First Rest Day of the New Schedule

And I still haven't taken those photos!

That's okay. I may not take photos this week. I do need to take my measurements, at the least, just so I have a benchmark to see where I've come from.

As with most programs, I can't see the forest for the trees, unless I break it down visually. So I decided to do just that. Stars are where I will be taking measurements/photos (except that first time).

Colors:

Red is for the Fire workouts, which are intense cardio

Yellow is for the HIIT workouts

Purple is for the Stretch 40 days

Green overlay is for Strength workouts

Blue overlay is for the Core/Abs workouts

Once I did that, I could see the themes for the different sections. I could see how they build on each other.

Week 1: Build up. Sets the stage, gets the body moving.

Weeks 2-4: First HIIT cycle. 2 HIIT, 3 Fire, 1 Strength, 1 Ab, 1 Long Stretch workouts each week

Weeks 5-7: First Cardio/Strength cycle. 5 Fire, 2 Strength, 1 Ab, 1 Long Stretch workouts each week

Week 8: First Recovery. 4 Fire, 2 Ab, 1 Long Stretch workout

Weeks 9-12: Second HIIT cycle. 3 HIIT, 3 Strength, 3 Fire workouts each week

Week 13: Second Recovery. 3 Fire, 2 Long Stretch, 2 Rest Days!

Weeks 14-15: Second Cardio/Strength cycle. 5 Fire, 2/3 Abs, 2 Strength, 1 Long Stretch workouts each week

Week 16: Third Recovery. 4 Fire, 2 Abs, 1 Long Stretch workouts

Weeks 17-19: Third HIIT cycle. 3 HIIT, 3 Fire, 3 Abs, 3 Strength workouts each week

Week 20: Final Recovery. 3 Fire, 2 Abs, 2 Long Stretch workouts

Each section intensifies in time and scope. Weeks 17-19 will take some major motivation, but it will totally be worth the results, right?

This finishes 7 weeks before the wedding, so I may do Focus T25 or ChaLEAN during those weeks.

~Katie

Day 2 Reignited

Today was HIIT 15 and it was good! I worked hard, I got it in, and I worked out some soreness from yesterday.

I also:

Made my bed

Put my laundry in the basket

Went grocery shopping 

So all in all, good day for maintenance. We should start tackling the front room (again) tonight after dinner.

 

Yes, giving you pictures of my red, sweaty face motivates me. Mark 2 days off the calendar, Jeeves!

~Katie

Day 1. Again!

As I said, today's a new Day 1.

TurboFire Fire 30 was on the schedule for today. Wow. That class kicks me right in the tushie! And I enjoyed every minute.

Yay!

Let's get this gal some dinner!

~Katie

Back to the saddle

I've been pretty good this past week at getting back into the saddle. I may have been a bit heavy on the social side of the equation, though. 

And now, it's time to get back to the physical part of the equation: workouts.

Focus T25 just didn't mesh with me. I'm glad I bought it, because it's totally meshed with James! He loves it & has been really diligent about sticking to his workouts.

With that being said, it's really difficult for both of us to work out in the same house. There's not enough space for both of us to work out together, unless one of us is simply doing cardio on the cycle. So I need to either set up my garage gym, and really rearrange things out there for me to be able to get my workouts done, or figure out what early ass time I have to shove myself out of bed to get my workout in before his. Or give up my evenings & bogart the living room in the evenings.

Because the count-down is here. I have 187 days until the wedding. 27 weeks. 6 months & less than a week. And I'm not being proactive about my health. The past 3 months have all been back sliding. Understandable, but I know that I deserve to treat my body better.

So back to TurboFire, since I lent out ChaLEAN, I'm trying out the just plain TurboFire 20 week program. 

My biggest challenge will be sticking with it. I've been ditching programs partway through way too much. Time to commit.

I can do this!

I can also start making a number of meals again. Right? Bringing my lunch? What a concept!

~Katie

Things that have been done

Between my post yesterday and right now, many things have been completed!

The laundry is slowly getting done. James is the champion of this!

I cleaned off the tower of stuff in the bathroom, and found a solution for the toilet paper. You see, the kitty cat likes to destroy toilet paper, so we needed it handy, but enclosed. Solution: found!

I cleaned off the dresser top, mostly. There are still a few things to sort through in the big bin, but a solution is forthcoming! I found a place for my hats, too!

The kitchen counter has been cleared off!

Yay! Domestic progress!

~Katie

Maintenance

My goal for the next few weeks of my project is on maintenance. I've been good at taking the baby steps of interrupting negative self-beratement, and looking at situations more objectively.

I've have trouble biting off more than I can chew, and so I'm trying to stick with slow & steady. The need to just shut down still creeps in. The piling up of all the things to do and the nagging of all of the things in the back of my mind is still difficult to deal with.

We have so many meetings, appointments, and social engagements that it is difficult to say no in order to stay home &:

Clean up the backyard

Fix the sink

Fix the ceiling fan

Set up the studio

Work out

Sort through my books

Do the laundry

Clean & organize the front room

Make the bed

Etc

There are appointments that need to be made. There are some things that I could probably let go. And it's not easy to prioritize them. I can't do it alone. And I don't want to just drag someone else into doing it.

I need to work on communication & asking for help.

I need to take a long, serious, objective look on what I am okay with letting fall to the side. And also a long look at what the important things are.

I have time again! I can be social, but am looking at finding a balance. Most of what I'm struggling with is in the realm of maintenance. 

Maintaining my relationships

Maintaining my business

Maintaining my home

Maintaining my body & mind

Maintaining my career

And they all work together in balance. 

I tend to let one or two sections throw off the balance. My home, my mind, and my body often get the short end of the stick. Which ends up throwing off the rest. Time to dedicate parts of each week, or even day, to maintaining all of the parts of my life. And not just allowing time for fun, but making the maintenance fun.

~Katie

Numbers

The GABF weight gain is in. I am now working down from 174.9 lbs. That's 5+ lbs over a week and a half. And I enjoyed every last one of them. 

So now that I've had a week and a half to reset from the month+ of high stress, I can get back to routine. And that makes me happy!

I haven't decided if I'll stick with redoing T25, or doing TurboFire. I think I may restart TurboFire, since I enjoyed it more & have fewer issues with the moves.

 

The rest of this week is also alcohol-free. My liver could use the break.

Morning breakfast: Shakeology

Evening workout: TurboFire

I can do this! I will erase the effects of this week as quickly as possible with hard work & good nutrition choices. 

I'm worth having a healthy body. 

~Katie

Honestly? Not bad!

After a week of (many) beers, late night food, and running around all over Colorado, I am rather happy with my figure, still. 

That is a feat. I have most likely lost some muscle and gained some fat, but all is not lost. I maintained a good slim figure. And that puts a smile on my face! 

This is a poorly lit photo, but hello flat tummy!

Now, last push to clean the apartment & get out of here! Homeward bound today!

And I forewent buying all of the sugary snacks. We have some pretzel chips, wasabi peas, and waters!

Perhaps we'll pick up some apples along the way.

~Katie

Continuing the project

I will admit to struggling with this project. My first reaction to things not meeting expectations is to blame myself. I am struggling with looking at the situation & finding the lessons learned rather than simply the parts I failed to perform.

When someone doesn't have as good of a time as they expected, I blame myself. I wallow. I find all the ways that I failed that person.

I should have pushed myself.

I should have been more exciting.

I should have made more new friends.

I should have stayed out later.

I should have laughed more.

I should have been the life of the party.

I should have planned better.

These thoughts are dangerous. These are the thoughts that I'm trying to teach my brain to avoid. And it is so difficult to break the habit. It is so difficult to simply look at the situation with open eyes and accept it at face value: expectations were not met. 

What can be changed in the future to meet them? Do the expectations need to be changed? Does the preparation need to be changed? Does the approach need to be changed? Or was it all circumstantial?

My friend Christine has a motto: You are enough.

I am working to believe that deep down. I  am enough. 

I am enough. Whether I am exhausted physically & emotionally, I am enough. Whether I have doubts & question the future, I am enough. Whether the happy facade has left higher expectations from others or not, I am enough.

I am enough.

Strong enough.

Smart enough.

Loving enough.

Fun enough.

Kind enough.

Driven enough.

Forgiving enough.

Just plain enough.

Today, I am enough.

~Katie

Project Day 3 & 4

Yesterday, I struggled with willpower. I have been restricting myself so much lately, and set aside extra money for the trip just in case. I did not plan on spending the whole *extra* vacation budget in one place. I totally did.

I gave in. I bought everything that my heart desired. I just let myself go hog wild. And stopped when I reached my predetermined *extra* vacation budget.

And it felt good.

Until I was tempted to start second guessing myself and thinking that I had been horribly irresponsible.

And so I started looking into why it felt so good to just give in. And what I had done to prepare for it. And how it really was okay. Indulgent? Absolutely. But it was okay. It's not the end of the world.

Today, we set up for GABF & have the first session! It's so exciting!

And I made myself (and soon James) a delicious, and nutritious breakfast sandwich!

~Katie

Project Day 2

Yesterday was lovely. We walked around downtown Denver, ate a brilliant brunch at Snooze, then wiled away the early afternoon sampling beers and taking the tour at Great Divide Brewery. 

I knew that we needed to be ready to drive half an hour away at 5:30 pm, so I did quite well at moderating my beverage selection given the plethora of options.

We drove out to meet James' best friend from high school & freshman year roommate, who will be one of the groomsmen. They brought us to this adorable pizza joint up in the mountains. The pizza was to die for. They specialize in what they call mountain pie. The crust is thick & fluffy, great for dipping. We chatted & had a great time. It was great to see James & his friend reliving old times. You can tell how close they are.

My body was not behaving itself, and I hope I didn't ruin first impressions by having to make a swift getaway at the end of the night. 

All in all, we had a lovely day. Now, I'm going to see if we have gym access and get in a workout so we can go eat breakfast! We still haven't bought groceries, so dining out, it is!

~Katie

Mantra: I am a curious person who loves learning new things about people & places.

Working on the self-love

Right now, I'm sitting in a great condo in downtown Denver.

I have just completed a month of 12-16 hour days. Intense stress, and little time to devote to working out or eat correctly has me a bit more plump. I have managed to maintain my weight (win!) but have so much muscle atrophy. 

I have a tendency to beat myself up. I look at what I want and measure myself against that rather than measuring against where I've come from.

I have made leaps and bounds of improvement over my state in January.

I have come so far. It has not been easy.

In order to help turn my view of myself around, I'm focusing on having 100 days of self-empathy. 100 days where I build myself up, and support myself mentally. 

And it starts now.

I have worked hard. I have built a business from the ground up and I have the opportunity to participate in this awesome festival! I have worked hard and earned enough vacation & funds to take the whole week to explore this wonderful city with my fiancé. 

And we are going to have so much fun today!

~Katie