Week 12 Weigh in and Measurement

Imma get right to the good stuff... cuz I know that's what you want... what are my final numbers at the end of this 12 week challenge:
                 Current                       Since last                Total
Weight:    143.2 lbs                      -4.6                          -20
Body fat   32.4%                          -2%                          -5.5%
Chest        34"                              -1.25"                       -4.25"
Waist        29"                              -1"                              -4.25"
Hips         34.75"                         -1.75"                         -5.25" (HOLY CRAP)
Thigh       22"                              -1.75"                         -2"
Calf         15.5                             -.25"                           -1"
Bicep       11.75                           -.25"                           -1.25"
Total "'s   147"                            -6.25"                          -18"

I don't need to tell you I'm pretty dang happy! And not just a little bit proud too! It's been really hard work... everyday! I've had amazing support! Incredible coaches! I have learned SO MUCH in 12 weeks and have completely changed my life! This is not the end for me, this is only the BEGINNING!
It's so funny cuz I totally thought that once I finished the challenge I'd celebrate with a Blizzard from DQ... and I may have one this summer, but my priorities have changed! So I have no desire to run out and eat something terrible because I know I'm gonna have to work EXTRA hard to burn those calories after... it's just not worth it! I still love food, and that's never gonna change but I know HOW to eat now, and how to keep my body fit and toned... that makes all the difference in the world! See:

I still have work to do, I'm not where I want to be yet... but I'll get there... and this time I'll STAY there! I have a bunch of new goal set and I'll meet them... I told Lisa (in a card, so she may not even know yet...) that I WILL run the Mississauga half marathon (WHAT!?!?!) with her in the spring! So like I said I'm not done... I'm just getting started!

I also want to say thank you to Sam and Lisa... I will never ever be able to put into words how much I appreciate what they have given me! There isn't a word big enough! It has been so much more than just "training", there was a lot of healing involved because a big part of me was broken and it isn't any more! This wasn't a "job" they were doing, they genuinely care about me and I feel everyday.
Being a Mom, I know what it is like to protect and guide and challenge and teach a child to help them accomplish goals... take that first step... When I started this challenge I was a child... Completely afraid and lacking knowledge, stubborn and not a little bit whinny... just ask them how much I whine!!!! I would never have been able to do this with out those AMAZING women! These ladies would make the best mothers... cuz its way harder to deal with an adult child then a real one!
I've said it before that Sam saved my life... and then the two of them CHANGED it... for the better, and I love them like sisters.

If you've been thinking about changing your life, getting into shape or even if you've made those first steps already but aren't sure what to do next... my advice to you: sign yourself up for BeautyFit Boot Camp. It will change you in ways you never thought possible... just ask ANYONE who's done a camp with the amazing and beautiful Sandra Compton!  Then RUN, do not walk, RUN to World Gym Kitchener and get an appointment with the gorgeous and crazy tough Lisa Nosal, set up some personal training sessions. She will have you doing things you only dreamed about... I'm not kidding, she's da bomb!! and listen to EVERY SINGLE WORD they tell you! They are brilliant and they know what they're doing, so pay attention and apply the info.! YOU WILL NOT FAIL, they won't let you... If I can do this... SO CAN YOU!
Why are you still here??? GO, RUN... Be Beautiful, Be You!

Woohoo Week 12!

Holy Crap! Do you know what week it is??? Can ya guess??? IT'S WEEK 12!!! I am in the very last week of my BeautyFit 12 Week Challenge at World Gym... This has been the longest and shortest 12 weeks of my life!
It's been the longest because I have been working SO HARD every single day and have been completely exposed... ON THE INTERNET for the entire challenge and it's been the shortest because I have completely changed my life! I've grown so much and done so much that I can hardly believe how fast the time has gone!
This week will be my final resistance training sessions with Lisa... although I'm fairly sure  we'll be seeing each other again in the fall! I will also have my last 2 Boot Camps of the challenge, but I'm only in week 2 of the 8 week camp, so that isn't ending either. I will do my final weigh in, measurements and pictures with Sam and Lisa (and I'm hoping Rebecca will pop back in to see the results), but I'm gonna be toning and training this new bod of mine daily so my weight and measurements will always be a reality (one I can at least deal with now).
So now that my challenge is coming to an end what will change? NOTHING!! Absolutely nothing is changing... the changes were made 12 weeks ago and there was never any intention of an "END" so, Yes! My BeautyFit challenge with World Gym is in its 12th week, but I am FAR from done!
I'll be back Wednesday to update you all with my results thus far, but they won't be the end!

The Dilemma of the "Little Black Dress"

This is the part I should be excited about, this is supposed to be the fun part... shopping!! Yay!! Right?... um no! I have no idea what size I am, I have no idea what will look good on me... I feel like a fashionably challenged child... which is almost worse than shopping in the fat section!
So Sam gave Crystal (Have you been following her blog on the BeautyFit website???) and I the "mission" of finding ourselves a little black dress... oooohhhh no! Where am I even supposed to go?? I have been looking forward to shopping for sooooo long and now that the time has come.... yeeeesh!

My loving and supportive friend Amanda (who's blog you should also check out on the beautyFit Website) offered to come along with me, she's a great friend and shopping partner because she gets what I'm dealing with... she's been there... her words to me: “Don't worry I've cried in many dressing rooms, I'll have tissue ready! I got your back or your boogers... what ever you need!” sheesh I love her! But the fact is< I know my first few trips out will be wondering around stores like a lost zombie... and no one needs to be put through that torture!

I actually got a bone thrown to me on the “little black dress” though... while doing my PM Cardio with the lovely Sandra (Sam) Compton on Friday night I remembered this little GREEN dress I have... I love green!! LOVE LOVE LOVE and I loved this dress... a few years back... so I described it to Sam and thought maybe I'd try it on... even though I make it a point to NEVER EVER enter that side of my closet... the thin side... the forbidden side!

I'm so much braver at home, in the safety of my own bedroom, with no sales clerks and no florescent lighting... IT FIT!! I couldn't believe it... it fit and it fit better than it did the last time I wore it... over 4 years ago... I was thinking it looked pretty good, but I'm still a little insecure and I needed an honest opinion... so I had my husband take a picture and I sent it to Sam... her response “HOLY F@#K”... to which I had a mini melt down... “WHAT?????” was my response...

apparently she was impressed, she like it, and said I needn't shop unless I wanted to... WHEW!!! Saved!!! And my esteem just flew straight up... I'm feeling like a million bucks...

Until Saturday morning when I woke up and realized I'm a huge wuss! I mean really I'm a CHICK! I have the need to shop coursing through my BLOOD! I won't be scared off by some little florescent light bulb or some bubbly sales clerk or whatever!!!

SO... out I go, ready to shop... nope... I still have NO IDEA what I'm doing out there... my confidence is better but I still have a lot to learn! There is always going to a hurdle and I'm not always gonna know “how” to handle it, but I WILL be able to! That is what is important! That is what matters, I CAN do it!

Protect the HOUSE!

Ever hear the term "The body is your temple.  Keep it pure and clean for the soul to reside in."  ~B.K.S. Iyengar, or "The human body is the only machine for which there are no spare parts."  ~Hermann M. Biggs  or "Be good to your body, it's the only place you have to live."  ~Jim Rohn, or how about "To keep the body in good health is a duty... otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear."  ~Buddha????? I could go on all day, but the point is,  We've all said stuff like this or at least thought it... but have we ever really heeded this advice? I mean seriously, how often do we take the time or money and invest in ourselves? If your kitchen needed reno's you'd do them, if your lawn needed mowing you'd do that too, if the basement flooded you'd call a professional to fix the leak... so why not do reno's on your body, maintain your body, ask a professional to help fix your body? Oh sure, it'll cost money... so does all that work around the house! And yeah it's gonna take time... but so does all that house work!  But ask yourself this question, who cares if you have the most beautiful house on the street, or the fastest ride on the road if you're dead? I know, I know "Wow, Jenna, harsh much?!?!" But seriously, think about it! We spend so much time and money on the "things" in our lives rather than on our bodies and that is just plain crazy!
Did you know that simply by being over weight you are putting yourself at risk for:  

• Heart disease and stroke.
• High blood pressure.
• Diabetes.
• Cancer.
• Gallbladder disease and gallstones.
• Osteoarthritis.
• Gout.
• Breathing problems, such as sleep apnea (when a person stops breathing for a short time during sleep) and asthma.

And every single ones of these risks can and will lead to death... so I guess I'm not so harsh after all huh? What's even more  crazy is that I'm willing to bet that every single person who is reading this right now, has a close family member who has suffered from at least one of the above! Still think I was being dramatic? Let me put it a different way... when you buy a house, you get an inspection... after you look at and scrutinise it like crazy. When you buy a car, you test drive it and have a mechanic check it out. Hell if you get a dog, you research the breeder and get a vet to check the pup out... now in every single one of those cases if you were told that there were major problems, would you still purchase???? Now do you think death is a major problem?  NEED I SAY MORE???
I started this whole process because I wanted to be healthier... but I didn't really get how serious my problems were... so when people ask me what motivates me to keep at it, or how do I do it... It's pretty simple... I GOTTA PROTECT MY HOUSE!!

Thinkin' you can't?

All through this challenge I've listened to so many people tell me why they just can't do what I'm doing... I say "pfft! YES YOU CAN!!"  I've heard every single excuse there is... and to be honest a few months ago I would have used a lot of them myself... truth is, you're right if you think you "can't" do it! There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that you WILL fail! Why? Because you started your statement with "I Can't"! That stupid little word, "can't" has been destroying lives for ever. In fact my very first email to Sam way back in February was very much so a "Can't" statement. Luckily for me she just ignored me... and she never takes me seriously when she's beating the hell outta me in boot camp and I cry out "I can't"... Lisa's the same way when I tell her "I can't" she says "C'mon Jenna you got this, YES YOU CAN" and I'm so grateful I have trainers/coaches that have no problem calling bullsh*t when they hear it. The bottom line is I can do it, I will do it and they know it as well as I do... I just need to be reminded... Cuz I don't even believe me when I say "I can't" I mean, look at all the things I CAN do... 

I can whip a huge heavy rope around like crazy,  and you have no idea how long a minute will last while doing this...

I can do susides until I almost die for real... even tethered to Amanda (and she's a freakin' Machine)

I can lift weights and believe me Lisa NEVER lets me off the hook, I finish EVERY set and the weights ALWAYS get heavier... never nice and light!

and do crunches... until laughing becomes a very dangerous activity... because my abs are burning!

I can even flip tractor tires and do walking lunges with car tires around my neck... Which I got a lot of flack for, I might add! Yeah I'm hard core!

ANNNNND I can do push ups... On my toes... YIPPY!

I like to whine and complain about what Sam does to us in Boot Camp and what Lisa does to me in training... I say I'm being beaten, and hammered and killed... in reality they are pushing each and every one of us to our own personal goals! When you really want the change, the life style, the benefits... your goals change daily, that bar gets raised each time you reach it, and a good trainer or coach is right there on the same page "coaching" and "training" you to do better each time. They'll tell you, just like I'm telling you.. YOU CAN DO IT!

Anyone can do this... I'm not special or extra strong. I'm not impervious to pain (sheesh I hurt all the time) and I don't have some sick compulsion to be covered in sweat, tears and RubA535... I'm just me, a former fat chick who decided to say "I CAN"... and I am. Who are you?

Time is tight... but so are my muscles!

Summer is a busy time for me and my family, so it ain't easy fitting extra work outs and extra gym time in. I've become a custom to a certain level of fitness and a "day  off" isn't an option... because I don't want to take a day off! But what do I do if I can't get into the gym or get out for a run or bike ride? I use what I have at home! I have a heavy bag, exercise ball, some dumb bells and a home gym... this does the trick when I'm stuck at the house... and the kids LOVE to watch and cheer me on!

 Thanks to my training with Lisa Nosal I know how to use this crazy contraption effectively!  Here I'm working my quads and lifting 80lbs, 3 sets of 15 reps.  Below I'm pulling 60lbs, 3 sets of 15 reps... it's a lot harder to do this without Lisa standing there pushing me... but that's what this is all about... pushing myself!

I'm not gonna lie... I LOVE to punch Sh*t! I've had this heavy bag for years... but it's only in the last few weeks that its been getting used and abused the way it should be! Sam has taught me how to properly beat the hell outta this bad boy and I do... almost every day... and I LOVE IT! It's not just a work out it's a tension releaser! My 3 year old daughter likes to sit on the couch back and yell "GO MOMMY GO MOMMY" the entire time I'm hitting... and I really love that too!



It's no secret that the reason I got fat, was laziness... and the insane amount of excuses I had about why I couldn't get fit... I lied to myself... and to everyone else... Getting fit isn't hard, not really. It's all about being open to change and accepting of it too! I went from sitting on the couch, watching tv and eating ice cream to turning a corner of my basement into my own personal gym where I'd much rather spend that time, and it didn't hurt at all! My idea of a relaxing break is no longer hitting the nearest Tim Horton's for an Iced Cap and a few cigarettes, it's hitting World gym for a boot camp, resistance training  or just to work on one of the cardio machines... Now when I look in the mirror, my thoughts are "look how great I'm doing!" not "how the heck did this happen to my body?" and when I eat I make damn sure the food I put into this body/machine is gonna make it run efficiently and effectively, so ice cream is off the list, and saved for a special treat!

This 12 week challenge has changed me in sooooo many ways, but I cannot seem to find one negative... not one!

Long Weekends aren't so hard now!

I've just encountered my second long weekend within my 12 Week BeautyFit Challenge... it's getting WAAAAAY easier for me! I've found a way to incorporate my life style into our family vacations without disrupting the fun for everyone else... I mean lets face it, they didn't get themselves into this mess, I did! So they shouldn't have to "suffer"... but what they don't know is that I have changed everything for all of us! As a family we eat healthier, and we are far more active... and they're loving it because NO ONE has used the words diet or exercise... it's a life style change!!

This weekend we took off an extra day and went up to the trailer, but just because I'm not near the gym doesn't mean I can't get my work outs in! And just because we're "camping" doesn't mean I can't eat clean and healthy! Being at the trailer used to mean I'd snack ALL DAY AND NIGHT on cookies, ice cream, chips... and my "meals" were drenched in BBQ sauce, and tons of butter and cheese on my potatoes, bacon and crusty white bread... mmmmm the list goes on and on... This year things are a little different, but not at all bad or hard (the kids didn't even mention the lack of "crap") even though there were still a few small goodies for the kids, I didn't even care!

Preping meals is easy, it just means a little pre-planning... Lots of fresh fruit and veggies, lean cuts of meat and wise sources of essential fats.

Cook up meat in advance - lean Chicken breasts on the 'Q

Chicken and salad

Breaky! Bran Buds, chopped apple and banana in milk

preparing for snacks... get it all ready ahead of time!

Getting my exercise is easy too, I can't get into a gym, but that won't ever stop me! I'll swim and bike and run... and the kids can come along too! It's great to get that quality time that we all need and have it pay off too! It's a win-win... for everyone!

Biking in the country is challenging and beautiful!

Biking with my son, sets a great example of healthy living and it's fun for both of us!

Heading to the pool is getting a lot easier now that I have the energy and I'm not so embarrassed to be in a bathing suit... the kids are pretty happy about that too!

 This Challenge has given me a new life and I'm living it to the very fullest! I biked over 36km this weekend, swam and ran and I felt great! That's a first! This summer is going to be our best ever! I may be almost finished my 12 weeks (I'm in week 9) but this journey will never end!

My 12 Week BeautyFit Challenge, Using the products I LOVE!!

Eight weeks in... and it hasn't been easy, that's for sure! I have pushed and pulled and fought every step of the way. Yes, I have the best trainers coaching me through this every step of the way, but I'm doing the work! I'm loving my new life and feeling amazing... but you wanna see the results don't ya? If you've been paying attention you know that I've just had a weigh in... how'd it go? Well lets take a look, shall we:
                     WEEK 4     WEEK 8

Weight (lbs)   157.8         147.8
Body Fat %    36.9          34.4
Measurements
Chest            35.5"           35.25"
Waist            32.25"         30"
Hips             38.75"          36.5"
Mid Thigh    23.75"          23.75"
Mid Calf       16.5"            15.75"
Bicep            12.25"          12"

So... in the last 4 weeks I have lost 10lbs, 5.75 inches and 2.5% body fat!

That's a total of 15.4lbs, 11.75 inches (total body), 3.5% body fat... WOW!
A lot of people have asked me how I'm able to do this... my schedule is tough and my eating habits are strict. I've even had people tell me I'm lucky that I have people walking me through this... which kinda hurts, because I'm doing the work, I'm making my meals and eating them, I'm abstaining from ALL those tasty summer treats, but do you know what REALLY helps me... my BeautyFit supplements! I would not be able to get through each day with out them! I do not leave home with out them... even on vacation!

Even @ the Trailer!!