Monday, April 30, 2012

Body Revolution Day 78 of 90

Day 78 = Workout 11

This morning's workout was tough to start. My legs got such a workout from walking over the weekend, that some of the lunge moves felt much harder than before. Plus, my little girl came into our bed again last night, and it made for a not so good sleep.  I did hit the snooze button a couple times, but I knew I had to get up and get it done. Once I got going, I felt much better and I got it DONE!

Today's food...
Breakfast: Greek Yogurt with Quinoa Crunch & Blackberries/Potato Scallion Bread

Yep! I went for the Blackberries today!  Only a half serving though, because I have some of that yummy bread that I bought yesterday.  I don't have to worry about the bread taunting me anymore though, because my kids liked it too, and it's pretty much gone.   I liked the blackberries in with the yogurt and quinoa crunch, but then again I have liked all the different fruits I have tried with this.  You can't really go wrong with any fruit, I think.






Lunch: Pesto Grilled Cheese Panini/Grilled Yellow Peppers/Sweet Potato Fries(not shown) 
I needed something quick and easy today for lunch.  Oh yeah and DELICIOUS!  This little sandwich is so very good.  Today I used a low fat cheddar with mozzarella and yellow peppers instead of red.  So good!

YUM!

Snack: Roasted Chicken & Pesto Pizza
Okay so this was leftover from last week AND it was eaten because of stress.  Today, here in Canada in the last day to file your taxes and if you remember...a few weeks back when I did my parent's tax, I was supposed to do ours...but I did not.  And now it's crunch time.  My kids were asking me all kinds of questions and it was getting close to dinner time and I didn't have time to get my dinner ready.  My husband was getting things together but I couldn't wait and I was a bit stressed...so I grabbed this from the fridge and ate it.  See, even I, can fall into the trap of stress eating.  I will burn it off tomorrow morning.

Dinner: Beef Stir-Fry with Broccoli with Shiitake Mushrooms served with Brown Rice
See I was so stressed and busy still doing the taxes while I was eating I forgot to snap a picture of my food.  But you have seen this one before.

After Dinner PM Snack:  Baked Garlic Pita Chips/Guacamole
Arrrgggghhhh...the system is overloaded and my tax is not getting any closer to being filed.  I was almost done and then I had to change some things and then my session timed out and the server went down due to over capacity so I reached for the Guacamole...did I mention I hate this time of the year.  It's my own fault though, I always leave it to the last minute and I don't know why, because whenever I sit down to do my taxes, it doesn't take me that long to do it.  Except when the servers go down and I can't get it completed....aarrrggghhhhh!  So anyway, I reached for some chips and guacamole that I made up fresh today while the daycare kids were sleeping (I should have done my taxes then instead)



So enough of my tax woes.  Here is today's Plank Hold Challenge time...My arms were toast, as always after this workout.  I thought of doing the Plank before the workout instead of after, maybe next time.  I am still working towards Lucky 7, 7 minute plank hold, maybe by the end of Body Revolution???...we will see.  I have one more Monday workout left in the program.  Wow, did that ever go by fast!  For all of you that commented that you wish you were on Workout 11 or Day 78, you will get there.  And you will get much stronger along the way.  Don't rush the time away, because with that time, life goes by too. And you will want to enjoy everyday of it.  I can't believe that I started my overall journey almost 1 year ago.  In 27 days, it will mark the day I began, and I am so very glad I did.  So don't wait...start today and have fun with getting healthy, feeling great and looking FANTASTIC!!!!  The weight that took you years to put on is not going to come off overnight, so start now, work hard, eat clean and be patient, and you too will be looking and feeling fine and fabulous!

Since starting Body Revolution I have gotten much stronger not just with my body and my workouts, but my mind too.  This program helps you to change your life for the better through fitness and food.  But it also helps you make changes in other areas too because it helps with discipline.  I know I haven't set a good example with leaving my taxes to the last day and I probably won't get it filed tonight anyway.  However, because of the discipline, our house is getting cleaned up of the clutter slowly, it's easier to prepare healthy meals in a well stocked organized kitchen, YET I am still waiting for my kitchen-cleaner-upper to show up.  Seriously, clean the clutter up and you will feel better.  It's the clutter in our lives that drags us down.  My paper work is now organized and will be ready for next years tax time.

Okay so now I must go and try to get this thing done.  I know it won't go through tonight, so maybe I should just go to bed and file it after my workout in the morning.  I like that idea better, better than staying up shouting at the computer screen and acting all crazy for no reason.

You have a great night, sleep, day, workout...whatever you may be doing after you finish reading this. 

And remember...

Stay Strong!

Good night

Trina   

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Body Revolution Day 77 of 90

Day 77 = Rest Day

Sleeping in on a Sunday with no kids to come into the room and pounce on you...it's wonderful, yet different.  Our time in Toronto was coming to an end this morning.  I felt/feel like I need another day to recover from all the walking we did yesterday.  It's always nice to getaway, but it's also nice to get back to your normal routine.  Sleeping in your own bed, preparing your own meals and waking up at your normal early morning time and working out.  I know that might all sound crazy...BUT...it's TRUE!  I am all about having a great time when away, but you can also have a great time at home too.  If it wasn't for my regular routine at home this past (ALMOST) year, I wouldn't have been able to feel as great as I did this past weekend.  When out shopping, I was able to try smaller size clothing on and felt great in it.  I also bought myself some new bras and underwear and I LOOKED great in it.  I had the sales associate measure me for the bras because the first one I grabbed, did not fit right at all.  So she measured me and set me up with the right size.  36 C...perfect...let's hope I stay at that size.  36-26-36 would be great to be, in a perfect world...I will try my hardest to make my world perfect...LOL.  (Our attic is still clean...it can't get better than that...oh wait...the kids weren't here all weekend...okay so I will have to see what it looks like tomorrow night.)  Getting back to my new bra and knickers...I had to take the time and admire what my hard work had done for me.  In the change room, I stopped and looked at myself in the mirror, which in the past has always been a not-so-nice experience, but yesterday, it was different...I thought, "Damn, I looked GOOD!" (sorry no pictures)  I will be taking some pictures in a bathing suit once I find one that fits nicely.

I mentioned this to you in yesterday's blog post and told you I would fill you in today...While we were in Toronto, I wanted to check out this store that is home to one of my BIG goal REWARDS.  Last year when beginning my journey to a Healthier Version of Me, I chose this to be a REWARD for hitting a BIG goal.  However, because it is a pricey one, I must hit two goals...a fitness goal and a financial goal.  Fitness goal of losing 50 lbs and financial goal of saving enough money to buy this for myself. 

A few years back, I was taking part in the Toronto Clothing Show with Maus Wear http://www.mauswear.com/ There, I saw a girl with a pair of gorgeous red boots on.  It turned out that she was another vendor just a few booths down from mine.  I told her that I loved her boots, and asked her where she got them from.  Well she starting gushing about them, and I just had to check the website when I got back home.  I now, have fallen in love with the style of John Fluevog Shoes http://www.fluevog.com/ Many reviews I have read, stated that you should by a size bigger than your normal size, so I wasn't sure about ordering them online.  So that is why I wanted to go to the Toronto store and try some of the styles on that I liked.  And that is what I did.  Here is my (hopefully) soon-to-be REWARD...

Minis|Sugar Wine with Black
Size 8 - Which by the way is my regular size.
These boots are SO comfortable, I can't wait to have them as my own.  But I will have to wait, I have another 5 lbs to go to hit the 50 lbs lost mark, and $429.00 plus tax to save before they will be mine.  I told you they were pricey, but they are worth it and so AM I!


I know I won't be showing a loss tomorrow after I weigh in, I think I will wait a couple days to let the weekend get out of my system.  It's not that I ate badly, it's just it wasn't my regular thing.  Sodium levels may have been high.  Some foods I just had to guess on the calories and other nutrition facts through http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ Plus, like everyone else when they go on getaways, vacations etc... they snack.  I felt really hungry this weekend, well yesterday and part of today.  The snacks I ate, were munched on throughout the day and not just in one sitting, so it made me feel like I was eating ALL day.  Today however, we didn't eat any real food until after 12 noon.  NOT GOOD!  I had a couple Rice and Sesame Cakes when I got up because that's all we had in our hotel room.  So let's talk about my not-so-good-but-still-healthy-food-day...

Today's food...
Breakfast: Nativa Organics Rice and Sesame Cakes

Lunch: Chicken Parmesan Wrap/Cream of Broccoli Soup
On our way home from Toronto, before we picked up the kids, we stopped in at Turtle Jack's for lunch.  The wrap was great, the soup was great but I knew it wasn't the best thing for me(I only ate half the serving).


This meal definitely filled a spot.  It was kind of like breakfast and lunch together.
Snack: Next Organics Dark Chocolate Goji Berries, Blackberries




Dinner: Potato Scallion Bread with Coconut Oil
This is not the greatest example of a healthy dinner, however, like I said I have been snack-like-eating this weekend.  Once we got back home from picking the kids up, I unpacked my bag and still needed to go grocery shopping.  So I went out shopping by myself, ahhhhhhhh....that was SO NICE!!!!  Relaxing.  I tried a sample of the Potato Scallion Bread in the grocery store and there was only 1 loaf left, so I bought it.  It was so fresh that I had to have some once I got home.  Hey...we all need a cheat day once in a while.  My cheat day was still fairly healthy.  While out shopping, I also picked up some frozen Mango.  Because the Banana Freeze was so good the other day, I thought..."I wonder how the mango would taste".
After Dinner Snack: Mango Cream
I used 1 cup frozen mango, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp almond butter.  I placed all the ingredients in the food processor and blended until smooth.  No chocolate in this one.  Maybe next time I will try a sprinkle on top.

 
As I said earlier, I know today hasn't been the greatest in the way of food, but I still managed to eat healthier choices.  Back in the kitchen tomorrow, I have missed preparing my own meals,  I enjoy it very much.  Also, knowing exactly what is going into my meals makes me feel better too. 

Now I am going to relax a little bit before going to bed...in my own bed...nice.

Have a great evening and I will talk to you again tomorrow.

Until then...Stay Strong!

Good night

Trina

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Body Revolution Day 76 of 90

Day 76 = Cardio 3

Cardio 3 in the hotel room in Toronto.  Nothing will stop me from getting through, and getting you through Body Revolution.  No excuses!!!

So this morning, I killed it! Cardio 3 that is.  I moved the ottoman out of my way and got down to it.  I answered Sarah's question yesterday about the space you need for Body Revolution.  I got through Cardio 3 with no problems in our hotel room.  If you lay on the floor and make yourself into an X, then you should have enough space for Cardio 3. 
The temperature of our room must have been much hotter than where I workout at home, because I was boiling during this workout.  It felt great though.  During the 3rd Circuit, I pushed the UP button for sure.  When doing my Rock Star Jumps...I think I may have bruised my bottom.  I kicked my self in the A$$ with each and every jump!
There was a little part of me that wanted to just blow off the workout and get on with our day...BUT...I didn't listen to that little part.  You know why????  Because there are still too many BIG parts on me that need to be made smaller.  Plus, it's only 33 minutes of hard work that needs to be put it, in order to move on with your day. 33 minutes...done...shower...dressed...out the door.  Feel FANTASTIC!  Priceless!!!

So added exercise for today...walking...slow to moderate pace throughout the day for about 6+ hours.  We walked and walked and shopped and shopped.  Well not too much shopping.  We ate too...

Today's food...
Breakfast: Mixed Berry Oatmeal
No fancy breakfast on this trip for me. After heading on of the hotel for the day, we stopped into Tim Hortons. I LOVE the oatmeal there. I also picked up a Apple Cinnamon Tea. I usually only drink water, but it was chilly outside this morning and I wanted, rather, needed to warm up.



Lunch: Mediterranean Lamb Burger with Split Pea & Ham Soup
We hit up another Pub today for lunch, The Duke of Richmond.

 
You can see the trend with the tea, the soup...it was and still is chilly outside today.

Snack: Nativa Popcorn, Nativa Rice and Sesame Cakes

Dinner: Mustard Salmon served with Garden Vegetables
We went out to The Keg for dinner.  Delicious! 

Dinner was so very good.  You know how much I LOVE salmon even when there is a choice of steak, I still went with my favourite.  It was delicious!

I see a pattern setting in with my Plank Hold Challenge.  Workout 11...I have sucky times with my Plank...Workout 12...I rock it...Cardio 3...I have sucky times.  Today's time...
Okay, so my times don't SUCK...I know that.  But it's just Workout 11 and Cardio 3 are tough on the arms, and therefore my Plank Hold suffers a bit.  I was watching the TV in the hotel room while I was holding this Plank this morning.  There is always tomorrow...oh wait...tomorrow is REST DAY!!!! Yay!!!

I will show you one of the REWARDS on my list, tomorrow.  I tried it on today and will order once I hit one of my goals.  I thought of this REWARD last year when I began my journey to a Healthier Version of Me.  It is expensive but I have and will continue to work hard for it.  Until tomorrow...
Stay Strong!

Good night

Trina
I will leave you with this quote today...

Start today, you will thank yourself a week, a month, a year from now.
You will become a Healthier Version of YOU!

Friday, April 27, 2012

Body Revolution Day 75 of 90

Day 75 = Workout 12

Well...my Wheel turned out 5 push ups this morning. That's an increase of two from Tuesday's 3.  I thought to my, "I can do this!", I will increase each time I do this exercise.  Maybe by the end I will be doing them all plus my leg up in the air for some of them. insert > wink< here.  Maybe next round!
Back to the Dancing Crab.  For all of you that do not like Crab moves...this one is not that difficult to do.  Jillian makes it out to be SO hard, and I don't find it to be that way.  I might add some weights to my lap if I can get them to stay in place.  I don't want to add ankle weights until I go through Body Revolution again, and then I will start using them in the first workouts and work my way up. 

I will keep this short today about the workout because I have had some more questions from readers that I want to address.

Questions/Comments

Meghan wants some recipes from yesterday.

I have included them below in Today's food...section.  Enjoy!

Sarah from England asks: "What's the minimum space you would need?" for Body Revolution

My Answer:  You don't need a huge amount of space for the most part. The only move that you need some room for is the Suicide Runs. They appear in Cardio 1 and again in another one of the workouts, but I can't remember which one right now. You could move into a hallway space to do those or make the run smaller. I would say the space you need is about the size of a yoga mat, in both directions, or like your own height in both directions. You need room for push ups, planks, jumping jacks(these you could fit on yoga mat space), towel runs(which is basically running in a circle around a pretend towel on the floor). 
Move some furniture out of the way if needed, you'll burn a few extra calories while you are doing that.

Darlene and many others ask: "What's next?"

My Answer:  After the 90th day, I am going do Jillian's new KickBox FastFix DVD, mixed with some short Spinning Sessions for a week and then....

Since I keep going on about my problem area of my butt and thighs, I may do Leandro Carvalho's Brazil Butt Lift workout.  OR I may just start over with Body Revolution, beginning with the 7-Day KickStart Your Metabolism again.  I really like BR, so the next time through, I will up my weights and add in ankle weights too where needed or when possible. 

 
I ordered it the other week and it was delivered on Tuesday of this week.  I have looked over the program and some of the workouts are long some are 30 minutes or less.  SO...over the next few weeks, I want to figure out a way that I can make this program work with just doing around 30 minutes a day.  I will continue with my CLEAN EATING and try some of the recipes in the Fat-Burning Foods book that comes with the program.  If you are still going to follow me through whatever comes next, I will always post where my foods come from and recipes too(when I can).

Today's food...
Breakfast: Blueberry Banana Muffin
LAST ONE!  See I always reach for these first.  In my little planner, I had listed a Pumpkin Cranberry Muffin for breakfast this morning.  However, I had them bagged in two's in the freezer, and the other day I had taken them both out, ate one and threw the other in the fridge.  SO...it was already thawed and all I had to do was heat it up a bit.  Breakfast DONE!  I will make another batch next week OR maybe I should wait tillsome of the others are gone.  Yeah...good idea!

Lunch:  Roasted Chicken & Pesto Pizza/Sweet Potato Fries
Using up some leftovers.  Yesterday I made up the Basil & Walnut Pesto, and the kids had some roasted chicken for dinner last night, so...


I decided to make up this pizza on a Pita Bread.

Roasted Chicken & Pesto Pizza
INGREDIENTS
2oz of chicken(white meat only)
1 light mozzarella cheese string
2 green onions, chopped
1 Pita Bread
2 tablespoons Basil & Walnut Pesto(recipe below)

Basil & Walnut Pesto
INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp coarsely chopped walnuts
1 garlic clove, peeled
2 cups fresh basil
1/4 grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

ONE: Drop nuts and garlic through food chute with food processor on; process until minced.  Add basil, cheese, and sea salt; process until finely minced.  With processor on, slowly pour the oil through the food chute; process until blended.
Makes: 8 servings (serving size: 1 tablespoon)

Back to the pizza...
ONE: Place Pita Bread on a baking tray.  Spread with 1 1/2 tablespoons of Basil & Walnut Pesto.   

Snack: Chocolate Almond Butter Banana Freeze/Chocolate Covered Star Fruit
I made these two snacks yesterday and enjoyed a little bit of both again today.


Here is the recipe that Meghan is waiting for...

Chocolate Almond Butter Banana Freeze
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups diced banana frozen (2 medium bananas)
2 tbsp almond butter
1 oz dark chocolate, grated


ONE: place frozen diced banana and almond butter in a food processor; process until smooth, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Stir in grated chocolate. Serve immediately. Makes 2 servings (serving size 1/2 cup).

Dinner: Honey BBQ Chicken Salad
We went out for dinner without the children tonight...aaaahhhhhh....nice. I enjoyed this salad at the Friar & Firkin downtown Toronto, ON.
Sorry the pictures are great, but the salad was.




We grabbed some Nativa Organics Rice and Sesame Cakes to snack on after dinner, along with some Roasted Red Pepper Hummus by Summer Fresh. A little getaway without the kids.  The kids are with Grandma and Grandpa, and the kitties are with a friend at our home, while we enjoy the weekend away.  So tomorrow post might not be very long.  I brought along the Cardio 3 DVD to do tomorrow some time.  Not sure when I will fit it into our day, but I will.  And I will also be doing A LOT of walking, so even if I don't bust my A$$ in Cardio 3, I will still be burning up some calories while walking in the city of Toronto.

So...Courtney, a reader, could not wait to win the Stay Strong Necklace contest.  She took upon herself to order her own Stay Strong necklace.  That's awesome!!!!

It's Beautiful!
Keep those answers coming into me at phatsoslim.staystrong@gmail.com
Darlene, you cracked me up with your answer...keep trying.  

Have a great night, and I will talk to you again tomorrow.

Until then...Stay Strong!

Good night

Trina

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Body Revolution Day 74 of 90

Day 74 = Workout 11

This one just does my arms in. I enjoyed it much better than I did on Monday.  Maybe...because I knew what to expect.
Jillian, you didn't bring me to my knees today. I did ALL the Cable Push Ups from my toes. The 3 Part Push Ups,(I called them 3 level push ups, sorry)Whatever Jillian calls them, whatever you or I call them, I don't do them. I told you the other day that I was going to substitute these with the Crow Push Ups as seen in Workout 7, (because of old wrist issues). And that's what I did...loved
it! I believe I was working just as hard as the team in the DVD. If there is a move you do not wish to do, due to past injuries, change it up to something you can do. Just make sure the intensity level is about the same as what Jillian is showing you to do, if not, more. You have to make your workouts enjoyable. Yes...I know some of you are thinking right now, "I do not enjoy working out at all"...you might not like it at the time, but as soon as you are done, I bet you are like, "Oh yeah, I killed that workout, and look how great I am looking and feeling"...right??? It's ONLY around the 30 minute mark. That's not a long time. You CAN DO IT!
One of the exercises in this one that really kind of sucks...the Weighted Jumping Static Lunges(I think that's what Jillian calls them) I can do them, but they are not so nice.  So this is one of those ones that I am happy to see the last one of.  We also do Weighted Burpees in this workout, they are not so bad, just watch your back with these.
We'll talk more of this workout again next week.  Now let's talk food...

Today's food...
Breakfast: Easy Herbed Yogurt Bread
I enjoyed the bread again that I made the other day.  Only today, I toasted it and spread just a touch of coconut oil on it.  And in the second picture, as you can see I tossed a few raspberries on my plate...

Lunch: Pesto Grilled Cheese Panini
I found this recipe in a Cooking Light recipe book.  It was delicious!  It had grilled red peppers, onions, cheese and a Basil and Walnut Pesto...yum!!!


Snack: Chocolate Almond Butter Banana Freeze
This is SO good!!!!  I will add some recipes either tomorrow or next week for some of these new meals and snacks.  Frozen bananas, almond butter and grated dark chocolate...that's all you need for this. 

Dinner: Chicken Barley Pilaf/Calamari
Leftover clean up.  That's right I ate the Calamari again, only this time I just ate it cold, it was quite nice.  I think I prefer it cold than warm, like I had it last night.  I gave one serving to a parent of one of my daycare kids.  I will try freezing the other serving.

After Dinner Snack:  Dark Chocolate Covered Star Fruit
I thought of these myself.  I bought a Star Fruit the other day along with the Dragon Fruit.  Trying different foods...is always a good thing.  I cut the Star Fruit up and then I thought, "How would it taste with chocolate?"...so I tried it.  They were very good and very easy.  Oh yeah, and I made them fancy.  All you have to do is, melt some dark chocolate, cut the fruit crosswise, then dip into melted chocolate.  I used a transfer sheet to set them on.  You could use parchment paper instead, but then they won't have the fancy design on them.  I then placed them in the fridge to set and then took them off the transfer sheet and put them in an airtight container and placed them back in the fridge.


My Plank Hold Challenge Revolution time...

I told you that Workout 11 does my arms in, and so with that said, my time for today's plank was only...3:01.5...my arms were shaking at 2 minutes...and I mean shaking, but I held on for another minute.  There was NO WAY I would make it past yesterday's time.  I'm okay with that.  I can feel the workouts from earlier in the week in my body now.  The soreness is not nearly as bad as the previous weeks.  Am I not working hard enough????  Of course I am.  Don't you worry...I not slacking off one little bit.  Why would I???  That wouldn't do me any good.  I still have fat to lose, muscle to build and skin to tone and tighten.

This afternoon I found my blog partner asleep on the job, and his sister was no help either...

 Two Cats and a Mouse

Well I must go now.  We finally got our children to clean up the attic tonight and it took a lot longer than I wanted it too(that's why I didn't add any recipes tonight).  But at least it is clean...phew.  I told them if it gets as bad as it was, ALL their stuff will go in the garbage next time...let's hope there is not a next time, for their sake.  OR I will sell all their stuff, and with the money made, I will go to the spa and get another Thai Body Treatment.  I like that idea.

Okay I will get my head out of the spa and into bed now.  Workout 12 again in the morning.

Until then...Stay Strong!

Good night

Trina

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Body Revolution Day 73 of 90

Day 73 = Cardio 3

Cardio 3 gets better every time I do it.  The first circuit does feel looonnnggggg...and it is!  Once I get to the end of the first circuit, I think, "DAMN, I have to do that two more times"...well not quite.  The first circuit is longer than the second one because Jillian forgets to do the High Knees with a Twist, in Circuit 2.  It's kind of nice to have a break during the second circuit.  But it's ALL there in Circuit 3.  Time flies though once you make it through the first one...and YOU WILL!

Okay so Jillian created Body Revolution...Great Job Jillian...I LOVE IT!...Thank you!

I have created The Plank Challenge Revolution...hehehe...lol.

There are no rules, there are no DVDs, the meal plan is to EAT CLEAN everyday for the rest of your life...hey wait...and there's no money in it for me : ( That's okay.  The joy of knowing that I could help others to improve themselves, is payment enough.  But if you feel inclined to send me something send it to Trina blah blah blah....I'm joking. To hear your Challenge stories is AWESOME!  So many of you have taken up the challenge, and that is SUPER FANTASTIC!!!! We are all going to have ROCK hard abs from this challenge.  Remember I told you about HannahPTA starting the Plank Hold Challenge...well...her husband joined in too.  Way to ROCK IT, Hannah's husband, with a starting plank of 3 minutes.  Mzjstef pulled off a 3:07.1 plank hold yesterday...Excellent!  My cousin, Melissa, is a Yoga Instructor in Greece.  She had her students do the challenge today too.  They held it for 1:30.0, next week they are going for 2 minutes.  Great Job!  If you want to try it too...

 Just Plank It!

I started on Wednesday April 11, Day 59 of 90 of Body Revolution.  I have been doing it everyday, except on rest days.  So today was plank #13.
I am all about setting goals, AND I forgot to set one for this. Duh! Well since I want to keep my workout times short, my goal will be to hit Lucky 7, 7 minutes for my Plank Hold. Once I hit that, I may switch it up to Side Plank Holds. I'll keep you posted.  

So this is me in Plank...


Photos taken by my little girl.  This is not my early-morning-after-workout-sweaty-plank hold.  I got her to take a couple quick photos while the daycare kids were napping.  Me in my Pink REWARD top again too.  I do have other clothes, I swear.  That's what kind of sucks about having such a bright coloured top that feels so nice to wear, you can't wear too often, or people will think you don't wash it.  I do, I do!  I wish I had one the same only in Orange. Do think Lululemon would make an Orange one, just for me, as a REWARD for my Plank Hold Challenge Revolution???   Today's time>>>>>


Today's food...
Breakfast: Blueberry Banana Muffins
This one was the second last one left in the freezer.  I will have to make another batch up next week.  I still have some of the Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins and the Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins left in the freezer.  I seem to grab for the Blueberry ones first.  They are SO good...


Lunch: Roasted Chicken with Whole Wheat Pasta & Spinach Pesto
Last serving of this meal from the freezer.  It was perfect!  Even after being in the freezer for over a month.

Try this recipe at least once.  I'm sure you will want to try again.

Snack: Easy Herbed Yogurt Bread/Dragon Fruit
I enjoyed another slice of this bread with a little bit of coconut oil spread on it.  Also, I had purchased a Dragon Fruit the other day.  I split it in half and ate one half, at only 30 calories per half.  Just cut it in half and scoop it out with a spoon.

Try out different fruits, veggies and other foods...you might just like them.  Just like my dinner tonight...

Dinner: Calamari with Salsa Verde & Arugula served with Cucumber Slices
I did it!  I made the Calamari from the Fat Burning Meal Plan recipe book.  I ate it!  It was good, not my favourite though.  I made the full recipe, however, my husband and children did not eat it, so that means I have 3 more servings of this meal.  I am not sure how well this one will freeze and reheat.  I have been told that if the calamari is cooked too long, it gets kind of rubbery.  I will try freezing it and see how it is when I take it out and eat it another day. 

It looks good, and it was good, honestly.  I think it's just because I have never had it before and I didn't know what to expect.  I found it salty, but that was probably the anchovy fillets, the recipe calls for 2 fillets, next time I would try using just one.  The salsa had a nice flavour to it, with exception of it being too salty.  I think the salsa would taste nice on scallops(maybe).

I want to thank everyone again for following and reading my blog.  All you kind words and support means so much to me.  It helps to keep me going.  So...THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!!!!

Questions/Comments
A friend, Coolcatcan, asked me, "How are you doing with toning? Muscle building? Revolution doing wonders for you?"

Answer: My body is toning up pretty good.  The fat is coming off and the muscle is building and helping to tighten everything up.  Yes, Revolution is doing wonders for me!  There are still areas where I need to lose more fat as well as tone up, but it will happen.  Even if I have to go through it again, I will.  As of today, if you look at my Ticker on the side bar...I am at 17.4 lbs lost and 17.4 lbs to go to my final weight loss goal.  And when I say FINAL, I mean that the 17.4 lbs to go will get me to my target weight of 130 lbs.  I know I will not lose another 17.4 lbs in the next 17 days, and that's okay.  As I have mentioned in previous blog posts, my thighs and my butt have ALWAYS been a BIG problem...they are still a problem, but not nearly as BIG.  Both have toned up pretty darn good so far.

Another area that I thought would be a HUGE problem was the area below my belly button.  With having my 2 wonderful, crazy, gorgeous, lovely, smart, funny, yet messy children...they both came into this world by C-section.  So for all you other mums that have had their children by C-section there is hope to get rid of that not so nice area of fat, flab that you may be carrying below your belly button.  It takes hard work and dedication to yourself.  I am still working on that area on myself, but at least it is tightening back up.  Think positive and you will succeed.  I actually feel good, no GREAT walking around in my underwear again.  Not out in public of course...don't be silly!  So walking around in a bathing suit this summer, will be no problem at all.  
I wish I would have taken some before pictures of that area, but it's not something you think of when you are snapping family pictures.  "Oh wait...let me just take a picture of my gross flabby lower abs"...click..."Okay everybody together now...say CHEESE".  Yeah, that just doesn't happen.  So the only thing I can do, is look for some pictures that may show a big difference in a few weeks.

To wrap things up today...Challenge yourself...try new (healthy) foods...think positive and you will reach your goals.

The Stay Strong necklace contest is still going.  You have until I finish Day 90, which will be on Saturday May 12, 2012.  I will have my children pick the winner's name out of a hat or something on the Sunday(May 13, 2012).  I will video it, because I am sure they will do something crazy and bring a smile to your face, even if you are not the winner.  All the details can be found on Day 58 of 90.  So look, listen closely while you are doing Cardio 2, and then email me your answer to phatsoslim.staystrong@gmail.com Good Luck to you! And Stay Strong!
Back to Workout 11 in the morning.

Until then...Stay Strong!

Good night

Trina