Home Gym!

Oh my gosh.

Emotions.

So many emotions.

MY HUSBAND IS THE BEST HUSBAND IN THE HISTORY OF HUSBANDS!

Well, he is definitely the best husband for me; much like your husband/wife is the best person for you.  Funny how life works out that way?  Am I right!? *huge smile*

For a fusion of my Birthday & Valentine's Day gifts, my husband has put together the most awesome sauce gift of all time.

1. ZUMBA CLOTHES!



Love all the Zumba clothes!  I got 3 pairs of pants, 3 tops, AND a pair of shoes.

*SWOON*

Did I leave out the part where he also bought me Zumba Incredible?  Yeah, that's the new Zumba program with a step.  Yes, you read that right... A STEP people!

*SWOONING MORE*

He knows me too well.

2. He built/installed me a home gym too!  

Now I have my own workout space.  Complete with rubber flooring so the cement doesn't hurt my back.  A cabinet for my weights, bands, yoga mat, and Zumba step.  Installed a shelf for my DVD player and workout DVDs. Put my Elliptical in the corner.  Mounted a TV on the wall for me... and put an iHome out there for my music when I'm not using one of my workout DVDs.

I am literally in shock and awe.

*SWOONING AGAIN*

For a brief workout DVD recap, I now have:

• Zumba Exhilarate
• Zumba Incredible
• Insanity
• T25
• Hip Hop Abs
• Rockin' Body

I also have three Zumba and 5 various other exercise games for my Wii.  My husband also set up the TV for quick installation of my Wii if I decide to move it out there too.

I am seriously such a blessed woman.

Life is wonderful. 

I'm ecstatic!

Tomorrow my husband and I are having our first 5am Duo/Family Workout... I AM LITERALLY MORE EXCITED THAN ALL THE CAPS IN THE WORLD CAN EXPRESS!

That is all.

Much love my darlings!

XOXO

Mych

A Quick Blurb

The scale is moving!  I'm trying really hard to not weigh in until Saturday...

Well it'll have to be after Saturday because I'm going out of town; but none the less, I am trying to utilize patience and not weigh in for a few more days.

It's amazing how watching that number finally move has impacted my mood and attitude today.

I won't lie about how much of a struggle it has been the past few weeks to have the motivation and dedication to not give up.  Between illness and watching how nothing was changing no matter how good I was... it was hard to want to keep going.

But I did.

And I'm glad I did.

This year isn't so bad.  I can lose 50 lbs this year.  A pound a week.  Let's do this!

My journey is about being the best me.  Your journey is about being the best you!

We can do this.  We deserve to do this.

Much love to you guys!  Please keep me updated!

MWAH!

Mych

A Friendly Monday Reminder

Okay dah'lings,

It's Monday!  So we get to start fresh again!  Who doesn't love a good week's restart?

Probably everyone, because no one likes Monday.

I'm writing a blog post right now because I'm feeling overwhelmed this morning already.

I have been sick and lethargic all weekend; as such I haven't had the gumption to clean my house or catch up on laundry.  My house is a mess.  If you haven't heard yet... I'm OCD.  So it's kind of melting my face off.

The problem is, I can't exercise until I clean my house.

Why?

First, I like to workout in a clean and organized environment.  I was really picky when I was picking gyms in Utah.  I like things to be clean and organized.

Second, I can't relax and exert full attention and effort to my workout until I clean my house.  I like to put my all into my workouts so I feel like I'm really pushing and changing my body.  Having a messy house will leer in the back of my mind and drive me crazy.  No bueno.

Thirdly, a messy house STRESSES ME THE EFF OUT!  I exercise to release tension.  If I exercise before... I'll be stressed afterward because I'll still have to clean.

So today I'm prioritizing based on my emotional and physical needs, not just my physical needs.  And that's okay!

Sometimes you have to do what's best for your mind, heart, and soul first; and sometimes those things will be different than what your body physically needs.

Have balance in your life.  I've found that's what makes me happy.  Take care of your physical body, take care of your heart, mind, and soul.  They're all linked and they all deserve to be taken care of.

So take care of yourself today my loves!

Relax, workout, be happy, smile, hug someone, accomplish something, be amazing, have a glass of your favorite drink.  Whatever you do, just make sure you're doing it for yourself.

You deserve it today.

You deserve to love your life.  Make it so.

Love,
Mychal

Feeling v. Seeing

Hello Lovelies!

It's a beautiful Saturday and I hope that you've all had a wonderful week!

I suppose it's "update" time.  I have some exciting updates, and some kinda not exciting updates.

I'll start with the exciting things first.

Yesterday & today, for the first time I can remember... I nailed my two Focus T25 workouts.  By "nailed" I mean that:

• I didn't have to pause the DVD to catch my breath
• I did every exercise for the entire time allotted
• I pushed through the burnouts and kept up with the T25 Crew
• I embraced the burn and never let up on my energy and focus

It might sound silly to some of you.  But to me that's a big deal.  That is a HUGE improvement in a week.   A mere week before I was pausing the DVD, stopping mid exercise section, and going at half the speed the Crew was exercising at.

I feel so great!  I can feel the change in my body (and I can feel it too.)  My abs and core are getting stronger and I'm able to put more energy and force behind every exercise movement.

My husband even noticed that my pants fit better.  *smiling huge*

NOW

While I can feel the changes in my body, I can't really see anything (though maybe my husband is onto something with the pants).  This week I didn't gain or lose weight.  Which is disheartening, but not.  If that makes sense.

I'm hoping that the high intensity and strength building exercises in my workouts built some muscle (which, if I was losing fat at the same time could explain why I didn't "lose" anything. I did lose, but I gained muscle at the same time.) and building muscles is a good thing.  Being stronger is a good thing.  It means I can work harder and more intensely to lean up.

Regardless of numbers, I am happy and I feel good.  I will never give up! Ever.

I hope the rest of you are doing well! Fill me in on how you're doing, please!

As always, feel free to email or message me if you would like to chat or need some encouragement!

I sure love and appreciate you all!

Much love,

Mychal

What I've Learned

So, I was sitting at home and decided I'd write a blog post, but was sans post ideas.

As such I reached out via Facebook for a topic that people would be interested in reading about.

A dear friend and complete inspiration encouraged me to write a blog post about what my fitness and health journey has taught me.

I've pondered upon it for a few days and have a few things I wanted to share.

1. If you set your mind something, you CAN achieve incredible things.

If you truly dedicate yourself to your dreams, your aspirations, you goals, and your happiness you can have everything you've ever hoped for, imagined, and desired.

2. You deserve to be happy.

Never sell yourself short. You should never settle. If you want something, work for, attain, and appreciate it.

3. You are more remarkable than you give yourself credit for.

Oftentimes we demean ourselves, we lower our value, or we allow social standards to measure our worth. We too often see ourselves as far less than we are.

4. Being healthy DOES make you happier.

I'm not talking about weight loss, I'm talking about general health & wellness. Knowing that your body can do what you want and need it to do. Pushing yourself to your limits and feeling the power and utilizing the genius design that is the human body... there is nothing more fulfilling.

5. Eat right!

Portion size, fruits, vegetables... eating nutritional food makes your body feel MUCH better. Binging out over the holiday wreaked havoc upon my body. Nothing feels better than eating right and exercising. It makes an enormous difference in how you physically feel.

6. Never give up.

There are ups and downs. We're only human. Your weight will flux, your going to miss a few days of working out, you'll get sick, or you'll get hurt, there are holidays, vacations, injuries... late nights at the office... you have to make peace with it and keep moving forward.

Lastly, don't compare yourself. Ever.

You need only to live in a way that makes you happy. To work out and be a weight that makes you feel good. Your value isn't measured by a number. You are worth more than a number can ever say. You worth isn't based on your dress size and you don't have to have the body of a model. You are beautiful. Reality is beautiful. Be you. Be real. Be healthy. Be HAPPY.

My last little tidbit is this: YOU ARE RADIANT. Let the brilliance of your existense shie bright enough to dispel all shadows of doubt and fear.

You can do this. You have the power to be who you've always been meant to be. To be the person you've always wanted to be.

Much love my dah'lings!

Mych