Fit For Fall

I am starting a new challenge called 22 minute Hard Corps starting on Monday!  This challenge is similar to the 21 Day Fix Extreme where there are daily workouts, a meal plan, and shakeology.  Tomorrow I will be taking my before or "goodbye" pictures.  Summer was fantastic with A LOT of weddings and a trip to Europe!  I may have a bit more cushion post summer than pre summer.  While I like to look at it as a sign of a great summer, I would like to fit into all of my cute winter pants and sweaters :)

Get ready!

So for the next 8 weeks, I Stephanie Ann, pledge to do my daily workout, drink my daily shakeology, drink my daily 2.4 L of water, and follow my meal plan.

Phew.  Luckily the workouts are only 22 minutes long!  They will be super intense though!  Excited and nervous to start this next challenge and happy to have a few challengers taking the plunge with me.

☆ Stephanie Ann

Stop beating yourself up.

My homework for the week is to stop beating myself up over things I do or do not get done during my day.  We can categorize our "To Do" list into three categories...

1. What we want to do: These are generally the "fun" activities through out our day.  Reading a book, taking a nap, watching some tv, wandering the internet, eating some ice cream, going out to dance/party etc.
2. What we should do:  These activities will vary from person to person based on their own outlooks of what they view as important or necessary.  For me things I "should" do include exercising the dogs, studying for personal training certification, cleaning the house, meal prep, planning the garden.
3. What we need to do:  These are the activities that we NEED to do in order to survive.  They can be simplified down to the bare minimum tasks that MUST be accomplished each day.  These tasks include things like eating, going to the bathroom, getting enough sleep, personal hygiene, and going to work.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

I find that my "should" do and "need to" do categories often overlap ending up with many "should" items in the "need to" category.  When I then don't have enough time or do not accomplish these items I beat myself up about it!  One way to look at the distinctions is to look at an example such as cleaning.  What things do we need to keep clean, should we keep clean, and want to keep clean.  Things we NEED to keep clean include ourselves (personal hygiene) and our cooking areas (we don't want to end up with food poisoning).  If we neglect to keep these items clean our personal health and the well being of our family members can become jeopardized.  

Other household chores may not be as pivotal to our personal health, we can survive a few days without vacuuming (if you have allergies this may not be the best example), we aren't going to die if we don't do that load of laundry today.  Often these cleaning items are things we feel we "should" be getting done and sometimes slip into the category of "need to" get done.  It is important especially for me when my depression is the worst to recognize that it is OKAY to sometimes skip these or go a few extra days between them.  My world isn't going to end because the laundry is folded but not put away.  A lot of times when I don't do the "should" list items when I plan them out or "on time", I chastise myself for being lazy, for avoiding, for procrastinating.  If I don't do them again the next day, the self talk gets worse and worse as the days go by.  As that self talk gets worse, my motivation and my will to do those tasks gets smaller and smaller until they seem DAUNTING.  If I can hit the reset button on this cycle by recognizing some days won't be perfect and I won't get everything done, my mindset will be in a better place.  With my mindset in a better place, even with depression, getting those "should" items accomplished doesn't seem quite so impossible.  

The want items in terms of cleaning are a little harder to imagine but could include wanting to get a manicure, wanting to bring your car through the car wash so it is shiny and clean, wanting to hire someone to come do your cleaning for you, wanting to get your eyebrows done.  I'm not saying that we should avoid our wants at all.  I know that I need to incorporate the occasional want into my day to balance out accomplishing all of the needs.  If I need to play mental games with myself to accomplish some of my "need to" do list with a reward from my "want to" do list.  Awesome.  One example of this that doesn't have to do with cleaning but is currently something I am aiming for is if I follow my workout routine perfectly for 21 days, I am going to go get a massage! :)  Massages cost money, it will definitely be a treat but it gives me that extra motivation to really work towards my goal of committing to my workout routine.  

So, as I work on not mentally beating myself up this week over the smaller day to day things, I encourage you to also take a step back and notice if you are being especially hard on yourself in areas of your life where you could cut yourself some slack.  I'm making an effort to acknowledge when I successfully complete a task, even if it seems insignificant.  I want you to do the same.  One of the best ways to raise your self-confidence and self-esteem is through accomplishment.  If we can put the same amount of mind power into congratulating ourselves on what we DO rather than on what we fail to do, we are going to be in a better space mentally.  I know this is true, I've felt it before.  It is just a matter of forcing myself to recognize those small accomplishments, guiding my thoughts away from the negative reinforcement back to positive reinforcement.  Being mindful of my self talk.  Accepting my own limitations.  Smiling and living in the moment.

☆ Stephanie Ann

21 Day Fix Extreme Challenge - Review

This past Sunday I finished my first 21 Day Fix Extreme Challenge.  The 21 days were up faster than I was anticipating even though it seemed like some of the days lasted forever.  Did I like it? Yes.  Would I do it again? Yes.  Was I perfect every single day? No.  Did I see positive results? Yes.

I'm starting a challenge group if you are interested in joining!

The Workouts

The first week the workouts seriously kicked my butt and left me feeling quite sore!  Which is a GOOD thing because that meant my body was waking up and finally being used again in a way that pushed me to my limits.  The first week I used mainly my light weights (3 lbs) or no weights at all in most of the workouts.  True to form they were all right 30 minutes long which is a very doable amount of time.  Long enough that you definitely feel it but short enough that you can really push yourself.  

Feeling accomplished after doing the cardio fix workout!

The second and third week of the program I was less sore after the workouts and I slowly began to use more weight ending with always using at least my light weights and sometimes my heavy weights (10 lbs).  The easiest workout for me was the 10 min hardcore because I LOVE having a strong core and have some leftover strength from years of gymnastics and pole vaulting.  That being said the hardest workout for me was definitely the cardio fix extreme because I was not in very good aerobic shape to begin.  I did improve from week 1 to week 3 in this workout and though it is hard I feel SUPER ACCOMPLISHED afterwards.

My light (3lbs) and heavy (10lbs) weights.

There was a minimal amount of equipment that I needed to do my workouts some of which I already had.  I used a yoga mat, light weights (3lbs each), heavy weights (10lbs each), and a resistance band.  If you are into saving $$ wherever possible I found the local thrift store was a good place to pick up some cheap weights and resistance bands.  If you want to be deluxe you can also order them or go to the store.  

I did a swim workout today and noticed that I felt stronger than last time I swam which was before the 21 Day Fix Extreme Challenge.  Awesome!

The Meal Plan

The simplified meal plan that came with 7 different color coded containers made knowing what to eat super easy!  My cravings for chocolate and baked goods made the application of the meal plan much harder.  I found that if I prepped my food once a week and had it ready to grab and go when I ran out the house I was much more likely to stick with the meal plan.  Initially I thought it didn't seem like that much food to eat but there were days where I actually fell short on what I was supposed to eat. 

An assortment of meals and meal prep from the 21 Day Fix Extreme Challenge.

The meal plan also got me to branch outside of my routine meals and explore different taste combinations.  Including the Shakeology as a breakfast most days instead of my typical 400-500 calorie muffin gave me more energy in the morning and just made me feel healthier because I knew it was good for me.  I was skeptic of the shake at first but will definitely be continuing to drink it every day!  The cost of eating a ton of fruits and vegetables wasn't too bad because all of the meal prep really cut down on my quick food purchases throughout the week.  Ross was on board for eating super healthy with me as well but didn't do any limiting on quantity that he ate.  It really helped that he was on board and super encouraging! :)

One thing that did fall through for me was my tracking.  :(  Did not stick with it through out the entire 21 days.  I did really well the first 7 days and kind of fizzled out after that.  I will be working on keeping better track next time I do a challenge!

The Results 

Overall I lost 4lbs going from 153 to 149 and 3.5 total inches going from 180 to 176.5 inches (measurements taken include waist, chest, hips, right arm, left arm, right thigh, and left thigh).

Below are my before and after photos with the before photo being on the left.  I can see a difference in how I look.  The most noticeable difference is that I feel STRONGER and have more MOTIVATION to get outside the house and do things like go for HIKES or SWIM.  My skin has improved as well and is much clearer than normal!  Not going to complain about that perk at all!

Left: 153lbs, Day 0     Right: 149lbs, Day 21

Left: 153lbs, Day 0     Right: 149lbs, Day 21

What's Next?

The next challenge that I plan on tackling is the new workout from Beach Body called 22 Minute Hard Corps which is a boot camp style workout that lasts for 60 days!  The meal plan that it follows is essentially the same as for the 21 Day Fix Extreme so I will be ahead of the game on that!

☆ Stephanie Ann

21DFX Week 1 Review and Falling Off the Wagon

Wow!  One week done, two more weeks to go!  I'm sure you have noticed that for each day I am posting a photo of my tracking journal which includes, when and what I ate (note the color coded container reference after each meal), and some notes on how I felt/what went well/etc throughout the day.

If you look at them you will notice that Monday (1) went well, Tuesday (2) went well, Wednesday (3) went well, Thursday (4) went well, and then came Friday.  Not so well.  I had run out of a lot of my prepped food, woke up late and sprinted out the door, and then traveled down to Boston and had my first eating out experience of my 21DFX Challenge.

Not my finest hour.  

Oh MY!  I gave into my somewhat constant DONUT craving (they were free for the taking at work... busted).  It would have helped if I had brought prepped meals to work with me and hadn't been as hungry when I saw those free donuts but alas, I did not.  And you know what?  That is okay!  I'm not perfect and it is NOT the end of the world that I ate a donut, and half a scone.  I went out to eat in Boston and chose a relatively healthy meal of a grilled chicken sandwich with avocado, swiss cheese, and bacon along with a side of chips.  What I didn't get while out to eat was a beer or soda or dessert so I'm counting my eating out experience as a win!  After that I headed to the Big Air Competition at Fenway Park and froze my butt off watching some AMAZINGLY talented athletes fly through the air on skis!

Talk about inspiration and motivation!

Saturday morning it was back out to eat and needless to say, by this point I was barely holding onto the meal plan wagon.  I went with an omelette rather than the waffle with chocolate chips.  I may have spoiled myself but I knew that Sunday was Valentine's Day and I was going to spoil myself then with a little champagne and steak!  I skipped my workout on Sunday due to having taught 6 hours of snowboarding lessons out in temperatures below 5 degrees F and I was exhausted!  Needless to say, the steak, champagne, and chocolates enjoyed by all on V-Day were delicious.

Definitely off the wagon.  Time to reset, reprep, and get back to work!

Why'd you fall off the wagon Mom???!!!?

Welcome Monday:  

• Got in two workouts, Dirty 30 and Yoga 
• Drank adequate amounts of water
• Followed my meal plan
• Went to bed on time

Just because I fell off the wagon didn't mean I could not chase it down, do some make-up work, and hop right back on!  

 
☆ Stephanie Ann

Day 8 - 21 Day Fix Extreme

Day 8 - Tracking Journal Entry

Day 7 - 21 Day Fix Extreme

Day 7 - Tracking Journal Entry

Day 6 - 21 Day Fix Extreme

Day 6 - Tracking Journal Entry

Day 4 - 21 Day Fix Extreme

Day 4 - Tracking Journal Entry

Day 3 - 21 Day Fix Extreme

Day 3 - Tracking Journal Entry

Day 2 - 21 Day Fix Extreme

Day 2 - Tracking Journal Entry

Day 5 - 21 Day Fix Extreme

Day 5 - Tracking Journal Entry

Day One - 21 Day Fix Extreme

Tracking my meals and workouts with my journal.

The Food (80%)

The mantra from the fitness world is that your body is 80% what you eat and 20% how you workout.  I think this statement is also true for the amount of prep that I put into what I am eating versus when I am going to exercise.  Yesterday was food prep day, including a trip to the grocery store and what seemed like endless chopping.  Needless to say, the Super Bowl, interrupted the prep session and I will be finishing it while I make dinner for myself tonight.  For my first week on a meal plan, I am mainly following the female meal plan found here.  I am making some substitutions based on what I like to eat and budget.

Look at all the veggies and fruit I get to eat this week!

My "Hot Cocoa" Alternative

After most of a day following the meal plan, I have found the hardest part has been my crazy SUGAR cravings.  They have been super intense and are trying to trick my brain into thinking that my body is hungry when it isn't.  Sugar is so so so unhealthy for you in the large amounts the average American consumes.  

I started my day off with a Vegan Chocolate Shakeology mixed with water and ice.  Having the shake with all of its nutrients is a vast improvement on my regular breakfast routine.  I could still hear the baked goods calling my name though.  To attempt to deal with the lack of sugar and sweets I will be drinking my chocolate shakes and the tea shown below along with eating delicious fruit!

Mmm, this tea is super tasty and has a hint of creaminess due to the coconut making it an awesome substitute for hot cocoa on a snow day or cold winter night.  So far, so good with the meal plan!

Loving the lime green!

The Workout

Hello jello legs!  Today's workout was the Plyo Fix Extreme which focuses primarily on the legs via explosive muscle movements, aka jumping.  For my light weight I either used my 3 pound dumbbells or nothing at all.  My heavier weights are 10 pound kettle bells.  While the total workout is only half an hour long it is no joke and what you put into it you get out of it.  I was definitely sweating by the end of it (WARMTH - Combating Excuse #3).  I think the weights I chose were good for my starting point and I'm excited to see how this workout feels a week from now.

The Mission

I'm posting a "Way Before" photo and my current "Before" photo even though it is outside of my comfort zone.  I'm trying to be open and honest about my journey and my current 'Before' photo is a large part of that.  I miss being super fit and not having to worry about my fitness.  Worrying and missing that hasn't helped me be the best me that I can be.  I'm trying to ACCEPT where I am now and focus on forward progress rather than the past.  My goal for the end of the 21 Day Fix Extreme Challenge is to have a figure somewhere between these two photos but more importantly to FEEL HEALTHIER and have MORE ENERGY!  It is super easy to get caught up in the outward expectations when completing a fitness journey but the inward expectations are just as, if not more, important!

Left: Way Before (6 years ago), Right: Before (Current)

The Pups

Last but not least, I LOVE snuggle time with my two favorite pups!

Snug time last night after the Super Bowl!

☆ Stephanie Ann

Challenge Pack Arrival (and Excuses)

New Things, Yay!

Yesterday my official challenge pack arrived including the 21 Day Fix Extreme Program and Shakeology.  Oh man!  This is totally happening!  To give a brief description, the 21 Day Fix Extreme consists of 21 days, 30 minutes per day of intense workouts that use your entire body.  Along with the exercise there is a detailed meal plan that focuses on healthy eating.  I'm pretty confident I can handle the exercise portion of the program.  The eating part... that's what I'm worried about.  I love me some chocolate chip muffins.  Seriously, ask my sisters sometime about when I stole all of the muffins before school and hid them under my bed.  It will be a new thing for me to strictly follow a meal plan of any sort.  I'm a bit worried I'm going to be constantly hungry!  I keep telling myself "it's only 3 weeks long" and "I got this."

Serving Size Containers and Shakeology!

The DVDs and starter packet!!! Look at them abs...

Hopefully the shakes, I am trying, Vegan Chocolate and Vegan Tropical Strawberry will taste good. 

On to....

Excuses

Excuses, those pesky little reasons we give ourselves when we rationalize not doing something.  When it comes to exercising and eating well, my excuses come flowing like someone turned the faucet on full blast.  It is okay that you have excuses, what isn't okay is listening to the excuses and giving up on your goals.  On the theme of acceptance, the top three excuses that I need to accept that I have are... Being tired/feeling depressed, time, and bad weather/coldness.

Excuses, excuses.  Boo.

Being Tired/Feeling Depressed

The ultimate negative feedback cycle.  You feel tired/depressed so you don't exercise and then feel more tired/depressed about that and get even more tired/depressed.  For myself, I KNOW that eating well and exercising will help me feel better and have more energy BUT in the moment I often cave and take a nap or read a book.  If I don't cave, however, I am totally into my workout within five minutes and feel super accomplished afterwards!  Accountability folks, be accountable to yourself for yourself.  Easier said than done, I know.

Time

Where does the time go these days?  I remember when 5 minutes used to feel like FOREVER and now it flies by in the blink of an eye.  When I was part of a sports team, practice was always a priority but exercising for the sake of being healthy slowly sank to the bottom of my priority list.  It was incredibly easy to put off my workout when I had experiments to run or my thesis to write.  Do I make a healthy meal or do I use that time to sneak in a workout?  What about taking my dogs for a walk?  Or doing the laundry and cleaning the house?  I would have done my workout but my commute is too long.  Note to self:  MAKE EXERCISE A PRIORITY!!!!!  

Bad Weather/Coldness

There is nothing I dislike more than being cold (Okay, slight exaggeration but you get the gist).  Nothing seems to zap my motivation like a rainy day or chilly indoor temps.  I LOVE being cozy.  Laying in bed past when the alarm goes off, snuggling with the pups, reading under a blanket with a mug of tea, love it!  Moving from a cozy place to put on workout clothes and actually do the workout, not so much.  My positive spin on this excuse is to:  A. Start my workout with layers and B. If I'm sweating that means I'm definitely warm!

Here's to hoping that doing the 21 Day Fix Extreme will help me overcome the strength of these excuses and kick start some newer, healthier habits!

☆ Stephanie Ann

Take a deep breath and GO!

I'm officially starting my journey as a Fitness Coach by participating in my first challenge group!  Not going to lie, I am a little overwhelmed right now about the onslaught of information I have received about being a coach in the last few days but I am also SUPER excited! :)

I want to have a record of my triumphs and struggles as I complete this first challenge so when I am a coach I will be able to share this with people who are just beginning their own fitness journey.  They say that looking back you have 20-20 vision and I want to be able to give beginners the real thing, not watered down memories of what it was like when I was starting.

To make this post as easy to navigate as possible I'm going to break it into three sections.

1.  Who I am and where I am currently at in my fitness journey
2.  Why I want to be a Fitness Coach
3.  My vision for my coaching business, Stephanie Ann: Accept Yourself Fitness #StAAYFit

What makes me, me!

My name is Stephanie Ann and I like to consider myself a "Jill of all Trades," as in, I don't like to be put in a prelabeled box!  I'd really rather not be in any box at all!  I grew up in southern Rhode Island (Go Rhody) and was a bit of a tomboy, nerd, and athlete.  I guess you could say that I still embody those characteristics.  In college I studied chemical engineering and pole vaulted for the track and field team at my school.  During the summer, I spent most of my days life guarding on the beach and soaking in the rays.  Being physically fit and succeeding academically came easy.

Pole vaulting junior year of college.

Enter the real world, aka grad school.  No more set practice hours, no more set work hours, no more easily accessible dining hall, no more Rhody.  More gaining weight, more depression, more junk food, more stress, more sedentary activity.  I did my best during this transition including purchasing a road bike and mountain bike, growing a garden of my own etc but my overall wellness always managed to be the last of my priorities.  I felt lost in my own skin.

Two plus years after graduating with an MS in Engineering, my general fitness routine includes:

• Eating relatively healthy, except for breakfast.  Breakfast is definitely my least healthy meal of the day
• Instructing snowboarding two to three times a week
• Weekend hiking, skiing, or skating adventures with my dogs and partner
• Spending hours wishing I had more energy, or still fit into my old clothes, or was stronger
• Occasionally lifting at the gym

Ross and I when we got Altai this past September.

Needless to say, I found myself lacking structure and consistency in my lifestyle habits.  My current fitness journey status is: Ready for a POSITIVE change!

Why a Fitness Coach?

Consistency, accessibility, accountability, and helping others while helping myself!  I like the idea of using social media in a constructive way that helps others accept themselves and become the best them they can be.  I've always enjoyed coaching and tutoring and wanted to bring it to the next level.  I'm super excited to participate in my first challenge group and can't wait to start one of my own!  I'm also working on becoming certified as a personal trainer as I do this!

Stephanie Ann:  Accept Yourself Fitness #StAAYFit

A HUGE part of my own struggle with fitness and a healthy lifestyle post college has been accepting who I am as a person.  I struggle with depression which makes it hard to love myself all of the time and especially hard to find the motivation to change the parts of myself I want to improve upon.  It is one thing to say you are going to do something and another entirely to accomplish it while battling depression or any mental illness or exhausting/stressful situation.  Through my business I hope to inspire others who may be struggling mentally or physically to push past the voice in their heads telling them it is too much, too hard or not worth the effort.  I truly want to give people a chance to share their journey with a coach who understands where they are coming from with compassion and encouragement.

~~I believe that the first step to changing anything about yourself is accepting and embracing who you are today.  Without judgement.  Just acceptance.  If you have the ability to accept yourself, flaws and all, you will be unstoppable!~~

And so, I invite you to join me on my journey either by reading my blog and Facebook Page or joining a challenge group.

☆ Stephanie Ann