Eye opener

The countdown is well underway and we are up to our eyeballs in boxes! We're tackling a little bit each night so it's not so overwhelming. Jimmy's job last night was to repack some of the beat up boxes that are at the top of my closet. It's stuff that we need that's been toted around in the same crushed UHaul boxes for 4 years! I thought this would be a quick job for him...it turned out, it was a box full of our old pictures - so it became a trip down memory lane.

I was puttering around packing the kitchen when he called me into the living room in a rather serious tone. He showed me a picture from probably about 8 years ago of me and my Mom and Dad.

I remembered taking the picture vividly - they'd come in from New Orleans to watch me teach my dance classes. I was so proud to have them there with me! But what I didn't realize what what I looked like. I was probably 15-20 pounds heavier than I am now. And I knew that I'd put on weight, but I was 25, had just started out in a "sit down" job in Corporate America, and, coming from a family of mostly obese people, I thought that this was the way it's supposed to be.

Thankfully, I met my husband about this time. And he showed me how to eat healthier (at the time, my diet was primarily chicken fingers and french fries) and helped me get started on a healthier lifestyle. It wasn't because he thought I was overweight or anything (in fact, he said last night that he never really thought of me as "pudgy" or anything) - the weight was something that bothered ME - I didn't feel good, I was lathargic and just didn't feel comfortable in my own skin - so he helped me to get movin' to feel better. Turns out, it was one of the best things I've ever done.

I guess the reason this "before" pic has hit home so much is I just keep thinking about what I'd feel like (not to mention look like) if I'd never met Jimmy or been introduced to a healthier lifestyle. It really stopped us both in our tracks last night. And I think that it's something for everyone to stop and consider (well...not consider MY before pic!!! - but your own)...take a picture (mirrors are deceiving...pictures don't lie) and look at it - and then really take an inventory of your daily intake and activities.

What path will this lead you down?

If it's a path that you're not comfortable with (like I was), please contact me. My goal, as a Beachbody Coach, is to make a dent in this obesity epidemic...one person at a time.

http://www.beachbodycoach.com/kelnel

Let me help you get on the right path!

cute...

Cute...it's a word that I hear...A LOT...and it's a word that still takes some getting used to.

Growing up, I had a friend in high school that used to say "cute is the same as stupid" - I didn't totally agree, but I understood where she was coming from. And it's a line that's always been embedded in my mind. Then there's Rudolph from the claymation Christmas TV show - with his stopped up little nose, saying "I'm cute, she thinks I'm CUUUTTTEEEE" (as his eyes get all googly and then spasticly flying into the air!!)

Lately, I've heard the word a lot - "oh, you're so cute" "aren't you the cutest thing" "y'all are such a cute couple""cute...cute...cute...cute...cute!!!!". And it's something that I just smile and nod about because, at 32 years old, I don't really think that people should be called cute.

Who knows - maybe I'm wrong. I don't know what other word I'd like to be called - guess it could be worse!!!!! - maybe I just need to grow up and be a big girl about this!!

I am appreciate of the praise, don't get me wrong. I just find it funny that so many people use the same word. It's not like they were in a huddle and decided to all use the same word (1-2-3-CUTE!). So I decided to look up the deifinition to try to get past this hangup I have with the word.

Here's what dictionary.com has to say:

CUTE - /kyut/ - [kyoot] adjective, adverb
–adjective
1. attractive, esp. in a dainty way; pleasingly pretty

2. affectedly or mincingly pretty or clever; precious

3. mentally keen; clever; shrewd.
–adverb
4. Informal. in a cute, charming, or amusing way; cutely

OK - so this isn't so bad.

(deep breath)...

Hi, my name is Kelly and I'm CUTE!!! :)

Gettin' Ready to Ride the Wave!

Jimmy and I just got back from an AMAZING weekend in Cali. We went out there for a Beachbody Leadership Weekend at the Ritz Carlton in Dana Point. The hotel was right on the Pacific Ocean - breath taking views and accommodations!

Got there and started off with a bang...Turbo Fire workout with Chalene Johnson - this is a NEW workout that Beachbody's got cookin' and man, oh man, if you love cardio - this will be right up your alley!!! We were all pretty fit people and we were huffin' and puffin'!!! While we were working out, we were looking out over the Pacific Ocean at sunset - wow...I'm still speechless!!!

Day 2 was jam-packed! Started off with a yoga workout with Tony Horton...again, overlooking the Pacific! Then it was breakfast - the hotel staff made us Shakeology - WOO HOO!!!

Then it was time to get down to work.

They started off by showing us the new Coach website - it's going to be SOOO great - you'll be able to customize it and add all kinds of special features - I can't wait for this to come out! Then we got to see the new and MUCH improved New Coach Kit. One word...SHARP! It's short and to the point. Coaches who once felt overwhelmed when they signed up and didn't know what to do with all the stuff that came in the old coach kit are now at ease with this new sleek package! Then we saw the new 3rd party tools that they released (actually released yesterday!!!) - I think this is what I'm MOST excited about. These are DVDs (and videos available in the coaching back office) that do all the hard work for you. I'll be the first to admit...I'm NOT A SALESMAN...but I'm so passionate about Beachbody and how it's changed my life that I tend to ramble and end up vomiting waaay too much info on interested people (sorry...little graphic....but true!)! Now that I have these tools under my belt, I'm vomit free!!!!! All I have to do is send a DVD or video link to someone that's interested and voila...the video gives them all the info they need and no mess! :) There's one that explains all the great products that we have and one that focuses on the coaching opportunity! Somethin' for everyone!

Another important thing we learned that carried out throughout the weekend was Beachbody's Game Plan. These are 10 simple steps for coaches to follow to help us succeed with our business. It spells it out for you - and it takes out all the guesswork. Don't know where to start, look at the Game Plan. Ready to hit the ground running and want to really make your business take off, look at the steps! It works for everyone. It's all about simplicity. From the new website to the new coach kit and 3rd party tools to the 10 Game Plan steps - this is something that is getting ready to take off in a BIG BIG way. And I'm so stoked to be part of it!

Day 3 was amazing as well. Darren Hardy was the speaker for the day. He's the publisher of Success Magazine and his talk was one of a kind!

After the event was over, Jimmy, Paul (one of our coaches from Austin) and I drove back down the Pacific Coast Highway and stopped in Huntington Beach to have lunch. Went to Duke's for lunch then took a stroll on the beach and on the pier. I saw surfers for the first time - so neat! It was so cool to watch them all bobbing in the water, patiently waiting for their right wave to come! I feel like a surfer...I'm waiting patiently and I'm about to ride a killer wave!!!

Then we were off to the airport to take the red eye back to NYC. It was a whirlwind trip - I got to meet some really amazing people - coaches and corporate folk. Some of the most genuine people I know - and we're all on the same page about doing this to help reverse this obesity trend and to help people get healthier. It's scary out there - this obesity problem isn't going away and it's up to us to take steps to reverse it!

(Shameless plug) If you want to help other people get on the road to a healthier, more active lifestyle and want to earn money doing it - let me know - this whole coaching thing is about to BLOW UP - and now is the time to get in. It's like when a new apartment building goes up - you want to get in early before all the good views are taken! Now is the time...

To learn more about the Coaching Opportunity: http://bit.ly/KNDecide

To learn more about the AMAZING Products: http://bit.ly/KNSolutions

If you're waiting for a formal invitation, here ya go! http://bit.ly/KNCDInvite

The Stars at Night, are BIG and BRIGHT....

So - word's out...after four amazing years here in NYC, the Nelsons are moving back to Dallas!!!

It's funny - because for us, this decision has been in the works for a bit. We finally got clarity on some things recently and everything has started to fall into place. But most people - while excited - are like "you're moving - WHY?!?!" And for some reason, I feel the need to justify it. I told Jimmy that it'd almost be easier to just say that I'm pregnant (which I'm not). So...for those who are curious - here's how it all came about...

Once upon a time...kidding...

Where to start...it's a bit of a tangled mess, but put on your seatbelts and try to follow along!!!

It all started back in July - we went to visit our friends, Dave & Erin, in Jacksonville for the July 4th weekend. They have a GORGEOUS, spacious house - 3BR, 2 1/2 baths, back yard, the works - really nice. And Jimmy and I forgot how nice it was to have space - to sort of "spread out" in a home. We currently live in a 2BR apartment in NY which is nice, but we are surrounded by neighbors. So being at the Cohen's house for a few days got our wheels turning.

We started talking about moving out of the city. We're getting to the age where kids might come into the picture in the not too distant future and we realized that while yes, there are people that do have and raise kids in NYC, it's not necessarily something WE want to do.

We'd also talked about moving out of the city once we were both able to be full time Beachbody coaches. We're not quite there yet - so thoughts of moving out on that account weren't in the forefront of our brains.

But we got to talking one day about where we'd move - we weren't sure that we'd want to back to TX and we didn't want to live full time in New Orleans (that's where our families live) - so I thought - ok, if I can pick anywhere that I want to live, it'd be near a beach on the East Coast. So I opened up google maps and looked at cities on the eastern seaboard and Charleston, SC jumped out at me. So I began to do research on it and thought it'd be a great place to raise a family. Only problem being that we'd still be away from our families. We'd be closer, but still a plane ride away. I casually looked at the area, talked to a friend that lives there - who had GLOWING reviews of it - looked around at the neighborhoods and looked at what some job options might be, but that's about as far as it went. We figured that if Charleston was meant for us, everything would fall into place for us to know that it was right. But nothing really came out of it.

August 10th...the place I was working announced that they were closing two of their three portfolios (it's a hedge fund) - which meant most people were getting let go. I was given Sept 4th as my last day there, so I immediately began the job hunt. I literally was offered a temp to perm position at great company on my last day - literally hours before I was going to walk out the door!!!

So new job is temp to perm til the end of January when a perm offer would be made if they were pleased with my work. No biggie.

Fast forward to two weekends ago - Jimmy went to Dallas for almost a week to spend time with his family and to do a Beachbody workout. He was surprising his family with tickets to the big Monday Night Cowboy game at the new Cowboys Stadium!!! Usually when Jimmy's back in Texas, he's ready to come back to NY on or about Day 2. He called me on Day 2 and said...something's different. I knew exactly what he meant and I knew that this was the sign we'd been waiting on. He said it "felt right" there now. I was on board immediately. The decision had been made.

I miss my family LOTS - and so does Jimmy - so being this far away for the past four years has been tough. For us, family comes first. So we decided that Dallas was the place we needed to be. Close to Jimmy's family (they live in the suburbs of Dallas), closer to my family (they're in New Orleans and south Louisiana) and close to friends.

Then there were the logistics. We had just begun year 2 of our 2 year lease on our apartment in Astoria, so the initial thought was to move Sept 2010. Then we started talking about it and realized that we were both kind of at a crossroads with our jobs.

The place that I worked for did offer for me to stay on thru year end, but it'd be a mayyybee kind of situation in January, so I decided to leave while the job market was good here in NYC. Then I get a temp to perm offer which wouldn't be perm til February. So my thought was let's move in February. I think that kind of shocked both of us. But it made sense. If I'd accept a permanent offer (or if it'd have been a perm offer from the beginning or if I'd not been let go from my previous job), none of this move stuff would have been given a thought. I'm not the kind of person to commit then walk away. So I'm not tied down here, so I thought Feb would be a good time to make a clean break from corporate America in NYC.

Jimmy can do both of his careers anywhere - having done theatre and print work in Dallas, he knows how things work down there, so the learning curve wouldn't be bad (just getting reacclimated) and he can do fitness stuff anywhere! So for him, the transition would be almost seamless (minus finding representation...which he's currently seeking!!!).

So Jimmy called our landlord and told him of our decision. He was super cool. He said he would put our apartment on the market in December or January. Then, our neighbor across the hall has a coworker that was interested in taking our apartment - and for him, the sooner the better. Wow...ok!

We have commitments in NYC thru the beginning of November, so we thought December 1st would be a great move in date. That would give us time to finish our commitments here, come to TX to get an apartment, car and for me to interview for jobs, and pack the apartment here.

Then...yesterday morning we found out that the guy backed out...sigh...I was really bummed, but thought, ok, it's not in our time - we'll move when we're supposed to move.

So we figured we'd start spreading the word to see if there are any takers for a December 1st move in date. It would work out best for us - we'd be able to start making plans now and the new tenants would get to move in before the brunt of winter arrived.

We're both really excited about the move and being closer to family and friends and the new opportunities that will come our way. We're ready to settle down and plant roots that way when kids do come along, we're already established. This is a very positive move for us.

But it's weird - we've gotten mixed reactions. I think that some people think that if you move to NY, then move back, somehow you've failed. I don't think that at all. Jimmy and I have grown tremendously in the past four years and we know that all the nuggets we've learned here will only benefit us in Dallas. Will we miss New York???...yes, parts of it. But it will hold a very special place in our hearts and we know that there's always time for visits back!!!

It's just crazy to make these grown up decisions without being prompted by the start of a school year, or because it's something your parents tell you to do. This was solely our decision and it came about in such a natural way that we knew it was right. And I'm SOOOO thankful that we're on the same page about it. We know we're doing what's best for our our family (even though that's just the two of us for now).

So that's the gist of it. If we move down at the end of November for a 12/1 move in date, we'll go to Texas the second week in November to buy a car, secure an apartment and for me to get a job. If you know of anyone that's looking for an Executive Assistant in Dallas, please let me know!!! :)

Quick fixes

Just finished Week 3 of Insanity. Very thankful for the rest day tomorrow.

I missed doing my Day 15 Fit test, but I'm feeling stronger and feeling like I'm able to push more in the workouts. Doing extra reps of things - trying to make sure that my form is still good during it all. My lungs feel stronger - don't get me wrong, I'm still huffin' and puffin' like the Big Bad Wolf at times, but it's getting better.

I was a puddle on the ground this morning. I was not in the mood to get up. Jimmy was still in bed - he decided to take the morning off since he is training with Ray today (we're both trying not to overtrain. It's tough bc you feel good and you want to do more, but you have to listen to your body!). So when my alarm went off, he was snug as a bug in bed and I wanted so badly to stay there. Sigh.... But I knew that Ali would be at the gym waiting for me and my online workout buddies were counting on me, so I grumpily rolled out of bed and threw on workout gear and schlepped over to the gym. The cool breeze outside usually puts me in a good mood...not so much today. I enjoyed the crispness, but I also enjoyed my bed!!!!!

Warm up started...I was so ready to quit... jogging in place was a chore. I have blisters on my feet and they, like the little man in my head who apparently was using a megaphone today, were screaming at me. But I just stuck with it and kept telling myself just to push through - it would be over before I know it.

By the middle of the warmup, I was in a better mood already. My attitude was quickly fixed just by changing my focus from the warm cozy bed to the task at hand. I started to push and really dig deep. I was refocused - trying to put myself in the shoes of the people during the filming - pretending that there was a camera in the gym studio with me and Shaun was going to come to me at any second.

Mid way thru the first section of the workout, the little man in my head started yapping again. I thought - ok, maybe I'll just do this first half today...the second half kills me anyway. I shut him up fast. Tony Horton always says to do the exercises that you're bad at. We can all shine and do the easy exercises for days on end, but by doing the ones that we don't like so much (for whatever reason), we become better at them. For me, it's the getting up and down and just all the stuff in plank. My shoulders have been taking a beating. Dr. Piken worked on them some, but I still struggle with the second half of the Plyo Cardio Circuit. But I was determined to dig deep.

Looked at the timer...11 minutes left. I can do this!!!! So I gave it my all! Yes, there were breaks, but they were breif and just to stretch out my shoulders. It's like when I was doing ChaLEAN Extreme - I felt like I could've kept going with some of the exercises, but my forearms would crap out before my legs. I don't think of it as giving up - it just makes me want to work harder to improve in those areas!!!

I was spent by the end of the workout - the sweat was flinging in all directions - LOVE IT!!!!

My shoulders are singing to me this morning, but I will continue to stretch them throughout the weekend!


Onto other things....

I'm going home this weekend!!! Home = New Orleans

It's my grandmother's 80th birthday/Family Reunion. It will be nice to see everyone (even though there are some that I don't know their names...at my wedding, they'd come up to me and say "do you know who I am?!?!...I haven't seen you since you were THIIISSSSSS big" - like it was a game...I was not amused). Dad's picking me up late tonight at the airport and we're going to get up super early and drive to the bayou - that's where my Mom and my other grandparents are (my Mom splits time between their house in New Orleans and taking care of my grandparents). I can't wait to see them. I'm really close to them and being in NY and so far away from them is tough. I will only be able to visit with them for a few hours, but I'll take what I can get!!! I need my Mama and Papa "fix"!!!!

Looking soooooooo forward to seeing my fam- I need Mom hugs badly. Not that there's anything wrong, just sometimes you need them - like a squirrel storing nuts for the winter!!! I need to replinish my reserves of Mom hugs!!!!

I leave tonight - courtesy of Jet Blue! And I come back Sunday afternoon. It's a quick trip, but I'm so thankful that I am able to see them. Life is short and time should be made to spend with family!!!

back to INSANITY

OK - enough sap...

Today was INSANITY Cardio Power & Resistance.

Haven't slept well all week - not sure why...either tossing and turning or crazy dreams. I've come to the conclusion that the little man in my head has changed up his game plan. He's become a night owl. Thinking that by not letting me rest peacefully, I'll turn off the alarm and go back to sleep. Sorry, Charlie. I'm on a mission!!!

Walked over sleepy-eyed to the gym and just felt a little sluggish. Then I pushed play! It's amazing to me how my body just steps up to the plate. Like a well trained dog. The sound of Shaun yelling makes the hairs on my arm stand up. It's game time!

I love this workout! Granted, still LOTS of room for improvement, but I feel like I'm moderately OK at it!!! We all took breaks today, but I have to pat myself on the back for taking the least amount of breaks - really digging deep and pushing thru. I was on fire today! My endurance is picking up. I challenged myself to do two more pushups each time and to really pushed during the standing/jumping/squatting parts - just kept telling myself that if I'm not about to puke, there's no reason to stop!!! hey...whatever works!

Taking the advice from the brilliant Dr. Piken, I've been using recovery drink before, during and after the workouts. And I really haven't had muscle soreness and I feel like my recovery rate is really high. I'm also taking Beachbody's Performance Formula before workouts just to give me some oomph to get going. Both are golden. I feel great - and my energy thru the workout is consistent - no bonking. And man, oh man...the endorphins release is incredible. My moods are great and I have lots of energy throughout the day.

I'm eating close to my 2130 calorie recommendation a day. I feel like I'm eating all the time, but it's being put to good use! I don't feel heavy or bloated. I feel light and lean. Fueling your body with the right things makes SUCH a difference!!!

I just counted the days...Sept 16th is Day 60. I can't wait to compare my Before and Afters!!!

sweet rewards

I just have to take a time out from my INSANITY blog to just express how blessed I am to be a Beachbody coach - and I'm not using this to plug myself or pat myself on the back, but to give thanks. It's been something that is indescribable - I've been able to reunite with old friends and help them get started on a healthier path, I've made lots of new friends who I've helped get turn their lives around, and I've been introduced to some incredible trainers - some of the best in the industry! And as I sit here today, I'm just overwhelmed with it all...in a good way.

I feel like I'm making a difference, one person at a time. Paying it forward, one email and phone call at a time.

And each life that I help change is a unique gift. Looking back, I never thought that people would come to ME about healthy eating or working out. I used to be scrawny little Kel who ate Chick-Fil-A three times a day.

My eyes have been opened to lots of amazing information and it's helped me to make what some might think are drastic lifestyle changes, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I am in the best shape of my life and I feel better than I did 10 years ago!!! And I love love love being able to pass that information along to other people. It's not a secret. It's called hard work, dedication and making smart, informed decisions.

So thank you....this is an amazing opportunity for me and I'm so excited that it's just the beginning!!

back in the saddle

After 4 lonnnngggg days off from Insanity, I was back in the saddle yesterday!!

During those 4 days, I really rested - didn't do anything, and I was hyper aware of my hips and my abs. And for little bits here and there, I started to worry about what if I couldn't do Insanity - what if Dr. Piken told me that it's too insane for me. And it made me a little sad. Yes, there are a TON of other things that I can do and still stay in great shape. But it was about the challenge and this HUGE obstacle that I set my mind to and I was bound and determined to overcome it. So I was a little nervous about Monday's workout.

My abs and hips felt like they were finally cooperating, so I was ready to "ease" back into it...well, as much as I could (Pure Cardio was on the docket). I decided I was going to do what I could and stop if I needed to.

Ready or not, here we go!!!!!

I actually felt pretty good. My intensity probably wasn't as high as normal, but that was my way of easing back into things. I skipped one move toward the end - suicide jumps, but other than that, things were feeling pretty darn good. Dr. Piken said to get electrolytes in me before, during and after the workout, so I had recovery drink and water on hand and downed both. I also stretched my abs throughout the day and tried to keep them relaxed when possible. It was funny though, on my walk home from the gym, my obliques were already sore. They were DEFINITELY turned on now... thank you Dr. Piken!

Went to bed too late last night, but the alarm went off at the same time as usual...5am. We rolled out of bed, put on work out clothes and tried to get our minds right on the way to the gym. Walked into the gym studio, and Ali (one of the guys that works out at the gym that Jimmy was talking with about the program) was waiting for us...we had a workout buddy!!!!!

We were like Dorothy (me, obv!), the Tin Man (Jimmy with his hard bod!) and the Scarecrow (Ali, since he had no CLUE what was about to hit him!) - arm-in-arm, skipping down the yellow brick road into the forest where the wicked witch (the workout) awaited our arrival!

Today was Plyo Cardio - one that I've always felt good about...well, good about HALF of it! The second half usually brings me to my knees, crumbled in a puddle of my own DNA. I try not to think about the second half of the workout.

Focus on the moment.

We pushed play and off we went, singing our happy little tunes (the little man in my head was even singing along...he's been quite pleasant lately!!! He LOVES the endorphin rush!!). We were all doing relatively well, grabbing our knees and gasping for air at points, chugging water and recovery drink, stretching when needed. Then came round two. Man oh man. I have to say that I AM getting better, but being a sweaty mess and trying to do pushups on slick wood floors was even more of a challenge than not crumbling to the floor!!! I even had little hand grip things that I use for pullups - no good!!! It was like we were all trying to play Twister and Slip and Slide all at the same time!!!! I tried to wipe the floor between sets, but it was no use, the more I wiped, the more I'd sweat!!! But we finally made it to the end. Looking at ourselves in the mirror, we had flashbacks to the 90s and hypercolor shirts. All of our shirts had completely changed colors - soaked with sweat. The floor of the gym studio looked like we'd have poured a glass of water where each of us stood.

This was hard work.

And as I sit at work today, I am SOOOO thankful that my body has gotten back in sync and that I'm able to continue this battle.

ONWARD.........

grounded...

So I saw the brilliant Dr. Piken this afternoon for my weekly visit. I told him my hip flexors had been on fire recently. He did lots and lots of testing - trying to figure out the root of the problem. Nothing was testing as signs of weakness. Then he figured it out...my abs were shut off. Because of that, my hips flexors and my neck (area around my collar bone also oddly sore) were having to compensate to hold me up! He said that I've been pushing myself so hard and the abs are a hard group to stretch and so they shut off! So he did some massage work to turn them back on and to make my hip flexors relax. Night and day difference - I stood up and my hips were fabulous!!!!

But...

He said I need to take it easy for a few days til my body gets back in sync. So INSANITY will be on hold for a couple of days (which makes me a little insane!!) - but I will get up and do X Stretch tomorrow and give my body time to recover. I tried to go to yoga tonight (which he said was ok), but the yoga teacher had an emergency & had to cancel. Probably a sign that I need to lay on the couch and watch TV (I mean rest my over-worked body!)

I'm doing this for me - and so there's not an expected end date or final result. So I'm happy listening to my body and giving it the time it needs to heal. I feel like I'm one big science project - always tweaking things to see the outcome! It's exciting!!!

I am very thankful for Dr. Piken. He's a chiropractor, but he also does applied kinesiology and nutrition counseling. So he looks at the big picture. Which I think is amazing! And I'm so glad that I have him to monitor my progress - I really trust him. If you need a good doctor in NY - he's top notch!!! (And he's a Beachbody customer - doing Ten Minute Trainers!!!)

come back little grey bar!!!

Yesterday was my first day braving INSANITY alone...or so I thought! Jimmy was already out of the house by the time I rolled out of bed at 5am. He's going to Vegas!!! I liked having him with me to do INSANITY - we are great motivators for each other. So going at it alone was a little bit scary. On the docket...Cardio Recovery - which I heard was not really a "recovery"!!! So I popped in the DVD into my laptop at the gym and lo and behold, who's standing there looking back at me on the screen...JIMMY!!! Like a little angel sent to get me thru the workout! I totally forgot that he was in that DVD! So that made me smile and put me at ease...well until Shaun said "ready, go!"!!!!

The workout really was not bad - LOTS of holding and pulsing and core work. I was a sweaty mess once again!!! And felt really great and peaceful!

Got home last night - still feeling great despite the rain - and decided to work on Turbo Kick for a bit! I got thru the whole round without having to stop. My neighbors downstairs probably thought I was crazy - jumpin' around and talkin' to myself!!! Oh well! I was very proud of myself for getting thru it. Again...sweaty mess!! Slept like a baby last night!!!

Today's workout was Insanity Pure Cardio. And as I was getting ready to go to the gym, the mental prep started. I thought ok, I'm ready for some cardio, this will be good!!! I actually didn't have to do that much convincing - I was ready for it (and I think the little man living in my head was still soundly sleeping...shhhhh)!!

Not gonna lie...this workout is a bitch (pardon my French!)! I didn't realize that by "pure cardio" he meant "no breaks Cardio"!!! I loved that it was 2 rounds of differnet moves - no repeating moves - and that there were LOTS of people stopping to get water. I had a liter of water and a small shaker cup w/ 1 scoop of recovery drink - I downed them both and I think that I probably sweated them all out at the same time!

This is probably too much information, but I was drenched - I looked like a combination of the kid on Billy Madison that wet his pants and the chick on Flashdance. I was a hot mess. And had to do the Walk of Shame home with sweaty pants (guess it's not really a walk of shame - I busted my tail, I earned that sweat!...but the guy who passes me every morning for his morning smoke and stroll probably thinks I need adult diapers or something!)

Got thru the workout decently well - took a couple of breaks and I know that I will be able to push harder next time! I am proud that I made it all the way to the end of the workout (always an accomplishment not to be crumbled on the floor!!)!

I was really aware of my core today. Tried to really keep it tight throughout the workout. I felt solid! Don't get me wrong, I still felt like a ton of bricks on things like the high jump rope at the end and the switch kicks (which were like the second move and I was already dying!!) Looking forward to building more power in my legs to be able to feel light on those!

Another great mood day too - if nothing else - it's worth the sweat and early alarm to feel this great throughout the day! I haven't hit the afternoon slump like normal and I have tons of energy when I get home - hence yesterday's extra Turbo Kick session!!

Today will try to make it home in time for some Vinyasa Yoga - a nice treat for my bod!

Good morning, Shaun

Monday moring, 0500...Astoria, NY...alarm sounds

Little man in my head: "man, this is the most comfortable bed EVER...and it's cozy under the covers! Just cuddle with Jimmy for just one more hour."
Me: "nope."

Off went the covers and on went the workout clothes! Jimmy and I walked to the gym, laptop and water in hand, at dawn. (sounds like we're going to duel! well, we were...kinda!) Still sleepy-eyed and trying to get in the right mind frame to get our butts kicked!

We set up the laptop in the corner of the gym studio and pressed play.

I can't tell whether I like or hate that it starts out so fast. I guess it's good - sure wakes you up quickly so you can get the hard work goin'. Nothing like a heart rate of 175 within 20 minutes of waking up!!!!!!!!!

We were dripping - sweat was flingin' and our hands were so sweaty they were sliding all over the floor for the floor sprints! Serious DNA removal going on!

The little man...now awake and pissed off from being woken up at an ungodly hour, was just a fussin' at me. I literally was talking out loud to him during this workout. "KEEP GOING. I CAN DO THIS. I AM DOING THIS."

We made it to the end - not too bad - we took breaks and were huffing and puffing - but there was no vomiting or nausea today! I realized that I need to get some workout shorts - most of the pants that I wear to workout are usually capri length. By the end of the warmup, my pants are stuck to me and my shirt's come off (I'm in a sports bra...get your mind out of the gutters!!!!). Sweaty mess doesn't begin to describe it.

I make sure to wipe up the sweat puddles before we leave. Need to bring a camera to capture it one morning!

Got home, had Shakeology, prepped food for the day, got ready and came into the office. My mood was IN-CREDIBLE! I felt like I was on Cloud 9. Endorphins were kickin'!!!

So far soreness hasn't been bad. I feel it in my calves and the underside of my butt (Jimmy calls it where your butt smiles!). Lots of pushups today, so I'll see how my chest feels tomorrow - so far, so good!!! Recovery drink during this is a life saver!!!! But I feel like Bastian from The Neverending Story..."not too much (recovery drink)...we still have a long way to go!!!"

I've tried to up my calories for the day. I need to sit down and look at the food guide tonight - says I should take in 2130 calories to maintain my weight (which is what I'm trying to do!). That's almost double what I normally take in. So it will be an adjustment.

Had chocolate shakeology w/ soy yogurt, nut butter and almond milk for breakfast #1. Oatmeal w/ 10 grain cereal, protein powder, nut butter, chopped almonds and frozen berries (this was a BIG bowl of goodness!!!) for breakfast #2. An apple and almonds for AM snack. Leftover pasta w/ red sauce for lunch. Then I have celery and nut butter for my PM snack and will probably have salmon and brown rice and maybe a salad for dinner. And then I'll put in my food, and see if I need a little something before bed. I feel like an eating machine! But I need to - with this program I will be a lean, mean, eating and fighting machine!!!! ggrrrrrrrr!!!!!!

The amazing thing is that I don't feel tired at all. Yes, getting up at 5am wasn't all sunshine and roses, but I can't tell you how great it felt to tackle that first thing! Such an amazing way to start the day. And to have Jimmy there to tackle it with me made it that much better! But I feel so great right now that I'm going to hit up Power Yoga tonight!!!!

I think I'm going to take weekly progress pics - and then pics on the fit test days. My abs feel tighter already and my whole body feels strong. Looking forward to being able to see improvements as I go through the program. Taking less breaks, jumping higher, squatting lower - things like that. I know there were moves from the Fit Test that I can improve on form wise - and so my numbers from the Fit Test might go down, but now that I know proper form, there's no cheating!!!

Jimmy's travelling the rest of the week, so I'll be on my own. But I'll be up and at 'em at 5am every morning. It's like ripping off a bandaid - better to do it quickly than to make the anticipation drag on. Get it done first thing - then the rest of the day will be smooth sailing!!

It's begun

So the journey has begun!

I did the INSANITY Fit Test yesterday - here are the results:

Switch Kicks 60

Power Jacks 60

Power Knees 112

Power Jumps 50 (need to improve form)

GLobe Jumps 9

Suicide Jumps 19 (need to improve form)

Pushup Jacks 22

Low Plank Oblique 32 (need to keep butt down)

I'm not putting these up to compare to anyone else - this is just where I'm at.  I'm doing this for ME!

Did Plyo Cardio today - I got angry with it and pushed thru...and there were lots of breaks and  modifications at the end.  The second round of this workout kills me!!! (in a good way)  I was shaking and wanting to crumble onto the ground, but I had to silence the little man in my head.  When I was weak and ready to stop, I just remembered that fire that I have in me - and the vision in my head of me killing this workout (which that time will come!!!)!!    

I CAN do it.  I WILL do it.

This was a nice one to start with since we had the preview DVD, I was already familiar with what I was up against.

This weekend, I will write out my schedule for the first month of this adventure.  I want to still keep my yoga classes in the mix twice a week.  After putting my body thru this craziness, I'm going to need a little zen!!!

I know I'm going to be sore from this - I can already feel it in my lower back...this program is core city!!!!  

It's going to be one hell of an adventure...stay tuned!!!

The little man...

So I am getting ready to undertake a new workout program. It's called INSANITY. And it's aptly named. It's Beachbody's latest release and it's touted as the toughest thing they've ever put out. Jimmy had the privlege of being in three of the DVDs. He thought he was in great shape...until he went through the auditions and filming of INSANITY. He said he was nauseus in the warm up...I knew I had to try it but when he would describe these moves, I just kept thinking man, there is no way that I'm going to be able to keep up with this.



Why...why was that the first thought in my head?



I didn't know what these moves looked like, yet I chose a negative reaction as my first first response. Who knows, Jimmy may be fit, but it might be something that I could dance circles around him doing. I didn't know. All I knew was that he was wiped by the end of the shoot.



Far too often, we second guess ourselves and sell ourself short. I'm very guilty of it. I'm trying to get better at it. Trying to have more of an open mind about things and not to have an initial negative reaction. But it's tough. It's something that is so embedded that it's automatic. And it takes a lot of focus to change that.



As the delivery date of INSANITY soon approaches, I keep thinking I CAN DO THIS!!! I WILL DO THIS!!! And yet, like the little man with the hammer that lives in your head when you have a headache, this little man in my head keeps saying "are you sure??...this is some pretty intense stuff". Really?!?! Come on, man...



Then yesterday, I was poking around in my Coaching Back Office and there were testimonials up from the people who'd gone through the test group. I watched Alysia's first. 40 year old mother of twins. Holy cow. She looked amazing. I have to admit that I got choked up and a little teary eyed when I watched this. I want to be in that kind of shape after I have kids. Wow... The little man in my head grew quieter.



Later in the day, I watched Rachel's story. Rachel was a fit gal to begin with, but man oh man, she looked incredible after!!! The video showed her pushing through some of these moves and just giving it everything that she had! The little man stopped talking.



Then I realized what was making the little man in my head say all of those things. It wasn't fear or self doubt at all. I know that I can do those moves, even if I have to modify some here and there. I know my body well enough and I am comfortable doing modifications until I can go at full speed. I am also a hard worker and if I have a goal, I push to reach it. And I know that there's that fire in me - I see myself, in my head, doing these moves with the people in the video.

I know that I have it in me.

And I think I've figured out where the doubts are coming from.

laziness.

We can all get up and halfway sleep thru out workouts, or phone in some kicking, punching and squatting. But with INSANITY, there's no half-assing it. You have got to give 110% from the time the DVD starts til the time you crumble onto the floor in a pool of your own hard work.

And it always seems so easy to make an excuse as to why we should take the day off from working out - or just do something easy to say that we did something. Or to just stop mid-workout. We convince ourselves that these things are all acceptable and slowly start to get away from the hard work ethic and drive that started us on this workout journey to begin with. I do this a lot - I bust my butt and start seeing great results and then I get complacent with them. And then I just kinda coast thru and then fall off the wagon.

This is all changing.

With my June buckle down month, I really pushed myself and it felt soooo great. I have a refreshed spirit about the whole thing. I realized that I'm not doing it for anyone else but me. The time that I spend working out is time to work on ME...outside and in. And it is precious time, so I have to make the most out of it!

That little man in my head is an evil little man. He's going to be there when I push play, and when I am huffing, puffing and nauseus near the end of the workout. But I'm going to crush him quickly. He will not be able to stick around because I am a fighter and a hard worker and I am ready to tackle this!!!!

Here's what it looks like - let me know if you want to try it - we can tackle it together!!!

bit.ly/vdtuY

*stay tuned for before pics!

Dusty Bottoms 2009

We got back this morning from a really great couple of days in Jacksonville, FL.  The occassion: Dusty Bottoms 2009!  What's Dusty Bottoms you might ask???!  Let's see if I can give a short version...Jimmy & I got married in 2003.  Jimmy had two friends that he went to college with, Dave & Erin, and he invited them both to our wedding.  Dave & Erin had a past - and they were coming unbeknownst to the other...long story short, it was a good thing that they both decided to come to our wedding.  They began dating again and got married New Year's Eve 2007.  They had one of the neatest weddings - it was laid back and low key - and we met and got to know some really great people.  We all said that we'd love to get together every year since we all became close friends - we said this after our wedding, but it never happened.

  A few months after the wedding, we started sharing pics from the wedding week - and we thought we should give our little group of friends a name - after much debate, we decided on The Dusty Bottoms!!  And we immediately began talking about this group get together.  Last year, Dave's parents were nice enough to let us all use their house in the NC mountains - it was GORGEOUS and relaxing - so nice!!!!  And it was like we'd never been apart!  We played lots and lots of Nutso - our favorite game!  So after that great week, we began taking suggestions for next year's get-away.

  Dave & Erin moved from the West Coast back to Dave's hometown of Jacksonville, FL.  We were still trying to figure out a cost effective place for us all to go.  Dave & Erin came up with a brilliant idea for us to come to their new house!  DONE!  We all booked tickets and flew down for an extended July 4th weekend!

  Jimmy & I had a tough June and we were looking for a much needed exhale!  We got to the airport with no problems - only to see that we were delayed...2 hours...then 3 hours...finally boarded about 3 1/2 hours late and arrived in JAX around 2:30am!!  We felt awful since Dave & Erin offered to pick us up from the airport.  But they were troopers - Erin & Emi came in the DB Mobile!  None of us remember the conversations on the way home - we were just all glad to be there!

  Thursday was nice & relaxing - slept in, did Insanity with Erin (she did SO well!!!), made breakfast, took the dogs for a walk and started dinner preparations - it was grill time!!!  Dinner was so nice - almost everyone that could make it arrived - Amy was the only one left to come in on Friday.  Jimmy learned how to play Nutso - wasn't his cup of tea which surprised me,  I thought his competitive nature would come out!  It was a little too chaotic for him!

  Friday was beach day - halleluia!!  After almost 4 weeks straight of rain in NYC, I was jonesin' for some Vitamin D - not to mention sand and the ocean!!!  It was HOT HOT HOT!!!  But sunny and so nice!!!  I was in hog heaven!!!  Jimmy and I have decided that when we move out of NYC, it has to be near the water!   The water was cool - but just the right temp to cool your feet off!  It was my first time in the Atlantic Ocean - so I can now say that I've put my feet in the water coast to coast!!  We left the beach right before the daily afternoon shower - had a great lunch.  It truly felt like vacation!  Then it was time for a nap and then Amy came in.  All hail, the gang's all here!!!  Pasta was the feast of the night - YUMMY!!!  Some of Dave & Erin's friends came over for some hot and heavy rounds of Nutso - good times!  

  Playing Nutso always makes my heart smile - my parents used to have couple friends come over when I was little and they'd all play Nutso - and now we're playing it with our couple friends.

  Saturday was what vacation was all about...relaxation!  I napped and napped and napped some more!!!  We all did - and didn't feel guilty about it for one minute!  We went to the Riverside Market - lots of fresh veggies and crafts.  The goal was to take pics of whatever we wanted to put on Dave & Erin's living room wall - they had a bunch of frames and wanted their friends to help fill them!  Such a fun project!  It was so nice out there - and I think we got some great shots!  Saturday evening, post napping, we went out to the park to check out the fireworks.  We were supposed to be at a great spot to see a couple of fireworks displays.  Dave was nice enough to check out my camera and give me some tips about what all the settings were.  I had the tripod all set up to capture the fireworks...and when they actually started, everyone in front of us stood up and I was too short to take pics!!!  Doh!  But the fireworks that I could see were nice!  We went back to the house and popped some fireworks of our own!  Hadn't done that in years!!!  Good times!

  Then we had to pack.  Seemed like we'd just gotten settled!!!  This vacation flew by.  We were back home in NYC before we knew it.  But instead of needing a vacation from the vacation, it was so relaxing.  We came back feeling refreshed and renewed and ready to tackle what lies ahead!

   June was a long month filled with ups and downs and tough challenges and amazing experiences.   I almost feel a little lost with where to go from here - it's going to be a hard month to top, but the hard work picks back up tomorrow.  

  July's goals - consistent morning runs, yoga twice a week, studying Turbo Kick rounds to be able to teach by August 1st (if not throwing in some guinea-pig test classes before then) & working in INSANITY with my P90X workouts after it comes out mid-month.  

  In addition to fitness stuff, personal goals - consistent morning writing, doing a better job of keeping up with housework and making dinner at night, and most importantly spending some quality time with Jimmy.  June was so go-go-go and we are looking forward to being able to focus on each other.

  I'm not sure what God has in store for us, but I know big stuff is on it's way - and we're just trying to be open and receptive to what that's going to be!!

A little goes a long way...

It's been too long since my last post - I'm going to try to be better about this...

June has been a buckle down week for the Nelsons! Jimmy and I were asked to go on QVC to help promote P90X with Tony Horton. We were STOKED! So we had about a month's notice and my goal was to feel confident enough in a sports bra to justify spending $42 to get a nice one from Lululemon! Some might think it's silly - or I'm sure I'll get the - whatever, you look great in whatever you wear - comments. But it's my @$$ (and abs and the rest of me) out there for all the world to see - and since I was literally going to be a product of the product, I wanted to do them proud!!

I was also studying and training to get my Turbo Kick certification. This means that I'll be able to teach Turbo here in the city - and once I get my Group Certification, I'll be able to teach in gyms!

Jimmy was buckling down to do a photo shoot with our dear friend, Stephen Mosher. He wanted to see how lean he could get and really want to see those abs pop! So he started working with his trainer, Ray, and our chiropracter, Dr. Piken, to start leaning out. The photo shoot was scheduled for the Thursday before our QVC appearance.

So I started adding in morning cardio and afternoon either yoga or lifting. Also started adding in weighted ab routines. Nothing crazy, just raising the intensity. And also sticking to a semi-regular diet - eating every 2 -3 hours and eating very clean.

Jimmy's plan was a mixture of at least two workouts a day (a third weighted ab workout if he was up to it in the evening) and then rotating carb and no carb days.

The month was full of ups and downs - the alarm always seemed to go off way too early, we were both exhausted by the time we saw each other at night, and our moods were all over the map! But we were seeing great progress and were determined to meet our goals!

The day of Jimmy's photo shoot was a bit hectic - he also booked a print gig that same day that ran WAY longer than he thought - but he finally made it to Stephen's and the digital pics that I've seen so far are amazing!! I can't wait to see the real pics!

Then came the big weekend!!! I went to my Turbo Kick certification and had a BLAST!!! I worked my butt off for 8 hours, I was dripping with sweat and have my fingers crossed for the coveted GOLD level certification! From there, we hopped on the train to Philly for QVC.

We arrived at our hotel in Philly at 10pm - had to be downstairs by midnight to head to the QVC studio for our 2am spot. So that gave me one hour to sleep before getting a shower and trying to look somewhat awake! My body was wiped - and I had only just begun. Of course, my mind was racing and I just laid in the bed for an hour. The shower was nice and helped with the soreness that had already begun to set in. I joked with Jimmy that it's a good thing we didn't fly to Philly - the bags under my eyes would have exceeded the weight limit!!!!!!!!

So we got ready and went to the lobby to meet the others - Jenny, Kit, Katie, Doug...and Tony Horton!!! I was excited and nervous. This is someone who has been part of my life for the past 5 years - almost every day - and yet he's a stranger. So we finally meet - and I give him a hug - and I tell him that he smells good.....WHAT!?!?! sigh...stupid filter...never works when you need it to!! So we get to the studio and go thru some blocking on set and have a game plan. The first show went really well and the producers seemed happy - we sold over $100,000 in one hour! Not too shabby!!!

Get back to the hotel room and it was after 4am. We crashed. I woke up at 8:30am and my whole body was screaming at me!!! I laid in bed for a while - working out the knots in my hips and trying to stretch out my shoulders. Tony wanted to workout at the gym next to the hotel and i thought, maybe I'll just go run on the treadmill while they workout. But then when I put on my workout clothes, my attitude changed and I started thinking - man, I am so blessed. I have the opportunity to workout out with one of the top trainers in the nation...FOR FREE!!! So my adrenaline kicked in by the time we hit the lobby. Off we went to the gym...it was going to be chest and back - Lord give me strength! First move...wide grip pullups! EEK! I have been seeing Dr. Piken because I did something to my rhomboid and I haven't done a back workout in probably a week and a half. Luckily, everyone was super supportive - and we all spotted each other. Then we did some pushups on a stability ball - then chinups - more pushups - then what seemed like a bazillion dips. I struggled with these. But Tony was great - he grabbed my ankled and spotted me. And it was no big deal - there was no pressure to try to show off or anything. I did what I could and was proud of that. We also did lawnmowers, heavy pants and some killer pushups with our feet on a Bosu ball and each hand on a medicine ball - CRAZY!!!! It was kinda cool - because the local gym rats would sit there and watch what the guys were doing - and after we'd go to do something else, you'd see them try it!! I kinda felt like we were his little posse!!! It was an amazing hour!!! An hour that I'm STILL sore from...3 days later!!!

After a quick shower, we headed back to the QVC studio for spot #2 - this one was our best one I think. We let Jimmy lead it and we all did what he did. It took your mind off of what to do next - and Jimmy did great! Dinner after spot # 2 was so fun! It was this great tapas restaurant with lots of yummy options! We were also celebrating Tony's 51st bday a few days early - so they brought out some gluten free chocolate lava cakes for all of us to share - DIVINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spot #3 was the best as far as sales went - pulled in over $400,000 in that last hour alone!!! That's a lot of people wanting to get fit!!! Total was over $900,000. A-mazing!

Got back to the hotel and we started talking to this woman - turns out it's Joel Osteen's Mom - and the whole Osteen family was staying at our hotel!!! They were in town for a wedding. So we got to meet Joel and his family. Some of the warmest and sweetest people I've ever met!

Finally got in bed right at midnight. Car pickup was for 4:50am. Ouch... So I was up at 4 to shower and get ready for work - I'd be going straight to the office from Penn Station. Monday was a LONNGGGGG day. I would say that I was running on fumes, but I was wayyy beyond that!!! 12 hours of workouts in 2 days - I was one pooped Cajun!!!! All I kept thinking during the QVC spots was "Dr. Piken will fix me on Monday...Dr. Piken will fix me on Monday" And fix me he did!!!! I'm still sore now, but I am much better. I gave myself one hell of a beating this weekend! And it was all so worth it!

Then - last night I went over to Stephen Mosher's for a little photo shoot. I'd been wanting to sit for him for FOREVER - and the stars magically aligned and we made it happen!!! First half of the shoot was for his project black, white & bare. I chose black. I was a little self conscious at first, but Stephen was great and it was more like coffee talk than pose and say cheese! The second half of the shoot was just fun stuff for me. I took pics in some workout wear to promote our Beachbody stuff - and also to be able to pub my Turbo Kick classes. Then I just did a fun one in Tshirt and jeans. He is truly and artist. He sent me a couple of digitals (he usually only shoots in film, but he has a little pocket digital camera that he'll take a couple of pics with) - wow...he created muscles and poses that I never thought possible. I can't wait to see the film...have to wait til next week for those!

So my month of buckle down has produced some incredible results. I am Turbo Kick Certified, I got to meet, work and workout with Tony Horton and I have a gorgeous set of pictures to document my progress.

Life is good!!

Jimmy and I are leaving tonight to go visit the Cohens and the rest of the Dusty Bottoms in Jacksonville. It will be nice to exhale and relax with friends!

July's goals are starting to shape up...learn Turbo rounds to start teaching by August (if not sooner), tackle INSANITY when it comes out on the 13th, and continue my healthy eating and morning cardio!

Let the sun shine....

So I was going to vent a little about "National Donut Day" - but it got a little to negative. And the sun started shining on this doom and gloom kinda day, so I thought I should spread a little positivity!!!

Lots of blessings have come our way -

We are signing up lots of new coaches to our Beachbody Coaching Team - I'm so so so stoked that so many people are wanting to change lives and make a difference!!! It's a great win-win opportunity - we help people transform their lives, and Beachbody pays us! Not a bad gig if I do say so myself! Anyway - lots of people are coming to us about this great opportunity and it makes my heart happy!!! (Not to throw out a shameless plug, but...) If you'd like to hop on the Coach-wagon with us, please let me know! It's so rewarding - in more ways than one!!

Jimmy and I are both starting a new chapter of our lives...no, we're not pregnant...we're both studying to be Group Fitness Instructors!!! Studying starts today and we test in mid-July. My goal is to be comfortable enough with it to be able to start teaching Turbo Kick at our local gym by the end of the summer! I'm also getting certified in Turbo Kick at the end of the month. It's a specialty certification and I'm REALLY excited about it!!!! I'd like to start teaching at a rented studio in Manhattan ASAP maybe once or twice a week to get practice before going to the gym! I'll post details on that as soon as I get that certification (at the end of June!) - I'll be looking for guinea pigs to come workout with me to help me get comfortable teaching TK! Stay tuned for those details!!!
I'm a little nervous at the short time frame before the GFI certification - but there's a study guide that breaks it into a 30 study period, so that will be handy to figure out where to start and what to learn!! Then there's the practical part of the exam. I'm not terribly worried about it - but I think I'll feel more comfortable once I bury my nose in the book and start becoming familiar with things! Like most things - I have a fear of the unknown!!! But I'm so thankful that Jimmy will be there with me!!

We joined a local gym - Evolution Sports Club. It's a gorgeous gym that's a few blocks from our house. They offer free yoga and spin classes - along with a bunch of other classes! Goal is to hit yoga twice a week which will be so great (Jimmy's rockin' the spin classes)!! Went to Vinyasa yoga last week - soooo nice! I'm bummed that I'll miss it this week - I'll be running in a 5K for work!! But this where I'd like to teach - so I'm so excited! They have a gorgeous studio and are getting ready to add on an additional studio! I've also started running each morning - just have time for about 20 minutes each morning - but man, it is a great way to start my day!
I never thought of myself as a "gym person" - but I've really liked going! Granted, I go at 5:30am during the week and about 7 or 7:30am on the weekends - so it's pretty empty! But it's just nice to be able to add something else to my workout repertory! I'm still lifting and doing other workouts at home - but nice to change things up now and then!!

I read a great book called The Writing Diet by Julia Cameron - and in it, she talks about writing Morning Pages - 3 handwritten pages in a journal each morning. It's a way to unlock your creativity and to help get pent up feelings out on paper, so you can be more productive! So now I set my alarm for 5am each morning and write for about 20 minutes - then head over to the gym for my morning run. It's a perfect way to start my day - clear headed, focused and ready to conquer what lies ahead! Nice to have that "me time" first thing in the morning. Sometimes Jimmy comes to the gym with me - which is fun - but I like the writing first thing - nice quiet, peaceful way to start my day. And TOTALLY worth the early alarm!!!

I picked up The Writing Diet to help people who over eat, say they have problems sticking to a meal plan and give into snack attacks. I found it to be really enlightening. I'm not looking to lose weight - but like most people, I sometimes succomb to cravings - be it a piece of dark chocolate or ordering out for lunch instead of eating what I prepared. Jimmy and I are getting ready to shoot a couple of spots for P90X on QVC at the end of the June. So June 1st we began being really mindful of our workouts and our food intake. Just pushing ourselves to be at peak performance by the end of the month. It's been a lot of hard work - and we're starting to see really great results....anyway...so the book has been really great with helping me during those times when an Amy's no cheese vegan pizza tempts me (I eat the whole thing...sigh). I highly recommend it - it's a quick read and full of really great info - why we overeat, why certain things tempt us, how to get around those pesky cravings and lots more!!!

Sunday Funday workouts in Central Park are going really well. We've had new faces come each week and are excited to see people come back each week!!! It's been GORGEOUS the past 3 weeks - so it's a great start to Sunday - working out with friends in the sunshine! We met this man - his name is Jimmy - he's got to be in his mid-70s - he's there doing his yoga stretches every Sunday - and he gets on the pullup bar and does some amazing balance stuff. He blows my mind! Said it's all because he started doing yoga about 30 years ago. I want to be that strong and agile when I'm his age. He's an inspiration!!! (Another shameless plug...) If you want to join us for Sunday Funday workouts - we meet at the Northwest corner of 85th Street and 5th Avenue at 10am each Sunday. Most of the workouts are Legs and Back - some chest work if the ground's dry! And it's suitable for all fitness levels - we have modified, regular and advanced moves for everything! So bring a friend...or two!!!

As a result of my Morning Pages - I've found my way back to tap class! It's been probably close to 3 years since I was in class last - so I was a bit nervous that something that I'd like to think I was pretty good would be gone. I think I held my own - its was an Advanced Beginner class - there were some challenging things, but I wasn't the weakest in the class - not the strongest in the class either - which is just fine by me - gives me something to work at. I was just so thankful and happy that I still had it...a bit rusty, but it'll come. It felt so great to be back in my taps!!!

I'm sure there's more - but that's about all I can think about for now. God has been really good to us - and we're so thankful for the many blessings- and excited to see what lies ahead!!!

Forget Cloud 9 - this is Cloud 2620!

So I just had probably one of the most AMAZING weekends of my life!

Saturday...

So I signed up to become a Turbo Kick Instructor - and with the sign up, I got to go to a VIP workout with Chalene Johnson!  She's one of my heros and I was SOOO stoked to get this opportunity!!!

The workout was KILLER - I had so much fun - I've never been so sweaty in my life!  Words can't describe how great it was!!!  We did the new Round 37 followed by a little Hip Hop Hustle.  If you haven't heard of Turbo Kick or Hip Hop Hustle - you should - everyone needs something this great in their lives!!!  www.turbokick.com 

So at the end of the workout, Chalene's husband, Brett, and Mike Karpenko walk in - 

(side note...Mike is a personal trainer extraordinaire!!!  He helps create test groups for new workout programs and is just a ball of energy - he could literally talk about fitness ALL DAY LONG - he's a wealth of knowledge - I worked with him to come up with the female/beginner version of the Minute 2 Minute Challenge - and this was my first time meeting him...great first impression - I looked like a drowned rat - and I probably smelled like hard work!!!)

So the guys come in and wanted to see our Hip Hop Hustle and then the Turbo section for Round 37 (which we'd already done about half a dozen times)...so we crank both out - trying not to collapse from exhaustion - they were videoing up - so we HAD to step it up!!!

After the workout - Chalene was so gracious with her time - she took pics and talked with everyone - I was able to talk to her and Brett - they are great people...some of the most genuine people I've ever met.  It was such a treat to get to start my day (and this incredible weekend) with them.  I just wish they lived closer!  I would LOVE to be in her workout class every day - she is such a ball of energy - and that's an understatement - she went 90 to nothin' from the very first shoulder roll of the warm up - and just brought up the energy level of the room - it was amazing to see one woman get so many people to push themselves - and all have smiles on their faces!!!

And the cool thing was that she realized who I was before I even said hello.  I tagged her in a pic of Kasey and me from Kasey's wedding - we were flexing - showing off our ChaLEAN Extreme results!  And she and Brett both brought it up.  These people meet SO many people - and I was so awe-struck (if that's even a word) - that they remembered ME....wow....

After the workout, I was in such a fog, I was randomly walking around the streets of New York trying to figure out what I had to do next!!!  Finally figured that I needed to go to Whole Foods!

So I went grocery shopping and got the makings of a feast!  Jimmy and the gang were on their way in - and Adrian and I were going to make them a welcome home dinner.  They wouldn't be home til later in the afternoon - which ended up being really late because they got a flat tire on the way - so I had lots of time to kill.  I tried to take a nap...twice, but I was still so excited from my workout with Chalene that I couldn't sleep!!!  So I cooked!  

My part of dinner was this AWESOME vegan (and healthy) spinach artichoke dip, pico de gallo, veggie fajitas, and a take off on Tony Horton's Stick Roll recipe - I'll post the recipe at the end of this if I remember!!!  Adrian was making skirt steak for peeps that wanted meaty fajitas and this mango, red onion salad and these great little cucumber and hummus sandwich things.  He's gourmet all the way - I'm like I made dip!!  And he's like I made homemade hummus and put it between two thinly sliced pieces of cucumber and topped with a dash of cumin!  (They were incredible!!!)

So they finally arrive close to 10:30 - exhausted and starving!!!  We chowed down!  And then all passed out.  Well...we laid in the bed - I don't think I slept - my mind was going a million miles a minute processing the events of the day - and having Jimmy back in the bed and getting used to him tossing and turning!  

SUNDAY...

The day started at 6:30 - woke up to sun shine and pigeons cooing (they camp out on our fire escape!) - we all got ready and drove into the city.  It was my first time being in a car in the city that wasn't a cab.  It was kinda fun, but I was so nervous about the crazy cabbies swerving!!  Luckily it was Sunday morning, so traffic wasn't bad!

We got to Chelsea Studios - had a great set up - 3 rooms - one for checkin and product set up - and the two rooms for workouts.

Mike and Shaun T arrived along with a slew of people for the day's workouts.  We did 4 workouts and had full rooms each time - SO great that so many people came out to support us and workout with Shaun and Mike!

I didn't get to workout since I was helping facilitate the event, but man, it was intense!!!  After the workout, I finally got to meet Shaun - he's so warm and friendly - I just wanted to hug him!!!  

The guys from Bar Master Extreme came out too.  These guys are ridiculous - google them and look them up on You Tube.  The things that they do blow my mind!  So it was nice to talk with them and show them what we do - and they showed us a little of what they do.  

After the workout, we were all starving.  So we went to one of our FAV spots - Blockheads for burritos!  So nice to sit outside in the sun - although it was pretty chilly with the wind - no complaints...it was SUNNY!!!!  Mike came with us - and so it was great to pick his brain about different things.  He's AWESOME.  

So during the walk to Blockheads, he said his friend Brett Hoebel might be joining us.  Brett Hoebel is the creator of the HIGHLY anticipated REV ABS - it's a capoeria based workout that is ridiculous.  I drool every time I see the promo clip!  So when he showed up, that was the icing on the cake.  

Wow - talk about a guy that knows his stuff.  Brett really is the total package of trainers.  He's not just a pretty face hocking some DVD that he shot.  He really knows his stuff - and listening to him talk not just about REV ABS, but just about personal training and stuff - made me want to go get my PT certification TONIGHT!   Mike is the same way.  Sitting next to them after lunch was such a treat - I was like a little sponge trying to absorb as much as possible (without letting my mouth hang open!!!)

It really made me realize how fortunate I am.  And it's thanks to Jimmy...among other things.  4 1/2 years ago, Jimmy wanted to get Power 90.  I wasn't too keen on it because he had a gym membership, so I didn't really see the point.  But that first step opened SO many doors for us.  I look back on the last 4 1/2 years and of all the turns our path has taken.  And I'm so excited to see what the next turns will be.  I am so thankful that fitness has worked its way into my life.  I was the little Cajun who ate fried fried and didn't workout - and now I crave a good sweat and healthy food!  And now, as a coach, I want to help SO many other people change for the better.   Getting Turbo Kick certified will be my first step in this next chapter.  And I'm stoked!!!  My friend, Diane, is going to start coming over on Fridays to work on stuff.  She got certified in April and is trying to learn the rounds to be able to teach - and I want help with form and getting prepped for the certification!

And also to be able to meet all these celebrity trainers - these people are my heroes - and I got to meet them all in one weekend!  It was truly an amazing weekend.  When I think back on it, it seems like a dream.  A VERY VERY GOOD DREAM!!!!  

Oh - here's the "sticky bar" recipe:

1/2 cup dry oats

1/4 cup nut butter

1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology

1/2 banana

Cook the oats according to the package (I got organic instant oats and made them in the microwave)

Let the oats cool.

While the oats are cooling - mix the nut butter, Shakeology & banana (I mashed up the bananas with my hands) in a bowl.  Add the oats when they're cooled.

Stir - it will make a pasty-puddingy consistency.

You can form it into a little brick either on wax paper or foil.  I put mine in a glass cassarole dish (I quadrupled the recipe) and covered it with foil.

Freeze for about 90 minutes.

I left mine in the freezer for half the day - so it needed to thaw a little before serving - it was hard as a rock!  A good rock!!

Enjoy!!

In the words of Michelle Tanner...how rude!!!!

I just don't get it - maybe I've just lived a sheltered life surrounded by positive people? Maybe my parents and the parents of my friends taught us right? Maybe it's stress, being overworked, lack of sleep...whatever - there's just no excuse for rudeness.

Lately - I guess in the past month or so - I've encountered some REALLY RUDE people on Facebook. People who I don't really know, making rude comments about pictures that I never asked their opinion of (and I don't really care what it is) or making uncalled for comments about my status messages. And not just on my pics or status messages - I've seen it on other people's status messages. Mainly, friends who are posting good, positive messages about changing their lives and becoming better people - they're shot down by rude, sometimes hurtful, comments from others.

I would love to know what provokes people to do these things - to deliberately write something mean or nasty or hurtful or just plain rude to someone - when that person is just trying to do the right thing.

Maybe I'm overly sensitive - I've already blogged about trying to overcome physical issues and the downright hurtful things that people say (still dealing with it...maybe people didn't read my blog about it!!) - and it just feels like whenever I read something like that (either on my page or someone elses page), I just feel like I've been punched in the stomach. The hurtful things that have been slung my way are from people that don't know me - or my situation - and haven't bothered to ask - they just sling their negative words my way thinking that they're intervening and saving me....and part of me wants to write back (as I'm sitting there crying) - but on the other hand...they're not worth it. I've tried explaining myself - and instead of apologies, I get "well, my friend had an eating disorder and you show the classic signs of it - and so many people are in denial about it" I'M FINE...I'M HEALTHY (probably a lot healthier than the people leaving the nasty comments) Don't these people think that I have a family that loves me and if I was in some sort of danger, they'd look after me?!?!

The people writing these hurtful things just need to stop and think about what they're getting ready to write before they write it.

I've read a couple of places that you should clean house of all the negative influences in your life.

I have my Facebook page for personal reasons - and also to share about being a Beachbody Coach and helping people become healthier and more fit. So I have lots of people that I'm not personally close with as "friends" on my page. Part of me thinks - just delete the rude people - but at the same time, they probably need a little positivity in their lives. And if I can break thru to them (even if it means taking some rude comments now and then from them) - then so be it...maybe they're not getting any positive vibes from anyone else. Maybe I can help change them?

Realization

So my Uncle Tony (he was my godfather - I call him Parren) passed away - it was a very hard thing - he was a man full of energy and life - always had a smile on his face and never met a stranger.  He lived "on the bayou" - meaning in South Louisiana - Galliano - it's Cajun country - people who love their red beans, etoufee, jambalaya, anything fried and beer to name a few.  Needless to say, the health of the average person there is probably average to poor (and that's probably being conservative).  Many people have cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's, on dialysis, going through chemo, and so many other things.  The more I've learned about healthy eating and healthy lifestyles, there's one thing that I've learned - most of these conditions are preventable or reversible - with a little bit of effort and simple lifestyle changes.

Yesterday was the funeral - it was tough - very touching - I'd never seen that many people at a funeral before.  The line was out the door and down the street - one man said that he waited 2 hours to get in (they stopped the line at one point to say the rosary) - another couple said they tried to come in the first time and couldn't get in, so they came back a second time and were able to come in.  And another couple tried 3 times!  He was an amazing man to touch that many lives.

It was weird though - as a health conscious person - to be down there - and to see all of the food (you can't even begin to imagine all the stuff that was brought) - all creamy ,buttery, fatty, starchy foods - and eating all that stuff was what killed my Parren - and these people were stuffing themselves full of it - not caring about their health (I heard 2 people say that they were fat and they didn't care - and they would eat what they wanted and died when they did) - it really opened my eyes.  To me, that was just as sad as losing my Parren - these are all people that I care about - and you'd think that after my Parren died, people would have a real wakeup call.  And there were tons of excuses - it's stress eating, I need comfort food, all this has to be eaten...........  sigh...

When my Parren was in the hospital in Mobile, he told my Nannie that they needed to clean up their lifestyle - they needed to start eating better and they needed to start exercising.  So I was hoping to see a little bit of an effort.  But I'm hoping that in the weeks and months to come that they can babystep to that - and that maybe Jimmy and I can help them.  It's just a little disheartening when I make myself a piece of salmon and a salad and people grimace, look at me like I have 5 heads and say "what's that" (and not in a curious way - more like a "that's gross" way).  Or if I decide to have a little indulgence - I had a little mac and cheese and a couple of beers - EVERYONE jumps down my throat "you can't have that" - or - "Kelly - you drink beer?!" - or - the one I always hate "Ella, you need to eat or you're going to be skinny like Kelly"  - a)I did this out of my own choosing b)it's not a cult or a religion - it's clean, healthy eating c) if I choose to indulge, that's my choosing and my problem - I don't need comments from the peanut gallery.  d)let's take a look in the mirror - I eat healthy and workout and I am healthy and full of energy...you eat like shit, are obese, don't workout and are always tired, irritable and feel like shit - YOU figure out which is a better lifestyle.

Like I said, my heart is saddened and my eyes were opened to what I saw and experienced.  I do what I do because I love to help people - but sometimes people make it so hard....

Thankful...

So I'm flying home tomorrow to be with my family. My Parren Tony (my Mom's only brother and my godfather) is in critical condition. He suffered a massive heart attack a week and a half ago - and as a result, the right side of his heart is not working and he's got a myriad of other things that have gone wrong. My heart is very sad.

He's lived a hard life - Vietnam veteran (suffers post traumatic stress disorder), likes Cajun Food, beer and doing the cay-ee-mon (it's a dance)! He's one of the kindest, most generous people you'll ever meet. And that's not an exaggeration. He would give you the shirt off his back or the last dollar in his wallet if you needed it - and without hestitation or wanting anything in return. He never knew a stranger and is always the first to step in to lend a hand. He never likes to see people angry or sad. And while at times it drives you nuts that he's always saying "why are you mad?" "what's wrong - don't be mad" and things like that - it usually did help break the tension and helped to make things better.

Unfortunately - this hard lifestyle of fried food, alcohol and stress is catching up with him. And I just hope that, because of this, the rest of my family will get a little wake up call and start making changes in their lives too.

Jimmy and I are health nuts - gym rats - whatever the label is that you want to put on it. And we've tried introducing healthier lifestyle options to our family. Some are taking notice and making baby step changes. Others make comments and continue on with the fried fried. I hope that through this process, we can help teach them little things to become healthier.

You can't blame yourself for other's lifestyles - but you take their hard lessons learned and use them to make good changes in your own lives so you don't end up down the same path.

Virgin Blog

Well...where to begin...

Not sure why I decided to start this - but I did. Figured it'd be a good way to get things off my chest. And let other people in on the adventures of Kel that normally just Jimmy gets to see (he thinks it's high dollar entertainment!)

So we'll see where this goes. No big plans for it. And I have to admit it makes me a little nervous - I feel like i have to live up to the wit and humor of my other friends that blog. Or write something thoughtful like Doogie Houser, MD....

So bear with me as I endure the growing pains of blogging!!!!