Why do I workout?

Ok everyone, I'm gonna get serious here for a minute. 

I am getting tired of the the reaction most people give me when I tell them I need to workout, or how much I missed my workouts after my surgery. They look at me, confused, and ask why I need to worry about that, or tell me I don't need to do that, I'm already thin enough. 

Well, let me tell you people, I have been overweight. I have also had people laugh at me when I show them my "fat" pictures and tell me that I wasn't overweight and I was fine. For me, at 4'10", having 20-25 lbs of excess weight after I gave birth to my first son was very hard and frustrating. Being so young when I had him, I was able to lose it all when I started exercising regularly and taking care of myself. Now, 12 years later, 2 more babies, and in my 30's, I'm struggling to keep the weight from coming back.

So here's the reason I workout:

 I DON'T DO IT TO LOOK PERFECT, THERE IS NO SUCH THING. I WORKOUT BECAUSE IT MAKES ME FEEL GOOD, IT KEEPS ME FROM GAINING WEIGHT, IT MAKES LIFE EASIER, IT'S AN AMAZING STRESS RELIEVER AND MOOD ENHANCER, AND IT MAKES ME A BETTER MOM TO MY KIDS AND WIFE TO MY HUSBAND!

Before I started as a Coach for Beachbody and seriously working on my health (both nutrition and exercise), I was suffering with depression, lack of energy, I couldn't control my anger, and my body was getting older and starting to ache and get stiff. I was also gaining weight and I took many a diet pills to get that weight off. But guess what??? It ALWAYS came right back! You may not see me struggle, just like I may not see you struggle, but it's there. I don't ALWAYS want to workout, but 5 minutes after I push play on my Beachbody program DVD, I'm ALWAYS soooo glad I did. 

I also, don't follow some weird or fad diet. I don't believe in diets since my experience and education has proved them to be very ineffective. THEY DON'T WORK LONG TERM, PEOPLE!! I do my best to have an overall good diet, while trying to teach my kids to have one too. It's extremely hard in our culture to have eat healthy 100% of the time, heck even 50% of the time is tough. It's just hard to find food that isn't processed or genetically modified in some way. But I try my best, and honestly, that's all anyone can ask.

Being healthy is a life-long journey. It's not about being skinny, it's about being healthy! My passion in life is to help other people realize this and help them begin their own journey. I want to struggle with them and celebrate successes with them and see them reach their goals! Come on this journey with me, and together we'll get healthier and stronger!

PUSH!

For those of you who know who Chalene Johnson is, you will understand when I say that for me she is one of the most motivating people I have ever met, and she is truly someone I look up to in many different ways. If you haven't read her book PUSH, I suggest you order it. Now. In 30 days she will change your life!

Me with my copy of PUSH.

As I was reading this book yesterday I came across something that made me have an aha moment. Since my surgery (July 19) I have eaten more ice cream sundaes than I care to admit. My husband and I were using the act of going to get ice cream as something to do as a family, or just the two of us, since I couldn't really do much else. So now, as we work to eliminate this and other less healthy foods from our diets and break these bad habits (again), I found something that just made sense about the whole thing. On pg 127, Chalene says this:

"There's a difference between "depriving yourself" of a certain food and not wanting to put it in your body in the first place. Deprivation and restrictions occur when a diet dictates for you what you can and cannot eat. Deprivation and restrictions occur when you stop eating a food but you still want it. People trying to find control in an out-of-control life, or who punish themselves by restricting calories, often use deprivation as a form of coping with stress or as an expression of self-hate. The switch happens when you consciously and independently make the decision that one food makes you look and feel better than another. That's when you stop wanting junk. One food helps you to live the life you want; another undermines the quality of your life. It becomes as simple as that."

Now try to tell me that she isn't one of the smartest people ever!

I have a new goal for myself. It may take longer to achieve it than I want, because of a coming surgery (Yep, surgery AGAIN.), but I am excited to have a new goal and something to work towards! 

Can you guess? 

It's not really to do a back bend, but it's along the same lines.

 I just want to be able to touch my toes with straight legs.

I've NEVER been able to do this my whole life, so I've got to work hard.

I'm giving myself until the end of the year to touch my toes. 

That's my deadline, so feel free to check in on me and make sure I'm working on it!

Hopefully I can still stretch out after my surgery even before I can get back to my workouts.

The reason I want this is because the more flexible a muscle is, the greater strength potential it has and I would love to have super awesomely strong hamstrings and calves! 

There's my new goal, what's yours?

Herniated belly buttons...

Since I had my umbilical hernia repaired back in March, I've been super, super careful to take care of that part of my body and not stress my ab muscles. A month after my surgery I actually thought that it had herniated again, and I was in a lot of pain. Fortunately that pain has gone away and I have felt great the past week or so.
Last night was the first time since March that I did an Ab workout and it was awesome! I did P90X Ab Ripper and as long as I was careful with it, it didn't hurt at all. I only did 1/4 of the workouts, and boy am I weak, but it really felt great to be able to use those muscles again. I still have the same muscle issues I've been dealing with since my last C-section, but I can deal with that since the hernia seems to be gone. Yea for bodies healing themselves!!

New Workout Regime!

My husband and I have started the P90X/Insanity Hybrid. OK, so I fully admit that I didn't like P90X the first couple times we started and didn't finish it. I hated it. I found Tony Horton obnoxious and the workouts lacked umph, or something like that.

I honestly think that if I had been given a Coach (someone doing what I do now) from the beginning and I had kept in touch with that Coach through the whole thing, I may have actually finished it. They would have held me accountable and told me to write down my progress which would have been motivating for me.
This weekend was my Beachbody Summit in Las Vegas (which I will blog about shortly), and it was an amazing weekend for my personal development and business development. I also got to know Tony Horton better from his speech to all of us 5000 coaches that were there. So, I actually find him a little bit funnier during the P90X workouts and I have more respect for the guy.
Also, he names some of the moves after people he has met in his life and Beachbody executives, I didn't know this before I became a Coach and now that I know who these people are it actually makes the move seem more personal and more familiar to me. Weird, maybe, but I love knowing who the people are that have moves named after them.
Tony also named a new move while at Summit: Neimand-Nothings. Named after Michael Neimand (a Beachbody Exec) who doesn't ever seem to push those last few reps into his workout. It was hilarious at the time, since it was kind of a joke on Michael, but my husband and I have both been inspired to push through and finish the workout so we can say we didn't do any Neimand-Nothings! :)

Anyway, my calves are so sore from Insanity on Tuesday that I can't walk normal, and my arms are incredibly sore from P90X yesterday. I'm seriously loving the soreness! And I love the hybrid too because it's not the same kind of workout everyday, it gets switched up. This is good for me because I get bored with my workouts super quick.

Are You Getting Enough Fiber Everyday??

More and more studies are linking a high-fiber diet to a decreased risk of heart disease and diabetes. For optimal health, nutritionists recommend 30 to 38 grams of fiber every day for men and 21 to 25 grams of fiber every day for women.

You can find the fiber content of labeled food as a subcategory under carbohydrates. If you're counting carbs, you can always subtract the amount of fiber from the total number of carbs, because the fiber will only be visiting your body for a little while, unlike the sugars, which, if not burned for fuel, will likely end up stored as fat.

Most studies indicate that Americans don't get nearly enough fiber, especially with the proliferation of processed foods filled with white flour, which is made only from the fiber-less endosperm of the grain and none of the bran and germ parts that provide the fiber. In fact, if you read labels, it's pretty rare to find any prepared food that has more than a gram or two of fiber.

So how can you get your daily dose of fiber without eating yourself into a coma? There are some fiber-rich superfoods that can help get you to your daily recommended allowance.

1. Legumes

The humble bean (and also chickpea, lentil, and pea) is chock-full of nutritious fiber. A cup of black beans or lentils contains a whopping 15 grams of fiber. Chickpeas, or garbanzo beans, have 13 grams of fiber. A cup of peas has 9 grams of fiber. The big winner is the cranberry bean with 18 grams of fiber and 17 grams of protein.

2. Bran

A cup of bran flakes has about 7 grams of fiber, and a cup of oatmeal has 4 grams of fiber. Substituting whole-wheat products for their traditional white-flour counterparts is an easy way to work some fiber into your diet without much hassle. A cup of whole-wheat spaghetti has over 6 grams of fiber, and whole-wheat bread has about 2 grams of fiber per slice.

3. Prunes

A cup of prunes contains 8 grams of fiber, and the prune's hydrated counterpart, the plum, is also an excellent source of fiber—prunes/plums contain insoluble fiber in the skin and soluble fiber in the pulp. That's a two-for-one special!

4. Artichokes

One medium artichoke contains 6.5 grams of fiber. One cup of artichoke hearts contains 14 grams of fiber and only 90 calories. Try getting one of those little jars of marinated artichokes (in vinegar, not oil) and treat yourself to eating the whole jar as an afternoon snack or hors d'oeuvre before dinner. Tasty and filling, you'll eat less at dinner and put a serious dent in your daily fiber tally.

5. Brussels sprouts

Yes, they look like the alien heads from Mars Attacks!, but these little powerhouses pack almost 7 grams of fiber into a 1-cup serving and only about 60 calories. They do have a slightly chalky taste, so you can try a generous spritz of lemon juice and maybe a dash of soy sauce or Tabasco to enhance the flavor. A sprinkle of Parmesan cheese is delicious too.

6. Asian pear

One Asian pear, about 3 inches in diameter, contains a whopping 10 grams of fiber, the most of any similarly sized fruit. And because it has a higher water content than its European brethren, it only contains around 100 calories. So you can crunch your way to a cleaner colon.

7. Quinoa

In a 1-cup serving, the edible seeds of the quinoa plant have 10 grams of fiber and 8 grams of protein—in fact, quinoa seeds contain many essential amino acids that are missing from rice, proving to be a good substitute for rice. If you check your local health food store, and even some supermarkets, you can find quinoa plain and as a main ingredient in many cereals, breads, and salads.

8. Nuts

Not just filling, heart-healthy snacks, nuts are great sources of fiber (but highly caloric, so nosh carefully). A quarter-cup of almonds has 4 grams of fiber and about 200 calories. It's another great snack for between meals. Watch out for the salt content in the hickory-smoked varieties. Also, it's a good idea to portion out a serving size beforehand, so you don't absentmindedly munch a thousand or so calories from a big bag.

Dirty Dash

We are the Mud Queens! 

The Dirty Dash was awesome! I have no idea how the mud ended up on me right there in the weirdest spot, but it is what it is. 

I have so many bruises and cuts, and I am so sore. I remember the soreness well, but I don't remember getting bruised and cut up. It was still tons of fun and really makes me want to do some tougher obstacle races. Maybe a Tough Mudder is in my future? Anyone want to join me?

Post Reset

So, here's an update. Ryan has continued to lose weight, typical man apparently. I have kept the weight off, my pants all fit great and I have to have my belt on the next tighter notch to keep my pants up. Yea!

Some things that I will continue to moderate or eliminate from my diet are dairy and animal protein. NO red meat, ever. Definitely more veggies and salads are in my future, and more vegan foods minus the soy. Dairy is very very limited, no more added cheese to my food and no more cheese quesadillas.  I will always have my Chocolate Shakeology every day, and the protein in that is whey, but since it's the best whey on the market I'm totally happy with it.

I started doing Brazil Butt Lift last week when I finished the Reset, but this week I've gone for some tougher training and running because I'm worried about running the Dirty Dash with some friends this weekend. Hopefully I'll be able to keep up! :) I'll go back to BBL next week because I've got a pool party in Vegas, in June to get ready for. So excited for that!!!!!!

If you have any questions for me regarding the Reset, or anything in general, please feel free to email me! coachadburton@gmail.com.

Reset Results

Finally! here are our results:

Anna lost:
2 1/4" from waist
2 1/4" from hips
arms stayed the same
lost 1 1/4" from thighs
lost a total of 5.6 pounds
chest stayed the same (thank goodness because that it NOT where I wanted to lose anything from!)

Ryan lost:

4" from waist
3" from hips
1 1/2" from arms
1 1/2" from thighs
total of 15.3 pounds
1 1/4" from chest

I need to get Ryan's side shot of his before and after pictures to post, so I'll do that this weekend. They are amazing. :) Again, I wish I had done my before pics! :( 

Reset Day 21

I have made it 21 days with the Reset! I am so mad at myself because I never took my day 1 picture. Grrrr. I did take pictures of my husband on day 1, so we'll take his "after" picture tomorrow morning and post them for all to see the amazing results he has from it. We will post measurements and final weight loss totals for both of us. Again, this has been amazing for both of us. Some days it was extremely tough, and I've craved junk food more than I usually do just because I knew I "couldn't" have it, we had to deviate from the meal plans a couple times due to poor planning on our parts and not having what we needed with us while out and about, but we did our absolute best and definitely see some amazing results.
If you're interested in changing your health this way (which I will honestly and whole-heartedly recommend for EVERYONE), please shoot me an email (coachadburton@gmail.com) or click on the link to the Reset on the right of this page. There is truly something amazing to gain for every single person who takes on this 21 day challenge and you might be surprised at how good things can get. :)

3 days left!

OK, so I have 3 days left of the Reset. So lucky to have had this experience, and to know what I can actually eat that will keep me healthy, keep the weight off, and build my body back up into the total health and fitness that I have been searching for. Finally I have the understanding and know-how to feed myself and my family in many different healthy ways.

Guess Who Likes Sweet Potatoes?

Me! Yep, you heard me right. Before I started this Reset I HATED sweet potatoes. I honestly have no idea what changed, but I like them now. Dinner last night was a baked sweet potato. I wasn't really looking forward to it, but then I remembered how much I liked the Sweet Potato/Roasted Red Pepper Bisque in week 2 and I was more willing to give the plain sweet potato a try. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it. Yea for trying foods more than once! :)

My weight has been fluctuating up and down a few pounds, but I'm paying attention more to my waistline and how I feel instead of pounds. I was anxious to measure my waist, so this morning I did it and I've lost at least 1 inch! I measured with my clothes on because I thought of it after I was dressed, so it could have been another 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Yea!

Yea For Awesome Sleep!

I am feeling great today! Tons of energy and my pants (that used to be a tad bit too tight) keep falling off! I'm loving it! The last few nights I've noticed that I fall asleep and don't wake up until my alarm goes off. That is crazy for me because I'm a super light sleeper and I usually wake up 3-4 times per night. I'm sleeping deeper and way better. Part of me not waking up could be because Ryan is also sleeping better, no more snoring and no more sleep apnea symptoms! That is HUGE, and I'm ecstatic about that because him getting a good night sleep has been so rare in the past few years. Yea for sleep! I even managed to pull a full 8 hours last night, which hasn't happened in probably a year or more.

Phase 3!

Whew. Done with detox. Yea! I feel amazing though, and still down 6 pounds. :) Learning to eat healthy and without animal proteins is hard, BUT it can be done and this week will prove it. The idea for phase 3 is that we will decrease protein consumption even more to allow our digestive tract to rest and reset. Did you know that animal products and protein make our digestive system work super hard? Well, they do, so for this week, since we're not exercising, we don't NEED a lot of protein, so we will get all that we need from the veggies and other foods on the plan. During phase 2 I had major cravings for my chocolate Shakeology and almost everything else around me. Hopefully that stops and my body will finally realize that it doesn't want that stuff anymore.

I'm a teenager again! In not a good way...

I'm breaking out like crazy. That is how I've been detoxing I guess. I was wondering why I haven't really had to use the bathroom all that much, and I figure it was because of two things: 1. I've been eating really clean, and my body has been able to use most of it because it recognizes everything I'm putting into it. And, 2. I've already done a pretty good job of cleaning my innards out before hand by drinking my Shakeology every morning for two years. I've also done the 3-day Shakeology Cleanse twice and was able to detox well with that, although that was a little harsher of a detox. I really really miss my chocolate Shakeology.

Lunch today. Sweet Potato and Roasted Red Pepper Bisque. It was pretty good considering I don't like sweet potatoes. My meals got a little messed up because this was supposed to be dinner last night, but I didn't have the sweet potatoes in time to make it. The veggies were pretty good, I stir-fried some and steamed the broccoli, just to try them both ways. They were doable.

This is easy peasy.....????

Well, it's Day 11. Yesterday was interesting. That detox stuff is gross, and I can't wait for this week to be over. I didn't have my snack like I usually do in the afternoon, and after doing 2 hours of homework with my boys, I was pretty grumpy when Ryan got home from work. Really grumpy. We ate dinner together and I went to the store with our 11 year old, and after that I was fine. So, I really need to remember to eat (although, getting out of the house for a while helped my mood too).

I'm really really really wanting to go out with Ryan, but we can't go out to eat, and we can't go see Avengers without the kids. Any suggestions?

Day 9

Well, detox phase day two. It's not like any detox I've done before. (this may get a little tmi for some people) There's no gas, no abdominal pain, no running to the bathroom uncontrollably, and yet I'm still getting cleaned out.
I'm feeling good today and loving the Reset. The actual detox drink isn't the best tasting, but if I add a little lemon juice to it then it's doable with minimal whole body shudders (at least no gagging takes place).

Phase 2: Release

Today is day 8 and marks the beginning of the detox phase. Breakfast was a plate of fruit, whatever we want that is lower on the glycemic index. Lunch is a micro-green salad, and Dinner is Pinto Beans and Rice, 1 cup of steamed zucchini, and string beans with lemon.
We are going full on vegetarian here so it will be challenging for us, but I'm excited to experience what it's like and to still know I can get all the protein I need. I'm sure I will go back to eating lean meats, just because that's how I choose to get my protein, and I still don't want soy to be part of my diet. BUT, we'll see how the next 2 weeks go. :)
I am worried that I'm getting out of my exercise habits. My husband and I are trying to take walks every night, but I'm not doing my morning workouts like I was before. I'm hoping it won't be hard to get back into the habit. 

Breakfast Day 7 

Was supposed to have yogurt with it, but I have already cut all dairy out, so I didn't add it to breakfast.

Day 7

Well, it's the last day of phase 1. I'm so glad I've stuck with it this long, even though it's been really hard. I am down another 2 pounds, back to the weight I was when I got married and before I got pregnant. That's crazy to me, but I can totally see it in my midsection. Ryan also is looking a lot trimmer, he's down a total of 13 pounds. This has been a very hard journey for us, learning how to eat so that our bodies have enough of everything we need, but it's been an amazing one as well. We're moving into the detox phase (week 2) tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it because this is the part we really need, eliminating all the toxic fat and other toxins we have in our bodies.

I found a great blog that describes one reason why Beachbody programs are so successful for those who follow them faithfully... You don't need to go on a diet, you need to CHANGE your diet. Click here to read all about it:  The Non-Diet Diet

Day 6

Today is Day 6, and the hubbs and I are both still feeling pretty good. We were a little ornery and grumpy over the weekend, but that was exactly what we were told would happen around day 4 or 5.

Ryan (my husband) said this morning that he feels more mentally clear today than in a long time, and I'm feeling the detox part of it happening. I'm breaking out and my muscles are sore. It's probably time to get that massage people are telling me I should get. :) Our bodies are releasing toxins, and our weights have remained around the same place since Saturday, but we're feeling good and I'm sleeping really deep now too. :) Yea!

Some of our meals

 Breakfast Day 1 Organic cage free eggs and whole-grain toast with steamed kale.  

(I didn't like the kale)

 Breakfast Day 3 

(This was my husband's, and men get the extra fruit)

Really good with spinach instead of Kale

 Lunch Day 1

Microgreen salad with great basic vinaigrette dressing. (Yummy)

Dinner Day 1

(the fish I couldn't eat and the asparagus was steamed too much, but tasted good. )

Reset Day 3

On day one I struggled a lot preparing the fish for dinner. I also struggled while trying to eat it. Apparently I have a very strong aversion to the smell of fish, and it's not something that I can do "mind over matter" and eat it anyway. So, tonight we were supposed to make nori rolls for dinner (sushi without the fish). I always thought it was the fish in sushi that gave it the fishy taste (hence the reason I've never eaten sushi), but no, that taste also comes from the seaweed it is wrapped in. So, tonight's dinner was a bust because neither my husband or me could stomach the fishy taste of the seaweed. Ugh. 

Our backup had to be some Tropical Shakeology mixed with strawberries and kiwi. Not really what is allowed, but it was better than any other alternative. Other than that Day 3 went really good. I'm feeling great, not too tired, have plenty of energy and no more headaches! :) I did have a craving for chocolate Shakeology (not allowed during the Reset because it has whey in it). I am really really really missing my breakfast Shakeology.

Reset Days 1 & 2

Ok, what I love about this reset is that I have all these amazing super healthy recipes at my disposal and I am being forced to try them and everything in them. I have learned that little tiny tomatoes aren't that bad, brussel sprouts are pretty good and healthy food can be delicious! 

Day one was fairly simple and easy. Day two was harder. I went on a field trip to the zoo with my son and even though my salad for lunch was delicious and I ate every bite, he kept offering me cookies, or chips, and I really really wanted them. I had to remind him that I was on the Reset, and then we shared his carrots. :) He was happy with that. 

The end of day two was tough, I was so tired and I'd had a headache all day. I know my body is going through sugar withdrawals, but I know that will pass. I ended up going to bed around 9:00 and got plenty of sleep. Today (day 3) I am feeling great, and I'm down 4 pounds! What's more surprising and awesome is my hubby is down 10 pounds, in 2 days! Bring on day 3!

Introducing me!

This is my very first real blog! I am Anna, I'm a Coach for an amazing company, Team Beachbody, and after changing so much about my health and fitness in the past 2 years, I'm finally doing a full-on "cleanse". So, it's called the 21 day Ultimate Reset, and it's not really a cleanse. Yes, it'll get my insides back to a place of homeostasis and cleanliness, but it will do so much more than that too.

Here I will take you on my 21 day journey of leaning to cook, eat, and live clean. Please join me and be there for the support that I will so desperately need. This wasn't my idea, you see, it was my husband's. He is doing it with me and we both hope to make some dramatic changes, even if I'm going into it with less enthusiasm than he is. :) Wish us luck and check back daily for our updates.

If you ever have any questions about Beachbody products (the Reset, P90X, Insanity, Shakeology, or one of their many other programs), please get in touch with me and I will answer any question you can throw at me.