I'm very excited to be off to a great start on the New Year Transformation Challenge at Club FYM. 

It runs 89 days so I thought that it would be fun to do a countdown to 89 days.

I won't be blogging about the challenge every day but I will be logging in here to add some of my major observations and to track my progress.

My biggest observations so far?

IT'S IN MY CONTROL 

Being healthy - eating right, drinking water , working out daily (with a day for rest) is up to me. It's totally within my control if I want it. It's a matter of deciding - and then doing it - that's all.

And then doing it again - and so on and so on.

I know that it gets easier as time goes on, and after awhile I wonder why I ever stopped.

IT'S A JOURNEY 

One of the biggest mistakes I've made in the past is keeping my eyes on the prize to the extent that when I arrived, I thought I was finished. I didn't realize how much of a journey it is - we really never arrive because the day we feel we have is the day we start moving away again.

Unless we make a conscious effort to maintain - and doing that involves many of the same things that we have to do to 'get there'.  

So strictly speaking, we really never do arrive. That means we better figure out a way to enjoy the journey!

Which I really do. There is nothing like the feeling of self control you get when you know you are doing what you told yourself you would. Which brings me to my last point.

IT'S A CONTROL ISSUE

When I was listening to one of Holly's video tips, she was talking about digging deeper to examine our goals and I had a lightbulb moment that I hadn't had before.

For me, my biggest reason beyond health, beyond weight loss, beyond looking better or even feeling healthier is control.

I want MY life back. I feel that I somehow began losing control somewhere around the time that I had my kids and got married. That is probably common!

Some of it is from the regular compromises that have to be made, and some of it is from the 'brain fog' that I seem to have developed around that time. I still need to further examine those issues - some is surely from having so much to do and the habit I had of continually adding more because for some reason I used to feel that staying home with the kids 'wasn't enough' - not for me necessarily but for the imaginary 'thems' out there who probably didn't exist but I felt were watching and judging me.

That sounds very weird but I'm sure that it isn't so uncommon. (or maybe it is :0))

But there is probably more in there that needs to be looked at so I will be examining that. 

That is a good example of how taking the time to really think about what is going on inside of you - it could be for the past decades - can help you to turn your inside thinking around. And that can make it a whole lot easier for you and less of a struggle. 

Those are my 3 biggest breakthroughs. I just noticed that 2 out of 3 of them involve control issues. Deciding that what I do with my health is entirely up to me - within my control - and discovering that I want to take that control. It seems so logical and obvious now, but it wasn't before and it's been a major breakthrough for me. 

I'm all grown up! Who would have thought? 

How about you?

Have you ever had any light bulb moments that put everything into a new light for you? 

Post from: Healthy Habits - Fitness and Weight Loss

Another Count Down - 3rd Day In

Did I sweat! It was great!

I LOVE to sweat - it's a good sign!

Holly has extended registration to noon, so if you want to get in there and sweat too, don't delay.

If you've been reading my countdown and thinking that you would like to make the change but are on the fence - nervous, don't think it will work, don't think you can do it or a host of other ways that fear rears it's ugly head and makes us less than we would like to be - my advice from the bottom of  my heart is - Just Do It.

Jump in. It does work. I know that from experience. 

Matter of fact, if I didn't have Club FYM, I KNOW that I would be at least 10, probably 15 or 20 lbs heavier than I am now, I'd have 'old lady' muscle tone, I'd feel like total crap about myself and I would feel defeated - like my best years were over.

ARE YOU GROWING OR DECAYING - MY THOUGHTS RECORDING 

It really was a revelation - so much so I wrote a post about it and did a podcast episode about it almost exactly 2 years ago. I had just turned 44 - I'll be 46 in March.

Are You Growing or Decaying? 

But I don't feel that way at all. As a matter of fact, listening to it again, I can't believe that I really ever was at that place.

I owe it all to Holly and the girls at Club FYM - and to my own efforts and dedication.

IT'S HARDER NOT TO DO IT REALLY 

I've found that it is harder not to do it than to do what it takes - which isn't that much once you get onto it.

I want you to have your wish this year - right now.

And you can.

3.5 hours and counting! 

I just received this from Holly, it's a good example of the energy and support you will find at Club FYM

This is one of dozens of replies shared in
the forums after watching the Transformation
Challenge videos…

"I feel like my search has ended!

I have fallen for so many faulty fitness programs,
eaten more "diet" food than I want to think about,
and have never had real and lasting results.

Thank you, Holly, for the simplicity, the "realness"
of the FYM program. I know now that it is truly possible
to become more fit and healthy and this NYTC is going
to be a terrific way to start my journey!" ~ Kathy

Club FYM NEW YEAR Transformation Challenge - Best Yet! 

Post from: Healthy Habits - Fitness and Weight Loss

3.5 Hours to Sweat -

Here we are, gearing up for the first day of the New Year Transformation Challenge at Club FYM. The countdown is almost over.

Yesterday I spent some time creating my goals and thinking about how I was going to do the challenge this time around - I've learned so much. And I realized…

For quite awhile now, I've felt like I've been going through life half asleep.

I've realized that it's because with all of the responsibilities and worries of being a 'grown up', I have focused on what I need to do, rather than what I want to do.

Or put another way, the journey had become a series of things to dodge, duck, climb over or take on, with a nagging fear that it might go wrong or that I wasn't doing it right thrown in for good measure. 

And taking time for myself was a luxury that I couldn't afford if I wanted to achieve. There is ALWAYS something to do after all.

It had become a habit.

Guess what.  

There are always going to be things like that in your life, some you just won't like to do.

But some of the things we enjoy become a burden because that's the way we have begun to look at them. We may even think that if we enjoy them, we should be doing something else or we feel that we are slacking.

But not so much if you embrace life.

Do you remember being a child and doing things for the pure fun of it?

As a matter of fact, the more fun it was, the better. 

Fun. Joy. Laughter.

Just because you can.

Imagine it! 

WHAT WOULD HAPPEN…

If you took that approach again.

If you did it because you like to do it, not because you have to.

I don't know about you, but I feel 10lbs lighter just thinking about it! 

That's the approach I'm taking these days. In many areas.

I'm adding a few things - taking away a few things - based on what I enjoy doing. What gives me the most satisfaction. 

And that's why I am SUPER EXCITED as the NEW YEAR Transformation Challenge countdown is getting closer and closer to the BIG DAY.

• I have realized that I LOVE the feeling that the intervals and short burst resistant training we do with Holly gives me. The feeling of strength. The glow. The sweat. The feeling of being ALIVE.

• I LOVE the taste of good, healthy food. I LOVE to take the time to create food that tastes good and is good for me and my family.

• I LOVE the feeling that drinking enough water gives me.

• I LOVE the friendships, knowledge and motivation that I receive from the girls inside Club FYM (if you're shy, you will never find a mou'll love it there too - supporting each other is part of the fun. I LOVE to give. And receive.) 

As a matter of fact, I never feel so ALIVE as when I am rockin' out a challenge - living healthy, staying on track and taking the time.

But I haven't always been doing it. Because I thought I 'should' be doing it. I thought it was just for me.

And that made it something I did when I felt that I should be doing something else.  

Not anymore.

I am going to embrace this challenge.

Embrace life.

I want to LIVE!

Care to join me? 

Yesterday I started my "I CAN 2010 Let's Go Transformation Journal" at Club FYM.

You can too! 

Remember that it is YOUR life. No one else can live it for you. As a matter of fact, no one else will. That makes how much fun and enjoyment you get from it your business and in the end - completely up to you and how you play it.  

Tomorrow the challenge begins.

Do you want to play? Have a little fun? Hang out with the girls?

And get into your skinny jeans while you're at it? 

Here's where to go to check it out…

CLUB FYM - NEW YEAR TRANSFORMATION CHALLENGE/30 DAY FREE TRIAL

Post from: Healthy Habits - Fitness and Weight Loss

I Want To Live…

I am looking at

• what I need to do to get registered for the New Year Fit Yummy Mommy Challenge - it does seem like a lot but the truth is, as the challenge progresses and as it ends the information, reflection and planning that we do now is like gold - it literally is our compass. To me it is one of the foundations of the success of so many of the Fit Yummy Mommy's at the end.
• I'm reviewing the entire Fit Yummy Mummy Workbook and creating my own little workbook of all the things I am going to use to succeed. It will give me an at a glance look anytime I need to make a decision -
• where I am in my workout progress so that I can continue to increase and improve my results
• meal planning and nutrition ideas
• my goals - why and exactly what I plan to achieve
• the things that cause me to slip

These are the things that are invaluable and that often don't get done when we decide to hop on a new fitness plan, diet or weight loss program.

But these are the things that enable us to succeed.

IT'S ALL ABOUT MINDSET

I realize as I am getting more excited about going through my information and setting up my goals and plans that it is all about mindset. Doing all of this helps me get back into the groove, as well as gives me a step by step plan to follow - no thinking involved later when I don't have to the time. 

So I'm off to get started.

You can do the exact same thing and come out feeling fantastic about yourself in 12 weeks too.

Look me up on the inside after you get your free trial. We can be buddies and help each other. Another fantastic feature of the club. 

Another feature that you will be able to access is starting your own Progress Journal inside of the club AND you will be able to read everyone else's, including mine. They are an invaluable 'inside look' at what is working, what isn't working and what we do to overcome the roadblocks that everyone has and go far beyond. 

Here's a video I dug up showing some of the amazing successes from former Fit Yummy Mommy Transformation Challenges

I noticed when I watched it that there are many, many familiar faces from the video who are still very much active in the club. How cool is that!

Here's where to go to check it out…

CLUB FYM - NEW YEAR TRANSFORMATION CHALLENGE/30 DAY FREE TRIAL

Post from: Healthy Habits - Fitness and Weight Loss

2 Days Left - The Fun Part…

Part of it has been to start working the habits that I will need back into my life after taking a break over the holidays.

This is one of the things that I love about the challenges, it keeps us on track when we stray.

There is nothing wrong with letting loose for a bit, the problem is that it always seems hard to those good habits back.

So I've been starting slowly by adding one a day.

Here are a few things that you can do to get your feet wet before the challenge officially starts.

DAY 1. Get in the habit of filling your water bottle or glass before you sit down to the computer so that you are drinking at least one a day. Start today.

DAY 2. Get moving. Put aside 5 minutes tomorrow to go for a brisk walk or to do some exercise of some kind. The day after, make it 10 minutes. Do another 10 the day after and the day after that? The Challenge begins. Don't worry, if you join the challenge at that point you will be doing Holly's workouts - they take 15 - 20 minutes or less. Watch for how you feel when you've finished moving your bod… 

DAY 3. Eat some fruit. Instead of reaching for crackers, granola bars, cookies or what ever other quick snack you may have hiding in your cupboard - bypass that and head for the crisper section of your fridge or walk directly to your fruit bowl. Grab an apple, a clementine, a pear or a banana. Or grab a few of them and make a fruit salad or just eat them as they are (I LOVE to cut up my favourite fruits - 1 -2  of them - and stir them into some vanilla yogurt. I always include a banana if I can. It's decedant - just as good or better than any dried out packaged thing of any kind!

DAY 4. Time to jump in and join the challenge! You can use the first week to orientate yourself - get to know the program - take it a step at a time. And get to know the other FYM Challengers. You won't find a more supportive group. Holly will be posting daily videos that are SOOOO helpful - as well as other tools that help.

GET A COPY OF THE CHECKLIST THAT I AM USING TO ROCK OUT THE CHALLENGE 

I created a daily tracking sheet for myself during the last challenge that helped me so much. Let me know if you join the challenge - you can add a comment below - and I will send you the download so that you can use it too. It's very simple, quick and easy to use.

GET A HEAD START

Holly is opening the challenge for registration today although it doesn't officially start until Monday.

I am going to register today - can't wait!

If you are not a member of Club FYM, where the challenge happens - a free bonus of the club - you can get a free trial membership to check it out. Just go to this page and click on the box on the left that says Free 30 Day Trial  Membership.

Try it out, if you don't like there is nothing lost -except maybe a few lbs and inches .

Here's where to go to check it out…

CLUB FYM - NEW YEAR TRANSFORMATION CHALLENGE/30 DAY FREE TRIAL 

BTW, I thought you might like to meet Holly and see what she is saying about the New Year and Changes…

Post from: Healthy Habits - Fitness and Weight Loss

The One a Day Approach - 3 Days and Counting…

So the next obvious question is - 'What if I Really DO Want It?'

There are going to be times when after honest examination, we decide that yes it's worth it, yes we deserve it, yes we can work it into our plan - even be more inclined to succeed with our plan because we have worked a few indulgences in there.

Holly from Club FYM likes to call them planned indulgences. To be honest, I never quite got the concept completely until I watched a video she gave us during the Holiday Hottie challenge.

It was eye opening. The basic premise was to eat mindfully when you do indulge, plan it and enjoy it fully.

Give yourself permission to enjoy it. And do that. And then move on.

The worst thing you can do is eat it in guilt and then give up.  Or binge because you already 'blew it'.

The key is to make a conscious choice. This is different than giving yourself permission to eat what you want, when ever you want because you can make it up later.

You will know in your gut (pardon the pun) when you are being undisciplined and moving away from your goals - and when you are truly having a planned indulgence that will become part of your controlled clean eating plan. 

So yes, you can have your cake and eat it too! Just make it a small piece :0)

Don't forget, you can hop on the latest Club FYM Challenge too. You'll get all kinds of great resources to keep you on track and have the support of hundreds of other Yummies who are doing it with you.

We're all in the same boat. That's the greatest thing - and you'll find that paddling together gets you farther! 

Post from: Healthy Habits - Fitness and Weight Loss

What If You Really DO Want It?

I was thinking some more on the aspect of failure, self sabotage and how the 'forbidden' thing calls to us, even if it's something we don't even want!

I thought it would be a good thing to examine before going into the NYTC Challenge on the 11th.

What is it about forbidden things?

I think it could be simply that they are something withheld from us, by their very nature.

And you know what that means.

WE WANT IT MORE…

And we feel deprived.

So every time we feel even slightly the urge to reward ourselves, to 'live a little' or do something different, where do we go?

Straight to the forbidden of course.

AT WHAT COST?

When this happens there are two things you need to do to stop the cycle in it's tracks - it will never bother you or sabotage your efforts again if you do these two things.

• identify that you are doing it. This process is very insidious - by it's very nature we don't even realize that we are being manipulated by our own false thought process - because it is OUR thought process. How do we know?
• Ask yourself  - "Do I really WANT this thing? Am I willing to pay the price. As you know, the forbidden ALWAYS has a very high price. That's why it's forbidden, right?  It's usually too high.

As a rule, I find that as soon as I've identified the fact that I'm attracted to the forbidden aspect - not the food binge, skipped exercise or bad choice - it quickly loses it's attraction.

Oh, there is one more thing.

Just say no.

When I reach that point, it's easy to say and in fact, all desire is usually gone. OK, there may be a small desire, but having examined the cost and identified what I REALLY WANT, it's hardly a blip on the radar.

What if you do in fact, really want it?

Stay tuned, I think that's worth talking about tomorrow, on day 4 of our NYTC Countdown. 

Post from: Healthy Habits - Fitness and Weight Loss

The Lure of the Forbidden?

I was packing my son's lunch and 'almost' had a cookie for breakfast when I was packing some in his lunchbox.

My first thought process was - it will be really good, I'll only have one, it's first thing in the morning, I'll wear the calories off and I'm coming into a new challenge, I'll do this now since I won't later.

But mid reach into the bag I stopped myself and just said no - because it was in no way progressing me towards my goals - even if the challenge hasn't officially started yet.

I have some making up to do from the holidays at any rate!

The minute I refused myself permission to say yes my entire mindset changed and I didn't even want it anymore.

WHAT GIVES?

It made me think that sometimes we only tell ourselves we want things but if we take a minute to think about it (sometimes only seconds) we don't even really want the think that brings us down.

I think that there is some reflection in order here to dig down into exactly the reasons it is so easy to choose off the cuff to go for the thing that takes us away from our goals.

I find in almost everything at first glance that seems the easy thing to do. But on second glance, especially as time wears on and the 'wrong' choices have become a habit - it is not the easy choice at all - matter of fact there is a great cost to the 'easy' way with very little payback.

What do you think?

Post from: Healthy Habits - Fitness and Weight Loss

One Cookie - One Epiphany

Time for another Fit Yummy Mommy Challenge… counting down to January 11th!

I'm convinced.

The only way that I can stay focused and dedicated long enough to see results is when I am…

1 - Challenged by a time boundary - for example - I want to _____ by _____.

2 - Have other people around me who are involved in the same process.

Club FYM has those things and so much more.

I find that dedicating myself to check in there for even 10 minutes every day to see what the other Yummies are doing, and taking a bit of time to post my own progress a couple of times a week (or more) really keeps me moving and on track.

My fellow Yummies and I are working on getting our goals ready and prepping for the challenge.

It's a very exciting time at Club FYM.

If you are tired of putting it off, if you've resolved 'again' to get in shape or lose weight and best if all - if you've decided once and for all to release your Yummieness but you need some help to do it - Join the NEW YEAR Transformation Challenge at Club FYM .

When you get there, click the free trial button on the left to try it for free.

Don't forget to let me know here in the comment section so that we can connect inside!

Post from: Healthy Habits - Fitness and Weight Loss

Calling all Future Yummies!

I did forget to mention one more variable that seems to make a difference.

If I walk for about 20 minutes per day on average it will magnify my results.

• If I’m working out daily, I will lose weight if I walk too.
• If I’m neglecting my workouts, I will maintain.
• If I’m neglecting my workouts AND my daily walk, I will gain.

Sometimes weight loss and maintenance seems to be hit and miss, but if you are sensitive to your body and your habits, it is very likely that you will see a pattern.

Watch for you patterns and work with them to get the results and good health that you are looking for.

It’s a beautiful day today, I will be going for a walk!

How about you?

Post from: Healthy Habits - Fitness and Weight Loss

a daily WALK TIPS THE BALANCE