Day 29- Forced Day of Rest

Today was a forced day of rest. I was not able to eat all morning/ most of the afternoon because it was before my procedure. I couldn't even drink water. My appointment was at 2:30pm and so I tried to keep my mind off of it all day. Neck injections went well, I am really sore, but it should be bette by tomorrow so I can go back to working out. 

Breakfast- Nothing

Late Lunch- Greek Salad from Old Chicago- chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, and Feta cheese. 

Snack- I caved and had some reese's hearts from the valentine's addition- 4 pieces

Dinner- Air popped popcorn and a black bean brownie

I was feeling pretty nauseous after my procedure so they gave me a sprite and some crackers. I am still going to do the no Wheat for this week and no sugar, but I allowed myself to cheat since I was hurting. We all are human, now I just got to jump back on the bandwagon tomorrow. Thanks everyone for your support!!

Love yourself always,

Corinne K. 

Day 28- Sore and still succeeding :)

You know that you are doing something right when you take a moment in the morning and just admit to yourself how much you hurt from the amazing workout the day before. Not only does it feel good to wake up sore, it lets me know that I am still progressing. I weighed in and I am just a little over a pound from my goal... I can do it by Friday I know I can. I mean for goodness sake I had to up my January goal because I blew past it. Anyways let's take a look at how today went shall we? 

Quick Fitsperation for today:

Breakfast: Celery with Peanut Butter and an entire box of Blackberries- Little box, they were so yummy!

Headed to the gym with Alan to workout This is what it looked like today:

5 minute warm-up on the treadmill 3.5 MPH pace

30 pound bench press- 2 sets of 10

10 inverted Sit-ups

170 lbs leg press- 4 reps of 8 with 3 sets of 10 mini pulses in between never releasing the weight

3 sets of tricep extensions-20 Lbs 20, 16, 20

3 sets of 8 back extensions

25 squats

15 arm flys ( Not sure about the official name of these)

25 crunches-Floor

25 cruches- On stability Ball

15 ball-leg-overhead lifts :) 

30 second hip raises on stability ball

Clearly I really needed some variety today to get the blood flowing and make my body feel a little less sore :) Neck injections tomorrow so I will be aiming to get my workout in early. Thanks everyone for your support :) I love you all!!

Love yourself Always, 

Corinne K. 

Day 27- What Just Happened?

Today was a whirlwind, not just for work, but also my workouts and food :). The day seemed to just be a hustle and bustle sort of mood, it even snowed which was very exciting!! Anyways I just have to take a minute to say that Alan made my day. I got to buy a pair of jeans that was a size smaller than what I was wearing previously. Not only did that make me feel great, but then Alan came home and said that my butt and body looked great in my new clothes. Nothing encourages me more to keep going than having the love of my life notice and compliment me. It just makes me feel so good about myself, more importantly, he is losing weight with me which means we both are going to be able to spend more time in each-others lives. This really is a wonderful life change that we have decided to do. I hope you all are being successful and enjoying your journey too :) 

So on to today:

Breakfast: Greek Yogurt and coffee. 

Lunch: String Cheese, Salad with chicken, bell peppers, onions, and raspberry Vinaigrette. And a Black bean brownie (Posted this recipe online and I can't tell you how many people were thrilled :))

Dinner: Made Lean ground beef cheddar patties (NO buns!!) and paired it with Corn. Delicious also used a tablespoon of ketchup. 

Then it was workout time! 

Headed to Studio 3sixT to get my workout on. Took Barre for an hour and had Xiaohui kick my ass. Normally I am a little more conservative with my speech, but this girl took me through the freaking ringer. I don't think I have made that many noises in a workout class before :) I know I am going to be sore tomorrow but it was just what I needed today!  

 Then I stayed for Hip hop and learned 9- 8 counts of a routine to the song Cake. It was a fun little sexy dance. Made cardio more fun than the hour on the treadmill :)

 Headed home and talked to Sarah B. on the way home, just nice to drive through the snow and know that I put in a fantastic workout. This is my fitsperation because it's how I feel:

Please let me know what your journey is and hopefully I can support you and vice versa! Together we can do it :) 

Love yourself always, 

Corinne K. 

Day 26- Freaking butt kicking day!!

Today was an incredibly busy day. Not only did I spend the day running around, but I had homework and tried an entirely new type of working out. It was crazy, and I even earned some bruises from my experiences :) Let me tell you what I tried this morning, aerial yoga... that's right all of the cool silk dancers and such!!! It was on my list to try and I was given the perfect opportunity to do it today.

If you get the opportunity to try it, you should, but it is not the easiest thing in the world and if done improperly hurts quite a bit :) It was a great experience and so I encourage anyone who has even seen it to at least go and try a class of it. 

Breakfast- Yogurt 

Lunch- All Beef hot dog (No Bun, or condiments), fruit bowl, and a diet coke. I also drank a ton of water before, during and after aerial yoga today. 

Snack- I had a handful of blueberries as I was doing my homework on my off time. 

Then it was time to go to Striptease and Pole 1/2 :) So after the hour of intense working out, I put in another 2 1/2 hours. I think I earned the big salad I had after this class. 

Dinner-  Headed to Old Chicago with Sarah B. :) We both had a beer, we had earned it! I got a lite beer and the roasted chicken harvest salad. It had chicken, blue cheese, dried cranberries, mandarin oranges, italian dressing, and some walnuts in it. YUM! I was so hungry. 

I am now home and headed to bed but I can across a wonderful fitsperation item today:

This was totally the truth today, I kept pushing and the only times I pulled back was when i was sure I was going to hurt myself. It feels good to sweat and to know I put in a hard and long day of working out and eating right!! I hope each of you is successful in whatever you might be trying to accomplish!! Good Luck!!!

Love yourself always, 

Corinne K.

Day 25- Abs Abs and more Abs!!

Today was a very busy day. I woke up early, showered and ran around getting ready to not only go and babysit, but also go out to lunch with the girls from the old neighborhood. I even managed to get in a workout today, so I am feeling pretty good about myself. I will share what I tried baking today too, many of you may be quite surprised by it. 

Breakfast- Tall skinny vanilla latte from starbucks and an apple, not the healthiest meal in the entire world. 

Lunch- Filet salad, had tomatoes, italian dressing, rare filet strips, blue cheese crumbles,  onions, and bacon. 

Workout tonight looked like this:

10 jumping jacks

5 knee jumps tucking to chest

25 squats

then...

Dinner- Apple, bowl of popcorn, hand full of blackberries and... Blackbean brownie... that's right everyone black bean brownies, check out the recipe here: http://www.annarbor.com/entertainment/food-drink/black-bean-brownies/

It was such a busy day and I am so ready to head to bed, so please enjoy the recips, make sure you puree the black beans and the sugar can be replaced with honey. The brownies had no wheat and no refined sugar in my recipe so it was on my diet and quelled my chocolate sweet tooth :) Enjoy everyone!!!

Fitspiration for today:

Day 24- Let there be rest

Today was a rest day. I spent the entire day allowing my body to recouperate and just breathe. I stretched quite a bit and even went and got a deep tissue massage. Man I needed that. Anyways not much else to tell so here's what I ate:

Breakfast- Greek Yogurt with Blackberries

Snack- string cheese 

Lunch- Balsamic chicken and a quarter of a spaghetti squash

Snack- apple

Dinner- Sushi- This was so delicious I just enjoyed every bite of it. Couldn't be happier with how today went :) 

Now you go and stretch and relax a bit :) 

Fitsperation for the day:

Day 23- 2-A-Days commence :)

I woke up this morning and just knew it was going to be an amazing day :) I got up before I had to, got my day started right with some water and a great weigh in. That's right everyone my weight is on the move yet again! I was staying at the same weight for awhile but today I weighed in a pound lighter :) 229 woo hoo!! Here's my fitspiration for today to celebrate:

You all will see it soon I know it. I am working really hard and eating well so I know this is all going to pay off. More than that I feel better about the way we are eating and I am addicted and in love with working out. I enjoy the burning sensation, the sweat pouring down my back, I love to work hard and treat my body that way :) Thank God all of the injuries like my back and ankle are cooperating with this ... Let's look at today shall we. 

Breakfast- Protein strawberry shake, with 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, 1 cup coconut milk, and 1 small banana. Such a great way to start the day.

Headed to the gym and did 20 minutes on the treadmill. I broke it up so I did 5 minutes to warm up, stretched a bit and then went to weight lift. After that I walked at a good pace for another 15 minutes and put it on an incline, it really worked my ankle.  

Weight lifting looked like this:

20 shoulder pull downs on the machine

2 sets of 15 tricep extensions

25 body weight squats

25 ball to wall ab crunches

50 regular crunches

25 stability ball crunches

25 leg lifts with ball in between my legs

Physical therapy back exercises on the ball- back extensions, opposite arm opposite leg lifts. 

Lunch- Chicken with Green tabasco and a little bit of sharp cheddar cheese. I really like chicken, it is so filling and stays with me for awhile. 

Snack- string cheese

Headed out to contemporary dance and Pole 1/2. I took what I had made for dinner. Chicken with bell peppers and onions to eat after dance. Lots of water tonight, I worked hard :) 

 

Felt great to get home, eat a peach 90 calorie yogurt and drink some more water. Thank you everyone for your support, it means more than I can tell you!

Love yourself always,

Corinne K.

Day 22- Relax and lift some weights!!

Day 22 on this Journey and I am feeling good. I was going to rest today, but I just felt like I needed to get out and do something. Plus the only way to make the scale move, is to put the work in :) Let's take a look at today... shall we? :)

Breakfast- Greek Yogurt with blueberries, did a small cup of coffee and lots of water today. 

Lunch- Ate a salad with small pieces of Bacon, and sharp cheese grated up. I used raspberry fat free vinaigrette dressing. Also had an apple. 

Snack- Cashews

Workout was late today because of work but I went to the gym, that is two days in a row!!1 Today was shoulder/ cardio day:

Shoulder Press 4x12
Monster Set:
3x12 Front raise with dumbbells (neutral grip)
3x12 Side Lateral Raise
3x15 Bent Over Rear Lateral Raises
Superset:
4x10 Reverse PecDec Flies
4x12 Upright Barbell Row

4x12 Tricep extensions

3x8 hyperextension

3x8 suspended knees pulled up to chest. 

Moto for today :)

Also did 15 minutes on the treadmill and 50 jumping jacks. Couldn't jog today but I walked at a quick pace for the entire time to try and get my heart up. 

Dinner- Ate some corn chips with my homemade fresh guacamole- I loved this, it was so rich and filling!!! Quick recipe is 3 ripe avocados, diced onion to taste, a little bit of salt, lemon juice and a little garlic powder. I am doing the no wheat for another week and tacking on sugar as well. Two at a time :) No Dairy week is next so look for that :) 

Snack- Had some popcorn that was air popped, a little bit of salt while I watched a movie with Alan. 

Overall I felt like it was a pretty relaxing day even though I still worked out. Felt like I ate well and took care of business :) Look for another post tomorrow! Hope you all are having success too! 

Love yourself always, 

Corinne K. 

Day 21- 3 weeks in, keep my chin up!

Woke up this morning and I was beat up :) Let me tell you, legs, arms, back, butt, you name it and something was sore in it :) I stretched and I can honestly tell you that it made my whole day better :) I was going to have today be a rest day, but I really wanted to get to the gym since it would be my first day at the gym since I have started this new healthy life style. It was not nearly as scary as I thought it would be. Walked in like I owned the place :) It was awesome, I feel so empowered. I also had a mini break down today, but I will get to that later... let's look at the day shall we :)

Breakfast- Had a protein shake with coconut milk, greek yogurt, blueberries and strawberry protein powder. It was think but yummy, lots of water today I was feeling like my body needed it.

Snack/Lunch- had cucumbers, half an avocado, and some celery with peanut butter.

Ran to the gym and jogged on the treadmill for 5 minutes before my ankle gave me problems, walked at a quick pace for another 10 and then did some bench presses and squats on the machine at the gym.
Continued on to do this ab work out courtesy of Muffin-topless=

These inspire me :) 

• 25 Stability ball crunches
• 20 Leg lifts (with ball between legs)
• 30 Regular Crunches (with heels on the ball, legs at 90 degrees)
• 40 Bicycles
• Plank to failure
• Did it all 2 times with some variations and additions :) After that I stretched for about 10 minutes and headed home, I was feeling good. 

Snack-Handful of cashews and a couple spoons of the guacamole I made, (Onions, a little salt and fresh avocados and lemon juice- really good).

Dinner- I made a 12 bean soup with cayenne pepper and salt as flavoring, the beans were a little al dente because I had to soak them overnight, and I might not have cooked it lond enough.

Snack- Had some frozen yogurt :) Yum!!! I did it! 1 week with no wheat, this week is no sugar again, including the diet coke... Coffee is good though, so I may survive :)

 Well today was another star on my sheet to success, my weight has stayed at the 230 mark for a couple days and so I broke down and got upset, Alan assured me that it was all going to be ok, I just need to keep going, man I love him. I will be awesome today, and tomorrow, and even the day after that :) Barre and pole tomorrow,  should go well and make me feel accomplished, maybe I will even go to the gym at lunch and get in some cardio... hmmmm. 

Love yourself always, 

Corinne K. 

Day 20- Ballet will change your life :)

When I sat down to write my post for today, I thought about the struggles I have been through in the last year. I have taken some really hard knocks and I have stood back up and fought through. I feel so empowered by this life change and all of the support of my friends and family. You all are the reason I am going to succeed at this lifestyle change and I just wanted to say I love each and everyone of you. I can do this :) I will do this, and so can you. Please let me know what your goals are so that I can help support each of you as you have supported me. Well enough sappy stuff, let's get to the rundown for today... 

Breakfast: Chocolate Protein powder, small banana, tablespoon of peanut butter, a little ice and water, and a cup of coconut milk.

Lunch- Cabbage Salad with cucumbers, Avocado, chicken, and Raspberry Vinaigrette. I drank a ton of water today. At least a gallon, if not more. 

Had a handful of cashews and an apple a couple hours after lunch. I also had a skinny vanilla latte from starbucks before Barre tonight. Got my booty kicked by Jen for an entire hour. My legs are shaking, my calves are tense, and my arms are exhausted... aka it was a crazy good workout. 

 Sarah B. and I both agree that we are extremely sore and ready to rest our beat up bodies for a day. She even bought some Epsom salt... which I am wondering if I should invest in LOL.

Then it was grocery shopping time :) Got some really great healthy items to restock my healthy food supply... man I make some awesome food choices when I know what is good for me. Blueberries and Blackberries were on sale at Kings so I grabbed some of those and froze one package of my blueberries for shakes. I got lots of other things too, but I was really excited about my berries. 

Came home and had a handful of cashews, a string cheese, and some blackberries. Drank another tall glass of water too. Now it is time for bed because I am exhausted. Oh! I took some more pictures to see what kind of progress I have made. Sarah got to look at my before and now pictures and said she sees serious differences. I just couldn't have been more excited, I still have a long way to go, but it was nice to have someone else realize my hard work is paying off. Anyways, feel free to share your struggles, comments, and I am going to start posting my recipes and workout pics on other pages of my blog so be on the lookout for that!!!

Love yourself always, 

Corinne K. 

Day 19- 3 hours of Ass kicking... then homework

Oh boy, day 19 and man was it a doozy of a day :) I look back and see where I was two weeks ago, and I am amazed at my outlook on life, how inspiring others are to me, and how much I appreciate the individuals that are in my life. They all are truly supportive of this lifestyle change, and I can honestly say that every single one of them pushes me to be better, to eat better, and just to love and be proud of myself. Anyways here is my fitspiration for the day:

I can do this! 

Breakfast- Woke up late today and ran around getting ready to run to hang out with my mother. Ate an apple on my way there and drank a liter of water. 

Lunch- My mom took me to sweet tomatoes and I had a roasted vegetables and feta salad with balsamic vinegar dressing. I added eggs and sunflower seeds to it so I got a little extra protein. I also had a small bowl of chocolate and vanilla swirl frozen yogurt. 

Mom and I went shopping at T.J. Max and Whole Foods ( That place is expensive) I picked some vegan chocolate up for Sarah since she is changing her life too and I wanted to be supportive. I also picked up these inspirational tumbler glasses that have amazing sayings on them- I will post pics tomorrow. 

Headed to Sleek and Flexy Physique at 4pm with Sarah B and pumped some weights. Really felt the burn and then headed to intro to pole :) Want to see some of the things we do in class? Check out this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5z5mHLVrEs0&list=UUEdcldMfZgRGm4owp2Et65w 

That is one of our instructors and she is just freaking amazing, some of this stuff is advanced, but you can get the idea :) 

Dinner- Headed to Panera and got the asian chicken salad without the wonton strips. Then headed back to class for Pole 1/2.... I am pretty sure my arms are going to fall off... I got new shoes though and got to try them out in class!! They make my butt and legs look fantastic. I think all the working out and butt kicking helps. 

Came home and did homework and had a apple and a handful of cashews and had another liter of water. Now it is time for my well deserved bed... Good Night everyone! All suggestions welcome!

Love yourself always, 

Corinne K. 

Day 18- Sexy and I know it!

 Alright so today when I woke up I was not expecting what I was going to see on the scale... I hit my January goal!! 230 right on the dot so I decided to add 4 more pounds to lose for my goal since I have two more weeks in this month. It will be like getting a jump start on February! It feels great to hit that goal number though :) Alright let's run down what the day looked like.

Breakfast- Woke up and ate some chicken and cucumbers and then headed to dance class at Studio3sixt. Let me tell you these girls know how to work your butt off!!

We took intro to pole and the XXX Flow. If you ever want to feel sexy and rock out, that is the best way to go about it. The class leaves me feeling sexy, sweaty, and just freaking exhausted. It was such a great class. If anyone wants to try one with me and Sarah B. let me know, the more sexy bitches the better. This is a great mixture of cardio, weight training and core exercises.  

 Lunch- Went to chipotle and had a bowl with black beans, chicken, veggies, corn salsa, sour cream, cheese, and guac it was really yummy. My body needed it badly.

Dinner- I made balsamic chicken with spaghetti squash. Had water and a diet coke.

After dinner snack- Made a strawberry protein, coconut milk, and peach yogurt smoothie with a little ice. It was very yummy and quelled my sweet tooth.


What a great freaking day. Here is my fitspiration for today:

Love yourself always,

Corinne K.