Yesterday we talked about how efficient circuit training is and I gave you a GREAT routine to use. Today I want to tell you about how to walk the dog.

How many of you drag your booty out of bed every morning and take the family pooch for the morning walk? Most of you probably casually walk Spot around, sip some coffee, and think about all the things you have to do for the day. You are totally missing out on a prime opportunity for REAL fat blasting cardio.

One, fasted cardio is a great way to tap further into fat stores when you are losing weight. Bodybuilders and figure competitors ALWAYS do their fasted cardio. Just check out Oxygen if you don't believe me. Those girls will hit the cardio every morning for a good 30-40 minutes to totally deplete the energy stores and allow their body to burn off a little bonus chub.

Two, you are up anyway so why not just knock out the cardio for the day? You can do your strength training later in the day! That walk doesn't have to be easy and your pup will enjoy the stimulus mommy brings to the usualy sniff around.

So, how do you turn walking the dog into a kick booty cardio session? It's easy and so early in the morning your neighbors will never see you doing the crazy antics.

Start with 2-3 minutes of your normal walk. Let the muscles get lubed up.

Minutes 3-6 either do a light jog, pick up the pace, or alternate out light jogging with walking every 30 seconds.

Now, let the dog do some business. Each time the dog stops to potty or check out the mailbox for closer inspection, you will do jumping jacks, alternating lunges, pop squats, imitation jump rope, or running toe taps on your curb. Just pick a new one each time the dog stops and do it until you are ready to walk/jog again.

This will give you some interval training, some booty sculpting, and a workout during the time you normally walk anyway. Why not kick it up a notch?

Your goal should be to finish in about 30 minutes and keep that heartrate up between 75-85%. Add a slight jog when needed. Don't be afraid to just jog or sprint for 10-20 seconds if that's all it takes. The key is to keep switching it all up without rhyme or reason and your body will keep on changing because it won't know what to expect.

For my really brave girls, add in push ups, dips on curbs, etc. What you can do inside you can almost always do outside. Now tell me you don't think differently about the next walk you and Fido take.

Circuit Training is hot right now. You can hardly go into my gym without seeing groups of people running around doing all sorts of weights without burpees, mountain climbers, or stair running thrown in to raise the heart rate. I have been training this way for well over a year now and when you are trying to shed fat it is a great tool.

There are lots of ways to do it: supersets of major exercises, lift - aerobic - switch, etc. The key with circuit training is to keep moving and keep the heart rate up.

Another benefit for most people is the excellent use of your time. Many of us can't spend up to two hours a day at the gym like I do. LOL. The joys of competition training...do they ever cease? But, just because your schedule only gives you 30, 45, or 60 minutes a day to workout doesn't mean you can't lose fat and look great!

Here is a routine you can do in the gym or at home. I've included a few variations so you can switch things up. The average person can do this routine two to three times a week every other day. On days you don't do the circuit, shoot to do 30-60 minutes of cardio training keeping your heartrate in the 75-85% range. Interval training would be best but a good powerwalk can also do the job. Tomorrow we will discuss "powerwalking" PNP style.

Because these exercises are done based on time versus reps, err on the side of light to no weight at first. As you do the routine, make notes of what you need to do the next time. If you can't finish the minute, simply stop, rest for a few seconds and start back up until the minute is done.

The Workout
In between your "strength" exercises you will do "cardio". Below is suggested options for Beginners and Intermediates and Beyond.

Beginners - Cardio Options: Every week you will do a new form of cardio. If you walk one week, the next week you should do high knee marches.
Walking in place
Low Step Ups on a step bench (just like step class - basic step)
Light jogging in place
Walking a flight of stairs
High Knee Marching

Intermediate and Beyond: Every week you will do a new form of cardio. If you walk one week, the next week you should do high knee marches.
Jumping Jacks
Running Stairs
High Step Ups
Jumping Rope
Walking Lunges
Walking Squats
Burpees
Mountain Climbers

Exercise
Walk (example)                Two minutes
DB Squats                       One Minute
Walk                                Two minutes
Stiff Legged Deadlifts      One Minute
Walk                                Two minutes
Wide Leg Squats             One Minute
Walk                                Two minutes
Incline DB Chest Press    One Minute
Walk                                Two minutes
Bentover DB Row            One Minute
Walk                                Two minutes
Tricep Dips                      One Minute
Walk                                Two minutes
Standing DB Curls           One Minute
Walk                                Two minutes
Shoulder Presses            One Minute
Walk                                Two minutes
Calf Raises                      One Minute
Walk                                Two minutes
Crunches on Stab Ball    One Minute

Substitutes for Each Group:
Legs: Leg Press Machine, Leg Extensions, Hamstring Curls, Alternating Lunges, Walking Lunges

Chest: Flat DB Press, Machine Chest Press, Barbell Chest Press (with spotter), DB Flye

Back: Seated Row, Deadlift, Lat Pulldown, T-bar Row, Barbell Bentover Row, Single Arm Rows

Triceps: OH Extensions, Skull Crushers, Kickbacks, Tricep Pushdowns (Cable Machine)

Biceps: Cable Curls, Hammer Curls, Curls with a Twist at Top, Barbell Curls

Shoulders: Arnold Presses, Lat Raises, Front Raises, Upright Rows, Machine Shoulder Presses, Alternating OH Presses

Calves: Seated Calf Raise Machines, Toes In or Out Calf Raises, Single Leg Cafl Raises

Abs: Bike Crunches, Reverse Crunches, Planks, Leg Lifts, Hanging Leg Raises

These are all exercises you can sub in and out and are easily found by searching Google or looking at bodybuilding.com.

I hope you enjoy this circuit. It's good to use for about eight weeks and then you would want to look into changing up your routine like my girls at PNP do every eight to twelve weeks. We design programs for them to use and help them with eating to totally rock those bodies and get some good fat blasting off!

We got some successes to report this week. Woot!

Les has officially dropped her first 10.5 pounds with us! Straight from her journal...

"This morning, I got on the scale and was PLEASED to see a 3 pound loss. YAY!  I had 2 ST workouts and 4 cardio workouts last week, and watched my portions like a hawk, and I saw a payoff! I got back on the scaled 3 more times as I got ready just to make sure that it still said that number.  Well, I moved the scale around the floor of the bathroom and stepped on it again and again to make sure.  Yes, I'm a freak.  I can't help it.  That's a number I have not seen in over 5 years.  AND, I have officially lost 10.5 pounds since joining PNP.  Yes, it's not that much, but you know, slow and steady wins the race."

I would say that 10.5 lbs is a lot and YOU ARE DOING US PROUD GIRL! It's hard to hang in there when things don't happen on YOUR time schedule. It's winners that keep their focus and do what they know is right even when the payoff comes in little increments. Congratulations!

Next, my girl Jane completed a sprint triathlon. She is currently training for a half-Ironman!

"I took 9th place overall woman (out of 232), 3rd in my age group and took 4 minutes off my previous best time at that race.  WOOT!!  And there was some definite wind involved, head wind both ways on the bike - so I was even more excited.  I think having 10 fewer pounds off my body, not to mention good fuel, and stronger muscles, all helped out a ton!  And God definitely gave some great strength as well - I can't overlook that major detail!"

Girls...if I missed anyone LET ME KNOW! I had a ton of emails to go through and grabbed these two to spotlight. Don't let me miss you!

This week I want to focus the blogs on cardio. In the forums we have challenges associated with fasted a.m. cardio, we're doing an eight week strength schedule that is designed to burn fat and save the muscle, and we are constantly trying new ways to amp up the calorie burn.

So, this week each blog will focus on a cardio routine or a way to get in more burn during your strength sessions. Watch for these routines anyone can use. Tomorrow we will talk about shaking up strength by doing circuits that sizzle. I will include a sample full body circuit you can do two to three times a week to build a sexy summer body.

Corinne asked me to write a blog. I have been sitting here trying to think of what to say because I never find myself a person of great words, wisdom, or knowledge like many of our fellow PnPers.
 
There is one thing that breaks my heart and gets me all upset is when I see people give into temptations all around them, they give up on themselves, and they sabotage all their hard work … and yet for what? NOTHING. They end up not being happy with themselves in the long run anyway. I get frustrated because I can see the “old Becca” in them and I know they aren’t happy and I want them to be happy and get on the “road to health”.
 
I probably have said this a 100 times but anyone who knew me a year ago, you would just hear me complain that I am not losing weight fast enough, argue with the Queen Corrine about how hard it was and how I just can’t do it, give up myself. Or that I can’t eat this or that because I don’t like it. Heck, I don’t think some of it that I complained about that I even tried. Some days I ask myself “why didn’t she just give up on me?” Well she can’t change a person, she can only give direction, guidance and try to help you stir your life in the course that you need to be on. But we have to make these decisions, commitments for ourselves.
 
Through life lessons, I have learned there are few things in the world you can control. Things always come up that can derail us in one way or another way but we can still have control of a few things in life.
 
One thing that I can control is: my food. I decide what goes in my mouth, how much I put in there. I choose to spend the extra few minutes (not hours) to make my lunch, to pack my snacks, to make sure that I have the nutrition for the day that I am going to feel satisfied with. 
 
Second thing, that I am control of: my exercise. I understand that there at times you can’t get in the whole program that you wanted too. But can you make a few adjustments during your day to move a little bit? Can you miss that TV program to make sure your workout is done? I plan it like it’s an important appointment each day. Would you miss an appointment with your doctor? Or something that meant something VERY important to you? Then why do you allow yourself to miss your workouts that could add health to your life – make you a healthier, stronger person
 
This is your life, your health. We all can blame our health problems on our childhood, family inherited diseases, or just life is too busy. I challenge all of you to take 5 minutes and look and see how you can adjust your time to be able to fit in that workout. What’s more important to you? Your health or to see who gets voted off American Idol this week.
 
I never thought of myself doing this a year ago. I know find myself emailing Corinne in a panic because I am going on a trip and I need to be able to keep exercising or getting to the gym before I stepped on a train to go back to Montana so that I had a good workout before I left. What did I skip to be able to do this? Lunch out with my co-workers. But in the end, I walked on that train feeling like my legs were dead weights (squats & lunges are killers); a healthy lunch & snacks packed in my cooler.
 
Do you think that honestly I WANT to go and spend an hour or longer at the gym and get all sweaty, stinky, walk out of there all bull-legged?  Or do you think I really want to eat another piece of chicken when pizza sounds so much better? NO! Then why do I do it? I decided a few months ago that I wanted to be healthier, stronger and a happier person. I was tried of being the “complainer” and not the doer. So I decided that it was time for me to listen, to follow what the best have been doing and have the great results. Slowly I started to see the results on me, I am seeing my arms slowly get stronger, and I am seeing where I am trying new foods and enjoying them. I see myself an overall happier person. I am starting to REALLY love the new me but it took me taking control of the things I can control and making them work for me. Even when life keeps throwing me curve balls, I just keep trying to find ways to work around them. It’s our life.
 
Next time you are tempted by a cookie, candy bar, lunch out with the girls, an extra glass of wine, skipping a workout – ask yourself “what am I worth? Is it really worth it?”
 
It’s your time! Its time for you to take control of your life!

I am going to have my Dream Body in Just TWO WEEKS!!!!!  Can you believe it!!!!  I am so excited!!!

In fact, this is my plan for how I’m going to Drop 20 pounds and lose 18 inches in 6 Days.  I’m going to use Herbal tonics, body wraps, cellulite creams, Fat Loss Detox Tea’s – no – how about the “Cookie” Diet or the Grapefruit Diet – or the Only Eat Chocolate for a Week Diet (I made that one up). Hmmm – or should I just go low carb for one day, low fat for another, no sugar the next, fast the one after that – then have liquids only.  .  Hey – I’ve been PROMISED the body of my dreams – you know - six pack abs, legs like a stallion and a butt that’s so high it practically sits on my shoulders  – all with a beautiful tan of course – if  I only…… you got it – buy the cream, get the wrap, drink the tea, eat the cookies, eat carbs, don’t eat carbs, eat protein, don’t eat protein, eat  fat, don’t eat fat   - oh my goodness, I’m mentally exhausted from just writing this!

This was my life prior to PNP.  I was always looking for that magic “thing” that would make me a skinny, hot mama.  I tried it all – I bought the books that “held the key”, the gym memberships (plural)  where I was too embarrassed to show up, I bought every magazine, and tried every diet program under the sun.  But I never had any success – that was until I joined PNP last spring.  So, what was different?  Well, everything!

First and foremost, there’s Corinne.  No one has ever motivated and encouraged me the way she has.  She literally changed my life.  She never promised me the body of my dreams in two weeks – but she did promise that she would teach me everything she had learned as a Certified Personal Trainer and Lifestyle Coach, as well as through her own experience (which was really the clincher for me) that enabled her to have the success she has had.  She also promised me that I would have a network of women – a sisterhood of sorts, that would help me and encourage me, and that I wouldn’t be alone in my fat-loss journey.  She said she would be there for me every step of the way.

Well, it’s almost a year later – so what’s happened????  Well, she kept her promises.  I have learned how to exercise; in fact, I work out 4-5 days a week.  I ran my first 5K within my first three months.  I learned about eating clean, and fueling my body with foods that get me the results I always wanted.  I have found a group of women who are incredible – warm and friendly and supportive.  There is something new on the site every time I turn around.  We journal, we laugh, we “check in”, we share tips and strategies, food prep ideas, and the list goes on.  (Oh, and did I mention I lost weight and now wear a size 4/6, as well as have the respect of every man in my gym)   Joining PNP has been the best decision I ever made.  Getting Phit and Phat has become a journey, a way of life – not just a destination.

This week I turn the big 3-0!  Wow!  I’m still amazed that I am about to be 30 years old.  Just 10 years ago I was 20 and depressed and not too mention 50 lbs heavier and miserable. 

As a child growing up, I remember thinking 30 was old.  I would laugh and joke as friends and family were nearing or hitting the 30 year mark, but now that is me. My tune has officially changed.  30 isn’t old, it’s new!  Recently someone mentioned that 30 is the new 20.  I totally agree.  I feel like I’m 20, my body looks like I’m 20, well except for a few of those unwanted blemishes, but other than that, I feel so much better at 30 than I ever did at 20. 

When I started with Corinne I had been a lifetime member with Weight Watchers for 2 ½ years.  I was looking good, but always longing for just a little more.  The reason I signed up with Corinne was to help me tone up and shed some of the fat.  Since being with Corinne I have lost 7 lbs; however I’ve lost over 20 inches and wearing a smaller size.  Currently I’m around 150 and proudly wearing my size 6’s. 

It isn’t all about the weight for me.  Of course I’d love to see the 140’s, but a drop in size gets me going just as much as that scale. 

In July, I’ll mark my 1 year anniversary with Corinne.  In my 29th year I accomplished more than I have in my entire lifetime. 

Without Corinne, I wouldn’t of trained and ran 3 half marathons, dropped to a size 6, and busted some of this fat I have.  I could tell you my childhood sob story of being overweight, suffering from severe child asthma, etc., but we’ll save that for another day.  The fact that I started running still amazes me.  I have accomplished more this year than I could’ve ever imagined, and I owe it to Corinne.  Sure, I did the work, but she pushed me just enough to get me started. 

This month at PNP I’m participating in the Fast and Furious Team Challenge (Go Sexy Seven), the Push Up Challenge and the BLT Challenge.  All these challenges are my key to success.  

Without PNP, my last year in my 20’s wouldn’t of been the same. 

So, as I embark on this new era in my life, things for me will change. My 30’s are going be totally different than my 20’s.  This next year my husband and I plan on starting a family, moving, and continuing on with our healthy lifestyle.  I even have plans of doing a Sprint Triathlon this fall.  This next year is going to be my year.  Watch out 30’s, here I come! 

When Corinne asked if I would do her blog today, my first thought was sure.  Then my second thought was ummm, what I can write about?    Who wants to read something written by me, some boring ol’ middle age momma?  As I pondered this, I thought what’s the biggest things that have influenced my fatloss journey? 

My overwhelming answer is Corinne.  She has been instrumental in pushing me along.  Yes I am the one that actually does the working out, and yes I am the one that chooses to have a protein bar over a Snickers bar, but it’s because of what she has taught me to make those wise decisions.

I am also blessed with a wonderful husband.  I know not everyone is as fortunate to have someone like him in their lives.  I wish everyone could have someone so great in their lives.  We have yo-yo-ed our way through several hundred pounds over the years.  Once we finally said enough is enough, that’s exactly what it was, enough.  We were tired of being tired.  We were tired of feeling like crap.  We were tired of our clothes not fitting, and having to go up a size every year or every season.  We made a decision together to get healthy, once and for all. I will share with one of the most powerful things Bill has said to me in this fatloss journey.  One night we were eating supper. I was picking at the left over food in my plate that was just sitting there waiting for the waitress to take it away.  I was full, but it was there, enough said.  Bill looked at me and said, “Are you eating that because you really want it or because it’s there”?  How often to we eat stuff because it’s “there”?  I appreciate him so much.  Because of Corinne, Bill is going to achieve a life long dream of his in August.  I can’t tell you the pride I feel for him in doing this.

Thirdly I would say that our girls are one of my driving factors.  God has given us two precious daughters, and it’s our responsibility as parents to take care of ourselves &  to be around as long as we can for our kids.  And we all know what pressures girls are under.  Every where you look, you see stick thin people all over the place in Hollywood.  I want them to know what it is like to be healthy.  Bill & I never ever talk about calories, weight or fat in front of our girls.  We talk about being “healthy” and making “healthy” choices.   When Bill and I go out to exercise, and our girls ask us the infamous question “why”, it’s always to be healthy.   I’m not saying they always eat 100% healthy or even 90% healthy, but I know make good choices most of the time.

Lastly I just have to share a story about our 6 yr old, Elisabeth.  Our town has a big festival every year.   There are 5K & 10K runs, and then there’s something called the “Tadpole Trot” for kids.  A note was sent home from school about it.  Bill & I talked about it and casually mentioned it, and asked Elisabeth if she wanted to do the race.  She was so excited and jumped up and down saying yes!! We explained to her that she probably would not win, but that it’s just fun to do stuff like this, and it’s about being a finisher.   

So Saturday was the big race at a school track.   She raced with other 6 yr old girls.  We were laughing and talking before the race, she was talking to her friends, playing chase with her little sister, we were having a good time.  Then when it was time for all the 6 yr old girls to run, they quickly lined up.  We got about in the middle of the line-up.  We were still having a good time, we were laughing and talking w/ the MC, a local TV personality.  He was asking about her Belle tattoo that she had on her face from the night before, that she got at the festival.  So we were having a good time.   

When the race ended she came in maybe 5th place.  Well she didn’t get a trophy.  She faught back the tears.  She was such a big girl.  She wanted to cry, but she didn’t.  We could not have been more proud of her for finishing the race. 

Later Bill & I talked and he said that the kids that won, he noticed before the race that they were not laughing and having  a good time.  Their parents were completely serious and so were the kids.  We just thought it was so sad, especially at the ripe ol’ age of 6. 

She was a finisher and we could not have asked for one single thing more.

We had 2 sets of endurance events around Phit-n-Phat this weekend.

First, we had Kathleen and Tammi compete in the 32rd Running of the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon in Indianapolis on Saturday, May 3.  It was a field of over 35,000 runners. 

To quote from Kathleen's post about the race:

"Running around the Indy 500 track was just awesome and it is over two miles so that eats up a lot of miles and it is mid way so a really neat thing this see when you are ready for something different than streets! All the mileage was marked very well, wonderful volunteers, plenty of water and gatorade. The medals are neat with a car on them and the wheels move too so it is certainly a keeper :) Lisa finished the race and we were so proud of her to just finish it and want to actually continue running and maybe even another race."

Lisa is a friend who Kathleen and Tammi helped get through her first 1/2 marathon.

Our other endurance gal is Jill, our spotlight member, in her first Sprint Triathalon.  She competed in the Ohio State Triathalon.  From their website: "This awesome event will give participants an opportunity to swim a serpentine 400 meters swim in the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion 50 meter pool, followed by a 20k bike ride through the campus, passing by the OSU Horseshoe, the Value City Arena and finishing with a fabulous 5k through the OSU campus."

Jill proudly finished the race, enjoying the spectators encouragement and her own mental and physical strength:

"WWWOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO yep that is what I yelled as I crossed the finish line!!!

My hubby got a great picture (I made him check the camera before we left - I told him if he didn't get a good picture I'd totally 'stage' one) HA! But I didn't have to he did a good job!!! But of course that's because I had practiced my finish pose.

Ladies - I am not going to fib... on the 2nd half of the bike I seriously had thoughts of quitting. My legs were DEAD... IFFFFFFFFF I would have had my phone with me I think i would have called John and said "come get me". But I didn't have my phone... and you know what... after about 10 minutes my legs came back!!!! Funny JOhn was next to the transition area and he kept saying to me (both times) you're doing fine... take your time ... don't worry about where everyone else is. I don't think he has any idea how much that meant to me.

I joked it up with some of the 'volunteers' on the bike and run route... I kept asking the bike volunteers where all the SLOW riders were... swear to GOD I've never heard "on your left" so many times in my life!!! I asked a cop once if he wanted to trade places with me! Then on the run they kept saying 'one more corner and you're done'. yea - that got old when it WASN'T one more corner. A guy said that and I yelled "LIAR"... I did laugh... Then the guy that was REALLY standing at the last corner. OH MY GOD he helped me finish my race with gusto. He was YELLING and I mean YELLING "PICK IT UP COMEON YOU CAN DO IT THIS IS YOUR RACE RIGHT THERE IS THE FINISH COMEON YOU CAN DO IT PUSH YOURSELF PUSH PUSH PUSH" I hope he heard me muster out THANK YOU between my breathing.

Funny I don't remember even hearing myself breath? (that was something I hated about running outside)..."

A huge and well deserved congratulations to Kathleen, Tammi and Jill - our PnP Girls who proved, once again, that they can do it!

Let me just tell everyone my biggest pet-peeve with anyone who comes to me about weightloss. 90% of losing weight is your actions and doesn't have anything to do with what Daddy did or didn't say to you as a child, what your innerself repeats to you, or any of the other "mind games" we play with ourselves to excuse pulling into McDonalds because we didn't pack a cooler.

It's behavior people. Almost always when people aren't losing or gaining it's your actions and not what you think that gets in your way. Some of the people I train that have the most success have the WORST case of fat girl thinking! They just don't let it rule them even if they can't turn it off.

Here's why people don't lose fat. 

1. They haven't planned their workouts and HOPE they will FEEL like it this week. You don't plan it, it don't happen. Get out your calendar Sunday night, make your exercise appointments, and then hop in a circle for 30 min. for all I care at each appointment. I just want you to MOVE. Even if you get it wrong, you get it right because you are doing something. I'd rather hear you tell me you jumped up and down than listen to you for 30 min. telling me why you weren't motivated.

2. While they watch Sunday's boob tube drama they have "ran out of time" to go to the grocery store. During this time they have also failed to plan their food for the week, lost their cooler in the bottom of their closet, and HOPE they make good decisions when co-workers want them to go to lunch. Whatever! You already put TV in front of your desires to live a long healthy life. What makes you think you won't succumb to peer pressure at the local chinese buffet?

3. They are mindlessly eating away all day long without even hesistating to think that bites, licks, and tastes QUICKLY negate a tough workout. Most of my girls shoot to burn 500 calories a workout five times a week equalling 2500 calories. Honey, you gotta have a deficit of 3500 to even lose a pound so you better be eating less 1000 calories that week. If each day you BLT four almonds, overestimate your chicken by one ounce, snag a hershey kiss or two...well, kiss that pound good bye. It's so unfair...I know, but no one said it would be easy.

I tell my girls the new "golden rule" all the time: Fake it til you make it. I don't care if you hate yourself, beat yourself up religiously, are ashamed, out of shape, or just tired; you just do it until it becomes habit. You'll mess up every now and then but you have to keep going.

When I started this at 250lbs I can promise you the last thing on my mind when I walked into the gym was, "Man, I love myself. I'm a strong woman, ready to go, I believe in myself, and I look damn good doing this." Yeah right. It was more like, "I don't belong here, I can't do this, I'm so tired, why am I not taking a nap while the baby is asleep, and I've always been fat and will always be fat." I felt incredibly ashamed, embarassed, looked a mess, and did all I could to talk myself out of making the best decision of my life.

Six months later I walked in the gym feeling ashamed because I hadn't lost more weight, feeling jiggly because lose skin was appearing, noticing that I STILL was significantly in worse shape than the average person, and wondering why I kept doing it because I still had a long way to go.

A year later I was almost at goal, feeling better about myself, wondering what the hell took me so long to do this, and trying to figure out the best ways I could to keep on improving.

Now I'm coming up on that three year mark of hitting my goal and guess what? I still have days I don't want to do it, I literally just argued with myself over having a big helping of peanut butter, and today I was taken right back to that fat girl stage. It was my first posing class for the competition and don't think standing in hooker shoes at the gym having someone look you over to see imperfections isn't stressful. Ya'll know how I am about my loose skin. All I did was stare at the 1 in. of skin showing above my knees wondering if anyone noticed it. Good gracious, I was wearing a tank and basketball shorts but you would've thought I had nothing on with the way my mind was racing.

But, as I said above...I will fake it until I make it. I'll show up for posing classes and whatever else I need to do because the last thing I want to do is sit around complaining about never doing anything.

http://phit-n-phat.com/content/may2008spotlight.aspx

Jill is a fabulous example of reaching deep and doing things that are way out of your comfort zone. This weekend she will compete in her first triathlon. We've all been following her wonderful story in the forums at PNP and it will be great to "virtually" cheer her to the finish line.

This is what I love about the lifestyle the PNP women lead. We are mommies, wives, girlfriends, employees, students, and grandmothers who are making our way through life reaching for something better. Too often women get caught up in the idea that you have to look like an athlete to be an athlete and it's not true. The definition of athlete is simply:

A physically active individual training for or participating in an amateur, educational or professional athletic.

This just shows you that ANY of us can be an athlete.

Women also tend to think that there is an end to the journey or a certain "level of fitness/weight" you must reach before you qualify to pursue your dreams. That's your inner fat girl yammering away at you. Most of my races I did in MUCH worse shape than I am in now but if I never had the guts to put myself out there when I was overweight and slow, I wouldn't be here right now.

As far as the end of the journey...there is no end. There are periods of maintenance, times in life you can eat a little more and exercise a little less, but you never stop filling your body with healthy foods and you never quit moving.

It's the beginning of the month and on my site we always start our new monthly challenges. This month we have the A.M. Exercise challenge for those that need motivation to workout in the morning and the Optional Challenge of Controlling our BLT's. Community, support, encouragement, and accountability go a long way in having the strength to pursue atheletic dreams you never thought possible. I think Monica said it best today when she posted...

I am looking at all the ones who want this "optional"challenge and it looks like most are moderators and senior PnPers. It just goes to show that we all are working everyday to make the most of this lifestyle.

Most of you know I'm training for my first competiton in August. It's pretty exciting because Bill from our site and Lisa my friend (and PNP member) are doing it with me. The training is going well and I wanted to spend today discussing lessons learned from the first four weeks of training.

Attention to Diet Works
It's so easy to workout hard and casually ruin it day in and day out. Since I started this process I have been very conscious of what I eat. Every week I am sent a menu to follow (and it has only changed once so it's boring as heck) and I have been doing great with sticking to it. Now, I do make changes but I typically do things like change up meat because something is going bad or sub a veggie because I need something I can eat in the car.

Sometimes it's very hard. I have had a couple of occassions where I fell into a jar of peanut butter. I get a splurge meal on the weekend but by Wednesday my body is screaming for carbs. PB is the only thing that truly tempts me. This weekend I made Chris take all the PB to work. We do have some Cashew Butter in the house for Logan but it's so expensive that I refuse to waste it on me. Took care of that trigger!

In four weeks I've lost weight and inches. Especially today, I look leaner. Two people at the gym stopped to comment that I must be doing something new because I looked tighter. It's very true and the changes are happening almost daily now.

I'm eating between 1600 and 1800 calories most days. I don't get hardly any carbs and that's tough but each week that gets so much easier. My carbs come from greens and a rice cake. Yum yum! If you go to my Sparkpage you can see typical menus of what I'm eating. Now, the total cals are low but I allocate 200 cals a day in supplements and Crystal Light. Don't forget each packet is 10 calories and I go through enough to purchase stock.

Workouts Gotta Be Tough
You want to look like an Oxygen model you better be willing to eat and train like one. Those girls work so hard because I'm not even training like them and it's kicking me in the butt. I'm on six days of cardio ranging from 30-60 min. daily (fasted if possible) and four to five days of strength training splitting my body parts. My strength training is usually 3-4 sets of supersets with a whole 10-15 sec. break in between. It's enough to make you vomit on leg day. A typical strength workout only takes about 40 minutes right now.

These workouts have taught me that most people casually workout. I look around the gym and see soft chicks barely breathing hard on the elliptical, girls sitting on a machine whipping out 15 - 20 reps easily and then just sitting there waiting for the next worthless set, and others who are truly grinding it. These girls make ugly faces when lifting, they hustle through the gym and tell their friends they can talk AFTER the workout, when doing cardio they need a sponge to clean up, and they chug a shake after the workout because they know that refueling is just as important as the workout. Starving don't do crap for you.

Sleep!
Seven hours a night. I wish I could get more but right now that's about all I'm getting and that's a GOOD night. Muscles don't build and fat won't burn unless you rest. This is a lesson I have to work on because it's a weak area for me. It's hard to go to sleep and exciting to get up.

Plan Baby Plan
Do you think eating eight times a day is easy? No! I eat meat and veggies six times a day and then take in some egg whites, almonds, and shakes some. You want to look good then you better plan to look good. I cook my food in advance, I prep my veggies, and I tote it all around in a neat little cooler that is in the bottom of my backpack.

I have learned to optimize my time and mix together autism, a competition, being a friend, wife, mother, daughter, mentor to 100's a women, and then just be Corinne. Some people would think I'm crazy but I just like to think I'm living life to the fullest. The last thing that will be written on my tombstone is that she didn't get to do everything she wanted in this life.

And, that is the lesson I'm learning most through all of this. I want a lot out of my life and I'm more than willing to work for all of it. I want...

- to bring my son into mainstream and out of the label of autism. It's not easy cooking all the time and running him all over town on top of spending our "playtime" doing therapy, but he's worth giving up TV, movies, and massages.

- to be a hot wife and have a husband who looks at me like I"m the only woman in the room. Sure it might mean arranging our schedules to have quality time when I would rather take a nap or go shopping, but he's worth every minute I get to spend with him.

- to be a figure competitor. That means eating like NO one else, working out when time allows so it doesn't interfere with family time, and walking in shoes that would break your ankle just looking at them while cooking. Crazy but it's the best way to practice.

- to inspire women to reach down and be healthy. I get to do that every day at PNP and I love it. I may trade a lot of personal time to chase this dream, but it's worth it. Trust me, PNP is no empire but what I get in friendship and seeing women bloom is more than worth it to me.

So, that catches you up on me. I am still working hard and staying on track. It's not the easiest life, but it's fullfilling and just knowing what I get to do each day makes me hop out of bed GIDDY to get started. Not many people can say that these days. I'm lucky!

Getting It All Done
Life is so busy right now. I could list it all but people would think I'm either a "look at me" kind of girl or think I do crack to keep up. I'm neither so just take my word for it; I keep it rocking from the moment my feet hit the ground until my head hits the pillow.

What makes it doable? This is what you want to know, not the what I do. Organizing myself and using time wisely. Here's a random list of stuff I do around the house and in life that keeps me from wasting time I simply don't have.

• I don't watch TV unless I'm doing cardio or cooking dinner. So what if I don't know who did what on said show? I also don't wake up each day trying to find a pair of pants that don't make butt look big.
  
• I make a list of to do's before bed to clear my mind before sleeping.
  
• Food prep, food prep, food prep. I try to prep up stuff as much as possible so that food is grab and go for me. When you spend as much time as I do driving you must have food with you to eat in the car. BTW, I haven't ate a protein bar in weeks. You see me eating cukes and chicken *** all the time riding down the road.
  
• Run your dishwasher while you sleep. Unload the dishwasher while you cook breakfast in the morning. Yes, I cook a fifties style breakfast each morning for my son and we eat together. Daddy is joining us soon, too! If they can do it back then surely we can do it now with our modern conveniences. Of course, I can't use a microwave or teflon with Logan's food, but I manage because he has to have fresh and hearty foods.
  
• Now that the dishwasher is unloaded, load it all day rather than piling dishes in the sink. I just rinse and put right in there so that it's ready to run at night.
  
• Sort your clothes when you take them off. I have two-three compartment sorters in the bedroom. Laundry is so much easier this way. I also drop a load off on the way out to preschool and throw it in the dryer when I get home. I fold while rice or something is cooking.
  
• Pack your workout clothes or lay them out the night before and know when you are going the next day. I never wake up thinking when am I going to workout? I plan those into my week ahead of time and then I know when to be ready. Sometimes I'm lucky enough to workout when "I" want to but most of the time I workout when "I" have to. That's fine because I'm doing it.
  
• I make phone calls to friends while waiting places. I often find myself waiting in an office and that's when I try to talk on the phone. I also bought a phone with email on it to stay on top of the website. Even if I can't respond I can at least keep the inbox clean by deleting off stuff I don't need to attend to. BTW...I get 300-600 emails a day depending on which day of the week it is.
  
• Ask for help! Sometimes I just have too much to do. I ask someone like my husband to pick up something, my mom to help out, or a friend to research something for me I don't have time to look up. It can be little things but it's those things that drag you down.
  
• I like a written calendar. I have an old school planner that I use to keep record of Logan's and my stuff. I write my personal things in red, Logan's stuff in blue, and "fun stuff" in green. Fun stuff is things I would like to do but don't have to do like support groups, sales, etc.
  
• Buy your foods in bulk. I've been catching a lot of meat and stuff on sale and freezing. This is saving me from going to the grocery store for an hour plus. I always take a list but if I catch a good sale on things we always use I buy up so that we save money AND don't have to remember to get each week.
  
• Don't be afraid to tell people you can't talk to them or need to call them back. I often tell people I have to call them back and I use that precious time when I'm sitting and waiting.
  
• Keep the things you use most frequently in the kitchen on the counter and store everything else.
  
• When you get gas clean out your car. I always have trash in the car that needs to be tossed.
  
• If you haven't worn it in a year, give it to someone who will. I keep a donate pile in the closet and when it gets big I throw it in bags and drop off at Goodwill. No sense looking and digging through stuff you ain't going to wear.

The reason I write this is because so many people use the excuse I don't have time to eat right and exercise. That's CRAP! Most of us actually have too much time on our hands and so we waste it. Start today and get your booty moving, your foods right, and your mind around the fact that you are destined to succeed with a little planning and sacrifice.

Also, I'd love any time saving tips you have because I'm always looking for ways to do it better than I did it today. 

You know, being a Phit-N-Phat girl is not always easy. We do things most people are too afraid to or not willing to do.

• We WORK hard during our workouts. 500+ calorie burns are the average workout.
• We eat healthy. Some eat clean, some eat healthy with some convenience but we all eat to fuel our bodies and NOT our minds.
• We set goals and we achieve them. My girls are constantly doing things the average woman will never attempt and that's a shame.
• We face our fears, we change our bad habits, we plan instead of act on impulse and we fess up when things are going south so that our PNP community can lift us back up on the old PNP Wagon.
• We also take it slower than most other sites...as we all know at PNP...this is not a race; it's a journey of a lifetime.

I am so proud to be the leader of this group of women. It's been my pleasure and honor to watch them accomplish so many awesome things. Recently and in the near future we will have official 1/2 and full marathoners, sprint triathletes (GO JILL!), 1/2 Ironman triathletes (GO JANE!), lifetime members with Weight Watchers (too many to list but we're working on that page), girls seeing numbers on the scale they never thought possible, and women who are stronger now than they were twenty years ago. Let me tell you, these aren't athletes joining PNP either. It's women who are just like you and me; wanting more out of life than a #2 at McDonalds.

This weekend I got another opportunity to bring clients/friends to my home and watch them achieve success at the Country Music Half Marathon. Here's a link to their pictures and when I get the party pics from my husband I'll post those too. And, there are some GOOD ones in this batch. This crew can party but we all work hard and deserve to let it loose when we get together.

I'd like to make a brief comment about something Dawn and I talked about this weekend. You know, I don't advocate quick fixes or fast weightloss. I could easily strip weight off people if I cut their cals really low and have them grind for days on end doing cardio. That's not at all what I'm about or why I started PNP. I do this because I want my people to learn how to be healthier, fitter versions of themselves NOW and for the next 20-50 years.

Dawn is an example of that. She joined me last year and has lost 21lbs and lots of inches. She still has a little weight she wants to lose but she wanted a lifestyle of health and not just to lose a bunch of weight really fast. Over the past year, she has completed and won a challenge on our website, 2 half marathons, a 10K, and a relay race with her friends. If I'm not mistaken, Dawn was not a runner before this year...at least she never was a distance runner. If we took the approach last year of just getting some weight off and you're on your way, she would never have met these other goals. I PROMISE you that Dawn is fitter and healthier for taking the approach of achieving atheltic dreams before aesthetic ideals.

And, Dawn, when you run your first marathon at Disney I'll be at the finish line with my camera to take a pic of you and your girls!

That's just one story that is a reflection of many of the girls. I love that my clients WANT to look hot but always remember that enjoying a healthy lifestyle MUST come first.

Oh...I could go on and on about this topic so I'll stop here today. Just know that whatever you do each day to get fit that it really does get you fit and not just become a quick fix. Take care!

Today I have several of my PNP clients and moderators coming to Nashville to participate in the Country Music Half Marathon. They are all excited and ready to run. It will be a great weekend I hope to have pictures next week for the site.

Non Scale Victories (NSV) are more important, to me, than a victory on the scale. When you think about the number on the scale you realize it is simply a reflection of the behaviors you have established in life. Changing bad behaviors into good ones also doesn't always payoff immediately even if it feels right.

When you quit smoking, your lungs don't clear up overnight. You spend weeks coughing stuff up, you get still get winded months from the last smoke because of left over gunk in your lungs, and you don't feel good at first even though you are doing something so much healthier.

The strength training and diet game is the same way. You don't lose the fat overnight, at times the scale barely budges, and even though you are eating healthy foods it doesn't always promise you will "feel" good about them, BUT, you ARE doing something healthy for yourself so you have to look at things that are happening.

Luckily when you diet and exercise you have a multitude of ways to find successes. Smoking too (more money, you stink less, taste buds come back, etc.) but with our weightloss we have clothes fitting better, body tightening up, more energy, inches going down, etc.

As an EXCELLENT example of a NSV, I want to share a post by Britt made in our forums. When I read this yesterday I just smiled so big because stories like this mean my girls aren't just following a program I write. They are LEARNING how to make fitness a part of their life. I love it and this is why I do what I do; to teach others how to LIVE a PHIT lifestyle.

I hade an AMAZING morning workout!

So I get up at 10 of 6 and head to the gym. I see that it's not open yet so I decide not to wait and I strap on the IPOD and get out in the parking lot and start running around. I didn't have any water on me so I couldn't set up the HRM. I eventually am doing this for 30 mins. Then I went in the trunk, took out the yoga mat and put it right on the pavement to do abs. At this point it's now 10 of 7, gym still not open and I need to go home and get ready for work.

And the entire near hour I had approx 20 people sitting in cars or standing chatting in the parking lot watching me and I just kept thinking how awesome I felt to still get my workout in while they wasted an hour doing NOTHING!!!

Not sure how much I burned but the feeling alone was worth 1 million calories.

 Way to go Britt and you are so on your way girl!

I would blog about this on the autism site, but this is more about my resolve with food than Logan's new diet. Just for those who aren't familiar, Logan is on a GFCF (gluten free and casein free) diet. All of his food is now cooked naturally, on the stove, fresh, no microwaving, etc. We use lots of healthy oils, nuts, fruits, veggies, maple syrup, honey, and stuff I basically can't eat while in competition training.

Let me tell you, this stuff is STINKING DELICIOUS! I'm not a BLT kind of girl, but since I also have never cooked like Martha Stewart I am needing to sample things before giving it to him. While radically changing his diet to new foods and such I just can't risk turning him off the healthy stuff because I didn't flavor something right. Trust me, this is no cop-out. It's just the way it is and I'm trying my best to account for it by taking the TINIEST of tastes.

So, what does this have to do with diet? Holy heck the old habits want to come back with a vengence. Since I started my journey I have always kept tempting foods out and safe foods in. Boy that made things easier for me and it forced my family to eat a pretty decent diet. Well, now we have to usher in some of my weaknesses that Logan needs. Just to give you an idea of what foods have been SURROUNDING me the past week:

- GFCF Pizza made with fresh guacomole sauce and black beans

- GFCF sweet potato and blueberry pancakes topped with Ghee (a type of goat butter) and hot organic honey

- Organic bacon and eggs for breakfast with banana cinnamon GFCF butter toast

- Fruit, fruit, and more fruits baked, fresh, and any other way you can serve it

- Jellos of all types and flavors - HOMEMADE with REAL ORGANIC FRUIT JUICES

- Honey baked chicken with creamy cauliflower

All of these items serve specific nutritional needs for Logan while allowing him to enjoy his food. It's so hard to have it in my face when I'm eating the 50th tilapia salad of the week. That, combined with the fact that after 24 hours what he doesn't eat has to be tossed, makes me crazy because it's a lot of food waste. I'm working hard on this part because this organic stuff is EXPENSIVE.

Anyway, my sanctuary is gone. I now live like everyone else. I just have to bite the bullet and live by my plans. That's it. There is no fancy tip, no gimmick, no tricks outside of IT'S NOT ON MY FOOD PLAN, IT DOESN'T GET ME RESULTS, I DON'T EAT IT.

The past few days have been just an emotional roller coaster and I've wanted to eat like you wouldn't believe and the food is here. In fact, I work from home and the food is six feet away from me. Shoot ya'll, there is peanut butter, homemade, delicious GFCF power bars (think a healthy version of a rice krispie cake) in there right now I could put away in about ten minutes. But I don't. I don't because I know it solves nothing.

What you put into your body is so important to the length and quality of your life. I'm so glad I learned this lesson on my own time versus when I would have to change my behaviors along with my son's diet. I don't know if I could've done it, so I'm glad I wised up a long time ago and realized we need to eat to fuel our bodies and NOT our EMOTIONS. I guess it's sort of exciting because now I have a chance to experience a whole new era of my weightloss journey...the part where I let go of the control and exercise the strength of mind.