Confession-- I want it ALL

I have a confession...I suck, at doing 50,000,000,000 things at once... I mean, I totally try to manage 49,000,000,000 but sometimes that extra 1,000,000,000 gets caught in the multitasking crossfire!

I have so much to blog about today!!! I have lost 18 lbs so far on my 90 Day Challenge (www.ashleylove.bodybyvi.com) and I have been working on maintaining the proper balance between work, working out, and personal time-- and by that, I mean, not always looking like a gym rat with a knotty ponytail and expandable clothing LOL.

I recently started selling Mary Kay!!!! In addition to the other millions of things I have going on (www.marykay.com/allove ) and I have been working on my overall image, because in all facets of life you wear how you feel about yourself and others in everyday demeanor.  I had to take a couple of weeks off to reflect on what I truly want to get out of life and everything I am doing...what I seek to fulfill, if you will...

I decided that instead of thinking about all that I AM doing (which at times can be TOO much), I'm choosing to look at things I can do once I accomplish the short term goals currently on y plate.

I want a BMW. In order to earn that I have to hit the streets and tell people about the wonderful benefits of Body By Vi, and how just being a part of the challenge motivates me to want overall wellness and weight loss. This way of thinking is much better than thinking about how to convince or "sell" people on their own health. The minute I thought about my own health and losing weight I did the typical "I can do that on my own..." -while this can be true, it's not for the most part. If I could do it I would have. If I could self motivate and lose it all on my own personal 90 Day Challenge, I would have. The model is fool proof. You drink two shakes for two meals you need anyway, and just aim not to screw up the rest of your day. The minute you stop "selling" and start "doing" is the minute you succeed... I'm adopting the "I can show you enter than I can tell you" mindset, so just be on the lookout!

As far as Mary Kay and image...it speaks for itself...cosmetic and beauty industry went unshaken in a time of economic turmoil not just in the US but across the globe. Check your facts, Mary Kay has been around 50 years and is a billion dollar company. The products are amazing, reviews and tests are conducted by a third party, outside laboratory (so unbiased)--as a consultant you get a generous discount and commission like NO OTHER direct sales company and as a consumer you look great:) as a businessperson you are able to attain a level of success that no part time or really full time job could potentially offer... Lisa Madson, one of the most humble women EVER, can say she's earned nearly SIX figures in just ONE MONTH... While we grind daily she goes with what she knows, and that's Mary Kay...I'm stepping off the soapbox, but one thing to know about me is who I am...I'm a shopaholic who is also a VIB at Sephora, VIP at Macy's, and on the private invite list places like Nordstrom and Gilt Group...I'll try what's on the market and review it for anyone...
Sephora is amazing, I love their free gifts and great customer service, but I don't get paid from Sephora when I shop there...and I definitely don't get to keep HALF of what I spend at Sephora, which is what I get when I buy Mary Kay for myself. I'm a rational woman, so Mary Kay makes sense to me. My driveway will have a BMW and Pink Cadillac sometime soon:) I'm the typical woman, I want it all!

Baby's got BACK {problems}

So I've been working out pretty hard and my body feels like one of the construction cranes rolled over me--although I might like that as stiff as I've been feeling! A great friend who's also a physical therapist gave me insight...

Here is how my day went...I went to a health fair and voilá! A chiropractor told me to come get a free consultation for my aching neck and shoulder pain... Sounds fair enough?! So after talking to my friend about my fears of becoming addicted/dependent upon the snap crackle and pops of the chiropractor I learned of preventative things to do to help and optimize the work chiropractors and physical therapists do...
1. Do sit with good posture. Practically 99.9% of all humans sit and stand with poor posture. I'm not statistician but this is my lighthearted guess:)
2. Try sleeping on a FIRM mattress AND do not use more than ONE pillows-- if any at all! You read correctly. ONE, UNO, Un, Um, ένας, Een...any other Languages you need "ONE" translated to?!
3. Do ask for exercises to strengthen your neck and back, lower and/or upper, but having your back or any part of the body "set" is pointless of you go back to the same poor habits (posture, sleep, etc.)
4. Take frequent work breaks, get up and move, do toe touches, stretch, step away from the computer for a few minutes
5. This ones for my ladies: wear the right under garments--supportive and posture supporting!

I know, I probably lost you at ONE/NO pillows! Just google back exercises and give it a shot:) I am not a doctors and my suggestions are personal action items I plan to take. I'm not a doctor so you should definitely consult a doctor and see what action you should take to improve any ailment(s) you may have!! Swimming is a good cardio workout that's virtually heaven for your joints!!! I'll have to share my Aqua Zumba experience so that you can try it out near you!!!!!

Hiatus

So I've taken a few days to reflect on life and my goals, what I want from this fitness thing... Is it a fad since everyone is jumping on board the bandwagon or is it a serious choice I've made to improve my quality of life and overall health.

It's amazing to see so many people interested in health and fitness but am
I seeing this as a "trend" because there is increased access to photos and others via social media (Social Cam, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram)or is it society's way of capitalizing on the opportunity to make money off of people by selling competitions, fitness gear, personal training and other misc. products?

What do I know, I'm just a former athlete trying to recover from cancer and a few other small injuries that have made weight gain possible. I'm just going back to what I know and what I remember-- but what I remember where days without social media...

So again I'm back to my original premise; do I disconnect and do my own thing or take advantage of the many resources available using such outlets and compete, just as I planned to do 7 years ago?! It's nothing personal, but it's exhausting for me to log onto any given social media outlet and a million people are quoting fitness industry people and then in the same day posting pics of loaded baked potatoes and fried chicken 😳 it's too much at times! I figured since I'm not a judgmental person I say "Do YOU" but I definitely need strong players on my team only! Sure we all cheat sometimes and we deserve indulgence but if you really want something eventually you need to make sacrifices...leading me back to the fad question... Are folks online only temporarily given up indulgences to be "in-style" rather than "in shape"?! Who knows... I know I have to continue to move toward my goal(s) and I hope to inspire people along the way!

Fair Food isn't always a FAILURE

Summer time is full of early sunrises and later sunsets, ample time to get in your workouts and soak up some sun.  Tis also the season of fairs!  I walked into the fair with a heavy heart.  I have either been at a point in my life where the extra calories were more like a cheat day and didn't matter, or I didn't care at all.  I quickly passed all of the fair food vendors and moved onto the rides, and the free unsweetened iced tea stand, where I downed about four samples (it was scorching outside).  I intentionally waited, let everyone else eat what their hearts desired, and when I ran out of almonds to snack on, and coincidentally at the close of the fair, and decided I would research what options I had that were within reason.

The results, I did taste a red velvet funnel cake, the smallest portion possible, and it was enough, because I want this competition more than I wanted the funnel cake.  I decided that since I hadn't eaten anything I needed to simply have just one spoon of funnel cake and protein was next on my agenda.  I found a chicken kabob and it was delicious! Just grilled, nothing added, and corn on the cob was everywhere you turned around so I had a corn on the cob and I wiped all of the butter off.  I was satisfied, washed it down with another sample of Pure Leaf unsweetened Tea (sample) and I walked out of the Fair with my head held high, and walked like that for about another half an hour all the way back to my car, just to make sure that I got rid of the "taste" of funnel cake I have...

I avoided ALOT of calories!
Cotton Candy, per 1oz, has 110 calories and 28g of SUGAR
Funnel Cakes are 760 calories with 44g of FAT, 80g of CARBS, and 16g of SUGAR
Corn on the Cob with butter is 140 calories and without the butter you lose the fat and calories by almost 70cal
Soft Serve Ice Cream, one cone, is 280 calories 14g of FAT, 36g of SUGAR and 30mg of CHOLESTEROL
2 Bones of generic BBQ Ribs are 350 calories, 25g of FAT, and 196g of CHOLESTEROL
(**All estimated caloric info was provided by www.myfitnesspal.com )

So I would say my chicken kabob, corn no butter, and teaspoon of funnel cake (400 calories total) was a prize to be won!  I am not judging anyone, but I would have never known that on any given day at the fair you may consume about 2000 calories, 200g of FAT, and even about 300mg of CHOLESTEROL...that is awful, and it may be a rare indulgence for some, but for others bbq ribs and butter on corn is their Memorial Day to Labor Day diet...  you just have to track your food and know what you are eating, and make the conscious decisions to really decide if eating it all is worth it.   The other day I wind the battle (I resisted Inky Dinky Donuts, see pic) I won the battle, and I'm still fighting in this weight loss war, so thanks for being with me on this!

Soaking Up the Sun

So I did P90X for the first time this summer!!!!! Sound the alarm! While I'm sure I should celebrate that victory I am proud of the fact that in honor of the exceptionally hot and humid summer I have resorted to pool workouts to prevent post-workout muscle pain:) what I get is more like a cardio-combo in disguise!

Swimming can burn up to 1000 calories an hour... Don't believe me? Just flip on the Olympics and check out the swimming and diving physiques. It's do easy to get my second workout in and I even got a little tan-- cha ching!

By now I've got the broken record beat, the (free) outdoor workout opportunities are endless and it's another way to get out, soak up some sun and get some Vitamin D!

Today I'll keep it brief because tomorrow's workout consists of legs and a mock 5k... Wish me luck!!!