Calling all fitness gurus, fitness experts, fitness guru/expert wannabees, people who want to get fit…everyone.

So why am I putting out an all points bulletin for anyone interested in fitness?  Well because, I need your help.  I consider myself right up there with many of the other experts and yet I also consider myself a wannabee fit person.  Anyone who knows me or has read some of my blog posts will realize that while I have lots of good and useful information, I am a regular girl fighting a constant battle with food and I consider myself, always, a work in progress.

So I have to admit that sometimes I just don’t feel like working out – pure and simple.  Call it lazy or loss of motivation or whatever you want.  You start out with great intensions – your into your workouts, you fit them in no matter what, you feel really on track.  Then all of the sudden, it’s like someone put their foot on the brakes.  This great motivation suddenly comes to a standstill.  So here I was all winter long at my goal weight, working out hard to make some changes in my physique – then we are a week away from what I call the start of summer – I know officially summer doesn’t start until June 21st.  But for me and maybe alot of you, summer starts Memorial weekend.  My kids will be out of school, our pool is open, we will be having a ton of people over the Saturday for a Memorial party (and UFC fights)

With the start of swimsuit season you would think I would be terribly motivated to keep on keepin on with my workouts.  But this past weekend I didn’t workout at all – I didn’t even take the dogs for a walk – and the weather was stunning.  Well today is Monday – and with no workout this weekend I put my workout clothes on – took my kids to school, stopped in for a quick tan and then home to workout.  But then I sat at my computer for a second ready to go through email – when I said those words to myself – “I don’t feel like working out today”.  Really?  Are you kidding me – you are actually in your workout clothes and your going to blow off working out – seriously?

That’s when, as I am going through my email I come across an invitation to workout from a guy I know only through the computer.  Never talked to him before, but I know who he is.  That was the birth of this post.  That one little email got me down to my basement and pushing play on my workout dvd.  I had a great workout – worked super hard – my shoulders are still crying a little (in a good way).  Thank goodness for that email – it got me off my butt.  Instead of “I don’t feel like working out”  I said “Alright, I guess I will go do it”.  And man am I glad I did – because once I pushed play I was feeling good – mentally and physically.

So that is why I want as many people as possible to be a Witness to My Fitness.  And I would like to be a Witness to Your Fitness.  I don’t care who you are, we all need a little push in the right direction every so often.  Sometimes just a quick message is all it takes.  “Hey are you working out today”? or “Hey did you work out today”? or “Hey wanna workout today”?

So will you help me - keep me motivated?  I am not sure what way will work best – maybe you could twitter me a message, comment on my blog, send me an email, get a free membership to my online gym and pick me as a workout buddy and send me an invitation to workout.  Any way shape or form that you want to participate in Witness to My Fitness would be great.  I promise I will do the same for you as well.

So are you in?

Healthy Mother’s Day Gifts

Yesterday I got the question.  What do you want to do for Mother’s Day?  I really hate that question.  For one it always comes from my husband, and two that means that I have to plan my mother’s day – pretty much like birthdays around here.  You would think the kids would have asked, but I guess they are still at the age of Dad either taking them shopping or Dad shopping and telling the kids what they are giving me.

Although quite an important holiday – celebrating the person who gave you life, was your taxi and most likely your bank throughout most of your youth, I generally don’t require my family to make a big deal about it for me.  But I do make sure to get something nice for my mom and mother in law.  So here are some ideas for you to use for your mother.

Since this is a fitness/healthy type blog you can rest assured that chocolates are not on the list.  Now, I love chocolate, but honestly do we really think it is a good thing to send our mother’s into a near diabetic coma.  I think this year we can forgo that option, but here are some other good options.

Flowers: I am not sure why but women really like them.  Unfortunately they have a limited life so a really nice idea might be a plant for the house or garden.  My sister-in-law and her mother go out for breakfast and then to the plant store and pick out flowers to plant in their garden and then they go planting them together.  It’s their yearly tradition.  You might even consider a twist on this – make your mom a healthy breakfast in bed and you go plant some flowers in her garden.

Your Mom is a Gem: Ah women and jewelry they go together like peas in a pod.  At least for most women, except me – I’m not all that into jewelry, but generally most moms love it.  That being said this year, my mom received a fresh water pearl necklace.  I can’t take credit for the idea, my sister was watching qvc and saw something she thought my mom would like and decided that we would go in on it together.  My mom actually got it early – and I have to say that my sister did good cause my mom called and raved about the gift.  So guess what I just ordered my mother-in-law yesterday?  A similar piece of jewelry, but one that matched her likes and personality.

Relaxation: One of my favorite ideas is a gift certificate for a massage or spa treatment.  Honestly, my kids could get me that every mother’s day or birthday and I would be a happy camper.  That one gift never gets old to me.

Give the domestic goddess a day off: What about cleaning the house for your mom?  Now that would be a treat and no doubt quite the surprise.  If cleaning is not really your style you could hire a cleaning service or give her a gift certificate for one.

The Gift Of Fitness and Health: You had to know that I would not forget this one.  Hey, a great workout dvd would show your mom how much you care and that you want her around for a long time.  Don’t worry – she really will like it – these days Moms want to look good and be healthy.  I just happen to know of a few great choices.  You’re mom may want to “party” with Hip Hop Abs or Turbo Jam.  Or she may be the type who wants to get ripped with P90X.  You could even put together the perfect basket:  a workout dvd, weighted hand gloves, vitamins and omegas.

Pure thoughtfulness and time: Even if money is tight you still have something you can give that is completely free.  Sometimes the best gift you can give is your time.  It’ll will show her how much you love her and how thoughtful you are.

There you have it – a pretty good list, if I do say so myself.  Feel free to steal the ideas and take all the credit.  Maybe I should send this article to my husband and kids .

So if you are keeping up with me on my blog, facebook or twitter you know that I have hinted to a radical new eating plan.  Now you may think I was just playing with your emotions but I have a real reason for not revealing it until today.

There are a small handful of fitness and weight loss gurus that I follow very closely.  Now I am very, very choosy about who I follow.  I like people that back up their words with studies and science.  I like people who walk the walk and talk the talk if you will.  And I follow gurus that have a similar philosophy to mine.  Weight loss is an ever evolving arena and no matter how much you know you can always learn more. 

So as I was saying I follow a few select gurus, one of which is on the top of my favorites list.  One day he sent me info on his new Radical Fat Loss Blueprint(RFLB).  In the email I could see that this was not for the faint of heart, the wimps or the complainers of the world.  This plan was radical for real.  So radical, actually, that I passed on the original opportunity to try it because honestly I thought I couldn’t do it.  Even if you manage to reach your goal, maintain your goal that doesn’t mean that you not a carb junkie at heart.  A sugar/carb addiction is truly an addiction – like alcohol or drug – carbs are my drug of choice (sometimes of not choice) – so there are days when you feel like you cannot even be radical for a day and this plan was 21 days.  So why all the mystery over the past couple of days.  Honestly, I wanted to make sure I could actually get through the detox days before I told you what the plan was.  What good would it have been if I couldn’t even do the plan. 

If you recall my last post early in the week about my romance with Carb and Sugar – Confessions of a Carb Addict- that although I was really at my goal weight – all of sudden I was having this torrid affair with Oreos and other sweets.  Normally, my weight hovers around 117 to 118, but all of the sudden I was 120, 121, 121.6.  If  I didn’t do something “radical”  I was on my way back to Chunkytown.  So walla, my mind went back to this RFLB and I thought ok sister, 21 days – suck it up buttercup before you turn into a peanutbutter cup.

So I started this plan on Monday, by Tues I was back to 119.4.  Yes I know, water weight.  I am well aware that most if not all of that was water weight.  Carbs do make me retain water and on this plan I got quite familiar with my bathroom, Monday.  But I am cool with that cause that water had to go.  The next day 118.6, Thurs 117.4 and today 116.4.  That’s below my normal 117/118.  Not only am I seeing results, but my carb/sugar cravings were gone by Tuesday.  Does that mean if my sweetheart, Oreo, were right in front of me that we wouldn’t be back together again - heck yah, I’m not that strong yet, but the other snacks in my house are not calling me so I am good with that.

So how do you get your hands on this Radical Fat Loss Program?  Well it is free.  One caveat…it is free with the purchase of Jon’s day to day weight loss book Every Other Day Diet.  Trickery, you say?  No, Jon is very set on the fact that this radical plan is 21 days only and you need a good plan to follow on day 22, 23 and beyond otherwise those tough 21 days will all be for not. So you purchase EODD and you get RFLB free, as well as his Personal Fat Loss Certification Course.  Actually you have to do the course and let me tell you it is so worth it.  You will learn things about fat loss that you never knew.  Even experts will find something to learn.  I am also giving you a link to his site so register – that’s free too.  That way you can follow him too.  If your at all into fitness, weight loss, nutrition you will find yourself putting him on the top of your guru list too.

So I am finished with the detox portion – thank goodness and on to the rest of the blueprint. I will check in with you as I go here and there. Join me if you like – you can really get some major progress or those last 10 to 20 pounds off before Memorial weekend.