Loving Planks

I never thought I would say this, but I actually love doing....PLANKS!!!  Yes, people, I never would have ever imagined myself ever saying that...EVER!!!

Do you know how long I have avoided doing planks? Oh, let's say at least...20 years!!! And you know what? It showed!!! YUP! I admit it! That is no secret. Remember when the world first saw me on America's Got Talent? Do you remember that chunky, middle-aged woman? While I did work out believe it or not, I avoided planks like the plague for YEARS as you could probably tell. However, after losing some weight and wanting to work on my core, I asked my awesome fitness blogging friend, Nancy Kim, (who is also a certified fitness instructor) what I could do. She recommended planks. I dreaded them, and told her I dreaded them but that I was willing to give them a try since I saw what they did for her core.

From the moment I tried doing planks after decades of avoiding them, I could feel them working EXACTLY where I wanted them to work, and I instantly fell in love with planks. I was in serious agony from the get go, and I had no idea how I was going to get through even just one minute at first, but it was great because I could feel them working, and I like it when I think something is working for me. I could see results very quickly! I want to say I saw results even within a couple of days.

Of course, I still have a long way to go (ok, I admit that my abs do not look like Nancy's :)), but Nancy said she has suggestions of variations of planks to keep things challenging so that my body doesn't get used to things since your body adapts rather quickly and that exercises get less effective as your body adapts to them. Oh my, did she say MORE challenging? Uh oh. Well, ok..I guess she knows what she is talking about. I will have to give her a call when I'm ready. But for right now, I think the 3-5 sets of 1 minute each or 1 minute and 10 seconds each is about all I can handle at the moment. When that gets "too easy",or if I don't see as much results after that, then I will see what more challenging planks to take on. Until then, the normal "less challenging" planks are plenty challenging enough for me right now! :)

OMG! I Can't Wait to Try This!!!

OMG! I am SOOO EXCITED!!!  I just found out that Shakeology just came out with a new flavor...VANILLA!  I am SOOO EXCITED I cannot even being to tell you!  You don't understand!  I LOVE vanilla!  Vanilla is actually my FAVORITE flavor ice cream (well green tea ice cream now ties for 1st as my favorite flavor or comes in at a very close 2nd, but vanilla will never move below the #1 whether another flavor ties with it or not.  That is how much I love vanilla!).  So, when I heard Beachbody was coming out with a new vanilla flavor Shakeology shake, I was really excited!  From the looks of things, it seems like it is going to be good, so I am looking forward to trying it!  I have really loved the other flavors I have tried so far.  I especially LOVE the Greenberry!  It is my happy drink/smoothie, and I look forward to drinking it everyday, so I am hopeful and looking forward to trying this new, vanilla flavor!  After I try it, I will let you guys know what I think about this new flavor!



As I have mentioned before, I LOVE Shakeology!  I look forward to drinking this everyday!  I love how this product tastes.  I love how this product makes me feel.  I love how this product has been working for me.  My body craves this stuff!  When my friend, who is a fitness instructor, told me about Shakeology before, I didn't understand it, but I finally tried it. I am so glad I finally did.  Now, I seriously cannot imagine my life without this baby! And apparently, I'm not the only one!  Watch this! :)




Have a great day, and STAY HEALTHY!!!

Fun and Easy Toning Exercises to Do Anywhere!

I enjoy working out. I love walking on my treadmill, especially while watching a movie, tv program, kdrama, or watching the Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Finals, and I love using my weight machines. However, there are times when my schedule may not allow for my normal workout routines. One example would be when I travel, for instance. During those times, I still want to be able to exercise and tone somehow, but I know I may not always have access to a treadmill or some kind of exercise equipment. Even though I may not have access to a treadmill or my weight machines, I still like to keep working on toning everyday somehow, especially as I get older. I need something that is flexible and realistic that I can apply or use no matter where I am.

This is why I especially like the exercises I got from Fumiko who is the creator of the Face Yoga Method. I happen to stumble upon her youtube channel while browsing through some videos on youtube. Fumiko also has a membership site which seems very good from what I can tell so far, but she actually offers a free webinar which I have taken, as well, if you want to check things out first. Her youtube channel also has a lot of great videos too that can give you a good start on things if you want to try some of her exercises.

Here are a couple of my favorite exercises from Fumiko's Face Yoga Method that you can do anywhere whether you are at home or traveling. I still have a long way to go, but I could a see a difference once I started doing her exercises, so I do these everyday now. Besides, I think these are just fun to do, and I can do these anywhere so that makes it very easy for me, and hey, at my age, I'll take easy! :)

Wait!...No Weight!

Hope everyone had a good Father's Day!

People have told me recently, especially those who have not seen me in a while, that they have noticed I have lost quite a bit of weight. It has been really nice to get compliments on how I have been looking healthier and better. I have gotten more compliments now in my mid 40's than I have ever gotten in my early 20's! HA HA!! :) So THANK YOU for lifting this old gal's spirits! :)

I know some of you have asked me what I have been doing to lose weight. Well, to put it briefly, I have been working with my wonderful endocrinologist and am finally getting my thyroid regulated which has gotten me started off on the right track. I also continue to lead a healthy lifestyle, as I have always done by eating healthy and exercising, which, luckily, I enjoy doing. I do core exercises I got from faceyogamethod.com that I LOVE!!! (I am actually getting abs for the first time in my life! I still have a long way to go, but even when I was skinny years ago, I never had abs before so I will give myself more time. hee hee :)); AND the BEST thing I have done for myself fairly recently that has helped me and has made the biggest difference for me personally is I started taking Shakeology! I love this stuff and cannot imagine life without this baby!

I saw this video and just had to laugh because yes, I admit I have done this too many times! Tony Horton is really funny in this!

Enjoy! :)