One Week Until Reset!!!

I am getting so excited to be this close to starting the Beachbody Ultimate Reset Program!  I am looking forward to the changes my body will experience while it is cleaning itself out.

My poor body has been telling me that it wants to do this.  Since I last posted, I have been plagued with sinus and migraine headaches, stomach issues, asthma issues...the works.  My massage therapist even felt it when I went in for a massage last Friday.  My back was a knotty wreck!

Looking forward to sharing the process with you!

Blessings!
Erin :)

Just Because...

When you are on a fitness journey, sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself to keep from crying!

Here are a couple of things that I found on Pinterest to keep you laughing!

Blessings!
Erin :)

Training at 5 am

I know that I will feel better and more energized after a run, but that concept is extremely hard to grasp when your alarm clock is blaring country music at 4:05 in the morning.  For me, it doesn't matter how early I go to bed my body simply rejects the concept of being awake that early in the morning!  It seems like my body and our bed has become undeniably attracted to each other, my term for it is Velcro bed.

So from the first time the alarm started to play Carrie Underwood and 4:50, my hand became essentially glued to the snooze button.  I finally peeled my self away from my pillow, sheets and that oh so comfy presence of hubby on the other side of the bed to go for a sleepy run.

There is most likely nothing more comical than watching me stumble around the house (typically before my contacts are in) trying to find my running gear.  When I finally found my socks it was time to stumble downstairs and find my Bobble water bottle and switch on the Keurig for my after-run coffee fix.  Found my running arm band and the hunt was on for my headphones.  After Callie (our chatty little feline) helped me untangle the knots in my headphones, it was out the door with both my inhaler and a bottle of water (amazing that I can remember that at 5 in the morning, but not at 9 for a race!).

Once I got moving I felt great!  It was the perfect temp for a morning run, only 54 degrees!  I was able to get  almost 2 miles in before my calves decided that they were going to play a game and tense up on me.

This morning was truly the embodiment of the old phase "The body is willing, but the mind is weak."  I could have kept hitting the snooze, or reset the alarm to go off at a later time.  I could have rolled over and cuddled with hubby (always a temptation on a work day!).  When I couldn't find my running gear in the dresser I could have said, forget it and sit in front of the t.v. and watch the "news" or a show on the DVR.

It is amazing how many opportunities we have to give ourselves excuses not to exercise and we all know them!  The picture below is so true!

Blessings!
Erin :)

Ultimate Reset Supplements - Revitalize

Revitalize is the supplement that you will take during the final week of your Reset.  This supplement will help reintroduce good bacteria into the digestive tract.  The good bacteria will help your newly scrubbed tract break down carbs, promote a healthy immune system and control the growth of bad bacteria.

Ultimate Reset Supplements - Detox

Ahhh...the beloved detox!  When this word is used in connection with the word colon, all sorts of images come to mind.  Taking the pill / powder and within 5 minutes a trip to the bathroom is urgently needed.  Take a book, paper or movie with you because you are going to be there all day!

With the 21 day Ultimate Reset, you can take your Detox and still have a life outside of the bathroom!  Beachbody has designed this formula to be gentle!  The focus was on striking a balance between getting the toxins removed from the digestive tract without causing your system to "release" violently. This supplement will only be taken during the 2nd week of the program.

Now that all of that is out of the way, what does your digestive tract actually do?  Aside from the obvious waste removal application, our colon does a lot for our body!  Here is a short list of what this part of our anatomy does:

• influences hydration
• influences nutrient absorption
• influences our immune system functions
• extracts water, potassium and fat soluble vitamins from solid waste

Ultimate Reset Supplement - Oxygenize

We all know how crucial oxygen is to life on this wonderful planet.  Without oxygen, we would not be able to exist.  Oxygen helps us produce energy for our bodies, assists in eliminating waste from tissues and transporting nutrients into our very cells.

Oxygen levels have gone down in the atmosphere depleting our bodies of this needed element of nature.  Our bodies have been designed to require a specified amount that they are no longer able to completely fulfill.

This is where Oxygenize comes in!  This supplement is liquid oxygen that you add to your distilled water, or place directly on your tongue, three times a day during the 21 day Ultimate Reset.  This pH balanced formula will assist your body to receive the oxygen it desires to help restore your body to factory settings.

Ultimate Reset Supplements - Optimize

Optimize is another supplement that you will be taking during all 21 days of the Reset.  The purpose of this supplement is to increase the enzyme levels our bodies.  Our enzyme levels will naturally decrease as we age.  When this decrease is combined with our poor diet, illnesses and injury, it can be very easy to find our bodies in state of chronic enzyme deficiency.  This state negatively affects our natural body processes, including how we absorb and digest nutrients from food.

When your enzyme levels are increased your immune system can go to optimal levels, your bodies inflammation response is managed.

Another way to raise these enzyme levels naturally is to eat unprocessed and raw foods.  By eating raw fruits and vegetables, you can increase your enzymes prior to the Ultimate Reset.

Insanity....

This is so very true!!!!  It took me 2 weeks to make it through the warm-up without stopping!!!

Ultimate Reset Supplements - Mineralize

The next supplement you will be using on a daily basis during the Beach Body Ultimate Reset is Mineralize.  This supplement should be used 3 times a day, sprinkled in your distilled water, and can also be used for seasoning your food.


Mineralize contains pure crystal salt that is minimally processed and contains up to 84 natural minerals and elements.  These natural substances promote a stable pH balance, regulate water content in your body, help support cellular function, prevent muscle cramping and aids in digestion.


The salt contained in the Mineralize supplement is far different from table salt, that has had a majority of the nutrients removed during processing.  Sea salt is becoming more tainted due to increasing sea pollution.

Stop Beating Yourself Up Over Not Being Perfect...

I was just browsing through the Fitness section on Pinterest and this thought occurred to me.


Why are we so hard on ourselves (myself included) when we don't look like the bikini women we see on T.V.?


I saw tons of "thinspiration" pictures on Pinterest.  Women who have obviously have worked for their 6 pack abs and their tight little tushies, but how many of us will get discouraged when we don't reach that goal in 2 months?


I know that I didn't become overweight overnight.  I know that my belly pudge (who my hubs and I have affectionately named Leon) didn't grow in a day.  


So why do I beat myself up when Leon doesn't disappear in a day?  Why do I want to hit the chocolate chip cookies and pizza to console myself because the scale didn't move since yesterday morning?


If you are on this weight loss / fitness journey like I am, we just need to STOP!!!  

Stop being our own worst critic!

Stop allowing Hollywood and the magazines to dictate our self worth!

Stop feeling that since we didn't drop the 12 pounds like the contestant on The Biggest Loser we are a failure!

Stop feeling like we are worthless because our abs aren't a 6 pack!

We just need to allow ourselves to grow, to allow ourselves the best that we can be at this point in our lives.


We need to stop setting unrealistic goals for ourselves.  Yes it would be amazing to drop that extra 40 pounds in a month, but be realistic!  That type of weight loss could take months!!!


We take baby steps in transforming our financial situations, why don't we give our bodies the same grace in taking off the weight?  Why do we expect that we can run a half-marathon when we can barely run a mile?


Please extend to yourself some grace and understanding!  I know that I need too!


Blessings!
Erin

Ultimate Reset Supplement - Alkalinize

This supplement assists in bringing your body chemistry back into a healthy pH balance (pH between 7.35 and 7.45).  


When your body falls below a 7.0 pH level it is considered to be acidic.  When you are at this level, your body can become more vulnerable to viruses, congestion, inflammation, disease and bacteria.


Alkalinize comes in single serve packets that you will take daily throughout the 21 days.  It dissolves in 3 to 6 oz of water.

The Spirit of Sportsmanship

I am so proud of my state of Ohio for this single act of compassion.


During the high school state championship race for the 3,200 meter final West Liberty-Salem High junior Meghan Vogel came across her competitor Arden McMath, a sophomore from Arlington High School.  Arden was beginning to struggle significantly and was stumbling around the track.


Instead of passing her competitor, Meghan threw her arms around Arden and carried her to the finish line.  Not only did Meghan assist her in completing the race, she took this act one step further by ensuring that Arden would finish before her.

There is a lesson to be learned here for all of us, athletes and non-athletes alike.  We have been placed on this earth to bless others, to put others needs and desires above our own.


I will never get political on this blog, but could you imagine our country if the political environment would embrace this philosophy?  


I hope that I can someday be an encouragement to another like Meghan was to Arden.


Blessings!
Erin

Ultimate Reset Supplements

As promised, here is a picture of the supplements contained within the Ultimate Reset kit.

The basic supplements that will be taken throughout all 3 phases are:

• Alkalinize
• Mineralize
• Optimize and
• Oxygenize

During Phase 2: Release you will be taking the supplement Detox for the week.  Phase 3: Restore, will add Revitalize.

I will do individual posts on what the supplements are designed to to in the program.

Blessings!

Erin

Why The BeachBody Ultimate Rest?

As humans we have made technological advances to make our days more efficient, but many times this efficiency comes at a cost.  Now don't get me wrong,  I love my car that allows me to get from point A to point B (mainly from work to home and then back again), but our cars are dumping pollution into the air we breathe everyday.  Industrialization has for many years discharged pollution into our ground water affecting the drinking supply and our food supply.


Our bodies have been perfectly and wonderfully made.  We have filtration systems in our anatomy that allows us to clean up the messes we take in on a daily basis, but like our cars sometimes our bodies need to get the gunk cleaned out.  


That is what the BeachBody Ultimate Reset is designed to do.  The program is for 21 days, 3 weeks, that will help your body get back to the job that it was designed to do.

• Utilize the foods that come into our bodies and extract all of the healthy stuff and put it to good use, not pack it on as excess weight
• Fight off sickness and infections that we come into contact with
• Gain energy and a new focus

The Reset is designed in three phases and I will be covering these this week along with the supplements that will assist your body in getting rid of the gunk.


Until Next Time!


Blessings!
Erin

Running a 5K

Saturday marked my first 5K race ever!  I will admit that I am a bit strange....my very first race that I did was a half-marathon in October 2011.

I went into the race thinking that this would be easier than the half-marathons that I have done.  Then the race organizer described the race course as having "gentle, rolling hills".  Here is a tip, if you ever hear an organizer describe a course like that, get on your big girl panties because it is going to be a bumpy ride!  Needless to say, I need to work on running more hills!!!

The more I run, the more I realize that my asthma likes to play tricks on me.  The weather for the morning of the run was "no excuses weather", meaning perfect conditions.  It was 53, a bit breezy and sunny.  I should have been able to run it without any issues.  

Then my ornery asthma decided to play a trick....I hadn't even gotten to the 1 mile mark and I feel it.  That dry, tight, burning feeling in my lungs.  Take a hit off my rescue inhaler, which I actually remembered for this race unlike my two half marathons, and I begins to work.  


What I forgot for this race was a crucial element, water!  My hubby & I have come to the conclusion that even if I am going to get out and run 1 mile, I need to run with water.  So if you have asthma and find that you can do aerobic exercise indoors but can't even make it 1 mile without hitting your inhaler, try running with a bottle of water and see if it makes a difference.  I know it does for me!


Needless to say, I didn't do so hot on my 5K race.  I know that I can run 10:15 minute miles, but on this journey I ended up doing 12:53 minute miles for a total finish time of 40:02.  As is my philosophy in these races, I am proud I finished and that I had the courage not only to start, but to finish and not stop!