Part I of the Turbo Challenge!

For those looking to join me, the challenge starts tomorrow! I'm doing 30 days of a Turbo Jam based plan, followed by 30 days of TurboFire. Can't wait for TurboFire to come out!

If you'd like to join me, let me know!

And no, you're not missing anything... I don't know the TurboFire packet well enough to set up a plan yet but since the release date is JUNE 18th! (woohoo!) I'll stick to the plan provided with the workouts but I'll post it here so everyone can see how its going. I'll do opening measurements including weights tomorrow and then weekly check-ins on Wednesdays for WooHooWednesdays on twitter. (If you aren't already - follow @SparkPeople on twitter! I'm there too... @GabriellaH99)

Can't wait to start this tomorrow!

Alright the plan:

5 days / week of Turbo Jam, 1 cross training day, 1 off day.

Week 1:
Tuesday: 20 minute
Wednesday: Cardio Party
Thursday: Sand Volleyball and 20 minute
Friday: Turbo Kick class with Jenelle!
Saturday: 5K with the family (cross training)
Sunday: rest!

Week 2:
Monday: Cario Party
Tuesday: 20 minute and Ab Jam
Wednesday: Cardio Party
Thursday: Sand Volleyball and Ab Jam
Friday: Cardio Party
Saturday: Cardio classes at the gym; 1 to 2 hours or Turbo Kick Round 1 (cross training)
Sunday: off day!

Week 3:
Monday: Cardio Party
Tuesday: Turbo Sculpt
Wednesday: 20 minute and Ab Jam
Thursday: Turbo Sculpt and Sand Volleyball
Friday: Cardio Party
Saturday: Cardio classes at the gym; 1 to 2 hours or Turbo Kick Round 1 (cross training)
Sunday: rest up!

Week 4:
Monday: Cardio Party
Tuesday: Turbo Sculpt and Ab Jam
Wednesday: Cardio Party
Thursday: Ab Jam and Sand Volleyball
Friday: Cardio Party
Saturday: Cardio classes at the gym; 1 to 2 hours or Turbo Kick Round 1 (cross training)

Week 5:
Monday: Cardio Party
Tuesday: Turbo Sculpt and Ab Jam
Wednesday: Cardio Party

It may seem silly ....but it works for me!

I'm going to start my Turbo Challenge on Tuesday and I don't think any of this could have been more perfectly timed. The long holiday weekend, the start on the month on the day we start up again after the holiday weekend, my visit to Toledo to meet up with my fellow Beachbody coaches and see Jenelle (Chalene Johnson's sister), a 5K with my family on Saturday...none of it could be better timed. My favorite part of that list though is the long holiday weekend. Why? Because I can clean.

It may seem silly but what really works to get me to stick to a plan, be healthier and in the end, get in better shape, has always been to have a sparkling clean apartment. Normally I'm good at maintaining that but its gotten away from me a bit in the past weeks. So this weekend, my goal to help me meet my fitness goals has less to do with weights, running, biking and gym time, and more to do with the vacuum, washing machine, and the like. My goal is to get as much of this done today as possible. I really want to get as many vacation days as possible so I have a long to do list for today to tackle! Tomorrow is supposed to be the warmest sunshiniest day all weekend so I want to take advantage of the pool and sun tomorrow. Catch some rays. Relax. Swim a little. Should be awesome. Monday is supposed to come with scattered thunderstorms so I'll stay in and do computer work including POSTING MY TURBO JAM WORKOUT PLAN for the Jam half of the Turbo Challenge. I'll be sure to tweet the link too for those of you who catch these updates there.

So that's my plan for the weekend. If I seem a bit MIA for the next couple days, its because computer time isn't back in the plan between now and Monday.

I'm still excited to have you join me in the Turbo Challenge! Let me know if you're interested and we'll get you started :-)

Have a great weekend!

Coming to a blog near you!

So we're hearing all these AMAZING things about TurboFire and I have no doubt it will be everything we're hearing and more. To celebrate the new workout and test TurboFire myself, I'm going to do two 30 day Turbo challenges.

June: Turbo Jam for 30 days. 5 TJ workouts per week, 1 cross training day and 1 rest day. I'll keep track of my results, wear my bodybugg and report calories burned...its going to be awesome.

July: As if Turbo Jam isn't awesome enough, TurboFire is going to raise the bar! As soon as I get my workout (CAN'T WAIT!!!!) I'll do a similar program. 5 days a week of TurboFire, 1 cross training day and 1 rest day. I'll report the same things and see how TurboFire tears it UP! Can you tell I'm pumped?

Alright, if you want to join me it's really easy. There are links to Turbo Jam and TurboFire in the side and top bars of this blog respectively. Click the banners and check out the workouts! Let me know if you have any questions and we'll rock and roll from there! Can't wait to rock this!!

Bomb Bay of the Day: DIMRS

LOL This is why I love Chalene Johnson! So real and always awesome advice!

Bomb Bay of the Day: DIMRS

Soccer Season Wrap up

For any of those following my tweets, just wanted to toss out a quick wrap up of my youth soccer season. I coached 4th through 6th graders the past several weeks and we finished with an undefeated regular season! They were awesome - so strong, they all got along, they were all good kids...I had a blast!

We had our tournament last night and they played two strong good clean games. I couldn't be more proud. Unfortunately our championship run was cut short by a team that lacked the ability to play clean. They pushed and shoved their way through to a 1-0 victory over my Raiders - and nearly gave one of my girls a concussion in the process!!!

All in all it was a great season, we had a great time and I hope I get the same team this fall!

Oh and for those who noticed - my spark name changed! My twitter handle, blog, spark name and Beachbody sites all match now:

http://www.twitter.com/GabriellaH99

http://www.beachbodycoach.com/GabriellaH99

http://www.gabriellah99.blogspot.com/

http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage.asp?id=GabriellaH99

Crutch kicking week #2

Sorry! I fell asleep before I posted this last night. I'll make this relatively quick as I am on a business trip today but I wanted to make sure I busted some more excuses :-)

With travel season coming I know a lot of people are going to be spending days or weeks on the road and in hotels, cabins, etc. Even without summer vacations, many of us travel for work, to see family or just to get away for a few days. Don't let getting away mean you get away from the hard work you've been doing!!
Here's a list of ideas I've come up with - tried and true! - that could help kick the crutches that traveling can try to loan to us.

- New one I learned last night: some hotels have those pay-per-view channels. Check them! Last night in my hotel I saw that they have FREE fitness, toning and yoga videos (I was at a Courtyard Marriot). Since you're doing them in the privacy of your own room, it doesn't matter what you wear! (You know you always wanted to do yoga in your skivvies ;-) ). This option eliminates all excuses as you didn't need to pack anything special to make this happen.

- Resistance bands! They're small, they'll get through security in your carry on baggage, you can do a nearly infinite number of workouts with them and again, by using them in the privacy of your room, you don't need to waste precious baggage space when you're flying with sneakers, workout clothes, etc. Look for different resistance bands kits at www.beachbodycoach.com/gabriellah99 and find awesome resistance band workouts on http://www.sparkpeople.com/. Let me know if you need help navigating either site!

- Workout videos for many of the same reason as the resistance bands. They're small, can pass through security and when used on the laptop in your room, you don't need to find the space either to workout or pack those gym shoes.

- Turn it up! Last night, without even thinking about it, turned up some very TurboJam-esque music while driving for a couple hours. I found myself jamming out, doing seated crunches...practically dancing the whole drive. My abs and obliques are still sore this morning. It was an awesome workout, I burned calories at a time that would normally be a low cal-burn stretch and it was a blast. You can do this anywhere - if you're brave, in the seat on the airplane or for those to prefer to dance while truely no one is watching turn up the radio to a good "party music" station at your hotel room and rock it out.

What do you do to keep on track while traveling?

I promise there's a reason I didn't post yesterday's crutch kicking tip yet - its coming tonight!

Frustrating moments

So if you've been following my tweets (GabriellaH99) you'll know that I've been sentenced to staying off of my swollen foot and ankle for a week. This couldn't have come at a worse time. I've been getting back into the swing of things. I've a very busy week ahead which was supposed to include a visit to a supplier's plant and a banquet for the U-M alumni association. Oh well. What's a girl to do?

Well today I'm having a hard time pulling myself from my funk. I had so many goals on my to-do list today. So many things I wanted to achieve that now I won't because I'm not even supposed to walk. I don't like feeling like I've lost some of my strength and independence. I know I'll get out of it but maybe I need today to just veg.

I'm trying not to eat too terribly - made difficult by the fact that I need more fresh veggies and fruit but am not supposed to go to the grocery! Tomorrow I'm not going to weigh / measure in. I haven't worked out and I want to keep in perspective that what matters at a time like this is that I am going to keep trying and stay focused on getting the job done long term.

Never fear though! Tomorrow will bring another crutch kick so check back for that update!

Minor set back but its going alright!

So just a mid-week update. I'm going to have to be happy with anything that isn't a gain this week at Sunday's weigh in. I had an awesome practice on Tuesday with my soccer kids but somewhere in that awesome-ness I pulled my calf. I'm actually wearing sneakers today because I am having trouble walking. The good news is that my mid-week "unofficial" weigh in shows no gain which is awesome because I went over calorie intake a couple days in a row and I brought a good breakfast and lunch for today. Here's to hoping I can stay on a great track!

Rough day but going to stay on track

So I let my frustrations get the better of me for a few minutes in a drive thru line today...and my frustrations only increased because instead of the healthier sandwich that I picked (to balance out the fries and small shake I was craving) they gave me a BLT. Ugh. The good news is that I am still within my caloric range for today and am planning on a light dinner tonight before going to bed.

I'm planning this lighter meal for a few reasons:
- I passed out last night...hard. I slept too long and too hard to the point that I felt totally out of it this morning. I think it might be because I ate a little more than usual last night and threw myself off.
- I'm still not feeling better and I need to drink warm liquids and drinking water to get better. I've got some soup and tea calling my name.
- I want to stay close to my calorie / carb / fat range (I'm still low on protein today) and I know a lighter dinner will help with that.

What do you do when emotions start to get the better of you? More importantly - how do you move past a bad meal (like the lunch I had...) and stay positive?

Crutch kicking step #1

Crutch kicking week 1 - see www.statue-search.blogspot.com for the answer! on 12seconds.tv

So one simple little thing. Nothing earth shattering. I just keep my Shakeology, scissors, protein powder, blender, single serving / to go blender, and to go cups in the same place in my kitchen. I'm sure you could make that happen in your own kitchen in less than 5 minutes. Would you believe me if I said that can help you reach your goals? Its worked for me!

If you've heard it once, you've heard it a million times: you won't succeed in losing weight if you don't breakfast. You make the best plans to make that happen. You buy your healthy cereals or the eggs that you'll take the few minutes to make in the morning. And then it happens - don't worry, it happens to the best of us. You shut off the alarm in your sleep and now you have 2 minutes to grab something to eat as you run out the door. You hardly have time to remember to eat, much less make something to go. If you even did think of making a healthy shake for the run, chances are good the things you need aren't all in the same place so frustration wins and you leave hungry and tempted to stop by your local coffee shop for an over-sugared coffee drink and fatty pastry.

With everything in one place - also near the refrigerator - I have the milk / almond milk, ice, shakeology, scissors to open the shakeology packets, protein powder for days I need the boost, blender and travel mugs I need to make a quick healthy shake to drink on the road or once I get to the office. I also make sure that other ingredients I often use in my shakes are always handy. My open packet of fat free sugar free (FFSF) cheesecake pudding mix is in the box of shakeology. The natural peanut butter stays up front in the pantry and is never behind anything else. Fresh fruit is less than a step and arm reach away. For days I'm extra lazy, I bought a blender at Walmart (http://www.walmart.com/ip/Hamilton-Beach-Single-Serve-Blender-With-Travel-Lid/5924588) that is so helpful! I blend my breakfast, take the mug off the base, and walk out the door.

So why is breakfast so important? If you don't eat a good breakfast, your body will go into starvation mode and you burn calories at a lower rate allll day long. What a waste of your good progress! An important part of this first important meal is a good fat. I'm sure you've heard other health nuts go on about natural peanut butter and that's for a reason. Its a good fat that helps make sure that you're kicking off your metablism for the day. Not only does the breakfast itself help your body function better, you'll have a tendency of eating more healthily all day if you ate a good breakfast to start!

Just one last note about breakfast though - especially if you're going to stock up on ingredients you need to make shakes and smoothies. I found a smoothie mix at the grocery near the bananas and I checked the package just out of curiosity. The ingredients were sugar, high frustose corn syrup and other unnatural ingredients. The instructions read: "blend with milk, ice and banana". Why do you need an additional packet of sugars and unhealthy additives to milk, ice and bananas? Use caution when picking your smoothie and shake ingredients. Make sure you know what you're getting and how it will supplement your daily needs!

Alright - here are my measurements for the week. How's your progress?

Weight - 152 lbs (down 4!)
Waist - 31" (down 0.5"!)
Hips - 39.5"
Thigh - 23.25"
Upper arm - 11.25" (down 0.5"!)
Body fat % - 27

Bring it into focus

So I'm realizing this blog is severly lacking the same property I'm lacking in making my goals: f-o-c-u-s. I'm going to use this now to explore and share tips I've thought of while mapping my search for my "inner statue" but haven't quite implemented. Excuses are the worst enemy of anyone trying to achieve any goal but they seem to be even more prominent in the journey of health. I'm sending my statue on a crutch kicking spree.

Starting next Sunday I'll post a 12-sec vid (http://12seconds.tv/channel/gabika99) and blog attacking a common excuse and my way of kicking away that particular crutch. Got an excuse you can't beat or an excuse you've beaten with a simple tip? Feel free to share it! I'd love to hear your ideas.

Also, May is National Running Month and I'm celebrating by starting training for a 10K I'm running at the end of the month. I'll be mixing in Turbo Jam as my cross training. To really prove out my progress I've done all my measurements today and am going to share them here. I'll measure in weekly so you can all see how I'm doing and hopefully that'll inspire you to do the same! (Measurements also tracked on http://www.sparkpeople.com/)

Current measurements:

Weight: 158 lbs
Waist: 31.5"
Hips: 39.5"
Thigh: 23.25"
Upper Arm: 11.75"
Body Fat %: 27