Monday morning I pushed through feeling terrible to get my T25 in, but ended up leaving work around 11am due to feeling so bad. It definitely made me happy I did my work-out prior to getting my day going, otherwise it wouldn't have gotten done. However, yesterday morning it just wasn't going to happen. I suffered through work (my poor colleagues) by only taking on the small dogs and cats. Big shout out to the awesome staff for putting up with me and picking up my slack! I love them! I kept up with eating well, trying to keep things as bland as possible. Lunch was Italian chicken I had baked on Monday night, and Mike steamed fresh broccoli. It kept my energy levels up... all things considered. 

After work, I basically just sat around, being a bump on a log. Sometimes that happens, though. You just have to roll with the punches and take what life throws at you. You're never going to feel in tip top shape 100% of the time. The key is to compensate when you get yourself back on track. For example, since I missed my Tuesday work-out, I'll make up for it Friday, which is my usual rest day. Nothing lost (except inches and pounds)!

Mike and I working together for a yummy lunch.

My typical Wednesday isn't very typical. I work from 1-7pm, so it leaves my mornings free to catch up on housework. And when I say say housework, I mean I sleep until 10am, exercise, take a quick shower, then head off to work. What can I say? You all read my post on how much I love my bed... Today was only slightly different, considering I got out of bed at 9am, made my way to the couch, and slept until 11:45am with all four cats strategically place on/next to me. I really think part of my feeling so horrible was that I needed to catch up on sleep. I also didn't eat anything until 12:30pm (yummy Shakeology), which helped my stomach settle a bit. My caloric needs weren't met today since I started eating so late in the day, which I don't recommend, so tomorrow I'll get back on track! Sleep and fasting were apparently the cures for my nausea and hot/cold flashes. Who knew?

After work, I finished making dinner (chicken and carrots), then plopped my happy butt down for some more R & R. I was somewhat productive and did two days worth of dishes (bless my husband for putting up with me) and knocked out T25 Alpha Total Body. I was dying during the plank work, having to go into downward dog multiple times. I'm chalking that up to still being weak from 1)not feeling well and 2)not eating enough today. 

Love this thought, since I always look gnarly after T25!

Tomorrow is my day off, so I'll kick some butt with Alpha Speed 1.0 and Core Focus. Double days are kind of awesome because it's so cool to see that "Calories Burned" go up past 500. Makes me feel so accomplished! I am also going to take my "Before" photos & measurement for a Fit For Fall Challenge group I will be participating in. Granted, I did all of this four weeks ago when I started T25, but I'm marking my progress and doing things the official way for the group. I'm pretty excited to have a group of individuals in one place who are all working towards the same goals to help keep me on track!

Earn Your Shower

This morning I woke around 5:15am, not feeling the best. I wanted to get in a work-out but was scheduled for Alpha Total Body. In other words, lots of moving around, and that did not sound appealing. So, rather than just go back to sleep, I opted to swap days and knock out Alpha Lower Focus. I'm not sure if it's because I felt like poo or if I just really pushed, but either way, I was dripping sweat by the end of this session! Like, tickling-as-it-slides-down-my-back dripping. I'll take it!

Elliott did not approve of all of the sweat

I was asked on Simply Motivated ( https://www.facebook.com/simplymotivated ) to discuss how I work up the motivation to not hit snooze and actually get up early to exercise.  To be honest, it's not easy. Not easy at all. If I ever had an affair (other than with my cats), it would be with my bed. I love that snuggly place so much! My comforter is super fluffy with a duvet cover imported from Holland. We got an amazing mattress topper for a wedding gift that feels like a cloud. Add in the ceiling fan producing a gentle buzz, no alarm clocks blazing red numbers, and black-out curtains... it's a dream come true. That bed and I are like two peas in a pod. Sleep is amazing and that bed is my oasis. Unfortunately, I have to be a productive member of society and leave it daily. Luckily, it knows I'll return to it every. single. night. What can I say? I'm faithful!

Ok, so I kind of went on there... In all seriousness, though, I exercise first thing in the morning because I know I won't do it if I wait until the end of the day. Plain and simple. With my job, I am on my feet running back and forth, as well as wrestling animals of all shapes and sizes all day long. By the end of the day, I am wiped! If I were to skip my morning work-out, no matter how bad I would want to complete it, I wouldn't do it. How do I know this? I've tested this theory. And what's worse than dragging myself out of bed at 5:30am to do a 30 minute exercise program? Getting up at 5am to do two 30 minute exercise programs because I skipped the day before!

I developed a new motto:   It's been working pretty well for me! A shower is so much more satisfying at 6am when you stink. Yes, I just admitted that I stink after my work-out. That is one method that has seemed to have worked. My co-workers hate when I show up not having showered, so I may has well earn that water bill! 

Another way I get myself up every morning is by setting my alarm 9 minutes before I need to get up. That way, I allow myself to hit snooze once. I am not really sure what it is about hitting the snooze button, but those 9 minutes are pretty much the best sleep ever. So, I build it in to my day! It seems silly, but it makes all the difference for me!

Lastly, I see that my exercise program is actually working. It gives me that much more motivation when I notice the results. I can visibly see my tummy shrinking. I can feel my jeans fitting better. I don't see that muffin top nearly as much! And I get people who haven't seen me in a while telling me I look great. That is the biggest motivator! Insanity about killed me because I pushed myself and didn't see results (diet, Katie, diet!). With Focus T25, I am eating healthy calories and putting in the effort bright and early every single day, and it's paying off! 

The view from my front porch two years ago

Are you interested in waking every day, becoming more and more proud of what you feel/see? Shoot me a line, as I would love to help you see the same results as me!

Want vs. Need

This weekend was definitely a lazy weekend! Last night, I needed to do the dishes, sweep the floor, and catch up on laundry, but I wanted to watch the Purdue vs. Notre Dame game. My want won. Looking back, I wish I would have done what needed to be done, since Purdue was leading most of the game and lost within the last 11 minutes. Bummer.  Today, I needed to exercise and catch up on everything I didn't do yesterday, but I wanted to play with my cats and take the dog for a walk. My want won... again. Granted, my husband and I had a great lunch outside, took the dog on about a mile walk, visited with my grandma and grandpa (his birthday!), then went to dinner with my brother and his family, along with my dad and brother's mother-in-law. Tonight, I really wanted to watch all of the Miss America contest, but I still needed to work out! So, figuring it's only 25 minutes, I sucked it up and missed the first bit of the program to get my Focus T25 Alpha Cardio done... finishing up just in time for the evening wear competition! Perfect! I'll be honest, I'm rooting on Miss Kansas because she seems like a total kick-ass woman! I would love to have her represent as Miss America!

Faye encouraging me during my sweat-fest

I started drinking my Shakeology yesterday and absolutely love it! Saturday, I mixed it with chia seeds and caramel extract. Today, I added chia seeds, natural peanut butter, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. It was amazing! Drinking this may just be the highlight of my day. These mixtures feel like I'm having something I shouldn't, but it is insanely healthy! 

Discovering different editing programs has been so much fun. This is a great quote that I made into a pretty photo. I find it incredibly fitting to my life right now.

Now to the main point of this post: want vs. need. So many times in life we choose what we want instead of what we really need. Sometimes it's taking the easy way out, other times it is simply indulging. What we really need to do is listen to our brain. Take for instance this afternoon while at my grandma's house, I definitely wanted a piece of her homemade german chocolate cake but totally didn't need it! While I was envious of my husband eating the cake, I felt so happy that I didn't give in. Yes, I did end up having a 70 calorie natural lemon/lime popsicle, but you have to do that to avoid going crazy! 
My message to you is this: next time you are faced with something you really want, ask yourself if it is something you need. Is it going to benefit you overall? How will you feel about your decision 30 minutes down the road? Keep that little voice in the back of your head and always try to focus on how it will benefit you in the long run.

It's Finally Friday!

Wow! I can't believe I haven't posted since Monday... This week has been so busy, as I have been at a continuing education conference since Tuesday evening. The conference was at Purdue, so it was nice to catch up with old friends and former instructors. I missed seeing a lot of those faces. Plus, it was nice to be back at my alma mater. Purdue's campus is beautiful and so full of life!

Fantastic bumper sticker I found (not on a car)

As promised, I will talk about the new headband I purchased to help with fly-aways during my work-out. It is one from Under Armour that had pretty good reviews from people with big heads. I wouldn't say I have a large head, per se, but my hair is so thin and fine, the thin bands I purchased in the past never stayed in place. This one holds pretty well, however it does slip occasionally. If I bring it forward just a bit, it holds pretty well. It is the "Braided Mini," and I ordered it directly from Under Armour's website.

Sweaty in the hotel room!

Despite having a very tiny hotel room, I managed to get my exercising done. The Polar heart rate monitor says 33 minutes due to the fact that I started it before I was completely situated to work-out. Either way, not horrible for an Alpha Cardio day in a hotel room! 

I am super excited to be getting my Team BeachBody business up and running! Not only am I doing it to support others, but I am joining this great team to support myself. I find that their products work amazingly well (12.5 inches lost with Insanity, and +5lbs lost in 3 weeks so far with T25!), so it makes it easy to want to share with others. I am building relationships with individuals who support my goals of becoming a healthier person. Yes, their are financial rewards in this business, but that helps me overall, too. By having two college degrees, I have quite a bit of student loan debt. Yes, so does everyone else Katie. However I have made it a goal to pay off these debts in less time than anticipated (at the rate I'm going 25 years). I don't want this burden hanging over my head the majority of my adult life, so I'm taking action to bring myself out of it! 

So just know, if you choose me as your Team BeachBody coach, you are inspiring me as you make a difference to positively change your own life. Plus, you are also helping me support my goals, for which I can never thank you enough.

Sleepy Monday

Today's post is going to be somewhat short, simply because it's late and I'm sleepy! That accountability isn't going anywhere, though, so here it is!

I really didn't want to get out of bed this morning (5:30am, mind you). It was so warm, comfy, and cozy. Despite my bed saying to me, "Stay! I love you! I never want you to leave," I got up and got to it! Since Mike was sleeping, I decided to do my video outside to not wake him. (I usually work out in our family room, and the bedroom is right off of it.) Even though the thermometer said it was 70degrees out, it was quite muggy that early! I got three mosquito bites, was flinging sweat left and right, but it was accomplished in under 30 minutes!

Looking sweaty and scorching calories!

Remember how I said sweating was never my thing? It's all in the past, now! Amazing calorie burn with Focus T25 Speed 1.0! 

I found this today and it seems so perfect for me right now! How about you?

Work in Progress

Does this sound like something you would like to be a part of, too? If you want to burn some serious calories, have amazing energy, and be that annoyingly-happy person at work on a Monday morning, let me know. I want to help you be that person! Send me a message for more information about what I'm doing and what can help you.

A New Adventure

My Sunday began with Week 3 of Focus T25, starting off with Total Body Circuit. I love that TBC incorporates everything, but this workout is a beast! I hate going from standing, to floor work, back up, then down again. When I initially did TBC, I had a horrible calorie burn (270) and barely got my heart rate up simply because I had no idea what was going on! By the second time, I got my HR up a little higher and burned an extra 20 calories. I told myself that I would crush those numbers today... and I did!

T25 Total Body Circuit = Sweaty Mess

It's not the prettiest I've ever looked, but I love seeing all of that sweat! I earned looking that nasty! I used to go to the gym and never work up a sweat because I thought it felt gross. It's all mental. Now I get angry when I barely break a sweat. Crazy how things change!

After my workout, I made a very important phone call that lead to a new adventure for me. I am so excited to announce that I am a new Team BeachBody Coach! Not only does this mean I get to help others achieve their fitness, weight loss, and health goals, it's also additional motivation to keep me going strong. Getting started is the hardest part - making that jump and taking a leap of faith. The same is true for taking those steps to a new and better you. If you are interested in any BeachBody products, or if you're simply curious as to what it's all about, please let me know!

I'm kind of a big deal!
Find me on Twitter to see what the excitement is about!

Mike had to work today, so I was able to catch up on laundry, clean the kitchen, do the weekly grocery shopping, and have everything set up for dinner.  As I mentioned previously, he's the cook in this family. I told him what we were having, and he made it. All fresh and cooked to perfection!

Round steak, spicy green beans, garlic carrots

Food For Thought

Let me first say, I'm not a great cook. I make basic dishes.  In college, I lived off of cereal, turkey sandwiches, Sunchips, frozen chicken nuggets, frozen pizza, and Lean Cuisine meals. Surprisingly enough, it was one of the "skinnier" points in my life. Note I did not say healthier. Now that I am married, however, I am supposed to be more domestic. Let me tell you how that goes:

• Whomever is home first from work (Mike and I both have funky hours) is in charge of dinner.  Usually I screw around at work so he gets home before I do.
• When I do have to suck it up and make dinner, I usually brown some venison or bake chicken. I pair said protein with something green (beans or salad). Throw that stuff on a plate and voila! Dinner is served! Thirty minutes later, Mike is complaining he's hungry and asks to go get ice cream. We then go get ice cream.
• If Mike makes dinner, we usually have chicken, venison, or steak paired with a complex carbohydrate and vegetable. The food is loaded with flavor and tastes amazing! Mike piles my plate high, so usually I pass off my leftovers to him.

Needless to say, Mike is a better cook than I am. I'm ok with this fact, which is why I usually  let him cook. 

The rest of my meals usually go as followed:

• Pre-workout shake before exercising around 5:15am
• Protein shake after working out at 6:15am
• One egg and one egg white scrambled with hot sauce, toast, banana at 7:15am -or- protein bar and banana if I'm running late at 7:40am
• Yogurt or protein bar around 10am
• Leftovers if Mike made dinner -or- two whole eggs with two pieces of bread and hot sauce anytime between 12:15-1:15pm
• String cheese and almonds around 3pm
• Dinner is usually around 6pm or 7:30pm if it's my late night

I fully admit that I do not get enough fruits and vegetables in my diet. In fact, I'm probably way under my calorie count for the day! But hey, this is my accountability to work harder at eating better, right?! I have downloaded the MyFitnessPal app on my phone, in hopes that I can keep a better record of what I am eating. I will also be using it to ensure I drink enough water throughout the day. With my job, it's often hard to take water breaks, so I've been trying to be better.

I also have a problem of getting into a rut with not knowing what to cook. We are on a very tight budget, which makes affording all of the healthy, yummy stuff more difficult. (Side note: we have one grocery store in our town, which lacks variety. The prices are also super inflated since it is a monopoly. Typically, we stock up when we go to larger towns, however produce never lasts long enough to stock up the way we wish we could.) We planted a small garden this summer, which helped slightly. We are hoping to extend it next year, that way we can have healthier items around the house without breaking our bank. 

What are your biggest obstacles when it comes to cooking and nutrition? I would love to know if others go through the same thing as me!