CIZE Livin' in the 8s for my a.m. workout.  Fourth time doing it and feels so good to get those moves down.  It is the longest one in the set I think (50+ minutes) and when I mentioned to Coach Tulin (my Beachbody coach) that it was so long she said, "Well, you earned that workout!"  What a great way to think about it. It is the last in the basic set so I'm six workouts in and tomorrow will finish the rotation.  Going to start again on Monday with the Weight Loss Cize rotation.  This time I hope to really be able to 'live' (as Shaun T would say) in the moves.  I want to not have to think about them so much, and put more expression and passion into dance.

So yesterday, my joints -- esp my knees -- felt so creaky as I did CIZE and 21 DF Cardio Fix.  I ate a lot of sugary treats the day before and I think it had an adverse effect on my body.  It isn't just about weight loss but how my body feels and yesterday it felt sluggish and uncomfortable.  I need to keep that in mind as I think about how best to fuel my body.  If you feel bad you are less likely to exercise and then it all starts to go downhill.

Up later today is 21DF Yoga Fix. Pulled out my yoga blocks just in case although I can't find my yoga strap.  Tulin had a good modification for downward dog for the PiYo workout that I may use here if that move is present.

Also, today, Tulin asked us to come up with what we hope to accomplish over the next 30 days.  Here are my health and fitness goals:

1. Drink Shakeology after a.m. workout

2. Have two salads a day

3. Incorporate eating meditation

3. Finish CIZE weight loss rotation

4. Complete at least one round of 21 DF

5. Lose 10 lbs by birthday

6. Read something motivating every time I go in kitchen

7. Improve form with planks and push ups

8. Approach this process with an open heart and mind

9. Incorporate the 21 Day Fix eating plan

10. Make not eating after 8pm a habit

11. Drink gallon of water daily

12. Keep in mind that I am an athlete-in-training

13. Celebrate the wins daily -- large and small

14. Practice self-compassion daily

15. Take meals at dining room table

16. Practice mindfulness when eating

Today's workout was 21 DF Dirty 30.  Tough.  There were some side planks I was a little too chicken to try.  I modified the modifier.  My abs were hurting -- and not in a good way -- during the chest fly/lower leg combo so about the halfway mark I dropped the leg portion.  Have to be mindful because of past surgeries. Looking forward to getting strong enough to do them.

So yesterday my eating was horrible.  Too much sugar: a cookie, bubble tea, frozen yogurt with lots of candy toppings.  And then too many dang pistachios.  Also, I ate after 8pm, which I've stopped doing over the past few weeks. This morning I felt so sluggish. I think it affected my workout and it is for sure affecting my energy. Easy to see how something like this can snowball.  I don't like how eating all that stuff made me feel.  A little is fine but it was just too much.  My goal is no sugar (like in treats but also the hidden sugars in stuff like ketchup, sauce) until my birthday in October, which is roughly six weeks away.  I'll allow myself some fruit and wine, though, as allowed during the 21 Day Fix eating plan which I plan on starting soon.

Today I kind of want to give my body a rest. Fill it with good green stuff to counteract the effects of the stuff I ate yesterday.  And next time I have frozen yogurt I'll stick to the fruit toppings!

Crushed my 21 Day Fix Cardio today. And by that I mean I didn't do everything perfectly but I stuck with it and modified the modifier if need be. I can't do mountain climbers on the floor (after so many abdominal surgeries I have to be really careful with core work) so after the workout I googled standing mountain climbers and am ready for the next time!  Also, before I started 21DF I did T25 for about a week but there were so many planks and push-ups that I couldn't do because of my core issues.  There was a good modifier for burpees though that I was able to use in 21 DF Cardio, which goes to show that we do what we do and we get what we need.  My short stint with T25 wasn't a waste because I got something out of it and I fully intend to go back to it when my core is more strong.

Onward!

Shaun T is my guru (or at least one of them)

So today was my second attempt at doing Livin' in the 8s from Shaun T's CIZE series. It is the longest workout so far -- 50+ minutes -- and the most complex choreography.  When I tried it yesterday I felt so discouraged even though I always feel that was the first time I attempt a new routine. Although I did acknowledge that I finished the workout and didn't quit so should gave myself props for that. I usually pick up the moves by the third time I do the new routine.  Today's workout felt so much better.  I was proud of myself for how much I improved from the day before.

I want to bring that same kind of awareness to other things in my life.  How awkward and frustrating something feels like until you "get" it. Maybe it is that way with my eating as well.  That it is full of frustration and ups and down until I really make that connection and get out of my own way. Yesterday I knew that my anger was an illusion, something I was creating, that I was making myself upset despite the knowledge that I was going to improve and that wouldn't always feel this way when I did this workout.  The key is to not quit, to believe it is going to get better, to have faith in the process.  I need that with my eating as well.  And in other areas of my life.

I'm on Day 3 of 21 Day Fix and am loving it. Was nice to feel sore and be able to do all the moves.  I'm behind on my CIZE workouts.  Haven't done for three days.  I wonder if I got burned out on Shaun T since I was doing both CIZE and T-25?  I'll be getting my CIZE in tonite, however.

I signed up for the Dirty Girl Mud Run in May 2016.  It's a 5k.  I'm hoping training for that will increase my focus since I'm not just trying to lose weight but I'm actually an athlete in training!

Training note: Yesterday did 21DF Upper Body and used 3 lb for shoulders.  Will up that for next workout.

Also, today used 3 lb for the 21DF Lower Body and will up that to 5 lb for next workout.

I like seeing where I can push myself and also proud of my progress that I don't always have to follow the modifier but so glad she is there.  Today I modified these quad and inner thigh lifts and they were so tough. The move looks simple but it really challenged me and I could feel it in my core as well.  Looking forward to getting stronger.

Today's workout

I am week 2 into a T 25 rotation. My core is really weak and I am prone to hernias so I am very careful about the planks.  Today's workout, Total Body Circuit, had a lot of planks and I felt discouraged because I couldn't do the moves.  Also, I really rely on the modifier and sometimes the camera didn't show what she was doing until half or towards the end of the move.  As I do the workout more, I'll know how to modify better but today's workout was tough and not because of the moves but because of my attitude.  I know I'll get better but in that moment I was incredibly frustrated.  So I researched plank and push up modifications and have some strategies for how to approach this workout as well as Ab Intervals, which I do in a few days.

I am also doing CIZE and am on week 5 of that.  Love Shaun T and dance.  Feel so grateful to be able to do these moves after all the health issues I had in the past.  Am going to do my CIZE workout a little later today. I usually make it my second workout of the day because it really doesn't feel like working out -- aside from the breathlessness and sweat.  It really does get the heart rate up but Shaun T is so engaging and encourages you to put your personality in the workout so it can really feel different from day-to-day depending on what you put into it.

Also, I've pledged to weigh myself weekly (vs daily/every few days).  Weight should be another metric I use in my journey to optimal health along with blood glucose, body measurement, energy level, quality of sleep, how clothes fit, how my body moves and what I am able to do with it.  Right now I am giving that number too much power.  It can color my whole day.  It is great when the scale moves down but sometime it goes up and that shouldn't discount all my effort or discourage me, which is what is currently happening.  I'm not going to hate myself thin so I've got to give that number proper perspective.

Rockin' Journey

I've been going through a challenging time lately and have had a hard time being consistent with my exercise.  Add in that I've been diagnosed with a double hernia and I've been confused about how to exercise.  I was doing a TurboFire rotation (which I did not keep up) and subbed a Shaun T Hip Hop Abs cardio for one of the workouts.  Man.  I hadn't felt that happy in a while.  And then I saw two videos of Shaun T dancing:  one to Single Ladies and another that was his entrance at the BB Coach Summit.  I couldn't stop smiling.

I'm not the greatest dancer but I love the way my body feels when it moves.  I did Zumba a while ago and enjoyed it so much. I never thought I would take a live class BUT THEN I got too much in my head.  I glanced at myself in the mirror at class and realized that my actual movement didn't match what I thought I was doing in my head.  And so, I started to feel self-conscious and what had been a soul thrilling workout for me started to lose its luster.  I did the workouts at home, but it wasn't the same.

Now I realize that everything starts in your head.  "As a man thinketh...."  I should have held onto the image in my head until the outside caught up.  That is true with everything.  Weight loss, relationships, success.  It all starts with the vision in your head and you hold it dear until the rest of the world catches up. 

So, now I am on Day 2 of Rockin' Body.  I finished Disco Groove at 35 minutes and at one point during the workout I actually thought, "Hey, where did the time go?"

Shaun T is so inspirational and when he said "Live!" my body screamed "Yes!"

I plan to finish the rotation and LIVE!!!!  I am going to enjoy the moment, the movement, and let the dancer inside my head shimmy to her heart's content.