Steady gettin' it thru the lazy days of summer...

Summer is my favorite time of the year. I love being outside in nature enjoying the warm weather, wearing the short shorts, and indulging in freshly grown fruits and vegetables. Living in California, there is no humidity which makes being outside even better. However, when the thermometer hits 100+ degrees, it can be hard to motivate yourself to get outside or get to the gym. However, once I begin a workout and get 2 rounds into my dynamic warm-up, I am always glad to be committing myself to one hour of total body therapy.

Being consistent with your fitness routine is the key to weight loss success and building the body you want. I have been consistently lifting weights 3 times a week, every week, for the past 4 years. I have been following the Turbulence training technique for the past 2 years and boy oh boy is it paying off. I look better than ever and the consensus at the gym is that I look like I"m 31 years old when I am in fact 41! Not bad, I'll take it.

Discipline pays off. As a personal fitness trainer, I know that it takes both exercise and diet discipline in order to look and feel good. You cannot work off a bad diet and the best meal plan in the world is useless if you don't challenge your muscles regularly. Sure, there are days when I would rather sit by the pool and sip margaritas. And yes, there are days when I want nothing more than to eat ice cream but if I want to look and feel the top of my game, I know that I have to sweat for one hour each day and I have to be aware of what I'm putting into my mouth.

While at the gym on Monday, it seemed like everyone was in slow motion. I struck up a conversation with a guy and we could not figure out why Monday workouts are always so much more difficult than any other day. My heart rate goes through the roof as I do my Turbulence training supersets and it amazes me since "I"m just lifting weights" but I'm doing it without rest between sets and I'm always using a challenging weight.

I've been riding the American River bike trail, tabata style, and that does wonders for my metabolism. Sprint as hard as you can for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds. Repeat. Some sitting, some standing to burn those legs. High intensity cardiovascular exercise. Today I ran the stairs at Sac State. 100 steps up, I ran it 6 times, a personal best. I love what exercise has done for my body and for my confidence. The best part is that people are really noticing my discipline and that reinforces the sacrifices I make. The sacrifices I chose to make to look like I do. Sure, I slip every once in awhile (alcohol or chocolate) but I remember that fitness is a lifestyle. A lifestyle I have been living and one I intend on living the rest of my life.

Kelly Says Do This: Keep at it. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither is a hard body. It takes consistent exercise and diet discipline to reach your weight loss and fitness goals. The longer you remain consistent, the less your body fluctuates due to lazy days and overindulgences.

Arise and Shine cleanse update

Arise and Shine!

Almost at the halfway mark and I'm feeling pretty darn good.  I am enjoying this cleansing process and cannot believe the mental clarity that I feel.  I don't know if it's something in the herbal nutrition or the cleansing shake but I feel so alive, so free as I bust through bad habits that had crept into my day as well as the food cravings that were so common.

The first week was the "mild phase" and that is when I felt ontop of the world!  Since I already follow an organic, raw foods diet, the food transition wasn't difficult at all.  The hard part was mentally blocking caffeine, sugar and alcohol indulgences.  Three of my worst habits, not on the program but were a normal part of my daily routine in one way or the other.  Ok, so no now I'm 12 days into it and I've adapted to life without the terrible 3.  

The hardest part of this cleanse is not eating protein from my favorite protein sources:  organic eggs, yogurt, fish, meats and even protein shakes.  Coming from a muscle building perspective, I am not liking this, especially since I am a "protein type".  Or am I?  I do not have the energy I normally have but I don't know if that is due to lack of caffeine or lack of protein.  I am still doing 3 Turbulence training resistance training sessions each week but I have reduced the intensity and my cardiovascular endurance is lacking  a little bit, too.  The cleanse guidelines specifically say no strenuous exercise (due to lactic acid production) so I am doing lighter weights and higher reps.

Have I lost a ton of weight?  No, but I am not doing this for weight loss purposes, I am doing this to cleanse my intestinal tract of the mucoid plaque that has built up over a lifetime.  I have lost 3-4 pounds but my skin looks amazing and I feel my body changing and adapting.  We have over 100 feet of intestine so in order to do a thorough cleanse, a person has to follow a program like this for awhile....28 days!  

Breaking the bad habits and loving the fresh organic fruits and vegetables that are abundant in California.  2 weeks down, 2 weeks to go....2 difficult weeks!