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Today I am starting one of the most important journeys of my life. I have decided to stop complaining about my weight, lack of energy and stamina and do something about it. How terrifying is that?!
Since getting married almost 3 years ago I have fell into that happy blissful attitude that my husband loves me anyway so I can just have that cookie and ice cream. Now, 3 years later and 50 pounds heavier, I find myself no longer thinking " he loves me anyway". Instead, I find myself depressed and frustrated.....and wanting to blame my husband and kiddo for the lack of time I have to work on me. When did I get so weak?
My husband married a strong woman who knew what she wanted. I am on a journey to find her. So as in any journey, you need a starting point. Mine is the 24-Day Challenge from a company called AdvoCare. I live in Ohio where this particular program is BOOMING and through the months leading up to this I've had a lot of opportunities to hear about it from friends and family who've tried it. The 24-Day Challenge sounded like exactly what I needed but I'm a natural skeptic so I was still hesitant about investing in myself and what kind of results I'd see. Then a friend from work decided to try it and I witnessed both her physical transformation and the transformation in her confidence and self-image. I know happiness doesn't come from a diet program or box of supplements but she was glowing. See, her transformation may not have come directly from her 24-Day Challenge but it was certainly the mechanism that gave her the boost she needed to make it happen. So I decided to give myself the same level of commitment that I've given to so many others and I ordered the "Challenge" from AdvoCare.
"I was looking at a little over 3 weeks to cleanse my body, regain some energy, and start the weight-loss I needed to help me feel like working out and taking control long-term."
Throughout the entire process I am going to eat clean"er" (I wont be perfect). I'm not drinking coffee, or pop/soda and I'm seriously limiting sugar intake so instead of getting my morning energy from a spoonful of sugar I'm going to be getting it from a low-calorie, sugar-free, energy supplement called Spark Energy (aka...Mommy Juice). Spark comes as a part of the 24-Day Challenge but I've had a head start trying it out. It was my pre test to see if I could give up my 4 cups of coffee a day. I have been drinking Spark for a couple of weeks now and let me just say....."OH MY GOODNESS!" I feel like I could save the world! It is amazing stuff. I don't know if it's the lack of sugar and/or the lack of other additives but whatever it is doesn't matter to me! You get such a clean and long-lasting energy with no jitters, no crash and total mental focus. It is A-MAZ-ING!
That's the story of how I ended up here, in front of a computer putting my private thoughts on display for anyone to see. I'm blogging my Challenge for myself and for those of you who feel like I do. I won't be perfect and you'll see that but hopefully you'll be able to detect a positive change as well!
I'll also be blogging about or posting other information I think will be relevant and helpful to the women and mothers who are for something different for themselves and the ones they love. The ones who want to take back control of their energy, activity, weight and wellness and stop letting life, situations, and everything/everybody else dictate how those aspects of their life turn-out. I hope it can give you the motivation.....the SPARK.....you need to make a commitment to yourself and your own happiness.
So here's DAY #1:
For the first 10 days I do an herbal cleanse. It consists of herbal supplements, ProBiotics, Fiber Drink, Spark Energy and Omega 3 supplements. It's a smooth cleanse.....or so I am told. I hope so because I've attempted to take women' s "gentle" laxatives before. Gentle for who!?
After the cleanse is complete I'll move into a 2-week phase called the "Max" phase. During that time I'll take a pre-packaged group of vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients called MNS-E that's meant to restore and balance my levels of these important building blocks. I'll continue drinking Spark and taking the Omega 3 as well as some companion products I've selected. The "Max" phase is pretty customizable and you can choose yours based on your goals (energy, weight-loss, balance of both). I chose to take the balanced approach for more energy and weight-loss.
Throughout the Challenge I'll also be drinking half my body weight in ounces of water per day (ie, 180lbs means 11-12 8oz glasses per day).
Day 1 was a good day. I haven't exercised yet but I did feel good enough to clean my kitchen when I got home from work. That is an accomplishment!
Here's everything that went into my body:
Breakfast - Spark, Fiber Drink, Meal replacement shake (could've done a meal)
Lunch - Meal replacement shake (could've done another meal)
Snack - Handful of almonds, baby carrots
Dinner - Omega 3 pills, Steamed Chicken, Zucchini and Onions
Bedtime - Herbal Cleanse caplets, handful of grapes
When preparing my dinner I used no butter or oil I just added about 1/4 cup of water and let the steam take care of it. To season I used salt, pepper, a Pampered Chef Bell Pepper rub ( really good by the way) and fresh garlic.
Let me tell you it was actually really good! I am a little hungry but I am used to snacking on whatever I want all day. My body is going to need to learn to resist those sugary and salty cravings......right? Looking forward to Day #2!
To Be Continued -My 24-Day Challenge Journey: Day #2
Follow Joni's progress and recommendations via Twitter: @SparkForMoms
If you have questions or would like more info on the 24-Day Challenge then CLICK HERE to email me.
Since getting married almost 3 years ago I have fell into that happy blissful attitude that my husband loves me anyway so I can just have that cookie and ice cream. Now, 3 years later and 50 pounds heavier, I find myself no longer thinking " he loves me anyway". Instead, I find myself depressed and frustrated.....and wanting to blame my husband and kiddo for the lack of time I have to work on me. When did I get so weak?
My husband married a strong woman who knew what she wanted. I am on a journey to find her. So as in any journey, you need a starting point. Mine is the 24-Day Challenge from a company called AdvoCare. I live in Ohio where this particular program is BOOMING and through the months leading up to this I've had a lot of opportunities to hear about it from friends and family who've tried it. The 24-Day Challenge sounded like exactly what I needed but I'm a natural skeptic so I was still hesitant about investing in myself and what kind of results I'd see. Then a friend from work decided to try it and I witnessed both her physical transformation and the transformation in her confidence and self-image. I know happiness doesn't come from a diet program or box of supplements but she was glowing. See, her transformation may not have come directly from her 24-Day Challenge but it was certainly the mechanism that gave her the boost she needed to make it happen. So I decided to give myself the same level of commitment that I've given to so many others and I ordered the "Challenge" from AdvoCare.
"I was looking at a little over 3 weeks to cleanse my body, regain some energy, and start the weight-loss I needed to help me feel like working out and taking control long-term."
Throughout the entire process I am going to eat clean"er" (I wont be perfect). I'm not drinking coffee, or pop/soda and I'm seriously limiting sugar intake so instead of getting my morning energy from a spoonful of sugar I'm going to be getting it from a low-calorie, sugar-free, energy supplement called Spark Energy (aka...Mommy Juice). Spark comes as a part of the 24-Day Challenge but I've had a head start trying it out. It was my pre test to see if I could give up my 4 cups of coffee a day. I have been drinking Spark for a couple of weeks now and let me just say....."OH MY GOODNESS!" I feel like I could save the world! It is amazing stuff. I don't know if it's the lack of sugar and/or the lack of other additives but whatever it is doesn't matter to me! You get such a clean and long-lasting energy with no jitters, no crash and total mental focus. It is A-MAZ-ING!
That's the story of how I ended up here, in front of a computer putting my private thoughts on display for anyone to see. I'm blogging my Challenge for myself and for those of you who feel like I do. I won't be perfect and you'll see that but hopefully you'll be able to detect a positive change as well!
I'll also be blogging about or posting other information I think will be relevant and helpful to the women and mothers who are for something different for themselves and the ones they love. The ones who want to take back control of their energy, activity, weight and wellness and stop letting life, situations, and everything/everybody else dictate how those aspects of their life turn-out. I hope it can give you the motivation.....the SPARK.....you need to make a commitment to yourself and your own happiness.
So here's DAY #1:
For the first 10 days I do an herbal cleanse. It consists of herbal supplements, ProBiotics, Fiber Drink, Spark Energy and Omega 3 supplements. It's a smooth cleanse.....or so I am told. I hope so because I've attempted to take women' s "gentle" laxatives before. Gentle for who!?
After the cleanse is complete I'll move into a 2-week phase called the "Max" phase. During that time I'll take a pre-packaged group of vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients called MNS-E that's meant to restore and balance my levels of these important building blocks. I'll continue drinking Spark and taking the Omega 3 as well as some companion products I've selected. The "Max" phase is pretty customizable and you can choose yours based on your goals (energy, weight-loss, balance of both). I chose to take the balanced approach for more energy and weight-loss.
Throughout the Challenge I'll also be drinking half my body weight in ounces of water per day (ie, 180lbs means 11-12 8oz glasses per day).
Day 1 was a good day. I haven't exercised yet but I did feel good enough to clean my kitchen when I got home from work. That is an accomplishment!
Here's everything that went into my body:
Breakfast - Spark, Fiber Drink, Meal replacement shake (could've done a meal)
Lunch - Meal replacement shake (could've done another meal)
Snack - Handful of almonds, baby carrots
Dinner - Omega 3 pills, Steamed Chicken, Zucchini and Onions
Bedtime - Herbal Cleanse caplets, handful of grapes
When preparing my dinner I used no butter or oil I just added about 1/4 cup of water and let the steam take care of it. To season I used salt, pepper, a Pampered Chef Bell Pepper rub ( really good by the way) and fresh garlic.
Let me tell you it was actually really good! I am a little hungry but I am used to snacking on whatever I want all day. My body is going to need to learn to resist those sugary and salty cravings......right? Looking forward to Day #2!
To Be Continued -My 24-Day Challenge Journey: Day #2
Follow Joni's progress and recommendations via Twitter: @SparkForMoms
If you have questions or would like more info on the 24-Day Challenge then CLICK HERE to email me.