Hammer Down thru Halloween!

Halloween is around the corner...isn't it?

The seasons have changed overnight in Bakersfield, CA again. We had 100 degree temps a couple of weeks ago, and now a week of clouds and rain is upon us.

The fall is here! Time for pumpkins, leaves....

and trick or treating.

This is the time of year that you cannot walk into any store without being met by isles of candy!!! All of it, the chocolate mini-bars, M&Ms, KitKats, Candy Corn, all of it!

Now for some, this is no problem. For me, I know NOT TO BUY IT! Couple reasons, one being the rule of: Don't bring temptation into the house. The other, cavities are too costly for me & my kids. So I will wait until the afternoon of Halloween to buy 1 bag of candy in case the costumes show up at my door.

So why title this hammer down? Because for some, this is the beginning of the holiday season that can easily derail and bring on the weight. So these next 4 weeks, you've got to really zero in on your goals of working out your 3-6 days/week and sticking to the eating plan.

Here are some tips for avoiding candy:

1. Don't buy it until the day you're giving it out.
2. Give it all out.
3. Throw away, in the outside can, when the lights go out.
4. Have your kids pick their 3 faves from their bag of candy from going door to door & throw the rest away.
5. AT ALL COSTS: Get rid of the excess candy from Halloween.

I know, I'm being a Halloween scrooge...but do your kids really need all that candy? Do you? Your husband?

Here's a creative-thoughtful idea for the whole family: Wrap it all up in cute Halloween paper/cellophane bags & take it to the Homeless Shelter for the kids there. They have nothing & a little Halloween treat will bring miles of smiles. Whatever you do, get it out of the house!!!!

Hammer down on your hard work & efforts.

Do your best & STAY AWAY FROM THE CANDY!

Gotta Make Time!

Your first week or so of trying to lose weight, you find the foods that you so easily give into. You realize when you should've stopped eating because you experienced major bloating at the end of the meal. You eat that 2nd serving of ice cream, and then ask yourself, "Why did I eat that?"

What about the time you waste doing things you could otherwise be focusing on things that help you reach your goals...like working out.

Just this week, I had a friend share with me how bored she was and then the thought occurred to her: I could've worked out. For many, you haven't put out the time to work out, and so now those of you on a new mission - you are finding that you have to find the time & make the time for your exercise.

For some it's first thing in the morning...others it's the last thing. For some moms, it's when the last kid is dropped off to school, or the baby is napping. Whatever you have been doing during this opportune time....turn it into YOUR TIME TO WORK OUT!

You've gotta make time & you're worth it!'

- Chalene Johnson

So when is your time to work out? Look at your schedule and find the 30 min. to 1 hr. that you can devote to your health & fitness goals. Set an appointment with yourself & DON'T cancel it for any reason (unless of course you're sick).

You can do it! Schedule your workouts & stick to it!!!!

New Look & My Why!!!!! (Moms, this is especially for you...)

This is random, but I'm going to be giving my blog a new look very soon. I'm going to do what Dave did and put up some before & after pics along the top.

I think this will get the message out there that YOU CAN lose the weight, whether it is baby weight, or just weight you've gathered over the years.

• YOU CAN eat healthy and change your body.
• YOU CAN find an exercise routine you like to do & enjoy doing it daily.
• YOU CAN transform your body, your physique.
• YOU CAN get in the best shape of your life.
• YOU CAN avoid preventable disease.




My Boys (My Life)



• YOU CAN live a longer, meaningful, quality life.

I'm almost there. I'm almost in the best shape of my life, despite having an 18 mos. old & a 4 1/2 year old. Despite having all the resposibilities of life, I still make time to work out.

I am like most of you believe it or not. I do like to eat. Recently though, since I've reached right under 130 lbs. I've had complete strangers look at me and say, "you don't need to worry about what you eat" - on the contrary, I have to watch every bite that goes in. I can overeat, like most. I like cookies, like most. Like most, I gain weight if I 'don't worry about what I eat & eat whatever I want'.

I appreciate the compliment, but this is exactly why I will be creating a banner along the top of this blog is so that the world can see that I had love handles, muffin tops, full cheeks, nearly a double chin, a gut, a wide 'ol booty. I had it all!

159/160 lbs. - 6 weeks after my youngest's birth!

But instead of accepting it, I have chosen every day for the last 16 1/2 months to work my butt of to get in shape. To strip off that unhealthy extra weight!

No Muffins, No Love Handles, Booty back w/in boundaries!

The other day, I shared with a friend: "By the way, I DO NOT stand in front of the mirror with low self-esteem and say, 'JUST 5 MORE POUNDS'". I do however, stand in front of the mirrow and say, "Oh my gosh Dave, look at my arms, can you imagine how ripped I will look after I hybrid my workouts and do a ton of resistance training".

Now my mission is to be as strong and lean as possible...just for the pleasure of having success over my eating and struggles w/ my weight all of my life. And, I am so close. Why would I choose to 'maintain' (which for me leads to gaining weight)? All I have left to do is put forth some energy & intensity and prove to the world that we can get in the best shape of our lives POSTPARTUM!

I'm mad that women feel powerless over their weight, their eating, their baby weight. I hate it when I see women defeated feeling like nothing they do will work.

Work out for 16 months like I did....eat like me and I can guarantee that weight will come off. Many "try" to lose weight for a couple weeks, a couple months...but do they stick to the same plan for 1 year, 2 years...the rest of their life. So until you put at least 1 year out of consistent effort - don't disqualify yourself!

One of my life goals now, along with my husband (http://www.thislittlepiggywenttothegym.com/), is to help overweight and obese people shed the pounds and gain control over their bodies! YOU are the boss of what goes into your body. YOU are the boss of what your body does. So be the boss & stop letting your appetite & negative self-talk talk you out of being as healthy as possible!!!!

YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!

We're here to help!!!!