Saturday, June 14, 2014

What's in a Name?!?!?!


What’s in a name?!?!?!

So I have to say that the ONLY thing I DON’T like about the 21 Day Fix is the name…..I think it makes it sound like this program is a “Quick Fix” and I am not a supporter of those because I don’t believe that they last!!  There are lots of ways to drop weight quickly, but in my experience none of them are healthy or sustainable in the long term!!  Most of the time after doing one of these I ended up weighing MORE once I stopped whatever madness I was trying!
So why 21 Days???  Well research has shown that it takes 21 Days to make something a habit.  So if you are able to eat clean balanced portions and workout for 30 minutes a day for 21 days then you are well on your way to making this a habit. 
How does the meal plan work?  Well, there is no counting calories or tracking points.  You use these adorable colored containers to measure out your food. 
Each color represents a food group and you are allowed a certain number of each container every day based on your starting weight.  When I first saw these containers in person I thought, “WHOA this is SMALL!!” 

But then I measured out my Red Container (ground turkey) and put it on a plate.  Looks like a LOT!  I actually have trouble eating all of the recommended food some days.

Then there are the workouts.  30 Minutes, 7 days a week, every muscle group in your body.  LOVE THEM!!  I am not trying to build big bulky muscles, my goal is to be fit and toned.  This program is perfect for that.  The heaviest weight that I have used is 8 lbs, I started with 3 and 5 lb dumbells at first and then worked up to 5 and 8 lb.  (You can also use a resistance band instead.)  These workouts have really helped me tone all over.  I am noticing that my pants are loser in the thighs, my abs have definition and my arms have….what is that called?  Oh yea biceps!  LOL

 

Since I had a terrible stomach virus after week two of this program, I don’t feel like it’s accurate to share my full 21 day results, so I wanted to share my 2 week results.  Down 5 lbs and here are the pics…sorry I actually took the “after” pic for something else (the day before Barfest 2014) but I’m using it for this J

In summary, I LOVE this workout and think it is a great for anyone really, but most especially people looking to get started with clean eating, portion control and a workout routine.  Any questions let me know and I’d love to chat with you about it!! J
 
XOXO
Lexi


Sunday, March 9, 2014

What Motivates you??


 
 
Some of you may be wondering what motivated me to start this journey to health and fitness.  Honestly this has always been something that I have cared about, I just let it fall to the wayside somewhere along the way.  But what really made me open my eyes and realize that I need to make my own health and fitness a priority is my son!  He has recently started eating finger foods.  So he can sit in his highchair with us when we are in the dining room at the table.  Which means someday soon he will be eating what we eat….so I started to look at what my husband and I had been eating.  I would typically buy something quick and cheap for lunch.  Often a huge sub with chips.  Breakfast would be a cup of coffee on my way to work.  Dinner was basically a whole lot of takeout every night of the week!  Pizza once a week, Chinese food once a week, wings, you name it, it was probably in our rotation and I did not want that to be my son’s first introduction to food!!

When I was growing up dinner time was important.  Every night we had a family dinner which included a meat, a starch and a vegetable.  This is how I always pictured life would be with my own family someday.  Coming home from work at 7, putting my son to bed and eating pizza in front of the TV was never my plan!!  But I realized that it has to start with ME!!  My son is not going to eat fruits and vegetables unless I eat fruits and vegetables!  Also I do all of the grocery shopping in our house, so if I am buying junk I am responsible for my family eating junk!!  If I look at something and think to myself, “wow I wouldn’t want my son to eat that!”  Then why in the world should I be eating it myself?!!?!?
 
The same logic applies to exercise.  I always pictured my children being active and playing sports.  How can I expect them to be active if their mom is a couch potato?!?!  Not to mention my son is getting fast!  He is only crawling, but he can cover the whole living room in the blink of an eye!  I need my energy to keep up with this kid.  I want my son to come home from school and go play outside, not sit on the couch.  But he will never do that if he sees me come home from work every night and watch TV.  I know that I must lead by example and show him how to be fit and healthy.  I want to be able to chase him around the backyard and play catch with him. 
 

I always used to think that I didn’t have time to exercise or prepare healthy meals, but I honestly have so much more energy now that I feel like someone added an extra two hours to my day!  I am also doing a lot of planning ahead, because I often come home late from work and need to be able to make something quickly.  I stock up on veggies that cook quickly, and lean meats like chicken and pork so I can put together a quick meal in 30 mins or less! 

 Of course there is also the mommy guilt that comes into play when I feel like I am doing anything for myself, but when I step back and look at the big picture by putting a priority on my own health I really am doing what is in the best interest of my family!  I want to be there when my son graduates from college, I want to have a mother son dance with him at his wedding someday and I know that might not have been possible if I kept my old habits.  So sometimes he is in his playpen bouncing up and down watching me workout and I feel good about that.  He’s even got some rhythm!  At the end of the day my family is the biggest motivating factor in my life!  I want to confidently lead them by example and fill our home with health and happiness one workout and one meal at a time!!!     

XOXO

Lexi

Monday, February 24, 2014

How do you measure Succe$$?!!?


 
 
 
I recently had someone tell me that they felt like a complete failure in life because of the amount of money they had in their bank account.  First of all this completely broke my heart!!  Second this got me thinking, how do we measure success?  Is it really about the amount of money that we have?  How big our house is?  What kind of car we drive?  How many material possessions we have?  What designers we wear?
I think in a lot of ways this has become the normal measure of success in our society today.  Luxury car ads sure make it seem that way!  Actually MOST advertising paints that picture!  But then I have to take a step back and think about how do I measure success? 
My suggestion is this, what if we measure our success by the number of good things that we do?  Making someone smile should get you some credit.  Inspiring someone to reach for their dreams.  Motivating someone to take action.  Caring for a sick person, feeding the homeless.  Making someone laugh.  Isn’t this a better measure of us as human beings?  Lately I have been posting about my journey of health and fitness on my Facebook page.  So far I have gotten a very positive response from friends and family.  Some are even saying that they are inspired or motivated by some of my posts.  That is success to me!  My day job doesn’t exactly give me that warm and fuzzy feeling inside, if you know what I mean?  I work with some great people and it definitely pays my bills, but it doesn’t completely fulfil me. 
I have been longing for that feeling.  When I lie in bed at night and reflect on my day I want to be able to say, “Yes, I did something GOOD today.”  I guess I want to know that in some way I am making a difference.  I should mention that of course my family makes me feel this way all of the time and watching my son grow and develop into an awesome little person has been the most amazing experience of my life!  I don’t want to downplay that, but I am looking to expand beyond the walls of my house.  I want to HELP people!  So that is why I am sharing my journey with all of you!  Here’s to hoping for a few successes along the way!!
 
XOXO
Lexi