{10-Day Do Over Challenge}

New year's resolutions can be tough to keep. This year I'm changing it up a bit and approaching my usual list of yearly goals differently by participating in a 10-day challenge hosted by Jon Acuff. I also combined the first day's assignment with coming up with one word for the year.

Here's the first day's assignment:

{Starting the New Year} with Progress!

Yesterday I went shopping. Not just any kind of shopping, but shopping for new jeans. This might not sound like a fun adventure for some, but the reason I was shopping for jeans was because I needed a smaller size. Yup, a smaller size! Oh, that feels good to say!!

I had my final weigh-in and assessment today at Fit Body Boot Camp, and I'm officially down 15.75", 8% body fat, and 30 lbs! An excellent way to finish out my time at Fit Body, if I do say so myself! I was also pleasantly surprised to win honorable mention in the "8 Is Great" competition. My prize was a Thirty-One gym bag! (It's what I've wanted for about 6 months - a perfect gift!)

Megan, the owner of Fit Body asked me to write a testimonial of my experience, and I thought I would also share it here:

I had great experience with Fit Body Boot Camp. I'm really going to miss it! (If you've been reading my blog or Facebook posts, you know) I highly recommend Fit Body to anyone! It might seem obvious to say, but Fit Body really is a great place to get fit as it doesn't matter what your fitness level is, what your size is, what your age is, or even if you have the latest workout clothes.

My experience with Fit Body was all positive and I would really have a hard time finding something negative to say about it. The trainers are friendly, helpful and encouraging: they learn your names quickly, and that means a lot to me; if you need to modify an exercise, they are great with alternative options; oh, and if you need to use a heavier weight, they'll let you know! That last one is kind of tongue-in-cheek, but really, they encourage you by challenging to do more than you think you can do.

The fellow participants were also great! I connected with several people and seeing them each time I went to workout always gave me extra, positive energy to get through the class or in some cases, stay for an extra session! I can't say I will remember everyone's name, but if they happen to read this, I just want them to know that they were an encouragement to me and helped make my FBBC experience a success!

For maybe a year (or two?) I had been reading about boot camp classes on some blogs and was very curious about the format. It happened that I heard of Fit Body through a friend right about the time I was ready to spend some money on my fitness goals. I'm very thankful that I took the opportunity to try it out back in June and that I was able to finish the year with 8 weeks more!

Thanks, Megan, for a great experience! I look forward to coming back in the future - hopefully, the not-too-distant-future!

(You can read more of my fitness posts by clicking here.)

{Fit Body Assessment}

After a quick weekend away at my parents I got home in time to change quick and dash to Fit Body for a 2pm workout. It was a smallish class but a good one. I'm always amazed at how fast the 30 minutes go by. Sometimes I look at the clock and see I'm about half-way done, but often I'll look at the clock thinking it will probably be half-way and it's more than half-way done! Like 5 or 10 min left! Crazy-fast!

 

After class I asked to do an assessment since it's been 4 weeks since I re-started and I'm half-way through the 8 week competition. I was pleasantly surprised to see a lower number on the scale than I had seen so far when weighing at the gym.

 

The loss showed up this way: -6.6lbs, -1.2% body fat, -4" (-.75" Shoulders, -2" Chest, -.5" Waist, -.75" Hips, -0" Thigh, -0" Arm). She gave me a $10 iTunes gift card, too!

 

My overall loss in the last 5 months looks like this: -27 lbs., -3.5% Body Fat, -17.75" (-4.75" Shoulders, -2" Chest, -3.25" Waist, -3" Hips, -3.25" Thigh, -1.5" Arm).

 

This is very exciting! I would love to reach my ultimate goal of 50 lbs. by the end of the year, but if I could hit -35lbs that would be a great accomplishment for the year!

 

Recently I reviewed some tracking cards from Weight Watchers from 2004-05 and I saw the lowest I ever got while on the program. I don't ever want to be a size 22 or 20 again so even while I'm still losing weight I feel like I need to assess how this is different than back then. What do I need to do to keep from seeing size 20 or 22 again?

1. food tracking - healthy choices
2. regular exercise - variety - running - fit body - videos - walking

These two things sound so simple. And maybe it is that simple.

 

Working out is a big part of my daily activities. I plan my day around when I can work out. I want to keep doing that! I even planned my Thanksgiving vacation around my workout schedule.

 

In addition to working out, planning my food intake is a huge part of my daily activities. I've learned a lot over the years about healthy food, but haven't always known how to apply it to me. I see that the tracking of what I eat isn't the sole answer, but planning for healthy options is tied in with it. Learning how to have a healthy balance (protein, fats, and carbs) was not easy for me until I found MyFitnessPal.

 

I in no way have it all figured out, but I feel like I have the right tools. MyFitnessPal, fitness blogs, and Fit Body are some of the best tools for me right now. (I'm kind of ignoring the fact that I only have 4 weeks left of Fit Body.)

 

I'm not really sure if any of this makes sense, but just had to get it out there. Thanks for reading :)

{-27.6, The Weightloss Continues}

Yesterday I was chatting with someone about how much weight I've lost,and I was happy to say I was down 26 lbs. This morning I saw a new low on the scale and can now say 27.6 lbs lost!

So I thought I'd give a glimpse of what my overall weight loss looks like over the last 6 months. Using MyFitness Pal to track my weight loss has been a great tool.

3 months ago I finished 6 weeks at Fit Body Boot Camp and really loved it. The only reason I stopped going was because it's not cheap. Since I have a free gym at my work it's hard to justify the expense.

I didn't stop working out. As you know, I used Jillian Michael's videos and some running. I really got into the little bit of running I was able to do. I had worked up to running a full mile without slowing to a complete walk.

My weight loss over the last 3 months continued even after stopping Fit Body, but the opportunity to do 8 more weeks at Fit Body was presented at a price I wanted to pay. I jumped at the chance to finish out this year as strong as possible.

Two weeks ago I rejoined Fit Body for the 8 week program to help me reach my goal for this year. So far it's been great! I've already seen the scale drop in a significant way and I feel stronger. Much stronger. I've been going 5-6 days a week and next week plan to do a couple of double sessions.

The workouts at Fit Body are tough, but the energetic trainers and helpful classmates make you think, "was that really a half hour?!"

Even if I don't reach my goal for 2013. I know this: my 2014 goal will not have to be as big as the past few year's goals.

Oh, remember this? My summer goals?

I'm still working on getting through the entire Bible. I have about 12 days of the reading plan left! It has taken longer than 90 days, but I'm getting there!! May God add his blessing to the reading of His Word.

As the end of 2013 quickly approaches, I wonder, are you making a mad-dash to reach any goals you had for this year?

{Summer Highlights}

Summertime, summertime, sum-sum, summertime! Summertime, summertime, sum-sum, summertime...well, that's about all I know of that song - and you're welcome!!

It's been a great summer for me! In the past several years, I don't know that I would have said that about summer. You see, when you're an adult and you don't work in school/education settings, you tend to forget about summer-vacation or nice weather to enjoy. Well, I do, anyway...

But this summer for me was a bit different. 

With my renewed focus* that I found at Fit Body, I actually enjoyed a bit of the summer feel! Was there more that I could have done? Probably. Were there different activities that could have been enjoyed? Most definitely. But I know this summer I put forth my best foot and now looking back, I'm very pleased! 

So you've probably been waiting - holding your breath - for me to update you on my goal progress. Am I right?! ...Haha! 

So without further ado...

As you may recall I mentioned that I was going to do 6 weeks of Jillian Michaels' video to replace my Fit Body workouts. As of today I've actually completed 7 weeks. Two of the weeks weren't what I would consider full weeks, so I decided to add a week for good measure. 

As of this week I'm down exactly 6 lbs from the end of July. (Wow! seeing that in writing makes me very excited!!)

Since the end of July I'm also down a combined 3.5 inches. The inches measurement is not as accurate as when I did the Fit Body assessment since I am now measuring myself.

Overall, it's been a win on the scale and off:

• A couple of weeks ago I went over to my parents in Spooner for the weekend and my mom refitted a bunch of my clothes so I could wear them a bit longer. Some items didn't work out as planned, but she worked her alteration magic on many of my clothes! I hope to get a few more miles out of the clothes I have before breaking the budget for new things.
• Recently I was able to pick up a few new-to-me things at Good Will. Thrift store shopping has never been a favorite of mine, but I did find a great store that I felt comfortable in!
• I've not turned into a runner yet, but I have done some more jogging.

What's next?!

Next week, I'm set to begin another video of Jillian's. I plan to do another 6 week and hopefully you'll see an update or two in there, but I'm not promising anything...

Speaking of summer fun...

I'm thankful for getting to go to two Twins games this season. Both times the weather was fantastic!

Twins Game with Nephew Ethan - 4/26/13

Twins Game with Nephew Carsten - 9/7/13 

And the best part about looking at these two pictures is that I'm wearing a size smaller in my jeans! Yep! :-)

*I recently realized (after reading some comments on a friends fb status) that it was focus that I gained from my experience with Fit Body. I used to get so bored while working out and I didn't really like it. Now, I get in, do what I need to, and get out. Love it!

{6 Week Results} Fit Body Boot Camp

I'll just get right to it.

Results

Here is me - all glowing or glistening :-) after my final workout at Fit Body Boot Camp:

Results: -10.6 lbs, -7.5 combined inches, and -1.5% body fat

 

You can read about my initial goal here and the update here.

 

I'm thrilled with the results especially since I reached my goal of losing a pant size! About 3/4 of the way through I had to purchase new workout clothes!

 

My Review

 

 

I highly recommend the Fit Body program. Even if you think a boot camp is not for you, I recommend you give it a try. The variety of exercises make it challenging and exciting at the same time. The group environment gives you that competitive edge and the camaraderie gives you accountability with encouragement as you need it.

 

At this point I've decided not to continue working out with Fit Body because of the cost. It doesn't fit in with my financial goals for this year, but if my budget could swing it, I would definitely continue! 

  

What's Next?

 

 

My next fitness goal is to go back to my FREE gym at work. I plan to use the Jillian Michaels 6-Week 6-Pack workout out video about 5-6 times a week, continue walking about 5 times per week at lunch and also walk 4 times per week in the evening. This past week I didn't get to walk (either at work or at the lake) as much as I had the previous 5 weeks. I kinda missed it!

 

I think breaking down my goals into 3-week increments will help me keep focused and also make adjustments as needed. So I plan to do a 3-week update and tweak my workout routine if I'm not seeing results. I'm  already afraid I'm going to get bored with Jillian, but I plan to implement some of my new skills to mix it up a bit.

 

Right at the beginning of the 6 weeks of Fit Body I started recording what I ate. This was a key habit that I will also continue.

 

In Conclusion

 

 

Thanks for all of those who encourage me along the way! Feel free to find me (bekahflam) on MyFitnessPal.com and I can help cheer you on in your fitness goals, too!

 

 

*I was not paid or compensated in any way for any of the above review of Fit Body Boot Camp. These are my own words based on my experience.

 



{Goals} What Can I Do Today?

I get the Proverbs 31 devotional emailed to me everyday. This one was particular fitting/challenging to me as it relates to my current goals and progress.

July 22, 2013

Progress or Procrastination?

Lisa Allen

"If you wait for perfect conditions, you'll never get anything done!" Ecclesiastes 11:4 (LB)Unhealthy habits had crept their way into my life. At first it was only occasionally, but then it became easier to stay home rather than head to the gym. I turned a blind eye to how much sugar I was eating. And dinner from a drive-through became more convenient when I was in a rush.

After a few months in this downward spiral, I knew it was time to reintroduce healthy habits. But then the excuses started: I know I should work out, but this just isn't a good time for me ... I have two trips coming up and then there's that birthday dinner for my friend this weekend. And everyone knows that Mondays are the best day to start a good habit!

This pattern of thinking gives me permission to eat unhealthy foods and put off exercise. Somehow I justify that I will ultimately be more successful if all the conditions are perfect for me to improve my health. Perhaps it's my selfish nature that screams, "I want what I want when I want it." The truth is, if I know I should take steps toward healthier choices, then my response should simply be to ask myself, "What can I do today?" and then do it. I don't have to have a plan for a month or even a week ... only today.

As I've observed this pattern of procrastination within myself, I find when faced with a desire and necessity to make a change for the better, sometimes I wait until I can do it perfectly before I'm willing to begin. Scripture tells us though "If you wait for perfect conditions, you'll never get anything done!" (Ecclesiastes 11:4).

I don't know about you, but I struggle with feeling that perfection is unreachable, so I push my goals to the back burner.

We wait to start consistent quiet times until we feel like getting up earlier. We wait to clean our house until there is a convenient weekend. We wait to join a small group until our schedules open up. We wait to begin a healthier lifestyle until the holidays are over.Taking that first step is the hardest and yet most important step. Even a baby step toward a goal is better than staying in place. Aiming for progress rather than perfection can be quite freeing. So, I can't run a marathon. But I can lace up my sneakers and go for a walk. And while my home isn't in spotless, I can wipe down the counters and put away the piles of laundry around my living room. Yes, there are still dishes in the sink, but I have to start somewhere, right?

God is teaching me that I can make progress in the midst of less-than-perfect circumstances. While I still want to do things with excellence, a friend once told me I need to be willing to "take a B instead of an A+" on some things in life, and that helps bring perspective when excuses start to rise up. Plus, I'm learning to overcome my tendency for excuses by telling myself imperfect action is better than perfect procrastination.

There may never be a perfect time to get organized, eat less sugar, and workout more. However, we have to begin somewhere. The perfect place to start is where we are today.

Father, You know me so well, and I confess to You I've been avoiding obedience by waiting for things to be easier, better and more convenient. I recognize this as disobedience and ask You to forgive me. Give me the strength to focus today on this area of obedience. Let me know that You are providing all I need to take this step today and tomorrow, as I continue this journey with You. Amen.

Reflect and Respond: What area of procrastination are you wrestling with? Whatever it is, choose to take one step toward your goal. Share it with your spouse, friend or mom and ask them to help you live this truth: "Imperfect progress is better than perfect procrastination."

Power Verses:

Ecclesiastes 7:8, "The end of a matter is better than its beginning and patience is better than pride." (NIV)

Proverbs 31:27, "She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness." (ESV)

The most challenging part to me was, "...if I know I should take steps toward healthier choices, then my response should simply be to ask myself, 'What can I do today?' and then do it. I don't have to have a plan for a month or even a week...only today."

What can you do today?! What can I do today?!

{Goal Post} Update

I've started this post several times, but am determined to finish it tonight.

 

You may recall that a few weeks ago I told you of a couple of summer goals that I have.

Reading

Today I completed 36% of a 90 day Bible reading plan. Surprisingly I've been able to keep up except for one day, but the app is set up so you can "catch up".

Generally I listen to the daily reading via the YouVersion app on my phone or Kindle. I listen and read along a good portion of the reading for the day on my bus rides to and from work. If there's any of the reading left, I can usually listen while I'm preparing dinner.

Fit Body

I've finished 4 weeks of my 6 week fit body boot camp! Last week I had an assessment and am officially down 3.5 pounds and also down a combined 3 1/2 inches.

I snuck in to weigh myself tonight and see that I'm down a total of 6.4 pounds -- so, yeah, I'm a little excited :)

I've been trying to go 4-5 times and I think I've averaged about 4 times per week. As part of the 6-week program, they want you to come 3 times a week.

Each workout is 30 minutes and is different every time you go. We've done certain exercises more than once, but the workout as a whole has been different each time. After the first workout, I would have described it as "you get down on the ground and then you get back up again. Then you get down on the ground and then you get back up again. Rinse and repeat."

Funny thing is that after the second week, the only guy trainer was in charge on Tuesday night. Right away he mentioned that he heard a rumor that people were describing his class as almost exactly what I would have said.

"So you won't leave the ground for the first 15-20 minutes of this workout," he said. And we didn't. We did 100+ push ups in less than 20 minutes. Of course we didn't do them all at once. We did 10 at a time, and then we flipped over and did some sort of exercise on our back.

 

Pain

Needless to say, I spent the next 3-4 days in pain. I woke up Wednesday and couldn't move my RIGHT arm without distracting pain.

My recovery tools: Max-freeze, Ibuprofen, Ice Pack

A co-worker told me to I needed to do more push-ups to help with the pain. I went in our conference room and did 20, and surprisingly noticed instant relief. I was still very sore, but I did not have the distracting pain like I had before.

I went to workout that evening taking caution with my right arm. I woke up Thursday (4th of July) morning and couldn't move my LEFT arm without distracting pain. I went ahead and did 10 push ups and immediately felt better. Still sore, but better.

On Friday morning I woke up with both arms equally sore, but did not have any of the distracting pain. I did more push ups just to be sure, and then had the thought that this was some evil ploy to get me to do more push ups! ha!

On Saturday I went to the workout and surprised myself with how much I could do. Finally on Sunday I woke up without any soreness in my arms.

Over the past week, I can tell my recovery time is getting shorter and shorter. I did 3 workout days in a row last week and only took a rest day at the suggestion of one the trainers. (I still went for a 3.4 mile walk on my rest day though.)

Move

Something else that has helped me with the soreness in general is my new routine to walk for 15-30 minutes in the middle of my work day. This means that I usually eat lunch at my desk, but it's been nice to get outside and enjoy the summer sunshine.

In addition to my mid-day walk, I've also been walking in the evening. The past week or more, I increased the walk from 30 minutes to about an hour. I can now do a 5k in 53 minutes, give or take.

Tracking

For the past year and a half I've been working out regularly. Last summer/fall I lost about 12 pounds (and went down a pant size) and for the most part kept it off with my workout routine. One of the reasons I wanted to try the boot camp was to get a kickstart to loosing weight again.

The day after I started the boot camp, I began tracking my food. If I bite it, I write it (down). It's really an easy habit since I can use the MyFitnessPal.com app on my phone. The app even has reminders that remind me to record what I eat. The app is especially helpful for me to work at getting the right balance of carbs, fat, and protein since it tracks all of that for me.

Beauty

I have a beautiful walking path not far from my house, and it happens to be along side a little lake.

 

 

 

 

Other Goals

I do have plans to write about some other goals that I'm working on, but for now, I'm focusing on these two goals: Bible reading and Fit Body.

 

I will leave you with one other piece of good news though...

 

I finished paying off my Student Loan on June 17th!

 

This really has been a great summer! And it's not over yet!!

 

And without further ado, I will hit publish and be done with this post - finally!! :))



{Goal Post}

Do you have any summer challenges or goals?

A lot of blogs I read are talking about summer and goals and trips and fun. I need to work on the trips and fun part, but I do have two, make that three, goals for this summer: 

1. Read/listen to entire Bible - I'm using 90 day YouVersion Bible reading plan. I like the option to listen to it on my Kindle Fire!
2. Complete 6 week fitness boot camp. I usually go to my gym at work - for FREE! but a while back I decided to sign up for a boot camp as soon as my student loan was paid off. Well, as luck would have it, a friend posted a link to a boot camp that was starting a new promotion next week. I was able to try it out last night and while I'm still sore, I think I can hack it!
3. Get crackin' on a plan to accomplish other goals I made at the beginning of the year! Since I've been so focused on the student loan payoff, I've let some other goals slip to the shadows. I know I have much to celebrate in the goal accomplishing department as I have officially scheduled my last student loan payment for Monday, June 17. This has been on my ToDo list for way too long. But now that it's done, I don't want to lose sight of a few other things I want to get done this year as well.

I posted the above goals on Facebook, and now a blog post, so I can't change my mind...or back out now or when things get a little tough in the next 3 months. Yikes!

I'll try to keep you posted on my progress in each of the three goals.

And hey, if you're wondering how to set a goal, this is a good tip I discovered in the last couple of years:

 

Let me know what goals you're working on for the summer, the week, the month, the year...!

{goal progress}

One of my goals for the year is to lose weight. One of the steps to reaching that goal was to be more active. Having a desk job does not lend itself to assisting with that step, but thankfully my new work-building has a gym.

The Gym

My Spot - Elliptical Machine #1 to the right of the Stair Stepper

I've been using MyFitnessPal to track my workouts on my phone since the beginning of January. Here are two reports from the site:

I'm quite impressed with my consistency the past few months! (pats self on back ;) 

There is one additional thing that I need to start tracking though, and that is food...which for some reason is a habit that I'm resistant to!

MyFitnessPal has a social network component that I've been reluctant to utilize, but I would like to invite you to join me there if you are interested in fitness. Would you join me?!

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Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it.  ~Plato

Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. ~3 John 1:2

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