I have just started my 4 week November challenge and I thought that maybe some of you wanted to join me in it. For the months of November and December it is not very wise to have a food restriction challenge, due to the upcoming holidays. But what about a little exercise challenge?!
For 4 weeks ONLY this is what I want you to do EVERY DAY (or at least that is what I will do):
Week 1 - 25 pushups + 20 min Cardio + 100 situps
Week 2 - 50 pushups + 20 min Cardio + 100 situps
Week 3 - 75 pushups + 30 min Cardio + 100 situps
Week 4 - 100 pushups + 40 min Cardio + 100 situps
This will add up to:
Total Pushups - 1750
Minutes of Cardio - 770
Total Situps - 2800
I feel like a balloon! I had pasta on Tuesday night and I still feel like shit from it. On Wednesday when I woke up I was up to 172 lbs (higher than when I started my diet). I feel like a failure right now... It is horrible.
I am not giving up, not at all - I am just learning my lesson all over again - NO WHEAT for me!!! Not even my favorite kind of wheat. I love pasta and I try not to eat it too often but sometimes I just have to have it... well maybe next time I will think more than once before going for it.
So the battle continues...
I am trying to drink more water then I normally do in hope of my extra weight is water weight and drinking more might help my body not retain so much of it. I don't know.
My lower back has also been bothering me horrible. Waking up, sitting, walking, working out on the elliptical... yesterday I finally went to my chiropractor, or NUCCA specialist at Bucks County Spinal Care and he made the pain go away with his magic. I am not kidding I step in there and explained where it was bothering me, he did his thing and as I was laying there I could feel my spine slowly adjusting to something new. When he was done he asked me to move around to feel it... I started by bending over to reach the floor with my hands touching the floor.. As I was going down the first time I still could feel the pain a little bit but I was able to reach much further than I have been in weeks... and then I did it again and I could not believe what I was feeling - NOTHING! The pain was gone, really gone!
Later the same night, by the time Flyers was playing the muscles in the area was getting a litte sore from the adjustment and today I can feel it too.. But being sore from that is much better than being in pain! Now I only have to wait until it settles down and enjoy exercising again.
I do not want to feel like a balloon much longer! As a matter of fact I don't want to feel it at all...
As you already know I forgot to give you a week 2 update... so here comes the week 3 instead. Last week I was still experience my lower back pain and after every session on the elliptical I curve myself up like a ball and roll my back on my yoga mat for probably 10 minutes to stretch and massage that area. I truly miss my best friend who is a fabulous massage therapist, she has helped me with some of my worst pains but she is on the other side of the Atlantic...
Weight: 75.75 kg / 167.2 lbs [78.0 kg / 172.1 lbs]
Fat: 21.10 kg / 46.5 lbs (27.9%) [22.45 kg / 49.5 lbs (28.8%)]
Water 52.6% [51.9%]
BMI: 25.0 [25.8]
Chest: 98 cm / 38.58" [101 cm / 39.76"]
Waist: 78 cm / 30.71" [82 cm / 32.28"]
Stomach: 91 cm / 35.83" [97 cm / 38.19"]
Hips: 107 cm / 42.12" [111 cm / 43.70"]
Our mind is one of our strongest tool to use when we want to accomplish something, but it is also our greatest enemy! How can one thing be both those things?
Our mind makes us stronger or weaker, our mind makes us do, or not do, and our mind makes us grow no matter what roads we chose to travel on...
First there is you telling yourself what you want, but it is not until the brain understands it or want it too that you actually do. I sometimes feel I have two people inside of me - like the mother and the child. The mother tells me what I should do and the child usually rejects it with some great excuse... I hate it. I want to do what momma tells me - that is why I am telling me to do one thing in the first place! What is stopping me?
Do I have communication issues? Do I need to explain things better to my inner child?
Yesterday when I was on Facebook I noticed one of my friends saying "step 3" and she explained what it was, after someone asked what she was talking about, that she had reached her 3rd step in accomplishing something she wanted to accomplish. I thought that was great - maybe that is exactly how I need to do it too. Define my steps. When am I done with step one, step two, and so on... I thought that was so great!
Off course that is how I would advise others to do, but with myself I usually skip a few steps since my head is already at the finish line thinking that the work is done. Funny and frustrating how I don't walk the talk.
No... I am not a complete failure - I am still loosing weight and I am still learning about real estate investing, and I am still planning for a life in freedom away from the 8-5 job day in and day out... but there are still things missing... Things I need to figure out.
It is interesting how your level of energy can vary so much on a daily and weekly basis. Last week I was high, this week I am getting by. And I off course start to wonder what the reasons of it are... Could it be that my body is getting used to the amounts of Kelp I am feeding myself and want more in order to feel what I felt last week? Or is it that last week I was so high on knowledge and what a great opportunity I had in my hand that made me stronger than superman? Or is it something else?
Can my decreased energy be because I have drained my body a little bit and it is not used to it?
I am unsure, all I can say is that I see a difference. After working out for 45 minutes this morning I took a 30 minutes nap before getting ready for work. That was not the idea! The idea was for me to have that time for myself, not for sleeping a little bit extra. That is not going to get me anywhere!
Just have to get through it and go for it stronger tomorrow!
I am a bull that sees red sometimes, but it is not a bad thing necessarily. It is just that when I see red I have a hard time focusing on something else but this red thing!
My red thing for the moment is to learn as much as I can about Real Estate Investing. I am consumed by it. I can't think about anything else. I look at real estate for sale all over when I have a moment over. I try to play the game Rich Dad Cashflow for an hour before I go to bed and I read about real estate investing while on the elliptical, watching TV, and whenever I have a moment over. I am so focused on it!
But I also have my little business that I want to excel in and get more sales from, not because I think I can make Candie Ink to anything big, but I like doing it and I think I can learn from that experience! For the moment I have a hard time taking time to finish some items I have laying around. I have this awesome dress that I love that I just need to finish... but when I sit there or when I get ready to sew I just think about Real Estate. I can juggle tennis balls, but I have a hard time having two bowling balls in the air at the same time; they are a little heavy! And especially when I intend for my real estate ball to grow into something larger than myself one day.
But with you all here - let's do this: If I don't have at least one more item in my little online shop by next weekend you have to promise to NEVER buy anything from me, promise!
I am still amazed on how everything has just tumbled upon me - it truly feels like it has. I haven't been looking for it because I had no idea what to look for or where. Donald Trump to me just a few weeks ago was one of those 'rich ignorant guys' - how wrong I was!!
How can I learn to be rich, or at least a little bit more financial stable, from someone that is still going to work every day, maybe even two jobs??? On what planet does that makes sense??? Apparently on this one! Why don't we learn from the best, from the people that have done it, tried it and have succeeded from basically nothing?? When you ask it like that it is pretty obvious but do people in general think about that stuff?? I don't think so, at least I didn't. But I do now...
I went to this workshop yesterday presented by Rich Dad Education and I was literally bubbling of excitement. It wasn't like all other workshops where you find the sales pitch in every sentence (yes it was a great sales pitch going on but it was beyond the point) this sales pitch made so much sense to me and it felt like it hit me right in the heart. All I wanted to do was to stand up and scream, that is how excited I was. I so know I am capable of doing this, I truly am. Yeah sure, some seconds here and there I get these fear attacks and think to myself 'who the heck do I think I am' but the excitement takes right over... And there is a drive inside of me that I almost can't manage.
It off course helps that every night when I come home I found a sad hubby from disliking his job, feeling that he is worth so much more. Yesterday I whispered to him 'I will get you out of this'... and I truly mean it, I truly believe that it will happen!! And it will happen in probably less than one year.
Fear not the fear itself but what will happen if you do not try!
The third day of my new life and I was very sore waking up. My back felt stiff and my legs felt like they were made out of lead. The exercise for the day was yoga/pilates/weights and I did a shorter yoga session by myself. I focused on a lot of stretching so some might say that it was not really yoga. But to get started for real with my yoga I need to warm myself up for it. It is not easy!
After work I went to a workshop that I signed up for over the weekend as a part of my new life achievements and have gotten one step closer to that airplane ;) The workshop was so exciting that I was literally bubbling inside; I just wanted to stand up and scream!! It is like someone just opened the door to a better life and I have not hesitated to step through.... inside the doors there is this stairway and I have just started to climb them. I signed up for a class about Investing in Real Estate that is going to be a 3 day course in the beginning of June, trying to get my hubby to come with me so we can learn together and be Powerful Together!!
30 minutes yoga and stretch - ??? kcal burned
Food Breakfast - One Fage Greek Yogurt 2% (I really like the regular one but they don't have that one at the grocery stores around me) and some organic crushed rasberries Lunch - Salad with Iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, swiss cheese and ranch dressing, diet coke Snack - strawberries and cashews on my way to the workshop Dinner - Fried mozzarella cheese. (Buy the nicest mozzarella you can find and slice it, rinse with cold water and roll them in crushed almonds, fry in pan with butter on both sides for a little bit. Eat right away) with tomato and extra virgin olive oil. Delicious!!
Supplements Are same as always just go back to Day 1
After doing my last pole dancing class on Monday night I was pretty sore and tired on Tuesday morning. I had planed to do 45 minutes on the elliptical but ended up not getting out of bed until 5:15 so I had only time for 30 minutes. At least I made sure I got to 400 kcal on that thing, but it wasn't as easy as the day before.
30 minutes elliptical - 3.6 km / 2.24 miles - 402 kcal burned
Food Breakfast - One Fage Greek Yogurt 2% (I really like the regular one but they don't have that one at the grocery stores around me) and some organic crushed rasberries Snack - 8 unsalted cashews Lunch - 2 hard boiled eggs into a sallad with mayo, relish, and Dijon mustard, lettuce with tomato, swiss cheese and balsamic Snack - 4 strawberries Dinner - LCHF pancakes with organic heavy whipping cream and blackberries, 1 glass of organic whole milk
Supplements Are same as always just go back to Day 1
To be successful in weight loss there is a little more to it than to eat less and exercise more. We also have to make sure that the body is prepared for the sometimes big changes we will be going through.
So there is generally four things that you should NOT ignore:
Exercise - this is very personal to us all depending on how much we are used to move around. For some a walk in the park could be hard and for some a 5k run is like warm-up. Normally best result is achieved by doing 60 minutes of cardio per day, 5-6 days a week. (you need a day of rest per week too). Make sure you are breaking a sweat! When you get the hang of it - interval training will boost your metabolism even more. So vary your training so your body does not get used to it and need more in order for you to loose weight.
What you eat - The first and most important step in changing your diet is to get rid of your carb-cravings. This is easiest achieved by having regular meals, and rather eat too much than too little or eat more often than not, just so you don't get to the point where you just have to have that snickers or something similar. Normally it takes between 2 to 3 weeks to get rid of the cravings for sugar and other carbs so hang in there and don't give up! After you have stabilized your blood sugar and your cravings you can start putting up a good meal plan, with regular times. Some people say that more meals with less food is good, and others say that less meals with more food is ok too. I have tried them both and find that eating 6-7 times a day is hard - I just can't get it all in a day with everything that has to get done. I eat breakfast, lunch, dinner and will have two snacks during the day - that should do it for me. If you like protein shakes eating 6-7 meals might not be that hard but I can't stand them!
Water - I am sure you all know to drink lots of water. But in a weight loss process the water is a way to flush your system and is crucial for success! If you aren't already drinking at least one gallon (4 liters) a day start NOW! If you have a hard time doing it get into the habit of drinking a large glass before every meal (it will not equal up to everything you need but at least it is a start).
Supplements - Our bodies need to stay healthy in order to achieve our goals. If we don't take supplements we are bound to quit before we are done because we get sick... A cold or even sore muscles can make people quit. So supplements are more important than you would think. And I am off course NOT recommending a multivitamin or synthetic vitamins and minerals. All natural please! I will provide you with what I am taking in my first update.
Last week was a "sit-back-and-think" week. I was thinking about changes; that it was time for some changes for me (yeah I don't like getting to comfortable - I want MORE). First I planed my changes to be just taking charge of my horrible weight gain since coming off the pill. But for some reason Faith had more in storage for me. It was like I needed something bigger not to get bored.
On our way home from Florida over a week ago when our flight got delayed I fount this book 'Why we want you to be rich' and it made me think bigger. I am still not done with the book but it has opened my eyes already to what is out there for me to grab a hold of and never let go. I want it so badly now and I am willing to work hard to get there. I realize that it is not a walk in the park but I think I can get there, I really do.
Anyway after a lot of thinking I came up with a whole bunch of bullets and motivational things to keep me motivated and they all boiled down to this short vision and dream: My dream is to one day be able to teach others how I made my dreams come true. I want to teach them why I was able to pay off my student loan with one single check, I want to show them why I now call multiple houses my home, I want to show them why I no longer fly commercial but private, I want to show them how they can also have their name on a building, I want to show them the difference between security and freedom, I want to show them the real meaning of what leverage is, I want to show them how they can accomplish the exact same thing over and over again no matter who they are or how much money they already have.
And then like a star in the sky I get to see it... I even get to touch it... I got to touch my dream for a little bit. I can't get a better teaser than this:
So I think I have gotten some things down now...
I am for real starting to see the life I was meant to live and here is my first "Why I do IT" list:
- I get up at 5am Monday-Friday ~Because I WANT to get ahead in LIFE
- I work out on the elliptical 30-60 minutes 5 times a week ~Because I KNOW it makes me look and feel better
- I do strength exercise (weights/yoga/pilates) twice a week ~Because it compliments my other efforts of LOOKING and FEELING better
- I give up eating wheat and sugar ~Because they are NOT the core of my HAPPINESS - People I love and things I accomplish are
- I dedicate 60 minutes a day on my FINANCIAL IQ training ~Because I want to live an EXCITING, FREE, and RICH life as well as support the people I love
- I create and work for my business at least 14 hours a week ~Because I love it and I see possibilities for EXPANSION
- I am DEDICATED to WORK HARD to get to where I want to be and realize that it is going to take years, not just weeks or months. And I will NEVER GIVE UP ON MY DREAM
My dream is to one day be able to teach others how I made my dreams come true. I want to teach them why I was able to pay off my student loan with one single check, I want to show them why I now call multiple houses my home, I want to show them why I no longer fly commercial but private, I want to show them how they can also have their name on a building, I want to show them the difference between security and freedom, I want to show them the real meaning of what leverage is, I want to show them how the can accomplish the exact same thing over and over again no matter who they are or how much money they already have (or don't have).
It feels like I am on fire... No, I am not hot or anything like that. But I have that panic feeling... like there is a fire somewhere but I don't know where so I don't know where to run first, or if I should run to put it out or to run for safety...
I know... I have been described as crazy many times. ;)
There is just so much on my mind right now - things I want to do, things I need to accomplish; and I want to start them RIGHT NOW, all of them. But I have decided to actually plan this out a little bit better than what I normally do. Normally I just jump in there heads first and then stop half-way into it cause I got lost... this time I PLAN to see them all through.
Yesterday I started to write down a list of 'Why I Do It'. It is almost like a list of goals but a little bit more than that... I also explain to myself why. I plan to have a copy of this list at home and at work. At home it is going to sit on my bathroom mirror so I can read it every morning when I wake up and wonder why the heck I am up at 5am. And I should probably have one on the refrigerator so I can read it before grabbing something I shouldn't eat. But on the other hand - I shouldn't even buy things I am not allowed to eat.
Even though I know it, I sometimes forget that that ice cream doesn't come with a pack of happiness - the people I love and the things I accomplish do!
And getting smarter doesn't happen because I bought the book or dream about doing something - I actually have to read and do!
And then the hardest part - the exercise. I feel so much better about myself when I do it - but to actually doing it and thinking of doing it is a leap for me many days. But I truly think my little 'why I do it' list will help me in my mind game.
