Phenomonal Woman

Hey ya'll! So, I am happy to report that I am still doing and feeling GREAT! I have been keeping up with my workouts and staying under my calories! In the span of a little bit over 2 weeks, I've only done over my daily calories twice, and it wasn't by much! It was also on my "one day off" of working out. So, I am VERY happy with myself!

I have lost 4 pounds since I decided to get serious about my new lifestyle, and I am already just starting to feel better all around.

Here's a few things that I have learned these past couple of weeks....

1.) It IS possible to have fun without food.
*And for those times when it seems like it's NOT possible, always find a healthier alternative! For example, opt out for a "skinny" version of your mocha or latter for coffee night, or go out for frozen yogurt instead of Cold stone!

2.) It's a fact that you both feel and LOOK skinnier after you workout because of all of the nastiness that is released from your body when you sweat!
*Yet another motivation to NOT skip your daily workout!

3.) Being successful weighs heavily upon finding what works for you.
*When I first decided to go hard core with this fitness thing, I went grocery shopping and bought a TON of healthy food. During these past 2 weeks, I have successfully figured out what works for me and what doesn't. It's all trial and error, so it kind of stinks that you end up not eating some stuff that you buy, but it's worth it in the end because you make a good diet plan for yourself based on the things that you've discovered that you like.

Hope these tips help boost your fitness success a bit! I am having yet another GREAT week, and I'm excited to weigh in for the second time this Friday!

Also, here is an AWESOME poem that one of my great friends Melissa shared with me after she read our blog. :) Made my day, and it is SO true. Believe in how phenomenal you are-regardless of your body type or size. Keep your head high and walk with confidence!

        Phenomenal Woman

 

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies

I'm not cute or built to suit a model's fashion size
But when I start to tell them
They think I'm telling lies.
I say

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It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips
The stride of my steps
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please
And to a man
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees
Then they swarm around me
A hive of honey bees.
I say
It's the fire in my eyes
And the flash of my teeth
The swing of my waist
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say
It's in the arch of my back
The sun of my smile
The ride of my breasts
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say
It's in the click of my heels
The bend of my hair
The palm of my hand
The need for my care.
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

By Maya Angelou

 

 Life Lately......

 

 

My first pumpkin spice latte of the year!!!-Skinny version of course :)

Love wearing scarves in the fall!!!

Sporting the color orange for the "No Kid Hungry" campaign.

Raquel and I showin' off our Hunger Games shirts at the party!

My Love + Frozen yogurt!!! :) :)

5 Week Challenge!

Linds & I have decided to embark on this 5 Week Challenge. I found out about it via Candace Cameron Bure's blog and I could not be more excited! It's a challenge to get fit physically & spiritually! What more could a girl ask for?

Check it out on the site:

http://peak313.com/featured/our-5-week-fall-challenge-living-and-active/

Take the Challenge!

Labor Day Laziness

Wow. My weekend was packed but my Labor Day was full of family, shopping, and a whole lot of nothing productive. It was nice to just relax all day. I feel like I've been "Arbonning", babysitting, and of course WORKING nonstop the last few weeks. Just ask Jon. I've been on edge due to lack of sleep. And by lack of sleep I mean that I had one night where I only for 4 hours and it seriously has thrown me off COMPLETELY. Who would have though four little hours of shut eye could wreak havoc on my life like it has done. 

On a completely different note, I'm getting ready to start my travel season which has got me thinking A LOT about staying fit and on track with eating. I haven't been losing lately, just maintaining. Which is good! But I want to lose. I'm always up for trying new things because I know sooner or later I really will find something that I love and stick with. This time, I will be trying out some of my very own Arbonne products. I already did the cleanse, which most of you know I did lost 5 pounds doing. Jon is doing it now. It's just plain hilarious. That's all :) But now I've decided to start substituting one meal with Arbonne's delicious protein shakes. I also plan to start doing a lot more weight lifting, but we will see how that goes. My workplace is starting a great new program where if you work out 3 times a week, you qualify for free gift cards! What better motivation could there be?!?! I love gift cards!!! So I'll be starting that soon. The great thing about the shakes and being on the road is most of the recipes call for Almond milk which you can buy individual containers of that don't need to be refrigerated until opened! Perfect. So I can add all the other ingredients to a bottle and take that bottle and 1 almond milk with me and make it right at my hotel or any place that I can get ice. Sounds good to me! I always have one free meal available at work from the cafeteria which I thought would be EXTREMELY problematic, but it's been good. I've had a healthy protein filled salad every day with no dressing and cottage cheese instead of shredded cheese. If I'm still hungry after that, I've opted for the make your own stir fry bar where I just grill veggies with some soy sauce and eat those as my main entree :) 

PICTURE UPDATES

Stir Fry

So I start traveling next Tuesday officially. I will be keeping you guys updated! Here's to a busy fall season :)