Becoming Fit to Become a Better Director and a Better Me

In my first few years of teaching, I let work become the only thing in my life that got any focus. Chris was three hours away getting his Masters degree and I was a new director doing all I could to be the best. My work schedule had me traveling during lunch to the intermediate school to teach beginners in the afternoon. I didn't pack a healthy lunch or snack to eat in the car. Instead, I stopped at one of two fast food places along the way - either Sonic or Boston Market. Needless to say, I gradually grew in size. When Chris finished his degree and moved to DeSoto to be with me, we began eating together and I ate his portion sizes (note: he is 6'5"). I never binged on anything or ate terrible. I just ate bigger portions than I should or food that was too high in fat and carbs. I also have never really been a couch potato. I used to run almost every day and did at least 100 crunches every night. However, once the weight/fat went on, it was hard to get off. 

While teaching in Garland, I went on Weight Watchers (the online version) for a while and lost 15 pounds, but I didn't keep up with it. I felt hungry all the time and didn't want to be bothered with adding points. It was easier to just eat TV dinners in which I knew the amount of points they would cost me. They were not that tasty, they hurt my stomach and weren't all that filling. 

Then my forties were looming...

For a 40th birthday present (two years ago), my husband got me (and him) a trainer at Gold's Gym. We get a huge discount through Waco ISD (we only pay $25.42 for BOTH of us together per month for a gym membership), but we also had a couples trainer. We met with her for an hour one to two times a week. We also did the Gold's Gym Challenge (I did it twice). Having a trainer for a while was huge for us as it gave us knowledge and comfort to use all the different equipment in the gym and do the exercises correctly. In June, our trainer left our gym and is now working at another gym. We briefly considered changing gyms, but the cost difference was too large. So, I am taking the knowledge I have and going it alone. I started really working out daily last month in July and tracked everything - workouts, food and water - in MyFitnessPal app. I exercised 23 out of 25 days - I missed two days during traveling. I have been doing well with the tracking though. 

I also joined a challenge through BeneYou called the Love Your Gut Challenge on July 1st. I am doing the Reduce version. I did the first week without the Reduce and Activate as they hadn't come in the mail yet. But, since then have been doing pretty well. Here's how a typical day (this summer) has looked like for me:

• First thing when I wake up, I take my allergy medicine as well as a Reduce capsule and a BeautyBoost multivitamin. I then make my morning smoothie which consists of the Repair+ powder, a quarter of a scoop of vanilla protein powder, frozen mixed berries and frozen spinach. I then chase the smoothie with 8-16 ounces of water.

• Go work out at the gym around 10-11 AM for about an hour. Every workout contains at least 30 minutes of cardio as well as 5 minutes of stretching.

• Thirty minutes before lunch, take another Reduce capsule & BeautyBoost vitamin. 

• Lunch - a salad or sandwich with a piece of fruit.

• Around 2 or 3 PM, drink 16 ounces of water with Peach Mango Activate mix.

• Thirty minutes before dinner, take another Reduce capsule & BeautyBoost vitamin. Make dinner (from Clean & Healthy cookbook by Hungry Girl). 

• Eat dinner.

• Take Bella for a walk.

• Eat a Pre-Probiotic pixie before bed and spray 3 spritzes of Bliss under my tongue (Bliss helps me get a solid deep sleep).

Throughout the day, I am drinking from my S'well insulated water bottle which is around 16 ounces. I know I need 64 ounces of water a day, so this helps me keep track and it keeps my water cold.

When school starts back next week, I'm confident I'll be able to keep things going. I plan on packing my lunch and snacks the night before and might even just keep some at school. I also plan on getting up early to do 20-30 minutes of cardio before going to work and then going straight to the gym after work to get in 30 minutes of strength training. I do best when I stick with a consistent schedule. 

With the Love Your Gut products, I feel like I'm getting my digestive system in balance which helps with overall health. I haven't lost a ton of weight yet, but I'm feeling healthier and stronger.  There are reality shows on TV and Netflix that help motivate me too. I'm obsessed with the show "Strong" produced by Silvester Stallone and have watched it a few times already. I love shows about getting fit and transforming oneself. I have started listening to motivational podcasts too. 

At any rate, I am finding it more and more important to get myself fit and healthier so I can be a better wife, dog mom, band director, friend and just a better me. If you are on a fitness journey or want to join in on the fun, message me and let's keep tabs on each other. I'd love to be your cheerleader! 

Almost forgot! I am challenging myself to exercise every day for 365 days. I started my challenge yesterday. 

Here's what the workout consisted of: Yesterday’s workout started at around 3:45 PM at Gold’s Gym on New Road in Waco Texas. I did 20 minutes on the ARC, 4 sets of 25 crunches on the abdominal machine, 500 meters on the row machine, 2 sets of 15 side bends and 2 sets of 10 back extensions on the stationery machine, 10 minutes on the elliptical machine and then stretches. 

Now to get back to the gym for Day 2!