Presidential Active Lifestyle Award - PALA

I got mine! 30 minutes of activity each day, 5 days per week for 6 weeks. Mostly, I was logging every day, because everyday i was active. Either outside doing yardwork, inside doing housework, and simply exercising. I had two outlets to use to achieve the PALA award. 1 through teambeachbody and 1 through Sharecare.com.

I chose Sharecare.com & Dr. Oz because they actually made you accountable, not just by purchasing a product or nutritional supplement, but you actually had to log your activity for 6 weeks. That is how you see true results!

TDW1D4

I passed on the workout yesterday, I had a major headache so I had to pass - I was NOT happy either way!

I made up for it tonight though!

I successfully completed ChaLean Extreme Burn 3, Burn it Off, and Recharge.. 86 minutes of pure awesomeness!

I started with Burn it off, as i knew that was going to be more of a cardio/endurance routine and if i had to blow out weight training first i would not have the energy to get through it. I'm glad I made that decision too because my muscles were warmed up and ready to shake!

There was only 1 exercise I had to completely modify and that was Sumo Squat with Calf Raise. I could NOT get the form right with the weights, so after 8 reps I paused the DVD and started at 1 again with no weight just to perfect my form. I did 12 with perfect form with no weight - weight or not that was intense!

Finished up with Recharge which is a flexibility/stretching/Yoga routine and it felt delicious!

I had to indulge in the recovery drink for Burn 3 though, my muscles were shaking like crazy!

Then finished up with a nice shower to wash away the DNA!

Dig Deeper

TDW1D3

Yesterday was an odd day of sorts.

I went to bed around the same time I usually do, but instead of sleeping until my normal time I woke up at 0545. I tried to fall back to sleep, but ended up popping out of bed at 0611 BRIGHT EYED AND BUSHY TAILED!

No complaints here! I was able to get in a morning workout. I had forgotten how great a morning workout makes me feel! Most likely because I haven't worked out in the morning since 2005!

I enjoyed a cup of Orange Sunrise while I folded the load of laundry that was in the dryer from the night prior. That was the perfect meal pre-workout as it gave me some energy and took the morning hunger pang away.

The morning's workout was ChaLean Extreme Burn Circuit 2, and I brought it by increasing the weights, it was this day that i realized how strong I have become.

During the day I had to work through some panic triggers and a mild anxiety attack while my DH and I were running errands. Traffic is a major trigger for me, and we ended up getting stuck in a pretty bad traffic jam while out. I just kept focused on my iPhone and read some articles on the Spartan Race Blog to keep my mind off of it, and for the most part it worked. ( I ♥ my iPhone)

Later on that evening, when DH went to work, it was time to go to work on myself. I had to play catch-up so I popped in ChaLean Extreme Burn Intervals and Ab Burner; which was the designated workout for the day.

Let's just say i forgot what CE Burn Intervals was! Goodness!!! It's a combo of strength endurance training (low weight for a long period of time) and Plyo/Turbo Jam. You also have to use leg resistance bands for a lot of the lower body work. No complaints.. but OUCH!!

This program made me dig deep, made me sweat out A LOT of DNA, and pushed me passed my quit limit. Well, actually I pushed myself passed my quit limit. There were so many times i wanted to stop, not the program itself, but the actual exercise I was doing. I kept digging deeper, almost brought to tears a couple of times because i just could not do 1 more rep, or do that extra squat, or failing before time was up. I only had to stop on one exercise and that was burpees. I am NOT good at burpees AT ALL, and I never have been.. instead I did the modified version, which (with all due respect) is not easy, not that i expect it to be, but dang!

For the first time in my years of using the DVD programs I found myself watching the count down clock. This program was NO JOKE, and i had to keep watching the timer tick down or i was going to throw in the proverbial towel. I didn't feel comfortable until the clock reached 9 minutes, but those were the longest 9 minutes of my life! I had to keep telling myself.. "The Spartan and the Mudder are your goals, if you fail HERE you will fail THERE.. what are you made of? Dig Deep! Eeking out 1 more rep, 1 more squat, 1 more burpee is not going to kill you, it's going to make you stronger! You want to get over that wall right? Run through mud? Then you need to do this! Think about all of the wounded soldiers you are doing this for! They won't give up and they are disabled! You are able bodied so use it to it's full potential!"

That was enough motivational talk to get me through the tough spots. In fact, 90% of the time i was envisioning being at the Spartan and blowing through with such precision, speed and determination all because i trained, and trained hard. If i train easy i will fail, and failure is NOT an option.

I am not going to deny that I was sick to my stomach afterward, but after i had my recovery drink it settled it a bit and took my shaking muscles away. My system was TAXED.

This morning i can feel every single muscle in my buttox, abs, arms, and back and Burn 3 is on the agenda for tonight. At least my blister doesn't hurt anymore!

I think this quote by Bruce Lee​ fits perfectly into this blog post:
If you always put limit on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.

Rebirth

I read an interesting article this morning; it was 1 of a 4 part series, and it introduced the lesson of getting up when life knocks you down.

This article birthed a saying in my head that I will now claim as mine, it's long but who cares:

Being born was your first greatest obstacle and success in life, followed by a slap on your bottom by the doc. When life turns into an obstacle, go back to the doc and have them slap your bottom, instead of curling up in the fetal position.

Martin Luther King Jr. had this to say "“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge.”

Don't be afraid to ask for help, ever. Don't worry about how others judge you, you don't know what they went, or are going through and sometimes the embarrassment of seeking medical help keeps people from talking. Don't be quiet, scream it! You ARE always a work in progress! If you stop working on you, you stop living. Just like in school, you had a teacher then.. you still need teachers now!