21 Day Fix, Day 18

Today was just one of those hard days.  6 years ago my stepdad passed away very unexpectedly.  It was one of the hardest times ever and I still miss him all the time.  He was one of those angels that came into our lives and just made everything better.  Anyone who knew him was positively impacted by him....and he was one of the best men I have ever met.  In one sense, I can't believe it has already been 6 years....but then again, it feels like I haven't seen him in 20.  I wish so much that he could have met my husband and been able to play with my children.  One day....until then I know he's looking down with his big mustache....telling us jokes and making somebody a delicious snack.

On to my day 18 report.  I had every intention to get up at 4:30 like I have been every day.  But a little 3 year old girl decided to grace me with her presence in my bed last night and I got such little sleep.  When the alarm went off, I figured I could sleep in a little bit and would still be able to get at least one of my workouts in.  But when I got up - so did my other daughter...so no work out this morning for me.  I've mentioned this before, but I always feel off and sluggish in the morning now if I don't work out and do my regular routine.  I'm such a creature of habit.  I got my double workout done when the girls napped and did Cardio Fix and Pilates Fix - and got my sweat on for sure.

But today started my 3 Day Quick Fix that I briefly mentioned yesterday.  This is something that the trainer, Autumn Calabrese, does before she has swimsuit competitions.  She recommends doing it the last 3 days of the program to maximize results, so I figured HEY why not??

You still follow your workout schedule, but for these 3 days - your meal plan changes.  For females - breakfast is a yellow container of steel cut oats, a red container of egg whites and 1 tsp of extra virgin coconut oil.  Then you try to eat every two hours.  Next meal is a red container of grilled chicken and a yellow container of steamed yams...and you go down the list (in the picture above).  So how does it differ from my normal day?  It is 2 more red containers, 2 more tsp, 1 more green - but no blue (fats & cheeses), no orange (dressings/seeds).

I followed everything to a T - but I haven't had the last meal which is ground extra-lean turkey (red) and steamed veggies (green) + 1 tsp EVCO.  I'm just too full and I don't think I can eat anymore today.  And I don't like to eat too late or my stomach is upset in the morning.  Tomorrow I'm going to try to fit it in and make sure to eat all the meals exactly 2 hours apart.  We were just gone with Stella's preschool and Vera's ENT checkup today- so my timing got a little off.

Breakfast

Lunch

Another fun thing is - you have to drink at least a gallon of water.  That is a LOT of water.  I did it, and felt like I was pregnant again with how much I had to pee.  It reminded me how much water helps with making you feel really full too.  I love to drink water from my Shakeology shaker cup because it's 25 oz and I can keep track really easily.

I would say all in all - I had a great day with the program and am glad I was able to fit my workouts in, even if it was off my regular schedule.  I feel very full and satisfied - I just REALLY missed my Shakeology today. I never miss a day of it and I've grown to love it so much, my day seems off without it!

post-workout - it's not pretty, but it's real

Whenever I start to feel down and the day just seems extra hard - I try to focus on my blessings...because there are so many.  God is SO good, all of the time.  He never said life would be easy - but He did promise that He would be there with us along the journey.  These two little blessings make EVERYTHING worth it.  They are my "why" for everything and they push me to be the best that I can be.

And tonight after dinner, I went out to get the mail and had a surprise package in the mail from my coach, Shannon.  She sent me these as a thank you for all of my hard work on our team and with my challengers and coaches.

We seriously have such an amazingly awesome team filled with women who are so inspiring.  I can't wait to meet some of them this Sunday at our Super Sunday event (where Jenelle Summers will be hosting!!!) I can't describe how incredible this opportunity has been so far and I can't wait to see where this journey leads.  Dreaming big.