SexyBack Challenge - Week 11 & 12

I can't believe this challenge is over! Has it really been 12 weeks?

The past couple weeks have been really good. I've been trying to finish this challenge strong and I think I did just that. I've been trying to get back into a workout routine. I tried Body by Bethenny and Crunch - Super SlimDown: Pilates Yoga Blend. BBB was challenging because I don't have a ton of experience with yoga, so I ended up not doing the whole thing. I think that I might go back to it when I have more experience. SSD was a great workout. I felt a lot more comfortable with it and had fun with it. The great thing about it is, is that it's on instant Netflix!

I'm so happy I was able to participate in the SexyBack Challenge, even if I didn't have weight loss in mind. I was able to get out of the rut that I was in as far as my health and fitness go.

Just to recap, here’s a list of my goals for SexyBack:
- 45 minutes minimum of physical activity or exercise 5-7 days of the week
- Utilize workout dvds (30 Day Shred, 6 Week six-pack, BL Cardio)
- Nightly walks/runs
- Use RunKeeper app
- MORE water (3+ miir bottles/day)
- Eat healthier
- MORE veggies, utilize the garden
- Less processed food and more fresh food
- Homemade meals
- Less pop and coffee, green monsters, fresh fruit smoothies or tea instead
- Use MyFitness app & website to track calories & exercise

Overall I feel like I've been very successful in meeting the goals I set for myself during this challenge. I am much more physically active than I was when I started. As I said in one of my last posts, I haven't been "working out" as much lately, but have been doing a lot of physical activity. I ended up not using the apps to track different things, but it seems like one more thing to have to deal with. I am drinking a lot more water [love my MiiR bottles]! I am definitely eating much healthier than I was before. I can proudly say that's one thing I did great on, especially in the last couple weeks with all the fresh veggies that have been around the house lately. As far as the pop and coffee go, I think it might always be a part of my life, but all in moderation of course! I am really confident that even as this challenge is ending, I will be able to keep this all up!

Finally, I'd like to say thanks to Carlos and Grant for starting this challenge!

Week One
Week Two
Week Three
Week Four
Week Five
Week Six
Week Seven and Eight
Week Nine and Ten

SexyBack Challenge - Week 9 & 10

The last two weeks have been insane! I would have to say that I've spent about 80%-90% of my waking hours doing physical activities. When I started this challenge my goal was to find my abs, but instead I've found some guns, haha. But seriously, it's kind of awesome.

I've been pretty good with food. Eating LOTS and lots of vegetables! I've also had some not so healthy stuff, but all in moderation. I probably haven't been drinking as much water as I should have, but hey, I'm a work in progress.

My only hope is when I'm done with the projects I've been working on that I'll easily be able to get into a regular workout routine again. Maybe that's what I'll focus on during the last couple weeks of this challenge. Anyway, here are a few pics from the last two weeks!

Week One
Week Two
Week Three
Week Four
Week Five
Week Six
Week Seven and Eight

SexyBack Challenge - Week 7 & 8

I didn't get around to posting my update last week, so I figured I would combine it with this week.

The past two weeks have been awesome! I'm definitely on track with my weekly goals and I actually feel FIT. I'm doing great with my water and food. There have been a few splurges here and there, but everything in moderation.

The sister and I have been doing a great job of shredding everyday [or almost everyday]. This past Sunday we went boating and this next Sunday we're going to Roaring Springs waterpark. So we've had a little more incentive to get our butts in gear the past two weeks.

I've also been helping my mom with a special project and I'm getting a lot more physical activity in. I spent most of yesterday afternoon and today working. Needless to say, my arms are like noodles and my whole body is sore.

My picture for the week is from our outing on Sunday. I hope I'll be able to get one from this coming Sunday for next week's post!

Week One
Week Two
Week Three
Week Four
Week Five
Week Six

SexyBack Challenge - Week 6

Is this challenge really almost halfway over?

I may not be doing this challenge to lose weight or for any of the other reasons other people are. But I am thankful for it because it helping me to make my fitness, food, lifestyle, etc. a priority in my life. Maybe I'm not taking it as seriously as I should. I don't even want to tell you how many times I did [or didn't] workout this week. But I'm thankful it's there to remind me of my goals every week.

In the next week I'll be posting my 26 goals before 27. I'm very serious about achieving them and I'm excited to see how incorporating them into my life will hopefully help me achieve my SexyBack Challenge goals. I want to live a well-balanced life: physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I'm excited to share them with you [on Monday]. Overall, I want to be more disciplined in my life and give everything I have into accomplishing the goals I set for myself.

I don't have a picture this week, but I do want to share this video.



Xiomara is incredible! Her current goal is to lose 25 lbs a month so that she can go to New York in December. She is inspirational! If she can complete 3-4 workouts a day, I should be able to do one, RIGHT?!

Follow Xiomara on Twitter

Week One
Week Two
Week Three
Week Four
Week Five

SexyBack Challenge - Week 5

Here's my SexyBack Week 5 check-in!

This week can be summed up with one word, VEGGIES! You can tell that our garden is in full bloom with all the fresh veggies we’ve been eating this week. Okay, so maybe it’s just the zucchini and cucumbers, but still.

Here's a picture of our garden.

One of my favorite things to have for lunch is a veggie sandwich. I make it with a sandwich thin, a little Chipotle Lime Mayo (à la Wildtree Herbs), a thin slice of mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers and lots of spinach. It’s easy and quick to make and the ingredients are usually in the fridge.

My physical activity this week has mostly been work. I’m constantly walking, moving, squatting, lifting my camera and so on. I’ve also gotten a few evening walks in as well.

At the Canyon County Relay For Life [last month] I ended up winning one of the raffles, which just so happened to be 4 months free at a local fitness center. I’ll probably be splitting the fourth months with Heather so that we can go together. I need to go on the website and sign up, but hopefully I’ll be able to start this next week if things don’t get too busy.

My goals for next week are to step up my exercise game [5 days - 30 minutes minimum/day] and continue to drink lots of water. I feel I’m at a good place with my food and I’m continuing to cut back [or cut out] pop. What are you goals this week?

Week One
Week Two
Week Three
Week Four

SexyBack Challenge - Week 4

It's time for the SexyBack Challenge Week 4 check in!

This week started out a little wonky. I didn't have to work on Friday, but I was miserable and sick in bed all day. Besides getting off to a rocky start I ate pretty good throughout the week. I had fresh salads for lunch everyday and drank at least 2+ bottles of water. Although I must confess that Coke is probably going to be my downfall. I'm trying to be more conscious of how much I drink or choose something different to drink.

Halfway through the week a switch flipped in my workout routine. I started going on walks in the evening with the sister. We're trying to find the perfect walking loop. When we lived in Cali we had the perfect 3 mile loop to walk through Claremont. When we were really ambitious we'd walk the 4 flights of stairs (multiple times) at the parking garage in the center of town. We tried a new route last night and went 1.7 miles. Tonight we made it 2 miles. But we're pretty sure we know the exact route to get over 3 miles. We're slowly working our way up.

Here's my picture for the week, it's from our walk tonight:

One of my favorite things is using my Runkeeper App on my phone during our walks. It easily calculates the length, time, calories and minutes per mile.

This weekend the sister and I are housesitting. We don't know the area well enough to be comfortable going on walks so we'll definitely be bringing along a workout dvd.

Week One
Week Two
Week Three