Give Up the Excuses...

We all make excuses. We have millions of them. There are excuses for why we cannot do the things that we need to do and reasons why we don't achieve the goals we set out.

I am not going to lie to you, I still have excuses. They pop up and I try to see them for what they are...roadblocks! Seriously, you work hard and so do I. After a long nine hour day, who wants to head to the gym and punish their body further? That is where the excuses come in, like....I am tired. I am sore. I am frustrated. The list goes on and on. But the truth is, we all fall victim to them from time to time. So, how do you avoid them?

Well, honestly, I have had a million reasons not to make my workouts the past couple of weeks. I have been exhausted and frustrated and just didn't feel like doing anything. At the end of the day, I chose not to listen to those voices that were telling me to just go home and get some rest. I chose to do what I knew I needed to do. I missed one workout this week because my body gave up on me not because I didn't try to get it in. I was sleep deprived from being at the ER all night with my husband and exhausted from trying to make everyone happy. So, I missed one workout this week but it was not because of any excuses. I chose to listen to my body and allow myself some recovery and sleep to recharge the body.

And there are a million and one reasons for me not to eat the foods I should be eating. This week was particularly stressful with the hubby ending up in the ER and me having to stress over all of that. I had a lot to do but I also was craving comfort foods. I was desperate to eat something that I knew I shouldn't. Instead of giving into that craving, I resisted it. I ate the foods I knew I needed to and avoided the temptation. It was not easy at all. But the truth is, I am committed to doing what I need to do in order to reach my goals. I refuse to allow excuses to be the roadblocks to my success. I am committed to the work that it takes to get where I want to be. And that is why I will be successful . I will not give in to those excuses that threaten to keep me from my goals.

So, what excuses are you allowing to keep you from your goals? Do you really want to be successful? How will you combat those negative thoughts and push through to get to your goals?

Remember no one said this was going to be easy...but it is definitely worth it.

I Love It When A Plan Comes Together

Okay...I won't lie. I LOVE the A-Team. And I love the quote in my title from Colonel John 'Hannibal' Smith :)

Things are going really well with my new plan. I have been focusing this past week on getting everything right. I know it's not going to be perfect but I am trying to stick as closely as I can to the new plan. Each day brings new challenges since I am not 100% familiar with everything yet.

I was out of town this weekend visiting with a friend's family. The mom is a dear friend and she is in the hospital and I wanted to make sure Dad had some home-cooked meals. So, I took some of my recipes from Marc Lobliner up there to cook. They were a hit. The chicken parmesan recipe was hands down the absolute best chicken parm I have EVER had. It was extremely healthy and delicious!!! And my friends loved it too!!

And the exciting part is that I am seeing progress. Only one week in and I am down 5 pounds. I didn't even get all my workout sessions in this week. Since I was out of town, I did not make my exercise plans but my diet was spot on with the exception of my free meal (and that was spot on too!) So, this was a successful week!!

Anyways, I had an amazing leg workout yesterday and a fantastic chest and triceps workout tonight!! I am looking forward to some abs and cardio tomorrow!!

Things are moving along and I am really enjoying being back on plan and getting back to business!

What A Difference A Week Makes...

Last week, I was attempting a low-carb food plan for awhile. I was tired and not really feeling great about the idea of eating low carb for a very long time. My workouts were going well but I was still unsure about the direction of my food.

Enter the Machine, Marc Lobliner, and I have a brand new food plan and a new workout plan. I have a whole new supplement plan as well. It's crazy how things changed so quickly. I just filled out all the information he needed on Friday and very early Saturday morning I had a complete plan customized just for me and my goals. This is so amazing! I was so excited I ordered all my new supplements right away. I decided that even though I did not have everything I needed, I was going to do my best to start following the plan on Sunday.

So, I did. I got up that morning and started following my new food plan. It was not easy and Sunday was not perfect because it was new to me but I made my best effort. Monday was better and today was pretty darn close to perfection. So, each day it gets easier and more fluid.

And I am eating things I have never eaten before...brussel sprouts. Who would've thought that I would love these things because I have always hated them in the past!!! But I made Marc & Katie Lobliner's roasted brussel sprouts and they were delicious!!! I am also eating a ton of eggs and egg whites. It is unusual for me because I am not overly fond of eggs. I still don't love them but at least I am getting used to eating them. It's not so bad when I mix in some other stuff to make it better. And I eat a ton of spinach, tons of it. I kinda love that too. Crazy, huh? And it is pretty amazing that some of the foods I am eating eliminated some of the supplements that I was taking....it's so cool!!

Other weird changes for me is meal prep. I am prepping food for my entire day the night before. It used to be I would come home and go to bed after a little while or I would wake up early enough to head in to work on time. Now, I am staying up late and preparing my food for the next day which means no eating out or missing meals. It is insane. The last two nights on my way home from the gym I had to stop at the grocery store and pick up food to make my meals for the next day. It is not quite like me but I kinda love it. I love knowing that my food is available and ready for me when I get up and that my entire day is planned out foodwise. It means no thinking and no worrying about what I will eat. It also means I try very hard to stick to a schedule for eating on time.

Today, I got to meet the man behind my new meal and workout plan. Marc Lobliner is completely and totally amazing! He is smart, funny and outspoken. I enjoyed visiting with him today and getting the opportunity to know him a bit better. And I look forward to achieving results with him because I know this plan is going to get me to my goals and I simply cannot wait!!! I feel so blessed that he has given me such a gift and I will be working my butt off (literally) to get those results!!

Yesterday I did my high intensity cardio and I am not sure I have ever sweated so much. It was insanely crazy but awesome! Tonight, Tripp helped me go through my first leg workout written by Marc. It was so intense and I am not 100% certain I will be able to get out of bed tomorrow. And I LOVE it :) Tomorrow morning I will be heading to the gym early to get my workout in before work.

Here's a pic of me with Marc in my store today:

Anyways, I will keep you all posted!

Time to Go to WORK!!

Lately I have been struggling with my schedule and with my diet and well, to be quite honest with some complacency. Having become fed up with the struggles, I decided to get rid of them and get back to work. I have taken too long off from working towards my goals and I am ready to get back in the game and get to my goals. I don't believe in New Year's resolutions and I am not planning on listing out all my goals here either. What I will say is that I am back and better than ever. I am committed and in the game and doing the work.

This week I have had two freakin' AMAZING workouts. I am talking workouts that had me so sore that it was like I had just started strength training. And the great thing about these workouts is that I pushed myself and lifted heavier than I thought I would. I admit I am still testing out the strength in this wrist and though I am working into it slowly, I am no longer allowing FEAR to guide me. Instead, I make the attempt and if it bothers the wrist then I adjust. I got really tired of being afraid with my hip and I let that fear guide me and keep me down awhile after surgery. So, this time around, I decided to kick fear in the butt and keep moving. My wrist needs to get stronger and it will not do that if I do not put the challenge out there. I am no idiot so I clearly won't be doing anything to cause reinjury and will work within the doctor's guidelines, but I am going to test the waters.

So, maybe this year is going to be about testing the waters. Maybe it's going to be about working my butt off some more. Regardless, it is my year and I refuse to waste another moment of my life feeling complacent. Marc Lobliner is an amazing guy in the supplement industry. He is a trainer, a husband, a father, a business owner and a pretty awesome guy. He used to be the CEO of the company that made one of my favorite supplements, Xtend. Well, he says that "Complacency is mediocrity." I don't want to be mediocre. I want to be extraordinary. So, why am I settling?? No more.

So, I am back on plan and it is exciting. It is insanely crazy how much I love the aches and pains I am feeling from my workouts. But I missed it...the insanity, the intensity, the fun. I love being back in the game. I am not going to let anything get in between me and my time. I crave it and need the workouts. And I am not going to let my diet go by the wayside for something easier or more convenient or anything else.

And what's really exciting for me is that I get to meet Marc Lobliner next week. You should follow him on Facebook and check out his videos. The man is literally a machine. I love his commitment to what he believes in and I love that he is just downright honest. He has some awesome videos with recipes and reviews of supplement products too. Here is a link to his Facebook fan page http://www.facebook.com/MarcLobliner Check it out....follow him. He knows his stuff.

Well, time for me to try and get this adrenaline rush from tonight's workout to chill out because I need some sleep so I can hit the gym for some cardio tomorrow morning before work :) Night all!!