Let's see those afters!

Thirty days ago I joined my very first challenge group. I signed up to be a coach and had no idea what I was in for. I didn't know what PiYo was like. I didn't know what kind of motivation I would have. I didn't know how great I would feel. But I took a leap of faith and I just tried it.

Now here I am 30 days later...

My life is now Beachbody. I LOVE IT! I love my PiYo workout. It's been especially great on my newly injured knee. No pain but all gain. I now know how much a Beachbody product can change your life.

Before you take a look at these photos let me just say two things.

1. I am not at my goal. Heck, I've only been doing this 30 days and have more days to go!
2. I just got done working out so I'm a little sweaty and my hair is all crazy.

That being said...
Already, you can see a difference. I have lost inches and feel great. Seeing these before and after pictures just motivates me. I know over the last 30 days how many times I decided to eat a candy bar, have popcorn, and run through a quick drive through (including Jack in the Box at 12:45 AM this morning...bad idea peeps). Moral: there is a lot more I could have done and didn't do. Now, I will commit to this next 30 days. It's not easy. Changing HOW you live your life takes time. That doesn't mean we can't celebrate the mile stones.

I'm sharing my celebration of my first milestone with you. I'm excited for the next.

So, here you go! My befores and my afters...

Before

Before

Before

Before

Before

 My favorite is looking at me from the back. You can totally tell that I have lost inches. Also, my shoulders look awesome. A lot of Down Dog. I'll show a better pic of my shoulders in another post or perhaps on my Instagram. Just keep a look out.

Just remember this is after ONLY 30 DAYS!! It was 4 weeks of workouts, clean eating, and plenty of hydration. Mostly, it was motivation from the other people in my challenge group. Knowing that they were expecting to see my results and that they were all doing it with me totally motivated me. I can't wait to see what happens in the next 30 days.

Do you want to lose inches? Do you want to feel great? Well, get up! Let's go!

Because there is NO better time than NOW!

Finding Happy Moments in Hard Times

Let's be honest, because honesty is best.

I didn't really quit my job. *Gasps* It's a lot of  stuff that would take too much to explain so I will summarize...
*clears throat*

When my adoption fell through this year I was really struggling. I got more depressed than I have ever been before. It was hard. With the emotional toll of it and the responsibility of running a cafe was really hard for me to balance. So, after talking to my husband, having some intense prayers, and trying to decide what was best for me I decided I wanted to step down from being a GM. I wanted to step down like into another position but still work at Panera. Not quit. When I told my boss things got crazy. It was a week filled with tears, emails and a lot of confusing conversations. It ended with me and a BIG WIG in a conference room with a severance check and being sent on my way. It was all twisted and really overwhelmingly frustrating. However, it happened.

Side Note:
I honestly believe, with everything I have, that everything happens for a reason. I KNOW that being forced to quit was a path that my Father in Heaven has chosen for me and I trust that it's going to lead me on a better path. If you don't believe that, that's cool, it's however what I believe and seen as truth in my life.

Since all this craziness happened it's been rough. I lost some good friends that I really miss. (This is my saddest loss) It's been hard to make ends meet. Also, I'm having a hard time finding purpose.

For some reason this week has been the hardest. Today especially. I just felt at an all time low. Like I'm at my breaking point.

I'm taking you away from all this for a minute. Just go with it.
As you all know I am doing PiYo as a workout. The trainer is awesome. Some people find her annoying because she's super peppy but I really like her and find her inspiring. Sometimes she looks straight at the camera and says "I know you can get lower. Let's Go!" And I realize that she can "actually see me" and I do need to go lower. Also, she often tells me to "Be grateful" or "Smile, you are awesome." You  know what, I am awesome. She's right.
There is one workout that we do where we are working on the legs. Let me just tell you that in PiYo you never just work on one part of your body. When I say we are working on the legs I mean that is the part that is burning the most. Usually it's accompanied with the shoulders, abs, arms, just the whole body in general. She is killer. In a good way. What was I saying? Oh yes. So we are working on the legs. As we are going and going my legs start to hurt so bad I think I might die. Yes die. It's just burning and burning and right at what I think is my breaking point she gives me a break. She even says, "Don't worry I let you rest right when you can't take it anymore." Just like always, she is right.

Now back to my depressing and pathetic story.
Like I was saying I feel like I am at my breaking point. I'm at the edge of who knows what and I'm trying to find stability through it all. It's weird. Mega weird. However, just like when I am doing PiYo and I have my trainer looking at me and telling me that I can go lower and that I need to be grateful and that I'm awesome, I have a Heavenly Father telling me the same thing. In this time of adversity I need to just go lower. It's part of getting stronger. Also, I need to be grateful that I have this opportunity to grow stronger. And I am awesome. All the crap I have been through this year has been rough. Even though it seems unbearable I haven't killed anyone and even though I have been down I have always come out on top. That is awesome. I am awesome. Everything is awesome. Everything is cool when you're part of a team. Everything is awesome when you're living out dreams. Name that movie. Also, haha, it's stuck in your head now. Sorry, got sidetracked.
Also, just like my trainer in PiYo gives me my rest right when I feel like my leg is going to turn to Jell-O and I will actually die, I know I will receive my resting point in life right before I reach my breaking point. That means my rest is just around the corner.

So, now, let's talk about finding the happiness in all of this. Part of being healthy is recognizing and coming to realization of the emotions you are going through. Even though you feel and know those emotions are real and VALID you still have to find happiness in each day and every hard moment. So, today, through the tears and frustration I fought hard to find my happiness. I did find it and I want to show it's possible. And rewarding. It really is rewarding.

The happiness of all this is that I know that leaving my job brought me to Beachbody. Beachbody makes me happy. I love it because of the affect it has on me and my health and because my job is to motivate people to live a healthier lifestyle. My job is something that I am so passionate about. In fact, I can't even wait to do work each day because I feel so happy about it. Sometimes Beachbody is the only happy moment in my day.
 Also, it's leading me to being able to stay at home. One thing I thought about a lot when we were getting ready for our adoption is that I was working like 12 hour days. When was I supposed to spend time with my new baby? All I've ever wanted to do is stay at home with my kids. Now, when I do have kids I will be able to stay at home. How amazing is that?
Honestly, I never would have found it if I wouldn't of been struggling at work.    ---------Reason for me stepping down going crazy and leaving me without a job...temporarily. See?!? Reason.

There is happiness in each moment, no matter how hard it may seem. I promise. Just look for it. Recognize your feelings of struggles and sadness and validate them. It's ok to be sitting on the couch in your PJs with a gallon of ice cream and crying unbearably because life is hard. However, after doing a few minutes of that you need to find the happiness so you can stay healthy you gotta..

Because there is NO better time than NOW.

Short and Sweet

I just want to make this short and sweet.

I only have one more week until my big reveal (Why does that word look weird? Is is spelled wrong?) of my improvement.

So, I'm just putting one last push into this week but I'm super excited to show you how great I look. Is it rude or vain to say that? Well I don't care. I have worked hard to be in the body I want to be in. I'm still not totally there but I'm getting there!

I wonder what you will think....

Will my afters motivate you to try for the body you've always wanted? If so, let's go!

Because there is NO better time than NOW!

Big reveal: September 30th

A day of rest: are you kidding me?

I am so proud to say that I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. (Any other LDSers out there who read that and continue on by singing "I know who I am, I know God's plan..." Just me?) You probably know us better as Mormons. We call ourselves LDS.  However you say it you all get the picture, right?

Don't stop reading. I'm not preaching. There is a point. Just hang in there.

As members of the LDS church we believe that the Earth was created in 6 days and on the 7th The Lord rested. We use this "model" in our church. We have 6 days of work and use Sunday as a day of rest. We call it "keeping the Sabbath Day holy". This means we believe that Sunday is dedicated to going to church and spending time with family and focusing on our Father in Heaven. Everyone does this differently. Some do no TV on Sunday's. Some do their Family Home Evening on Sunday. Most have a bigger Sunday dinner. I could go on but I will just continue on with my story THAT HAS MEANING. I PROMISE.

So let me tell you how my day of "rest" goes:

• Wake up at like 8:00.
• Get ready
• Wake up Michael in the middle of all this and get him going.
• Gather all my Primary stuff and truck it to my 3 hour church day
• I am a Primary chorister so I spend two hours at top energy entertaining kids and teaching them songs.
• The other hour is spent listening and learning and focusing on the spirit.
• I come home and make lunch and dinner.
• I do usually get in a Sunday nap (I can't leave out that awesome part of my day)
• I do a little cleaning from time to time
• Then get ready for the week ahead.

Does that sound like rest? Ok, the nap probably does. My Sundays are NEVER a day of rest. Usually Sunday is the craziest day of the week. It's the day I work the hardest.

Ok, I promised a point. How does this compare to fitness?

Just as important as the actual workout is your rest day. You need to give your body a day to recover so you can continue to SAFELY build that awesome muscle. On this rest day you are expected to eat the same, drink as much water, and feel just as great. Let me tell you about my first couple of rest days.

• I would wake up later because I didn't have to work out.
• This usually caused me to feel a little bit lethargic
• Since I didn't spend my morning sweating all the fat out of me (not all you need some fat but you get the idea) I usually wasn't hungry first thing and would forget to eat.
• That lead to a very large lunch that consisted of whatever I could grab because I was starving. Starving.
• At this point I would realize that I'm thirsty and haven't had any water to drink all day. My water intake is not as much as it should have been.
• At that point I started to feel fat. 
• Since I felt that way I might as well just eat some chocolate, right? You know, because I felt fat so I might as well eat fat.
• After the chocolate my whole day was spent, right? So might as well go through a drive through for dinner. Yeah. I wanted a burger.

Every thing I worked for that week. Gone. Just gone.

It's hard though. Just like my Sunday is my day of rest and means more work; my workout day of rest needs more work, not rest. It's not a day of whatever you want. You still have to make conscious decisions to keep up your healthy lifestyle. Also, you need to keep up your new found healthy habits.

Here are some things I suggest:

• Wake up at the same time you normally would even though you are not working out. Spend that hour on some personal development or whatever seems uplifting to you. TV IS NOT UPLIFTING.
• After your workout would normally be done make breakfast. Just like it's a normal workout day.
• Plan your meals that day the previous day. So you know what you are having and when you are having it.
• KNOW that you are actually not getting fat just because you are not working out. Your rest day is part of the workout. If you grew fat on your rest day then there would be no rest. Just make healthy decisions so you really don't grow fat.
• Go on a walk. Take your dog. They want a walk. I promise. Just make it light.
• Do you have a workout buddy, yet? Get one. Text them and let them know you are struggling. Have them help you. Encourage you. Because you can do it. You can get through it. You're awesome.
• Find what works for you to keep you on track. How are you motivated to stay strong?

The best thing you can remember is that gaining a healthier lifestyle isn't always the easiet thing you will ever do. It takes learning new habits and realizing how amazing you actually are and how you can actually feel like a rock star. You are a rock star.

Stay strong through your rest day. Think of the bigger picture. Your final goal, everyone has a different one, should be posted for you to see every day. Something that you can see to remind you of what you are doing and why you are doing it. Get through your rest day so you can come out the other side on top. Don't take a step back. Just keep moving forward.

No matter what... before you can have a rest day you need to start working out. So, GET UP! DO IT!

Because there is NO better time than NOW!

Week 2 Update 1 Day Late

Week 2 is done! I'm even working on week 3 as of right now!

Let's talk about how I'm doing because big changes happened this week. Should we just dive into it?
Alright, I am starting with one of my befores:

 

 

Look at those sexy back folds.

I'm not spoiling anything with some after pictures but I will tell you that those back folds are GONE! GONE I SAY!! I've looked in the mirror like 100 times and bent my back in different ways. They are gone baby.

Now, if you aren't sitting down, sit down. Now bend forward. Now grab that huge piece of stomach that you hate. Mine is still there but HALF GONE! I grab it a few times a day to make sure it's really half gone. It is.

Let's move on to flexibility.

I have never been that flexible. It's always been a problem. I have always wanted to bend in half like a gymnast. Never could. I'm saying I can now so don't let your mouth drop yet. However, I can now bend in ways I never could before. I don't have a picture for this but just know that I can. It's cool. You'll get a picture in due time.

In addition to all of this I have a great amount of energy. I also notice a key difference in days that I exercise and days that I don't. That one day a week is really hard.

I really encourage you to think about your before body. I want you to think about whether or not you like that body. If not contact me...

Because there is NO better time than NOW!

But Eating Heathly is Hard

Food is a beautiful thing. It brings families together. It brings memories of loved ones past. It reminds us where we came from.  However, with all this good comes a lot of bad.

Did you know that you could work your butt the hardest it has ever been worked...ever... and not lose a pound. In fact, you could gain weight. Not the good weight that is actually muscle, either.

Learning to eat right is hard. It takes time, organization and a little dedication. The hardest part is giving up habits. For me it was a series of habits:

• I would get a doughnut and a Red Bull before each work day.
• When I was at work late I would get through it by eating a cookie. (P.S If you haven't seen how huge a Panera Bread cookie is go to a Panera and look. They are huge. And Delicious. It's hard to resist.)
• When I was really stressed out I would let food give me comfort.
• I like to eat what is easy to grab. So, I would buy easy to grab things. Chips. Chips are awesome and delicious easy to grab items.

The biggest key to eating right is making healthy items easy to reach, easy to eat, and the bad food needs to be hidden.

This is what my fridge looks like all the time. There are already prepped breakfast options, already chopped fruit and already chopped veggies. Everything is easy. I even quarter my oranges so I don't have to peel an orange to eat it.

Here's what you do to have this awesome fridge. When you make a trip to a grocery store make sure that you have a couple of hours. As part of your grocery check list, make sure you have plenty of zip lock baggies. Part of unloading the groceries is chopping up the vegetables and fruit. If you can't chop your veggies and fruit right when you get home then you need to give yourself a time frame.

"I have to chop my fruit and veggies by 5:00PM tomorrow."

The reason you want to put them in Ziplock bags instead of bowls is because you can see exactly what is in what, they hold better and you can fit more in your fridge.

Bowls are for mixing not for storing. She says while picturing her chefs in culinary school throwing bowls across the room.

A lot of you out there are moms. Hi moms! You have kids that need to be bribed for when they poop on the potty, do their chores, or go a whole day without pulling on the dog's tail. You also need them to eat something, anything. So for this you need Goldfish, Poptarts, those delicious chips I was speaking of, little Hersey Kisses, and who knows what else. Those things are in your house and are not going anywhere. So, how do you avoid them? What if you want some? What do you do?

First, put all the "crap" in your kitchen in the same cupboard. Either put them up really high (like you have to get a chair to get them) or put them behind all your cans. Like your stacked cans. This way they are hard to reach. It will literally be easier for you to eat healthy. Let's say that again...

It will literally be easier for you to eat healthy.

 You can just open your fridge and eat an already cut orange. Or you can grab a chair to get the chips.


Probably the #1 to fail on having healthier eating habits is cutting cold turkey. (That reminds me buy ground turkey instead of beef. It really does taste almost the same and is a million times better for you) When you are trying to change your eating habits you need to offer yourself some rewards.

"If I go one whole day with eating clean and fresh then I can have a Hersey Kiss with lunch tomorrow."

"If I go Sunday-Friday with eating clean and fresh then I can have Jack-in-the-Box for lunch on Saturday"

Warning: If you eat clean and fresh Sunday-Friday then eat Jack-in-the-Box, you will be sick. It will suck. It might be good for you though. Then you will realize how crappy that kind of food treats your body. So, ignore my warning and totally do this.

Let's chat about stress eating.

Why do we eat wen we are stressed? It brings us comfort.

How do you fix that?

What else gives us comfort? Everyone is different. For me:

• Snuggle time with my dogs
• Reading the scriptures
• Hymns
• Talking on the phone with a loved one
• Sewing
• Shopping (this is a whole can of worms in itself but we will just ignore that)
• Modern Family
• A good movie
• Reading an awesome book
• Bubble baths
• Grocery shopping
• Catching up with an old friend
• Blasting Bad Romance by Lady GaGa and dancing like no one is watching

With all of these things why chose food? When I'm stressed I learned to turn to something else besides food. You need to find quick fixes to a stressful situation (like rocking out to Lady GaGa) and ways to unwind from a stressful day (like reading your scriptures). This will replace your need to eat when you are stressed.

In the end it all comes down to YOU and YOUR mind. It's all mental You don't really NEED that back of chips. I promise. Your system won't break down if you don't get your daily fix of an afternoon cupcake. You can do it. Just chose and make it easy for you. Make it easy for you

Because there is NO better time than NOW!

Week 1 Down. How many to go?

Well my first week is past. How am I doin?

I think the biggest problem with gaining a healthier lifestyle is that everyone expects results right away. By results I mean they want to be skinnier, not crave a delicious frozen Zinger and eat three in one day (let's be honest, in 10 minutes), and have abs of steal.

At this point in the game (one week in) most people think... "I have:

• Woken up every morning (sometimes 5AM people...I don't, because I'm not insane but I have a friend that does. GO CHELS!) and worked out hard.
• The guy at 7/11 actually misses me. (Wait... not everyone does a daily visit to 7/11 for chips, soda and some sort of candy.)
• My husband is sick of hearing me talk about Shakeology like it's my new religion.

Yet here I stand still in the same body with zero results."

 Now those people are frustrated, wondering what the point is and give up.

DON'T GIVE UP!! Keep moving forward!

Let's get back to me, because I'm awesome, and I think I will tie this all together. Original question: how am I doing?

• I DO NOT have abs.
• I HAVE NOT lost weight. (ok, like .4 pounds)
• Even though I am doing PiYo I CAN NOT bend in half like a crazy gymnast.
• I AM STILL struggling during my sad, little 2 mile runs.

That, however, is not how I am doing.

That list of things are things I am not paying attention to. Those things are awesome perks that I will get in the future but I'm only one week into this.

So how I am actually doing:

• I HAVE a ton more energy.
• My butt IS super sore so I'm doing something right.
• I HAVE only had ONLY ONE soda this week and I had to talk myself into it.
• I HAVE ONLY HAD two small pieces of chocolate this week and one dessert that consisted of shortcake, fruit, whipped cream and chocolate sauce.
• I AM inspiring people to get up and move.
• I GET TIME FOR ME. When I am running or doing my PiYo I don't have to worry about dinner or cleaning or laundry or the yard or the budget or ANYTHING!! Just me.

Considering the person I was a week before this last week (is that two weeks ago?) I have made a ton of progress.

*Side note: My actual progress compared to my "want but don't have" list is longer. I did not do that on purpose. I just noticed it.

I am a true believer in finding the silver lining in everything. You have to because there is too much negative in this world.

So, don't get bogged down after the first week and you aren't seeing the results you want. Look back and see what you HAVE gained because that is way more important. Then get up and go

Because there is NO better time than NOW!

So, Uh, What am I doing?

 Now that I've kick started this let me explain even more. We will start by just getting it out there...

I'M A BEACHBODY COACH!!

What the flip is that?

It is a super awesome job where I make my own schedule, blog, and Facebook all day and get paid to do it. On top of that (and this is why I really do it) I get to help people feel healthy, happy, and comfortable in their own skin. COMFORTABLE IN THEIR OWN SKIN!

Story time:

We just got back from a quick trip to Vegas. It was fast but fun! Since we don't drink, smoke, or club people wonder why we go. Well let me tell ya; we love to go to the shows, shop, and hang by the pool. The pool is super important to us. (P.S if you want a great pool experience don't stay at Planet Hollywood. So far the best pool experience I have had is at Excalibur.) So, naturally we hung by the crappy pool this past weekend. This is Michael's favorite thing to do. All I can do when we are hanging by the pool is worry about my stomach and back and how many fat roles there are on both. I literally am only thinking about the skinny girls walking around the pool and wondering what they all think of the beached whale laying on the chair with her fat poking through like Play-Dough. Delish. Two things about this:

1. I know that I'm probably the only one worried about what I look like. People only generally care what they look like, not about other people's look.
2. It doesn't matter if people care what I look like or not. I don't care if people think I look skinny. I don't care if I am actually skinny. I care about what I look like and how I feel in my own skin.

So, because I was so worried about what I looked like I couldn't even enjoy my time at the pool. I actually made us leave earlier than expected for "other" reasons. Both times. Poor Michael.

While we were there this last time we went to The Hard Rock Cafe. Since it's Vegas and EVERYTHING is a tourist trap, they have you take a picture in front of a picture of like the Vegas Strip or something. I don't even know because when I saw the picture all I could see was how my pants don't fit the way I want and I look dumpy. (See the previous tabs. I just want to feel comfortable about me.)

Ok, now where was I? Oh yes. Helping people feel comfortable about themselves and the way they look. How great is that?

I do this through lots of different ways. I am, first and foremost, your biggest cheerleader. Hello, I want you to feel great. I do challenge groups, cleanses, kick starts, and lots more and of course it's fun. I will leave out all the little details about that because I don't want you here all day. Well I do but that is because I want everyone to read my blog and feel inspired and share it and so the whole world has a mindset of a healthier and happier them.

Let's talk about other reason I became a coach: The Product. Michael I did Insanity like (help me out Irene) 3 years ago. We did the full 60 days. At the end I looked freaken awesome. I often did the modified workout and we had one cheat day a week but I still looked and felt amazing. I WISH SO MUCH I still had my before and after pictures because you would all look at it and be like "Wow, great job Luanne". It was the most in-shape I've ever been and BEST I have ever felt. How could I not share with other people a product that actually gives results.

Since I believe in the product and know it works I'm proving it by doing a 30-day challenge (I already told you that in the last post, I know, I know). So here is what I am doing...

This is the work out program I'm doing. It's Yoga and Pilates. I just the first day which is basically like nothing and I am sweating and my arms are shakey. Yessss.

Shakeology: It's a shake that I have once a day to replace a meal. I got the vanilla flavor and it even came with this ---------------------->
great "recipe" calendar so I don't feel like I'm drinking the same thing everyday.

This is my calendar. I have made a plan for when to pay attention to my groceries (more on that later), my running schedule and my PiYo schedule. It hangs on my fridge so I can see it everyday.

 Keep an eye out for my updates on how this great product is affecting me (in a positive way) and how you don't have to starve yourself or kill yourself at the gym to get the results you've been waiting for.

I KNOW there are people out there who are wanting a jump start into a healthier life just like me. My coach and I are about to have a 3-Day refresher group. It's a great way to get going on your health and have a great group to do it with. PLEASE email or message me if you want to get started on your health today. I want to help you. I want you to feel like you can do this because you can. You really can.

Now get up and go

BECAUSE THERE IS NO BETTER TIME THAN NOW!

www.beachbodycoach.com/luannerose 

This is me

"It's amazing how when we eat healthy we are motivated to work out. However, when we eat like crap we just want to sit on the couch and feel like crap."
-Suzi Hardy

This has been a rough year. Why you ask? You mean you don't see every single Facebook post I have? Well, I had to finally throw in the towel and accept that I probably wouldn't ever get pregnant. Crappy. I had and adoption fall through. Crappy. To top it all off and make every little situation in my life worse, I was working in a job that was very stressful and taking a really big toll on me in my mental state and my body. There were just a lot of ups and downs. Is it 2015 yet?

For the point of the lesson, let's focus on my downs. Because I have been down.

I remember two very specific days in this year:

One was in April sometime. I was laying in bed on my day off. It was like 2:00 in the afternoon. I had started some laundry in our small washing machine that sprays water everywhere if you don't take immediate action when needed. That time came, the washer needed me and water was going everywhere. I did not even have enough will to get out of bed to stop it. I just wanted to lay and bed and let my house flood while I sat and wallowed in self pity.

The other was a few months after that. I was sitting on my couch after some grocery shopping. I knew I needed to get up and do some things around the house and get other things accomplished, besides watching an awesome amount of TV, but didn't have the will to peel myself off the couch and GO!

These two points are important. Not because of how I felt and how pathetic I was being but because of the actions I took after I realized how I was feeling and how unhealthy that thinking was. 

Let's start with the first day, kids:
So here I am laying on my bed, water is getting everywhere in the bathroom and I'm sad. I know I have to turn the water off and I know this is my lowest of lows and I didn't want to feel that way anymore. That day was the tail end of some pretty depressed feelings. So, knowing that Michael would shoot me dead if I didn't get up and turn off the water, I told myself that all I would have to do is get up and turn off the water. Then, I could then go back to being on the bed as a pathetic slob. So I got up turned off the water (the washing machine is in my bathroom when in motion-this is important so you don't think I'm just weird) and sat down on the toilet. Not like going to the bathroom. Gross. Like the toilet seat was closed and I just plopped myself down on it just to sit. I happened to have my phone and opened Facebook. Because what else do you do when you're really depressed besides look at other people's "social network lives" and wish you had them. I  saw a friend had posted that she was going to do the "100 days happy" challenge. Remember that annoying challenge I did that you were all sick of? Huh? Huh? Well, it had purpose people. I decided to take on the challenge because I needed to find things to be happy about. Even on the crappiest of days I needed a reason to be happy. I took the challenge then and there (glamorous settings...I know) and got up and did some more house cleaning and even made dinner.

Now we are moving on the next that I spoke of: 
(Recap, I'm sitting on the couch refusing to get up. It's a pretty picture.)
I knew that by the end of that day I would need something to be happy about. I "had" to post something on my Instagram that showed I was happy about something. There I sat wondering what I had to be happy about. Nothing. Life sucks. I was sitting and thinking and realized that thinking like that would get me nowhere. I needed to do something that would make me happy and, at the same time, get me motivated to keep moving forward.
*Side note: "Keep Moving Forward" is mine and Michael's family motto. Have you seen Meet the Robinson's? No? Go and watch it and you will understand.
So, I decided to go running. I love to run and it always gets me motivated to do the next task. Keep in mind it wasn't like, "YAY I WILL RUN NOW BECAUSE THAT SOUNDS GREAT!!!" No, it was "Get up and go running you will feel better. Um no. Go to hell peppy girl. Go Luanne. No. Don't be fat. I want to be fat. When I'm fat I can eat whatever I want and I want Chick-Fil-A. Keep Moving Forward, LuLu. Oh you would use that..."
This went on for about 30 minutes to an hour. But I finally did it. I just got up and went running.

I said this was a lesson, right? So, class, what is the same about the two situations? 

I TOOK ACTION. 

I changed my mindset (which wasn't easy) and moved. In one situation I decided to find happiness in each day (nourishment for the mind). In the other I decided to exercise (nourishment for the body).  

From there I decided to (1) start eating better, (2) exercise regularly and (3) find something great about each day.

My life has drastically changed for the better when I applied all three of these things to it. It's not always easy and often I take huge steps back but I don't drag myself down. Instead I just do my best to do better the next time, next day or let's be honest, the next week.

Now, how does this apply to this specific blog...

I am one month away from officially starting my training for a full marathon I am running in January. I am 10 pounds away from being my ideal weight. I have been 10 pounds away from my ideal weight for a while. I just need an extra push to get me to where I need to and want to be. So, I'm taking a Beachbody 30 day challenge. Starting today. Here are my before pictures:

Sexy. I know.
I will be posting once a week to talk about my weekly activity, how I'm feeling, and what progress I have made. I'm challenging myself and I'm excited about it. I am still struggling with the adoption not going through and now that I am unemployed I have a whole new set of woes coming my way. I need to use my "rule of three" to get me through this struggling time. Because there is no better time than now.

I am excited to see my progress and see where I am in just 30 days.

If you have any questions or would like to know more information about what I am doing just message me on Facebook or shoot me an email!
www.beachbodycoach.com/luannerose