Step 3- Double up/Double down

The idea of this step is simple.. double up the good & reduce the bad. Yeah, that means whatever exercises you've been doing for the past 3 days, is now DOUBLED!

So, today... I ran 2 miles this morning, followed by 40 sit-up/crunch combos, 60 kickbacks, 20 squats, 40 jumping jacks & 20 minutes of yoga & that was just my morning routine (roughly 45 minutes total) that doesn't include my afternoon walk & the evening exercises that I do with Madi.

I, also, drank my coffee and tea without sugar & increased my intake of emergen-C & chia squeeze to 2 packs a day. I reduced smoking cigarettes by half my norm & even skipped my afternoon nap with Briley to double my walking time.

This step is hardcore! However, don't worry... like every step in this challenge, it only lasts 3 days! After these 3 hardcore days, we will return to our baseline, analyze our progress & work on adding variety to our diet & exercise plan.

If I have to be honest, in my sleepy haze of morning with no sugar in my coffee... I was not looking forward to 'double up/double down'... I accidentally bumped into the scale while making breakfast & decided to weigh myself early, out of curiosity. I was so excited to see the scale read 139.4!!! I didn't expect to lose any real weight until after step 3, so to see that I've already dropped 5lbs in 6 days was all the motivation I needed to get to work!!

I have to admit ... I feel wonderful today! All this exercise & eating healthy has left me with so much energy!!! The most important difference between this diet & most is that it's created by me, for me. I spent time analyzing my habits, patterns & routines. I created a baseline of exercise that I was comfortable with and slowly increased that baseline. Now, I'm pushing through my comfort zone & reducing the bad & increasing the good.

I'm so proud of myself! I know it's only 0.6 under140lbs .. but it's been way too long since I've seen a 3 after that 1 on the scale! Usually, it's between 145&150 & I know this is just the beginning!! I can't wait to see the final results of all this hard work at the end of the challenge.

Stay tuned... ;)

Kumquat

If you can look past the crazy name.. this mini orange (that you eat in entirety..yes, Rhine & all) is bittersweet & full of vitamins!! This Challenge has turned me into a grocery store snob. I looked everywhere for these sour energy packed fruits...

I'm sure you can imagine the look on the produce guys face when I asked him for kumquat!! I had to thoroughly explain that I wasn't joking and it was, indeed, a real fruit. Anyway, I finally found them at Wegmans. Hopefully, you find them closer to home than me! I live in wv now & had to do most of my grocery shopping in md to get all the 'good supplements' for my Challenge because, although the customer service in my area is amazingly wonderful: the new age, healthy stuff is limited. Luckily, I live only 20 minutes from Everything else important!

One last side note/warning: Do not let your children (or yourself) try this fruit in the car on the way home from the store. They 1) need to be thoroughly washed to get that chemically fertilizer taste off & 2) need to be left on the counter in the fruit bowl for a few hours b/c they are a little intense when cold & most importantly 3) for little kids, they need to be cut in half because they are super juicy. If you try to bite into them without the entire thing in your mouth, you will violently splash anyone within a 5ft radius with citrus juice... oh, that reminds me.. I've got to go clean my windshield... ;) ok, enjoy!!

Breakfast of champions (& dessert lovers)

Nothing healthier can curb a sweet tooth craving like fresh fruit. Those of you that know me, know I have the worst sweet tooth...well teeth really! So, I try to get a jump on it first thing in the morning. After I have my handful of various gummy vitamins (great excuse to eat candy for breakfast, by the way), I make myself this delicious and nutritious breakfast...

Fresh strawberries, cleaned & sliced
Fresh blueberries, raspberries and/or blackberries
Fresh green/red and/or black grapes
Top with your favorite flavor Greek yogurt (mine is the yoplait coconut flavor...hard to find...totally worth it!)

Of course, you can modify this recipe to your personal taste. The basis of it is fresh fruit of your choice with yummy, high protein Greek yogurt. Protein is excellent at burning fat & making you feel full. So, if you use Greek yogurt, you can skip the fattening granola topping that most recipes include. Making this recipe low fat, delicious & nutritious... win, win, win!