Who Says?

Hey everyone!  Wow, life has been a roller coaster with Baby K's 1st Birthday part and so much more!  We had family and friend over all weekend and have been having such a blast.  However, my excersizing suffered a little bit.  BUT!  I"m back and in full swing.  I even picked up a new DVD, "Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown" I work out to it yesterday and fell in love with it! It was awesome!  Yoga, where have you been my whole life?  It was difficult at times and still very relaxing too!  I'm going to do it in conjunction with my regular 30 day work outs on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays.  I'm excited and can't wait to get going with some more yoga!

On another note, have you seen Salena Gomez's new music video "who says?"  If not, check it out right here.  My friend Caley posted it on her blog here.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the message that is shared and couldn't agree more.  I hope that as everyone works out towards their own healthy goals, that you all know how beautiful we each individually are!  We are all beautiful in our own size, shape and form!  We don't have to look like magazine girls to be beautiful, we just need to look in the mirror and see our own reflection.  True beauty comes from within.  I hope you enjoy this video.   Leave a comment with your thoughts.

HALF WAY MARK!!!

Day 15 of our 30 Day Challenge!  I'm way excited to have made it this far and LOVE what I am seeing and how I am feeling!  I'm excited for everyone who is working on this challenge with me or at their own pace.  Keep it up everyone!  I've been focusing on level two this week with a second round of level one on days I feel extra energized!  Stay healthy my friends!

END OF WEEK 2!

Yay!!! I survived two weeks of Julian Michael's workouts!  What a week! I wont lie, I had a really strong week 1, but this week was a struggle to really make time to work out.  I've found that working out in the evenings after Baby K has gone to sleep is the best time for me.  I'm so happy it's the weekend!  For to nights workout, I mixed it up with level one.  Instead of listening to the regular commentary, I plugged my i-pod into the stereo and listened to my favorite work out mix while I grooved along with the DVD.  I actually think listening to my music encouraged me to work harder and bust a move here and there for good measure of course!  What fun ideas have you done to change up a common routine?  I'd love to hear from you.

Stay Healthy My Friends!

-Ashley :)

Eat the Right Fats for Weight Loss at Runner's World

Hey here is a great mini. article on what fats are good to eat and which are not. I enjoyed reading it and it helped me to understand more about the types of food I'm feeding my body. It's a really quick read. I love Runner's World. It's one of my favorite magazines to read when I'm working towards a running goal; which come Summer I will be! :) Stay healthy my friends!

Eat the Right Fats for Weight Loss at Runner's World

WEEK 2! Check Point

Hey everyone, I just wanted to give a quick update now that we're well into week 2 of our 30 day shred challenge.  I can see an improvement in my endurance and strength along with some slimming of my middle.  Food wise, I probably haven't been the best today.  Mr. B bought my all time favorite and EXTREMELY unhealthy snack Swiss Rolls! Ahhhh!!!! How can I resist?! Then a co-worker brought gummy worms to work and needless to say i had to indulge in a few.  So while I probably ate a few more snacks than I should have, the important thing to remember is to reward yourself from time to time.  We work hard and deserve a good treat here and there.  Moderation here is KEY. 

This week I'm still doing level one and tonight I went for another round and did level two.  However, during level 2 I did the modified version of the exercises.  I found this helpful in keeping up my endurance through the whole work out.  I'm thinking I will be doing double workouts here and there.  I'm also waiting to see how I feel in the morning.  I hope everyone is doing great.  Leave a note is you have any questions, tips, ideas or whatever.  Have a great one and stay strong!

It's always nice to let your hair down after a great workout!

End of Week ONE!!!

I can't believe I survived the first week!  I had a great time working out every evening with Mr. B and loved having my two younger siblings join in too!  We quickly ran out of 3 lbs. weights and were soon resorting to using canned food items, lol.  The best day of the week was probably Saturday night.  We had a full house pushing along to Julian Micheal's work out.  Their is nothing quite like having an awesome support group when your working towards a goal!  To recap on the week, day one I was sore and could feel the burn during Tuesdays workout. By Wednesday I was SUPPER sore!!!! But I also found that as you get your sore body moving and warmed up, you forget about it :) By Thursday I had felt mostly recovered from being sore and on Friday, being sore was a mere memory.  I will have to say I did notice a great improvement Friday and Saturday on my stamina and endurance level.  I worked out with level one the whole week and tried level two Saturday morning.  Mr. B say's he can start to see some changes in my figure! Yay! Bye-Bye Baby fat!  I'm planning on continuing to do level one this upcoming week and maybe by mid week switch  it up to level two for another week and a half.  Well Keep up the GREAT work Everyone!!! I can't wait to compare my before and after pictures at the end of the 30 Day challenge!  Stay Strong and Push On! We can do it!!! Ye-ha!

Staying Strong!

Today marks day 4 of our 30 day challenge!  Last night was a tougher workout because I felt twice as sore as I did the day before! However, today I'm feeling great and what's more exciting is,

I"M SEEING RESULTS!!! Yippie!  I caught a glimps of myself in the mirror while hopping out of the shower and thought, "hey! Things are looking a bit slimmer and tight!" 

I've been working on keeping my calorie intake around 1600-1800 calories a day.  I have vowed to not drink soda or fast food.  If I need a snack I eat a yummy 100 Calorie Snack, drink water or eat a fruit or veggie.  I'm way excited for this week and can't wait to really see what we'll (Mr. B and I) will look like :) 

Push it!

Today was a day of remembrance ... of my muscles!  Wow, was I sore or what!  I definitely could feel my quads, glutes, biceps, and abs for sure!  The most important thing to remember about this week as we push forward is to PUSH FORWARD!  Our bodies are going to hurt and be in pain, but you don't get in shape without paying a price.  So Keep Strong and Carry ON!  Keep up the good work everyone and drink lots of water. 

GO!!! Day one of our 30 Day Challenge

WOW! Awesome workout for the out-of-shape type!  The workout was great!  It was perfect for someone (like me and Mr. B) who haven't gotten up to work out in a LONG time :O  My motivational quote for today is ...

"You don't finish a race by stopping!"

Keep up the great work everyone who is working toward a healthier body!  I have a very strong feeling that tomorrow I will be re-introduced to a few muscle groups I have  since forgotten about.  Don't forget to follow me on this page too!  Stay healthy my friend and drink plenty of WATER before, during and after your workouts. 

... Get Set...

Alright, it's the night before the 30 Day Shred Challenge.  Mr. B and I are all geared up and ready to GO!  Some asked a good question today about a what to eat during the challenge and that's a GREAT question!  I'm planning on a 1,600-1,800 calorie diet.  Since I'm no longer nursing Baby K. I don't need the extra 200-500 calories a day.  In fact, the best way to loose weight consistently is slow and steady.  Crash dieting is the worse thing you could do to your body.  When I took my body weight management class last semester, our coach told us to guarantee at least 1lbs of weight loss a week, you just need to drop/cut out 3,500 calories out of your diet.  Divide that by 7 days a week and you should eliminate 700 calories a day.  For me that will be cut out of my food consumption.

***NOTE***

I am not a dietitian or health expert by any stretch or means.  I'm doing what works for and is healthy for my body.  You need to do the same for yours.  EVERYONE is DIFFERENT!  My required calorie intake may be very different than what yours needs to be.  

Other helpful tips for a healthy you:

• drink LOTS of water - you should drink an ounce to half ounce of water for every pound you weigh! And yes, you will pee like a race horse, but feel amazing at the same time.  Proper hydration is essential for healthy skin and stamina.  I have found repeatedly (for me) that I can last longer in a workout when I'm properly hydrated. 
• cut the fat aka = fast foods
• trade in your Cocoa-Cola for a tall glass of water, lemon aid or some other non soda beverage.
• eat small consistent meals through the day. This will help in boost you metabolism (snack wisely -grapes, orange wedges, bananas, raisins, baby carrots etc.)

Those are a few things that have helped me get back into shape - controlling food intake and steady/consistent exercise.  If you have any good hints or advice, please feel free to share or e-mail me at meoffguard@gmail.com.

Get Ready ...

So the main reason for this page is to help me focus on my progress to getting back into shape.  I really need and miss my former physique before I had Baby K.  Hence why I am posting this challenge for others to join in who might be interested.  Plus it would be awesome to have a nice support group/team going as well.  Every Friday I will post feedback on how I'm feeling, how the week went, what I liked, what I didn't like, and if I lost any weight.  I'm also going to work out everyday after work Monday through Friday and twice (maybe) on Saturday with Sunday as my rest day.  This work out schedule is tentative and depends on how everything works out together.  The DVD promises to help you loose 20 lbs.  And I would LOVE to lose 20 lbs in 30 days.  I'll also post healthy meals I've found from time to time and hope you'll also share in with your own yummy 'n healthy recipes too! 

Alrighty folks, what you are going to need can be found for less than $20!  

1. Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shread
2. 3lbs. weights
3. workout mat (optional depending on where your working out)
4. Determination! 

I am way excited to try out this new DVD and get my booty back into sweet mama shape!  I hope you enjoy following along the way.  Also, what's a fun challenge without seeing results?  I've also decided that I'll post my before and after pictures at the end of the challenge, but not until the VERY end.  Can't wait to get started tomorrow April 4th!