Checking In & Melissa Bender Fitness

I was so pumped with the "finish the year healthy and strong" and have loved reading your comments about your plans to do the same. Week one getting back to the gym was really tough, I was sore, sore, sore. But, that's the pain that comes from being sedentary too long and it's a good sore- if you know what I mean. Sitting in the steam room at my gym after a hard workout is on my thankful tree list this year.

Week two, I started to feel like I was getting my groove back. Don't get me wrong, it's still difficult getting into those workouts, but about 15-20 minutes in and the music is pumping on my iPod and something just clicks and the workouts start feeling GOOD! Do you know what I mean? That is the best. And in just two weeks, I can see small changes to my body that are really inspiring.

And now, week 3, I'm backing off because I'm not feeling too good- got run down, feeling sick, and have to listen to my body and take a little break for about a week. I am just like you and I can't do everything all the time, and obviously I don't kill myself to post on both of my blogs daily, but just when I have something I want to share with you and can make the time to share. I only want to write things here that you will find useful, beneficial, inspiring, or informational.

So, today, I'm just saying, I'm not giving up, I'm not giving in. I just needed a little break. Back at it real soon. Can't keep me down. :)

How's it going for you?

And I wanted to share a fitness blog I found that I was really impressed with- Melissa Bender Fitness. This woman trained for a fitness competition without ever training in a gym- she did all her workouts at home. No excuses, right?! I know getting to a gym is a struggle for a lot of people, so I thought you might want to check her site out. She shares in great detail all her contest prep including food and workouts. Let me know what you think and tell her I said hi!

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40 Day Fat Loss Challenge

At the beginning of last year (2014), I challenged myself to get in shape for my first ever NPC bikini contest and reached that goal after 5 months of training (July 2014). Since then, I'd been pretty much slacking on the diet and workouts, but by October 2014, I was not liking how I felt physically when I had gotten used to being in great shape. My weight was creeping back up and my muscle was turning into fat. In November, I started back with my trainer and by December had started embracing my bikini meal plan again, but not nearly as strictly and not without lots of "cheats". It was the holidays after all. And I like to eat as much as the next person. Read more »

Healthy Meal Prep | Grilled Chicken Salad

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40-Day Fat Loss Challenge (Day 14 Update)

It's time to check in and update my progress for the 40-Day Fat Loss Challenge I entered at my gym. For my body fat percentage, I'll use my trainer's caliper measure since I won't have access to the machine until the 40 days is up. The machine measured about the same as my trainer anyway. My goal is to lose at least 1% body fat each week so that at the end of the 40 days (nearly 6 weeks), I'll have gone from 24% down to 17%. I'm on track for that now, but would love to get closer to 15%. PROGRESS Day 1: 24% body fat (112.4 pounds) Day 7: 22.4% body fat (110 pounds) Day 14: 21% body fat (109.4 pounds) (These numbers reflect what I weigh when I weigh-in at the gym mid-morning. My weight below I take first thing in the morning when I wake up, so it's slightly lower.) Below is a picture of where I'm at as of Day 13. I didn't take a good "Day 1" picture, so the "start" is from December, but it's a good representation o

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