It's time to start doing some testing

I feel like I'm on the brink of a major change. 

I've been educating myself on various methods of losing weight such as intermittent fasting and ketosis. 

I've tried getting into ketosis before with less-than-desirable results. But I may have done it wrong. It needs to be done in a gradual manner rather than jumping right into it.

Next week I'm going to do some testing. 

The whole catalyst for this is that I started noticing that the stomach bloat I've had is NOT a normal thing.  I have lived with food intolerances (not allergies) all my life and I've just accepted the symptoms as normal. So next week I'm going to cut the most likely food candidates for my food intolerance and see if I can figure it out.  Perhaps it's dairy?  Or maybe grains? 

I've been reading The Virgin Diet by JJ Virgin and there are a LOT of symptoms she mentions in there that just hit home for me.

1) Have you tried unsuccessfully to lose weight?
2) Is what you used to do to lose weight no longer working?
3) Are you a yo-yo dieter?
4) Do you frequently experience discomfort after eating, such as bloating, gas or indigestion?
5) Can you only lose weight by starving yourself or exercising like a maniac - or possibly not even then?
6) Are you feeling and looking older than you should?

I answered yes to more than one of those questions - which indicates that I have a food intolerance to something.I just need to figure out what.

Hopefully after I figure it out I will start to feel better and maybe finally lose the stomach bloat I've learned to live with but never have been able to eliminate before no matter how hard I exercise or cut calories. 

I'll keep you posted!

The Health Bet starts Sept. 5 - are you in?

This is pretty amazing.

How much is your health worth?

Would it be worth it if you were guaranteed to win a part of a pool worth $1M - $3M?

If I told you all you had to do was do the following for four straight weeks (which is totally do-able) that would be worth it, right?

• Drink Shakeology 5x a week 
• Work out at least 3x a week

The video below says it all.

Take a chance. Win back your health while winning a few dollars. 

My workouts go to 11 now!

Is Your March going to be a "Lion" or a "Lamb?"

Happy March 1st!  Where is this year going?

Time marches on no matter WHAT happens in our lives, right?

So yes, I started Hammer & Chisel back in January and finished this past week. However, was it perfect?  Did I stay on plan 100% the whole time?  No I did not because as always, life happens.  And then my own worst enemy - my head - came out again.

Listen I struggle with sticking to programs all the way through.  Somewhere in the middle I usually lose my resolve for some reason or another.  But then I'll see something that gets me back on track and then I end up finishing. Go figure.

So what usually throws me off?  It's a combination of things.  Sometimes the stress of work gets to me and if I didn't work out in the morning, something happens that prevents me from doing the workout after work. I'll end up working late, I have a special project I need to continue working on from home.

Then there's personal stuff that comes up - my sister's birthday, various celebrations, etc.

It's always something.

But I think the point is how well we can deal with what life throws at us.  I mean, don't we all feel better after a workout and then we're better able to handle all of life's pressures? So really that means getting in some form of exercise during the day is the best natural medication we can take to deal with life.  Better than aspirin, better than an anti-depressant. 

My own personal goal for March is to complete the 21DF program all the way through.  Today - March 1st  - is Day 1. Just completed the Total Body Cardio Fix workout and feel GREAT.  I'm now drinking my Cafe Latte Shakeology and about to go vote (it's Super Tuesday!) before heading into the office.

I need to remember this feeling that I have RIGHT NOW after working out and having my Shakeology - and right now I'm feeling fantastic, strong, and ready to face the world.

How's 2016 going so far??

Greetings everyone!

Wow, I didn't realize it's been so long since my last entry!

So here's what's been happening since the last time I wrote:
1) I got engaged on Christmas morning!  It's given me a new motivation to become healthier.
2) I ran a half marathon in December.  It was the TOUGHEST one because I had not really been training for it and that last mile was brutal. I cried tears of pain and joy at the end. A real emotional experience.
3) On Jan. 7, I started the Hammer and Chisel program.  It's tough but it's been a GREAT experience! I'm entering my last week of the program this week and looking ahead to what's next
4) I signed up for the Austin 10K in April.  Using my Nike running app on my phone, I'm following an 8 week training plan and ramping up my runs since I haven't really been running since the half in December. Time to get back into it!

As far as health plans the rest of the year, well I've started "Operation Wedding Dress."  We're targeting a wedding date sometime this summer. So I have a few months time to get in better shape but don't want to wait till the last minute! Now is the time to start.

What are your goals for the year and are you still working towards them now in the middle of February?

You know the statistic - more than 70% of people drop out of their New Year resolutions by March 1st.  Let's go against the norm and don't become a part of that statistic!

I have my motivation for this year.  What's yours?  What is your why?  Make sure it's one that is strong enough to get you through those days when you don't want to push play or workout at all.

Keep it up!

21 Days of Fixmas!

Greetings everyone!

Okay, so Thanksgiving is over. A lot of us are probably feeling a little guilty about some of the things we ate on Thursday, right?

And about 95% of people are probably telling themselves "well, I'm going to get back to healthy eating & start an exercise program after the New Year."

Well...what if you started doing something it NOW rather than later??

What if you were one of the few who were already well on their way to a healthier lifestyle on January 1st and you were ahead of everyone else?

This holiday season, me and a few of my friends are committing to doing either the 21 Day Fix OR the 21 Day Fix Extreme program starting Monday Nov. 30 and going through till Dec. 20.

If you want to be healthier this holiday season, then let's do this. Plus, this is a GREAT lead-in for the new Hammer & Chisel program that's coming out soon so that you can start THAT in the New Year with a nice head-start.

Time to ask yourself "WHY NOT?"

If your answer is "well I got holiday parties coming up..a cookie exchange..a birthday party. etc."

Well guess what? So do I! 

But it's all about pre-planning. 

I'll be sharing my progress on here. I know some days will be tougher than others, but I'm ready to get healthy now rather than later.

In the home stretch for 2015!

Wow, where has this year gone?? Here we are in the last 7 weeks of 2015.

This has been an eventful year for me - making progress and then having setbacks. But you know what? LIFE HAPPENS!  What matters is how quickly you get back on track.

As I said, in late August I had surgery and the doctor didn't clear me for running until October 12.  Well I have to admit, I haven't consistently started until this past week..

It was just last Sunday when I looked at the calendar and let out a loud expletive when I realized that the half marathon I signed up for last year was coming up in 5 weeks.  Today it's in FOUR weeks on Dec. 6.

Am I ready? Hell no!

But am I going to finish? You bet!

I know I probably won't meet my PR but considering the health setbacks this year, I think it would be a great way to finish 2015 by just plain finishing the race.

I picked up a GREAT book by Dr. Jordan Metzl called "Running Strong" and it has a strength training program specifically for runners.  I just started it today and holy moly, I was sweating in the first few exercises which includes some plyo, planks, lunges, squats, balancing, etc.  But hey, if it's going to make me stronger and prevent injury during the half, I'm going to power through. 

As an extra, I like to do the 10 Minute Fix for Abs routine from the 21 Day Fix program.  It hits ALL the major ab muscles and I definitely feel it the next day.

So there's essentially MY plan for the rest of the year, or at least this month - continue training for the half. 

What is YOUR plan for November?  What are you doing to improve your health this month?