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!!!!

And then the answers came....

How appropriate for a Sunday to reminisce on the many answered prayers for Dave's weight loss to begin...

As I mentioned the other day, I prayed for him DAILY. I began praying for him to have a desire, self-discipline...As I prayed over time, my prayers changed. At one point I prayed that God would give Dave self-control over his eating. I prayed a variety of things. His friends who spoke words of love to him about doing something about his weight, was an answer to my request, "Lord, please send someone to talk to him, since he won't listen to me".

If read my post on Sept. 1, I shared that we started our home version of Weight Watchers...mearusing out food and counting points.



Dave, July '07 w/ Baby Daniel...weighing around 425 lbs.

 After 6 months of Weight Watchers point counting...he hit a plateau. He had gone from 425 to about 360/365...and nothing. And the way Weight Watchers is...you deduct points when you've lost a certain amount of weight...and Dave was maxed out on his points from the start and needed to reach something like 315 to start 'eating less points'...and so here was my solution:

"Babe...you just need to go

to the gym &

burn some calories."



Now for the record, my conversations with Dave re: his weight and needing to lose it, was NEVER degrading or mean. I never, ever one time called him names. No manipulative, abusive putdowns! My words were always motivated by love, concern, and care...and yes, fear that I would be a  young widow w/ a young child. I kept them seasoned with love, but very straightforward & to the point. (And in sometimes were TOO frequent...I'll confess. Always reminded to TALK LESS - PRAY MORE!)

His response, after my 'helpful advice':

IF YOU TELL ME TO GO TO THE GYM

ONE MORE TIME...I'M NEVER GOING AGAIN!

Let's consider somethings that I was not seeing:

1. He wasn't familiar with all the gym equipment to begin with.
2. He was still big, so I'm sure that made him feel uncomfortable to go to the gym.
3. He was also just plain stubborn.
4. He still hadn't taken ownership of the idea of going to the gym. (Lose weight = Yes, Exercise = No)

So - back to the prayer closet I went. I prayed and prayed. I asked God to change his heart toward the gym. I asked God to send someone to be his workout partner. I asked God to move in a mighty way...and then, one day, as Dave was starting to not quite stick to the eating plan 100%...I got crazy, holy-roller style...I asked God to divinely intervene...in the name of Jesus & get my husband to the gym!!!! And some other things I'm sure were added as I plead with God to save his life, save our life together, save my son's dad. This was an emotional thing for me as Dave's wife.

(Overweight spouses, hear my heart here for a minute: When your spouse comes to you and talks to you about losing weight, consider what they are feeling inside too! They love you, they need you...but you are eating yourself to death. You're reluctancy/stubbornness to go to the gym or work out...it's all threatening the future they have planned to spend with you. Your kids are going to miss out on playing sports with you. You may not even see your grandkids. Take your eyes off the food, off the desserts...the primetime tv shows, and set them on God who can help you, and set your mind on your goal to LOSE WEIGHT TO SAVE YOUR LIFE!!!!)

Two weeks after my desperate fleece to the Lord to do something quick - Dave came home, we sat down to our 'healthy dinner'...and he says, "Guess what?" - "My brother got me 3 months of personal training...with Tom Strongin."

Yes - I nearly fell out of my chair...I nearly choked on my food...I wanted to jump up and scream "HALLELUJAH!"...I wanted to cry....tears wanted to well up....but I kept my composure...appearing unphased, as though it was common discussion at the dinner table. I didn't want to react in any way, in fear it would be the wrong way & spoil it...but asked, "So are you going to go?"...in the nicest, curious, sweetest tone. My insides were buzzing with joy...as he said, "Yea, my brother wants me to go, the trainer says he can help me".



Here's Dave at 306 lbs. Jan. 2009
Weight loss total: 120 lbs. in 9 mos.



And so that was the beginning of his journey with Tom the trainer. His 5-day/week, 5 a.m. - 6 a.m. 800-1000 calorie burning workouts began...and the pounds began to shed.

In his first 3 months, Dave lost 60 lbs.

What's crazy is that finally after 120 lbs. were gone, people finally started telling Dave, "You've lost a few lbs., huh?" And I thought "WOW - the bigger you are the more you have to lose for people to notice"...but at home, it was a glorious season...and the weight was just falling off.

No secret potions...just lean, clean eating & serious hardcore workout routines 5 days a week, w/a food log, measuring out everything...and Monday weigh-ins...w/ some surprise Friday weigh-ins to keep folks on their toes. It was serious work that was paying off!!!

And then the 3 months of paid training was up...and Tom was amazing to offer Dave a special deal...and I went to prayer AGAIN - asking God to provide...while it was a great deal...we needed the cash.

And then Dave's dad speaks up, "Mijo...you've done so good and we're so proud of you...we'll cover the next 6 mos." I was blown away - again God provided beyond my expectations.



Here's Dave at 187 lbs. March '10



God provided in amazing, miraculous ways for it all. Tom told Dave that he would see him to his goal...and Dave reached 180 lbs. in April of 2010.

All the while Dave was motivated. Continued to stick to his meal plan (despite the boredom w/it). He was a man on a mission.

I did my best to try and change up the way I made chicken (the lowest calorie, most filling meat I could cook healthfully). I baked it, shredded, cubed it...made fajitas, every kind of salad w/ chicken. (I still search for fun recipes to change up our healthy eating.)

And I will admit...I eased up in the prayer department, once he had this kind of success. A total loss of 245 lbs. Who does that???? I thought it was in the bag. Done deal...we're done. Let's move on, right????

And then...something happened the summer of 2010...naysayers. People who thought Dave was 'too skinny'. Can you believe that no one but me, initially, ever spoke up about his weight problem when he was over 400 lbs.? However, when he looked amazing, getting ripped, lean, and super healthy....people picked that time to tell him that he was looking "gauntly", "petite", "frail". I think they had it backwards.

I couldn't believe that people would say that. Look at the pic above...did he look 'gauntly'???? Errr. He was finally healthy. Living a healthy lifestyle. Not everyone around him was used to his not-so round face, his cheeks were gone...no gut. Me, I was in hog heaven, I was like, LOOK AT THE DIAMOND THAT WAS IN THE ROUGH!...Mmmm, mighty fine, mighty fine.

Well...this negative feedback about his new found health & amazing transformation got in his head...and Dave thought...well, I don't want to look frail & petite...I can afford a cheat meal. I am intrigued by people and their reactions here...I was also fascinated by Dave's response to eat some of his favorite foods. And while 1 cheat meal is actually 'okay' w/ some fitness experts...the cheat meal, soon became a 'cheat day'. I could foresee where this was going...and so it was back to the prayer closet for me.

Exercise is the place to start!

For those of you who really struggle w/ food. Let's take our sights off the food, the calories for a bit...instead of obsessing and freaking out over the food you 'can't' eat...Let's look at what you can do that will still have a positive effect on your weight loss efforts!!!

EXERCISE!!! EXERCISE!!! EXERCISE!!!

Today, I want you stop focusing and beating yourself up over what you eat. (I'll do that for you...j/k). No really, let's put all the focus on exercise. For some of you, food really does have you in bondage and so the task of 'staring a diet plan' is daunting...And so the stress over it, makes you want to eat more - totally counter-productive.

So let's set a new goal today! Today is August 1, 2011.

It's Monday morning. No more procrastination.

Today, I want you to begin some kind of exercise. If you have not worked out for over 6 mos. or longer, I want you start walking every evening, for 15-20 min. The strategy here is to build time into your schedule for working out. Now, when you are up to a solid 5 days of 20 min. each day, I want you to bump up the time to 30 min. Then 45 min.

Once 45 min. is easier, I will then ask you to jog for a couple of minutes, then walk 5...jog for a couple min. and then walk for 5, up to 30-45 min.

Then...(you know where I'm going right)...you'll jog for 5, walk for 5, jog for 5, walk for 5, building up to 45 min. at a time.

Then the day will come and you will be jogging for about 5-7 min. and walk for 2-3 min. and so on.

The key is to always be changing it up. Putting your body in an environment to change. This will build up your cardiovascular limits, and eventually, you will be able to jog for 30-45 min.

Now if I was to say, go jog for 1/2 hour NOW...you would fall over out of breath. So that's NOT what I'm asking you to do. (Disclaimer: always check w/ your physician before starting a new exercise program.)

The goal is to commit to NO LESS than 4 days a week of walking for no less than 15 min. each time...preferably 20-30 min.

Who of you who is reading this will make this commitment TODAY????? Message me today and let's set out on your weight loss journey NOW!

In the weight-loss rut? Here's some help!

I've heard it said over and over and over again: Diet is 80%, exercise is 20% of losing weight. I talk a lot about losing weight thru diet and food choices. I can be a broken record sometimes on it, so I thought I would talk about exercise and highlight somethings to really zero in on to fully maximize your weight loss efforts.

1. EXERCISE. Seems like the obvious, right? But how many try to lose weight withOUT exercising? Just start moving. Figure out what you really like to do & do it. If you enjoy your workouts, you'll do them. (How often have you seen people at the gym, w/ frowns, on a machine, not even into it? No intensity? Yea, don't do that.) Find a class, a program, or something you can't wait to do the next day. I found what I like and that's how I lost my weight and keep the weight off!
2. SET GOALS. Most know the story of my husband (http://www.thislittlepiggywenttothegym.com/). His goal was to lose weight, not be a 400+ lb. man, and not die young. My goals have always been little increments of weight. For example, when I was 159 lbs. (after my 2nd born son), I said, "I'm going to get down to 155"...then it was 149, then I said, "I can get down to 145". And when I reach that I said, "If I work out a little harder, kick up the intensity, I can get under 140". Now I'm about 131, starting my 5th week of Insanity on Monday.
3. CHANGE IT UP. I know I said, find what you like...but you still have to change it up. If you like the treadmill. Go from walking to jog...then jogging to running...then sprints w/ jogging. Then try to tackle 5 mi. then 10 mi. Like the stairclimber...turn up the intensity, increase the level, increase the speed.
4. USE WEIGHTS. This may take a little homework or you asking someone to help, but you gotta have resistance training. (If you're a woman, resistance training helps prevent osteoperosis.) Weight-lifting/resistance training revs up the metabolism, builds muscle, and gives you that toned, defined look. It's a win-win!

These are just some things to get you started. After you've lost those initial pounds, go thru the list and re-apply them. Somehow, some way, we easily steer off course. Reminding ourselves of some of the basics, helps us get back on track.

STAY TUNED - WORKING ON OFFERING MY READERS A FIT CLUB HERE LOCALLY IN BAKERSFIELD. SHOOTING FOR A BEGINNERS & ADVANCED. Message me on FB so that I can begin a group so that you stay posted on the date, time, and location!!!!!

"I CAN'T"

(Disclaimer: I'm going to hammer you today...are you up for it? It's going to make you strong if you hang in there with me!)

I DON'T UNDERSTAND:

Do you ever say this? Do you tell yourself this? Others? Now if it's what you have to say to 'protect' your time for your family that's one thing. But if it's your response to setting goals or reaching goals, I'm here to tell you that YOU CAN!

A couple weeks ago, a friend confided in me that they 'just can't lose weight'. A friend of my husband said that they 'just can't eat healthy'. I just don't understand that way of thinking, but I believe it's that belief that is holding so many people back from achieving their goals & dreams.

What is it that you can't do? What is stopping you?

Figure out what you want to do...then figure out what is stopping you. It may be YOU stopping YOU!

REFUSE TO LET..........

• circumstances
• bad habits
• weaknesses
• addiction
• relationships
• procastination

                                           ............STOP YOU!


I'm here to tell you that YOU CAN:

• lose weight
• get your health back
• exercise
• get out of debt
• save your marriage
• have self-discipline
• discipline your kids
• be successful
• change
• love again

The list goes on and on! What do you need to hear that you can do?

Do me a favor...list out all of your cant's: 'I can't ___________'. Figure out what it is that you don't think you can do. Then write out the opposite: "I CAN ____________". Then take a black marker and cross out each 'I can't' while saying, "YES I CAN_____________".

It's all about believing in yourself, believing YOU CAN!  I believe you can. It's humanly possible to have self-discipline, forgive, pay off credit cards, give up unhealthy foods, or get moving/exercising!!!!

You can do it!!!!! Whatever it is, you can! Now say it - YES I CAN!

Dreams...Goals!

I hope that you have dreams and goals. If you keep up with my blog or FB posts, you know that I have them. My goals have mini-goals...and they to meet those 'mini-goals', I have to complete a, b, and c. Yes, it's true, I am a list person.

It's great to make lists actually. A daily to-do list tells you what you need to get done w/ your time. No excuses for wandering aimlessly through your day. A grocery list tells you what you need to buy, no excuses for being impulsive. A goals-list makes you focus on your life with purpose.

In my boys' bathroom, I have this decal on the wall:

Have you taken the time to figure out what your dreams are? Are you afraid to dream because you fear not reaching them? You have the power to achieve those dreams. You do.

Let's look at that that message.

• GO - Present tense, active verb. This requires MOVEMENT...effort.
• CONFIDENTLY - Boldly believing with FULL ASSURANCE.
• In The DIRECTION - Down the path of the DEFINED DESTINATION.
• Of Your DREAMS - What is it you want to do in life...a.k.a. GOALS.

So, today, will you decide that you WILL put out effort, with full assurance, toward your defined destinations for your life? Will you?

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(P.S. I love the stars in the decal...this is a reminder that when dreaming up your dreams...Reach for the stars...let your goals and dreams be limitless so that you're drive & determination will be unlimited as well!)

Do what it takes, right?

What is it that you want to do? What do you really, really want to do? Then DO WHAT IT TAKES!

I am the 'idea- person'...I get a great idea to do something, then I figure out what it takes to get there...and sometimes, it's a little more than I can take on, and sometimes there's only 1 or 3 steps to making the idea a reality.

Sometimes people don't know where to start with an idea that they have. Or maybe they set a goal, and say, "Now what". Or when asked, 'What are your goals?' - their response is, 'Goals...what's that?'

Wherever you're at, start somewhere. Figure out what your goal is. Is it get out of debt, lose weight, mend a relationship, get on a budget, move up in the company, take on a new opportunity? What is it?

Are you just plain bored in life? Then take on a new opportunity. I have one for ya! :)

Are you 10 lbs. - 100+ lbs. overweight?  Then get a workout program & some help. (I can actually help you with that one too.)

Are you in debt? Swimming in credit card bills? (Read 'Total Money Makeover' by Dave Ramsey. The book is cheaper at http://www.daveramsey.com/. And apply what it says.)

Are you completely unorganized with your time/home? (Sign up at http://www.30daypush.com/ to get going w/ your to-do list.)

Are you depressed? High Anxiety? (Make an appt. with a doc to get some direction, meet me at church on any given Sunday.)

Are you lonely? (Post on FB that you want to start having coffee on Saturday mornings with someone different every week...reach out to those who are in your 'network' - no one thinks people are lonely these days, since we are so 'connected'. However, the internet, while it connects us thru messages & posts...it's disconnected us emotionally & face-to-face. Call a friend today & say, "I want to see you this week - when can we meet?"  JUST REACH OUT!)

Do you want a great marriage & wonderful kids? Read some books (or THE BOOK) on the topic, meet me at church on Sundays, join a 'parenting support group', go to a marriage conference, take your spouse out of the day-to-day hustle of life on a weekend getaway & focus on romance.)

Told you I was the idea person, huh? Whatever it is that you want in life, there is a way to get there. There are resources out there at your fingertips. Heck, just 'google it' - right? Or email me, jennifermorin@beachbodycoach.com.

Whatever it is you want for your life, only you have the power to get it.

Nacho Libre was so profound when he said, "You are the gatekeeper of your own destiny". 

A GLIMPSE INTO MY KITCHEN!

As a result of chatting with a friend this week in regards to what we eat, I realize that most people have a kitchen full of 'goodies' that do not set them up for success. And your meal preparation is a little 'old skool, w/ all the butters, gravies, a starch for EVERY meal. Here's a glimpse into my pantry & fridge this morning:

Few things to point out in my pantry that I hope you can see in the pic: It does NOT have sugary cereals, in fact the only cereal we buy is oatmeal and Cheerios (which we're out of today). And I only put a little bit of honey on the oats, no sugar on the Cheerios for my kids. I use Pam spray to cook with no oils/shortenings. You can see some tuna in there, black beans, and dressings. We use salad dressings w/ 50 or less calories per serving - preferably 35. Dave and I drink Almond Milk (40 cal./cup). Not sure if you can make out the mini-bagels. These things are 110 cal./bagel....a lot less than a regular one that is about 300 cal. or more. When we have rice, we have the brown rice and always measure out 1/2 cup cooked. (MEASURE YOUR FOOD.) The noodles and potatoes in the picture - those are for my boys. They are not on a diet. In fact, I feed Daniel fattier foods just to keep him at 32 lbs. You'll also notice: NO CHIPS. No way! For a snack, we may have pretzels from time to time, or popcorn (not the 'movie - buttery - high calorie' kind, but the light). We eat carrots sticks or pickles w/ our lunches for that little crunchiness that we want.

Here's my freezer & fridge. Let's start in the freezer, I've got skinless/boneless chicken breast (10 lbs. for $19.99 @ Costco), frozen veggies (broccoli medley, corn, peas, etc.) frozen blueberries, and some ground beef for the boys. And those popsicles are Chocolate Shakeology pops (only 30 cals. each).

In the fridge we have fresh veggies (asparagus, tomatoes, salad mix), nonfat plain yogurt (that we use as sour cream, or mix w/ stevia & the blueberries for a dessert). I try to keep boiled eggs handy for a quick protien snack (minus the yolks). Not sure if you see the cottage cheese - lowfat, always measured out. We use turkey lunchmeat, low-carb high fiber tortillas for wraps (throw in tomatoe, lettuce, pepper rings, pickles - a flavorful alternative to a reg. sandwich). And then you see my door full of sauces. I try to find sauces that don't have a ton of sugar and I measure most of these out (especially salad dressings) to give our lean food some variety, flavor, and to change it up. Teriyaki, bbq, salsa, low-cal balsamic, low-cal italian, and good 'ol Cholula. (Love Cholula on a quick cottage cheese wrap for a pre-workout meal (only 180 cal.), or something to eat before I head out the door.)

I always have fruit handy. Right now our peach tree is giving scrum-dum-delicious peaches. I have a banana before I work out. Just can't seem to make it thru one w/out a snack. Apples are easy to slice up and take on the go for the Daniel. When I come home from the grocery store, my fruit bowls also has some pears, plums, and there are grapes on the counter. I always come home w/ strawberries, but we eat those the day we buy 'em (WinCo's have been sweet lately.) Fruit is a great healthy snack.

Instead of reaching for crunchy chips, grab an apple. Get some carrot sticks out of the fridge to eat. Pop up the light popcorn.


It's not hard to eat healthy. You just have to buy the healthy stuff. If your family usually goes w/ you to the store - next time, make them stay home so that you can control what goes in the cart. Don't let that sugary, high saturated fatty, junk food junk in the cart & your family won't have it to eat. If you keep providing healthy choices, they'll have no other choice. The one who does the shopping and cooking is really in control of what goes in the mouths of the family. Just say to them, "We're going to start eating healthy so that we can have a better, longer life". Who doesn't want that?

Do you REALLY push yourself?

Do you really push yourself? Yesterday's list of reminders may force someone to push themselves against the grain with their daily time-management alone.

(View this quick check off list here: http://flexandgetfit.blogspot.com/2011/06/reminders-for-week.html)

But are you one to challenge yourself to go beyond what you are comfortable with? Do you force yourself to stick to standards and limits? Or do you just do what you want, what feels good? Do you indulge yourself in anything and everything you want? Are you responsible?

Somewhere along the way, self-indulgence has been glamorized. What a shame, perhaps this mentality is why 65% of America is overweight and obese. Perhaps this is why there were more than 200,000 foreclosures in April of this year alone (this seems to be the monthly average). People were unwilling to stay within guidelines of their finances and overextended themselves.

I'm not here to point the finger, but to sober the general population to the idea that people are just not pushing themselves hard enough in areas that are affecting their personal lives...and has had a negative effect on our economy as well.

You ask, "how does me being overweight affect the U.S. economy?" Google it. Think about all the people who are receiving public medical aid for conditions that are TOTALLY preventable through diet and exercise? Diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol. Now, we have 33% of American children who are overweight or obese. Childhood obesity is on the rise, only to be followed by a rise in childhood cases of diabetes. AND IT'S ALL PREVENTABLE!!! (Stay with me...)

Here's the solution, it's kinda a no-brainer - PUSH YOURSELF TO BE YOUR BEST! Period. Make yourself get up every morning and exercise. I don't care if it's a dvd program, a trip to the gym, a 30 min. walk around your neighborhood, a bike ride on the bike trail or jog....JUST GET MOVING! It will also take you pushing yourself to have SELF-CONTROL and tell yourself 'no' when it comes to things that are not healthy.

I am passionate about this stuff because I believe that we have gotten lazy about the things that impact our homes. Overeating, overspending, overcommitting, over - you name it! I want you to want more for yourself & I want to see you push yourself to get there, to achieve it!

I laid awake at 1 in the morning thinking about this...and I have to get it off my chest today. I hope you hear my heart: I want MORE FOR YOU! Let me know if I can help.

"You gotta make time & you're worth it"

"You gotta make time & you're worth it" - this is a quote from Chalene Johnson at the end of a workout....And this is so true!!!!

My TurboFire 90 day program calls for me 6 days/week. I aim for that, but seriously in the last month & 1/2 of it arriving in the mail, I've completed 6 days - once. The rest of the weeks are sometimes only 4 days, but usually 5. And I don't stress about 'sticking to it to a T'...just because at this point in my life w/ an 18 mos. old & 4 yr. old...it's hard to fit it in 6 days.

If you've just started a workout program - Don't get discouraged this early in game.  You've got to commit to making the time!

Maybe you went from never or hardly ever working out to trying to fit it in 6 days/week. Give yourself a learning curve. Most of you, before now: you were working out only when time allowed. If we leave it up to chance, we will never get to work out. There is always laundry, dishes, toys to clean up, work to do. Really. So you got to plan your day w/ a workout built into your schedule.

If you want to transform your body, look great, and feel wonderful about yourself -

You have to get a new routine that includes your workout in it.

What I've learned for me is that I deserve that little time a day to work out. I am happier when I work out, makes me mentally strong & I feel like I can tackle anything.

What does this mean? A very happy, energized mommy & wife. Really! This 1 hr. (sometimes only 45 min.) makes me feel soooooo good. There's no pill or drink that can give me that feeling of 'I did it!', 'I finished that tough workout!' Right?

The reason why some of you are out of shape and overweight, is simply because you don't make the time. But I'm telling you today - YOU GOTTA MAKE TIME! Period.

See tommorrow's blog for more on this...I'll share on how I make the time. In the meantime, look at your current day, where could you fit in 45 min. - 1 hr. to be healthy?I start looking great which boosts my self-esteem, and I just feel better.

Found the cure for bad attitude & grumpiness

At the start of Thursday, I was adamant that I would exercise & burn some calories first thing, since I missed my workout the previous day. And when I missed it on Wednesday...wow, I was grumpy. It challenged me to ask myself 'is working out an idol in my life?' And it just dawned on me, I did miss my shake too - that may have been the straw that broke the camel's back Wednesday. Hmmmmmmm, that makes sense to me.

Anyways, I had to ask myself, 'what are MY priorities?' My priorities are not the same as most/other people, and I have different demands on my time too. And although working out and staying in shape is NOT an idol in my life, it is a top priority. But, I broke the negative talk about the missed workout and set my mind straight that 1 missed workout would NOT turn into 2 missed workouts...and it didn't.

I did my HIIT 20 and Ab Jam on Thursday morning and felt great. So great that I managed to get the house cleaned, laundry washed and dried, the oil changed in the car, kids out to lunch, slip & slide in the backyard before dinner...and everyone washed & cleaned and in bed by 9 p.m.

This may be why working out  is so important to me & for me. It's my opportunity to get the blood flowing, adrenaline pumping so that my mind can be focused on the tasks at hand throughout the rest of the day. Start the day with some killer-cardio and bam - energy to accomplish my day!

Sweat running down my neck,
hair drenched after some calorie-
burning Turbo!!!

When I finish a great workout, sweat is dripping off my nose into the floor as I stretch, I feel like I can accomplish anything. And I typically do that day.

I think this is something many of you need to experience. Some of you look at working out as a chore, something you HAVE to do. You dread it...you talk yourself out of it...But I'm at the point in my journey that working out is something I GET to do. It's a treat to myself that I benefit from in so many ways.

Here's a few benefits I can think of: I look better in the mirror - that's an obvious bonus, right? Which in turn makes me feel better about myself. I've become more positive and confident, which is a blessing to my husband. Any stress I had is now minimized, a better frame of mind for the sake of my kids.

Working out is a blessing. People would pay money for a pill that could do all that for them...but you gotta work out to experience it all first hand. It's an amazing rush to complete a workout that made you push so hard, you're out of breath, heart racing...blood pumping. It's absolutely amazing I tell ya!

Maybe that's why I get grumpy when I miss a workout. I'm really grumpy because I miss the blessing in it. I missed my dose of 'feel good medicine'. Hmmmmmm. That makes sense, right?

Wednesday, I was unorganized, felt like I was in a hurry, completely impatient, running behind. (Remember, I missed my workout cuz I had to 'run out the door'.) Thursday on the other hand, I was tackling my to-do list, handling naptime as it came, adapted my list to accomadate a sleeping baby...and still got the important stuff done - with some mommy & boys' time with the slip & slide in the backyard. Life was good Thursday. This all followed a great high intensity workout!

So you know what is on the agenda first thing today: TurboFire baby...(and then I'm getting my toes done.) I have a light day today since I worked so hard to get the house clean on Thursday. What a pay-off! Score for me, the boys, and daddy! I think I'll stick to working out daily. How 'bout you?