Pushing through...

Lately I'm convinced that I have been abducted by "Body Snatchers" and I'm not quite sure where the Robin I once knew has gone! Yesterday, I lost my keys - all of them: house, car, little plastic thingys for grocery store, gym, etc. you name it - they are all gone. I discovered my keys were missing on the bus on my way home from work at about 5:45. However, instead of cussing and fussing over the possibility of having to pay some astronomical amount of money to replace this "state of the art" key to my vehicle - my concern was, am I going to be able to make it to Boot Camp at 7!?! In the back of my mind I was like who are you and what have you done with Robin? I got off the bus and walked to a friend's house who lives nearby, she has a spare set of my keys and let me borrow her car to get to bootcamp and PT. Only AFTER I was done, did I concern myself with what could have happened to my keys. Hopefully they will be recovered, I will know more later this evening - but to think that my concern was missing a workout? Unbelievable...I do not know this person! And I have to agree with Killa Kar, this whole process has really taught me a lot about pushing through obstacles, and my response to them. After joining this process, everything else and its level of difficulty is very relative. On another note, thanks to my BABs family for your support and the offers of transportation in my down time. Hopefully, I will have my independence back shortly...until next time... SN: I read a very appropriate quote, and I thought I'd share: "The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary" -Vince Lombardi

7 weeks to go

I cant believe our journey is coming to an end, 7 more weeks to go. Some people may say thats still a long time from now. But looking back its been 4 months, and they have gone by quick. I know its going to get a bit tougher, ok who am i kidding, its already tough. I guess I just want to prepare mentally, because you know what Dre says its all mental. And its true, not only at the gym, but outside of the gym. (In our own personal life). Just think about it, we are all just getting stronger. :)

Diva Monique- VN Client

Yes I know it's been a while since I've shared but life has been, well CRAZY is an understatement. Just when I think I'm regaining my footing the waves start again and threaten to topple this house of cards! No worries, I got this- or at least I will. I will NOT be out done by a few obstacles.

Since starting VN I've lost a few inches and lowered my BMI! Yes! I'm with in 10 lbs of my personal goal and these are the most stubborn 10 lbs I ever did meet. But I won't be out done by them either!

VN not only teaches you how to eat, it doesn't just change your body outside, it changes it inside too. Let me tell you what happened to me just yesterday. VN is in not a diet right? Right. So, yesterday while I was in class I decided to have a donut and a cup of tea. Everyone around the table was looking in amazement at the fact that I was in fact eating a donut- I'm not on a diet I can have a donut. Even though I heard Dre's voice "when you eat donuts, you look doughy." But I ignored the voice. No sooner than I took the last bite my stomach started to hurt. I was nauseated, I mean if I didn't know better I thought I was pregnant. After a few hours it passed. My body has made up it's mind (even if I have lapses here and there) that it wants to be lean and so don't put that crap in it anymore! O.k. I get it! WHEN YOU EAT DONUTS, YOU LOOK DOUGHY!!! ... but can I still have cake?

Faith Is Hard- Please read for the encouragement to push through and make your dreams a reality!! Awesome!

Faith is Hard

23/03/11COMMENTS 0

Faith is hard.

Why?

Mostly because it’s hard to have faith in something you can’t see, touch or smell. I can feel it in my heart but I can’t see it and I certainly can’t touch it. It becomes especially hard when your brain is talking you out of something your heart is telling you to do.

Many years ago, my husband Ron and I took our two sons to Maine to visit family. I remember it was a beautiful morning and my two brothers decided that we should all climb a mountain. Easy for them to say as I wasn’t in “mountain climbing” shape back in those days, but off we went anyways despite my griping. Due to two bad knees, Ron stayed behind.

The climb wasn’t bad and I soon found myself at the top. Since I’m terrified of heights, I stayed by the tree line where I was certain I would be safe. My family, however, had no fear whatsoever and they all eagerly walked onto the cliff.

Although it was very beautiful up there, I found myself frozen in place. I was absolutely terrified and refused to leave the safety of the tree line. In fact, from where I was standing, I couldn’t see beyond the first rock. It was like an infinity pool as I couldn’t see what was beyond the first ledge. So from my perspective it looked like my sons were standing right at the edge of the mountain. Of course I panicked even more and started pleading with them to come back.

Actually, if you want me to be completely honest with you, I wasn’t just pleading, I was yelling like a screaming lunatic.

My brothers clearly agreed that I was a lunatic because they both turned around and looked at me like I had lost my mind.

To calm me down, my younger brother called to my sons to come back. Lance then turned around and started to walk towards me. When he got closer he gently asked me to walk towards him and told me that it was completely safe. Come and see for yourself, he said.

Faith.

Having faith in something you can’t see, and trust that my heart knew what it was doing.

My inner voice gently nudged me forward.

Shaking like a leaf, I took a step. Then after a deep breath, I took a few more. I soon found myself standing on a very flat rock that winded around the mountain like a staircase. There was no steep cliff. I’ll admit that I felt a bit silly and gingerly wandered around with Lance for a few minutes. To their credit, neither of my brothers laughed, nor did I get the famous “I told you so” line. They simply smiled at me and we moved on.

Now why am I telling you this story?

It’s all about faith …

If you have hit a wall with your business or personal life, then it’s time to move beyond the clearing. You need to move beyond the safety of the trees so that you can go to the next level of your life!

Now I completely understand that it’s hard, I’ve been there. You need to move beyond those fears if you want to get beyond the tree line. Is it a fear of success or a fear of failure? What if I told you that you absolutely can’t fail? Would you move forward? What would you do? How would you act? What’s the first step you would take to make your dream a reality?

Do that now.

Know that there is a huge flat rock beyond that clearing. You might not be able to see if from your vantage point, but it’s there. Now take a deep breath and start. Let faith and your inner voice be your compass.

What’s the worst thing that can happen? You’ll fall?

Listen, I’ve fallen down thousands of times. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with falling. It’s only wrong if you don’t pick yourself back up and try again.

Now take my hand and take that first step. I know you can do it!

If you have faith, you can do anything.

Until next time,

Katharine Giovanni

PERSPECTIVE

Hey Fam!

I haven't been on here in a while for a variety of reasons. I've genuinely been busy and then there's always the debate...do I bother sharing when it's a bad day..or bad days..and then there's just needing a break, so I check (d) for all of the above!

In catching up on the blog, I was both tickled and humbled by Monique and Bea's most recent posts, as they certainly put things in perspective...something I think can be easily lost in an experience as intense as this. Like Bea, I've complained (mostly to myself) about the "lack" of progress I've made. I want a muscle here, a pound lost there...it's always something, right??? I've worked harder than I ever have and with Dre's help, have accomplished something in four months I haven't been able to do in the last 10 years!!! But it nags at you not to be where you're "supposed" to be..and since when did dropping two dress sizes become something to bitch about, anyway? I can wear clothes I'd hidden in the tomb of my closet for the occasional glance of reverence and moment of silence...

Sure, I've been the subject of jokes--"droopy drawers", folks at work leaving bags of chips and Popeye's coupons on my desk, and I've definitely struggled with feeling good about my new body and secretly fearing that, 4 months from now, I'd become one of those chicks who goes out and is afraid to eat anything or pretends she "just ate" ALL the time (yall know the type)...so as to avoid the risk of that one pound Mo was talking about...

And so I think I've been in a troubling little limbo of "the blues" for a while now because of all the mixed emotions. To get through this, you're physically, mentally and emotionally on auto-pilot. Many of us do this at work, meetings, etc. but it's a hell of a thing to have to do it any hour in between! It IS indeed a necessary evil to push personal events aside because you have to "go to the gym" and I think I've started to worry about the impact that avoidance would have on me when I'm done...

And then, last week I got troubling news which threatened to push me over the edge but I only got to the brink. Instead of breaking me, the news motivated me to take a step back and put this thing in perspective!! Although I'm confident my physical fitness will serve me well, in an odd way I'm pretty sure I have this training to thank for the mental toughness to push through the next storm!! And although it's been an incredibly rocky start to 2011, I still feel good about the year! I hope you do too! We can accomplish ANY goal we set for ourselves.

Only One Pound

Heeelllloo D3,

Don't act like you don't know me cause you know you do. I'm One Pound of Fat and I'm the happiest one pound of fat you'd ever want to meet. Let me tell you why; see no one ever wants to lose me because I'm after all only one pound.

See, everyone always wants to lose 3, 5, or 15 pounds but never just one pound so I just stick around and happily keep you fat. Then, on the low, one by one, I call my friends and you don't seem to notice until I've grown to 10 then 20 or even 50 pounds in weight. Yup, I love being only one pound because I can do as I please.

So when you weigh in, keep right on saying "Oh, man I only lost one pound" (like I'm no milestone to celebrate) When you do this it encourages others to keep me around because they think I'm not worth losing. I do so love hanging around you- your arms, your hips, your butt, your thighs and all those lovely parts in between. So go right ahead, don't mind me after all I am only one pound !

3/17/11 Are you there Bod? It’s me, Bea.

Hey Bod. I realized the other day that I often speak OF you, ABOUT you, and AGAINST you, but rarely have I ever spoken TO you. For this reason alone, I thought it’s time to write a few thoughts expressing how I truly feel – to you directly. First off, I’m sorry for staring at certain parts of yours in the mirror and doing my best to sculpt them differently. And for a host of other things such as:

- For taking your constantly beating heart, immune system, lovely glands, and strong bones for granted so many days of our life together.
- For being enraged the time I found your first cellulite dimple.
- For always wanting something other than what you gave me.
- For neglecting and abusing you for so many years by not exercising and eating right.
- For pinching you and making ugly faces and sounds at you.
- For blaming you for feeling depressed and sometimes having low self-esteem

After so many years, I’m finally realizing that I need to take good care of you and let you know just how much I appreciate you:

Thank you for my hands. You help me do everything. Type, cook, drive, wash, eat, scratch, touch, grab, carry, write, dial, text, open doors, flush, the list goes on and on.

Thank you for my feet. You take me everywhere I want to go and give me balance.

Thank you to my immune system for always having my back and being my bodyguard at all times.

Thank you for my skin. You protect me everyday.

Thank you for my stomach. Especially for my appetite and love of food.

For all of these things and many more, I thank you body. I promise to respect you and take good care of you. If it seems like I demand too much of you with all this exercising, I promise that this will be good for us in the long run. I'm so proud of you. Hang in there. Let’s do this.

D3 Fam - No matter how you currently feel about your body or what it’s been through, I urge you to write a letter to it. Apologize and then give it gratitude. We take our bodies for granted, we really do. There are so many people out there that have injuries or are very sick and physically cannot exercise. One thing I have truly come to realize during this intense training is that I appreciate my body more than ever. I owe it to myself to take care of my body while I’m physically able to. There are simply no excuses. I’m realizing that I may not reach my goal by May, but that’s ok. I look in the mirror and I like what I see and that's all that matters!!! I’m thrilled with the progress I’m making and will not take any shortcuts. All of the time and dedication is paying off - slowly YES, but surely. All good things come to those who wait (and have patience). Like I said before, IT’S JUST ME AND MY BREATH, ME AND MY BREATH :)

What do you have to say to your body today?

See you soon,
Bea

Hang on for the RIDE!!

HI D3 Family… I hope everyone is doing well!

WOW!! 8 weeks to go until “Show Time”! I still can’t believe how fast the time has gone by since we started this training in Dec.

I say this all the time but “What a Journey and Life Experience this has been for me!!”

If I can give any advice to anyone who ever wants to do a show like this it would be to have Patience, Dedication, Faith in Yourself and the MOST IMPORTANT thing (at least I think) is to make sure you surround yourself with positive people. I’ve encountered some negative people and honestly the negativity will literally suck the life out of you and it’s so not worth it! Everyone deals with situations differently and everyone goes thru different feelings, and emotions… ect!!  BUT at the end of the day when you train for a show like this you have to remember you’re doing it for YOURSELF.  You‘ll have haters and jealous people but again I’ve come to realize and after talking to some really great friends those people who are haters and jealous of you…. That's their issue not yours and they will either deal with it or they won’t, but what i've also learned is that i need to stop trying to make those haters / jealous people happy becasue you can't change people. Negative people like that will go thru life being haters and jealous of everyone and everything all the time and the only way to change is for them to change themselves. This training is hard enough on your body not only physically, mentally and emotionally so NEGATIVE PEOPLE "You're NOT WELCOME"!!... 

One little side note for us woman and MAN OH MAN you think we get emotional during that time of mth!! LOOK OUT because it’s 10 times worse when you’re training for a show like this and that time comes… HA!! GOTTA LOVE MOTHER NATURE!! :)

I know that I’ve been a “Hot Mess” more than I’ve been a “Good Mess” and boy have I had my days where I’ve  completely broke down!! Speaking of break downs!!  Last night I had one of my break downs just before class and I want to personally thank “Moe” from the bottom of my heart for being there for me last night. Sometimes you just need a hug and someone to listen to you vent and let you cry and Moe you did just that for me.  I don’t know if you realize this but if it wasn’t for you I honestly don’t think I would’ve stayed and took the class last night. I was seriously about ready to say F all of this and then that one BIG HUG you gave me made such a difference. Moe you ROCK and I want you to know how much I miss you at our training sessions. You have such a positive energy about you which makes it so much easier to get thru the painful workouts!! I always make sure to keep you in the back of my mind when I’m working out. So Thank you for being the FABULOUS WOMAN you are!!

Until next time!! Have a WONDERFUL DAY D3 Family!!

Xoxo

V

Sorry so long

What can one say, its been UNBELIEVABLE. On my last blog I said it was a part-time job, becoming FULL. Its HERE - Day in the life of a BAB. get up at 5:30am work out at D3 or gym for an hour, get home have breakfast, (protein shake, along with egg whites-) Go to work, come home either go to gym or D3 for a couple of classes or do both (why not we are training) and between all this eating every 3 hours, (protein and veggies), and lets not forget the daily 300 sit-ups, push-ups and bicycles :) and then you can try to rest. I need sleep, im hungry, im dizzy. But I swear i forget about all that when I look in the mirror and i see the increadible changes on my body :) I see a new little rip on my arms and GOD knows it makes it all worth it, and im loving my journey.

PS I LOVE MY BABS
Thank you ladies :)

In training

I'm Changing...

This whole process is changing my mindset about a lot of things, and when I say mindset - its because I definitely had a "set" mind. One of the things I did NOT do was workout in the morning. Hmmmph! You have to get up early for that. It's bad enough that my dog has an internal alarm clock that is set at 6:30am, but the earliest for any physical activity was 8am-ish(and only on weekends - why would anyone ever consider getting up earlier than necessary on a day you had to work?) . Well ever since Dre said I needed to do cardio, cardio, cardio - I was like when am I going to fit all this in if I don't do something in the mornings. Being blessed to have a treadmill at home, a few weeks ago I started getting up at 6am so I could do cardio and some of my 300s. And this week I actually went to the gym in the morning (gasp!) That means I had to get up at 5:15 so I could be there at 6am (WTF?). Well after a long day yesterday (over 4.5 hours of working out) I decided I was going to sleep in today (I'm sooo TIRED!!). I wasn't going to get on my treadmill at home, I wasn't going to go to the gym, I would sleep until 7:30 and then worry about the hour I missed this evening... Well, I really didn't enjoy my extra sleep because I felt GUILTY because I hadn't worked out this morning (who is this person, I certainly don't know her). I called my job and told them I would be in late. Why? So I could do my morning workout...usually that call is only made after that one extra martini that I knew I shouldn't have had the night before! This is a whole new concept for me...feeling GUILT as the result of skipping a workout!?! Wow! I guess this is what it feels like when a new behavior really becomes a habit. Until next time...

Robin

Hey Everyone,

Just checking in! Our routine is changing rapidly (evolving) and it's been a real exercise in fortitude to keep pace. The physical demands are unrelenting and your body does what it can...or what the mind tells it it can. And that's the challenge..the mind! All the familiar slogans--"getting your mind right", "made up mind", "mind over matter"..both bolster and infuriate you during this process. Your body wants to give up..and you can sympathize after 300 pushups AND a 3 hour workout day...but somehow you're up the next day ready for more. And I can't speak for anyone else but the ability to continue is nothing short of God! I'm thankful He's given me a spirit of resilience and determination and silliness with a smidge of crazy because without the combination, I'm sure I'd be at home justifying eating a 4 wing mild sauce, salt and pepper.

This is the hardest thing I've ever done. I have good days, not so good days and downright bad days. I'm physically tired but often don't sleep well. I'm hungry a lot but am not fulfilled by the thought of a "cheat day." It's really a trip what you go through emotionally and mentally. I've learned so much about myself during this process. This sooooo started with the desire for a better, banging body. The idea of a six-pack is seductive, no??? But now, it really is about the journey (Elena's been saying this all along:-)..And a hellava journey it's been. Can't wait to see where I end up. This is just the beginning!

Ups and Downs - Good days and Bad days...

Well I finally experienced it...my first BAD day...and boy was it a doozie! Yesterday for the very first time since joining BABs I wanted to say "F"it...my couch is calling! Now don't get me wrong, I have had plenty of days where I didn't feel like it, or my energy level was low...but nope - yesterday was next level. Then Dre went HARD on me at PT - never met that Dre before yesterday...wasn't feeling her at all, nope...not one bit. Then the workout was HARD! Back to back to back to back - no breaks - just hard. I don't know if Dre has a background in the military, but I'd swear she has some drill sergeant flowing thru her veins. For whatever reason, I couldn't seem to push through it; I know a lot of it was mental because I was definitely feeling deflated - in retrospect I should have used those negative emotions to help push me through my workout. But truthfully, I just wanted to get my stuff and go home. I finally got home to discover that somehow I was out of the precious sweet potatoes I needed for my dinner...I was totally like FML! The diet is very limited so I had to go back out to the store...*insert angry face here* After coming in, eating (starving to death by now) and getting a good night's sleep (something like a coma), I am here again today and ready to get back on the horse. I will not give up on myself...not an option.
I need to thank each BAB individually (Vicki, Bea, Karlisa, and Elena) for the encouragement yesterday. Each of you put your own spin on understanding how I was feeling and managed to say just the right thing to help me through. I appreciate you so much, I don't know what I would do without the support. I think its a benefit for me, being the last to join, I feel like you guys have experienced some of the emotions I'm feeling already - so you know just what to say. Coming up from behind isn't all bad, although I wish I had been a part from the beginning. And Stephanie, every time I think of you going through this by yourself...you are an AWESOME WONDER. And Dre, stank or no stank - I'm glad you like me...I cringe to think of my life right now if you didn't - LOL!

Just me and my Breath, me & my Breath :)

As I’m upping my workouts, I’ve become more aware of my breath and how vital it is to get me through the tough workouts. Here is an interesting link about breathing. It’s so basic and so true: “The deeper you breathe during exercise, the more calories you will burn.” Let’s keep this in mind as we’re getting it in class. Breathing deeply has definitely helped with my endurance. Breathe baby breathe!!! And excuse me if I make loud noises in classes with my breath, I’m just trying to burn these calories!!!!

http://www.prevention.com/cda/expertblog/fitness/fitness.coaches?plckController=Blog&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&newspaperUserId=c95b8814-546d-4f44-becc-202fb8d2d8ae&plckPostId=Blog%3Ac95b8814-546d-4f44-becc-202fb8d2d8aePost%3A16a2148e-a713-4f02-ab10-d89c901a6beb&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest

My diet is now mainly consisting of fish and veggies and I am upsetting people all around me. My co-workers roll their eyes and sigh during lunchtime after I heat up my fish and veggies. Sorry folks, just trying to get my nutritious lunch in! Go ahead and enjoy your cheeseburgers & fries, barbeque chicken and Chinese food. I’m sticking to my healthy lunch. Together we are stinking up the office!!! My young nieces slept over Saturday night and while they enjoyed their chicken and mac-n-cheese, I heated up my fish and brown rice. My 3 yr old niece immediately put her little arm across her nose and said “Ewww, what stinks Tia?” (tia is auntie in Spanish). My little princess was so cute. She made me laugh so hard. My little nieces bring so much joy to my life. They take me away from reality if at least for a little while.

That’s it for now. Don’t forget to breathe baby!!!

See you soon,
Bea

A little Heart to Heart Moment!! From V

Hi D3 Family,

Sorry I haven't been on here in awhile like everyone i just have a lot going on in my life right now and sometimes it’s hard to fit everything in, in one day.  I want to say thank you to ALL OF YOU for being so supportive during this crazy and intense training for the BABs figure show that’s coming up. I can’t believe we only have 2mths left to go it’s so crazy how fast time goes by.

This has been one crazy journey for me as it is for all the girls training for this show I’m sure. This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done and I can’t tell you enough how much I appreciate everyone’s kind words. I never thought that a training like this would take such a toll/change a person. I have been on a rollercoaster of emotions since i've started this training. Some days I’m so happy and feel like I’m on top of the world and then other days I feel like I’m falling apart. I know most of you see me as this happy bubbly person all the time and then when I’m not that happy bubbly person it shows and I’m not really good at hiding the way I feel and I want to apologize in advance if I’m ever short or not so cheerful/bubbly all the time. I care about everyone at D3 and i think everyone is doing such a great job and i'm so proud of each and everyone of you! Until you go thru something like this it’s really hard to explain all the feelings you go thru doing something like this. I don’t regret signing up for this at all!! If I had to do it all over again I would. Training for something like this is NO JOKE!! If it was easy we would all do it!! This take pure dedication, time and effort and it’s very very challenging. You’re personal life will completely change and those of you who have a family and are training for this I give you so much credit like Stephanie “GIRL YOU ROCK” !! When I feel like giving up I just stop and think about all the stuff you had to go thru and how you went thru this training alone. I don’t know what I would do without You, Dre and the BABs team. The BABs team is like my second family as well as all my D3 family members.

I want to personally thank Elena and Karlisa for all their encouragement and kind words these past few weeks. I’ve been hitting a lot of rough patches and they’ve both been there to listen to me and give me some awesome advice so THANK YOU BOTH!! I love you both so much and again thank you for taking the time to listen to me.

Dre – I don’t even know where to start!! You have been so good to me and so helpful with everything going on in my crazy life. I’ve never met someone who has your heart, drive, soul and dedication to not only your family, friends and D3 but to everyone and anyone that comes to you. You’re an amazing person and I’m so honored to have you in my life not only as my trainer but as one of my very good friends!!

BABs TEAM!! We ALL ROCK and I’m SO EXCITED to see the end results and see us ALL KICK ASS at this show!!

Until next time!!
Xoxoxo
V AKA “POOKSTER!!”