Ooooh Rahhhhh..

 I was in the United State Marine Corps. I love my beloved Corps. I support all branches but I will never love another like I love the Corps. That time in my life made me who I am today. I have never regretted being part of it because it's always with me. I miss it even though there were times when I didn't understand it. Orders are orders. I keep those USMC values and teach them to my son. As a former Marine I have an instant bond with other Marines. I don't have to know them personally, its just there. It's something that cannot be described. I was a Marine during peaceful times. It is easy for me to sleep at night because I know that they are out there protecting us here. And when I think one of us/them is hurting I hurt. I want to help. It's the Marine Corps way.

I have a twitter account (@usmcdaffy) and I follow lots of people. I follow sports, dispatchers, police, fire, soldiers, Airmen, Seamen, and of course Marines. Lots of them. Retired ones, active ones, young ones, seasoned ones, veterans, etc. Awhile ago I started following an active duty Marine. All I am going to say is he has seen combat, he is active duty and he is from the South. I feel drawn to him. I don't know his name. I dont know where he is stationed. I don't ask. That is okay. He has a broken heart I think. And not a regular broken heart. The kind that never really heals. The kind of broken heart that was broken because he couldn't save his friend/brother/Marines.

It's called survivors guilt. And it is a very tough thing to live with because it's always there. You have to be able to forgive yourself. And he may never do that. I dont know. I want to help him. I don't feel like he is in danger or dangerous, just sad inside. The only way I can help is say goodnite. Every nite. So he knows every night that one person cares.

So if you see someone struggling. Or hurting. Or needing help. Sometimes its the small gesture, the extra smile makes it better for at least that day, that moment, that right now. Say hi. Hold the door for someone. Take a moment to think that maybe they aren't having a great day too. But maybe that small gesture will help them.

 It doesn't have to be big to have big meaning.

Ciao

USMCdaffy

Sylvia.....

This is my pal Sylvia. -------------------------------->>
 She has officially lost 100 lbs! She did it through hard work. Better food choices. And no pills, tricks, shakes, mixtures..... Just exercise and nutrious foods. She tracks her food on myfitnesspal.com. Yes. It took a long time. It took THREE YEARS. So I asked her. Who? What? Where? When? And most important why. Why did you start this fitness journey? Here is her story.....

Sylvia went to her doctor three years ago because she wanted to lose weight and she had tried on her own without success. She wanted 'help' and her doctor (YAY Dr!!) refused to give her any meds without a FULL blood work. And when her results came back she was shocked to find that she was Type II diabetic and high cholesterol. She was shocked and scared! There is a long history of diabetes in her family. There are so many medical complications that can occur with diabetes whether it is Type I or II and Sylvia has three lovely children & great husband!

So she began. First step was changing her food choices. She doesn't follow a specific plan but she learned about what foods were better choices. She figured out how she could keep her blood sugar where it was supposed to be for her body. She lost 20 lbs just from that! Success! She was not allowed to drink Shakeology because it was too sugary for her body. No diets pills, no shakes, no mixes, just good nutrition. Does she fall of the wagon? Of course! But she keeps getting back on it. I see her on MFP logging her foods. Tracking those calories without depriving herself. Is it hard? Of course!! But.... Eating bad makes her feel sick and unhappy.

She exercises. She uses TurboJam, ChaLEAN Extreme, and TurboFire. It helps her handle stress. Sylvia now can get on the treadmill and run three miles! Just like when she was in the Marines. Yes. Sylvia was in the Marines for 12 years. She probably runs better now then when she was in the Marines.

For the first time in 15 years as a soccer mom she can now partipate with her kids rather then sitting on the sidelines. And that makes her kids and her very very happy.

WAY TO GO SYLVIA! Thanks for motivating me! :o)

Ciao
USMCdaffy

I DID IT!

YES! I did IT! I completed P90X2. Sunday April 8th, 2012 was the VERY last day of P90X2. It was a rest day and I took it! But the program was not as hard as I thought it would be.. Now it is HARD. Matter of fact it is brutal! But it is NOT so hard that it could not be completed. It does take determination, dedication, and time. I made time. Tony Horton is so motivating and he knows how to talk to people. Getting them to push a little harder for a little longer. I didn't want to disappoint him. I didn't want to disappoint myself. There were time I had to skip a workout here and again but I never fell off the program. I never gave up. The more I did the more I wanted to do. The farther along the program I went the more I wanted to keep going.

Am I at my goal weight? No. Am I where I want to be? No. Am okay with that? Yes! I wish people could know how great exercise feels. Sounds crazy.. I know, I know.... BUT. I started out with a 'weight loss journey' but it has become so much more. I wish people could understand where the dedication and determination comes from. I forget what is bothering me. I forget how bad things can get. It gives me focus. It gives me joy. It relieves a lot of stress. It ultimately makes me feel good. It makes me want to do more. Resistence to exercise has become futile. Crushed. Smashed. Broken!  Every day before I go to bed and every day when I wake up I think about what I am going to do to exercise. It took MONTHS to get here. M-O-N-T-H-S.

Chalene Johnson (TurboJam, TurboFire) says don't think of how you feel when you start to exercise, think of how you feel when you are done. That is the difference. I think about how GOOD it feels when I am done. Not the aches, pains, twinges, strains. The end of the workout. The finish...
You can do it too.

Ciao
USMCdaffy

Well I am now on week three of Phase II. I think it is going great!! Every Tuesday is Plyocide and its a killer cardio workout. It's only 55 minutes and it does go by very fast. Tony Horton calls it death by jumping. It sometimes feels like death by jumping and this last Tuesday (yesterday) it really kicked my booty! KICKED IT! HOLY. I was very proud of myself because I was able to do the last exercise nearly the whole time and its the longest minute OF MY LIFE! Its a lot of up and down, up and down.... The only part I still cannot do is the Plyo part because its a pushup with a clap. I'm not quite ready for that level but I can do all the pushups AND because it's a drill he just calls out what we are doing. VERY FAST! I really have to push myself to finish it out! I did it! YAY!! 

"Do your best and forget the rest"! ~Tony Horton

Today is Ash Wednesday. So that means its the start of Lent. I have observed Lent for quite a few years now. This year I am giving up white flour anything and potatoes.... Its gonna be HARD! But you are supposed to pick something that challenges you and this is certainly going to challenge me! I had been thinking of giving this stuff up for a while now. I really wanted chips today. DESPERATELY! Wanted chips!! Instead I made a greenberry shakeology with banana. It was good and it filled me up. On to a decent start! :o)

Ciao

USMCdaffy

Sick, Still!!! Progress in the P90X2 journey. (old unpublished one)

Yuck! Still sick! If you have been reading my facebook updates you know I have been sick for now week number three. Tired of this nose/sinus issue! I have had severe allergy/sinus/nose issues in the past and it's LOATHESOME! Week one I didn't really take any medications and I was coming to my first Rest/Recovery week after finishing Phase I (four weeks!) of P90X2. So instead of Yoga X2 & Recovery and Mobility DVD that week I didnt do anything. I started week 5 STILL sick but I finished. I didnt do Yoga X2 that week because I could not bend over with my head sooooo stuffed! YIKES! Again rested on my Recovery & Mobilty DVD day!

I am on DAY FOUR of another over the counter medicine. This time I got Mucinex-D. HA! It is the most hard core top of the line over the counter medicine- MOST powerful! How do I know aside from the tons of milligrams of meds crammed in each pill/ It's TWENTY-SIX dollars. YES! You read correctly $26 AT Walmart... That about a dollar a pill. It BETER be working... Its my last attempt on my own before going to the doctor. I've already been through one bottle of Theraflu and some of the Alka-Selzter super pills, 6 boxes of kleenex, one bottle of nose spray (#2 was bought yesterday) and countless cough drops! Bought another hefty pack of sugarless cough drops. This is the finale chance. I think it might be working....

This is officially day one of week two of Phase II. Going so well! The first week of a new routine is me basically flopping around trying to figure out modifications, new moves, etc. Basically like a prep week for all the exercises that are new. This week I really kick it into gear. Plus I write down my reps this week. I am still using bands and not a pullup bar. I do recognize that I either need stronger, tougher bands or a free standing pullup bar. I think I am going to do the bands. I also would like some pushup stands. I have been doing ALL my pushups on my toes and I have been able to more then before. Am I where I want to be? No. But I am progressing like I want to be doing at this point. YES! Can I do all reps? No. But its progress and progress is really what I am looking for at this point. I have a long way to do go on this long journey. I'm rather then I have been before.

Today I decided that during Ab Ripper X2 that I was going to do 11 of EVERY exercise. Granted its not all of them but its the most I have ever done! YES! It does not make me feel bad or down on myself that I can't do all the reps. More progress. Day to day. Week to Week.

Tony Horton says " Do your best. Forget the rest." Thanks Tony. I needed that.

Ciao
USMCdaffy
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Phase II

I completed P90X2 Phase I. YES! I did a total of four weeks. I was not sure if I was going to go to four weeks but I am so glad I did! That last week really showed vast improvement. I really felt stronger! I did so many more reps this last week! YES!! It does pay off!!

Recovery WEEK! A whole week of yoga X2 and recovery & mobility DVD. I needed it. I did one day of Yoga X2 and this head cold killed me! UGH! I needed rest. So I rested. Sort of... I didnt do any workouts for the week. That is rest for me. I would have rather laid around but that not realistic for my life...  Life still goes on sick or not.

Today! Phase II Whether I could breath through my nose or NOT! Theraflu and sugar free cough drops and I made it through!! It was hard but as I was doing my workout today I was thinking about what equipment I need to purchase to make it better! I have to do a lot of modifications BUT! But.... I did all my pushups on my toes! YAY!!!! That says I DID get stronger..... And my pants were looser today. HA!

Ciao
USMCdaffy

Motivation.....

The other day I was talking to a friend of mine about workouts and she asked me what is my motivation? She asks is there someone that gets on me about working out? Uh??? No. So what does motivate me? What keeps pushing me? How do I keep going on day to day from workout to workout? I really started thinking about this question. There was no one answer for me. There are many motivations for me.

Getting a new pair of workout shoes. I am so excited to put them on and test them out. How nice and clean and new they are.. How great they make my feet feel. My favorite (not an endorsement) ones are Nike Shox. They fit my feet perfectly. No sliding, slipping, fits exactly on my feet. I have not found another shoe that I love as much or fits as well.

Facebook. I know. I know. Seems silly but I log my workouts every day on there. Its a way for me to keep track but it does keep me motivated. I like seeing my progress and how far I have come. It was for myself. Then people started commenting. Good comments. Nice comments. Motivational comments and it kept me motivated.

Be a product of the product. I love love love Beachbody stuff. It works. If you use it. I have so many BB workouts. I love them all in their own lovely ways! I drink Shakeology everyday because its good for me and it works. If you use it. Its not cheap but its not a cheap product. Even if I didn't coach I would still buy their workouts & Shakeology because I believe in it. I am devoted to it. Whether its 90 days P90X2, TurbFire, HipHopAbs or 30 day yoga challenge I do my very best to keep on schedule & on track. Once I start myself on a challenge and don't stop until the end! I have been injured. Discouraged. Angry. Sad. I kept going.....I KEEP going.

I can't give up on myself. I refuse. I'm not gonna let some little bump in the road stop me.

Ciao
USMCdaffy
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