TURBO FIRE - DAY 3

Today is a rest day, according to the Turbo Fire program schedule. Yay! That's a nice break!

Although I have nothing to report about the workout, I just want to talk a little bit about Shakeology. My sister ordered the Greenberry flavor. Now, I've taken powdered drinks and meal replacements in the past and they all had that chalky after taste that went down my throat. I was afraid that Shakeology would be the same.

Well, I don't know if it's because I made a little more effort to add variety to my drinks, like different fruits and orange juice or almond milk, but the Greenberry Shakeology is actually pretty good! And I'm putting my hand blender to good use!

So far, I've taken the shake for my snack, and today I had it for the first time for lunch. You know what, I feel quite satisfied. I think my body is becoming accustomed to eating every 3 hours so once 1:15 pm came (I put my alarm on!), I started to feel jittery. My hands started to shake, but I insisted on finishing up my class assignment research (I know, that's bad!). Then I rushed downstairs to prepare my drink, all the while thinking that I just want to give in and have a big ole tuna sandwich with some Maui Onion potato chips! But I resisted the temptation, prepared my Citrus Berry Shakeology drink (from the Shakeology recipes!), and tanked the bugger down! Drank some water. And now I'm fine!

I think this will save me some mula in the long run. No, I KNOW it will because I won't be spending money on Jamba Juice Chunky Strawberry Toppers or Subway sandwiches anymore. Maybe once a week as an incentive or a cheat day. I'm pretty happy with Shakeology. Okaaaaaay, I guess I'm willing to substitute Greenberry for Chunky Strawberry! And thank goodness that Beachbody has an endless supply of recipes on hand so I won't get bored!

So far, so good? Yes! Here's to Shakeology (raising my cup)!

TURBO FIRE - DAY 2

Ahhh...Day 2...

I could not roll out of bed this morning! I felt it in my back, my arms, shoulders, abs, butt, and legs! The only place that wasn't so affected was my chest as there wasn't much concentration in the chest during the workout yesterday.

Still, it was a "good" kind of pain. A pain that said, "Turbo Fire kicked her butt! She worked her arce off yesterday! You go girl!" Gosh, I haven't felt this kind of good pain for a long time! I forgot what it felt like to really push myself. When I did past exercise videos, I didn't push myself as hard, and the next day all I felt was "sore". Not "good pain". "Sore" just meant that I moved my body around a lot more than usual. But I didn't push it to my limits.

So about today's workout...

Well, I actually caught a break. Or so I thought. According to the Turbo Fire Prep Class schedule, I'm to do the Stretch 40. I thought, oh good, I can relax and stretch out my sore muscles today. I should have known better - this is Chalene Johnson's Turbo Fire we're talking about!

Stretch 40 meant stretching my body to my dang limits again! Stretching meant some yoga. I have never taken yoga, although I've always wanted to. I have gained so much respect for yogis in that 40 minutes of the workout. And Chalene doesn't just stretch and pose; she picks up the tempo. By the end of the video, I was sweating like a dog (if dogs do sweat!).

There's something about Chalene Johnson that keeps me motivated. Maybe it's her voice. Or her energy exuding from the TV. Or maybe I'm just more motivated than ever to FINALLY take hold of my health and wellness. I don't know. But this feels good. I feel good. I'm glad I started this. Now I just have 88 days to go...

TURBO FIRE - DAY 1

Day 1 - Damn, Chalene Johnson kicked my butt! And you know what, I started with the Prep Class to work my way up to the more intense workouts! Chalene kicks A$$!!! Yes, I did struggle, but I kept going because Chalene's energy is so intense and intoxicating! I like her energy more than I do Jillian Michaels.

But I have to admit, despite my long hiatus from exercise and physical activity, I FEEL GOOD! I tried doing Jillian Michaels' 30-Day Shred, and I never came out of it feeling even more motivated, energetic, and enthusiastic. It was literally like work. Turbo Fire was hard but it was fun! Like Zumba! The music makes a world of difference!

Speaking of Zumba, why didn't choose that instead of Turbo Fire, besides the fact that I got Turbo Fire for free? Zumba is loads of fun; I used to take it at 24-Hour Fitness. And I could have purchased the Zumba fitness program. But Beachbody has been around a long time and they have an excellent reputation for producing results. I wanted intensity and a program that I can follow, that shows me exactly what I have to do each day. Beachbody has that.

Funny, I had previously thought about doing the Insanity workout because I wanted to go all-in, "Go fo' broke", as we say in Hawaii. Everyone who did it says that the fit test alone is killer. But I couldn't pass up on a freebie from my sister. Not only that, though, my sister said that she worked pretty hard with Turbo Fire.

Well, I guess Day 1 went well. We'll see about tomorrow - will I be able to get out of bed???

My Turbo Fire Challenge

Tomorrow (via Hawaii time; right now it's 11:03 pm) I will start Day 1 of my Beachbody Turbo Fire challenge. So the question is: Am I going to follow through with the program to reach my health and fitness goals?

Well, I truly believe that deep down, this umpteenth time is different. Why? For several reasons:

1. My daughter Gianna will be 5-years-old this year and will enter kindergarten in July. I am nowhere near my pre-pregnancy weight. Instead of going lower, my weight is going higher.

2. As of this writing, I am 37-years-old, and my body feels older than that. I also think that I may be entering perimenopause, if not yet, then real soon. My body isn't what it's supposed to be.

3. Because I had gestational diabetes when I was pregnant and diabetes runs in my family, I am more prone to getting it myself. Even more so, diabetes seemed to have skipped my mom. She's concerned that my sister or I will have it. At the rate I'm going...

4. I am just so tired of being tired, sluggish, and out of breath when I do something as simple as playing "Ring around the Rosie" with Gianna. And I'm also tired of being self-conscious about my body.

5. Lastly, the fact that I got the Turbo Fire program for free I took as a sign that I need to do this. Thanks to my oh, so loving sister who had an extra one!

With that said, I just tanked my last Diet Pepsi. Goodbye to that, to white rice, french fries, McDonald's cheeseburgers, Maui Onion Potato Chips, malasadas, and cinnamon danishes. Do I have to give up my Chunky Strawberry from Jamba Juice too? Let think about that. I do have the Shakeology...would that be a good substitute?

Here are a few of my stats:

Weight: 143 lbs. (At 5'1", that's considered obese for my height! People wouldn't think I am; I just know how to hide it well!)

Body measurements: I prefer not to take those. The fit of my clothes will be my measurements.

Clothes size: Shirts/tops - Medium/large Juniors; Small/Medium Petites
                    Jeans/Pants/Shorts - 7 or 9 (if I want to be comfy!) Juniors; 6 or 8 Petites

Weight goals: 115 lbs./Size 4 or size 5 in Juniors

Fitness goals: Run a 5K, 10K, and the 2013 Great Aloha Run (I want to run it!)
                    Hike Koko Head again (without huffing and puffing!)

There you have it, my plan in a nutshell. I will try my best to post something everyday, even if it's just to check-in that I did my workout (or not!). And also to record my thoughts and feelings a few times a week.

Oh yes, and my before picture? Well, maybe eventually I'll post it. I don't know if I really want to show the world what I REALLY look like in a 2-piece bikini! But you need something to compare my progress to right? Hmmm...let me think about that one...

So I bid you all good night for tomorrow is the FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF MY LIFE! Let the games begin!