Time to take it UP several notches!

What's up people? Yea. I owe another apology for not blogging like a good girl - but I did take some time off, on purpose and well, yes. I was crazy busy end of last week and early this week. It's now Thursday and it's my first relatively normal day all week.

That said, I promised to do a post that shared with you all what my "program" was the past 90 days-- my workouts, my eats, my supplements-- and then share with you the goals for THIS quarter because IT'S ON.

So. Here's the thing. It feels AWESOME to be so proud. I am psyched. I am proud. I am ready to build on what I've started. I have to tell you all-- DON'T THINK THAT YOU CAN'T. I just turned 44 and I am really feeling better about myself NOW than I have in probably my whole adult life. THAT IS AMAZING.

DISCLOSURE: I am not a doctor. I am not a certified personal trainer or a dietitian. I am only sharing what I have been doing to get the results that work for me-- I am not recommending or telling any of you to do anything or buy anything or try anything that you haven't researched on your own. This is just me sharing my journey-- NOT me prescribing anything! (sorry, have to be clear)

Supplements:

I use GNC Vitapaks. Although I loathe the process of taking vitamins, I do it daily. The packs make it just so simple.

I use BSN Lean Dessert protein powder to make protein pancakes. It is the best protein powder I've tried for those purposes. I use PB2 to make a sauce for the top-- OMG to die for.

And then y'all know how much I love my Genetix HD -- Prosculpt in the morning before my workout then pills with my post-meal vitamins.

I use the GNC AMP protein for all protein shakes and for making Zucchini Protein Bread NOM NOM. ;-)  What do I eat typically?

1. Meal One-- 1/2 cup oats plus 1 spoon of PB2, scrambled egg whites, Coffee with coconut oil, cinnamon and heavy cream. 
2. Meal Two -- usually some kind of protein (turkey meatloaf 5oz or tilapia or chicken or salmon burger) with a salad and roasted veggies and hummus. Or a salad version of this.
3. Meal Three, Four and Five tend to be strictly protein. I have almonds for snacks or some PB2 if I feel I need something carby-tasting.
4. Not doing fruit right now. But if and when I do it'll be morning/early afternoon and one serving.
5. Lots of water-- was bad on that last month, getting back to drinking a LOT of it.
6. One diet soda a day ;-(

This honestly has NOT been difficult for me. People I did not have ONE cheat day for I think 2 months. No joke. I kicked ass. Oh--- I have sashimi when I go out and seaweed salad. Also do shrimp cocktail in the evenings too. YUMMY.

Workout Plan:

1. Cardio every morning on empty tummy. Was 1/2 hour now more like 45-60 because I enjoy it and am amping it up. Last quarter I did MOST cardio at home-- Les Mills Combat and Turbo Fire (IN LOVE and yes I'd say that has a lot to do with my arms getting as good as they are getting-- sooooooooo much punching and using your arms, it's sick. In a good way.) Also do cardio at night before bed or if I do weight training say at 4pm, I'd do cardio after that for 30 minutes.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Les Mills. And then Chalene's Turbo Fire has blown me away how fun it is. Seriously-- SO FUN, GREAT KICKASS MUSIC AND sweatfest galore like 200000 workouts in this advanced set:

And of course, one of my all time favorites on the planet is CATHE. Um, where do I start, I have about 20 DVDs now, just got XTrain, and now she has 7 new DVDS coming out. And Michael and I were just talking about how annoying it is that we feel like the gym- and when it's crowded or not crowded how that determines our workout SCHEDULE and we hate it. I'm favoring getting back to more workouts at home and inevitably getting a kick butt GYM in my own home when I move. Seriously.

Honestly, I don't know how she does it but Cathe keeps amping up new workouts and they ALL - seriously all of them are incredible. Weight training, step, kickboxing, abs, cardio, circuits, boot camps etc. I will tell you this- get you some Cathe. You will not regret it. 

Workout Plan Contd:

1. Weight Training - isolation type heavy weight training 3-4x a week minimum. Always going hard and heavy and KILLING IT. 

Goals for workout this next quarter. Still doing cardio first thing in the morning. Now the goal is to hit the stairs at the gym 3x a week and run 2-3x a week-- so MIXING IT UP a bit more. I'll do stairs, my home DVDs, and running. Weight training will be hard isolation training mixed in with a couple rapid fire circuit style training days. Just mixing it up every week. Also-- definitely back to doing yoga 2-3x per week and sometimes that would be a cardio #2 option. 

So. I worked. I focused. I honestly was not losing my mind on the "diet" and now we do cheat meals once a week. But I'm not sitting around obsessing about food. REALLY. And....when you get the results, it lights your fire to do more. 

I have lost 15lbs so far!! And I also have gotten over my ridiculous fear of sharing my weight with anyone. Last November when I weighed myself I was significantly MORE than I thought. TYPICAL-- we all think "oh I need to lose 10lbs or so...." when really it's more like 25-30 or a lot more. I was at 155lbs (I'm 5'5 if that helps) -- and that was the weight I'd gained during perimenopause-- where I'd been stuck for 2 years or more. I am now right about 140 but let me tell you-- the changes in my body have been outrageous. The lowest weight I recall myself being was 125lbs -- but back then I did not have the muscle I have now. I'll say this-- ladies.....it sucks a bit......I've gone down an entire bra size. My boobs have like GONE AWAY!! But y'all know that I've wanted a boob job since I was 20 so that's gonna happen this summer. (Judge me if you will. I like fake, immobile boobs)

So-- my goal is to AIM for 125 but frankly, I don't care what the weight is after I've lost the rest of the fat. Most of my fat loss needs to happen in my core area-- clearly I've lost it in my BOOBS, lost a lot in my legs- my butt has become quite lovely I must say-- my arms have leaned out but yea, the area that is last to lean out is my core and that's where women gain weight hormonally later on. LADIES PAY ATTENTION!! 

Dang! Have to put up two vlogs today. Because I am a blogger slacker this week. ;-) Below is me talking about the progress from this past quarter etc. Please let me know in the comments what questions you have for me. And.....let's do this together! COME ON!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

Disclosure: GNC and BSN are clients of my company, FitFluential. I am also an independent Beachbody Consultant so if you purchase products from my site I will earn a commission. All opinions shared here are my own.

What happens in VEGAS....

What happens in Vegas ends up on my blog. ;-) I'm out here all week for IHRSA 2013 convention- wow. So excited about this one- the official opening of it all is tomorrow so stay tuned for a lot of updates on the latest and most fantastic fitness finds. In the mean time, leave it to me to take ridiculously dorky photos in my hotel bathroom like above. I'm telling you people I did NOT feel like working out this evening. AT ALL. Maybe I am a bit jet lagged, I don't know but I was NOT. FEELING. IT. AT. ALL. Started some cardio and instead of being my usual YES YES YES I LOVE THIS self, I was all like WHAT AM I DOING, THIS BITES!!! Yea, me. So that little bad Kelly voice inside me was starting to whisper "don't workout. Take it easy-- double up tomorrow -- give yourself a break" and then I thought HOW ABOUT I GIVE MYSELF A BREAK IF I'M IN THE HOSPITAL??? I grabbed my resistance bands and just made up a killer Shoulder and bicep workout that tore UP my upper body. And I'm telling you this at the risk of sounding outrageously cocky and superficial at the same time-- perhaps the mirror in my hotel room is a skinny mirror but as I busted out my moves and was checking out my upper body in the mirror- I cannot lie I was all like 'DAYUM GIRL". yea. I said it. Don't judge me. 

I started the day right-- with my Genetix HD Prosculpt. So addicted to it- not sure if it is just because it is blue. I packed my goods!! 

Then I did my morning cardio- Les Mills Combat which never ceases to fire me up.

Then I ordered breakfast- an egg white omelet and coffee which took about 16 hours to arrive. #fail -- yes, I packed my coconut oil and cinnamon and vitamins!

AND my oats and measuring cup and shaker cup BAM!

Then I met Miss Valerie Waters for lunch and we went to walk the trade show floor but it wasn't open yet. GRRR -- people this is the first time I have walked around a conference in my workout clothes! It was kind of weird but also most excellent -- because it meant I was comfortable in more ways than one. And...I bought myself an early birthday present......how could I not? These have my name written all over them. 

And now Aunt Kelly has to get to bed. Because I am old and tired. ;-) And lame and no, I don't go out clubbing or partying it up in Vegas. I just buy sparkly things. Enjoy this ramble-on-a-thon about my serious haul from the fabulous Under Armour folks. LOVE. I wore this top today and had like 5 people stop and ask about it.

Negative Reinforcement. Yes or No?

Happy Hump Day people. Sorry for not blogging the past 2 days-- I had some ISSUES to deal with. NOT gonna go into them but I'm better. Suffice it to say had some family concerns and an injury. Mostly all better now. Oh, and a massive snowstorm in Chicago yesterday.

So anyway, the title of my post today is about NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT. A lot of my vlogs lately have been addressing the changes I've made most recently that are enabling me to succeed in a big way where I haven't in the past couple of years. And a lot of you are asking me, "How do you get/stay motivated?" - well, I use a combination of both positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement. Some people think ONLY positive thinking and positive reinforcement works. For me, it's a combo.

The above picture can illustrate a bit of what I'm talking about-- as you begin or amp up your fitness goals and workouts/diet, you will likely run into doubters, skeptics and those that want to impede your progress (consciously or unconsciously). You'll hear things like, "Who wants to live that way eating grilled chicken and salads?? Life is too short!" or, "Don't you think you DESERVE a break today?" or "Come ON! One Beer isn't going to kill you!"--- You have to get used to responding to those people but it's those haters and doubters that I often think about when I'm in the middle of a sweatfest. I think of how annoying they are and how they don't believe all this hard work will pay off OR that they think I won't last or will quit......that's NEGATIVE reinforcement and it works for me.

Like I said, I firmly believe that my success NOW is happening primarily because of all the work I've done IN MY HEAD. I've always loved working out. I've never complained about "oh do I have to carve out two hours for this???". I like most of the healthy food I eat so "dieting" isn't as difficult. But--- it's all about how you get your mind to direct your actions.

YOUR MIND, YOUR ATTITUDE directs your actions. When you are in the middle of a killer leg set and your quads are screaming, it is your mind that will tell you that you CAN DO IT. (Or your trainer as well!) When you wake up at dark o'clock and it's cardio time and you don't feel like it-- IT'S ONLY YOUR MIND that will get you up. Now-- what is going to motivate you? Does putting your shoes and workout gear out on the counter in your bathroom help?? YES. Does that alone MOTIVATE YOU?? I doubt it. What motivates me?? When I get up so early and want to stay in bed, I have TRAINED MY MIND to think of ---frankly--- what pisses me off about the past. I think of my favorite pair of jeans and having muffin top instead of NO muffin top. That's NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT. I think of sitting in my bikini on the beach and either having tummy bulge or no tummy bulge. So I have come to associate NOT DOING THE WORK with the bad things I want to avoid. Yes, I think of the good things-- but frankly those come later. What PROPELS me first is usually the negative motivation. When I'm sweating my butt off and I can FEEL how much more LIGHT AND LEAN my body is-- when I can see myself in my workout clothes and see how my body is changing-- that's the positive reinforcement. When I post my pictures and my caloric burn and get high fives online from my BFFs, that is positive reinforcement. You know what else is a negative reinforcement in a way?? You might laugh. The scale. I do not define my success by that number but--- knowing that I get on the scale every day-- that sure is an accountability factor and affects what I eat or don't eat. Seriously.

So sorry, we are slowly but surely getting caught up on publishing my blasted vlogs.

Now-- here is a quick summary of what my workout and diet has been like lately and is currently. Every day I get up and start the day with Genetix HD by GNC- ProSculpt. 

Then I do empty tummy cardio for about 30 minutes (sometimes 45 depending on what workout I choose). I've shared before but what I am LOVING for my cardio workouts are:

Les Mills Combat. Whoa. I still have yet to do all of them, but I absolutely love the crew, the music is great and I enjoy every workout -- there are some that are strictly cardio and then some that use weights but I am obsessed. OF COURSE you can buy your set at my Beachbody website by CLICKING HERE. 

I AM BEYOND in love with TurboFire. OMG. Chalene is a friend of mine but holy hell I had no idea how awesome these workouts are and HOW FUN--- and the music is awesome and I think the advanced set I got has like 24 workouts. All from 10 minutes long to 60 minutes. KILLER  and you have to get yours. CLICK HERE.

Seriously? Do you see what I Mean?? And check it out for Les Mills and you know why I am in love.

And yea I am LOVING Cathe's XTrain DVD with about 200million different workout combos on it. Seriously. The TABATA IS AMAZING. And I haven't even gotten to half of the workouts.....but you all know how much I love this woman and every single thing she does gets better. 

She is amazing. Now-- for weight training I'd say I focus on at least 3 hard/heavy sessions at the gym-- then when I workout at home, I'll do a hard/advanced workout like Cathe's, which is nice to mix it up. Regardless of what I do, I am doing cardio either right after weights or if I didn't do weights that day, I do another cardio session at night- never exceeding 90 minutes, (for the whole day total) usually more like 60-70. Yea, it's a solid significant training program but we are on the way to GOALS. I will not be doing cardio 2x a day forever. For sure. When I do weights, I go HEAVY heavy heavy. No colored dumbbells here. 

My diet is focused on lo-carb. I shoot for having all my carbs earlier in the day and later meals are more protein only focused. I usually have coffee plus oats plus either egg whites or protein pancake for breakfast, then a protein shake (with spinach etc.) or another meal with veggies or some fruit. Then every few hours eating with protein at each meal. LOTS of water. Only one soda a day. ;-( Supplements are still GNC Genetix HD and then pre-post workout supplementation and Vitapaks.

Geez. Long blog post. I must run my darlings-- let me know in the comments if you have specific questions for me and I'll answer in my post tomorrow. Sound good?

DISCLOSURE: GNC is a client of my company, FitFluential, LLC. I am an independent Beachbody Coach and will earn a commission if you purchase items from my website. Cathe Friedrich is on the BOARD OF ADVISORS OF FITFLUENTIAL LLC but for those of you that know me, I've been a fan of hers for 5+ years. All opinions expressed are my own.

What's Different.

Happy Friday people!! Are you freaking out that you are getting two blog posts in one day? Good grief I've been such a bad blogger lately- so inconsistent, it's a wonder I have any readers left! LOL but I think this year --- because I am putting things in place in my life (like at least one getaway trip per quarter for mental sanity!!), everything will be different.

You shall see right? ;-)

Salmon. Sashimi. YUM. It's a good thing I like it because OMG I have been eating a lot of of fish lately, especially this week. Michael has put me on some extreme test of character diet alteration for one week that consists of mostly FISH FISH FISH FISH FISH. Seriously I told him the other night I think I'm starting to smell like fish. More details on what this week has been like later-- I'm doing one week of this experiment, partially because I think that Michael enjoys watching me squirm and wince and say "When am I having my next cheeseburger?" LOL

I think I have mentioned previously that I was sent some of Designer Whey's Protein 2Go drink mix.....I used it on my NYC trip and kind of became OBSESSED with it. So each packet as you can see is 50 calories and 10g of protein. And you mix with water and it's kind of fizzy/juicy tasting vs. a protein shake taste. I AM IN LOVE. So easy. So great tasting and flavored with Stevia for those of you that appreciate that. This is a nice segue into the title of my blog post- "What's Different"-- but now, I make sure when I'm on the road or even not traveling, to plan for a mini-meal or meals on the go and I am ADDICTED to this stuff. I just love the flavors, the taste, it mixes well, it isn't another PROTEIN SHAKE- it's like mix up your day you know-- having something more like FIZZY JUICE, I don't know. I really like it.

So-- a TON of you have been writing asking what I'm doing different or what's changed etc. After all, I've changed my body more from even January 1 to now-- in 2 months, than I did all last year and the past 2 years. YES much of it is from specific things like a diet plan that is right for your body/age/goals-- and a workout plan that is balanced and that you stick to (as well as the diet) --- but honestly, I think that the biggest change has been in my MIND. You've heard me talking about in my vlogs lately-- rambling on about all the bad habits I've recognized in myself and now am changing....I truly believe that this is why I am now succeeding so much. THAT'S NOT IT ALONE. The accountability of blogging and being active in social media- that's huge. Having Michael as my in-life coach and nagger I mean gentle reminder- that's huge. STICKING TO YOUR DIET AND WORKOUT PLAN = that's huge. But if your MIND Is in the wrong place, your attitude won't propel you forward. 

If you haven't prepped your mind to anticipate your own internal objections ("I don't feel like it....") and the objections/doubts/skepticism of others (Oh come ON, you have worked out enough!" or "Oh come on, one cookie won't hurt!") - -- you might not succeed.

What's different? I'd say for today's post I will focus most heavily on that-- getting your mind in the right place. Analyzing yourself and seeing yourself and your bad habits for what they really are. NOT making excuses. Being willing to see where you are NOW and that your results won't happen overnight or in two weeks and that you have NO IDEA OF KNOWING WHEN YOU WILL START TO LIKE WHAT YOU SEE IN THE MIRROR. When you are strong in your mind-- all the rest will follow. When you are weak, you are screwed.

You have to make the commitment in your head to START. And not quit. I'm going to make this a series over the next few weeks and divide up all the little sub-categories of what I have done-- as far as behavioral change-- and share with you on this "What's Different" theme. Sound good? Below is Part THREE of the Home Workout DVDs tour that you had all asked for (part one and two are in my previous post CLICK HERE.)

DO YOU WORKOUT AT HOME OR GYM OR BOTH??

It Gets Harder. And Easier At the Same Time.

Snap Crackle POP!

I have no idea why I just typed that. Is it because I'm thinking of carbs and Rice Krispy Treats popped into my head? Who knows? Do you really need a reason? There really doesn't need to be a logical train of thought in this world.

But suffice it to say, today was another GREAT day. Busy, but I got stuff DONE. 

Workout in the morning? OH YEA. 

Vitamins and Supplements? Check.

Did I order more groceries to match my diet needs? CHECK. Gotta love Peapod:

And then I made an old favorite with the above ingredients from Gina Allioti's DVD:

Yes. Zucchini Protein Bread. Isn't very sexy looking but it will make you sexy if you eat it and workout and keep the rest of your diet clean. ;-) 

Here's my BABBLE-ON-A-THON about USING A HEART RATE MONITOR and why ----- it's important and more important, why if you are just getting started, you cannot CANNOT CANNOT count on the machines at the gym or the announcement outside of a class that "This class burns 700 calories in an hour!"

Lots of things were delivered today. Seriously. My doorbell was ringing every 5 minutes it seemed.

Yummy. I cannot wait to do these. ;-)

I also got this with my Peapod order, which all my FitFluential besties seem to rave about for sprinkling on food:

I will do a video tour perhaps of my fridge and you'll see how badass preparing-chick I am now. And--- my blog title today, "It gets harder and easier at the same time". What do I mean? My workouts are getting harder. They are supposed to. So is my muscle. WOOT! Yes I said that. And the "diet" is believe it or not getting easier, although with each day I'm getting more "strict" in sticking to it and TAKING CARE OF ME and fueling my body and not looking at it like a chore. 

MY BODY DESERVES THE BEST FUEL. 

I finished up my day today with a 90-Minute Massage at Life Time Fitness. (my gym). Remember. I told you, I- and several other Fitfluential peeps and friends have all said they've found the best massage therapists at their Life Time Fitness. You all know I've been getting massages for years so I am very very picky. AMAZING---- THE ONLY THING MORE AMAZING ARE THE SICK PRICES! The most reasonable massage prices I've EVER seen. Oh-- and if you aren't a member, you can get a massage AND get free childcare for 2 hours AND use the gym for that day. HELLO.

And with this I say, HELLZ YEA. Goodnight. 

DISCLOSURE: GNC, Life Time Fitness, Polar USA - all clients of my company, FitFluential. All opinions here are my own.