How do you conjure up motivation for yourself? I have a hard time motivating myself when I can tell myself that I should be doing a 20 other things instead of working out: laundry, play with the kids, wash dishes, make dinner, pick up the house....the list could really go on and on.
So I did a little search for self motivation online and found this article. It is short and to the point.
It basically breaks motivation down to three factors. Confidence. Focus. Direction.
Focus: Knowing what you want. I know what I want. I want to lose weight. I want to eat healthier.
Direction: Knowing how to get what you want. This I also know. I have all the tools with the Tracy Anderson book. I think the menu plan is very good and easy to change around if I prefer a different meal or snack. I can also add more to the serving size, or another meal, since I need extra calories for breastfeeding.
My conclusion is that I lack the self confidence in myself to work this program and to see the amazing results that I know I can get. Why does a little thing like confidence get in the way when you truly DO know exactly what you should be doing to get the results that you want. I know there are going to be difficult times, and even tougher times when I don't feel like getting out of bed and working out or staying up a little later to finish preparing meals for the next day, I just have to work through them. No more excuses. Positive attitude. I can work this program, I will get results!
I will go to the grocery store tonight and get food for the meal plan...and I will NOT NOT NOT get anything that is not listed. (and I will not add chocolate to my list, lol)
Have a great Tuesday everyone.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Friday, March 9, 2012
IT IS FRIDAY!!
Working on getting my daughter to sleep in her crib is definitely taking a toll on me. Yesterday's early morning rising did not trickle over into this morning. I was up and down Eleanor trying to keep her sleeping in her crib instead of with us. Which means I actually have to wake up in the middle of the night to nurse her, instead of just laying her down next to me and nursing.
So I did not want to get out of bed this morning. I did not want to make breakfast. I didn't want to do anything, but go back to bed. Not really the attitude to have today, is it? But...
It is FRIDAY!!
This means I will be menu planning for the weekend and next week. Since I have remained flexible in eating, and had plenty of leftovers, I am happy that I only purchased food for the first 3 days on the menu plan. It definitely saved me a lot of money, and I actually still have some items that I haven't used yet. Mainly because I haven't been able to find chestnuts. I have found them whole, but not canned in water. We don't have a Whole Foods or a Trader Joes here (I wish we did though, cause they rock!), so I might just have to go with whole and roast them myself. Next week I will being trying more foods on the 2nd half of the first week.
Tonight's workout will be the Post Pregnancy DVD and the menu for today is:
Breakfast: Chicken rollup
Snack: Apple
Lunch: I went to a local restaurant since I was short on time and got a chicken salad sandwich, pickle, baked chips, and no-bake cookie. (I have no motivation when chocolate is right in front of me!)
Snack:
Dinner: I am planning on Salmon with orange glaze (from the book) with sides of broccoli and rice. I have not cooked salmon in a long time so hopefully it looks pretty for the pictures. I will remind the fish to smile! hehe!
So I did not want to get out of bed this morning. I did not want to make breakfast. I didn't want to do anything, but go back to bed. Not really the attitude to have today, is it? But...
It is FRIDAY!!
This means I will be menu planning for the weekend and next week. Since I have remained flexible in eating, and had plenty of leftovers, I am happy that I only purchased food for the first 3 days on the menu plan. It definitely saved me a lot of money, and I actually still have some items that I haven't used yet. Mainly because I haven't been able to find chestnuts. I have found them whole, but not canned in water. We don't have a Whole Foods or a Trader Joes here (I wish we did though, cause they rock!), so I might just have to go with whole and roast them myself. Next week I will being trying more foods on the 2nd half of the first week.
Tonight's workout will be the Post Pregnancy DVD and the menu for today is:
Breakfast: Chicken rollup
Snack: Apple
Lunch: I went to a local restaurant since I was short on time and got a chicken salad sandwich, pickle, baked chips, and no-bake cookie. (I have no motivation when chocolate is right in front of me!)
Snack:
Dinner: I am planning on Salmon with orange glaze (from the book) with sides of broccoli and rice. I have not cooked salmon in a long time so hopefully it looks pretty for the pictures. I will remind the fish to smile! hehe!
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Day 4-
I really don't know why I am counting the days, because I am not following the book completely. I guess the numbers of days will help me remember how long I have being working toward my ultimate goal. It would be nice however to attack this book full force and follow everything exactly, but I cherish the time I breastfeed my daughter and love the fact that I am able to provide that for her 100% right now. I had many problems with breastfeeding after my son, although I still nursed him til he was around 14 months old, I had to supplement with formula within a few week of his birth cause he was not gaining weight fast enough.
I feel by reading and working with the book in the way I am right now will just set me up for complete success the moment I can follow it. Since starting this blog I have searched for other women who have blogged about Tracey Anderson's 30 day Method Book, and one of the complaints about the book is all of the cooking. I will have to admit that is one of the first things I noticed, you will do more cooking. Which of course is going to be a given since there is no going through a fast food drive through or going to a restaurant cause you don't feel like cooking, or taking something out of the freezer package and popping it in the oven or microwave. The food is fresh, whole, and delicious. I know my tastes so I definitely put my own spin on the meal but for the most part I really like the recipes as they are.
Yesterday was a day of leftovers, except for the red lettuce wrap for breakfast, and also for dinner I had steak which is not on the TA menu. John was in the mood to grill out so he had stopped by the store and picked up some fillets, so who was I to tell him I didn't want steak for dinner. It was all delicious!
Needless to say, I did not work out yesterday. So this morning I woke up early, without hitting snooze. I did the WHOLE Post-Pregnancy workout, plus I did about 15 minutes of Tracy's Cardio I DVD. I feel great!!!
I really feel my abs after doing the PP workout. Here is a little breakdown at what the PP workout puts focus on:
Warmup (4:00)
Gentle seated warmup that activates and dynamically stretches the spine, hips and hamstrings.
Abs (22:00)
Tracy does several controlled abs exercises that involve the whole body:
Crunch series with legs extended (7:00)
• Basic crunch
• Knee pull in to chest / extend / straight leg lift up 90degrees / extend
• Feet apart: Extend one arm alongside the leg in a side crunch and extend the arm overhead on the way down
• Cross one foot on top of the other: Pull feet in with knees open / extend legs together
• Feet apart: Lift leg with knee slightly bent and bring the opposite shoulder to the knee
Crunch series with weight in one hand (2:30)
• Start with legs extended and together: Pull knee in and out (alternating between turn in and turnout) while the arm reaches forward and overhead
Pikes series – both hands hold a single weight (6:00)
• One knee bent and other leg extended, arms overhead: Crunch, lifting leg up to 90degrees and bringing hands to meet it / Repeat with other leg / Repeat with both legs moving at once.
• Legs extended together and arms overhead: Pull feet in with knees apart with hands reaching forward, and return to standing position.
Plank series (6:30)
• Side planks
• Prone plank on elbows / Tap knees down / Alt. leg lift
• Plank with feet apart, alternating hip extension in an attitude position
Side series (2:30) – works the core and lower body
• Lie on side with legs extended: Pull knee to shoulder and extend / Pulse up
• Cross top foot on bottom foot: Bend knees and lift legs up and back
Lower body on all fours (9:30)
A short but intense series that really gets into the glutes
• Straight leg abduction
• Hip extension in attitude position / Pulse up
• Start in arabesque position: Pull knee to shoulder and extend back
• Start in arabesque position: Tap foot to floor across bottom leg and sweep up to a diagonal
REPEAT ON OTHER SIDE
• Lie down on stomach. Bring heels together and knees apart and push heels up toward ceiling (little frogs).
Arm work / unweighted (3:00)
Arm work / light weights (3:00)
Cooldown (3:00)
For my food today, here is what is on the menu.
Breakfast: Egg sandwich
Snack: strawberries with mint
Lunch: other half of egg sandwich
Snack: leftover cod with asparagus
Dinner:
Late Snack: Apple and some Almonds
Have a great Thursday everyone!
I feel by reading and working with the book in the way I am right now will just set me up for complete success the moment I can follow it. Since starting this blog I have searched for other women who have blogged about Tracey Anderson's 30 day Method Book, and one of the complaints about the book is all of the cooking. I will have to admit that is one of the first things I noticed, you will do more cooking. Which of course is going to be a given since there is no going through a fast food drive through or going to a restaurant cause you don't feel like cooking, or taking something out of the freezer package and popping it in the oven or microwave. The food is fresh, whole, and delicious. I know my tastes so I definitely put my own spin on the meal but for the most part I really like the recipes as they are.
Yesterday was a day of leftovers, except for the red lettuce wrap for breakfast, and also for dinner I had steak which is not on the TA menu. John was in the mood to grill out so he had stopped by the store and picked up some fillets, so who was I to tell him I didn't want steak for dinner. It was all delicious!
Needless to say, I did not work out yesterday. So this morning I woke up early, without hitting snooze. I did the WHOLE Post-Pregnancy workout, plus I did about 15 minutes of Tracy's Cardio I DVD. I feel great!!!
I really feel my abs after doing the PP workout. Here is a little breakdown at what the PP workout puts focus on:
Gentle seated warmup that activates and dynamically stretches the spine, hips and hamstrings.
Abs (22:00)
Tracy does several controlled abs exercises that involve the whole body:
Crunch series with legs extended (7:00)
• Basic crunch
• Knee pull in to chest / extend / straight leg lift up 90degrees / extend
• Feet apart: Extend one arm alongside the leg in a side crunch and extend the arm overhead on the way down
• Cross one foot on top of the other: Pull feet in with knees open / extend legs together
• Feet apart: Lift leg with knee slightly bent and bring the opposite shoulder to the knee
Crunch series with weight in one hand (2:30)
• Start with legs extended and together: Pull knee in and out (alternating between turn in and turnout) while the arm reaches forward and overhead
Pikes series – both hands hold a single weight (6:00)
• One knee bent and other leg extended, arms overhead: Crunch, lifting leg up to 90degrees and bringing hands to meet it / Repeat with other leg / Repeat with both legs moving at once.
• Legs extended together and arms overhead: Pull feet in with knees apart with hands reaching forward, and return to standing position.
Plank series (6:30)
• Side planks
• Prone plank on elbows / Tap knees down / Alt. leg lift
• Plank with feet apart, alternating hip extension in an attitude position
Side series (2:30) – works the core and lower body
• Lie on side with legs extended: Pull knee to shoulder and extend / Pulse up
• Cross top foot on bottom foot: Bend knees and lift legs up and back
Lower body on all fours (9:30)
A short but intense series that really gets into the glutes
• Straight leg abduction
• Hip extension in attitude position / Pulse up
• Start in arabesque position: Pull knee to shoulder and extend back
• Start in arabesque position: Tap foot to floor across bottom leg and sweep up to a diagonal
REPEAT ON OTHER SIDE
• Lie down on stomach. Bring heels together and knees apart and push heels up toward ceiling (little frogs).
Arm work / unweighted (3:00)
Arm work / light weights (3:00)
Cooldown (3:00)
For my food today, here is what is on the menu.
Breakfast: Egg sandwich
Snack: strawberries with mint
Lunch: other half of egg sandwich
Snack: leftover cod with asparagus
Dinner:
Late Snack: Apple and some Almonds
Have a great Thursday everyone!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Day 3 of Tracy Anderson
Good morning!! I am feeling great today. Not sure if it is because I am eating better, working out, or that baby E actually slept in her crib for about half the night last night. It is probably a combination of everything that I just mentioned.
I have to admit, I really like having a menu plan to look at, even if I don't follow 100%, it gives me a base to look at and edit or add as I go along. I do plan to follow the plan verbatim as soon as I quit nursing because I want to see drastic results when the day comes! I truly feel like this menu plan is doable. The food so far has been very good, with my small tweeks, but I think they will be just as filling and delicious without my tweeks.
I did update yesterday's dinner...so check it out (I even added a picture!). I will definitely be taking pictures of everything. Like I have mentioned before, I love to cook, and I also love to make it look as pretty as I can. So hopefully the pictures will help. The 30 day Method book doesn't come with any pictures so it will give you some idea of what it might look like, and also give me an archive to go back and see.
So I weighed myself yesterday and I am at 186, which I know is not good but it is still not my heaviest and is still about 8 pounds less than what I weighed at the beginning of my pregnancy with Eleanor (my 2nd). So I will take it...less to lose, right!
Now on to the food (and yes I have a picture of breakfast!!)
Breakfast: Red Leaf roll up: 2 pieces of red leaf lettuce, chicken pieces (leftover from last night), avocado slices, tomoato slices (from canned whole peeled tomatoes (leftover from minestrone), basil (dried)
Snack: Egg sandwich
Lunch: leftover minestone soup (I must have made a ton of this because this is the 3rd time I have eaten it)
Snack: Kix cereal with some granola added to it. This of course is not in the TA book at all but I was starving when I got home from work and didn't want to munch the whole time til dinner, so I opted for something quick and filling.
Dinner: Also not on the TA list, but John brought home steaks and wanted to grill out, so I made some roasted mushrooms (in the TA book) and some roasted potatoes, also steamed some green beans! Yummy!
Have a great Wednesday Everyone!
I have to admit, I really like having a menu plan to look at, even if I don't follow 100%, it gives me a base to look at and edit or add as I go along. I do plan to follow the plan verbatim as soon as I quit nursing because I want to see drastic results when the day comes! I truly feel like this menu plan is doable. The food so far has been very good, with my small tweeks, but I think they will be just as filling and delicious without my tweeks.
I did update yesterday's dinner...so check it out (I even added a picture!). I will definitely be taking pictures of everything. Like I have mentioned before, I love to cook, and I also love to make it look as pretty as I can. So hopefully the pictures will help. The 30 day Method book doesn't come with any pictures so it will give you some idea of what it might look like, and also give me an archive to go back and see.
So I weighed myself yesterday and I am at 186, which I know is not good but it is still not my heaviest and is still about 8 pounds less than what I weighed at the beginning of my pregnancy with Eleanor (my 2nd). So I will take it...less to lose, right!
Now on to the food (and yes I have a picture of breakfast!!)
Breakfast: Red Leaf roll up: 2 pieces of red leaf lettuce, chicken pieces (leftover from last night), avocado slices, tomoato slices (from canned whole peeled tomatoes (leftover from minestrone), basil (dried)
Snack: Egg sandwich
Lunch: leftover minestone soup (I must have made a ton of this because this is the 3rd time I have eaten it)
Snack: Kix cereal with some granola added to it. This of course is not in the TA book at all but I was starving when I got home from work and didn't want to munch the whole time til dinner, so I opted for something quick and filling.
Dinner: Also not on the TA list, but John brought home steaks and wanted to grill out, so I made some roasted mushrooms (in the TA book) and some roasted potatoes, also steamed some green beans! Yummy!
Have a great Wednesday Everyone!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Goal- cause we always need something to be working toward, right?
I have started tracking everything on sparkpeople.com for two reasons. One is to hold myself accountable for EVERYTHING I put into my mouth during the day or night. Two is so that I can modify it since I need extra calories for me to keep up with breastfeeding. I have found a great Tracy Anderson message board on there that just has a few women on it, which I like cause I think it will provide great motivation for everyone included. One of the ladies has an awesome goal/reward list on her spark page that got me thinking.
I need a reward for myself for reaching my goal.
A BIG REWARD!!
So I have thought about it and came up with this...
Isn't it beautiful!
This is the beach at Amansala Beach Resort. They hold Binkini Boot-camps throughout the year and I have been wanting to go there for years!! So, I plan to do this for myself. I am setting up a bank account to make this happen. I am going to print this off and put it on my fridge so that every time I go in the kitchen I will see it. You don't get to this beach by eating cookies or fast food! I will get to this beach with all the hard work I will do and accomplish!
Now to leave work and stay motivated when I get home!
I need a reward for myself for reaching my goal.
A BIG REWARD!!
So I have thought about it and came up with this...
This is the beach at Amansala Beach Resort. They hold Binkini Boot-camps throughout the year and I have been wanting to go there for years!! So, I plan to do this for myself. I am setting up a bank account to make this happen. I am going to print this off and put it on my fridge so that every time I go in the kitchen I will see it. You don't get to this beach by eating cookies or fast food! I will get to this beach with all the hard work I will do and accomplish!
Now to leave work and stay motivated when I get home!
Repeat for 2nd day
I refuse to give up, so I am just eating left overs from yesterday. I know that each day will pose some kind of challenge or obstacle (why did it just take me 3 tries to get that word spelled right, lol!) that I will have to face and move on. I will be flexible to this plan until one day everything will fall into place. (or out of place, like my stomach pooch)
Last night was a tough night. Everyone in the house is sick. Luckily I am just a little stuffed up. But I was up all night with Eleanor, and my son woke up coughing and wanting to sleep with us. So I will be working out as soon as I get home and breastfeed E. I will be doing the TA Cardio I workout, which I am sure my son will want to do with me since he loves to dance around the house also. This is a good thing.
Goal for tonight:
Workout with cardio- at least 20 mins
Weigh in and measure
Take pictures...eek! (still trying to decide if I should post them or just save them and take a picture at the beginning of every month)
Breakfast: Egg Sandwich: This will be my staple breakfast, cause it is fast, nutritious, and filling
Snack: Strawberry Mint Salad
Lunch: Minestrone Soup (grabbed a peanut butter rice krispie treat at daycare!)
Snack: Apple
Dinner: Chicken with veggies and wilted Kale:
I think I need to start taking pictures of all the cooking and food plated up because it all looks so pretty with all the healthy vibrant colors. What do you think? Want to see some pictures?
Hope you all have a great Tuesday.
Last night was a tough night. Everyone in the house is sick. Luckily I am just a little stuffed up. But I was up all night with Eleanor, and my son woke up coughing and wanting to sleep with us. So I will be working out as soon as I get home and breastfeed E. I will be doing the TA Cardio I workout, which I am sure my son will want to do with me since he loves to dance around the house also. This is a good thing.
Goal for tonight:
Workout with cardio- at least 20 mins
Weigh in and measure
Take pictures...eek! (still trying to decide if I should post them or just save them and take a picture at the beginning of every month)
Breakfast: Egg Sandwich: This will be my staple breakfast, cause it is fast, nutritious, and filling
Snack: Strawberry Mint Salad
Lunch: Minestrone Soup (grabbed a peanut butter rice krispie treat at daycare!)
Snack: Apple
Dinner: Chicken with veggies and wilted Kale:
I think I need to start taking pictures of all the cooking and food plated up because it all looks so pretty with all the healthy vibrant colors. What do you think? Want to see some pictures?
Hope you all have a great Tuesday.
Monday, March 5, 2012
First Day with Tracy
I started this morning off with the Tracy Anderson Post-Pregnancy DVD, and worked it for about 20 minutes. I will be adding 5-10 minutes everyday to the routine, so I will be getting up earlier to finish the whole 40 minutes. I love her ab routines, I can really feel them the next day in the exact spots that I know I WANT to be feeling them.
Today's nutrition:
Breakfast: Egg sandwich; egg, whole wheat bread, mozzarella, parmesan cheese
Snack: Strawberry mint salad: strawberries, mint, agave nectar
Lunch: pork tenderloin rollup: flatbread, hummus, mozzarella, arugula, pork tenderloin
Snack: tomato minestrone
Dinner: Cod with roasted asparagus, couple pieces of sweet potato, half of a biscuit with tsp of jelly
Mindless eating: ate 2 oatmeal cookies while getting some for my son, and while making rice krispie treats I ate 3 marshmallows! I need all the sugar OUT OF MY HOUSE!!! I am in such a routine and probably addicted to sugar right now that I just pop things in my mouth without realizing it til after I have swallowed it. And honestly I pop things in my mouth knowing that they are wrong for me but think...oh one little bite isn't going to hurt. But it does! All eating sugar does is make me crave it more. I need to stop this cycle right now.
With the meals I prepared yesterday I have leftovers so I will just be redoing most of day 1 on day 2. That is actually a good thing cause it will stretch out my $$ a bit more since I am spending more on groceries.
Have a great Monday!
Today's nutrition:
Breakfast: Egg sandwich; egg, whole wheat bread, mozzarella, parmesan cheese
Snack: Strawberry mint salad: strawberries, mint, agave nectar
Lunch: pork tenderloin rollup: flatbread, hummus, mozzarella, arugula, pork tenderloin
Snack: tomato minestrone
Dinner: Cod with roasted asparagus, couple pieces of sweet potato, half of a biscuit with tsp of jelly
Mindless eating: ate 2 oatmeal cookies while getting some for my son, and while making rice krispie treats I ate 3 marshmallows! I need all the sugar OUT OF MY HOUSE!!! I am in such a routine and probably addicted to sugar right now that I just pop things in my mouth without realizing it til after I have swallowed it. And honestly I pop things in my mouth knowing that they are wrong for me but think...oh one little bite isn't going to hurt. But it does! All eating sugar does is make me crave it more. I need to stop this cycle right now.
With the meals I prepared yesterday I have leftovers so I will just be redoing most of day 1 on day 2. That is actually a good thing cause it will stretch out my $$ a bit more since I am spending more on groceries.
Have a great Monday!
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