A few weeks ago I signed myself up to take a 10 Day Faith & Fitness Challenge. I know I've become a little lazy in the exercise department, so I thought this would be a great way to get back into a workout routine. My friend Jodi from my MOPs group is a Health & Fitness Coach and consultant for Shakeology. She has mentioned her challenges to me before, but wasn't interested at that particular time. When this 10 Day Faith and Fitness Challenge was announced via Facebook, I thought, "Hey, I think I can do that!" So, there ya have it, I contacted her and put my name on the list. The challenge was to start on May 19th, so I had about a week or so before to meal plan for the next 10 days.
As per the challenge, we were to eat cleanly. Meaning, no refined sugars, no alcohol, and to focus on eating lots of fruits, veggies, and protein. As for my menu, I planned on having breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, and dinner. It wasn't all that hard for me to adapt to the cleaning eating lifestyle, since I am a pretty healthy eater. However, I DO have a huge sweet tooth. So cutting out the sugary sweets was a little hard, but do-able. I planned out my meals and snacks, wrote them on a calendar, created my grocery list, went shopping, and waited for the 19th to arrive.
Another requirement was to drink lots of water. She posted a chart up on how much water your should be drinking according to your weight. This was going to be a challenge for me. I drink water, but I know it's not the amount I should be drinking. So I think this fitness challenge will help me work on that! So with my weight in the beginning being at 145lbs, I should set my goal to at least 70oz or 4 (16.9oz) bottles of water a day!
Sleep, was also a big factor in the challenge. The coaches wanted us to get at least 7 hours of sleep a night. I am usually a night owl, being a parent, night time when the kiddos go to bed is usually the only time of the day you have to yourself anymore. To catch up on Game of Thrones or The Real Housewives of Orange County, or finish reading Call the Midwife for bookclub, or enjoy a bubble bath without interruptions, or do a blog post, or look up recipes on Pinterest or or or...SO I figured if I went to bed by 11ish I should get at least 7 hours (that's if the kiddos will sleep in to 6am, which they usually sleep past).
Accountability was encouraged by making Facebook status and picture posts on personal walls and the challenge group page. Since I LOVE taking pictures of food and what not, this would be so easy and totally up my alley. It was a way for challengers to comment or motivate each other and for the coaches to see what you are eating, drinking your water, and completing the workout homework. Plus you got points for posting too (for those who were in the points contest).
So here is what I did and my experience....
I wrote out my daily meals on a calendar and stuck it on the fridge.
The day before the challenge started all the competitors were to write down their weight and measurements. (I don't normally post pictures of me all exposed, but I figure you need to see where I started in order to see my results)
When the 19th finally arrived I was feeling pumped and ready to tackle this challenge! Jodi posted this chart on how to earn points and show accountability for our workouts and meals. (there was also a contest to see who could earn the most points, but I wasn't really keeping count)
Along with the workout homework, we were also given different scripture versus that related to the challenge to broaden our spiritual side.
Day one, was pretty easy, reading Bible versus', eating clean, drinking water, and working out! Liam and Kinley even joined me for the cardio homework! (pushed Kinley in the stroller and Liam and I ran, walked, jogged around the neighborhood). As for dinner, I made some Veggie Pasta (which was REALLY good) with a Turkey Meat Sauce....it turned out so yummy! Will definitely be making this more!
DAY 1
Workout: Cardio for 30-60 minutes
Day two, here we go....another scripture to study, yummy food, water water water, and working out! Liam and I worked out outside while Kinley napped.
DAY 2
Workout: 5 minute warm up
Circuit 1: Repeat x 2
20 Squats
30 Reverse Lunges
15 Push-Ups
30 Bicycle Crunches
Circuit 2: Repeat x 2
20 Squat Jumps
20 Lateral Lunges
15 Tricep Dips
20 Straight Leg Crunches
Day three, Liam and I got in another great workout. I showed him how to Plank, we had a good time exercising together. It also, happened to be leftover day!
DAY 3
Workout: 5 minute warm up
Circuit: Repeat x 5 (30-60 second rest in between sets)
45 second Burpees, 15 second rest
45 second High Knees, 15 second rest
45 second Mountain Climbers, 15 second rest
45 second Squats, 15 second rest
30 second Side Plank (preside, no rest in between)
Day four, I couldn't exactly go running around the block while Kinley was napping inside, so I found my Michael Jackson the Experience game and danced danced danced for 30 minutes as my cardio workout for the day. Exercise is always more fun when you are dancing! As far as meals, that night I had a Spouse's Club farewell party at a local Italian restaurant. Keeping the challenge in mine, I did NOT order a glass of wine, did NOT eat the bread and butter, and did NOT order a dessert. I dined on a salad with a balsamic vinaigrette and some grilled salmon with grilled veggies instead! I was so proud of myself that night! Little choices with make a BIG difference when it comes the results day!
DAY 4
Workout: Cardio for 20-40 minutes
Day five, half way there and feeling good! Liam decided to sit out this workout, but he did hang out with me outside and counted down the exercises for me. Knowing that I am bettering myself for me and for the ones I love makes it all seem worth it! Food wise, I really enjoyed the scrambled egg whites with turkey I had for breakfast! Will also be adding that to my future breakfast menu!
DAY 5
Workout: 5 minute warm up
Circuit 1: Repeat x 2
50 Crunches
15 Push Ups
30 Leg Levers
30 Bridges
15 Supermans
Circuit 2: Repeat x 2
15 Squats
30 Side Winders
30 Bicep Curls
10 Good Mornings
10 Plank Walks
Day six, was a Saturday, family day. Which meant, I packed some yummy healthy snacks for our trip up to see The Old Apple Barn. And since we were out and about all day, that also meant I had to make good food choices when we went to eat at Johnny Carinos (I got a pecan crusted chicken over spinach salad) for lunch and that I had to squeeze in my workout after the kiddos went to bed.
DAY 6
Workout: Pyramid up, try to complete at least twice
Burpees x 2
Squats x 5
Burpees x 4
Squats x 10
Burpees x 6
Squats x 15
Burpees x 8
Squats x 20
Burpees x 10
Day seven, Sunday and another family day. I was feeling energized and good. I started seeing results and was loving it. Today's workout was pretty easy and completed it after the kiddos went to bed. As for the food, simple and yummy!
Day 7
Workout: Complete 3-6 times
Traveling Burpees x 5
Traveling Bunny Hops x 20
Traveling High Knees x 30 (each knee is one)
Traveling Squat Jumps x 10
Day eight, almost there! Still feeling motivated to do the workouts and dedicated to the clean eating! I went outside in the backyard, a yard full of rocks (which running in rocks in another workout in itself) to complete my workout. I recently tried one of the kiddo's Z Bar's and it was so tasty, full of protein and vitamins, perfect for a morning snack!
Day 8
Workout: 5 minute warm up
Sprint for 45 seconds
Walk or jog for 1 minute 30 seconds
Repeat this by 5-10 times
Cool down with a light jog or walk
Day nine, one more day I can do this! All I gotta say is planking is hard! Definitely works you out! I was able to get my workout in during nap time again. Reading the scriptures also helped keep me motivated to finish strong. Today, I did enjoy my Dole Shakers Mixed Berry Smoothie, a perfect morning snack!
Day 9
Workout: Repeat x 6-8 rounds
Pushup to plank x 3-5 each
Pushup x 5
Full plank pulling knee in slowly x 20
Day TEN! OMG, I did it! I did it! Still clean eating, drinking tons of water, getting in at least 7 hours of sleep, and completing my last workout homework....feels oh so good!
Day 10
Workout: Repeat 3-5 times
Burpees x 8
Volleyball jumps x 30
Side to side bunny hops x 20
Stair or box jumps x 8 each
After completing my 10 day challenge, I did a little 7 day challenge with my friend over in Italy (over Facebook) to get ready for our family vacation to Texas! I basically did the same cleaning eating, some of the same workouts, lots of water, plenty of rest, but included one sweet treat and one glass of wine/alcohol beverage a day (if wanted). Here are my results.....
My personal 7 day Challenge
With the 10 Day Faith & Fitness Challenge over and completed all I have to say is it was a great experience. It definitely jump started me into working out again and really watching how and what I was eating. And making sure I drank lots of water. My plan is to keep working out so I can tone up a little more. I want to be the best mother and wife I can be. Having more energy to chase after my two kiddos will definitely come in handy. And getting your sexy back definitely boosts your self-esteem and confidence.
So, if you are in a workout slump or want to get started in some type of fitness routine, may I suggest trying one of these challenges. Jodi and many other fitness coaches are always looking for new participants who are motivated to make a change in their life. If you are interested in checking one out, please let me know and I will get you in touch with a coach so you too can start your fitness journey to a better healthy life!
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