Excitement is in the Air!!

do you feel that?!?!  can you feel the electricity in the air today?  oh i can!!  see today is the DAY people!!  today is the day Asylum 2 comes out!  i am super excited about this for so many reasons but the biggest being this has launched the day for 2 new Challenge Groups i'm hosting!  they are filing up FAST too!

what is a Challenge Group?  well, simply put is a great support group!  it's a group of 5-10 people all starting a fitness program and lifestyle change all at the same time.  i help motivate y'all and we talk about our daily challenges; wether they be eating right, drink enough water, finding time to workout, issues with a certain workout, or whatever.  we all go through the program day by day with one another.  everyone is working towards a common goal; becoming a fitter person and a healthier person!  there is no success without support :-)

i am running 2 Challenge Groups that start in November.  the first one is a 120 Day program i've named "The Road to the Asylum!"  we will start by loosing our minds with 60 days of Insanity.  this is a great program that helps you on your road to becoming an athlete! if you are just starting to workout this program is for you!  just as we think we are sane we realize it was all a joke and batty, so we must bust out of the Asylum for 30 days!  Asylum is a hard core workout and a great way to just see the fat peel off of you.  after Asylum you will be a new person but soon realize that you still have one more wing in the Asylum to get through with Asylum2!  Asylum2 is a hardcore workout and a great advanced program that comes out TODAY!!  ShaunT is a hardcore motivator and a wonderful person to invite into your home to help you train.  for a special treat, Apolo Ohno is in Asylum2!

my second Challenge Group has been dubbed "Busting out of the Asylum" and is a 60 day program consisting of Asylum and Asylum2.  this group is for those who are in a little better shape (maybe you've already done Insanity, P90X or have been working out for a while) or those who just like to jump in for a challenge from day one!

either way each of these Challenge Groups are going to be a BLAST but they are filing up FAST!  do one of these groups call out to you?  let me know via Twitter, Facebook or here and i would be glad to give you more information.  but don't wait to long because i have less than 5 slots between them both!!

have a thrilling thursday y'all *waves*

Why Diet?

oh that very word DIET; doesn't it just send shivers down your spine?  well it does mine as it should yours!  i don't like the word diet, not one little bit, and i will explain why.  i've seen it time, and time again.  when you use that word to describe your eating habits you are setting yourself up for failure.  see that picture over there; over toward your left?  yep, that sums it up!  you start of by saying "i need to loose some weight," and deiced that a diet will help you do that.  first you limit yourself to grapefruit and saltines, or cabbage soup, or shakes and salads every day for a month.  then it gets boring, bland, unsatisfying so you decide to "cheat."  you "give in" and have that steak, or piece of chocolate, or piece of fruit.  then you start to hate yourself for cheating.  next you are going to get down on yourself.  all of these negative thoughts start swirling through your mind.  you start to tell yourself that you're a failure, stupid for "cheating," and how disappointed you are in yourself.  you start to beat yourself up over being fat, and unhealthy until you finally get to a breaking point.  "That's it!" you say one morning looking into the mirror "tomorrow I'm going on a diet!"  so now you start the viscous cycle all over again!  can you relate to this?  i know i've done this cycle more times than i'd like to admit.  so, no i do not like diets.  diets set you up for failure.  do you know what sets you up for success?  having healthy eating HABITS!!  what's the difference?  well a habit is something you forge over time, it's a part of you.  an example of a good healthy eating habit is eating clean, and this is how i eat.  what does it mean to eat clean?  that's a question i've been asked a lot over the last few years, and there is a simple answer to this.  if it doesn't look like it cam from nature then don't eat it!  so that means no fruit chew snacks, no pre packaged meals, and nothing should be unpronounceable on the label.  easy enough right?

now you can take it a few steps further and look into paleo, raw, vegan, or even primal eating styles.  personally, i fall in-between a paleo and primal eating style and LOVE IT!!  i feel like poooooo when i don't eat this way.  i have NO energy, am bloated, and just don't feel like me.  i like eating clean.  i enjoy the benefits of it too.  i've notice a bigger energy boost (great for the hard workouts i put myself through).  i also have no issues with my IBS (thank you Shakeology) or with my skin now that i've cut out all the gunk from my eating plan.  yes with primal eating you tend to stay away from; grains, beans, and gluten but there are SO MANY things that i eat that i am not deprived.  i can go any where anytime and get good food to fuel my body!  granted; i don't eat the twinkies, sodas, fast food, preservative landed meals that i used to but i don't think of it as a punishment.  rather i have been able to get the biggest reward possible from eating clean...........i have found health and energy!  i have found happiness in myself and my lifestyle.  have you landed into a healthy eating habit that you'd like to share?  or, have you found yourself in the diet vortex?  or have you found yourself plop in the middle of preservative land and are looking for a way out?

i hope y'all have a terrific thursday and don't forget to drink your water!!

Thirsty Thursday

hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!  water, water, water!  i say this so often to people (including my own family) more often than i'd like.  water is so important to our bodies and keeping our over all health up.  i really believe that water is the most important food group :-)

last night i was reading through my Anatomy book and it was discussing the importance of water to our cells and it got me thinking.................how many people really don't understand how critical water is to their bodies?  so that's what we are going to talk about this morning!

did you know:

• your brain is composed of 95% water
• your blood is 82% water
• your lungs are nearly 90% water
• a 2% drop in body water can cause a (small) critical shrinkage of the brain

read that last fact again.................i'll give you a second.............that's right boys and girls  not drinking enough water can shrink your brain!!  WHAT?!?!?!  yes mild dehydration can cause fatigue and that cloudy mind you may sometimes get.  many people get an afternoon slump; where they feel run down, sleep and just not with it.  some grab an energy drink.  some go for a cup of coffee, and others (the smart ones) go for water.  when my kids complain of no energy in the afternoon i tell them to go drink a big glass of water and almost instantly they are their old self again!  why am i making such a big deal about this?  well, it's estimated that 75% of Americans have mild, chronic dehydration.

symptoms of chronic dehydration:

• fatigue
• constipation
• acid-alkaline imbalance
• excess weight/obesity
• high cholesterol
• digestive disorders
• urinary infection
• premature aging

and to think this can all be avoid by just drinking your water!  there are some common causes for water loss: caffeine (though there is now debate over this), alcohol, stress, hot weather, increased sodium intake, and increased physical activity.  now that i've given you all the scary things about not drinking enough water let's talk about water and the benefits it holds for you and your health :-)

  the good things about water:      

• aids in circulation
• reduces risk of disease; decrease the risk of colon cancer by 45%
• build muscle & increase tone; remember they are made mostly of water
• increases energy; basic science-water is the medium in which all energy reactions take place
• reduces fluid retention; crazy i know but he MORE water you drink the less you retain because the less your body receives it thinks there is a threat to survival and begins to horde it all (water retention)
• healthier body & mind; it's essential for nutrient absorption and can improvement in memory
• healthier joints; synovial fluid reduces friction between cartilage in joints and contains *gasp* water
• healthier skin; when properly hydrated your skin plumps up and you may notice less wrinkles
• healthier digestive system; helps metabolize food, healthy urinary tract, helps move waste
• weight loss; natural appetite suppressant, increases the body's ability to metabolize stored fat

so let me ask you this; are you drinking enough water?  why not?!?!?!  believe me when i say i drink my water (almost) all the time!  since i am still nursing and i work out i drink a LOT............around 4L and some days even more.  i walk around with my awesome pink water bottle (it matches my hair haha) and sip on it all day long.  if you aren't tracking your water yet why not start doing it today.  you may be surprised what may happen to your body and your mind if you are drinking enough water.  aim for 2-3L and you may find yourself with more energy, a smaller appetite and a smaller waistline in no time!  if you'd like you can go here and it's a pretty niffty calculator to help you figure out how much water you should drink too!  i suggest getting a water bottle that holds .75L or a full liter because then you only have to drink 2 or 3 "cups" vs. a whole bunch.  it's that mind over matter thing, ya know?

well, i hope y'all have a terrific thursday and stay hydrated!!