Back On The Wagon--Again

So it's been...awhile..a long...long...*long* while. I could list the 1,000 reasons why I've not kept up with this blog or my fitness as I'd like. But then you would get bored and never come back! Haha!! My sweet friend Rachelle from For Blogness Sake has completely motivated me...

again. And I needed that. I needed to see someone else be successful and know that I can get back into this..this is not the end for me!

Truth is, I'm a real person. With real stress. And I sometimes let my stress get the best of me. I've been working out again for about a month. Eating clean and working on my fitness does help with my  stress levels, tremendously! If I had to say one thing that holds me back is my headaches. I don't know about you or if you've ever experienced a true migraine headache..but they are plum awful. I've dealt with this since I was 15 years old . When I was 15, I was involved in a major car accident. You can read more about that here.  So since then I've tried every medication, therapy, and magic pill that you could think of. This year my migraines took a turn. I not only suffered from migraines, but vertigo. I didn't even know that existed until it hit me. How awful. Another round of 8 or 9 pills a day, therapy, and still nothing. Nada. Zip. They told me not to drive, no exercising and essentially stay at home. I'm like great. Fantastic. So bottom line is one day my good friend was telling me about this "vitamin supplement" he sells with those crazy wrap things. I'm like yada yada yada..I'm not one to EVER buy into this kind of stuff! In an effort to help him out, I buy it. I spend the $33.00 bucks on it and think what's the worst it could do. 

So I try it. I mixed one scoop with 80% water and 20% diet cranberry juice everyday. For the first week, I started to feel better, like more energy and back to my old self. Still have the headaches though. 

*Week 2 CHANGED my life* 

Week 2- so I still drank my greens (that's what it's called) every day. First three days in the week, no headache. I'm not really getting excited yet, it's been three days. The week continues, no headache, and not ONE episode of vertigo. Not ONE. 

Week 3 and 4 are exactly the same. Not one episode or one headache. I go back to my doctor at the end of week 4 and they are excited, but want more information. So they ask me to bring the greens into them. They take a look and what they come up with blows. me. away. Remember, I eat a 98% clean diet. No processed junk. 

They tell me that my body, for some crazy reason, isn't absorbing nutrients like it should. The greens supplement are giving me the nutrients I need to prevent headaches. I'm confused at this point. Because I eat good food. I don't eat junk. Most of the time. The doctor puts into simple, dummy version terms. Bottom line, it's like juicing, when you juice the nutrients go straight to your bloodstream, not to the stomach. When you drink this stuff, it goes straight to your bloodstream. 

So why not juice? Well, I do occasionally, but what gets me is that it's very time consuming and most of all *expensive*. My grocery bill has already nearly tripled from eating clean and the juicing just adds to it. So I'm a gal that likes to have things quick and easy. This is not a "weight loss" supplement. 

So this stuff called "greens" really made me smile again. It made me feel better. It made me more energetic. It gave me the spark I needed to find myself again. God led me right to this and helped me get back up. You see friends, it didn't just help me stop having a little ole headache. The headaches owned me. They took my body over and sucked the life right out of me. So for me, it's more than just a headache relief. I have my life back. 

Fast Forward-- I've been headache and vertigo free for MONTHS! 

Funny story. I go out of town, husband calls, "Ash, where are the greens?" I'm like duh, with me. "WHY?"...he then proceeds to tell me he's been drinking it for weeks. I'm like why didn't you tell me Famous words of a man: "I didn't want to hear I told you so". HAHA

By the way, I am not on a single medication anymore.. Nothing. No Imitrex, nothing! Nada! <3

If you want to know more about the greens you can click here or email me benoitcreated@gmail.com.

So, what have I been doing in my workouts you might ask? 

Of course, lifting! And Running! I've also been doing the 21 day fix and LOVE IT! 

I have my first race..umm Color Run this weekend! Wish me luck. My family says I don't take any embarrassing photos--but this post proves other wise. Haha

Bottom line is, I know I have a long way to go. But I will put in the work. I will change again. Life can throw you curve balls, and the last 8 months have been some of the hardest in my life...but I'm a riser..I get back up and try again. 

Thanks for sticking with me through this journey! It's not over yet friends! 

<3 Ash<3 

Cardio or Weights?

Hey everyone! It's Ashley from The Teacher's Treasure Chest! Can we say Thank Goodness for Spring Break?!?!?!I was able to go to the gym in the morning today and I tell you what..it was the best feeling ever! The gym was empty and I really could get everything in I wanted to. I had the best workout! Can we just have Spring Break forever?!?!?!   One of the things I hear ALL the time "To lose fat, you only need to do cardio". While cardio is necessary in any fat loss program, weights are just as important. Lifting weights burns calories long after you leave the gym. Trust me, I was scared to death to pick up a real free weight. Before I started this journey, I only used machines to work out. I had no clue what to do with a free weight. Now, I get kinda of cranky when I don't use weights! You don't want to be around me on an all cardio day! I'm no fun! 

My favorite weight lifting exercise is hannnnnnds down the *squat*. I squat two days a week. One day a week I use heavy weights. This is my favorite day of the week! I love breaking new records. I rotate between front squats and back squats. While front squats are a little bit more difficult for me, I still enjoy them. They are a new challenge for me to overcome...and I love a challenge.  On the second squat day (usually about 3-4 days after my heavy squat day) I do low weight but more reps.Squats are a great exercise for a variety of muscles and that's why I love them so much. No workout is complete without squats! Check out what WebMD says about squats HERE

The next thing my girlfriends tell me ALL the time.."Are you worried you will be bulky like a man?" The easy answer to that is NO I am not worried. Women do not have the ability on their own (without supplements) to create that kind of muscle mass. The more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn.  Here is article that is really a must read from Shape Magazine: reasons-why-you-should-lift-heavier-weights

The truth is a complete work out routine will include both cardio and weights. I do cardio 6 days a week. Three days a week, I also include some sort of weight training. Not always heavy weight, though. It's important to keep a balance of heavy and light weight. 

Now, onto my progress. When I started this journey, I was at 35.6% Body Fat. I am now at 23% BF and am striving to get under 20%. I still have a ways to go. The closer I get, the slower it comes off. But each week I am losing BF so I can't complain that much! I feel like I am almost to the finish line and can start "maintaining" instead of losing. 

Here's my progress in pictures:

Till Next Time :)

Ashley