Getting my body back Friday

If you've been following along in the spring and summer months, you'd remember that after having my 7th baby I was working on getting my body back. I haven't done any updates on that for a while, so I've decided to give some update on my progress.

Also, I've decided to dedicate Fridays as Getting My Body Back Friday for anybody's who working on getting into shape as well. I'll be sharing some inspiration on the topic, in addition to videos and articles on nutrition and exercise or anything else I come up with to help us keep on our journey.

Feel free to post any suggestions or links of interest you have.

So, today I'm unveiling my progress starting from April 2009. This is a few weeks after I started my journey.



This is when I began gardening and incorporated this activity into my workout routine.



Drum roll please!!! This is me 8 months later in the same pants. I'm about to head outside for my walk and jogging. I still have some work to do - working on the abs, but I'm so happy and appreciative for the progress I've made so far. I feel great and energized and still open to learning and improving.




This was taken today. I just finished my walking and jogging. Yep, that's snow in the background. I've made a walking/jogging path. I've committed to change from hibernating in the winter to staying active and participating in winter fun as well.

I look forward to snow days now because I go out to shovel and get a good workout - adding some variety to my routine.

I've made some radical changes in my life and I'm loving it. I hope my progress has inspired you to join in the Getting My Body Back Friday and let's support each other. Or at least I've inspired you to continue working on getting into shape until you reach your goal.




And here is the baby princess, Roxella. She's almost 1 year old. This was her 1st Christmas.

Take responsibility for your progress

Getting my body back - Day 101

To achieve success in any goal, you need to take responsibility for your own progress. Engaging in the activities that gets you closer to your goal is one part. But when you evaluate and measure your own progress you get a clear picture of where you are and where you desire to be. Then, you can form a strategy to get you there.

As you take responsibility for your own progress, you get to decide what's working for you and what's not. You can make adjustments in your activities, weeding out those activities that are not productive to your goal achievement, and add in new ones that will get you get closer to your target.

Going with what you feel in your heart helps you to see what you're in alignment with. For example, as part of my workout routine, I found that I was no longer feeling very enthusiastic about my aerobic workout. I know I needed to do something that would get my heart rate up and get my metabolism fine tuned, but I felt that I was getting really tired of the repetitions. I didn't mind the weight lifting but I needed to replace the aerobic workout with something that I feel I could stick with that would still give me the results I'm looking for.

I was really honest with myself - looking at the exercises I enjoyed doing and which ones was just a bummer for me. So I devised a plan - going for walks, but really working my arms back and forth as I go to give me the extra workout. Yesterday I had my 3 year old up on my shoulders as I walked. The extra weight made me work a bit harder and I added my weight lifting for toning after.

Now, if I ever feel like I'm getting bored of this, I know I can change it again and improvise. It's about me having fun while I'm moving towards my target and still getting the results I'm looking for.

Taking responsibility for your progress means that you get to choose what you enjoy doing that would energize you to get you closer to your goal. When you enjoy what you're doing it's not a drudgery but a joy and a joy that will propel you faster towards the finish line.

Fuelling words: I take responsibility for my progress and enjoy the rewards from the progress I make.

Workout: gardening, walking, weight lifting

Measuring results and getting drastic

Getting my body back - Day 100

When President Obama reached his first 100 days in office his progress as president was evaluated at the 100 day mark.

It's now my turn. At the 100 day mark on my journey to reaching my ideal weight goal, I'm assessing my progress on a scale of 1 to 10. I give myself a 5. Many great lessons were learned over the period, but it's time I take this up a notch.

In the eating department, I'm measuring my results and getting drastic here - increasing my salads (low carb foods) and cutting back on portions of other foods, like rice and pasta. On the exercises, I'm also measuring my results and getting drastic here, as well.

So, in addition to my gardening and around the house duties, I've included brisk walking - not just a stroll, but an upbeat, getting my heart rate up deep breathing type of walking. I've also included my weight lifting after my brisk walk for toning and strength.

Even though I've shed a few noticeable pounds, it's time for some intensity and I'm seeing more results even now - that's 4 days now since I've started my intensity program. When you're at the point that you're not satisfied with what you're getting, the next step is to measure your results and get drastic. There's a determination that wells up inside of you when you've had enough.

When you've set out to achieve your goals, measuring results is essential, but setting parameters for achieving this goal aids the progress along.

Fuelling words: I know where I am and where I'm going. I evaluate my strategy to establish a better aim at my target.

Workout: gardening, incorporating exercise in my daily routine, walking, weight lifting.

Getting to your ideal goal with the Spirit

Getting my body back - Day 75

Father's week was great and now it's time to get back to manifesting my ideal weight.

With the nice weather here, I've found it boring doing my regular exercise routine. I began paying attention to what I was truly feeling inside and discussing with God how I felt. I know I desire to get to my ideal weight goal, but I felt that I needed to incorporate my exercises into my regular schedule; something that was naturally worked into my schedule and that I enjoyed doing.

After that inner connection, I went about my daily activities, one of which included working out in our huge garden. I tell you; the work that I do out in the garden doesn't feel like work but leans more on the fun side.

After my garden workout I felt aches in places and muscles I forgot I had. Even in my regular exercise routine, I don't think I've really worked out these muscles. Talk about a full body workout naturally and effortlessly. I say 'effortlessly' because as I said before, even though I was working, I was having fun, even with the aches. I'm seeing more results now than when I was only doing my workout routine.

Now, that works for me. Do you find yourself engaging in boring routines perhaps necessary to achieve your goals? There's never just one way to arriving at your desired results. If you allow yourself to be open to the Spirit you never know what inspired ideas you may be led into or think of. And as a matter of fact, the results of those ideas may be a short cut to achieving the same goal with more fun, less effort and less time.

The Omniscient Mind knows every path and every possible combination of ideas to get you to the results that you've been working on for many years now.

Stop and make connection to the inner Spirit, communicate your desired end results and look for and expect to receive the answer to the path you should take to getting to your ideal goal with the Spirit.

Fuelling words: I communicate consistently with the Spirit and discover new inspired ideas to the path I should take to achieve my desired results.

Garden exercise - full body workout.

Visualization to getting your body back - Part 4

Getting my body back - Day 51

Working out the butt and full body work out.

Visualization comes into play when you're working on reshaping your butt and your entire body. It is important to place emphasis on the feeling factor. I've used getting your body back into shape as an example; however, this is the basis for any aspect of your life that you're working to change. It takes the same principles; beginning from the inside, from the root of where all change begins, and working outward - the physical expression of the change that took place within.

Feeling your feelings is the driving force behind your visualization to acquire what you desire. Note here, I didn't say what you want but what it is you desire. Wanting leaves you in the state of wishing to have something but not truly believing that you can really attain it. Whereas desire communicates the deeper inner longing of the soul and the clarity of knowing exactly what it is you wish to have.

With desire, because you are so clear on the desired outcome, you are focusing on this final result and are engaged in experiencing the feelings of having that desire, in the now. Specific desire states the amount of money you wish to have, the ideal weight you see yourself at, the kind of car you want to drive, the type of personality you like in a life partner...

As stated in a previous post, our brain does not differentiate between real and imagined, therefore, it is in this feeling of your feelings that you engage the powers of the unseen realm to work on your behalf, in addition to directing your body to respond to the brain's instructions.

Fuelling words: I engage in the feeling of my feelings in order that I may experience, in the now, the achievement of my desired result until it becomes a part of my manifested reality.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Visualization to getting your body back - Part 1

Getting my body back - Day 48

Okay, mother's week and mother's day is over. I hope you had a great time. I know I did. Now, it's time to get back on track.

We're going to focus on the specifics of visualization when working out. The principles could also be applied to any issue or project you're working on.

Visualization is a powerful enhancing tool used to get your mind and body motivated into action. It sends the message to your brain as the brain does not differentiate the difference between real and imagined.

If you've ever tried imagining that you're happy and excited about something, you may have found your body energy responding to your happy excited feeling. Your brain doesn't know that you're pretending. Similarly when you use visualization in your workout, your brain sends your desired message to the rest of your body and your body, in turn, goes into response mode to the message delivered.

Arms workout

Today, we'll deal with working out the arms. Whether or not you're using weights, focus on feeling the movement and really work the muscles. As you do this, see (imagine) your arms as your ideal size. See the ripped muscles as you engage in the movement. Doing this allows the brain to send the message to the muscles in the arms to take on this new shape. You're engaging your mind, your brain and your body to bring you the results you desire.

Fuelling words: My arms are slender and ripped. My brain is sending this new message to my arms and the cells are working now with this new message to bring me to my goal.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Evaluating your progress - Part 2

Getting my body back - Day 35

Plan ahead

With all the other responsibilities you have to pay attention to, life could become a bit hectic at times. When your schedule is packed, you may tend to neglect some of the essential steps required to gain the results you're looking for.

Last week, I've been busy working, and found myself munching here and there on cookies. Now, I know myself, once I start, a little at a time, if I don't put myself in check, a little at a time could turn into a lot at a time. Recognizing your weakness is the first step to creating change.

What do I do, then?

Instead of waiting for when I'm hungry to prepare something to eat, I've set up some new strategies to follow:

1) Make sure I've made a salad early in the day so I could just grab it out of the fridge. If I don't have the time to stop what I'm doing to prepare something, I've already taken the time, when I was not busy, to prepare for that moment.

2) Make sure I have other easy nutritious choices available at my finger tips, like an apple or peeled carrots.

Whatever weaknesses you've uncovered in your evaluation process, make plans to address them. Stop them right in their tracks before things get out of hand.

Fuelling words: I fuel my body with nutritional food giving me the extra energy I need and promote a healthy lifestyle.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Changing Inside Out Now! Getting my body back - Day 30

Miracles start in me

In order to achieve any goal in life, the miracle must first begin inside of you. All achievement has a starting point and an ending. Your final destiny is as a direct result of the growth that's occurring internally.

It first starts with a thought, then a desire, followed by a decision to physically attain that desire. Once the decision is made, the wheels in the brain start turning - how can I achieve this goal? Plans are put in place, then comes action steps; the first external evidence of what you've set out to accomplish.

When you are focused on the final goal, it propels you into action to ensure you reach your destiny. Taking your eyes off your goal, you begin to drift away from going in that direction and into the direction of whatever you're now focusing on. You cannot be driving a car going east while you're focused on north, you'll end up in a ditch or worse.

Whatever you set out to accomplish, it must first begin in you, continue to grow in you, even as you engage in activities to draw you closer to the goal. When you've finally arrived and you look back to where you started, you would see the distance you've traveled and how much you've grown.

Create miracles in your life today, starting from the inside out.

Fuelling words: I see my ideal weight. I work each day bringing into manifestation this desire.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.

Changing Inside Out Now! Getting my body back - Day 29

Need a kick in the butt?

Okay, yesterday I got a mouthful from my 10 year old daughter because I missed our workout time. I got caught up doing some work and she kept asking, "Mom, when are we going to do our workout?" I told her later. Later came and I was still busy. Yep, she gave me an earful. Talk about accountability. Yes. We did do our workout. It was quite refreshing.

Need someone who'd give you a kick in the butt, keep you on your toes and get you moving? Either enlist someone who's willing to accept the task or find a way to keep yourself accountable.

Recently, I was listening to a self improvement audio by Jack Canfield, and one of the strategies suggested to use to keep you from self-sabotaging your own goals, is to promise yourself that if you didn't follow through you would do this really terrible thing that you really don't want to do.

Think of something that you'd really despise doing as a penalty on yourself if you failed to follow through on your promise to achieving your goal.

I know I won't be able to miss a workout and I can't fire my daughter. So guess what? I have no other choice and Dad's backing her, too. And no, I don't want to hear another mouthful.

Fuelling words: I keep following through on my goal achievement promise as I'm kept accountable.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, aerobics, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.