Make a Decision that Will Change Your Life

Okay fellow readers, sorry for the delay. I'm sure your life gets crazy, too - right?

I wanted to share an exiting announcement in this weeks addition of my Fitness Journey Blog. But don't worry - it's relevant, and hopefully offers a little more assistance for those you who have been asking for tips, encouragement, etc. I definitely want to help!

So here goes - I now have an official website: Check it out!

As many of you know – this past year or so I’ve been spending more time in the gym, “working on my fitness” (as Fergie says) and in general, trying to lose weight and get fit. I’ve changed what I eat, how I eat and have continually become more involved with group exercise so that I can become stronger and healthier. Perhaps you have been following this Fitness Journey Blog here or via Facebook where I've been reflecting on what works, tips and providing encouragement each week for my readers! Check out my past blogs!

I have lost almost 30 pounds on this journey so far, and I’m not done yet! I certainly haven’t gotten to this place alone – there have been so many great people serving as motivators along my path - including each of you who have been reading! I’ve also found amazing workouts that really help me stay on track and get the most “bang for my buck.” I found the courage to became a Certified TurboKick instructor – and have been teaching 1-2 classes a week at my gym. I can’t believe that I’m teaching a group exercise class – it sounds like a different person has taken over my body! You know - my whole life, I always looked for a magic product to make me “thin” – but I grew tired of sitting around and waiting for something magical to happen. I realized that you have to work hard for your fitness goals just like you do your other dreams and goals in life!

So it dawned on me – why am I not incorporating this new passion for fitness into my long term goals?

I did something about that and I am now an Independent Beach Body Coach – so I’ve literally combined my career goals and my fitness goals into one job! I’m sharing this with you because I want to help if you have fitness related goals or questions. Whether your goal is to lose some weight, put on muscle, increase your endurance, flexibility or you are just looking for protein powder or healthy meal replacements – I can help! I can make recommendations for you based on your needs and interests and I also am a distributor of all BeachBody products - so you can actually HAVE the tools in your hands to start making progress on your fitness journey.

Since I’ve achieved success using BeachBody products like Turbo Jam (that’s the home version of TurboKick which I now instruct!), ChaLEAN Extreme, and Shakeology – I feel 100% confident that BeachBody offers quality products that can deliver results if you are serious about your goals! If you are interested at all in becoming healthier or just want to shake up your current workout a bit – I would love to be your fitness coach and help you make the best decisions for your fitness goals.

Check out my website to see all the products BeachBody has to offer, see my before and after pictures and read about my transformation story: Dre's Story

Team BeachBody has great web resources and it’s free to create a profile and it’s free for me to be your coach! You can use Team BeachBody to log your workouts to help create accountability and start your own transformation story! Add me as your Coach so I can keep up with you! You can select me by going to my website and choosing “Join Team BeachBody!” Scroll all the way to the bottom and select the free membership. A few simple steps later and you’ll be all set and I’ll be your Coach! There are no obligations when you sign up – I just want to help you on your journey, no matter where you are starting.

Some of the most popular Beachbody products are:
P90X with Tony Horton
TurboJam with Chalene Johnson (a personal fav of mine!)
Slim in 6
Insanity with Shaun T
Brazil Butt Lift with Leandro Carvalho (oooh la la!!)
10 Minute Trainer with Tony Horton
Hip Hop Abs with Shaun T

Check out Shakeology as well, it’s a personal fav! It’s a great new product that’s like going to the salad bar and filling your plate 5 times with veggies and fruit! I love it and am currently drinking it for breakfast every morning – no more horse pill multivitamins for me! :)

Let me know how I can help you on your own fitness journey - you are NOT alone! Check out my site and let me know what questions you have about any of BeachBody’s products – and I’m also happy to help you set your goals as well. Everyone starts in a unique place, but the important thing is to JUST KEEP MOVING!

Sincerely,

Dre

Independent BeachBody Coach
teambeachbody.com/theotherdre
Follow me on Twitter: TheOtherDRE
Email me: theotherdre@beachbodycoach.com

Send me a message on Facebook: Andrea Alford

My fitness journey is in PROGRESS - how about yours?

The No-Buts-About-it-In-Your-Face Partner

If this week had a cheesy theme it'd be "Dre Goes Solo." Or "Dre & The Workout: Mono y Mono." (and i have no idea if i'm spelling that right.)

This week is spring break at the university where i work - so that means that the campus totally empties out and while my office was open Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday - we fortunately had today off and will have tomorrow off as well. I was looking forward to some time to catch up on projects, get a jump start on some upcoming presentations, etc. But what i hadn't really geared myself up for is that all of my accountability partners were somewhere else this week.

So no one down the hall asking me if i'm ready to hit the gym, or to recount to me what she ate yesterday and how she felt about it. No tweets from the next building with "pump you up" messages to help me mentally prepare for a solid healthy day. In fact, on Monday i so totally caved that i went out to eat with a co-worker and ordered something i would never order. I just hadn't mentally prepared myself to go it "alone."

But I trotted my solo buns over to the gym on Monday and I went to the same room where we usually do turbo and I put my cd in and did Round 39 all by myself. It's amazing how much easier it is when i'm not calling out cues the whole time! :) And then I came home and walked my puppy. That made me feel a LITTLE less terrible about my unfortunate eating decision for lunch.

On Tuesday, I had an evening meeting after work so i knew i had to incorporate working out into my day. I challenged myself to burn at least 300 calories as i didn't have a full hour to give to my workout since i had to get ready to go back into the office. I was pleased with my performance on el elliptical and knocked out almost 400 calories in about 40 minutes. I found the calorie burn challenge more appealing because it wasn't tied to a timer/count down - i was just pushing hard to burn calories. Gotta love my BodyBugg for helping me know EXACTLY how many calories i'm burning all the time.

Even after working out at lunch - I knew I still had ChaLEAN Extreme to complete after my evening meeting. I ended up sitting on the couch with my puppy watching a show until about 10pm and I got fed up with myself being lazy and forced myself to get OFF the couch and finish my workout for the day.

The whole week has been a struggle to motivate myself to work out. But i find it interesting at the same time to know what motivates me. Now, more than ever, I know i need the constant support of my accountability partners to keep me on track. I'm proud of myself for completing the workouts and hitting my calorie burn this week w/out their help - because in the end, we DO have to rely on ourselves to meet our goals.

But I have to recommend something, because i realized JUST how helpful it can be this week - find someone who will be on your team! It could be someone who has similar goals to you - whether it's to lose weight, gain muscle, look good in a two piece, run a marathon - whatever. Or it could be someone who inspires you because of their commitment. I sort of "cheat" and have several accountability partners. People who can relate to what i'm going through - but we are all on different paths in terms of our goals. It just so happened that this week - all of them were out of town! I'll have to ask them to rearrange their schedules and work around my health needs next time ;)

And do yourself a favor - believe me on this. Find someone who really truly is in this to win this. It does you NO good to have an accountability partner who will constantly listen/put up with your excuses, or someone who is always giving you excuses about not showing up, not eating right or sticking to the plan. Sure - we all mess up because um, we are human. But choose your partner/team carefully and make sure that you surround yourself with people who can cheer you on, cheer you up, tell you the truth, push you when you are done, and listen to you when you just need to talk it out before you work it out.

This means that maybe it's not your spouse, boyfriend, roommate or best friend who can be your accountability partner. Because sometimes we are TOO comfortable with these people and you let each other off the hook too easily. Or maybe these people are perfect for you because they know you so well and can call you on your bullcrap when no one else will. I can't tell you who to pick - but you have to find someone who creates a positive environment for themselves already - someone who is just as passionate about their goals as you are yours.

One great way to do this is by finding something that you love to do - and then get to know the people who are showing up for the same things! Chances are, you might already have a lot in common. So next time you go for a walk in your neighborhood - pay attention to who you always see. Or perhaps you are a treadmill rat - if you are like me, i'm a creature of habit so i always go to the same one. Or if you love group exercise, it's easy to spot the regulars (they are the ones who give you a weird look if you are in their spot - or is that just me?)

As usual - this whole thing is a journey and i'm still learning "stuff" about myself in this process. I always thought i was pretty independent, but apparently a little bit of support goes a long way for me. Another lesson learned is to mentally prepare for when i know i'm going to "be on my own" so i don't slack off. It's hard to stay on track for even the strongest and most dedicated person, but as i said last week ANY time spent on you is better than zero time. So make every moment count (and then find a partner who won't leave you hanging on that high five after you workout).

Points In Your Corner

I've had one of those weeks that I'd label as "not my normal week." I didn't hit my calorie burn every single day which is not the norm for me. I didn't get to eat all my prepared meals for lunch which is not the norm for me. And i felt really tired this week which - you guessed it - is not the norm for me.

I also didn't get to write this post yesterday - which is not the norm for me. But last night, after i finished team teaching TurboKick, i literally had sweat dripping off me onto the gym floor and i thought to myself - I couldn't have pushed any harder tonight than i did. And i felt good about my workout. And i envisioned this last week being a boxing match and hearing the bell ding in my corner: Point for Dre.

It's at the end of these extra challenging weeks that i have to remind myself to re-focus. Notice the little things again to keep my goals on track.

So I've been doing ChaLEAN Extreme everyday - and I've noticed some changes happening. For those of you who aren't familiar with the program - it's a extreme circuit training program - dvds so you can do the weightlifting and cardio at home. I'm doing this in addition to my normal work outs (minus the weightlifting - CE is enough weights for me!).

When i started this program 3 weeks ago - we had to do pushups. I hate push ups. Chalene on the video always saysbefore we do them: "If you hate pushups, it's because you don't do pushups." So one of my goals is to love pushups by the end of this adventure. I have to say that i'm really wimpy when it comes to arm strength - so big girl pushups are a challenge. But I've noticed a small change this last week - and guess what? My push ups aren't QUITE as wimpy as they were 2 weeks ago and i may be able to try a few big girl pushups (not on my knees) next week. It's the small things, right?

So Fridays are my weigh in day - and after a week of not the norm - I was more than a little nervous about facing the scale today. I told my fiance last night to "think thin thoughts" for me. I woke up dreading the scale. I hate mornings like this. I often find myself looking forward to get on the scale because I believe i've worked hard enough to see a result I'll be happy with.

Today I lost .2 pounds. So it wasn't a big win. Then i remembered my own advice and took the time to measure today. I actually lost an inch from my waist, bust and arm. That's right. Another point for Dre and let's call it: Progress.

I often have to remind myself to follow my own advice - to remember that there are many ways to "win" this battle and every week winning looks and feels a little bit different.

Today i'm focused on the tiny changes creeping up on me.
Small wins:
A stronger push up (point for Dre)
Lifting heavier weights for the row exercise in burn circuit 2 for Chalean Extreme. (ding ding - another point)
Teaching my first full hour of Turbo Kick solo. And you know what? I made it. I didn't wimp out - i didn't lose my way and i remembered to smile and look up. (triple points for Dre)
Losing inches means my clothes fit better than they did a month ago. And overall - I feel good that each week i'm making strides (no matter how small) to be the better version of me that i have envisioned for myself. (ding, ding, ding!)

This is so important! It will always be a challenge to keep that vision of a better you within reach. Often times we lose sight of our goals when things get busy, or something else starts taking priority. But even during the hardest weeks to stay on track - you have to promise yourself to give it all you've got. Even if it's 20 minutes less than usual - or the weights aren't as heavy as they could be. Some effort is better than no effort at all and you HAVE to really embrace that to stick to your goals long term. If things get busy with family, work, friends - still make an effort - even if its small to work toward your vision of a better you. Don't have time to do an hour of cardio? Well, you have 10 minutes to run, right? Remember - something is better than nothing. And you are worth it.

Make a list of the little things that keep you going - keep stock of them and continue to add to the list. Seriously - write it down. If you don't have a clear vision in your mind of who you are becoming, then i challenge you to really take some time to see it. And find a way to hold onto it at all times. Sometimes my vision gets a little blurry - and I'm glad in those moments that i wrote it down, that i told my best friends and they are able to make things clear again. And this helps me keep going, even when it's tough.

Ding! It's a knockout.

Outside the Comfort Zone

I use TweetDeck religiously.You should follow me there if you don't already @theotherdre.

Here's the thing - if you follow the right people, there is endless advice, encouragement and ideas to help you with your fitness or just life in general goals. One thing that really pushed me to make a change was seeing a quote from one of the people i follow. It was something like:

"How are you to grow if you don't push yourself beyond your comfort level?"

It was one of those quotes that really knocked the wind out of me. It made me realize that I'm the type of person who for the most part - stays in my comfort zone. I have attempted to change my life in terms of being fit so many times over the years. But what i wasn't willing to do - was be uncomfortable.

Seeing this quote forced me to accept that about myself. The awareness of it shook me to my core and i decided then and there that it was time to stop being so scared and just go for it. I realized that nothing will EVER change unless you are willing to try something different. Because if the same old thing was working - the fitness industry probably wouldn't be a billion dollar biz, right?

This past summer - I had been doing TurboKick classes for about a year and an instructor training was coming up at my gym. I had been encouraged by one of my fitness mentors and good friend (Lindy for those of you who know her!) to sign up. My first reaction was to laugh. Me? A fitness instructor? Right.

Then that little tweet popped up and changed my mind. I WILL sign up for instructor training. I will be nervous about it until it happens, I'll stay up biting my nails about it the night before and won't be able to eat breakfast because i'm so nervous the morning of. But you know what - I did it. Not only did i do it - but i passed!

Good job, Dre, I thought. I'll just put that little certification in my drawer and be happy that i challenged myself. But no - once again my friend Lindy encouraged me to start helping her teach class each week. I was terrified. I would watch the instructor training videos over and over, practice for hours, write down all the moves. Re-write them in bigger letters so i could bring them with me for class. I would start having butterflies the morning of and be totally shaking by 5pm when it was almost GO time.

Eventually Lindy put me on the fitness schedule as team teaching. So there it was in writing - my name with the word "TurboKick" beside it. WHAT? Who am i becoming? More so - who do other people think i am? I thought "they must be crazy."

Teaching a group exercise class has been another type of journey for me - I have to prepare and plan for it every week. The thing is - I have so much fun during TurboKick - and i want nothing more than someone else to love it and get their butt kicked as much as I do. But in order to really share that version of this workout - I needed something else. Some WOW.

So here - again, an opportunity to go to All Star Presenter Camp came up and it was a chance to practice, get feedback from a pro and the support of others who were also trying to step up their game. I signed up for it. Geez. I'm a nervous wreck again. Worried about how it's going to go - what will i have to do? What will people say?

But that's right - I did it anyway because i needed to push myself.

And again - a change happened in me. One that i wouldn't have gotten to as quickly if i hadn't moved myself outside of my comfort zone. I discovered things about myself that i honestly didn't know before. It was tearful, surprising and much needed.

I'm at the point in my life and in my journey where I've seen some progress. I've achieved some of my goals. But my heart and mind haven't caught up to my body. I still sometimes look in the mirror and I don't see myself as i am now. I still see that person i used to be. The person i have worked so hard to improve. At camp - we actually were videotaped teaching a portion of the class and we watched it. It forced me to see how others might see me. I realized for the FIRST - maybe I wasn't so bad.

I share these experiences with you so I can finally say:

Sometimes we have to take time out of our constant work outs, diets, day-to-day craziness and recognize our progress. We are our own worst critic - and sometimes we gotta tell that critic to take a hike so we can see ourselves in a new light. One that we've worked so hard for. We need to take a step back from the constant judgment of ourselves and really look.

The journey at this stage is both mental and physical - and we have to be strong in both ways. Let these two make peace with each other - and you'll start seeing so many great things about yourself that you never noticed before. And that's progress.

In the Inbetween

So today's blog isn't about fitness so much. It's just about me and my thoughts because sometimes i have a decent one that sticks around for awhile and i just need to "put it on paper."

I got the rough draft of our wedding ceremony this morning and i just spent a few minutes looking at it. Digesting it. It all seems so far away and not real until you get something concrete like that from someone you don't know who has taken the time to write your ceremony out. So it's this document that has my name in it and RJ's. It's real. I know i never really forget - every day is a reminder in a good way when i see him. When i miss him, when we call each other on the phone to just say hello.

When i'm fighting off the viscous puppy that Rj wanted so badly and that i love truly and completely despite the disaster he leaves in his wake every single day.

Sometimes things get so busy, that i don't let myself enjoy the process. Planning a wedding is not so fun MOST of the time. It's exciting but only because i'm excited for it to actually happen and it just be for real.

I'm sort of over all the planning and coordinating and spending of the money. But i want us to have a beautiful day with all our friends and family that will be a great celebration of who we are. But reading over the draft of the ceremony today - i couldn't help but getting a little teary eyed thinking of how i'm going to be up in front in a pretty dress looking into RJ's eyes and repeating these very words in 7 months.

And then it floods over me that I'm fortunate to have found someone who i love so unconditionally. Someone who drives me crazy and makes me laugh hysterically all in the same day. Honestly, someone who can put up with me. Because i'm a nutjob sometimes - i know. And it takes a lot to put up with me. I guess that's really what it comes down to in love. Someone who can put up with your own brand of crazy.

How romantic. :)

We have a lot of "wedding" stuff to do this weekend, so i'm hopeful that we'll (read I'll) feel a bit more productive and i'll stop having anxiety dreams about forgetting to get my dress fitted, or forgetting to pick out music for the ceremony. *sigh*