Body Building Challenge..Yes Please!

For the past 3 weeks now (I'm on week 4) I have been doing the Jamie Eason Body building (LiveFit) challenge. It's a 12 week program designed to help you transform your body.
This program is on bodybuilding.com
The hardest part so far for me, is doing no cardio at all for four weeks. Its been hard. Especially since I have a race coming up in a couple of weeks.
5-6 days a week I've been in the gym lifting weights. Focusing on a different body part each day.
Last week and this week have been a little different, since we have had leg workouts twice during the week.
I feel myself getting stronger. I seem to have more overall energy and I am sleeping a little bit better.
Instead of tossing and turning all night long, I sleep rather soundly, (that is, unless my two year old gets up).

This is a 12 week program and next week starts intense cardio + weight lifting. Its exciting.
Although I havent been 100% on the food end of my program (You are suppose to eat clean/unprocessed food) I have cut back on a lot and watching what I eat more closely.  I'm making healther choices and have limited myself to one cup of coffee (made with Stevia, in the raw) sweetener, and only one Coca-cola a week (if that).
My skin is more clear, and overall looks much better.

The best part is, at the end of the 12 weeks, I hope that I've made progress towards my goals.  My main goal is to drop down to 17% body fat.  I'm at 25% right now.  I'm not worried so much about the scale but it wouldn't hurt me to see if a few pounds drop off.

Im very aware that muscle weights more than fat, so I'm not as concerned about weight loss, but more about fat loss.  I've lost a few inches over my body as well.  :)

You can find out more information at www.bodybuilding.com  They have many plans to choose from and its FREE.  The only money you will need, is if you shop through their supplements or through their fitness/workout gear.   :)

So whats keeping you?  Going to the gym and tracking my workouts each day has kept me ON TOP of my goals.  I haven't missed a single workout yet, and I hope I don't have too. I know there are times where you might be sick, or one of the kids might get sick, which is why on the Jamie Eason LiveFit challenge, she also has a few workouts designed for "If you just CANT make it to the gym"... :)

Happy Sunday

Hi Everyone.

I hope you've been doing well this weekend.  Its been busy getting all the fabrics all washed up and the designing and sewing has already began for the first season of Kalli+Alba, the modest and fun, girls clothing line.  We are going to be starting our trunk shows in the next month for our Spring and Summer fashions and would you believe it if I already told you, that I already know what my fall line is going to be? Yep! That's how far ahead I'm thinking.

Tonight is Awana's at church, and I can not wait to see all my 5th-6th grade girls again. I had to miss last week, but I always miss my girls when I'm not there.

I wanted to let you all know, encase you missed the free opportunity for my book, that it is free ONCE again and I am in the writing stages of book two in the Temporary Route Series.  You can find the first book in the series: Temporary Route: Trouble Along the way.

                                                 
  Get it today!  I also appreciate any reviews that you may leave me after you've read the book.  Try to be somewhat nice, as this is the first book I've converted from Hardcover to E-book format and I know there are some errors that I may have missed.

Also, if you've missed the Grand Launch of our new Girls Clothing Line, Here is a picture:

What a COLD tuesday!

While most of the schools around this part of the state have a two hour delay this morning, our school system does not..   Brrrr!  I almost feel bad that my kiddo's have to go outside in this FREEZING weather.. After all, we live in the South..It just shouldn't get cold? Right?  That is what everyone always says... Little known fact about the South.. ON ANY randon fall/spring/ Winter day..You'll find you might just use your heat AND your air conditioner in the same day....  It happens almost every spring.. At nights, its COLD.. During the days it gets up in the 70s and maybe 80s. It's insane.. We've had snow.. We've even had a couple of blizzards...  I don't like cold. I'll never complain about it being 70 degrees, ANY TIME OF YEAR.

Okay, getting on with our post for the day.. I'm always on the lookout for health and information sites regarding how to live a healthier life.  I am  a fan of various pages on facebook of fitness models, motivational fitness people, Clean eating, etc.    I Love learning new ways, I just need to learn to implement them into my everyday life.

I came across a site called Lose Big Fat .  It has a TON of information on it and yesterday there was an awesome motivational speaker on there.  (It didnt neccessarily deal with weightloss, but being successful in general and he made some really really good points).  The site is updated several times a day with new information and articles.  I'm already a huge fan.  They also have a facebook page, which will alert you of new postings to the website.  It's a really great site and I've been learning a ton.

One of my favorite posts is about something that MANY people forget.  Instead of watching the scale go "down"...it may stay the same and might even raise a little maybe  making you think you are gaining weight..
But have you  "measured"... Yes. get out that measuring tape.  Muscle weighs more than fat, but is MUCH more attractive.  If you have lean muscle then you are going to look better even at the same weigh you are now, than if you just have fat and no muscle.   Measuring yourself is one of the best ways of knowing whats going on? Whether its muscle or fat.  You main gain an inch in your arms over time but your arms may also appear more slim!   You could be losing inches in your hips and thighs too?  But the scale may not change much.

You have to go visit this page and search through all the tons of information.... I'm heading there now, to see what their newest update is!  :)

Happy Sunday Morning

Well, I have a confession to make.. I'm not a good "healthy eater". I try, but fail more days than I don't.
But thats okay, because its life.. I'm trying and I feel that is more important that sitting around stuffing my face  while watching tv. (while that can be fun, at least I'm trying).

Last night while reading a book, I put it down. (I love to read..I love the way it lets you visit places you'd otherwise never go. I like the small escape from reality for a few moments).  I begin to think back over the last few years with my husband and my kiddo's.. and decided that something has to change.

 You see, I think that when we are not happy with ourselves we take it out on everyone else, even if we don't mean too.  if I am being 100% honest with myself, I haven't been "happy" with myself in a long time. Something has been missing.   When I was nine years old, I vaguely remember walking to the front of our HUGE chuch with my mom and dad.  I remember lots of people giving me hugs and I remember going with my parents afterwards to speak with our pastor at the time.  I remember my mom crying as I, at nine years old asked Jesus to come into my heart.    Fast forward.. I was in my early twenties. I had been married a few years (We had two kids a little over a year apart).  My wonderful husband and I were sitting in church on a sunday night, and my husband had given his testimony.. I felt this overwhelming since of urgency come over me, and a voice in my head. It scared me. It scared me really bad.  I could hear it loud and clear.  I wasn;t truly saved.  You see, All my life from the time I was nine until that moment, I just went through the motions.  I went to church nearly every Sunday and Wednesday. I worked in the children's ministry, but I didnt't have that closeness with God.  

Let me put it this way.  If you plant a seed in the ground, and you water if for a few days, and it starts to grow, and then you stop watering it and stop taking care of the area around it, it begins to wilt and die from lack of care/nutrients, Nurture.

Fast Forward to last night. I realized once again that for the past couple of years, I've just been going through the motions.. While I still feel God's presence in my life. It wasn't like it once was.  I've stopped watering that part of my life. I've stopped taking care of my spiritual life.   So I put down my book that I had been reading and I begin to pray.  I don't know how long I prayed, but I prayed.  I could feel my heart beating faster.  I could feel an overwhelming since of Calm and urgency at the same time come over me. (IT was a strange feeling), but I knew it immediately.

You see, My 9 year old son and I have a horrible relationship. I'm not a bad mother, and he's not a bad son..and by horrible, what I mean is....we argue ALL THE TIME.  We do this, because unfortunately, he and I are basically the same.  We are both hard-headed people who have to get the last work. We are NEVER wrong, and if we are, we hardly ever admit it.   I had this issue growing up. My oldest brother and I, and our father were the SAME WAY. While my other older brother and my mom were very calm.

I have a hard time "picking my battles" because I love the feeling of an argument..but I only like to argue with my son.. I don't like to argue with anyone else..Not my mother, not my father, not my husband, not even my daughters...  Its weird....but its our way of loving each other.

I prayed last night to God to help me show love to my kids better.  TO be a better wife, and mom.  To help me find a way to better our relationship. You see, I am a STRONG woman., but I can't do this alone.  I was ignorant to think that I could.  I can't do this without the help of God.  I can try, but I won't get very far.

I prayed last night, and I guess you could call it "Re-dedication".   I've come to realize, that even thought I was saved in my early twenties, TRULY ONE HUNDRED PERCENT SAVED.  My relationship with him was suffering because I was not giving it what it needed.  my Prayer journal is empty because I had stopped writing in it.  I use to write in it EVERY DAY many times a day, and I loved looking back over it at the the prayers I had written and saw how God had answered them.
He may not answer the way you want him to, but he answers. and he 'see's the big picture..not just the small area of your life that you see.

So there is my confession...or more than one.  I've re-committed my life, I'm trying to get my spiritual life back to where it is supposed to be and I'm trying really hard.  I am putting it here because it helps me when I put it in writing and sometimes, God will send someone to help you be more accountable.
No, this post wasn't based on being Heathy to much, in the sense that most would say.. But i do believe that if you have a "healthy" relationship with God, and a Healthy relationship with your family, then its just easier to be "healthy" all around.

Happy New Year

I can't believe I have not posted since September!   Life has been kind of busy lately.
Let's see.... In September, my husband and I participated in the Talladega Half Marathon and 5k Race.  That wasn't my best 5k.. It wasn't my work either. My husband had only ran his FIRST race (a 5k) two weeks prior to this, but I am so proud of him. He ran and didn't stop for the entire 13.1 miles! He finished in about 2 hours and 14 minutes. This is incredible time!!! Especially for someone who was NEW to Running!
He has done an excellent job, lost a good deal of weight since then (including having to nearly buy an entire new wardrobe of clothing because all of his were too big!) What a great reason!!!!!

I'm impressed with my times from my Races so far. Although I have only ran 5k's, Its been fun.
Let's recount this year of races for me.
My very first 5k ever, (I walked most of it) my time was 43 mins even.
My second 5k was the Talladega Half Marathon and 5k and my time was 39 minutes
and then the Liz Hurley 5k which I did in November with both my husband and our oldest child, Our 9 year old boy (who has run several 5k's so far) was 37 minutes.  I've also participated in various VIRTUAL 5k runs as well.

I took off the month of December for running because it was really hard (schedule wise)..-I know. BAD MOMMY!  and I am paying for it now.

For the Year of 2013..Here is what I have planned so far.
My goal is to run 500 miles, with hopes of hitting 1000 before Dec 31 2013.
I have the Dirty Girl Mud run, that I am running with a few of my members from our Moms RUN this town chapter in our area.  If you are a runner, check out www.MomsRUNthistown.com   and find a chapter near you.  We have over 300 chapters across the nation and Canada. It's a free running club for moms (You can be any kind of mom, Moms of humans, mom of pets, basically as long as you have the required body parts of a woman, you can join!  ;)   Whether you walk, jog or run! Push a stroller, carry a leash, or just an ipod... Check us OUT!


In April, I have the SuperHero Scramble.  This is a 5-6 mi run with 20+ obstacles. These aren't your everyday obstacles and looks to be MUCH harder than the warrior dash.. If you like mud runs and want to be covered in SLIME, you need to go to www.superheroscramble.com and check them out.

I also would like to run in the "Lead me to the Cross" this year, as well as the Cotton Row Run again in May.  If I can, I would LOVE my first half marathon to be the Huntsville Half in November 2013.

I encourage you all to check out http://www.losebigfat.com/ as this site has a ton of information on becoming healthy!

I hope you all had a great 2012, and I look forward to posting more in 2013!
With the official launch of my Girls Modest & Fun clothing line (www.kallialba.com) and still doing the Bridal Line full speed, Its going to be a busy year.

Challenges

I should have posted this the beginning of September, when I started it.  You can probably use this for any month though, there are always health and Fitness challenges out there.
During the Month of September I started seriously working on my butt and thighs.  I cant count the number of lunges and squats that Ive done, and there have been days where it was hard to walk, and especially hot to sit, but I made it through.  I've even got something to help you get through those painful days a little bit easier.

I'm posting a picture of a challenge from a site that I visit a lot on Facebook.  I got this from Health and Fitness Chick.   This lady is a Killer Workout Lady.   She's got some awesome stuff going on.

Okay, I do NOT only do the workout's in this challenge. This is just like a mini workout. (I have done this on several occasions while the kids were eating breakfast and getting ready for school.  I also do an entirely different workout that includes Dead Leg Lifts, more squats and lunges, side lunges, side squats, bridges, donkey kicks, one leg squats, etc.  On top of all this, I am consistently running almost everyday. I normally run at least 3.1 miles, but some days I go 3 1/2.  Of course, there are a few days, where I only make it 2 miles.  -But hey, at least I'm doing it, right.   GOT Young kids?  No problem, put them in a stroller and start walking.. Heck, At the Talladega Half and 5k, I saw people RUNNING pushing their kids in an Umbrella stroller.. As long as its a flat road like surface, this isn't a problem, but if you want to be extra safe and don't want the child to asborb all the shock, check out craigslist and look into buying a used Jogging Stroller.  Or a new one if you have the funds for it!.

Okay, so Earlier I mentioned something that can help you get through those days where you are hurting so bad you can barely walk from your awesome workout the day before.  Well first off, SLEEP, but don't stop working out!  Keep it up. PUSH through the pain. -But this will help cut your sore time down..Nightime Recovery   If you want something to start immediate after your workout, you can try this: Post Workout Recovery.
Also, make sure you are eating foods that will HELP your workout, not hinder your workout. This is one of the hardest parts for me. I love food. I love junk food. I love pizza. I love chocolate. I love .........non healthy foods!  -  I have found that I can still eat all of these, just not on an every day basis like I was.  It really does help.  

Fall Beginnings

I know I haven't posted since July, and I can come up with a thousand excuses, but I'm not.  I just didn't get around to posting. That's my final and honest answer.

So what's been going on since the last time I posted..
Well... My husband and I just made a trip to Talladega, where he ran a Half Marathon.  Only two weeks after he ran his FIRST 5k.  Sound's crazy, right?  It is.  No lie there, but he did it! He ran the entire half, without stopping and made excellent time at 2 hours and 12 minutes.

I didn;t do so well on my 5k part but I did ok. I clocked in at 39 minutes.
Our nine year old completed his 2nd 5k since May and our almost 8 year old has taken up running as well.
Their Choice-  They love running now and make a point to go outside and run a mile or more every couple of days.  Our 2 year old like to try and chase them.

I really want to touch on something that has become a huge pet peeve of mine.....
People that constantly complain about wanting to change their life, needing to change their life, SAYING that they are changing their life, but its not working....BUT they are really just sitting there....Pretending to do all of the above..

If you really want to change your life, get healthy, then do it! If you are having a hard time, don't kill yourself over it. Everyone has those days. NO ONE SAID IT WAS GOING TO BE EASY!

Lets say your goal is to .."stop eating so much fast food".. Then do it.  Take a snack in your car with you when you are out, so when you are tempted to run through the drive thru, just because you see the sign and think "that' will taste good"-take out your healthy snack, KEEP YOUR MIND STRONG, and munch on that.

IF you want to exercise- DO IT.  You don't have to join a gym.  Start by walking in your neighborhood or even around your house.
Let me tell you this: 6 months ago, I couldn't even RUN for 2 minutes without being out of breath and stopping.. I even had a NINE week break from running/jogging to let my foot heal from an Achilles Tendon Injury, but NOW I can run an entire 5k WITHOUT stopping. (That's 3.1 miles for all of you that didn't already know that).. In fact, I can actually RUN 3 1/2 miles without stopping.-Maybe more.
I just PUSH myself because I know that If I don't ...NO ONE ELSE WILL.

I can't blame my kids, or my husband, or my parents, or my friends for ME not choosing to be healthy. I am the ONLY one in charge of the food I eat, and the exercise I do. I am the only one that is going to reach MY goals. NO ONE ELSE is able to do that for me.

That being said=-I eat junk food.. ALL THE TIME... I can't just GIVE it up.  In fact, I'm just as guilty as the next person for eating fast food. I am HORRIBLE at eating pizza several times a week.---But I am cutting back. SLOWLY.  -I even planned out an entire menu for my family this week and guess whats NOT on the list- Pizza!   What is on the list.. Yummy delicious, HEALTHY versions of Taco's, Chicken n Dumplings, Crock Pot Chicken, Sandwiches, etc.. and YES I still drink Soda's... But I've cut back a lot from the days where that was ALL I would drink.

Do you have cans of food lying around?   You can use those in the place of hand held waits. It may not be a lot, but its something.  You can do squats while watching tv, or cooking in the kitchen.  You can do to lifts while washing dishes (for those of you that do not depend on a dishwasher to do it all).  You can exercise while mopping or vacuuming.  You may look funny dancing around while doing it, but who cares!  Have a little fun with it.

When I run, and I look over at my gps tracker to see that I've hit a mile, or a half mile, or two miles. I just start smiling and telling myself that I will NOT quit!  My MIND may be saying quit, but my body is more than willing to go that extra mile!

Don't listen to the negatives in your life that tell you that you can't do it!  Turn your CAN'T into CAN and change your life.

Every small change, over time added together turns into a HUGE change!  YOU CAN reach your goals.

No, whether your goal is to gain weight, build muscle, loose weight, maintain weight, eat healthier, or even just to make your skin look better......There are ways you can get help without destroying your insides.
Click here to see how we can create a plan just for you.  Or you can click Here to see even more.
Let's just start by helping you make healthier choices!  (I'm right there with you).... A little change over time, is a HUGE change over all...... Rome wasn't built in a day.. You are NOT going to see change immediately, but give it time, and you will....Your body will thank you.