Last night I posted on Facebook a sweatie selfie after my Insanity Max: 30 workout; Sweat Intervals. Yes, it was 10:30pm, yes, I had just finished instructing Cize LIVE, yes, I probably drove my neighbor downstairs bonkers (Sorry!) I had to get it done.  As I was looking in the mirror last night at the studio I noticed I lost some muscle tone. I was pissed. Mostly at myself but also frustrated that even though I'm working out 5+ hours a week- that is still not sufficient.  That I still need to incorporate my Body Weight Fitness, that I still need that HIIT workout, that I let myself slack.
As I was looking in the mirror I could have stopped right in the middle of class and cried. I didn't,  but I sure wanted to. 
I could not get that bummed feeling of letting my hard work go down the drain out of my head the entire errand run to Target at 8:45 pm, or when I got home and had to pick up the house, put away the purchases, mop the kitchen floor, walk the dogs, and feed the cat. So I sucked it up and got the workout done.
Here's where that thoughtful Thursday comes in:
I may have lost some muscle tone but I have noticed a few other changes. I can jump and Jump and JUMP. I could never do a lot of jacks before and I blamed it on my knees but let's be real- it was the WEIGHT on my knees- and it was the inability to catch my breath. Not this time. I could do open and close jacks, jack cross uppercuts,  plyo jumps with a crossjab, Y planks to pike-ups- basically a whole slew of high intensity moves with no modifier. (A modifier is a low intensity form of a move for people that have knee problems or any other reason they are unable to do the full move) Have you ever amazed yourself? Done something that you never thought you could?  That was me last night.  Flying through the high intensity moves without a hesitation and the actual motivation and mental push- that voice in my head saying, "You can do the full out move, stop being lazy." I have never had that before- that voice used to say, "Yea right, no way, or conserve your energy- if you go too hard you will never get through this workout. "
After a shower and some wind-down time I was laying in bed. I couldn't stop thinking about how far I have come. Three months ago I couldn't have instructed a class while giving verbal cues and breathing- I just didn't have the stamina,  endurance,  whatever you want to call it.  Six months ago I couldn't do any of the moves in Insanity Max: 30 without the modifier and many breaks. So, I may have lost some tone but I have improved in other places. Six months ago I would busy into treats everyone Shaun T said,  "You maxed out " Yes, I cried after every single workout. It was a cathartic release that I desperately needed. I cried out all of my frustration and depressed feelings, cried tears of joy that I made it through another workout, cried because I was getting my own 2 feet back on solid ground and earning back my own self esteem. So how dare I almost break down tonight because I have been slacking?
Weekly, I am telling at least one of my challengers that it is all about small daily improvements and correcting small behaviors one day at a time. I need to follow my own mantra. I need to stop being so hard on myself and make the daily improvements I need to get back to where I was.  
So I'm pledging to push play on my Max: 30 workout everyday.  I'm going to do the full out moves because I CAN do them, I'm going to get my tone back and take my fitness to a level that I have never before.  Why? Because I CAN do it. So can you.
With that said,  I try to blog with a purpose. I try to send a positive, motivating or empowering, message without too much self promotion. So here goes. I'm a real person, I'm human and I make mistakes.  You too. Our journeys aren't always one directional. There are detours, there are freeways and sometimes you make a U-turn without even meaning to. So keep plugging and strive to get a little better everyday. xoxo court

In honor of Tasty Tuesday, Fall- like weather, the ever publicized pumpkin-everything & those that are thinking "can a girl just get a cheat day?!" I am sharing with you a cheat treat recipe: Clean Eating Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. They are also 21 Day Fix Approved! What? Whoop!

I made these for myself and the twins I nanny and they are very yummy.  They are a little chewy but you do get sweetness from the chocolate chips and the maple syrup.  If you are looking for a super sinful treat- this isn't it. If you are looking for a simple guilt-free cheat treat and you ate caught up in all of the pumpkin craziness- these little cookies are for you. 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Ingredients:
29 oz can pure pumpkin
1/8 cup pure maple syrup
2 tsp nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups organic flour preferably whole wheat or almond flour
2/3 cups dark chocolate chips (semi sweet morsels if you must )

Combine all ingredients except chips in a bowl and spoon mix or use your stand mixer.

Once blended through,  fold in chocolate chips.

Scoop in tablespoon sized drops onto your cookie sheet.  Put into the oven for 10-15 minutes. You want them to darken in color, (you will see from the pictures the difference) but you don't want them to start to dry out on top. So keep an eye on them. 

Okay, now for you 21 Day Fixers: 2 cookies is 1 yellow and 1 orange. Remember, this is a great so you are using it as a yellow substitute.  Not to be exceeded 3x/week.

Well, hello there. Its been awhile. Turns out, I am just not very good at this blogging stuff. Ever feel like you have so much to say but not know how to put it into words? That's me in a nutshell. A lot has happened since my last post. When I left you I was getting ready to depart to Summit in Nashville, I had just registered for 18 credits in grad school, and registered for my personal trainer certification program. Here I am over 2 months later and I can happily say that I had an amazing, life-altering experience at Summit. I learned a lot about myself, made a few new friends, learned the difference between a business relationship and those that are truly my fit friends and regained some perspective and independence.  I am happily plugging away at this semester and am really enjoying the challenge as well as getting back into the swing of time management. Unplugging and abstaining from Facebook, text, tv, etc has proven to be a bit of a challenge for me- if I could just lock up my cell phone while I am trying to get my school work done I would be loads better off. I am managing though.
So on to the Thoughtful Thursday part. Today and for the better part of a week I have been reflecting on just how far I have come this year. Almost 40 pounds down, 2 5ks, and 2 live group format certifications under my belt and I still can't believe this is me. The girl that even when she was at her skinniest- could never run distance. This past weekend on a whim I decided to run the Skaneateles Volunteer Fire Department's Firefighter 5k. I knew there was going to be a hill, road race, and trail race and I really wanted to challenge myself. Granted, I did not do as well as I wanted to, but only 4 minutes and 18 seconds over my PR is not too shabby considering I have never run such a steep hill as that or done any trail racing. Oh, did I mention it was 90 degrees out with killer humidity? Yeah. Regardless, I finished. 1 year ago I would have never signed up, never mind the fact that I went by myself, ran by myself and had no one at the finish line waiting for me. Ya know what? I didn't care. I have come to realize there are certain things that you need to do for yourself and not everything you do has to be for the public consumption. Sometimes a personal pat on the back just needs to be enough.
Last night I taught my first Turbo Kick cardio kickboxing class. I had an awesome group of ladies that were there to be challenged, have a great workout and have fun. I couldn't have asked for a better group. Today, I'm a little sore, a little tired and a lot happy. 5k on Sunday, practicing all week for Turbo, Turbo class last night, and tonight I'll instruct Cize. I'm still alive. I don't think I have ever been in such great, heart-healthy shape. I may not be exactly where I want to be, may not look exactly how I want to, yet- but 6 months ago I could have never taught the class I did with jacks, kicks, burpees, and sumo squats while talking, instructing and BREATHING.  Pretty amazing feeling. My thought for this Thursday: feeling like a rock star.  Be healthy and happy. xoxo, Court

Its official!  I'm going to the annual Beachbody Summit in Nashville Tennessee next month! I purchased my ticket last weekend and today I registered the track I will be on and all of the extras.
During the conference we can attend some workshops regarding personal development, Shakeology, building the business and more.  We can also participate in live trainer group exercises. I am so excited! I was able to get both of the classes I wanted: a workout with Sagi Kalev the trainer and creator of Body Beast AND Insanity Max: 30 live with Shaun T. These are both of the programs that I am doing right now so it will be a really unique experience to workout live.

There is a Super Workout with all of the trainers and some sessions with all of the companies representatives. There is also a celebration and exclusive party for meeting certain goals.
Overall I know its going to be a  memorable experience and a turning point for me as a Coach. I'm going to do my best to soak it all up!
Did I mention I will be road-tripping with 3 other Coaches from the Results Matter team?! I'm really excited!  world's largest ball of string, anyone?

Today I was able to sneak a workout in after I dropped off the twins at Preschool! Its a special treat when I can take some time for myself like that during the day. The vibe at Planet Fitness during the day is MUCH nicer than in the evenings when everyone is trying to cram in their workout and get home to do whatever else it is that they have to get done. Truth be told, I don't get to Planet Fitness very often lately because I do my workouts at the station gym or home. I'm glad I went today. I was able to get a base run in and watch the news. I NEVER, I repeat NEVER get to watch the morning news so that was a nice distraction for me. I am still finding running INCREDIBLY boring- I am pretty sure that I always will.
Another nice thing about hitting the gym in the morning- free weight benches. It was glorious to be able to grab some weights and a bench and bang out some of my Body Beast routines. There were a couple of ladies about my age next to me struggling on what arm workouts to do, what weights to use and whether to stand or use the bench, etc. I remember that was me a few years back before I had a structured routine. Even then when I thought I had a structured routine- it is nothing compared to the structure that Body Beast provides me. So I offered some help. The me 5 months ago would have just stared at them with my resting bitch face and kept going with my own routine. The upside about this coaching is that I have broken through the barrier of approaching strangers and talking to them about health and fitness related things. All the self confidence that I have gained back certainly helps too.  So, I helped these ladies with what I knew about dynamic set training and they were actually really friendly and eager to learn. It felt good to pay it forward in a positive, healthy, helpful way. 

This journey, so far, hasn't been an easy one but I know that nothing that is truly worth it is easy. 
Do I have cheat foods? Yes.
Do I take rest days from working out? Definitely.
The majority of the time, however, I kick butt. Days like today make all of the hard work worth it. When I can walk into a dressing room with a handful of 2 piece bathing suits and the hardest part about the whole process is determining which one(s) I want to buy because they all fit and look great. Its also what keeps me motivated to keep going because I definitely have a journey ahead of me.