Day 19 of 21 DayFix Non-Workout

19/21 

Countdown continues. Holidays are a good time to be mindful of your health, the type of foods you eat and movement. The body needs to be active. Unfortunately I worked out but not the programs listed for this day. 

Excited for family get together during holiday so excuse me if I fudge a bit.

Day 15 of "Your Fit Journey With Autumn Calabrese"

15/21

"I wish I could tell you it gets better, but it doesn't. You get better."

For every time I worked on these 21 Day Fix moves I knew I was better than I was giving the day before. 

I don't need to have a pat on the back to make me do them, although it's encouraging. 

Today I finished Total Body Cardio Fix AND Pilates Fix while still recovering from a bad cold and sinus infection.

I suppose it's just how bad you want something that drives you. Well, at least is is for me. 

#PushingForward #21DF

Your Fit Journey With Autumn Calabrese

9/21 

I find no shame in modifying an exercise so long as I complete the movement. Finding myself battling the onset of a sore throat and laryngitis. Dry, cold weather is never my friend. Still I completed today's workout, Upper Fix.

Healthy choices in meal planning have kept the cravings at bay. I almost forgot to eat breakfast this morning but when I began to feel weak it dawned on me. My body needs nourishment. 

Now it is time for my favorite meal of the day....Shakeology.😋

Your Fit Journey With Autumn Calabrese

8/21 is done!

Feeling worn out. So, I  THOUGHT I'd just do a double tomorrow 'cause doing a workout today was not on my "To Do List" here in the cold, dreary moment I am calling "Monday Blues..... I told myself "you need adequate sleep coupled with clean eating and exercise and you messed that up when you went to bed late." 

Tamper with any of these and the body will know it. 

When I stopped listening to the  NO'S in my head and began to focus on what I know I am capable of, I jumped up in front of that 📺 and started the short 30 minute Cardio Fix with Autumn Calabrese & crew.

#Done #Finished

Your Fit Journey With Autumn Calabrese

7/21 

My journey is now one week traveled. Faithfully I have done each 30 minute workout and have made healthy eating choices. I dare say every day I stayed true to my containers and my eating plan. However, I did not go overboard nor did I over indulge. With week two starting up I will focus on the workout as I increase time moving and add heavier weights. My meals will be on target and my enthusiasm is soaring. 

#iamgettingbetter

Your Fit Journey With Autumn Calabrese

6/21DF

Doing a 30 minute workout in front of my television screen no longer seems like a challenge. I just do it! It has become a part of my daily routine. 

Today I had a very late breakfast as I had an early appointment. Never doing this again. I knew better. It leaves you hungry and cravings have a way of rearing their ugly head. However, I held on to eating right and came home to my already prepared meals. 

After doing my "Dirty 30" of the 21 Day Fix  Workout Plan, I walked my sweaty-self to  my kitchen where I mixed  banana,  blueberries and  PB2 (a powdered peanut butter) in the. blender to make a super delicious Vanilla Shakeology.

My day ended attending an event with a friend. I may just have gone over one or two of my allotted containers, but not going to beat myself up for that. Tonight I rest and recharge because tomorrow starts a brand new day.

Day 6 is ✅ 

Your Fit Journey With Autumn Calabrese

5/21 ✅ 

Wakie, wakie to day #5 with coffee ☕️ and a heart ❤️ of gratitude. 

It's cold here and even inside where it's toasty and cozy the feel of the outdoors creeps under my skin. I kick it off and take control of "my day".

Had a hot bowl of breakfast goodness, another cup of coffee, bottle of water and morning Facebook chat with a couple friends. 

Turned on the television 📺 and jumped into another 30 minute workout with my favorite host, Autumn Calabrese & crew, while we sweated to Cardio Fix. No, I do not like Burpees. Yes, I did them (sorry Autumn, but I modified).

Rested for a bit with my tasty Shakeology in hand.

Here's where my down went down hill just a bit...I ate a baked potato with fixings for dinner. Am I going to be depressed, beat myself to death, fume about it.....? No! I am going to just move on. Make better choices tomorrow. Life has its ups & downs and so do I. Living the best, day by day, the best  I can for me. I will not be defeated.

Day 5 is in the books. 

Your Fit Journey With Autumn Calabrese

Day 4 
Started morning off with coffee and some "me time". Then it's a tasty breakfast dish, baked peanut butter, oats & berries. i got my Pilates Fix for today's 30 minute workout n rather early. Later enjoyed Shakeology for a midday snack. Grab some of my prepared Clean Chick Tortilla Soup for a light lunch while ending the day with a beef patty, green beans and carrots.
All 21 Day Fix approved.
Now it's some evening "me time" for a bit of relaxation.
Day 4 in the books. Bring it on, Day 5!

Your Fit Journey With Autumn Calabrese, Day 3

Oh, my! Never ever think that a mere 30 minute workout couple with healthy eating  and adequate water consumption is not going to bring about a change. Here we are only on Day 3 and I added just a bit more exercise to my days but.........extra workout 

IS NOT HAPPENING TODAY.

Last evening I was so pumped. My metabolism had begun to kick in and start those calorie burns. Little did I know that the evening ☕️ coffee would be my downfall. Sleep 😴...where are you?!! I saw 1,2,3 and even 4 o'clock. My eyes 👀 would close but my heart rate was still in the fat burning zone. So with 3.5 hours of sleep today I pushed through my 30 minute Leg Fix, but just didn't have anymore fuel ⛽️ to power my body to get the new addition to 21 DF, "Cardio Core Remix". Tomorrow is another day. I will add this new workout to my calendar but tonight my body is 😭 crying for rest.  

I  have stayed on target with the healthy meal plan designed for me. 

Always remember to get adequate sleep. It is a key part of a healthy lifestyle. It benefits your heart, weight, mind and more.

Added advice "Never assume ☕️ coffee won't affect your sleep. A late evening cup of Java can cause restlessness, and increased heartbeat and even insomnia. If you must drink evening coffee ☕️ do decaffeinated. I am. 

Overall Day 3 is in the history 📚 books.

On to Day 4💪

Your Fit Journey With Autumn Calabrese, Day 2

Woke up from the best night of rest  in a long time. Seems working out, 🏋 healthy eating 🍵 and drinking lots of water are overall good for me. I think I'll do it again.

After a light but nutritious breakfast I feared I may be defeated by the dropping temperatures the cold front 💨 had dumped on us, but I bundled up and put in my earbuds and started off on a 3 mile walk 🏃♀️in my neighborhood.

Midday I completed ✅  21 DF's 30 minute Upper Fix workout. Nothing more refreshing  after a workout than my own mixture of fruits & a bit of spinach added into my Vanilla Shakeology.

Still seeking to add more steps to my 🚶♀️daily walking, I did a walk-in place video because I want to achieve my goal.

"In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure."

End of a great day. 

Look out Day 3...I am getting stronger.💪

Your Journey With Autumn Calabrese, Day 1

🏋Motivated and ready to start! 🏋

Woke up to coffee,☕️ as always. My workouts are done later in the day so breakfast was first. Stayed true to eating my "designed plan" but added some new dishes to my repertoire and incorporated a veggie into my breakfast. You may think that would not be too tasty, but cooked kale on the side or spinach in an egg will add the veggie many of us have a hard time getting in and it really does have an added flavor to a breakfast dish. 

Eating is to fuel the body and enjoy so I have found there are many awesome dishes out there. You have to want to make the change......and I am all in.

So... moving into late morning and early afternoon I have finished my 30 minute Cardio Fix workout with Autumn & crew and did a 30 minute power walk for an added cardio boost.

Evening comes and on the first day of my journey I had a Christmas event. Saved my carb choices for the day to be eaten at this event along with 2 of my vegetables. I drank water as my beverage of choice. Overall, day 1 was productive and I felt pumped in my workouts, although a bit challenging. Cardio is always my best challenge...and when I see improvement I am excited to add more like-challenges to my workouts. Readying for Day 2.

   

The Journey Begins With Me

Starting Monday December 5th I will begin a 3 1/2  month journey, a daily workout with over 

20,000 others in a group with Autumn Calabrese, fitness and healthy guru known for her 21 Day Fix workout and eating plan. I will be posting here daily as I make my "one day at a time, one pound at a time" health & fitness journey.  My success begins here. Please find your inner strength and do your own fitness journey. I am also available to coach you on your own journey. As I post I hope to inspire you to reevaluate your health & fitness. You are welcomed to join me in my Facebook closed group, Head2ToeChat @  htttps://www.facebook.com/groups/head2toefitness/

 for tips and encouragement.

#TheJourneyBeginsWithMe

In a Funk????

Seems I've been doing super great in health and wellness💪for over a year.👍 Spent the last 3 years reaching out to inspire others through my little ministry.🙏 Have a super duper daughter. 💞 Love my husband.❤️ Got two of the cutest and well behaved fluffs ever!🐾🐾 Never really have to worry too much about finances.💲💲 

So why am I having a hard time getting out of this "funky mood"? 😠

Have you ever been there? 

I have thought about it for days. I think I have conclude the problem is my "state of mind". Nothing changes without we make an effort and that begins in the mind. My most fulfilling moment of late has been the motivation to excel in my health and fitness as an aging and fit senior lady. If we do not stay engaged with life then life will leave you. 

"Wait!!!!!! I don't want that," I tell myself.

"Then get focused and get back to living," I respond loudly!!!

So today I began a challenge with myself. Tomorrow I will be better at whatever I did today and the day after that.

It begins when you speak it into existence.

Challenge is on!!!! 

If I Had Wings

Let's talk about flying for a minute.

Have you ever dreamed you could fly? I mean free like a bird? I have! More than once, too. It seems I am always caught up in a rush of wind. If I lift my arms I begin to soar. It is strange because I KNOW  I cannot fly, but in my dreams I am unstoppable. Sometimes I can control my flight,  but in other dreams I lose control, unable to stay in flight.  Awe, but it is the feeling of freedom, of soaring in the air, seeing below those things I take for granted and then reality wakes me up. It was just a dream, but if felt so real.

Weird dream, right? 

Do you have reoccurring dreams?

Bloom

Growing up in the south I was always surrounded by these overpowering aromas from the outdoors. My mother loved to dabble in growing plants and flowers.  Everyone who knew her said she had a green thumb. I remember her favorite bloom being the beautiful "Snowball Bush". We also had honeysuckles, 4 o'clocks and of course roses. It always smelled so good in my mother's world. 

Little did I know that this same love would be my passion as well. However, I find that in order for something to bloom much nurturing and tender loving care is required. That can be said of any living thing. Nothing can exist on its own. My garden of flowers must be fed, watered, pruned, and mulched. I had to learn about each plant in order to understand how to care for it. Now, they all bloom!

This is the same with our bodies. We cannot exist on our own, although we try. We need to be pruned, removing the bad so we can grow. We need water to nourish and purify our bodies. We need to be surrounded by something that nourishes and enriches our soul (Jesus), as mulch does for the plant. Lastly, we need to be fed. Here I am talking about food. We know that we can kill a bloom if we overwater or underfed the plant. This is also true with our bodies. 

When I took into account all the yummy southern dishes I'd learn to prepare, all those hand-me-down recipes I was storing and habits that I did not know we're habits I began to realize I was not letting the flower bloom.🌷 

I was choking it. Mind you I love my heritage, my southern roots and all the great recipes handed down.  However, today I have come full circle. I BLOOM! 🌹

🙏Heavenly Father, I commit myself to you and your future, to treating food with care and respect, to avoid high processed foods, to invite others to share at my table, to pray for others, to remember that food is a gift from You, and that I may always be in Your grip.

-Amen-

Beauty In Our Neighborhood

Sure we see our neighbor's yard, the lovely landscape and the birdies feeding but do we look beyond that? 

Today while doing my power walk I noticed a movement around a flower bed in a neighboring yard. It's a duck!!! I stopped to take a photo when the neighbor across the street stopped her mowing to chat. (That was another invitation to a new friend.) So she tells me the duck owner has another one. Seems they got them when they were "wee ducklings" and have raised them. They have made this area their home and do not wander off. 

I find it amazing what I see everyday as I step out into a new day believing in the beauty around me and the joy it brings me. Simply said, "it is seeing beyond what is in front of me".

Dance in the Rain

Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass. Its about learning to dance in the rain. 

 👯 👯 👯 👯 👯 👯 👯 👯 👯 👯 👯 

Today was a rainy and windy, cool and damp day, and one spent indoors, but not an unproductive day. My day got off to a great start doing my daily morning devotional. I completed 3 tasks due for next week, made phone calls to family, prepared some meals to freeze and spent my evening with husband discussing old movies, new movies and the end between movies. I even had time to do some house chores. Now to top the evening off with a bit of telivision and late evening book reading. 

I choose to make every day the best I can, regardless of what obstacles surround me. It is merely choosing to enjoy the day instead of wishing it away.

"It was a good day," I told myself.

Good to the last drop

I began drinking Shakeology about 11 months ago and have not skipped one day. Since that time I have not been sick, not even the sniffles. It is the ingredients that have

the healthy effect on me. 

Good to the last drop and it's not even coffee.

Refreshing, nourishing and yummy! 😋 Shakeology has many recipes so that you can change your daily dose of a dense nutritional drink to match the flavor of your day.  

http://www.shakeology.com/kaydhuff  #eatgoodfeelgood #goodtothelastdrop #shakeology

Start Your Engines!

You fuel your car with gas. On an average hourly drive you can most likely get 50-80 miles depending on your speed, but first you've got to put the fuel in the tank.

You fuel your body with food. On an average hourly walk you most can likely get 3 miles depending on many factors such as height, weight, age, terrain, surface, load, culture, effort, and fitness.

Here is a thought to ponder. How long will that fueled car keep going if you aren't providing proper maintenance and upkeep? Not long I'm sure. 

Our body needs fueling with proper maintenance. Eat clean and be healthy. 

It's time to "Overhaul" our engines!!!

#FuelYourEngines #ItsNotFitnessitsLife

Last Episode of Another Journey

 I believe a crutch to be anything we hold onto that "we think" keeps us upright, going forward but never reaching.

Coffee was my crutch. Do you have one?

 

So, I chose to go 21 days, "cold turkey", without my morning boost, my midday jolt and my nighttime relaxer:  my Java, my Coffee. It is said that it takes 21 days to break a habit. After this journey, what seemed at first to be a deserted highway,  I tend to agree with this 21 day concept. 

Today, "Day 22", I awake just a bit earlier than I had been these last three weeks, thinking I'd rush to the Keurig for that tasty bold flavor I'd been separated from. However, I did not. I proceeded to open the blinds, let the dogs outdoors, prepare their breakfast and share a little morning affection with my fluffs. Now I am about to experience my glorious "coffee moment". Ahhhhh.....so bold, so savory...Wait!!!! bold is super strong now and savory has a hint of bitterness but I sip through it to eventually consume my first cup of coffee in 21 days.

What have I learned? Did I gain any insight to being absent from "my crutch"? Is this a crutch I am freed from? I believe my answer is an astonishing YES!!!! 

I broke a habit that was a crutch choosing not to be bound by it anymore. Moderation is what keeps us stable in life. When we loose that we can no longer stand upright....we lean into the crutch. Crush the crutch!!!!!

For the Flavor

On Day #9 of my "no coffee for 21 Days". Lesson learned thus far is that I don't have a Caffeine addiction, I have the blues from missing something I really enjoy. I am finding out that it is the actual flavor I miss; it's not a craving. Coffee is best in the mornings as it springboards my palate, it brings a calmness to my starting day engaging with me as my plans unfold. Coffee time after my evening meal brings about a sense of calmness as I unwind, as I sip its rich bold flavor. 

I am still in this 21 day challenge. Never giving up. I am learning more about why I drink coffee. For me I am finding that it is pure pleasure of the taste buds. 1-3 cups per day was my average and perhaps I will reduce that. I do know that I sleep so much better. So with that said my evening coffee will be erased forever from my daily consumption. See! I am learning and making progress over these 21 Days. 

No More Tight Rope

Yeah, it was a little thought getting pass days 1-3, but I'm finding my overall attitude and well being change for the better. This 21 day fast from coffee is not as difficult as I'd thought. Maybe I just love coffee and not addicted to the Caffine in the coffee. However, I will say I will truly enjoy that first cup on day 22. 

We will never know how to deal with life's challenge unless we challenge ourselves first. It is us who battles them so it is us who needs to stop walking the tight rope and find the balance. I am still wobbling, but balance is in sight.

Day #5 is History

So, I have made it through FIVE days with no coffee. Seeing no change in how healthier I might feel..many say coffee is bad for you. Not so in my case. However, I sleep better. I can't really get motivated until after noontime. Now that sucks because my day is half over. Maybe tomorrow will be more enlightening. I can say that each day gets easier, but I can also say, I do love my coffee. Hanging on for the 21 days.

Choose Your Battle

I seriously thought "no coffee" on  Day #4 would be easy to get through. For the most part it was. It was early afternoon that I lost  the winds out of my sales. I begin to feel lethargic again. Not sure this is coffee withdrawal symptoms or "winter blues". Normally be go away for the winter to a warmer climate. 

Overall, I feel great! I am in this to win. The battle is not over until there is victory!

In It To Win It!!!!!

"The fight to win overpowers the want to give up when the heart is ready for the challenge." I keep telling myself this and everyday gets easier, even though I am only 3 days into this 21 day journey.

 

I have come to the conclusion after day #3 of "no coffee" that giving up something you really like has its challenging moments. The withdrawal symptoms are real! However, I did not have the bad headaches or the grumpiness that are common with Caffine withdrawal, but I did have some side effects. Yesterday on just my 2nd day I could not get my body in gear. I was so tired and lethargic. My digestive system seemed to "go on strike". I listened to my body and rested. I drank lots and lots of water while making sure to get plenty of sleep.

I find that I may have hit my stride on 

Day #3. I have not topped the hill yet, but I am closer than I was yesterday.

Detoxing from Caffine

Detoxing is No Laughing Matter

Caffeine withdrawal is a very unpleasant experience.

The symptoms of withdrawal only last a few days to a week for light caffeine consumers but can last 2 months or more for those that had been consuming around 1000 mg or more daily. However, even for the heaviest of consumer the worst symptoms subside after about a week’s time.                 http://www.caffeineinformer.com/caffeine-withdrawal-symptoms-top-ten

My "21-Day-No-Coffee" Journey

Day #2 of 21 without coffee.

I have decided to blog this journey and record my daily reactions to this fast from coffee. 

Why am I giving up coffee for 21 Days? 

I actually LOVE the taste of a well brewed cup, how I relax after the first cup, how coffee clears my foggy head, and so on and on. However, I could  never see the results of what I thought would be health-wise had I not started and given up those foods I was held hostage to. 

This is just another challenge within myself. I want to see if I am captivated by the coffee or simply its flavor and learn to enjoy it in moderation.

What are you doing today to challenge yourself?