 minutes of stretching and yoga exercises which is funny to see such a BIG guy (Shaun T, the instructor) do these stretches. He toots his own horn a couple of times :) Pretty funny. Anyway... they are animals. I cannot keep up with the people on the video and we just do what we can because it is still pretty intense. I love the Insanity videos because it's a lot of upper body strength which I am LACKING!!! I am so not strong... I have to do the girly push-ups. One of these days I'll do push-ups like a man! HA! I've still got a long way to go. 

It dawned on me today that I start back to work in like 2 weeks. I am a little nervous because I get super busy during the school year and need to make sure I am holding myself accountable for working out. I always ALWAYS use the excuse "I'm just too tired" ~ I'm hoping the challenge group will help me out with this! Motivation is KEY and I'm relying on them to keep me going! To push play... because I'll feel better in the end!

Alright... I've got grad school work to do. Thanks for reading! Have a great day!

Day 64... it's a new day

I woke up this morning thinking, "It's a new day!" This past weekend we had a cookout with lots of unhealthy items to choose from. Items such as chips, desserts, pop, alcoholic beverages, etc.

I tend to do SO well during the week... it's the weekends that get me off track! So after my bad item choices this weekend, I told myself I am going to get up on Monday and start fresh. I had to get my mind right and back in the mindset of eating healthy again because I tend to spiral out of control if I don't get my mind right. I will make one bad choice after the next.

I didn't workout yesterday because I was exhausted and I didn't get a very good night's sleep. So today I doubled my workout and did Fire 30 (30 minutes) and HIIT 25 (25 minutes). It was good for me to do both, however, I really am not too keen on HIIT 25. It was A LOT of jumping so I modified it and didn't burn as many calories as I could of had I pushed myself, but the key is I PUSHED PLAY! It really felt great and I'm glad that I did it.

I just finished lunch and I'm about to start my grad school work, but I wanted to post this deliciousness I made for lunch. I really love everyone's motivation for working out, but I always wonder what they're eating. Here is what I had for lunch today:

Meet my barbecue grilled chicken salad!

Ingredients:

• Meijer chicken tenderloins (I grilled these a couple of days ago so they were left over and I didn't want to them to go to waste - I no longer buy the Tyson chicken because they are not as tender as the Meijer tenderloins! And I just don't eat Tyson anymore!)
• cherry tomatoes cut in halves
• Sweet Baby Ray's Original Barbecue Sauce (1-2 tbsp)
• Iceberg lettuce (from a head of lettuce just tore into small pieces - this has been much better - I used to buy the bagged lettuce, but it turns bad so fast)

On the side:

• mushrooms - heated up in the microwave for 30 seconds
• big ol' glass of water :) - the best thing you can drink - I put lemon juice in mine (always have!)

So good I might have to make another one for dinner! DELICIOUS!!!! 

Alright... that is all! Have a great day and do something healthy for yourself today!

Day 62 Whaaat?!

18 more days to go... kinda crazy! I am nearing the end of my TurboFire journey. I am really excited about it! I have been doing TurboFire since February and I think it is now time to try another Beachbody product. Like I said in a previous post, I ordered Insanity. My husband has been doing it and I'm so proud of him! He is REALLY sticking to it! He never ceases to amaze me. The thing I love about him most is when he wants to do something healthy for himself, he sticks with it. It reminds me of myself too. I restarted my TurboFire journey back in June because I wanted to do it right... I wanted to get all the way through the program in 90 days... mostly to earn my t-shirt!!!! HAHA! :)

Anyway... after my TurboFire journey, I have thought about trying Beachbody's Ultimate Reset program. My next workout program will be Insanity and I want to make sure my body is properly ready for it. The Ultimate Reset program is this (click "this"). It's a 21-day (3 week) program designed to basically get your body back to its "factory settings." Here's a video provided by Beachbody:




I'm not sure I'll be jumping out of my bed at 5AM, but I think this will definitely help getting back on track to do the Insanity program. The only downside of doing the Reset program is I won't be able to work out for those days on the program. I would start Insanity after the 21 days. I am addicted to exercise because of the feeling I get after a good workout so I know that part sounds crazy! :) I have a little bit of time to think about it, but I am really wanting to give it a try! I am going to do some more research on it and see what I can find! Maybe you're interested in more information or maybe you wanna try it... check it out: Ultimate Reset Challenge Link

Thanks for reading... have a great weekend! Get movin' and groovin' like nobody's watching ya!

Boot camp!

Trying out boot camp in the park this morning! :)

Looking forward to a good workout!!

Have a great day loves! I'll post about it later :)

Call me... crazy!

I woke up this morning early because Tim (my husband :-)) wanted me to help him make his first shake using Shakeology! Woo hoooo! I love that he seems committed so far... even though it's only been a day (actually not even) and he wants to change some of his lifestyle choices! Yippee! He packed a sandwich for lunch today. Just so proud of him because it is very hard to change your ways when you have been set in a particular lifestyle for a while!

I'm excited because I since I was up early, I decided to go for a run around the hood. Here are the results:

Time = 38ish minutes including my stops for traffic.

Distance = 3.27 miles

Calories = not sure but look below for overall!

So then after I got back, I wanted to do my TurboFire HIIT 20 class. It's High Intensity Interval Training. There are 3 fire drills. 2 of the drills you do 2 times and then the last drill you do 3 times. My heart rate got up to as high as 185. Crazy!! HIIT workouts burn 9x more fat! Gooooodbye chub!

So my results (including my run time):

Time = 1 hr 3 min

Calories burned = 703 calories

NOT KIDDING!!!!!!! This is for real people!!!!!!

Call me crazy, but it feels so good! =]

Get out there and move it people!

Have a good day!

PS. What are some tunes you listen to while working out? I wanna know what gets you pumped up! I need some songs to add to my playlists! Leave you comments below!

Websites

Shakeology Website: Learn about it! It's the best thing I have ever put into my body!

http://myshakeology.com/emilychandler

Beachbody Website: Learn and explore what Beachbody and its products are all about!

http://beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/emilychandler



Do something for YOU! :)

Day 53... Dang, I feel good!

I completed the TurboFire 55 EZ class this morning. I busted a move for 55 minutes and here are my results. I was in SHOCK at the amount of calories I burned today. I guess you could say, "You crushed it today." Why yes, Chalene... I did :)

Time = 55 minutes

Heart Rate = 166 (with like a 2 minute cool down... didn't let it go until 60 minutes, but I wish I would have because my after burn would have been over 600 cals!)

Calories burned = 596 calories (Yeahhhh baby!!!!!! Normally I average around 530 - 550? I think... I'll have to look at my calendar again which is not in front of me right now)

You wanna talk about feeling good??? I have felt great ALL day and have had so much energy. I busted out 3 sections out of 5 on one of my Masters program papers due this weekend. Whaaaaat?? Rockin' it out!

Sooooo I thought I would list some reasons for why you should order your Beachbody products through me ;) and not go the cheap way out and get burned copies (because you're only cheating yourself!!!) or buy them through a non-Beachbody website. So here it goes...

1) I can be your coach!!!! Booo yaahh! Who wouldn't want me to motivate you ;) But seriously though, I'll get your butt off the couch or off of Facebook!

2) I can give you some advice on what program would be best for you.

3) You get EVERYTHING the product offers. When you get burned copies use other avenues to get your products, they leave some pertinent stuff out that you can't get elsewhere. For example, the products come with meal plans/guides to help you get the most out of your workouts.

4) Did I mention I can be your coach??? I will seriously come over to your house... and get you motivated! :) Just kidding... I won't really do that... but I will check on you and hold you accountable! I'll even work out with you if you need a workout buddy! I know it can be lonely!

The cool thing about Beachbody is you, yourself, can become a coach too! You get discounts on Beachbody products and you get the benefit of coaching others who want to make a change in their lifestyle. :)

Please feel free to email me: emilychandler@beachbodycoach.com

The first step is to recognize you want to make a change in yourself. Be serious about it. I can help you! You have to TRY!

On a different note, Tim and I ordered INSANITY. Tim is SOOO incredibly pumped! We are going to the store tonight and he is going to start the program tomorrow. I am so proud of him! I really hope he can stick with it because he will feel so good and will probably develop some chiseled abs of steel :-) I am almost to Day 60 of my TurboFire which means I will be 2/3 of the way complete! Woo hooo!! It's been a long haul, but dang it feels good! Once I am at 90 days, I'll send it my results... get my TF shirt... and then on to earn my Insanity shirt ;) 

Get movin' y'all :-)

Day 51

Well... I started TurboFire and Shakeology because I wanted to look and feel good in my wedding dress. Here's the quote from the bridal show: Emily wants to LOOK and FEEL great on her wedding day because "it will be a day where all my friends and family will be together to celebrate mine and Tim's happiness!"

I must say, I felt really good on my wedding day. I ate a lot... and had fun with my family and friends, that's for sure! 

I worked out yesterday and did the HIIT 15 workout. I just realized that I haven't been doing another part of the TurboFire workouts which is the sculpt videos :-/ oops! Oh well... I'm doing the cardio portion and still feel good! This morning I got up and just was exhausted. I did not feel like working out AT ALL, but I did it. I pushed play... I put in the 45 minute workout video. 

Here are my results:

Time = 50 minutes

Calories = 520 calories

Average heart rate = 161 

Not too shabby for a Tuesday ;)

It is time to get back on track. I had fun the past couple of days, but I realized how easy it is to fall out of a routine quickly. I gave myself the weekend to eat and drink whatever I wanted because I have been working so hard. It is much easier to put weight back on than it is to get off! Another school year starts for me in about a month so once I get back in a routine of working and working out, I think it will be easier again to lose because I am up and moving around when I am back at work!

On another note, I ordered INSANITY for Tim and myself. It's crazy! Watch this video and it will give you an idea of what it is like. I hope we can stick with it! I have been doing high intensity workouts so hopefully it will be a little bit "easier" for me, but I'm sure it will kick Tim's butt ;)

We are INSANE!!!!!!!! :)

Have a great day... get movin' and groovin' dudesss :)

Day 46 ... ready for a break! ;)

I am hitting a wall. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I have been going non-stop pretty much since February with working out to prepare for the wedding. I am ready to enjoy myself for a couple of days. I will be working out to TF tomorrow, but will obviously be taking off Saturday and probably Sunday off since I'm getting MARRIED!!!!

This is really bad to post this, but I have been so good about not eating fast food bad food ;) but I am CRAVING chicken wings ... I will be consuming them very soon as a reward for working my butt of and losing 12 lbs :-) Don't worry though... I'll be getting myself back on track very shortly to prepare for the honeymoon that isn't until December. Bikini body?! Ohhhhh yeaaaaaaa, baby!

Thanks for reading.... leave a comment or something. It's sad just writing to myself. I might start writing, "Dear diary..." just kidding ;)

Get movin' and groovin' for the next like 5 days because I won't be posting for a couple of days!

Buhhhh byeeeee

Day 45 ... Do you know what that means?

45 is half of 90. TurboFire is a 90-day program... so do you know what that means? HALFWAY THERE! :) Wednesdays are my weigh-in days. Drum roll please.... -2 lbs, baby! Weight loss total from June 4 is 4 lbs. Doesn't sound like a lot, but I can tell a difference in my pictures and I've gained some muscle! I'm noticing a trend with TF. In my first round of TB from Day 1 to Day 30, I noticed I didn't really lose any weight, just gained muscle and toned up. I didn't really start losing until inbetween Day 30 and Day 60. I'm noticing the same trend this time around. The WeightWatchers has definitely made me much more conscience of what I am eating and I'm no longer telling myself, "Oh yeah, you just did that long workout! Go eat fast food... that makes it okay!" I have felt so much better keeping that stuff away. Clean eating is the way to go if you can stick to it. It's hard sometimes, but I do try.

I didn't do TF today - took a break, but am doubling down on two of the workouts tomorrow. I did go for a run this am...

Time: 38:31 (35 min run and then walked for a couple of minutos)

Heart Rate: 165

Calories = 435

Distance = 3.11 miles

Pace = 12.22 calculated with walking (averaged about 11:30 min mile while running)

Temp = 86 degrees...

Flattering still shot of me, if I do say so myself!

So maybe I over exaggerated that it sucked... the only thing that sucked was the whiff of trash every 2 seconds. Disgussssting. But I should be thankful.... some people don't even get to experience the smell of trash. There's a silver lining in everything. :) HA!

Have a good day ... and get yo butt movin' :)

Day 44: Feeling tired... that's for sure!

Okay.. a little slow moving this morning. I did not want to work out AT ALL. I ate pretty well yesterday during the day until about dinner time. Then I just started stress eating... one of my biggest weaknesses. What am I stressed about? Getting my Masters stuff done for the week and oh, you know... I'm getting married on Saturday!! REALLY excited... yet anxious and nervous so it's throwing my body out of whack.

Workout result for today:

Total time = 50 minutes (45 minutes of TF and 5 minutes of cool down/after burn)

Average heart rate = 159 (a little lower than normal from when I do my 45 class... like I said, I was pushing it about 75% of the time... not really 100% dedication today!)

Burned = 495 calories

I will do a "weigh in" tomorrow to see how much weight I lost since last week - excited! I did the 3-day cleanse so that seems to help!

I noticed my site visit boosted big time! Yay! I wanted to share something that I do also that might help you! Whenever I am training for a half marathon or working on out to TurboFire like I have been for the past 44 days (call me crazy!!!), I always make a calendar. It's another way I hold my own self accountable for what I need to do during that day as far as exercise. The number one thing (myself included) is they start making excuses... "I don't have enough time for that", "It's too hot outside", or "I'll just double up tomorrow!" I took those excuses out of my excuse book ;) Seriously though... the calendar has helped get rid of that! So every day I have it "mapped" out for what workout I have to do for that given day. When I complete it, I highlight it or put smiley faces because I did it!

Here's what I mean:

As Chalene Johnson says, "Know how blessed you are to be able to work this hard!" So true! :) An example... if you can't run a mile, I bet you could run for at least a minute and then you can eventually work your way up to a mile. Stop making excuses! Do something for you!
Tomorrow I will be celebrating another success.... HALF WAY THROUGH MY TURBO FIRE PROGRAM!!!!! I am committed to earning my shirt this time!!!! They don't give these away to anyone... you have to EARN it! :-)

Get movin' ... you'll feel better!

Day 43 (TF 45 Class)

I found this on YouTube. It's a little segment of the Turbo Fire Class 45. This gives you an idea of what this workout is like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGckztd9x-8 ~ It's non-stop moving pretty much for 45 minutes! It has 3 fire drill segments. The first one when there is 28 minutes left and then the other 2 are back to back around 19 minutes left. Crazy!!!

Here are my results from today. The class is 45 minutes and then I let it run for 5 more minutes for the afterburn. Pretty sweet :)

I'm almost half way through TF... Tim and I convinced each other to try INSANITY next. We are INSANEEEEEEEE! :-) Click here to see what Insanity is all about! We are convinced! :)

The best part of my day: down 3 lbs since last Monday. Logged it on my Beachbody account site today! 23% Complete to my goal weight I entered :-)

Day 42: 3 mile run and Core 20

Did a 3 mile run today around the hood. It was fabulous :) Here are some pictures. One is my calorie calculations and heart rate average after my run and the other is after I restarted my time and did the Turbo Core 20. That's including my after burn from my run and working on the abs :)

Feeling good!

Get moving and grooving today!

What's TurboFire all about?

Here is a link from the Beachbody website to what TurboFire is all about: http://www.teambeachbody.com/showcase/-/bcp/96965297001/96497?referringRepId=96497

If you are interested, please let me know! I have had a lot of people ask me about how they can get started so contact me (emily.a.daughters@gmail.com) and I can hook you up!! :-)

I started TF for the first time in February and I think I'm ready to share some of my results. I went for about 75 days through the first round... got a bad flu virus... started making excuses for not working out... stopped working out completely. Felt terrible... restarted TF on June 4 and I am about half way through my 90-day experience...round 2!

Here is an example to show you the results from TF. This picture is from my first round... I am REALLY excited to see my second round results (which will be posted in the near future)... but I will leave you with this...

The pictures I am taking for Round 2 are all the same outfit (my bathing suit) so I can really see the results. If you are looking to see your progress, I highly recommend taking pictures. A number on your scale isn't going to tell you anything!!!! I have gained SOOO much muscle and muscle weighs more than fat (so keep that in mind!) Every time I jumped on the scale, I would get sooo sad because it wasn't going down, but then I would look at these results and realize, dang... I am still getting fit. It's alright :-) Hang in there!

Let me know if I can help you or encourage you in any way! Look at that difference... caaraaazy! These round 2 results are going to be even better ;)

Day 41 (TF 45 class)

Never, ever workout before you eat. Wow... what a mistake I made this morning. I usually make my shake before I do my workouts, but this morning I pushed my workout up to 7:00am because I've got some other things going on today. I thought, I'll just make it after. Oh my gosh... never again... I just need to get myself up out of bed earlier. My butt was dragging through the 45-minute workout. The TF 45 class is a non-stop moving workout. You get about 30-60 second breaks after the HIIT 1 minute fire drills (sounds scary huh! they're not that bad!) Anyway... I'm still impressed with my calorie burn. I did the 45-minute class and then stretched for 5 minutes because there's this thing called an "afterburn" and it's where your metabolism is still so high that you're burning calories after the fact (even if you're sitting down... you got it ;)) It's awesome. So anyway, here are the results. Throughout the workout I noticed my heart rate stayed inbetween 175 and 185. It got up to 185 during one of the fire drills and then up to 183 during another one. Not too shabby:

Get movin' and groovin' :)

-Emily

PS. Started my Shakeology cleanse on Wednesday and finished Friday (yesterday). Lost 4 lbs, yeehawww! I'm telling you... this stuff is no joke! I am around the weight that I was when I graduated college. Whaaaaaat?!

Day 3 Cleanse (Day 40 TF)

So you're not supposed to work out while doing a cleanse. Well... I suppose I should say I'm not doing like a 100% clean cleanse. For example, during a cleanse, you're supposed to use water instead of milk, have a salad at dinner, etc. The past 3 days I have been working out - I am addicted to TF. Chalene always says she supports me in my new addiction. I guess I picked a good one ;) Anyway, like I mentioned before, I am no fitness or nutrition expert. But here's the schedule I've been following:

Breakfast: Shake- I've been using 1 scoop of my Shakeology, mixing in about 4 strawberries, and 1 cup of skim milk.

Snack: Apple (or 1 piece of fruit of your choice)

Lunch: Another shake - (same as breakfast)

Snack: either before or after dinner . . . I've been doing it before because I didn't buy any lettuce for a salad.

Dinner: Panko-crusted chicken and 1-2 servings of vegetables

How I've been feeling? INCREDIBLE. It's amazing how much better I feel when I'm not putting junk into my body. I chose to do this now because with the last minute finalizing of the wedding, I was worried I would find myself "stress eating." I'm really good at that... instead of 2 of something... I shove like 20 into my mouth. HA!

Speaking of shoving stuff into my mouth. A piece of advice that Chalene Johnson always suggests is writing down what you eat. It definitely makes you more conscious of your choices and for me, I'd rather write down 2 of something than 20 of something :-) I started WeightWatchers Online 2 weeks ago and did it mostly for the fact that I needed to keep track of what I was eating. I have absolutely no problem working out - you ask me to train for a marathon, I'd be apprehensive, but I'd get out there and eventually do it (Exaggeration?... ok yes!). But seriously though... My biggest problem when it comes to being healthy is overeating and eating the good stuff. As Tim always tells me, if it tastes good, it's probably not good for you. Dang those 20 hershey kisses that I want to eat. :) As WeightWatchers has helped show me, it's okay to eat them if I earn them, but why eat a lot of them when I just worked my butt off exercising for 60 minutes, and it won't fill me up anyway? If I eat a couple, I still get a little fix of it.

Okay so the wedding is in 8 days and I've never felt better. Yay me for sticking with committing to get fit! I hope you are too :) And if you aren't, I hope you'll think about it and start thinking about ways you can change your habits to get you stepping in the right direction.

Get movin' and groovin' y'all,

Emily

PS. I just came across this picture. I believe it was from last summer. Some photographer took it while we were standing around waiting for Sinbad to start at the Fraze. I love looking at pictures because it can truly show your progress. Check out this picture of me... yikes.   I was about 10-15 lbs fatter in this picture than I am now (Fatter sounds way better than heavier...forgive my humor). And I think I'm wearing capri pants because I was fat and couldn't fit into my awesome New York and Company shorts. I can wear them now... boooyaaahhh!

Day 1 and 2 of Cleanse (Day 38 and 39 of TF)

Started my cleanse yesterday. Definitely feel much better when I'm not putting junk into my body! :)

Getting closer and closer to the wedding day and feeling so good! Woo hoo! I'm not stopping after the wedding though! I have a honeymoon in December I gotta get ready for ;) So another 5 months and I'll hopefully be right where I want to be!

Have a wonderful day!

Day 37: Turbo Fire 30!

I worked out to Turbo Fire 30 today. It's amazing how much better you get after doing these workouts. You start to know the routine and it goes by so much faster. I was mad though because I thought I started my watch at the beginning of my workout, and I looked down at it to check out my heart rate. Yep... definitely forgot to turn it on, but did so at like 10 minutes in. According to my watch I burned 201 calories in 20 minutes. Not bad. I noticed my heart rate was around 170ish throughout the workout which is good. When I get going on the HIIT segments, it can get up to about 180 or so! Whew!

My eating was not so good today and I think it's because I'm still lagging from my weekend festivities. It's hard to get back on track (and I think it's wedding stress of making sure everything is in place).

I am starting a cleanse tomorrow and will be doing that until Friday. The cleanse I do is for 3 days. I drink Shakeology throughout the day and then have chicken and a vegetable at dinner. This is my last cleanse before my wedding!

Need to get back on track!

Get movin' and groovin' y'all :)

-Emily

Day #36 (Round 2)

I just had to blog for a minute because I was thinking about how great I have been feeling preparing for my wedding. My wedding is less than 2 weeks away now and I started my Beachbody journey back in February. It has been the best thing ever - I have never felt SO great after working out!

I recently blogged about how I was upset that I wasn't seeing the number on my scale go down, but I made this discovery... It is ultimately about how you feel. Let me give you an example. Last year I was about 10-15 lbs heavier than I am now. A couple of years ago I bought about 5 pairs of the same shorts (just different colors!) because once a girl finds something that fits, she's gotta get more of the same :) Anyway... so I bought these shorts from New York and Company and last summer, I could not wear them because I felt miserable. I felt fat. I could barely button them up - would have to do that whole "lay down on the bed to zip your pants up" kinda thing. So... I never wore them, but I kept them in the back of my closet thinking "someday." In March or so, I pulled them out and I thought, "I'll give them a try!" I put them on and I could button them without having to lay down on the bed. I was really excited! That was a huge accomplishment!

So where I am going with this story... I started TF Round 2 on June 4th and it has been amazing. I still get on the scale and don't really see the number going down, but I feel really good. I can tell a difference all over. For example, when I completed Day #30, I took measurements. I lost 3 inches on each of my thighs and 2 inches on my arms. I haven't lost any through my stomach, but I feel like it will come. This past weekend I went out with some friends and was receiving compliments left and right about how great I look and them asking me how much I've lost. It's really an incredible feeling. I finally feel like the hard work is paying off. 

I will leave you with this... I found this quote this past weekend that said, "It never gets easier. You just get better" and this absolutely speaks the truth. It is NOT easy. I sweat my butt off every morning and burn between 300-550 calories every morning. I don't do that sitting on the couch. Chalene Johnson is right. You need to do something for yourself - it's about how you feel physically and even mentally. It starts now... not tomorrow. 

Get movin' and groovin',

Emily

How I started and why am I doing this!

I started my TurboFire journey back in February and it all began when I stopped at a booth at the bridal show I went to with my mom in January. I entered this contest and had to get the most likes and comments from friends, family, etc. Every girl wants to be a beautiful bride on her wedding day! I took the comments and this picture, printed it off and it has been hanging on my fridge from the very beginning of my journey. As many of you know, I ended up winning a free Beachbody program (with your help!!!!!!!) of my choice and with the help of Leah and Sherry, I ended up choosing TurboFire. I met with Sherry, she explained Shakeology to me and how everything worked. I started TF in February and have been doing it ever since! From Feb - April (lost about 10 lbs from Jan-April), I got through about 75 days of drinking Shakeology and TurboFire. I instantly was addicted and loved the way it made me feel. I was receiving compliments from friends and family about how great I looked! I felt great and it was motivation to keep going.

However, I got a really bad flu virus in April and missed a bunch of days and fell off the wagon. I felt terrible because if you know me, you know that if I do something, I want to do it right. At the time, Tim and I were also training for the Cincy Flying Pig Half Marathon. We finished the crazy, hot, hilly race in 2 hrs 40 minutes (which was MUCH better than my time the year before). I was so excited! Well, after this half, I stopped working out because I was making excuses like "Oh, I'm too tired" or "It's the end of the school year - it's too crazy! I'm too busy" I began to feel awful again. Working out not only helps you physically, but also mentally! I told myself, if I'm going to stick to getting fit, I'm going to do it right. TurboFire is a 90-day program. So on June 4th, I decided to restart my program. I am making progress as today is my Day #36. I have lost 2 inches from both arms and 3 inches from both legs. I have toned up, but am no where were I want to be yet! If there is anything I have learned so far from this journey, it is that I feel great! It's not about the number of your scale! It's about how you feel physically and mentally!

I am starting this blog to continue tracking my fitness and to share my journey of committing to get fit! If anything, I am hoping to reach out to others out there that might need a push to get started. I am here to offer advice or support. I am by no means a fitness expert - just a normal girl who is working on changing her "I'm fat" mentality and committing to getting fit. If you would like help getting started or advice on what I do, I would be happy to share what I do. Like I said, I am by no means a fitness expert, but I love exercise and I love eating (which has gotten me into trouble! :))

Anyway, please feel free to e-mail me or to write me on here! I would love to hear from you!