I'm back... Body By Vi Time!!

Sooooo, I know, why haven't I come back yet? Usually this is where I regal you with excuse after excuse about they why's the wheres and the whats. I should have been back a month ago, but really.... real life just sucks sometimes. I haven't been diligent but I have still been trying, so that's something, right?

I did have complications after the surgery and it sucked! but I'm better, good to go and ready for another 30 day challenge that I shall be starting soon, like in the next few days. 

Today though, I'm going more into what is helping me immensely. Right after my surgery, I was eating like an all ice cream, powerade, frozen yogurt, juice and jello diet.. needless to say I'm sick of most of them... but I ended up putting on everything I worked so hard to lose.
It sucked. I was angry and frustrated... but I went back on them and BAM... lost it... this was when i still couldn't work out, so ahh, Body By Vi is awesome... 

I put a new goal up like a week ago and that was to lose 10 more lbs by May Long weekend and our yearly trip to the Falkland Stampede,  cowboys anyone? 

Well, I went back on the 2 shakes a day this week, started watching my diet more closely than ever and I'm already more than halfway to the goal :) i haven't even started my regular works out yet! So I've decided I'm going for 15 lbs total and excited to get going again... plus some yummy new shake recipes.. awesome! i shall share them tomorrow as I'm sure my little Aussie Hottie will so nicely remind me ;) she really is a hottie and we now have a plan together... hetero life mate and all!

So you've heard me talk about this, what? every post? or at least tag it? Perhaps you didn't see the link on top or just haven't gotten a chance to check it out... so let's break it down! I didn't write the below and wish i could give credit where it's due but i saved it a long time ago so have no idea from where...

Want to lose weight, tone up, or just get healthy? Join the Body by Vi™ 90–Day
Challenge, and you will not only help yourself, but others too.
Many of us are looking for a simple solution, an easy way to get in shape! Most
of us have tried fad diets that left us bored, hungry, or spending hundreds
of dollars on special foods. Or we bought exercise videos that didn’t tell us
anything about nutrition and aren’t targeted to special needs.
Now, ViSalus™ has created Body by Vi™, combining our unique and life
transforming products along with our online and offline support tools. No
one else can offer the same comprehensive program that includes a simple
nutritional plan with recipes, menus, exercise tips and programs, and online
community support. If you’d rather not get weighed in public, or eat expensive
foods, or be forced to go to the gym, this is the program for you.
Body by Vi™ includes all of the tools, support, and products you need for an
entire month! Our program allows you to join others online and learn exercise
tips, recipes, menu planning and more. No one else provides the powerful
combination of nutrition, support, education, and exercise like ViSalus™!
1. 30 days and 60 meals of fun, flavorful, body-shaping energy! Includes our
Shape-Up™ Health Flavor Mix-Ins, so you can personalize your shake flavors
with powerful nutrient benefits and rich flavor.
2. Nutritional support to help you curb hunger, burn fat, and feel great from
head to toe.
3. Optimal support with a robust Omega Vitals blend that supports heart
health, cognitive function, joint health, and more!
4. Healthy energy and hydration, to help your body fight fatigue and stay
energized.
5. Online and offline tools to help you stay on track, meet new friends, learn
new ways to eat, and get all the support you need at your fingertips anytime
day or night!

Want to know more? you curiosity is piqued then check out my website... watch the video it will answer all your questions. If not, just ask me, I'll do my best to answer. Not only is this a GREAT weight loss tool, but you can also make money with it too.... it's all explained here.

www.desireebrent.bodybyvi.com

After my car accident this stopped me from ballooning out when I was always inactive.. in fact I lost 30 lbs over a year when I wasn't as diligent as I should have been. my results are so minimal compared to others out there.. and I plan to lose that much in this challenge alone. 

So check it out and get started? what do you have to lose? besides weight of course ;)

Day 28- so close...

I'm just gonna push this out before i catch a quick nap. I planned to do my workout in the wee hours of the morning but realized I can't cuz I am not allowed to eat or drink as of midnight and no water... so not of the good, so i'm gonna take a nap and get a workout in... i actually thought I would be up all day but plans changed and I had coffee before said plans changed and i'm a little wired... yet tired... :(.... makes no sense.. poor Paris is so exhausted...

I am so stocked up on Jello (gross, i hate it) Popsicles, powerade, juice, frozen yogurt and some broth. yeah... I'm ready to go... i actually kind of feel bad that I can't work out for like 2 weeks...

I'm a couple pounds short of my goal..... sigh... but i'm not disappointed in myself. Inches wise i've lost a lot, so i'm sure I lost the fat and gained muscle, i'm okay with that.... and I feel loads better, I really do, so you know what.. I'm a winner :)

fitness test later... stay tuned..

1 Push-up + Burpee + Tuck Jump 4

*High Knees Skip

Switch Lunge 11

*High Knees Skip

Press up with Spider Knee 7

*High Knees Skip

High Knees x 10 + Mountain Climbers x 10 3 serts

*High Knees Skip

Side Burpee & Oblique Abs 3

*High Knees Skip

Push-up + Side Plank Twist + Oblique Drop 5

*High Knees Skip

V Abs Left 14

*High Knees Skip

V Abs Right 14

*High Knees Skip

Hug Knees + Star Jack 10

*High Knees Skip

Single Toe Touch Abs 10

*High Knees Skip

Squat Jump 13

*High Knees Skip

1/2 Burpee + 1 Push-up 7

Day 27- Strength

Ok, so 2 more workouts to do before the surgery and I shall get them done :)
things have just been... a little hectic to say the least, like i'm not even worried about my surgery, it's just no big deal anymore. I've had friends in the hospital with major surgery, a family member having a stroke...

The word I chose today is strength and I'm not only talking about the strength to power through and work out... I mean, yeah the strength I've gotten since I started this I'm proud of, but i'm also talking of the strength one can have in day to day life.

Sometimes my strength is what gets me through the day. THere are days where it's just a struggle to get through and I'm not being dramatic about it, it's just part of the BPD. I think the females in my family are particularly strong and I get it from them. And this blog is for my Mom and Grandma whom I know read this and are 2 of the strongest women i know. And i'm glad I inherited some of that strength. Some days, especially right now, I know, one, maybe both don't feel as if they are but they really truly are. and I love them both very much, even if i don't say it much...
Also to my grandpa, (who was the previous mentioned family member) I love you so much and i'm wishing for your speedy recovery. i wish wish wish I could be coming up there this weekend with mom but with my surgery, I'm not allowed to travel.

But like I said, my surgery doesn't really worry me anymore... it likes... things started happening and I'm like, this is a minor surgery, it's nothing compared to what some family and friends are going through, you know? and I honestly almost got super pissed at someone the other day who's freaking out and threatening self harm.. because of being demodded in some online chat and i'm sitting here thinking... you know, you can't really compare problems between people but i'm thinking, like... it's just a chat. how could you let someone or something have so much power over you that you want to cause self harm... and this is coming from someone who suffers BPD and knows all about dark thoughts and whatnot and I've been low, i've been in a dark place sometimes for no reason but nothing and no one would push me that far and it just... upset me so much cuz i consider them a friend and I sat there and listened to them and felt bad for how they were feeling and what they were going through but later when i needed to talk, when there was things going on in my life... it always got steered back to this issue and it hurt... and yes, I was upset...

But there I go off on a tangent... I guess i just needed to get that out...

When it comes down to it, Life is full of stress, and we all must find some strength to push through and push past it and we all have that strength, you just need to find it.

how do i combat stress? yoga.. plain and simple. hmmm... should get mom onto that asap...

I was gonna have this out yesterday but you know me... i start talking about feelings and it takes me longer to write...

But down to the last couple workouts... yay :)
Lisa-Marie’s 3 Exercises:

1. Push-up & Front Raise 6 7

2. Bag Drag -20 30

3. Commando Push Up & Mountain Climbers 4 sets 4

Seans 3 Exercises:

1. Shoulder Lift & Squat & One Leg Lift using a sandbag 6 6

2. Round the world using a sandbag 8 9

3. Squat & Press using a sandbag 7 7

I have next workout done, i just need to post it, until then...
Peace love and Harmoni

day24- feel it

Basically, i forgot to post this.... sorry!!!!!!!
It''s been a busy week filled with too much crap going on... I'll explain later.
Until then... 3 workouts, 3 more days until my surgery... phew... so i gotta do it, i will do it.

stay strong, keep working it. and i'll post my new one soon..

1. Push-up + Clean & Press & Squat & Press – 7 8 8
2. Plyo-metric Jump & Press Up 6 7 5
3. Plank & Floor touch & Knee Tuck – =12 14 16
4. Reverse Pull Up’s 15 14 17

Day 23- do it

don't worry, I'm still here and committed, just been a little under the weather the past couple days. But I'm still here and still pushing. and i'm one week away...
I'm nervous, I really am. Simple procedure but the fricking dreams... *shudders*

so we have week 4 day 1 the last week of the 30 day challenge.

1 Leg Push-Ups and Jump Over- 10 15 16

Side Straddle Run’s & Burpee’s 8 6 7

Squat and Woodchop – 17 16 16

Plank Jumps 10 14 12

After not doing it for a couple days.. omg what a tough workout, but just when I wanted to quit i powered through so yay!

i've actually been busy too... Yes, under the weather so more sluggish than usual but i worked hard and was left pouring sweat, so yay!!!

Day 20-more yoga

Short and Sweet

This is what helped me this week because my back hurt so much...

here

and this one helped me crack my back lol... enjoy and here we go to the last week

Here


Peace love and Harmoni

Day 19- push

Push it.
Push hard.
Push past the pain.

unless it's really bad pain than you should probably go get it checked... just saying...

Superbowl later... woooo or woooo for whomever enjoys NFL. I'm a CFL girl myself.

So today was the 800 rep challenge >.<

and i did it... in how long? ohhhhhh 13 min and 34 seconds. I thought that was amazing and also hard work... but you don't get anywhere by not doing hard work :)
this is what i got to do today...

Day 5 week 3

25 Push Ups

100 High Knee Skips

25 Knee Tucks (abs)

100 High Knee Skips

25 Squats

100 High Knee Skips

25 Triceps

So one more week to go.... then a few days til my surgery... 1.5 weeks... phew, I can do this... i'm nervous... still with the messed up dreams.
Anyways, enjoy the Superbowl, make great choices,
and I should have a yoga link up. I haven't made anything recipe wise worth mentioning, when I do, i will post a recipe.

Peace Love and Harmoni

Day 18- energy

Energy, do you have it?
I have more than a few weeks ago but the last couple days as you well know, I've been dead tired... and still super sore :(
that part makes me sad.
dad got off work a bit early today so my workout came a bit later when he went to bed.

Maybe i've been so tired lately because I've been having weird dreams, obviously my upcoming surgery is weighing on my mind as SO many dreams have been about that. From simple things like eating right before my surgery and saying I had to wait later for surgery to bad things happening DURING it...
so that sucks, i have just under 2 weeks until then i wouldn't mind some proper sleep, lol..

but i pushed through, got my workout done and now there's a rep challenge tomorrow... must rest up for that :P

So stay happy, and energized and keep pushing on...

week3 day 4

tuck jump and tuck under- 17 16 17

1 knee in, 1 knee up push up -10 7 9

Side Plank Leg Lifts Left Side- 20 24 27

Side Plank Leg Lifts Right Side 19 23 23

Peace Love and Harmoni

Day 17- mind body and soul

~Exercise is good for your mind, body, and soul~

Dear workouts,
You are so totally kicking my ass that sometimes I want to say screw you and go sleep or go lie down and rest...
But alas, I have worked too hard to just roll over and say i quit. So deal with it and keep it coming because there is no way I'm giving up anytime soon.
I know you were all tricky these last few days since I couldn't do you yesterday and your previous ones have left me a little sore... hell, you were SO CLOSE to making me take another day off because my back was so sore but guess what... I found this wonderful yoga workout for lower back and after doing it today the muscles aren't so tight and I don't feel so sore. so nyeah.
2 weeks until my surgery and I have some goals and i want to see those goals met... so bring it because i tend to meet you head on.
Sincerly, me :)


week3 day 3 -

Clean & Press 13 12

Squat Leaps 13 16

3 Tier Push ups 10 12

Reverse Pull Ups 11 14

Squat & Press 17 16

Switch Lunge’s 18 18

Day 16- rest day... but....

Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up~ Thomas Edison

Yes, I know it's wednesday... cuz i didn't get on bodyrock.tv this just means I shall be working out later this week on Saturday...
thats ok cuz truthfully, my back is really feeling this right now, especially after standing last night while I was cooking which just further shows i do have a long way to go still.... and i still can't do a job that consists of standing a lot which really sucks and still hinders my finding a job process... i mean, i could get any retail job, or grocery store, i've done it all but with the inability to stand for extended periods of time, it kind of sucks.

So what did i do today... , meaning wednesday...went to sleep at 5 pm and got 5 hours of sleep... I had A LOT to do today before I could sleep so i did what I had to... but all the running around just made my back sore, and not wanting to completely rely on tiger balm or icy hot, or whatever muscle pain reliever gel I have on hand, i decided to get some heat on it because my back muscles are so fricking tight.

So what does one do on a budget? Simple, make your own. being able to sew has helps but a sock works too.
I just got some cotton fabric, sewed the side together, leaving one corner open and turned it inside out. Then i got some rice and mixed it with some Peppermint Halo essential oil and poured it into the little fabric pouch i made before sewing it up. Then I microwaved it for 2 min. and the heat with the oil is making my back feel so much better.
I think this will be my new best friend when I'm aching :)

thats all for today,

Peace, Love and Harmoni

Day 15- never give up

If you don't do what's best for your body, you're the one who comes up on the short end- Julius Erving

I am so sore lol... my body is still going through the adjustment phase and i would love to sit in a bath of ice , followed by a bath of tiger balm... which would be so nice if it wasn't so expensive... but alas, i keep going, refusing to give up... ALL OR NOTHING!!!!!

so it was the weigh in and measuring and how this week? 2 more lbs gone and 4.25 inches more is gone, bringing me up to 4 lbs and 8.25 inches :)

I also tried a new recipe today which I will be posting later this week...

best thing ever happened yesterday lol.. I was so mad at my dog who jumped up onto the table while I was in the other room briefly and started eating my mexican chicken the night before last.... Silly chihuahua biting into the Chi cliches, eating Mexican food, so she was made to sit on the doggy couch. We have a loveseat that Casey gets all to himself and Paris usually cuddles up beside me on my couch for the warmth, so she was all upset and heartbroken being stuck on the other couch... well, yesterday morning, i got even. Went to get some shopping done at Superstore, came out couldn't find my keys.... cuz they were STILL in the car, with Paris, locked up. Oh my god, she was so upset, there I was outside the car and i wouldn't open the door and she was scratching at the window... luckily, i was able to break into my car and the look of relief on her face.... lol... So i decided we're even...
BUT, the next trick i'm teaching her is how to press on the unlock button for when mommy has a blonde moment and locks the keys in the car... should come in handy...

Other than that, i know I'm chock full of stuff to say usually but right now, I'm tired. I dunno when I'll get Day 16 out. Unfortunately MY sleep schedule (different from everyone elses) is a little out of wack today due to some personal business that needs to be dealt with. so my workout will probably be way later than usual... I workout at night, before 11pm, even though this doesn't come out til later, lol.
Also, I'll go back and repost the last couple days links on fb as they went to the wrong account...

so here.... week 3 day 2
it was different today, the interval was set for 30 seconds with a 10 second rest... shake it up a bit :)

1 Push-up + Burpee + Tuck Jump- 4

*High Knees Skip-

Switch Lunge -12

*High Knees Skip-

Press up with Spider Knee -7

*High Knees Skip

High Knees x 10 + Mountain Climbers x 10-2

*High Knees Skip

Side Burpee & Oblique Abs=4

*High Knees Skip

Push-up + Side Plank Twist + Oblique Drop-5

*High Knees Skip

V Abs Left -10

*High Knees Skip

V Abs Right -12

*High Knees Skip

Hug Knees + Star Jack -11

*High Knees Skip

Single Toe Touch Abs (Modification using the Pink Sandbag)9

*High Knees Skip

Squat Jump 10

*High Knees Skip

1/2 Burpee + 1 Push-up 7

*High Knees Skip

Just remember, don't give up. If you fall off the wagon, if you skip a workout, thats fine just hope back on as soon as you can and keep going... seriously!

Peace Love and Harmoni

day 14- fitness test- the middle

The below test is from my Day 1 Week 1 fitness test which took me what? 20 min to get through an d i felt like dying? PLUS i did all the easy variations....(in brackets beside it) This was done in 50/10 interval, which if i remember correctly was 50 seconds, 2 mintues to recover lol.. God, 2 weeks ago, I really didn't know if I could possibly get this far.. I mean, I wanted to.. but would I follow through?

Week 1-Day 1

Squat Jump- 24 (Just squats, jumping was like... oh god, i land to heavy, which i did, lol)

Push Ups-19- girlie style (all girlie and after 5 it was such a struggle)

Burpees-8 (this was without the jumping up, so half burpees)

High Knees-75 (this was slowly switching knees without the jump)

Switch Lunges-20 (regular lunges, no mid switch jump)

Tuck Jumps-18 (tiny little baby jumps, again with the jumping)

Straight Abs-29 (I always do crunches, I was always taught coming up all the way is not good for your back)

This Blog is what has kept me going. Seriously, i don't even know if anyone reads it... I mean.. if you do, please feel free to leave a comment or some encouragement? it DOES help... seriously... but because of this, i felt like I HAD to keep going, i couldn't let the ppl who read this, down. so I would get up, sluggishly drag myself out of bed, think Nope, not today, can't do it. Then stop and be like. No wait, I HAVE to, I have a blog to write and when i'm done the workout, i know i will feel better, which i do :)

I knew the fitness test was coming and I was excited to see if I improved at all... i've felt different and I could do one whole push up without my back giving up and I was a bit lighter on my feet but would that show through in the scores at all. same concept, same exercises so away i went!

week 2 fitness test

Squat Jump- 31 (I did the actual squatting and jumping now)

Push Ups-20 -6 regular (yeah, you read that right. 6 real ones, blowing my goal of 3 out of the water)

Burpees-7 (I did FULL burpees this time, jump and all)

High Knees-72- (I did the faster paced, high knees and switch. Yeah i did less cuz i had to stop once but i did the proper ones)

Switch Lunges-30- (I did the switch jump)

Tuck Jumps-34 (My jumps were a heck of a lot higher and tuck-ier. i like making up words)

Straight Abs-32 (crunches still)

I'm excited, genuinely excited and HAPPY with my results. I can't believe how far I have come after being so... inactive the past 16 months and this is only pushing me to keep going. I don't wanna stop :)

I keep doing Yoga everyday as well, only cuz I need to get stretched out. some of my muscles feel so tight and that just feels so unnatural for me, Like I've said I used to be pretty bendy and I really miss that :(

I think I'm also going to start on Sean's workout that are on the site as well because they will also help me.

And of course, as always, I start each day off with my super yummy Body By Vi shake, strawberry banana, so yummy!

so i might edit this later after I get Seans workout in but until then a lovely quote for you.

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.

Life is beauty, admire it.

Life is bliss, taste it.

Life is a dream, realize it.

Life is a challenge, meet it.

Life is a duty, complete it.

Life is a game, play it.

Life is a promise, fulfill it.

Life is sorrow, overcome it.

Life is a song, sing it.

Life is a struggle, accept it.

Life is a tragedy, confront it.

Life is an adventure, dare it.

Life is luck, make it.

Life is too precious, do not destroy it.

Life is Life, Fight for it.

~Mother Teresa

Peace, Love and Harmoni <---- yeah i did it again

Day 13- more yoga links

Hmmm i think i got this figured out, active rest days i post yoga links and recipes? works for me :)

So anywho, found this wonderful yoga playlist here

Yoga for beginners

Great 5 parts, and it has helped we with the flow from pose to pose a lot. so thats great and I''m excited:)

But my muscles hurt and i would give ANYTHING for a massage... blargh!

so until tomorrow, i think it's another fit test.

Anyone catch the Royal Rumble? I haven't yet... so shhhhhhhh... i'm just watching Raw from last week cuz i'm slow lol... Kane hurting Zack and going after Eve.. why did that remind me of the Lita/Kane/ Matt Hardy storyline? But that could just be me.

Peace, Love and Harmoni <----- ha, yeah, see what I did there? yeeeeaaaahhhh

Recipe- Crock pot Chicken Taco Chili (day 12)

FINALLY!!!!!!! this is also my Day 12, which is an active rest day and chock full of yoga which I will post tomorrow, Keep trying and if you have any recipes you want to share, let me know :)

so this came from Skinnytaste.com a great website!!!
the recipe is ------->; HERE

and THIS is how I made it :)

1. 1chopped onion
2. 3 cloves of garlic
   
3. 1 can black beans
4. 1 can kidney beans
5. 1 can tomato sauce
6. 2 small can of corn
7. 1 large can of diced tomatoes
8. 1 packet of taco seasoning
9. 1 tbsp. cumin
10. 1 tbsp Chili powder
11. 4 boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
12. 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
13. 1 tsp. garlic powder
14. 1 tsp. onion powder
15. 1 tsp. black pepper
16. cheddar cheese
    

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cook on low for 10 hours (i ended up doing 12 hours) just before eating add cheddar cheese.

So simple and yummy!

Day 11- Optimistic

rep Challenge today... last week it was 400 reps and i did that in over 16 minutes... today it was 600 reps of these exercises and they were done in 14 min and 40 sec. that's fricking amazing!!! and am so proud of me...

day5, week 2

100 High Knee Skips

100 Lunge kicks (50 each leg)

100 High Knee Skips

100 squats

100 High Knee Skips

25 Straight Abs

25 V Abs Left

25 V Abs Right

25 Bicycle Abs

Totally unrelated note, anyone watch Todd and the book of pure evil? Jason mewes is in it and it's just... awesome, rude, crude, a little gross at times and awesome. the 2nd season finale just showed in Canada and i'm just like whoa!

ANYWHO!!!!

word for today, Optimism, why did i choose this? because if anyone has read my other blog, the one i pour my heart out too when i'm super depressed lol, than you'll know i'm lacking in the optimism... all i've been hearing is you have the worst luck ever!!!! and you know, you hear something long enough you start believing it... but.. SCREW IT!!!!!, time to make my own luck or whatever. And to do that, you just need to stay optimistic. Negativity will get you nowhere, trust me, I know!

I know it's really hard to stay positive all the time, for some people, even some of the time. I've been talking the last few days to a couple friends, about staying optimistic and taking it one day at a time, sometimes even one step at a time.... One was marveling at the fact that I appear to be so positive, especially considering how the last 16 months have been for me, mentally, emotionally, physically... I feel like I've been put through the ringer but as I told a friend, I was tired of just.. existing. That's all i felt like. Like i was existing and not doing anything and I just had enough, I didn't want to do it anymore because I was so miserable.... unfortunately i think i had to reach that point on my own time to truly understand it, so i'm gonna keep going and keep pushing, because just existing....why? why be like that?

I know how hard it is to get away from that as well, i really do. You're stuck in a mindset, you feel trapped, you don't know how to claw your way out. I wrote it all out. Writing does help me. Some friends who are feeling the same, i told them to talk, just let it out and sometimes that's all you need is someone there who will listen, not judge you and just get it and I also know how hard it is to be able to talk to someone about how you're feeling because when it comes down to it, a lot of people don't get it because they haven't been through it. I don't want my friends going through that so i'm trying hard to make myself available to them because i know how dark and scary it can get sometimes. You're not alone, even when it feels like it, you're really not and I had to keep reminding myself about that too and yeah it is hard.

but now, I'm staying optimistic. many ask how I can do it? well there's a few theories ranging from, hey! you hit the UP part of BPD to, well your exercising regularly, to I'm so fricking stubborn that I refuse to go back into that mindset.... but perhaps it's a little bit of each. But that whole cliche, if i can do it, you can do it too.... I kinda wanna say that. Even though we're all different, I just know that if i'm strong enough to come back from that darkness, my friends can too. I know they can.

See how optimistic I am? Lol

Sorry this took so long to get out, but once i start talking about my feelings, and things that have happened to me, It takes a bit longer cuz it's still a struggle, even though I am trying to be more open and stuff... and yes, I promised a recipe lol. That will be coming out before bed, kay? kay.

Day 10- No excuses

~I never regret it when I do it, but I always regret it when I don't.~

I woke up today and i'm like screw it, just screw it. I'm tired, I'm cranky and sore, I DON"T want to work out and I'm not going to, so screw it.

then I grabbed my phone and went through my messages and had a facebook wall post from Mark that said good luck with Day 10... that got my ass in gear and doing it... so thank you Mark for the encouragement :) it means a lot to me. So i posted this pic, no matter how I feel, no excuses... i'm almost thru the 2nd week so i gotta keep going. ignore what my mind was telling me and do it!!! Plus the quote at the beginning is perfect as well... If i had said, screw it, i don't wanna do it, I would be sitting here feeling guilty. BUT since I did it, I felt great afterwards and I did something amazing while doing it. my first full real push up, not the girly kind.(not ever, just, ya know, a few years, lol) I went for number 2 and my back gave out... still really weak lol. but i had made a few goals for before my surgery

1) to be able to do 1 full pushup

2) lose 10 lbs.

3) get through the thirty day workout challenge

so goal 1 is done... and since that is down, i am aiming for 3 pushups by the time the surgery day is here..

Speaking of, I'm really worried about my surgery. not the actual procedure, a tonsillectomy is pretty straightforward, i'm just talking about the after... :( All liquid diet... no biggie. and jello... i HATE jello, so i'm thinking yay ice cream but apparently dairy is no good... maybe i'll buy a bunch of sorbet? But also reading up on it, the PAIN adults are in from it. I have a high pain tolerance, yeah.. but if it's long extended pain, i become a big baby, and they'll prolly gimme T3 or Tramacet which does NOT work on me.... bleah, not looking forward to it at all :(

I got a half hour of yoga in and have some new workouts i'll be testing too.

So i'll post the Chicken Taco Chilli recipe cuz it's yummylicious, when i get up tomorrow, er today.. you get it...

Have a great day. Remember, no excuses, just push through and you won't regret it!

week 2 day 4

Press up Burpee + Plyometric Jump (or squat/tuck jump)6, 7, 6

Star Single Toe Touch Abs=15,17, 16

Sit Squat & Jump up- 18,19, 15

Mountiain Climbers x 10 & Toe Touch’s x 10- 4, 3, 3

Day 9- patience

OH JEEZ!!!!

I almost forgot to post this :O

Anywho day 9. Week 2, and I'm feeling great!!!!! and guess what!!! i finished the workout today in 12 minutes!!!!...the required time... lets all do a happy dance!!!! chances are it's because it was a lot of leg exercises and my legs are getting stronger!!! i can feel it muahahahaha. yes that was an evil laugh. no i do not know why.

I think i forgot to post this because i spent the last little while baking blueberry muffins and cookies for my dad and making crockpot chicken taco chili for moi!!!! i can't wait to try it!! i'll post the recipe later, like tomorrow, make sure it tastes ok first but it smells delicious and I got quite the workout because ALL THREE of my can openers were busted. 1 electric, 2 manual.... and i had 5 cans to open... as you can guess, i was having a lot of fun. i was online and on video chat with my Snake friends... which you won't get unless you're on PM, which you won't get unless you're a Harry Potter fan. Call me lame, whatevs, they're a bunch of the funnest peeps i know.. i'm such a nerd but guess what.. NERDS ARE HOT!!!!! which means.... I"M HOT!!!!!

oops.... sorry grandma, I'm sure you wanted to read about how hot i KNOW i am lol. i got a voicemail from my grandma today who we just put on fb recently and i'm pretty sure doesn't have the slightest clue what she was doing, or well it's been a month so she might have a better grasp but she mentioned my blog and how proud of me she i.. so THANKS GRANDMA and even though i made sure i didn't swear in this blog, i'll be extra diligent... just um, stick to this blog, kay? the other one, i give no promises!!!! and I love you!!! and i'll call you later if i remember!!!! LOL!

alright so, back to your regular scheduled program.... todays workout was awesome. i have a lot more energy, to the point where i'm starting to have trouble FALLING asleep cuz i'm just more energetic overall which is good, cuz sleeping 10-12 hours... i dunno, sign of depression maybe?... i know hard to believe, me depressed. lol. But endorphins are a wonderful thing.

My legs are still feeling it but thats ok :)

I learned that Tiger Balm also gets rid of my horrendous headaches and loosen up the muscles in my neck.

today's word is patience. Patience because changing your lifestyle, becoming a better, healthier you does not happen overnight, no matter how much you want it to. so be patient and keep working at it and above all else, never give up
so my scores are below, I'll talk to you tomorrow :)

Day3 week 2

Clean & Press (squat jump)-17,15

Squat Leaps-14, 12

3 Tier Push ups-9, 9

Reverse Pull Ups or close armed push ups-10, 13

Squat & Press-23,18

Switch Lunge’s- 17, 21

12 min.

day 8- courageous

Drumroll please!!!!!

so I'm down 2lbs. and a total of 4 inches all over... YAY!!!!!! WOW!!!!
i'm actually quite happy with that, cuz worked hard last week and am working even harder this week. My legs hurt so much after today's workout so i'm guessing i did good :)

I had trouble falling asleep last night though, or i guess what is early morning for me. my lower back was on fire and was aching so much that i wondered if i would even be able to get out of bed, let alone work out.
But alas, I found my tiger balm i used to use when i had a weekend baseball tournament and was left feeling sore from like 8 games in 2-3 days. and slapped some on my back and when it started working? ahhhh relief!!!!! and i fell asleep. it was nice :) when i woke up, i wasn't in pain so decided to go ahead with my workout.
Not before I had my yummy Body By Vi shake. what is that? you ask. Simple go here and watch the movie

HERE!!!!

The shake that taste like cake.... mix.... lol... seriously, this stuff is great. i hate eating when I first wake up but as everyone knows, breakfast is the most important meal of the day so Body by Vi has been one of the best things to happen to me. when I'm ON it, religiously, like everyday, there is a BIG difference. I am more energetic, i make better choices, it's an amazing product that i urge each and everyone of you to check out. I swear you will NOT be sorry.

the udo's oil is also helping. I put a bit of my shake aside and just add the Udo's to it and drink that in one huge gulp and it's helping me overall... i don't get how some ppl can take the oil straight up cuz it's well, oil. but ppl do. I always need to add it to something that hides the taste. It doesn't taste bad, not at all, but I'm jsut a really really picky eater. yeah yeah, i don't look it but i am... lol... and the thought of drinking oil, just grosses me out... i'm weird like that. i mean, another case I like meat, i do. But if i see it raw first, i don't really want to eat it. Hell, i wouldn't even touch it for a long time... although now i suck it up cuz i'm in charge of dinner, but i still get grossed out.. it's just.. gross!!!

Totally off topic!!!! where was i? my workout, yes, so i did it :) 15 min. now.... yay!!! soon, i'll be able to do it within the actual time frame they said!! heck ya! My legs hurt... yay!

Anywho, the title. The word I picked for today was courageous. Deciding to change your life and become a healthier better you is, i think, a courageous choice. Why? because it takes hard work, determination and drive... and sometimes you wanna give up but you keep pushing,
Trying new things take courage. and this is one of them..
So be courageous.

1. Box Jump + 1/2 Burpee (Alternative sides)-5, 4

2. Lunge & Swing -17, 18

3. 3 point jumps + R & L Knee to Elbow -4, 4

4. Side Leaps-16, 19

5. Tricep Dips- 10, 16

6. Pike Push-ups- 10, 10

Day 7- week 2, Perseverance.

thats my word for today, Perseverance.

Never give up, never back down.... oh wait a sec... that sounded too John Cenaish.

ok, ummm.... All or Nothing. That's tattooed on my wrist... in another language so you'll look on it and go huh? but thats what it means.

So today is the beginning of the 2nd week of workouts on bodyrock.tv Here it is

Day 1 of week 2

I did Lisa's workout but i did not do Shawns as my lower back was starting to feel sore :( I know, very sad so i opted for some yoga, like the one i told you yesterday about this one for lower back stretches...

yoga for lower back


I am feeling more energetic though, so that's good :) So keep Persevering, don't give up. 3.5 weeks til my surgery and i wanna be down 10 lbs. by then. I wrote down all my measurements and whatnot and they're saved in a draft so I will keep it updated as well... yay!...

So until tomorrow my lovelies :)

Press-up + Burpee + Tuck Jump x2 & 10 x Straight Punches -2.5, 2.5, 3

Press-up + Burpee + Tuck Jump x2 & 10 x Hook Punches -2, 3, 3

Press-up + Burpee + Tuck Jump x2 & 2 x Straight Punches + 2 x Hook punches- 2, 3, 2

2 x Mid Abs + 2 x Bag Touch Abs-29, 33, 36

16 min. I'm getting faster...!

Day 6- yoga link!!!

Did some Yoga last night and tonight and my goodness does the stretching feel good... I am nowhere near a bendy as i used to be but am a heck of a lot more flexible than i used to be. I found this one which is very good for beginners. It's about 20 min. long, very informative with great stretches and poses to get you started.

beginners yoga

I actually enjoy that whole youtube channel, it's pretty neat so take a look around.... I'm going to try their yoga stretches for lower back pain because as you know, that's what's been keeping me out of everything, lower back injury. and probably the one to help you sleep at night. 'll let you know how that goes!

Day 5- little differences

alright, so i did it, i got to the end of week 1. and apparently this is where 80% of ppl give up and guess what? i don't plan on it, in fact I refuse to. yay me :)

today was the week end rep challenge, how long to do 400 reps of the exercises below. 75 of one, 25 of the other and then repeat, plus an arm workout and i don't think I can lift my arms, but i'm okay with that because I've noticed little differences.

Beginning of the week i could barely do push ups, the girlie way, today during the arm workout, i id a set of 15 no problem. I'm hoping by the time the 30 days are up, I can do a real push up. Last time i did one of those... I want to say high school but I might have done it when I was training to wrestle, you know, before the 10's of thousands of injuries... you laugh because you think i'm kidding... unless you know me, then you're probably like, yup, that's Harmoni for you...

So tomorrow is a active rest day, I think i'll take my puppies out for a nice long walk, as well as look up some awesome yoga workouts to share with you guys for tomorrow. thats what I miss, my flexibility. I didn't look it but i was pretty flexible. I played sports for years so i also had amazing reflexes. I miss all that so i think i'm gonna get it all back, it's the least I can do ;)

so day 5 is below and until tomorrow :)

day 5-

The following exercises should be repeated four times through:

75 High Knee Skips

25 Knee Lifts

Total 400 Reps combined.

16 min. 15 sec.

Seans Weighted Workout Instructions: 1 set each of 15 reps

Rows using the band

Single Leg 1 arm rows (L&R) using the band

push ups

Day 4- i did it.

i did it!!! Day 4!!! one more day! and usually that means 2 days of rest but because I started on Tuesday I'll be taking just Sunday off and back to it on Monday. I mean, I could take Sunday and Monday off but i don't really like working out on Saturdays cuz my dad is usually home but he won't be tomorrow so it works out okay for me :)

i'm still achey but it's getting better, i'm almost over the initial soreness. And i'm in no way a superstar yet, but i've noticed little tiny improvements so that makes me go yay!

They simplified the routine a bit, 4 exercises, 3 sets of each and my reps are there below as well as the link.

I'm posting this a bit late, sorry :( but this was yesterdays, and when I wake up later today i will do another workout and hopefully get some yoga. I have a few links to look through that were sent to me in regards to some good yoga workouts, so i will do that and hopefully get some posted for you soon, as well. I'm also looking for some yummy recipes as well.

Until tomorrow... or would that be later today... :)


Day 4

Burpees + Push-up-8, 7, 6.5

Reverse Pull Ups -20,17, 20

Triple Plank Jumps- 5, 6,8

High Knees with sit ups-10, 13,14

18 min. so i'm getting a bit faster lol

Day 3- Believe

That word up there is Body Rocks word for Day 3 but i find it quite fitting.
Believe you can do this,
Believe you WILL do this.
Believe there is a healthier happier you waiting on the other side.

I had I think 4 hours sleep. I had to drive my dad to work because I finally had to get the snow tires put on but I thought no problem, I'll catch a nap, workout, go get dad.
But by the time I was done everything and got home, I had enough time to look through todays workout again, have my shake, workout, make dinner and go get dad.

truthfully? i didn't want to work out today. I was tired, cranky, my head hurt and my whole body aches. I thought there was no way in hell i could do this and I just wanted to sleep. But i sucked it up, said I have to do this and you'll feel better after... And I did, endorphins are lovely, and now i'm just so exhausted.

Again, with another OMG OW workout, it was 2 parts today. the first 12 minute intervals workout then one focusing on shoulders and legs. I did both but the 2nd part only got through one set of the exercises before I was off to get dad but that's okay because I can feel it, a lot. I don't know how I'm going to get out of bed in the morning.. maybe roll to the floor and crawl to the living room, or get casey to drag me out there. Casey is one of my dogs, I have two, he's 120 lbs of big stupid. Dopiest pitbull ever lol but is positive he's a lapdog. I also have a chihuaha, Paris (named after Paris Jackson, the BC Lion) she beats casey up all the time. A fighter, just like her mommy, *tears* lol

so yeah, my results from today are below. The tiredness has now fully kicked in and this is going to be short as i think i;m going to rest and rejuvenate my protesting body lol... too bad it has no idea i'm going to do it again tomorrow.... I'd laugh evilly but it hurts too much.

But just remember, it is going to hurt for a bit. I haven't done much at all for over a year thanks to my back injury so i knew i was going to hurt going into this, that won't stop me from crying about it lol. But once i get past the aches and pain after a few days, hopefully i will start seeng improvement and that keeps me going...

Remember, BELIEVE you can do this... I know YOU can. I know that I can, so believe and lets do it!!!

Day 3
please remember, I do the beginner exercises cuz thats what I am, and I'm okay with that :)

Superman Push-ups-10

Elevated Push-up’s & L&R knee to elbow touch with the Swiss Ball-6

Squat & Press- 19

Ugi Clean & Press + Jump Forward + 3 x Squat Jumps-6

Reverse Pull-Ups- 15

Side Jump Burpee + 2 knee to elbow Oblique Abs + Tuck Jump Centre (Alternate Sides)-6

Ugi Ball Push-up & Burpee + Sumo L&R Knee Touch.- 4

Tricep Dip + Kickout V Abs with the Dip Station-12

Overhead Abs=21

Sandbag Shoulder Lift + Squat + Switch Shoulder Press with the-20

Speed Run-40 s

20 min. total

Seans Shoulder & Legs Time Trial Weighted Workout- 1 set of each, 15 reps

Low Jacks Press-

Single Arm Lateral Raise/Lunge

Single Arm Press Lunge

8 min. total

Pumped for tomorrow,
Harmoni

Vegetable soup

so, i had a bunch of vegetables, so i decided to make a soup before they all went bad... go me!
Here's what I created.

5-6 cups of Broth of your choosing (i used Beef cuz i had it on hand)
1 can of diced tomatoes (i did this because the kind i had came with roasted black pepper and garlic spices)
1 onion-
3-4 cloves of garlic
3 carrots- peeled
4 celery
1 red pepper
5 mushrooms
1 potato (i only used one cuz potatoes are so starchy but add what you like)
1 package of those steamer veggies that you usually put in the microwave it's the fibre one that has barley, broccoli, peppers edamame beans, i just did that for some extra veggies.
rosemary
thyme
black pepper

chop it all up throw it in a pot and bring it to a boil for 10 min. then turn it down and let it simmer until vegetables are tender. season with whatever you would like.

pretty simple, ya? you can change it how you want to, add some veggies you like, change the amounts, it's all up to you, i just wanted to share how i did it. Hopefully if my camera stops beng dumb i can get some pics up, lol.
Enjoy!

Day 2-ow & what smart choice did you make today?

sooooo Day 2 um ow... lol, my legs hurt but the good kind of ow, ya know? and I found the most awesomest motivator EVER!!!!!!! coldness. I'm so fricking cold that I can't wait to work out, if only to be warm again... yeah, -7 where I am... EFF THAT!!!!!

I just had a body by vi shake,... it's all frozen and stuff, bad idea.... I wonder if I can turn it into like a hot chocolate body by vi thing, for reals.. me and coldness don't do well at all!!!! I think I'm gonna attempt that actually :)

I've also started on my udo's oil again. what is that you ask? well check it out here

Udo's oil

In a nutshell, it's healthy fat. you DO in fact need healthy fat. and this stuff has the best blend of your omega 3 & 6 fatty acids. it works great for weight loss, no lie, read the website you'll see. It also increases your recovery time, your athletic performance, makes your hair shiny, your skin soft. when on it, I see a difference within a few days. It can be found in almost all health food stores. Heck if you live in Canada I could prolly name some off the top of my head in your city. I used to work for the company that manufactured Udo's and here I am, giving them free publicity even though they fired me... for no reason!!!!! I'm not even lying on that. So they have less than stellar intelligent ppl working there... (I worked in the customer service dept.) but you can't knock their products. so HERE"S YOUR PUBLICITY GUYS!!!! I should be getting free Udo's outta this lol.

Hmmm so after yesterday's workout my legs were a little bit ouch, so I did this workout and now my legs are super ouch. but that's ok... I mean, my legs used to be A-FRICKIN-MAZING!!!!!!! like, they used to look so pretty and the strength in them was the envy of so many... ok so I'm sure that was all in my head but they were really fricking strong. my ex would take me to the gym just so I would use the leg press and rack that thing and he'd be all hellz ya, look at what my girl could do. TO this day, I wonder why I did not just use those legs to snap him in half as he so deserved at the end of it.... but I digress...

I went to body rock and to day 2. I read through it all last night and watched the vid and even read some of the comments about how it was far too complicated and would turn ppl off. I don't agree. yes it seems daunting and ya know what, it's super hard and chances are your scores will suck as mine did but that's ok :) its kinda the point, you're working on getting better and healthier and in shape. ppl complained there are too many combos but in my personal opinion, which I'm sure doesn't mean much but it's mine so nyeah, lol, I think it just maximizes your workout and results and if you watch the whole video, they give you beginner variations which I did a lot of and it still gave me a super intense workout. it's to last 12 minutes with your interval timer, yeah i got it in 20, go me lol.

so as you can see, total beginner here but that doesn't deter me. I'ma keep working my, hopefully soon, cute, butt off and stick with this. so really if you've started, keep going, with me! I used to be a cheerleader so I can totally cheerlead for you.

so the link to day 2 is below, as well as my scores which are low but hey, i DID it, i got through it and thats whats important!!!...

Day 2

10 x High Knees & 10 x Mountain Climbers- 3

2 x Squat Jumps & 2 x Push-ups & 1 x Tuck Jumps-4

Centre to Elbow Jump (L&R) & 2 x leg jumps-4

Clean & Press & Squat & Press & Push Up-5

Tuck Jumps x 5 & ½ Burpee & squat hold x 5-1.5

Spider Knee Push up & Straight Leg Push Up (L&R)-6

Switch Lunge & Press-21

Side Lunge x 2 & L & R Side Punch & 2 Tuck Jumps-8

10 x Squat & 10 x Squat Jumps-3

Elbow to Knee jumps 10 x each side-3

Wide leg jumps & Push up-8

Speed run-45

following this I am posting a lovely Vegetable soup recipe. If you're like me, you have a hard time eating all your vegetables so this soup is yummy and filling and healthy! and perfect in this super cold weather.

also... in regards to the title topic. I ask you this because our life is full of choices in all aspects of life. this includes exercising and eating, so tell me, what smart choice did you make today? it could be as simple as wanting so badly to not work out and just lounge around but deciding to go for a walk, or do some yoga or you can go out to eat and consciously decide on a healthier dish. or it could be as simple as getting out of bed in this less than fabulous weather... so tell me!!! don't be shy!!!!

Mine? I live with my father and so my sleeping and eating patterns are much different. we don't eat dinner until after 11 when he gets home but I mean, I'm usually up all night anyways. So he decided to have french fries with dinner and I love french fries and they were soooo tempting. So I made some and didn't have any, gave em all to dad and had some of the yummy soup I'm about to share instead, so that was my smart choice. What was yours?

I know these blogs are a bit long right now but i am sharing all my tools and whatnot and I'm sure as you all get acquainted with them too, it'll start getting smaller

<3 Harmoni

the beginning- day 1

And so, here lies the reinvention of me as I like to call it. I have a goal in mind, something to accomplish and its what I wanna do. and I want to work my ass off to get it done.
Here you will see my two most important tools...

body by vi

body rock

workout at home tools, along with my yummy full of nutrition shake and I'm starting off with day 1 of this 30 day challenge they have posted, which you can find here...

Day 1

today it's just doing a fit test, to see where you're at, 50 seconds of each exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest. even if I can't do any, that's ok, by the end of 30 days, or i guess in my case, right before my surgery.. i wanted to lose 10 more lbs before my surgery cuz i know i won't be doing much for like 2 weeks after...

so i'm gonna follow along and see what i can do, also I'm gonna be doing yoga and hopefully i can get back into my tae bo and zumba outfits too for some extra cardio. Plus I do have some lovely recipes i will try adding as well. :)

so here we go, day 1- I downloaded a interval timer onto my ipod to help me out :) it was free!

Squat Jump- 24

Push Ups-19- girlie style

Burpees-8

High Knees-75

Switch Lunges-20

Tuck Jumps-18

Straight Abs-29

well, how out of shape are you Harmoni?

Very thank you very much... i just about died so am very curious to see how well i do :D wish me luck!!!!