Cue "Rocky" Music...

Yes! That's right friends!
I think I've got my groove back!

But first, before I say anymore, I want to thank each of you for commenting and being there for me when I am not doing so in return. Pamela, Katie, Tom, Erin, Jeremy, Cherie, Beka, Chantal, Irene, Rhoni, Janel, and Dana on MySpace, thank you so much! I have to tell you I have been so surprised and really touched that you are checking in on me. And Katie- thanks for the kick in the pants- I love it! I haven't been on Blends because I don't really have the time to give back as I should at the moment, and I feel bad about that. Please know that I am thinking of each of you and sending you good vibes.

Over the last two weeks the Beauties have been really sick, and now it seems it's my turn. I was supposed to go to Phoenix for work over the weekend, but I called in sick, stayed home, and slept all weekend. Richard was really great about keeping the girls busy. I must have got the condensed version of whatever they had, either that or I'm so excited about finally feeling it that nothing is getting in my way now!

Last week, I called a do-over. There was too much going on, and then I tried to dive right into the waters again. It was too much; all I really accomplished was setting myself up for failure. So, this time I decided to simply dip my toe in, you know, get used to the water again. My mini goal for last week was that each day I would either eat clean or workout. Goal accomplished! And by the end of the week, I was feeling great! No weight loss to report this week, but getting back on track is all the reward I need.

My mini goal for this week is too eat clean everyday except free day and exercise everyday except free day. The requirement for exercise is simply that I get a good workout in, vacuuming does not count as a workout.

Now to lay out the rest of the
details for this challenge:

start date: 2.4.07
end date: 4.29.07

Objective: I am going to approach this challenge completely differently than I have in the past. My main objective is to be consistent with the habits that create a healthy body, mind, and spirit. In the past I have not at all been consistent. I have focused on the numbers, and then I start playing games with myself. In the end it leads to not very great results, and I'm not creating the life long habits I need to make this a regular part of my life. So my main objective is to "be true," to be consistent. The focus is on doing the work, consistently, day by day.

Each week I will still set mini goals for myself to help me ease into developing healthy habits. My ultimate goal is to be able to wear my wedding ring again by the end of this challenge.

OK, so I've taken my starting stats and the traditional and humiliating "before" pictures. Here's the breakdown:

starting weight: 161 lbs (up 4.5 lbs since Christmas)

starting measurements:
neck: 14"
chest: 34"
waist: 36 1/2"
hips: 43 3/4"
buttocks: 42 3/4"
thigh: 25"
calf: 15"
bicep: 12 1/2"
forearm: 10 1/2""

Goals:
Every day I commit myself to:

• eating 5 to 6 clean meals
• meeting my nutrition goals: calories 1530-1580, protein 35%, carbs 45%, fat 20%, multi vitamin (Garden of Life, Living Multi 3, times a day), Udo's Oil (to get all my Essential Fatty Acids, will purchase... eventually)
  
• drinking 11 cups of water
  
• working out- I'm going to break away from BFL and do what I like doing in an effort to really knock this one out.
• Workouts consist of:
• three 45 min HIIT cardio workouts
• three TaeBo workouts (which includes resistance work, which will be taking the place of strength training for the moment). If I can fit it in, I will also do:
  
• 2 yoga workouts
• 3 abs workouts
• logging my food, water intake and exercise in my Diet Assistant program on my PDA.
  
• posting on my challenge thread on the fitness forum I belong to, MyBlends, and my blog, even if it is only to post that I worked out, ate clean and drank all my water.
  

Every week I commit myself to:

• having one scheduled Free Day on Sundays; can be swapped with Saturdays, depending on my schedule. NO free days, meals, or snacks during the week.
• taking pictures and posting them regardless of my progress.
• posting my weight regardless of my progress.
• taking and posting my measurements regardless of my progress.
• setting a mini goal for each week.

Alrightly! Here is to a great week! Again, my mini goal is to eat clean everyday and get all my workouts in. I'll focus on the details of my diet (how much protein, fat, carbs, etc.) the following week.

By the way- anyone see Joan Biaz on the Grammys tonight? Holy crap! I want to look like that when I'm her age, I want to look like that NOW! Rock on sista!