The 45 Day Challenge!!!!!

About a month ago I saw a posting on a great client (who happens to be the owner of Chrome Ptc.)  of mine's Facebook (Brooke Holloman for those wondering....), for this "45 Day Challenge" dealio.. I remembered her fitness center doing one months prior but never really got the full details. Well.. going to Hawaii towards the end of the year and wanting to be BEACH READY, I was intrigued. So I asked Brooke what all this entailed.

FOR 45 DAYS!!!........

---You completely rid your diet of EVERYTHING bad for you. Nothing processed or loaded with sugar. This sounds TERRIBLE, I know. But think about it. That stuff is RIDICULOUSLY bad for you anyway. Being 87 years old, I frequently listen to the John Tesh Show on 98.1. And he was saying once that that stuff is SO BAD for you, the FDA is looking to limit its access and raise the taxes on it. It's just as bad for you as CIGARETTES. No me gusta!! Now I will tell you... the first week was ROUGH. I found myself to be craving anything bad for my like mad. I was sluggish at times and stupid grumpy. Kinda like how you feel when quitting smoking. Actually.. exactly like how you feel when quitting smoking. But the food you get is pretty awesome. Or I'm just weird.... Anyway... Egg whites in the morning with brown rice, lots of lean chicken or turkey breasts, fish and an abundance of green veggies. Have a sweet tooth?? Pop a piece of delicious fruity gum. The biggest trick to all of this though is PORTION CONTROL and WHEN you're eating it all. I have five meals in one day and carbs are only in the first and third. Your body can't process too much while sleeping very well.. that's when it like to take all that crap and store in as fat... no thanks.

---You have to drink a dumb amount of water. 120 oz........ DAMN SON. I don't think I've ever consumed this much water. I literally have to pee once an hour... even when I'm sleeping... Which blows. BUT! I do notice a difference in how I feel now as to when I'm drinking soda or juice. I have more energy, my skin glows and I don't feel like a bloated piece of crap.

---CARDIO!!! Along with eating frequently, cardio is the best way to get you metabolism going! Being female, I got a slow one. But I feel so much more awake in the day. And I'm much happier. I can get all my aggressions out in a good workout. Felling like a raging twat?? Hop on that treadmill for about 30 minutes and your good! I have to be doing AT LEAST THREE hours of cardio every week. This includes group fitness classes and Chrome and workouts at the YMCA or at home. The Kinect for the Xbox or the WII are also great ways to workout and to mix it up a bit. I've learn resistance training is also a really big deal. Gotta build that muscle!!! You could be skinny but still have a high percentage of body fat.

Everyday I have to check in with Brooke. Let her know how well I did on every aspect. And I will let her know if I didn't do exactly what I was suppose to.... its like disappointing your parents. I had a little mess up on Saturday and I felt like a horrible human being. I'm trying create healthy and good habits... not keep doing the same shit over and over. "Oh...well... if I do this or eat this, it'll be fine. I'll just start again tomorrow.." NO WAY. I find myself saying that more often than actually changing my ways.

The best thing about this challenge is that it's not necessarily designed for you to loose a bunch of pounds. It's to create a healthy life style. I think that we as humans have gotten so lazy. We don't cook or own meals anymore. And when we do, its out of a box. And while its heating up in the microwave, we sit on our asses watching TV. When you choose to be active and eat healthy, you feel it in more ways than one. Your health obviously improves significantly. You have more energy. REAL energy. You happiness increases. And yes, you do loose those nasty pounds.

On Sunday, March 25th, I walked into Chrome, nervous and excited. I proceed to weigh in, get my fat pinched and had my measurements taken. Scheduled my classes and received my fitness and food plans. It has been EIGHT DAYS and I am already seeing the wonderful results!!!

(The pic is blurring so I may be off like .5 or something...)
March 25th---
Weight:187 lbs
Body fat: 36.5%
   Triceps: 24
   Pectoral: 11
   Midaxilla: 34
   Subscapula: 22
   Abdomen: 50
   Supraillac: 43
   Quadriceps: 36
Circumference
   Bicep: 12.5"
   Shoulders: 48.5"
   Chest: 39.5"
   Waist: 35.5"
   Lower Waist: 44.5"
   Hips: 47"
   Thigh: 25"
   Calf: 15"
Lean Weight: 118.5
Fat Weight: 68.5

April 2nd---
Weight:181.5 lbs
Body fat: 33.5%
    Triceps: 22
    Pectoral: 8
    Midaxilla: 32
    Subscapula: 19
    Abdomen: 42
    Supraillac: 38
    Quadriceps: 33
Circumference
    Bicep: 12.5"
    Shoulders: 47.5"
    Chest: 39"
    Waist: 33.75"
    Lower Waist: 43"
    Hips: 45.5"
    Thigh: 24"
    Calf: 15"
Lean Weight: 120.5
Fat Weight: 60.5