Merry Christmas All!  I woke up early and did Shaun T's "12 days of Christmas" workout that he posted on his facebook page.  I thought "It's Christmas, I really don't feel like working out, and that looks pretty easy!" SO, on a quest to take the easy way out, I began the hardest 30 minutes of my day!  My arms were ACHING, legs were ON FIRE, and there was so much sweat pouring down my face that I was completely blinded for almost the entire workout!!!  And, it was awesome.  I felt so strong and so GOOD when I finished it!

    I just spent 6 days in Florida on vacation (first vacation in over 2 YEARS!!!)  It was wonderful!  I'm particularly proud of myself for continuing to see a downward trend in my weight and measurements during that vacation.  T25 is completely portable, I found some fantastic running trails, and Pinterest has many "at home" crossfit workouts if you look for them.  Add to that, my fitbit thinks I walked over 20,000 steps the day I went to Disney and I managed to stay active all week.  Making time for your workouts everyday is HARD folks.  There's no answer that makes it sound easy or fun, but it is always possible.  Make it non negotiable.  Like going to work, like an important meeting.  If you make it an option, you'll always find a reason NOT to do it.  I'm the queen of finding reasons to skip my workouts.....I'm trying really hard to be better about that.

   Today on my T25 schedule it was "stretch" day.  THIS is the day I usually skip, mostly because I feel like I've worked my tail off all week and I deserve a day off.  Today however, I did the stretch video.  And you know, I feel REALLY GOOD!!!  Not so much during the workout (another reason I usually skip the stretch/yoga day), I'll be honest, I HATE yoga.....it's boring, it's painful, and I'm really not very good at it.  But, it has it's place, and after today I'm committing to the stretch day.  My soreness is better, my energy level is better, I think I even feel taller!!

  My other line of thinking during all the slow movements and deep breathing was that I'd really like to try meditation, it was kind of freeing to just get lost in a peaceful place within my brain for awhile (Who am I kidding, I didn't even know I HAD a peaceful place within my brain!!).  The last time I tried meditation, I was reading a book called One Thousand Gifts:  A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are  By: Ann Voskamp and although I didn't LOVE the book, I loved the message within the book.  And a quote from it stuck with me: "I just want time to do my one life well."  What more could any of us want?  So, I will be working harder to carve out time for me (daily if possible).  To stretch, to meditate, to slow my busy mind and just breathe, and to be thankful for anything and everything.....and even on the worst day, there is SOMETHING!

"Giving Thanks for one thousand things is ultimately an invitation to slow time down with weight of full attention.  In this space of time and sphere, I am attentive, aware, accepting the whole of the moment, weighing it down with me all here." -Ann Voskamp

     I'm a new Team Beachbody coach; although, I am not new to Team Beachbody.  Four years ago I ordered INSANITY and had great results using it, but fell off the wagon after awhile and chalked it up to a phase.  What I didn't know at the time, was the number of people my journey and results inspired to want to better themselves as well.  Fast forward 4 years and a very dear friend of mine has lost over 80 pounds, has completely revised her eating habits, and is thriving within the Beachbody community as a Diamond level coach.  When she told me that part of what inspired her to make so many positive changes in her life was watching my commitment and success with an at home fitness program eons ago I was floored.  How cool is that?  And, how can I go about inspiring others to want to be better too?  Her response: "Start a blog. Tell your story." So, here goes......

     I am approximately 60 days into Shaun T's T25 program.  THIS program is something I can see sticking to long term!  It's quick, it's effective, it's even kinda fun (some days).  I started out at 174 pounds and am currently hovering around 160.  This time, unlike last time, I've also made HUGE changes to my eating habits.....by the way, I LOVE food, so I was resistant to the changes and MEAN about it!  Clean eating sounded expensive, like a lot of work, and BORING!  All of which it absolutely can be if you let it!  I won't go so far as to say that I "eat clean" but my diet is the cleanest and healthiest its ever been, and I continue to try to improve in that area.  Shakeology is amazing, and makes at least one meal a day a total "no brainer"  Pinterest has been helpful too.....there's so many great recipes, work outs, and motivational quotes on there, I could sit all day reading other peoples success stories and looking for new ideas to complete my own!  Once I get the hang of this blogging thing, I plan to share such recipes and motivations here as well.  Thanks for reading, and I hope something that I have to say, or share might inspire you somehow too!