Getting my sweat on

Good morning and happy Monday!  So, I meant to talk about this last week, and I even tried to log about it.  As it turns out, I am not allowed to vlog about health, fitness, and wellness, because the vlog runs on FOREVER.  I just get so excited!

So today I'm telling you about my June fitness plan.  Way back in March, Allison from Feeding my Temple mentioned her Fitness challenge groups, and I was really intrigued.  Allison is an Independent Team Beachbody coach who is dedicated to helping people reach their fullest fitness potential without having to go to the gym.  I hate the gym, so I thought this sounded absolutely brilliant.  I knew that between training for a 5k and then for a 34 mile bike ride, starting a fitness challenge on top of all of that would be impossible.  Instead, I planned ahead, and secured my spot in the June group.

So almost before I knew it, June was upon me, and I was planning to start my June fitness program the same day as my big 34 mile ride.  I knew it was going to be intense.  I knew I would probably hate myself for the decision at the time, but that in the long run, it would maximize my rest days.

I picked ChaLEAN Extreme as my weapon of choice.

This program was created by Chalene Johnson, the same woman who created TurboJam and TurboFire.  I had known people who had a lot of success with her other programs, and I was stoked to try a program that was based on the principles of heavy weight training.  Most weight training programs for women focus on light weights, high reps.  Chalene's program is the exact opposite:  few reps, as heavy of a weight as you can safely lift.

I went ahead and took my before pictures.  I had thought I looked pretty good until I saw these.  I was horrified at how flabby I look in them!  I'm sharing them here, in the spirit of "we're all in this together".  Please don't throw up in your mouth when you see these.

Okay, so they aren't terrible... but I can see where I need some serious toning!

So here's the deal guys... we're one week in to the challenge.  ChaLEAN is a 5 day/week program, and I'm also using a meal replacement protein powder called Shakeology.  Between the two, I lost 1.4 pounds and 3.5" inches in one week WHILE ON MY PERIOD.  Ever heard that you can't lose weight on your period?  It's a lie.  It's the best time, because your metabolism spikes from all of the work your body is doing to detox.  I once read a study that showed as much as a 30% increase in metabolism while on your period.

So here you have it, guys.  This is what I'm doing for the next 84 days or so.  I know that my "after" pictures will not look like these, because I know you're going to make me show you those too, right?  Say right.

Let's keep each other accountable for our goals!  I want to be a lean, mean, triathlon machine.  What do you want to be?  Have a great day!