Day 1

The beginning. The alpha. Day one. The inauguration. The rise. The preface. Point of departure. The threshold. Takeoff. The start. I don't care what you call it; it was scary as hell. 

The first thought I had this morning when I woke up: "what if I fail?" Approximately .05 seconds later I answered myself with one of the hardest life lessons I'm still learning: "...then you pick yourself up, get your shit together, and try again."

Today began my Advocare 24-day Challenge, my return to the gym and, serendipitously, this blog. I know you're just dying to know how my day went so here it is: I woke up, had the terrible thought previous mentioned, and then brushed my teeth. Amazing, right? Today was JUST like any other day, morning breath and all. I put in my contacts, answered work emails, and put off making my morning drinks because I was terrified. What if they tasted bad? What if I didn't make them right? In hindsight, that was the worst part of my day. My fear of the unknown kept me from moving forward, but I'm glad that I was able to rediscover that sometimes the unknown is GOOD.

I'm a college professor so apparently I can't do anything without researching it first. In addition to asking TONS of questions of my amazing coach, Shelby, I began by watching a video tutorial online that shows how to correctly and incorrectly make the Advocare products I am using. I also made sure the weigh myself and take measurements today. I'm not ready to share that info with you yet, but one day, when I have progress to report and it's a thing of the past I'm sure you'll read about it. 

Last night I got everything organized so it would be easy to keep up with throughout the challenge!

I started this morning with a Spark energy drink. I tried the fruit punch flavor and it was surprisingly GOOD. Then I moved on to the fiber drink. Everyone has warned me about this drink and how awful it tastes. So, as suggested in the video I mentioned above, I mixed 6oz water with 2oz of Trop50+Calcium and then added the mix. I downed it at super speeds because I was afraid it would get super thick like the video. I'd be lying if I said it was good, but it truly wasn't that bad either. Next, I took 2 Omegaplex vitamins. They contain Omega-3 fatty acids.

This morning's mixes!

For breakfast I had the option of a protein, complex carb and fruit or a meal replacement shake. I was anxious to try out the products so I opted for a Chocolate flavored shake. It was delish! The shake had the texture and taste of chocolate milk. I've tried a lot of diet foods and it didn't have the fake chocolate taste that is so common. As a plus, I was already so full from the Spark and fiber drinks that the chocolate shake was like breakfast desert! The food-lover in me can't be mad at that!

Two drinks down, one to go, and I was already full!

The Advocare plan allows for a morning snack but I opted to skip the snack because I wasn't hungry at all. I ended up being at Justin's house when it was time for lunch and panicked a little bit. I wasn't home to eat my prepped meal, but in the long run I decided the rest of my life is going to be full of hurdles so it was fitting to face one the first day. We decided on Jason's Deli for lunch and I ordered a salad bar. I opted for leafy greens since I recently learned that iceberg lettuce doesn't really do much for you, and then I topped it with a variety of veggies and 2 eggs for protein. I also grabbed half an artichoke heart and topped it all with balsamic vinaigrette, which was so good! If you know me, you know I'm a ranch girl. I'll eat it on everything! It's one of the foods I'm putting on hold (not giving up) along with cokes, fried food and most carbs. Back to lunch, my salad was both filling and tasty and I proved to myself that I can eat out and make good choices.

Salad. Yummmmm!

After running some errands I made my way to the gym. I haven't worked out in months, but I love working out so I was excited to be there. I ended up doing the weight loss program on the elliptical for 33 minutes, which included the cool down. It's not amazing, but it's a start. I also did arms and abs today. I'm not sure what the machines are set at by default, but the weights listed below are what I adjusted the adjustable part to.

Crunches: 20 x 5sets

Hammer strength ab crunch: 10 reps x 3sets @10lbs

Fly: 10 reps x 3 sets @ 70lbs

Pulldown: 10 reps x 3 sets @ 70lbs

Row: 10 reps x 2 sets @50 lbs & 1 set of 10 reps @ 30lbs (It got heavy! Give me a break!)

Shoulder press: 10 reps x 3 sets @30 lbs

Elliptical: 33 mins on the weight loss program

384 calories gone! Holler!

Can't feel your legs? Have shaky arms? It's working! Thumbs up!

When I got home this afternoon after working out I was kind of shaky and had a HUNGER growing inside me. I decided that berries sounded good so I combined the strawberries, blackberries and raspberries. Then I took a 1 cup serving. I was convinced I'd be going back for seconds but the first serving combined with a bottle of water did the trick. Maybe I don't need large servings after all?!?!

The berries were camera shy, or my flash didn't go off and the picture is a bit blurry. You pick.

For dinner I ate one of the meals I prepped over the weekend. 6 oz of lemon pepper chicken and some sautéed mushrooms, zucchini and squash. I said I'm going to be honest so I added 1 Tbs of ketchup because the chicken was kind of dry. I'll have to figure out a way to avoid the ketchup next time. I also had another 2 Omegaplex vitamins.

Using small plates makes it look like you're eating more than you actually are!

I can have another snack tonight if I want but I doubt I will because I'm not really hungry. By the time I go to sleep I'll have had at least 13 cups of water today, and not a single coke! Right before bed I have to take the Herbal Cleanse pills and then tomorrow starts another day on my journey. If you made it to here, I'm impressed! I promise I won't always write this much. 

Though the day isn't quite over yet, I can triumphantly say that today, day one, the point of departure, the start, the rise was a huge success and I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

(Image borrowed from: http://www.svnserendipity.com/2011/10/today-quote-images-to-live-by-66.html)