Things I accomplished in 2011.. and look out 2012!

What good are all those resolutions and goals if you don't look back and see if you accomplished anything?

1. Ran 3 Half Marathons: Country Music Half Marathon, Nashville Women's Half Marathon, and the Murfreesboro Middle Half.

2. Parented and stuff.

3. Became a Beachbody Diamond Coach (A huge milestone)

4. Made some progress on the debt snowball.

5. Stalked I mean hung out with my BFF Tony Horton and Shaun T.

Still milking this. 6 months later.

6. Married Prince William. No, wait, that wasn't me.


 

"Um, yeah. That was me." (Because you know that's how Kate Middleton talks.)

So, what are some things I'll be doing in 2012?

1. Nutrition.
Well, I'm starting the first two months off working with Amy from Metabolic Mayhem Training. She'll be designing my nutrition plan. I HIGHLY recommend working with Amy if you need help with meal planning and accountability (although, I believe she's so awesome, she has a wait list. It's so totally worth it). She's going to help me fine tune my diet to get the best results possible (including Shakeology, of course).

2. Fitness.
I'm going to focus on getting faster at shorter distances rather than running long distance. I'll also be lifting more (remember my super cool P90X2/Les Mills Pump/Running hybrid I'll be doing). Weights really ARE the key, and I'll be writing more about that too.

3. Beachbody
I'm going to advance my Beachbody Business. It's come such a long way in 2011, that I have some very specific goals for 2012 I know I can reach. (Plus I plan on having multiple pictures of myself taken with Tony Horton again.)

4. Get certified to teach group exercise and start teaching again.  
I'm going to start with my favorite format to teach, Turbokick, and then get my primary again. I'm probably just going to start a class somewhere though and just hope someone shows up. I miss it so much, I'm willing to teach a class of ONE!

5. Pay cash for a car. 
Since I hate debt and refuse to make payments, I have been without a car of my own for several years. This is the year. I'm getting a car of my own.

What are your goals this year? Did you reach some good ones in 2011?

My best wishes to you for a safe and enjoyable New Year's celebration, and a wonderful 2012. Let's bring it this year!

 

 

 

Where will YOU be in 30 days?

I want you to think for a second. Think about if you dedicated yourself to something with all your heart, for just 30 days. How much progress would you make?

30 days is not that long. It's one month. I think most of us can focus for 30 days. It's not as long as 90 days. And it's more than 21 days, which is how long it takes to build a habit.

Now, think back to 30 days ago. Is there something bothering you that was also bothering you 30 days ago? Has it changed? Think of the past 30 days: If you gave this problem intense focus every day for 30 days, would it have gotten better?

Source

Since I love to talk about fitness and health, I want to focus on that. How healthy are you? Do you feel vibrant? Or, do you have aches and pains when you wake up in the morning? Do you like the way you look when you see yourself in the mirror? Do you like the way you feel in your clothes?

Now, think ahead to 30 days from now. You could do something to improve this situation. It just takes focus. Knowledge. And, maybe a little support.

We have Beachbody Challenge groups forming for 30 day challenges, and that covers everything: Fitness + Nutrition + Accountability. But, if that's not for you, I encourage you to take steps on your own. Plan your meals and your workouts. Find someone to support you. Give it everything you've got for 30 days. And see how far you can go.

And don't forget to take a before picture. We'll post your before and after and show others what you really CAN accomplish in 30 days!

Setting your New Year's Resolutions!

This is the time of year when we're all getting ready to start over. We're setting goals for 2012, and we're excited. We're motivated.

But have you ever gotten to December and wondered, "What were those resolutions I set in January again?"

I have a suggestion as we start the New Year. I know it is tempting to say, "I'm going to do X this year. I'm going to reach X goal this year."

Why don't we try 1 month? 30 days?

And, why don't we focus on action steps?

For example:

"I want to lose 10 pounds."

This is a great goal, but it's not 100% in your control. You know what is in your control though? The action steps:

- I am going to stay within my calorie range every day for 30 days.
- I am going to workout 6 days a week this month.

These are my goals.

So, I'm developing a hybrid workout schedule for the month (I'll post it later) that includes P90X2, Pump, and Running.



PLUS



PLUS

I really don't smile like this every time I run..

I'm planning each week's meals in advance.

I'm focusing on what I can control, and the result will happen.

Can I challenge you to do the same?

(Come over to Sarah Fitness and post your action steps for January for extra accountability. And don't forget about the Challenge Groups forming now)

Let's kick off the year with a strong 30 days. Who's with me?

Hang in there!

I'm writing this letter to myself, as well as anyone else who can benefit:

Hang in there!

The holidays are upon us. For me, personally, it feels like life is in chaos.

We drove all day yesterday, and packed snacks, and still managed to not make the best food choices.

After being in the car all day, my body was sore... but I apparently forgot my foam roller.

My goal is to find time to run later this afternoon. Then to get back on track with P90X2 as much as I can.

But, I have to remember, I'm seeing family and friends I haven't seen for a year, and being with them is the most important. I can workout on schedule when I get home (especially since Les Mills' Pump will be waiting for me...)

So, hang in there, everyone. If you're super focused on a physical goal, stay super focused. If you're super focused on enjoying time with your family, stay super focused. Just remember your goals, and stay focused. Don't be sad or feel bad about yourself if you do something. Just do the best you can.

However, come January 2, look out :-) Back to 100% compliance AND awesomeness!

2012 Beachbody Challenge Groups!

A lot of folks make New Year's Resolutions. They decide to lose weight, once and for all. The join Weight Watchers, maybe Jenny Craig or Nutrisystem, and join a gym.

All of these things cost money.

That's cool. Anything that's worthwhile is going to cost something. In fact, I find that I'm more likely to commit to something and stick with it if I've PAID for it.

But, I want you to think ahead. What is February going to look like?

I know many people find success with all of these things. But I want you to take a moment and consider a different option...




Beachbody offers COMPLETE programs, with a schedule, nutrition plan, and support. But I'm going even further than that and starting a Challenge Group.

The 2012 Challenge Group:

- Begins January 2.
- Is limited to 5 people.
- Lasts for 30 days (it takes 21 days to make a habit).
- Will have daily support, check-ins and accountability via an exclusive Facebook group.

Here are the requirements:
1. Drink Shakeology Daily.
2. Workout daily (either with a Beachbody workout program, or the program of your choice. I'll even help you develop one if you like).
3. Check in daily.

Beachbody has even made it easier, by combining some of their programs with Shakeology AND a free month of membership in the Team Beachbody Club:

Just to compare:

1. One month of weight watchers online: Sign up fee of $29.95 plus $18.95 per month: $48.90 for the first month (does not include fitness program)
2. One month of gym membership: Varies, usually a sign up fee ($49.99) and a monthly fee of $39.99. That's $90 for the first month. (Source of sample)
3. One month of Jenny Craig: A small fee (Usually about $20 per month), plus the cost of meals, which can run you $500 - $600 per month. That doesn't include a fitness program. (Here's a review of their program).

With the Beachbody Challenge packs, you get the Workout Program (which you can use more than one month...), one month of Shakeology, and one month of the Team Beachbody Club membership (which includes personalized meal plans).

You decide. But if you'd like to be in my Challenge Group that starts on January 2, let me know! And order soon, because you want to have everything ready to get started on that day!

Initial thoughts on P90X2: Continued...

As my first week of P90X2 comes to a close, I want to share my thoughts.

Specific Workouts:

- Core is weird. It's hard, and then at the end I don't feel like I did a lot. I will continue to run on the days I do this, or else I'll feel like I took it easy.

- Plyocide sounded real scary, but in reality, wasn't at all. The warm up was long, then the workout was short, then a lot of really long stretching. Now, I love stretching, but not as part of a workout whose title ends with "cide". Since I feel like I'm not getting enough leg work (and I miss the heavy leg work), I think I will sub that for this workout.

- Recovery and Mobility: I love this. I could see myself doing it all the time. I am having a love affair with my foam roller.

- Total Body. Holy moly. There were moves in this I just couldn't even do. "Crunchy lever pullup"- You do a pullup, bring your knees into your chest, and then rock back and forth. It looks really cool and fun, but I had to just work on my (assisted) pullups. Also "Mule Kick Burpee". I'm just going to leave it at that. Good lord. And a bunch of crazy things in Warrior 3. Really? Now, I'm not saying I didn't like this workout. I think it will be great

- Yoga: I love how it's NOT 90 minutes long. It's just about 66 minutes, but honestly, I have to admit: I always skip the ab section. And frog. So that cuts it down a little. I get to practice crow/crane (I learned it as crow or bakasana- he calls it crane. Whatever. That's what it is.)

- Balance and Power: OMG. This was particularly hard. I could barely do most of the stability ball moves. There is a modifier for people who don't have a ball... um, but even though I have one, I followed him most of the time anyway. Also, Tony's sister is in this workout. The banter is funny. He sings a little during the stretch and mentions that people will make fun of him on Youtube. Like here.



General

- This first phase is weird to me after the heavy lifting I was doing. I am dying to go to the gym and throw around some HEAVY weights. That almost seems easier than some of this intricate core work. But I know I need it. I *really* need it. The core is the most important, and with a strong core, I know I'll do better at everything else. So I'm going to hang in there (but I still will probably do some barbell FULL squats and things in place of Plyocide.)

- Dang there is a Warrior III in just about every workout.
Warrior III Row/Press, Warrior III Preacher Curl... let's just say if you don't like Warrior III, or are bad at it, it will be hard (at least at first). Personally I'm looking forward to getting better.

- I've seen negative and positive reviews. I understand some of the negatives- warmups are too long (too much foam rolling, some people say), not enough leg work (that was me that sad that one), but I think, at least for me, they can be worked around. (They are all well-chaptered, so you can easily skip, like I do with FROG.)

I would love to hear your thoughts as well if you've started already. I am curious how other people are doing with it.



Oh, and I'm running 3 times a week. Because I need it. It's not in the program. But I'm doing it anyway (don't tell Tony).

I like you.

I really do. Do you like me?

Have you liked Sarah Fitness yet?

So far, 629 people do.

When that number gets up to 700, I'll do a random drawing for a prize. What's the prize?

This right here:



That's right! One lucky "Liker" will get a Rockin' Body set, so you can dance with my good buddy Shaun T. Remember when I met Shaun T.?

Yep. I'm going to keep bringing this up FOREVER.

So, tell your friends. As soon as we hit 700, I'll choose randomly from all 700 folks :-)

Just in case you need it again, go HERE. Click "Like".

Initial thoughts on P90X2

Well, I decided to go ahead and start P90X2 TODAY!!! Y'all had to know I wouldn't be able to wait, right?

Happiness in a box.

 I've been doing a little reading, planning and previewing of the program, and wanted to share some of my initial thoughts. Keep in mind, I have only done 3 workouts: Recovery + Mobility, Core, and Yoga.

The three phases of the program are Foundation, Strength and Performance. Each phase is designed to be used 3 to 6 weeks.

There is an optional Recovery week which consists of the Recovery + Mobility and Yoga alternating. There is no *scheduled* recovery week in the program- it's just there for you to do whenever you need it. I like this. I'm not always ready to recover when I'm supposed to be ready...

I've previewed the workouts used in Phase 1, since that's what I'll be doing. I wanted to be ready since I'll be traveling during part of it, and make sure I had all the equipment I would need. (One member in each workout shows the "hotel room" variation, where you don't use fancy equipment... just bands and a towel.)

Phase 1 is called the Foundation because it works on strengthening the core. The workouts are very "Functional" fitness oriented. (Do they still use that buzzword? It was big when I was teaching). I'm excited about this because I've been having some back pain, which I think is due to tight hip flexors, and possibly not having a strong enough core (I'm starting to think- 15 months after childbirth- that I may have had some mild diastasis recti. I can still feel a little space in between.. ).

I did Day 1's workout, X2 Core, Monday morning, and it was a challenge. There were a lot of moves I couldn't do. I *still* can't do Dreya rolls (how do you get back up without using your hands?), and several of the plank based moves had to be just "planks". But, I know I have a lot of room to grow, and that's good.

Also, I'm planning on adding 3 days of running to this plan. I don't think it will be too much. I am only running 2-3 miles at a time, which is just perfect for me.....

So let's keep BRINGING IT.

Have a great Monday, folks!

(P.S. Even though it's too late to get it by Christmas, you can still order P90X2 if you're interested. Go HERE to order!)

Things that happened this week...

This week was one of my busiest weeks of the year. In addition to my awesome librarian-ing, and my Beachbody Coaching, I've also been known to be a piano accompanist. I get a chance every semester to use those accompanying skills (and therefore two of my three degrees) when I accompany music students in their "juries". Juries are end of semester performance exams. They sound scary, and I guess they were scary to me back in the early 90s, but now they're just a fun chance for me to remember I'm a musician and make some money.

This is what I look like sitting at a piano.

But, doing this required working a lot of time outside my regular job. Monday I was at school for 13 hours. I missed a few lunchtime workouts because I worked through them to catch up on work.

So I had to accept this one not going to be one of my most successful fitness weeks ever.

I wanted to review, so I can go into next week in a "more likely to succeed" frame of mind.

Things that happened this week:

1. I ran 3 times. (2 miles, 2 miles, 3 miles). That was consistent and I am happy with it.
2. My 2 toenails FINALLY fell off (they've been threatening to since the last half marathon in October).
3. I lifted weights twice at the gym.
4. P90X2 arrived.

And there was great rejoicing..

5. I didn't eat so great. I gave into fancy Starbucks Holiday cup drinks a few times.
6. I watched my son sit in Santa's lap and cried a little.

7. I drank Shakeology every day (no matter how badly I ate, I at least knew I was doing something right).(Yeah, I sell it, but that doesn't make it any less awesome.
8. My skin cleared up (which I think is due to number 7).
9. I slept very little (due to a grumpy, teething little girl, and probably a little stress).

My point to all of this is that there are times when you choose your goals. My fitness/weight loss/bodysculpting goals took a back seat this week to my other goals. I got lax. But I accept the consequences, and I know that if I want to GET better, I have to DO better.

This coming week will be amazing. I know it.


Hope you have a great week planned!

High Five I Love Coffee Friday!

One of my favorite things about winter is the Starbucks Holiday cup. So I gave in and got a holiday beverage this morning:

My hands were too busy to high five. Sorry.

My daughter is either teething, or sick (or both, poor thing), which is making her very demanding, especially during the times most people sleep. Hence the coffee.

My P90X2 arrived this week. I haven't had a chance to try much of it yet, but I did do "X2 Recovery and Mobility" this morning. It has a 20 minute long foam roller sequence. I went to heaven.

However, after 3 sun salutations at the beginning of the workout, Tony says, "Just skip coffee and do three of those in the morning." Tony, not funny. Not funny at all.

He's also his typical self, and I'm glad to have a whole new set of Tony-isms to memorize and repeat. "If you don't have a bar, get a broom stick. If you don't have a broom stick in your house, that's weird." (I'm paraphrasing.)

Speaking of P90X-ish things:




I love it.

I really don't have a coherent train of thought to share with you today, so I'll just sum up some things:

1. Starting a BB challenge group January 2. This will be a small group (limited) of highly focused folks who really want to see a difference. This will be 30 days. Want to know more? Email me at uberlibrarian (at ) gmail (dot) com, and we'll see if you qualify.

2. I've become completely obsessed with the Ryan Gosling "Hey girl" meme, to the point that friends and I (you know who you are) have been doing some variations (some with David Boreanaz). Observe some of the original:

Here's some from the librarian version:

And here are some of the ones we've come up with:

Oh Jenn.

And some DB...

From my girl Missy. 

Hey girl.
Have a great weekend....

Choices

This is a girl with whom I'd like to talk about her choices. (Source)

"You're so lucky."
"I wish I was as thin as you."
"I wish I had your discipline."

I hear these things a lot. The bottom line is that I make choices. Sometimes I make good choices. Sometimes I make choices that are NOT so good. But I make choices, and I get the consequences. That's how that works.

I know that if I choose to go over my calories, or to eat some food that is off plan, I will reduce my results. If I'm aiming for weight loss, I may not achieve it. If I eat something gross, I'll feel gross. Choices have consequences.

So, I'm writing this not just to talk to those people who think I'm just "lucky". I'm writing to myself a little as well.

Don't forget the choices you make today will affect where you are tomorrow.

What choices are you making?

On Being One of the "Cool Kids"...

If that's not a cool kid, I don't know what is...

My workouts are a little less this week as I'm super busy. Here's what I have *planned*:

Sunday: Total Body Workout #1
Monday: Run 2 miles, Ab Ripper X
Tuesday: Total Body Workout #2
Wednesday: Run 2 miles, Ab Ripper X
Thursday: Total Body Workout #3
Friday: Fun Cardio at home
Saturday: Run 3 miles, Ab Ripper X

Anyway, I haven't been at the gym to lift for a few weeks. I miss it, but it's just been really busy (as you can probably tell by how little I've been blogging lately.)

Today I had planned to run 2 miles outside, but it's raining ridiculously. Plus, the construction and potholes on this campus right now mean very deep puddles. I slipped and fell once running in ice, and water is just warmer ice, and it scares me (keep in mind I also got bit by a dog and run over by my own car. I don't think this fear is entirely irrational).

So, I ran inside on the track. I was kind of amazed by my time:

Seriously?

I absolutely can't believe I broke a 9:00 mile. I'm very excited. Now, I'll admit, I was really pushing it, and I don't think I could have gone any longer. If I were to run longer than 2 miles, my pace would have to go down. But for today, this was great.

I finished up my workout with Ab Ripper X, using the P90X app. I had never done it with my music playing before... turns out Tony Horton talks OVER your music. It was so cool.

After my workout I went to the locker room to shower (You're welcome, co-workers) and I heard someone say, "Where have you been?" I turned and saw a girl I've seen around the gym a lot. But what surprised me, I guess, was that she (and the other regulars at the gym) had noticed I haven't been around. Wow. She also asked me to join the Weightlifting Club. How cool is that?

So, on Monday, I felt kind of like one of the cool kids. I made a friend. I ran fast. I worked hard. I made progress. It was a great day.

How was your Monday?

(P.S. P90X2 is coming to my house on Thursday. Jealous? You can still pre-order it HERE and get free shipping.... But you have to do it SOON! Like TODAY!)

Great Moments in Goal Achievement

As long as I've been running (or at least as long as I cared anything about time) I've wanted to complete a 5K in less than 30 minutes. My fastest 5K time was 32:00-something, so I had a little ways to go.

Sometimes when I run, people mistake me for Homer Simpson

But this weekend, I had a miracle happen.

My runs lately have been around 2 miles. I've been focusing on speed, on *not* taking walk breaks, and just making it through without cursing running. I have to admit it's been a lot more rewarding lately than it was towards the end of "Half Marathon Season 2011", when I wanted to punch running in the face most days.

On Saturday, I didn't get to do my run in the morning, so I had to wait until my husband could watch the kids. I decided to try for 3 miles, since I've been doing 2 or 2.25 lately. I wanted to push myself a little.

I headed out. The weather was perfect. I had my music on. I felt like I was going a little faster than comfortable, but I kept telling myself, "Only 300 more seconds" (which is 5 minutes. This is a technique I use often. Counting helps me pass the time and also helps me breathe, which I think helps prevent sidestitches. Well, most of the time).

I have my Nike+ set to tell me every quarter mile what my pace is. It was getting ridiculously fast. I was impressed. So much that when I hit 2.5 miles I decided to go for the full 5K.

28:21. Holy Schmoly. I ran 3.1 miles in less than 30:00 alright.

And now that I have reached this goal, I feel empowered. I mean, it wasn't easy. It wasn't a piece of cake. It was challenging and I did it.

So, I'm wondering what other goals I can reach if I set my mind to it?

Oh, and the best part: I got rid of the Tracy Morgan Curse. Dirk Nowitzki congratulated me at the end of my run.

Nice, Sarah. (source)