When we were preparing for our trip to Hawaii, I kept telling myself how nice it would be to lose weight. You know, get hot for Hawaii. It's what people do! I kept telling myself that, but then ended up deciding I was happy with my weight, how I looked, etc. even though that really wasn't true.
Just about the time summer was rolling around, Matt told me he wanted to start going to the gym, talked about maybe getting a family pass so I could go too. I'm thinking yeah, so easy for you to just "go to the gym!" I can't haul kids to the gym with me, too much work, we have swim lessons every day, etc. So he started going to the gym every weekday, during his lunch break, as he didn't want to take any time away from family scripture study early morning or prolong getting home after work. Meanwhile I'm stuck at home with 5 kids all day, eating my way into misery. He started losing weight and I managed to pack on 15 lbs during summer break. I was so jealous that I started getting resentful toward Matt and he was hurt that I hadn't said anything about the weight he had lost. How can you compliment someone about something that you're currently struggling with?? I was about to hit a weight that I had NEVER wanted to see on the scale again!!
And then, an opportunity presented itself- a girl who's husband was a first year optometry student when Matt was a fourth year, posted about a fitness challenge group and it piqued my interest. It cost a bit of money to purchase the materials I needed, but I talked to Matt about it and was committed to make it work so he was on board.
My box came in the mail!
I got new workout clothes, I made grocery lists, I grocery shopped.
Starting day: Monday, September 2nd
Before pics-
Two words- Turbo Fire. Changed.my.life. It's pretty much a series of cardio kickboxing workouts, mixed with some interval training. *90 days* Shakeology once a day. No magic pills, no starving yourself. Just good old fashioned exercising and changing the way you eat. I planned my meals out a week at a time; breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner every day. I stuck to proper portions. I learned a new phrase- "Fail to plan, plan to fail." So true!!! I exercised EVERY DAY, except for Sunday. I dropped the kids off to school and I came home and immediately did my workout. I started off with the vanilla Shakeology, which was unpleasant, no matter what I blended it with! I'm not a chocolate kind of person, but the second month, I switched to chocolate Shakeology and that made a HUGE difference!
This challenge group was done through Facebook, all women participating. We checked in nearly daily. We were encouraged to post sweaty selfies, pics of our favorite meals and even our Shakeology. It was a good way for me to stay accountable to "someone," even though it was only via the internet.
Hot!
Sweaty business!
My FaVoRiTe breakfast from the meal book.
I had this nearly every morning and continue to make this almost daily!
Another winner breakfast!
Sweat dripping off the end of my nose!
I literally packed up an ice chest full of food and brought my DVDs with me when we went to
Utah for October Break! Even the kids got in on it with me!!
So excited for my monthly shipment of Shakeology to arrive!
According to Instagram: "Last TurboFire workout tonight!!! I laid like this for 10 minutes after a 25 min HIIT (high intensity interval training) workout and 10 minutes of killer abs. I have LOVED the TurboFire program and looked forward to gettin' my sweat on every day with @chalenejohnson for the past 12 weeks! The final totals and pictures will come tomorrow! #befit #bestrong #behealthy #beachbody #turbofire
From Facebook: Here are my photos -- THRILLED with the results! I've lost 31 lbs and 22 inches. I've moved down two pants sizes and I don't think I've been this weight since before I had babies!! I feel stronger, healthier, have more energy and love the way my body feels! I plan on continuing my journey to lose weight and get in better shape. Exercising and eating right truly is the best way to do it!!
Was it hard? YES!!!
Was it worth it? YES!!! Especially when people started noticing the changes, that just fueled the fire (pardon the pun) even more!
.
Six months later
Big difference!! I have this self-image problem where I'm honestly STILL shocked when I see pictures! Like I can't even believe that that's me! I know I've made huge changes but I tend to be harsh on myself, like a lot of women are, I would imagine. I notice all the imperfections FIRST; my saggy stomach, chubby thighs, instead of praising myself for all the hard work and improvements that have happened. I'm working on that. Matt has been SO great, complementing me, saying how hot I am, which helps, a LOT.
I'm not done either. I've reached all my initial goals, so I'm not exactly sure what is next, I just want to keep at this, making exercising and eating well a normal part of my life. I do have to mention that Matt has been pretty consistent about going to the gym and has lost around 30ish pounds himself! It's fun to see our bodies improving together, keeping each other motivated to do better.
1 comment:
You're awesome!
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