Tag Archive | toneitup

Bikini Series Day11

May8

20140508-231342.jpg

I’m writing this tonight in the hospital. Ben had surgery this morning. All went well and he is recovering. He will be here overnight and probably tomorrow too. Even though he is still sleeping most of the time, I don’t want him to be all alone.

My day has revolved around Ben being in the hospital. I was able to get up early and get a run in before having to get the boys up early to drop Ben off. Took the boys to Starbucks for breakfast since we had 30min before they had to be at school. Then I went back to the hospital to wait with Ben. His surgery was suppose to start at 9:15a – he had to be there at 7:45a. They came in around 9a and said there was a 45min delay… We didn’t see anyone again until almost 11! He finally got taken to the OR at 11:30a. I went home and did 3 rounds of Kat’s Kettlebell workout. I used the 20lb Kettlebell for all the exercises except for the plank rows because it was too tall. I guess now that I think about it I could have elevated my plank. Oh well. Next time.

I cleaned up the house then went back to the hospital to wait for Ben to get out of surgery. I wanted to make sure I was there to talk to the doctor. I was so relieved when he told me that everything went well. Ben’s hernia was pretty big and was actually in his chest. This should be the last time he will need this procedure. Hoping this motivates him to get healthy.

After talking with the doctor, I had to go pick up the boys from school. I had just enough time to eat lunch in the car before they got out. Gio had baseball lessons right after school. By the time his lesson ended, Ben’s dad had arrived and we met him for dinner at Red Robin. Then, we headed to the hospital to visit Ben and see if he had woken up yet.

The boys left him notes telling them they love him and hope he feels better soon. They were both very good and stayed quiet so Ben could rest.

Took the boys home and had them finish homework. I tucked them in, did my plank, and now I’m back at the hospital. It’s been a long day. But I’m glad I was able to squeeze in a quick workout.

Meals –
M1: banana and Starbucks spinach gets wrap
M2: Larabar
M3: Half a Sandwich frm Mr. Pickles and strawberries. This was actually left over from a lunch Ben bought yesterday.
Skipped M4 :-(
M5: California Chk Sandwich at Red Robin lettuce wrapped with no mayo. I usually get it with no cheese but I didn’t realize that it came with cheese.
Confession time: Gio ordered a mid pie for dessert and I had a few bites. It was like a drug hitting my system because after that fest bite, I wanted more! I think part of it was also me dealing with the stress from my day. I’ll work extra hard tomorrow!
Didn’t make my water goal either :-(
Water is always the first thing I drop the ball on when my day gets hectic. I need to set alarms during the day to remind me to drink water.

Sunset Challenge: Stop, Drop & Make a List for all the things I’m grateful for:
– Modern medicine for being able to save Ben’s life.
– Ben the love of my life and my dream come true.
– My boys: even though they drive me crazy, they are my world and make me a better person.
– My mother for her sacrifices to give me a better life than she had
– My dad who raised me and my brother as his own
– My second mom, Chris who helped me get through high school
– ToneItUp for helping me change my life and get healthy and fit
– Every sunrise that shows me that there is always a new day and a new opportunity
– My grandparents for being an example of everlasting love and how I hope my marriage will be
– All my tiusisters who motivate me everyday
– social media that helps me connect to friends and family all around the world
– My brother and all those in the military who fight for our freedoms
– All my friends. Each and every one has taught me something and has touched my heart.

I think we spend a lot of time focusing on things we don’t have. Taking time out to make a list like this helps me realize that there is so much I already have and am grateful for. I could go on with my list. As crazy as Life gets for me, I am happy :-)

Bikini Series Day10

May7

20140507-234435.jpg

May 7, 2014 –

No bootycall today. I needed to get some rest. I had a good intense workout at the gym to make up for it.

Wednesdays are always dedicated to the booty ;-) Started with a 10min warmup on the stairmaster. Legs felt it right away. Then, off to the weight room.
Leg Extensions 10 x 3 – 65lbs
Single Leg Lying Leg Curl to Lying Leg Curl – 10 x 3 20/50 – I would do 10 on each leg at the lower weight and then 10 on the higher weight
Squats on Smith Machine – 10 x 3 115
Plyo Leg Press Jumps to Single Leg Plyo Jumps on Leg Press Machine – 10 x 5 and 20 x 5 75lbs – I did the 10 jumps first then switched to single leg and alternated for 20 reps. No weight change. This burned the booty!
Followed it with Bikini Cardio on the treadmill. This was tough. My legs were tired and I wanted to stop so many times. I hardly ever do anything longer than 30mim on the treadmill. It was definitely a mental battle. I felt good when I was done and I’m glad it finished. I was pretty worn out afterwards.

I came home, showered and relaxed for a little bit. Boys get out early on Wednesdays so I didn’t have too much “free” time. Dealing with Gio’s bad behavior at school put a damper on my day. I don’t know what to do with him sometimes.

Couldn’t wait to go to volleyball to get away. It was a rough night. My team only won out first couple games and then lost the rest of the night :-( I could serve overhand again but my passing was horrible. It frustrated me. I’ll have to practice so I can be better. Passing is the most important thing in volleyball.

Did my plank and 2 rounds of Surfers Paradise when I got home.

Meals –
M1: eggs/egg whites, banana and strawberries
M2: Zico and cherries
M3: quinoa, broccoli and turkey meatballs
M4: Chk and string beans and Broccoli Beef
M5: PerfectFit Bar

My meals were too far apart today. Ben has surgery tomorrow for his stomach so he won’t be able to eat solids for a while. He wanted to have some Chinese for dinner. I was able to stay away from the rice and ate as much of the green beans and broccoli. I met my water goal :-)

Took time out to look over my goals. I think I’m happy with them right now so I’m not changing anything. I spent some time visualizing and seeing myself accomplishing them. I am a bit stressed over Gio’s behavior and Ben’s surgery. I took time to meditate. I focused on my breathing and let go of the stress – at least for a little while. Focusing on positive thoughts.

BikiniSeries Day9

May5

20140507-001402.jpg

May 6, 2014

I was Not in the mood to do anything today. I didn’t want to get up. I was still so tired when my alarm went off. All I wanted to do was stay in bed. But I didn’t.
Got up and did HIIT the Beach II. It was tough for me. I was tired and sore from my intense leg day on Monday. I got through it and got some energy. I dropped the boys off and went to the gym for spin. I didn’t think I’d be able to keep up but I did alright. Worked up a good sweat as usual. It wore me out.
Decided to save the rest of my workouts for later and get some stuff done around the house.
Finished up grocery shopping, prepped food, and cleaned up the house a bit. Started laundry and dishes. There’s no really finishing laundry or dishes. There’s always more to do.

I crashed after picking the boys up from school. It wasn’t that great of a nap because the boys were fighting. Had to get up and play referee.
Did the new BikiniBooty workout, SexyArms from zbodyfitnessinc, Sunset Workout, and plank right after putting the boys to bed. I thought about skipping the arm workout but I figured I needed to get back to working out my arms. I love Zoey’s arm workout and she has a great boy workout too. Definitely go and check her out!
The Sunset workout felt great. I really need to stretch more.

Meals –
M1: egg whites and banana
M2: Perfect Fit Bar and Zico
M3: Pesto Pasta, Chk apple sausage, Brussel sprouts and spinach
M4: Turkey jerky
M5: TJ’s Tempura Chk and broccol
Dessert – grapes
Met my water goal today :-)
I’m pretty happy about meals today. I was really craving chocolate badly but I was able to stop myself from buying a bag of choc pretzels :-) It’s getting easier to resist the junk and sweets. I take it one day at a time.

Bikini Series Day8

May5

20140505-232207.jpg

May 5, 2014

Happy Cinco de Mayo!! It was a little hard to get up this morning. It’s tough when I don’t really get a chance to sleep in on the weekend. It makes me feel like I get no break.

Oh well. I got up and did my neighborhood loop. I actually walked it faster this time. I decided to jog part of the downhill parts because it was harder to slow down. That was all I needed to wake up.

I was happy that both boys were finally healthy again and could go to school. I couldn’t wait to get to the gym after I dropped them off :-) I had a killer leg day. I started with a 1mile run on the treadmill then I hit the weight room. I did a modified version of a leg workout I had done before. Took out exercises I didn’t want to do and changed the number of reps and sets on others. I focused on good form and control.
Leg Press – 15,10,8,6,6,8,10,15
(140, 160, 180, 250) – I increased weight as I lowered my reps and decreased them when I increased reps.
Leg Press Machine – 10 x 10 150lbs – For this one I made sure to get low. I could really feel this in my glutes. That 10th round was killer.
Lying Leg Curls – 10 x 5 50lbs
Glute Pushdowns – 10 x 5 94lbs – this was tough after the leg press machine.
Single Leg Seated Leg Curl to Deadlift –
15 – 10 x 5 (35, 50)
Ended with Excited for Spring Cardio on the stair master. What a sweatfest!!

I was so worn out when I was done. But I was happy. It’s that exhausted from a great workout feeling :-) I walked very slowly for the rest of the day. I had to to do some grocery shopping and it was all in slow motion. Luckily, I had enough time and got most of it done before picking up the boys from school.

I started to feel overwhelmed once the boys got home. I had dinner to prep, homework to help with, and so many things to do before we had to leave for Gio’s game. I totally forgot that I had snack duty so I feel badly that the boys didn’t get a snack tonight :-( I’ll have to make it up to them. It was another rough loss for the boys. And miserable for the parents to watch because it was sooooo cold and windy.

I was really happy that Ben decided to come home and wait for a late dinner instead of picking up fast food. Meals today were pretty good.
M1: egg whites and quinoa
M2: KindBar
M3: Pesto Pasta w/ Chk apple sausage, spinach and Brussel sprouts. I pretty much threw a bunch of leftovers together.
M4: Larabar – at the baseball game
M5: In celebration of Cinco de Mayo, I made tacos. Ben and the boys had the last of the taco shells and I had lettuce tacos. The boys really enjoyed filling their tacos with what they wanted. I put guacamole, quinoa, ground turkey, and tomatoes on mine. I did also have a few tortilla chips to finish off the guacamole. I didn’t want to throw it away.
M6: frozen grapes.
Missed my water goal by 1oz. But it’s pretty close so I’m happy. I’m trying to have at least 1 coconut water during the day as part of my water intake.

After the boys went to bed, I did my 2min plank and the Best Ab Routine circuit. This was the first time I’ve done this workout. It does get those abs burning. The scissor exercise is the hardest one for me, especially today when my legs were super tired.

My kitchen is a mess and there is still 100 things I need to do. But they will have to wait until tomorrow because I am done for today!

Bikini Series Day5

May3

20140502-235824.jpg

May 2, 2014 –

Another tough morning for me. It was super hard to get up. Still having lots of congestion. I got dressed and headed out the door for a run. I went slow and enjoyed the fresh cool air. It helped me breathe. I felt better and got the boys up for school. Gio was doing better so he went back to school. Ben actually got up and decided to come with me to drop the boys off and go to the gym.

He did cardio while I hit the weight room. I did a mini leg workout:
Abductor 80lbs 10×3
Adductor 80lbs 10×3
Leg Extensions 65lbs 10×3
Seated Leg Curls 55lbs 10×3
Single Seated Leg Curls 35lbs 10×3 each leg
Leg Press Machine 175lbs 10×3
Glute Kick Back 70lbs 10×3 each leg
Squats 95lbs 10×3
Ab Machine 55lbs 10×3

Then we went back to the city to exchange the clothes that didn’t work for Ben. We had lunch and then it was time to pick up the boys. We picked up my car that we dropped off yesterday. On the way home, my car was smoking so we turned around to take it back. I took Ben’s car and took the boys home so we could get ready for Gio’s game and Seppe’s practice. We didn’t have much time and I still had to pick up drinks for Gio’s team. I somehow managed to drop them off, go to the store and be back before Gio’s game started. Ben was still at the tire place because they had to redo my entire brake installation.

We were at the baseball field for 3hrs today. I picked up Larabars for my M4. Dinner for the boys was pizza. I had half a slice that Seppe didn’t want and that was it. I came home and had some tilapia and Brussel sprouts. The rest of my meals were decent. Lunch was half of a crab salad sandwich that I shared with Ben. We usually eat a whole one each but we decided to split one today. I had veggie chip which were actual vegetables baked into chips and not just potatoes shaped/colored like veggies. I thought I took a pic of my breakfast but I guess I didn’t. M1 was egg whites and a banana. I almost made my water goal – only 5oz short.

I didn’t get a chance to do the Sunset Challenge for today. I wasn’t planning I spending most of my day doing errands and dealing with my car. By the time Gio’s game finished it was getting dark. Hoping I can do it with the boys sometime this weekend. I know they would love to join me I writing words of encouragement with chalk :-)

Soooo tired! Saturday will be a super busy morning with baseball. The boys have games at the same time :-/ And of course it starts early.

Bikini Series Day3

May1

20140501-184417.jpg

April 30, 2014 –

Today was a good day :-) Even though I was’t feeling 100%, I had great workouts. I’m not sure if I’m fighting getting sick or if I am dealing with allergies. I feel tired but that can be due to getting up in the middle of the night dealing with a sick kid and not getting good sleep. I’m congested and that’s about it. My stomach isn’t hurting and I don’t feel nauseous like the boys do. I felt amazing during my workouts.

Started my day with a 5k jog. After I warmed up my legs felt great. I had some shin splints but they are not from running. They are from walking up and down the hills! They didn’t hurt at all on my run.

Gio is still sick so he stayed home with Ben. I dropped Seppe off at school and headed to the gym. I warmed up with a 10min max incline walk then hit the weight room. I did zbodyfitness Better Booty Month3 workout. I haven’t done her workouts in a while so I wanted to see if I had improved. I was able to up the weights on all the exercises. It use to take me at least an hour to complete the workouts but I can get it done in 45-50min now :-)
I followed it with extra leg work on machines:
Leg Extensions 8×4 65lbs
Lying Leg Curls 8×4 55lbs
Leg Press 8×4 180lbs – I’m working on getting to 270 :-)
Glute Pushdowns (on assisted pull-up machine) 10×4 94lbs
Ended with a 20min Interval workout on the stairmaster.

I was pretty worn out by the time I had to pick Seppe up. Had a little nap before helping Seppe with homework and making dinner. I was feeling tired but I still went to volleyball. I look forward to it every week. It’s one night I get to play the sport I love. I don’t think about Ben, the kids, or the million and one things I have to do. I just play. I had a pretty good night too :-) I actually warmed my arm up and I was able to serve overhand most of the night! This is a big deal for me because I have been working so hard to get my overhand serve back. My passing was decent too. It helped that I wore my contacts and could see the ball better :-) Hitting was ok. I just can’t get my timing back. After a tough game of 3 on 3 (that my team won) – I ended the night a little early. It was hot and I was worn out. But I still had the last day if the Spartan 30 Push-ups for 30 Days challenge, Malibooty, and a plank to do. And yes, I did them all after I got home from volleyball. Malibooty fit perfectly for my leg day.

My Meals were ok. It’s seems like there is one meal where I veer off track a bit. M2: was a Mango – it was the last one and I was glad because this last batch of mangos I got wasn’t that great. M3: was broccoli, brwn rice/quinoa mix, and turkey meatballs. It was leftover BBQ Chk but it didn’t taste good after a couple bites so I threw it out and got the meatballs. I didn’t want to take a risk of eating bad food since I was already dealing with sick kids. Lunch was also when I ate some bread from Ben’s Panera lunch and some Veggie Straws. I think I was super hungry after my morning workout.

Before I went to bed I did complete the Sunset challenge. I took a look at my Vision Board and my Create Your Summer List. I let go of my slip ups and focused on what I needed to do to get to my goals. I went to sleep thinking about how strong I was going to feel when I leg pressed 270lbs and how confident I was going to feel in a bikini at the TIU retreat with my fellow TIU sisters :-)

Bikini Series Day2

Apr30

April 29, 2014 –

Today was tough. Gio woke up in the middle of the night sick. Cleaned up the mess and had a couple hours to get back to sleep. I didn’t want to get up when the alarm went off but I did. I wasn’t feeling that great. Went on my walk and did a loop around the neighborhood. I felt better after the walk. But Gio had a fever and had to stay home so my plan to go to spinning didn’t work out. Took care of him and Ben most of the day – Ben came home early from work because he wasn’t feeling well either :-/ Gio tried to go play his baseball game but we were glad they had enough players that he could sit out. He stayed and cheered on his team and Ben helped coach. I didn’t get a chance to workout until after the boys went to bed.

20140430-142534.jpg

I followed along with the new Bikini Body Workout. I used 8lb dumbbells for everything except the first move. I love this new workout. K&K never fail to make great workouts for the bikini series. Followed it with 30 push-ups and a 2 min plank. I ended with the Sunset Stretch yoga routine. I really need to do yoga more often. It felt so great to stretch out my legs.

I didn’t get a chance to take pics of my M2 and M4. My m2 was mango and m4: was a Luna bar. I did have a handful of m&m’s at Gio’s game though :-/ I need to pack better for his games because it’s easy to go the whole 2-3 hours without eating or drinking anything. Dinner was a Greek Chicken Salad from Panera with no dressing. I love Greek salads and with all the flavors from the olives and feta, I didn’t need dressing. I didn’t quite reach my water goal. I still got 60 oz in but I want to drink more because it helps me feel better throughout the day. Baseball game days are hard. I’m usually so tired that we just pick up dinner or order pizza for the kids. I have to start having dinner already made before the game so we can just come home and eat.

I showered and then took my before pics for the bikini series:

20140430-154242.jpg

I am always hesitant about posting my before pics. I’ve got some toning to do on my midsection. But that will come with a cleaner diet. I’m not too concerned about getting smaller. In fact, I’m trying to get bigger in my legs and arms. I wish I could make my chest grow :-( But I’ve come to accept that this is my body. I have to learn to love my body. I don’t weigh myself so I don’t have a starting weight. I did measure though because I want to put on muscle in certain areas.
Waist – 26″
Hips – 34″
Thighs – 16″
I’m looking forward to seeing the changes in 8 weeks.

Anniversary Giveaway!!!

Oct15

So I’ve been mentioning a giveaway for months now and I am so sorry for taking so long to finally get to it.  Something always seemed to come up when I wanted to do it. I had hoped to have it up by the time I did the  NWM on the 14th, but I was fighting a virus and focused on resting so I would have energy to get through my race.  Thanks to a wonderful hubby who took time off work so I could get some rest, I am feeling well enough to get this Giveaway started!

For those of you who don’t follow me on twitter or instagram – Here is what 1 Lucky winner will get:

Who Wants to Win?!!

I wanted to celebrate my amazing first year being part of the Tone It Up Team by doing a Giveaway. And what better prize could I give than goodies from the team that changed my life? I didn’t  have much luck finding a brown rice protein that I liked.  The chalky texture always got to me, but when Karena and Katrina came out with Perfect Fit, I didn’t have to look anymore.  It’s not completely smooth like whey protein, but it is so much better than all of the other brown rice protein powders I have tried. It’s great in smoothies, pancakes, and pretty much anything you can think of adding it to.  They have an ice cream and donut recipe too!

The winner gets:

  • 1  50 serving bag – perfect for baking
  • 1 box of 20 single serving packs – great for on the go
  • 1 Pink Blender Bottle

How To Win:

  1. Subscribe to my blog: msmamma.wordpress.com
  2. Follow me on Twitter: @Mia_Butterfly
  3. Leave a comment on This Post telling me your biggest challenge with your health and fitness goals.
  4. Only 1 comment per person. Multiple comments will be disqualified.
  5. For an extra entry follow me on Instagram: msmammamia
  6. Contest Starts 10-15-12 as soon as this is published :-)
  7. Contest Ends 10-22-12 at 11:59pm PST

Yes, this is open Internationally. I paid for all these goodies so these are gifts from me :-) Please share this!  Good Luck!!

Inspired!!!

Sep28

I meant to post this a couple weeks ago, but as with many things lately, there just seemed to be no time to do everything that I wanted 😐 But I am really going to make an effort to show my blog more love.

I’ve been newly inspired!!! For those who follow me on twitter, Instagram and Facebook, you already know that I was able to get into the Nike Women’s Marathon! It was pretty much the last opportunity that came my way through Nike+. They opened some spots for those who were Nike+ members and I jumped at the opportunity as soon as I saw the tweet! I use the Nike+ App for all my runs and I was thrilled that it was giving me a chance to go for my goal that I set out at the beginning of the year. I can’t even describe how excited I was when my registration went thorough. I had a big smile on face for the rest of the day 😁

I started doing races last year as part of one of Tone It Up’s challenges and I got hooked. I loved the atmosphere and energy. I was super nervous at my first 5K. I had no idea how I was going to do. Scared that I’d get trampled and be laughed at for not being fast. It turned out to be so much fun and everyone was super positive and encouraging. Loved the support from the volunteers and spectators. After the my 2nd 5k, I decided that I would go for a half marathon. I figured that it was a big enough challenge that I could fully commit to.

I picked the NWM. Being in SF was a big factor since I live only 30 minutes away. I heard that it was challenging with the hills but with amazing views. And yes, the Tiffany necklace and cute firemen were also a big incentive 😉lol. After talking to a few people who had done the race before, I learned that it might be hard to get into the race because it is so popular. This worried me and since my big goal was to do a half, I decided to find a back up race to do in case I didn’t get into NWM. I went with the Disneyland Half and decided that if I got lucky in the random drawing for NWM, I would do both. When I didn’t get into the race through the drawing, I focused on getting ready for the Disney Half. I kept my eye on the NWM Facebook page for other chances to get into the NWM. I had just finished recovering from my Disney Half and being sick when I saw the last chance to get into the NWM.

Yes, it is a little intimidating to be doing another half after only 6 weeks after my Disney half. But I am in pretty good shape. If I hadn’t gotten sick right after Disney, I would have been back to running after a week of rest. It’s been a little tough to get back to my running but I’ve been getting out as much as I can. My pace is still pretty good. I am not putting a time goal with the NWM. I just want to finish without stopping. I haven’t had time to do hill training so I know that will slow me down a bit. I’m happy just being able to do the race😊

20120928-214005.jpg

Make sure you follow me on Twitter – @Mia_Butterfly and on Instagram – MsMammaMia. I’ll be posting pics and hopefully some video come race weekend. I’ll also have my Disneyland Half post coming up along with lots of other posts that I’ve been meaning to put up.

And as promised in my last post – I will be having a giveaway to celebrate my first year with my Tone It Up team. Details coming soon!

Here’s a hint of the goodies I have for you:

20120928-214822.jpg

It’s Been a While…

Jul19

Wow! I can’t believe that it’s been so long since my last blog post. Right after my last post, I wound up getting sick :-( It took me longer than I wanted to fully recover. Then I just got busy with Life and it seemed like I never had enough time to give my blog the attention it deserved. I’ve been working hard to make time for it since I do love it. 

Here’s  a short update on what I’ve been up to the past couple months:

~ Finsihed Turbo Fire program :-) I will have a blog post on the last day and a general review of what I thought of it and how it worked for me coming soon.

~ Sneaker Head campout in Berkeley. This was such an interesting couple days.

~ Celebrated Seppe’s preschool graduation and chaperoned Gio’s End of the Year 1st Grade Picnic. I now have a kindergartner and 2nd grader :-)

~ Went to the SF Zoo for the first time with our very good friends. 6 hours of walking around can be very tiring!

~ Two camping trips – one week apart. If you follow me on Instagram (msmammamia) you can see all the beautiful sunrises I posted from our second camping trip. 

~ Completed the 5DSD: I will have a blog post that summarizes my first time with the 5DSD.

~ Started the 30DayAbChallenge with Sophie and a whole bunch of other girls :-) Follow me on Twitter @Mia_Butterfly for all my check-in videos. Follow Sophie @sophiehowl27 and Susan @stronglikesusan for the challenge info. This is such a great challenge that really work your abs!

~ Still training for my first Half Marathon. I’m up to 11.5 miles :-/ 

~ Completed Bikini Series Challenge and entered in the contest. Sadly, I wasn’t a winner of the amazing prizes, but I did win a much bigger prize :-) A body I can rock a bikini in along with the confidence to rock it and a wonderful community that supports me every day.  It’ my one year anniversary with Tone It Up!! I’ve been working on a page about my journey with them. Hoping to have it up soon. There will be lots of Before and After pics :-)

 

So I do have a lot coming :-) I’m thinking of doing a special giveaway to celebrate my 1 year of being part of the Tone It Up family. It has really changed my life and is such a big part of my life now. This past year has been absolutely amazing for me. I’ve done so many things that I never thought I could and I’ve had so much fun. Every part of my life has become better and I am truly happy. I’ve met so many wonderful people who inspire, motivate and support me. And I want to Thank those of you who have taken time to read my blog. Stay tuned for more info on the Giveaway :-)

Let me know what kind of things you’d like for the Giveaway. Going to get to bed earlier than usual so I can tackle a long run tomorrow :-)