Just a Bit of 2013

2013 was a great year!!  Found out in February that we would be moving to Petaluma, CA and that my hubby got his dream job.  We got a new car.  I did a personal best in my second Shamrock 15K in Portland, Oregon. I did two 1/2 marathons, the first being the Portland Rock-n-Roll with my girl Jill, and the second was for the Nike Women's half with my other girl Rachelle!!  I also ran the Napa Valley Ragnar, and watch my hubby make the cut for a 2014 advancement.  My mom and dad came to visit us, and then we went to celebrate my uncle's birthday and hang out with my dad's side of the family.  Went on a business/pleasure trip to San Diego during the summer, and recently purchased our tickets to visit family back in NY!  My sister will be having a baby, Ella Emilia so it'll be a perfect time to visit! A beautiful trip during Christmas to Lake Tahoe with some good friends.  I ran 500 miles for the year, and also ran 12 months in a row, plus I worked out at least 4x a week for a whole year!!  And many, many little adventures since we arrived in California!

Backyard in Petaluma :-)

New Car

Shamrock 15K

Rock-n-Roll 1/2 Marathon Portland Oregon

Nike Women's 1/2 Marathon San Francisco California

Napa Valley Ragnar San Francisco-Napa Valley 200 miles

Mom and Dad visiting

Celebrating the news of Devin's advancement in 2014

Fun in California, wine style

Abby and I mixing business with pleasure!!

Thought I'd throw in Hunnie and Shadow

                                                                          Christmas trip to Lake Tahoe

But also had a few sad moments, although not too many!  I had to say goodbye to my Walgreens family and my many friends in Oregon.  The above picture and phrase was done by my good friend Jill :-)

All together this year was filled with so many positives and hardly any negatives and I owe it all to the big ol' positive energy I promised to put forth last year, and will continue to put forth into and beyond 2014!  I have BIG plans for this next year!

Tomorrow I will post my new goal board, give some insight as to why I chose the goals I did, some challenge group news, a contest and MORE!!

Goodbye 2013, you've been good to myself and my family :-)

Body Beast Update

As most of you know, I've been tackling Beachbody's Body Beast.  I'm going to be 100% honest with this.....I'm scared!!  I KNOW I've said many, many, many times to NEVER go by your weight.  BUT for some reason I just can't stop listening to my inner voices when I stepped on the scale today.  What's the problem you ask??  I've gained FOUR (4) POUNDS since starting!  I actually weigh more than I EVER have!!!!

NOW, I know I'm in the "bulk phase" right now, and that's totally the reason behind it......I shouldn't be in the freak out mode, because I fit into all my clothes (not like I did when I weighed a pound less and couldn't fit into my jeans or pants to save my life back when I first started my fitness journey) and I've lost a few inches, although I have added a whole inch to my booty....which is fine, I LOVE IT.  BUT the women in me just had to freak out a bit!!!  Then I remembered, the whole point of Body Beast is to add muscle and burn fat.....and that's exactly what I'm doing!!

Saturday I will take my 45ish day pictures and then post a picture from back in the day (early to mid 20's) when I weighed about 10 pounds less than I do now, to show you all that MUSCLE DOES MATTER!!!  I just plucked out the picture today, and WOW!  I feel sooooo much better!!  Skinnyfat does not look good on me ;-) healthy and toned does, no matter how much I weigh, as long as I fit into my clothes.

  

  

On that note, anyone out there want to start a free 21 day challenge to bring in the New Years (or start the New Years)?  If so, head on over to my Facebook page and get the details!  Don't think you'll change much in 21 days???  I can prove you wrong ;-) (as long as you follow directions!!)  Let's do this together!!  Invest in yourself and your health this coming year!!

P90X3 is Ready to Be Shipped to YOU!!

The moment for all you X lovers have arrived!  P90X3 is ready and available to whip that bod into shape, all you have to do is buy and push play!  For more info on the program, check out my last blog post :-)

In the test group, 39 out of 40 people lost 10% body fat.......SERIOUSLY....YES....AWESOME!!! And did I mention there are lots of free gifts with this one?? Free gifts are always a plus.  If you purchase the P90X3 Challenge Pack you'll receive a Free P90X hat and half off your first order of Shakeology, plus you get to pick one of any of the below items, some are worth more than $40, plus I'll put you in our free private P90X motivational challenge group run by yours truly!!  

NOW I know it's Christmas time, but think about it, have you purchased anything for yourself, let alone invested in your health lately???  I know at least a few of you that make the New Years resolution to lose weight every year and buy gym memberships.  Why not try something different?  If working out at home doesn't seem like it would work for you, just give it a try!!  I'll be with you every step of the way because I'm running a P90X3 challenge group!  It'll start December 30th!

I know what you're thinking, P90X was hard and P90X2 was worse......can this be for me??This is for the 65-year-old who wants to get in shape, the busy mom who wants her body back but has no time, the beer-belly dad looking to lose 20-50 pounds, the college kid looking to stay in shape, keep active or help condition for the next sporting season...EVERYONE! 16 workouts...30 minutes a day. You no longer have an excuse, 30 minutes is, what? 2% of your day???? 

The Skinnyfat on P90X3!

As you all may have hear, or maybe not....there's a new P90X in town, coming out in 6 days from TODAY **December 10th is the date, mark your calendars** and it'll be called.......ready........P90X3!!  Now, I must admit, I've tried 4 times to do the original P90X and honestly, I LOVE it, well, most of it, except for the length.  The videos for P90X are about an hour, and then there is the dreaded hour and 30 minutes of Yoga a week.

The first time I did it, I think I got to day 65, and then went on vacation and when I came back I moved on to Brazil Butt Lift.  Once I was done with that, I decided once again to give P90X a try, and made it to 75 days, and then......went on vacation......I never finished when I came back, due to starting ChaLean Extreme.  Once I got done with CLX I tried P90X for the 3rd time, 3rd time should be the charm right????  NO, wrong.  I did a total of 35 days, and decided to buy TurboFire instead.  Time went on and I went between CLX, TurboFire, Insanity, Asylum and decided I would DO P90X FOR SURE!!  I started again, got to 60 days and had to move.  I GIVE UP (okay not really, I'll finish it someday)  So that right there is my history with P90X.  I'm not really sure why I couldn't pick it back up, maybe it was the length.  During all those times I was working a lot of hours, and doing an hour a day or more was just exhausting (I know, not a great excuse).

THE GOOD NEWS and basically where the above story has brought me, is that Tony Horton (the goofy, but fun creator of P90X and P90X2) has made P90X3 and each workout will be only THIRTY MINUTES---- 3 0 minutes!!!!  HALF AN HOUR!!  Get it??  Now you've got to physically get it and BRING IT ;-)  When will you BRING IT???  How bout a P90X3 Challenge group starting on December 30th??  Please RSVP :-)

Challenge Packs are going to be on sale for $180 and will go up to $205 January 1st.  Basic P90X3 will be $120  ***Sale for the Challenge Pack starts Dec, 10th!***  I will post another blog with direct links on the 10th, and also the links will be on my FB Like Page, so check that out as well :-)

So here's the scoop:

* All workouts are 30 minutes instead of an hour to an hour and a half (think we touched base on that ;-P)

* P90X3 is a separate program from P90X and P90X2, not a harder version

* P90X is made for all fitness levels, even beginners

* This program is based on science that suggests the first 30 minutes is the most effective part of any exercise routine, so we accelerate the workouts to create the most effective 30 minute routined healthy eating

* There are 16 workouts in the P90X3 base System

* The Deluxe package has 4 extra routines for a total of 20

* It will include a new Pilates based workout

* It will also include an all new Isometrics workout- A New Strength/Balance/Flexibility workout    with Static Holds

* It will include CVX: Cardiovascular Extreme - a Cardio workout with weights

* It will have MMX - a Mixed Martial Arts Extreme that expands the Kenpo workout

* Includes Agility X- All new agility programming

* Yoga is still part of the program, but it's only 30 mins- Thank God!

* There are 4 schedules you can choose from in X3- classic, lean, doubles, and bulk

* 39 out of 40 people in the Test group lost 10% of their body fat %-- that's INSANE!

* Equipment needed will include weights or bands (a pull-up bar is great like in P90X, but optional)

* Every move in X3 has a Beginner/Modified, In between move, and Challenging/Hard

* Ab Moves- Most of them are athletic in nature, some are standing up and many are front facing instead of being on your back

* When you order a P90X3 Challenge Pack through ME, you will receive your first month of Shakeology for 1/2 price and a FREE P90X3 hat plus a free gift directly from me!

When too Much Stuff Goes On....

When too much stuff happens around me....I neglect my blog :-(  How horrible I've been!  Life's been crazy with the Ragnar Relay, the Nike Half, and basically just plain too lazy to write the blog and tell you all about what's been up....and I'm sorry.

So now's the time to start fresh!  Since doing the Nike Half Marathon I really haven't been running too much.  I DID start a new workout program called Body Beast and I'm in love!!  It's more lifting than my favorite ChaLEAN Extreme, and less cardio, so I'm going to be adding 3 days a week.  I'm not going to do a lot of running per say, but 1 day of fast paced high incline walking/jogging, another day I'll do a semi long run, and then of course I'll do the cardio DVD that comes with the program for my 3rd cardio day.

I've already finished 21 days of Body Beast.  The first block is called the Build phase and was 3 weeks long.  I took my measurements yesterday, and I'm very pleased, and I don't even mind that I gained a pound.  I'm into my second day of the Bulk phase, and that'll be 5 weeks long.  Today happens to be Leg day, so no extra cardio for me, I'm telling you, the leg workout in this program is crazy and the first time I did one, I couldn't sit to pee......it was bad......

I posted my 21 day measurements over at my Facebook "Like" page (go like me if you haven't!!), but will post my 30 day pics and new measurements here, so be sure to stay tuned, I'll keep you all updated on my new transformation!!

ALSO Beachbody's Black "Friday" Sale starts TOMORROW......not exactly sure why they call it a Black Friday sale when it starts on Wednesday, but anyways.......that would be another reason to go LIKE my page!!  I'll only be posting the specials there, and Beachbody always has amazing deals, and they sell out pretty darn fast, last year some sold out within the first hour of being released.  SO my advice to you is DON'T wait if you see something you want, don't dilly dally about it!!  I promise you if you wait you'll regret it and you won't see prices like that again, trust me! I kick myself when I didn't get the Ultimate Reset they had on sale last year, I put it off, and when I finally decided to get it, it was GONE...and that was within a couple hours of me thinking about it.

This is also the last week of the November Special!  AND for those that read my blog THIS will be a special for YOU (don't want to give ALL the love to my Like page LOL) Beachbody is giving $20 to Feeding America if you purchase a Challenge Pack or $10 if you do Shakeology HD (home direct)  IF you do get the Challenge pack, Beachbody will throw in $20 toward YOUR NEXT Beachbody purchase and I personally will throw in another $10 for either a Challenge pack or Shakeology HD and ALSO a special gift from me worth anywhere from $10-30!!  Please comment below, or message me on my FB page  for more information!

    

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!!  And I'll see you all with my 30 day pics and measurements soon!! :-)

Goals, Running, Anniversary and Business Meeting

It's almost the middle of September, and I still haven't grasped that summer is almost over!!  Could it be the move to California that made it go by so fast???  Could it be how busy I've been setting up our new home, working on my Beachbody business, actually cooking and keeping a house clean (man, I don't know how people with children do it!!) I really can't put a finger on it, but WOW!!

I set a few goals for me this summer, and even though summer ends soon, my goals have a deadline of September 30th.  One of those goals, is running, without stopping, up this huge hill we have close to the house.  It's called Texas Hill......and on my treadmill the incline goes to 25% for a good 1/4 mile.  It sucks.  AND the picture does not do it justice.....this thing should be called Texas Slope, seriously.  Once I run Texas Hill Slope, it goes on to a bunch of rolling hills, and I do a 5K.  I love the running trails here on base.  It's pretty safe, except for the Mountain Lion that roams around.....somewhere......pray I never see that beast!!!




















I'm doing attempt #3 tonight........wish me luck on both not meeting this Mountain Lion, and making it up Texas Hill!

My second goal is to run a flat (or pretty flat for around here...meaning NO TEXAS HILL) 5k in under a 9:00 pace.  Right now, I've only been running the 5K with Texas hill, and my pace is in the 9:45's.  I could do it on the treadmill, BUT I think it's slightly more challenging outdoors :-)

My third goal is a goal in itself.  It's to really sit down, and go over my goals that I want to accomplish before the New Years.  NOW, I know what you're thinking!!  HOW easy is that goal?  You could probably whip it out in less than a day.  BUT really, when I have so much swimming in my brain, it's a lot harder than you think!  I have so much I want to get done before the New Years, I want to make a realistic goal board, I don't want to throw just anything on there!

I will post my new goals by September 30th!

I have 8 DAYS until my second Ragnar experience, and to say I'm excited would be an understatement!  I have NO idea who these people that I'm running with are, but that's the fun of it!!  I do know a couple of the guys work with Devin, but I haven't met them.

Here's a little flash back of my last experience!! Ragnar  Northwest Passage 2011  I was going to post a few pictures, but I couldn't decide, so I figured the link would work better.

Also coming up in a little over a month is the Nike 1/2 Marathon race!  I've been concentrating so much on the 6.5 and the 9.2 mile parts (the 4.9 will be easy) of the Ragnar race, that I haven't even touched a 13 mile run yet :-(  I'll have a month to get into 1/2 marathon shape after the Ragnar!!!  CAN I DO IT??

This last week, Devin and I celebrated our 12th year of marriage!!  I can't believe how time has flown by, so fast.......sometimes I just wish things would slow down a smidge.  I feel like with each Anniversary, it's one less year we get to spend together, and that makes me sad.

So, since today is Thursday, I'll throw some old school pics of us in here!! Throw back Thursday!!

This pic is dated in the late summer of '99, when we first met and spent almost 30 days hanging out, getting to know each other, and just being friends.  He was on leave visiting family in Upstate NY (we are both from the area)....he lived in South Carolina at the time.  He visited a second time about 9 months later, in the early summer of 2000, and that's when we started our long distance relationship :-)

This is a picture of us on the Maid of the Mist in Niagara Falls, Canada.  I believe this is early on in our relationship....about 3 months into it, I think we pretty much knew this was it!! <3

I surprised my hunny with tickets to Disney World on his birthday in November, after dating for only 5 months.....a month later, he surprised me with an engagement ring!!!  We went to Disney World March of 2001, 6 months before or wedding!!












 


Our official engagement picture!  Look how young we look!













                                     And here is a wedding picture, dated September 9th 2001

And of course our Honeymoon in Cabo San Lucas, unfortunately it was during September 11, and a bad Tropical Storm :-(  It was a pretty sad Honeymoon, and one of the few pictures that we took........we tried to make the best of it, but there was just such an overwhelming sadness throughout the resort, we actually flew to Cabo the DAY BEFORE 9/11, from Newark NJ.....I had commented how wonderful it would be to take our week that we had off after our Honeymoon to explore the city and check out the Twin Towers as we watched them get smaller as we were taking off.  It was even stranger flying back in, and seeing nothing but dust, and rumble were these beautiful buildings once stood.  AND TO THINK, I had MADE Devin switch our flights from 9/11 to 9/10 so we could start our Honeymoon earlier!!!  That's another story all in itself......Anyways.....*NEVER FORGET*

Our 12th anniversary was spent a few days earlier on the 6th, we spent the night in San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf area and had a pretty good time!  We dined at the famous House of Prime Rib, it was a 1.2 mile walk to the restaurant, so we decided to do just that....walk......ummmm, up hills BOTH WAYS!! NOT LIEING!!  Holy HECK the hills in San Fran are NO JOKE!! LOL and honestly.......I wasn't really that impressed with our choice for dinner :-(((( It was extremely HOT, loud, noisy, slow, and the food was just okay.  Nothing to brag about really, and to be honest with you, we had more fun at Joe's Crab Shack for lunch the next day!!!  All in all, we did have fun, went to Ripley's Believe it or Not and we even stopped by the Full House house, we did the drive by picture ;-)  Sadly, the front door is no longer red :-(

  

SO you know the drill....on to some BEACHBODY NEWS!!!  The amazing Abby (my friend, and the one who got me started in Beachbody) is hosting an online meeting to talk with people about what it means to be a Beachbody coach.  If you're curious about what I do, or need a change from the daily grind of a "regular" job, want to add some income to your household, are interested in a legitimate "work from home business", OR just straight up want to know WHY we do this, please consider joining us on this call!!  Go to my like page (don't forget to like me), and "LIKE" the picture that you see below to reserve your spot!  There are only 25 spots available so please save yours BEFORE Tuesday, September 17th!!  

Every month, Beachbody highlights and has a sale on a special Challenge pack, and this month's choice is crazy! If you're a beginner and want to take it a little slowly (not quite ready for Insanity, or P90X) but still want to see some awesome results, THIS IS FOR YOU!!!  OH and if you really LOVE TO DANCE this is really for you!!  TWO, YES, TWO PROGRAMS for the price of Shakeology!!  SOOO that means, you get Hip Hop Abs AND Rockin' Body FOR FREEEEE!!!  The Dance Pack Challenge is an amazing deal!!

Can't Get Over......

I just can't get over how fast time has gone by!  I know I've said this in my last few blog posts but WOW!!  Almost the end of August, and it seems like just a few days ago I did my last blog post!  Looking back, its been a little longer than a few days.

Not a whole lot going on here in Northern California, just enjoying the weather, my job, and getting my runs in for the upcoming Ragnar relay (in less than a month) and the Nike Women's Half in 2 months.  I've been running 3-4 times a week, and doing 2-3 days of strength training with my ChaLean Extreme DVD's.  I'm actually doing the Burn Circuit for 2 weeks, and I'll be starting the Push Circuit Monday, and doing that for 2 weeks, and then finishing off with the Lean Circuit for about 3 weeks.  I find when I add strength training to my runs, the cardio doesn't "eat away" at my muscles as much, but maintains what I have.  I'm able to keep tone, keep my core strong, and my legs feel stronger as well.  If I don't do strength training I find that my lower back hurts a little, by stomach starts to get bulgy (thanks PCOS) and my muscle tone in my abs, legs and arms start to go away, and also my legs don't feel as strong.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE running, and I love what it does for my heart, lungs, mind and spirit, but I also want to have a stronger body, and actual muscle that helps keep me aligned and strong looking.

Here's a little reminder on what JUST cardio (running 3-6 miles 4-5x a week) looks like vs Cardio with weight training ;-)  These were my day 1-90 pictures, and I've pretty much maintained this 1.5 years later.  That's why I haven't put up new transformation pictures.  The picture of me in the blue bikini is the most recent picture, and really, I've just been maintaining.  I have lost a little muscle definition due to running higher miles for my 1/2 marathon training, but that's to be expected, and why I continue to strength train.  I don't want to lose all of my muscle!!  Yes, I'm more tan in the above picture.....I had just gotten back from a sunny vacation!!  In the blue bikini, I had just moved from Oregon.....so no tan.

So there you have it.  Where I am right now (about 1.5 months ago in the blue bikini) and my 1-90 day before and afters 1.5 years ago.  My last race for the season will be on October 21st, and after that I plan to do Body Beast and then hopefully Focus T25.  my hubby is getting amazing results from T25, but since he won't take before and afters so I can share them, you'll have to wait for mine!!  

Just a heads up.....I'll be starting a Fall Challenge group on September 16th, so if you're interested, "Challenge Group Sign Up" <--or just click on the link.  All you'll need is a Beachbody program and Shakeology, so hit me up and I'll get you all set up with the right program and flavor for you!!

ALSO keep an eye on my Facebook Page "From Skinnyfat to Fit"  and my blog for upcoming contests  mid September!!! 

Dreams are Becoming Reality!

I'm pretty sure this blog post will be all over the place!  So much has happened in the last few months since moving to California and I'm feeling blessed, excited and scared!

Some of these dreams, are not my own, I share them with Devin, and it's amazing when we can sit and visualize not only our life together in the present, but also in the future!

A while ago, around the New Year, I started reading "The Secret", and ever since then I've tried to use its theory.  Positive energy and thought will reap positive things in your life.  I've always been a pretty positive person, but have always doubted my ability to go through with certain things all the way.  I'd try to reach out for something I truly wanted, when things got too tough or weren't exactly going my way, I'd turn slightly negative about it and give up.......never knowing what or how things would have turned out.  The bottom person in the picture below is me ;-)

So here I am, in California......what does this all have to do with "The Secret", my dreams, and goals???  Well, when I started reading "The Secret" I kinda thought....WTHECK is this??  So I figured, why not give this over positive thinking a try.  Things that I put out to the Universe (yeah it sounds,weird, but you gotta read it to understand) didn't happen right away, some things did.....but not big things, those took time.  SOOOO again, back to "here I am in California"  I basically willed this, I put it out there and it happened.  California was my husbands first pick on the dream sheet, BUT NOT his first JOB pick.  He had bigger goals, he wanted to specialize in his rate.  Unfortunately this job wasn't available when we went over our "dream sheet" although there was a job in California he could do....it wasn't his dream job.  I felt super bad for him, he'd worked so hard, come so far in the last several years, and just wanted this job that he basically been grooming for.  I kept saying, hey, you never know, you really don't!  Just throw out there that you've already got the job!  Tell yourself that, and I'll tell myself that.  4 months later he got his assignment call........he got his "#1 pick" in California (the one that wasn't truly his dream job), BUT they had another offer for him, and guess what it was?  HIS DREAM JOB!!!  A spot had come open on the team!!  So we'd still be in California, but it would be the job he wanted for so long!!  NOW how crazy is that?  I did, for 4 months, pretend that he had that job, knowing that it was a huge long shot, basically impossible, but trying to keep those negative thoughts out of my head, trying to focus on this job for him.     

                                         

TODAY is when it hit me, that maybe this secret thing isn't so bad?  It seems that ever since he's had this job, opportunities have just been knocking on both our doors.  I was so scared to not commit to a commuting job, and stay home and be a housewife and do my Beachbody job solely.  BUT I put out there I was going to MAKE this work, I put my passion out there to the universe.  I'm going to help people with their health goals, and dreams and I told myself I wasn't going to fail, that failure isn't an option.....and guess what?  I'm saving for our 2014 trip to Hawaii, and our  retirement home!!  AND the best part, our debt will be paid off by the end of this year!  LESS THAN 5 months!!  I wish I could post what our debt is, but I don't like to get that personal, plus it scares me.  Maybe when I feel comfortable, and we are out in 5 months, I'll write a blog about it......I mean, it probably isn't scary to most people, but let's put it this way....I hate student loans......

Another big goal I've been contemplating and putting out into the universe, although I know NO ONE HERE, is running another Ragnar!  AND my opportunity came knocking a few days ago!!  I'll be running the Napa 2013 Ragnar!  I'm truly excited, and although I don't know a single soul on my team, I know it'll be crazy, just like my first experience!  I'm really looking forward to this!  Isn't it crazy, I'm looking forward to no sleep, packed in a van full of sweaty people who haven't showered in 2 days........yeah, that's right!! HAHAHA  It's all about the wine at the finish ;-)

So right now, I'm going to throw my goals out to the universe. I'm going to keep my positive vibe going,  I won't let anyone bring me down....and I'll keep dreaming big!  I'm going to be re-doing my dream board, and it'll reflect from now until New Years!  

ON TO BEACHBODY NEWS-  Since it is AUGUST 1ST (WOWWW) we all know (or at least most of us) know that there is a new challenge pack on sale!  BUT THIS MONTH there are TWO challenge packs on sale!  TurboFire and Body Beast!!!

The break down:  Each workout is originally $180.....they are now $160 for the month of August!! 

TurboFire is originally $80 by itself.  So you're getting TurboFire for $80 and Shakeology for $80!!  You get Shakeology for $25 less than what I get it for and $50 off original price!!! 

OR if you look at it this way Shakeology is $129 so you'd be getting TurboFire for $30!! Either way you look at it, it's an amazing deal!!

Now to break Body Beast down, basically, it's the same thing, but Body Beast is originally $90 by itself.  So you're saving even more with this deal!

And don't forget......Free shipping on Challenge Packs!!  So that's even more money saved!!  Such a great investment to make for yourself and your health!  DREAM BIG!!