As I mentioned in my “Injury” post, I gained a weird desire to RUN when I was recovering. I don’t have proof from my single person klutzy incident, but I’m convinced I really hit my head when I fell down the stairs! Either way, this new form of exercise is already doing me a lot of good.

I started off slowly a couple weeks ago with my trainer and husband John! Side note- my man has previous military training and really helps me stay focused and driven. “Motivated left foot…” is just one of his favorite songs to sing me while running – as an attempt to keep me moving. Usually I say mean things back to him as I don’t really “prefer” to hear his songs. I may be guilty of turning up my iPod in attempt to tune him out sometimes. Yikes…I love you John and you know secretly I appreciate the push, even though I don’t show it in the heat of the moment.

Starbucks or Running Room? As you know, I’m a huge Starbucks fan – but this time, I went to the other business!

I signed up for a Learn to Run class at my local Running Room! It started tonight and I REALLY enjoying it. I made the mistake of going for a run/walk with John this morning, so I was dragging a bit more than I wanted to. Rain fell most of the time, however I felt awesome and it’s nice to be motivated by other keen runners. I’m most excited to learn proper techniques to get my booty in shape.

My goal is 111 days away!! The CIBC Run for the Cure, for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation with my friend Justine and her team – Cowgirls for a Cure. If you’re in the Calgary area, we’d LOVE to have you join our team – cowgirls and cowboys – for a run OR walk!

Having an actual date to reach is really going to help me train! Thanks for all your amazing support – your comments and messages on here, Facebook, and Twitter mean the world to me.

Live Inspired,

P.S. I have an even bigger goal – a really cool half marathon in Las Vegas! However, I’m going to achieve my first goal and then decide what year I’ll do my BIG dream! Baby steps and consistency will help me conquer it one day.

This picture was captured on our adventure – on Sunday, February 14.

3 short days later, I went to get my hair colored and trimmed!

Normally, I ONLY let my sister do my hair (as she is an extraordinary hair stylist!!), however timing didn’t work. I had a fabulous 1st experience at the same salon in January – getting a trim & a few foils to get me through my Mexican holiday.

However, this experience was a bit more unique!!

The hair stylist – I’m leaving her name unanimous (as we’re all human!) – was working on trimming the back of my hair. I’m bad about lifting my head during this process, so I was playing on my iPhone to keep my head down. The next time I looked up – BOOM – the right side of my hair went from below my chin (see picture above) to above my ears in minutes (see picture below)! It was all supposed to stay at chin length!

OH WOW!! I immediately knew I was in for a big change. The image of sporting an asymmetrical bob ran through my mind and then instantly I thought of a haircut my friend Jill gave me the summer before Grade 12, the morning after a big bash!

The attempt was made to salvage my hair, I stayed calm the best I could, but was really upset. It was 9pm on a Wednesday night. My hair is horrible! Yes, I knew it was only hair – but the same colors I’ve had for over 2 years did NOT work with the new hair cut.

“What was John going to say? Think?”

I left the salon and made 2 calls.

Call #1) My amazingly talented HAIR STYLIST sister Rayel – I was boo-hoo’ing! She didn’t think it could be that bad…until I sent her these pictures, that I captured when I got home! Rayel luckily made time for me in her new “Mom” schedule for the next day.

Picture comment: Yes, I was smiling! I was laughing out loud…between a few tears. I believe my smile was meant to attract hope and possibility when my sister would view them.

Call #2) My bestie Laura – favorite line of our emotional conversation, “This isn’t supposed to happen to us at this age!” Ha ha…I realize that we aren’t that experienced in life – but you get the point.

I went to bed, woke up, put on a ball cap, called into work & took a “personal” day!

Then, I drove 3 hours to my sister’s house and that is where the magic started.

I asked Rayel to capture a few more pictures of the damage when I arrived, as my selfies – didn’t do justice.

I still laugh – every time I look at these pictures!! Rayel & Laura – I know you two do also!!

AND for all of you fantastic followers…I can hear you giggling, you may have even grabbed the person that works next to you – to show them…funny funny ha ha…Would YOU show the world pictures of you looking this hot?? You’re laughing with me, not at – believe me!! Remember – it’s only hair, stay positive – have fun living life.

My dynamic SISTA corrected the color of my hair, re-cut parts, and most importantly taught me how to style it FUNKY!

All I can say is, THANK YOU RAYEL – I am the luckiest lady around to have a personal hair stylist for a sister and friend.

I wasn’t and am still not upset at the hair stylist or the salon. Everyone is human and it’s only hair!! I truly believe that everything happens for a reason.

Positive Outcomes:

• Easy to do
• It’s Spring…my cute ears aren’t going to freeze…
• Takes at least 5lbs off me, I’m convinced!
• It’s Fun

Even after 2 months, the initial shock has wore off – I love my new hair! I have completely embraced the change! I’ve even had my sister cut it again – the same sassy length!!

Looking back – I know I’ve thought – I would love to get a complete makeover (something you’d see on TLC’s What Not To Wear or a Before/After article in a magazine) – sit down and say – “do whatever you want”. I’m quite sure I didn’t say this out loud, that Wednesday afternoon, but I must have been attracting it subconsciously. What you think about, you bring about!

I really don’t want to open a can of negative worms – so I’m worried about asking whether – you have ever had an “interesting” hair experience (note that I didn’t say “bad” – that’s a negative word!)?

What I really want to know is – what is/was your favorite hair style? Were you 3 and recall a blast from the past picture? OR was it at your high school prom? Wedding? OR are you sporting it today?

My favorite hair cut and color was in high school – I’ll have to dig up a picture of it to share.

Have an amazing day!

Live Inspired,
Robyn

P.S. John LOVES my new “do”!

I’m in still in a bit of shock. 9 weeks ago tomorrow, I started my quest to lose 15 lbs by the end of the contract I’m finishing today (June 30th). I enrolled in a lunch time fitness class, that nearly killed me. Remember my stories of phenomenal abdominals, yikes!

I was far from perfect with my weight loss journey. I devoured Chef Beazley‘s cooking on the weekends and…I have to admit, I missed lots of fitness classes. I had other commitments and a couple meetings I purposely scheduled over because the idea of going, just wasn’t appealing.

One week ago, I got on the scale for my final ”weigh in” as part of the 8 Week Challenge, I committed myself to. Check out my daily routine, if you’re wondering how I incorporated this new habit into my full life. When I got on the scale, I was pleased – I was 4 lbs shy of my goal. I was still really happy that I had dropped a lb from the week before and hadn’t put any back on. Especially with all the “cheating” and lack of physical exercise I had done.

This morning, I was flying around the house. Packing to leave home for 19 days – headed to do a contract at the Calgary Stampede and then Texas bound for a few days. SO – I decided to jump on the scale! BINGO – 15 lbs down – AHHH…I was SO excited. I woke up my supportive husband to share my excitement ;)

I honestly don’t know what I’ve done the past week to overcome the plateau I thought I was on. Clearly, I wasn’t focusing on it anymore and my new healthy eating habits have helped! I’ve most noticed the loss of inches in my waist, stomach, arms. My pants fit so much looser (as seen in my “after” picture below – they were TIGHT when I first got them) and my shirts lay so much nicer. I’m thrilled and am going to continue being more fit more life.

Thanks for all your support. I encourage any of you to go for your goals – no matter what they are – physical, financial, personal, or business! If you need an accountability buddy – please let me know.

Cheers,
The “hot(ter) & thin(ner)” Robyn

These are my unedited, selfies!!

First day of the contract I started April 16, 2009.

Today, June 30, 2009 - last day of this contract – less 15 lbs!
These pants really aren’t very flattering, but they were very snug when I got them.  I should capture a picture with the same outfit when I get back.

I got my butt kicked in my Monday fitness class, but I survived! I felt fantastic-ally exhausted! He he…what a wicked way to kick off a new week. Then I push mowed the lawn last night, so I got a double workout. You may be thinking – that’s easy with self-propelled mowers nowadays. Well, I accidently broke that feature (don’t think I really broke on my own – I’m sure it was going to happen to whoever operated next!).

My quest to be “hot(ter) & thin(ner)”, coined by my friend Sara, is going awesome.

Many of you have asked what I’m doing to achieve this wellness goal. I’m following the Arbonne Figure 8 Weight Loss Program.

I replace 2 meals a day with the shakes, fill my day with healthy snacks, and enjoy 1 meal a day. I keep track of everything I eat, the exercise I do, and my weekly weight loss progress on Arbonne’s GoFigure8.com website. The site also has fabulous recipe suggestions to make fun shakes, snacks and healthy, proportional meals. I also enjoy visiting the Forums section, to learn from others on the quest for a healthier lifestyle.

I love the energy I have and feel so much better in my skin, since I aggressively started following the program almost 5 weeks ago. It is so rewarding when my biggest supporter and love of my life, John comments on how fantastic I look and cute in something I’m wearing!

For breakfast and lunch I have shakes, as well as take a Going, Going, Gone! supplement to help with digestion and weight loss. The ingredients that I add vary on what’s in the house and what I’m feeling like! Everything from fresh & frozen fruit to instant espresso (tastes like an Iced Capp or Coffee).

Today I had a Peanut Butter, Banana, and Chocolate Shake for breakfast (no, I didn’t add chocolate – it’s a flavor of the Go Easy! Vitamin/Mineral Shake):

Mmm…

I often get asked do the shakes taste good. What do you expect a weight loss shake to taste like? Keeping that in mind, I think they are fabulous, especially when you think of the job they are supposed to be doing – are you gaining or losing? A few products were recently reformulated and taste as good as you tell yourself they are going to be. You have to make the process fun or else you aren’t going to attract the body you want and shed the inches!

For lunch, I shake up my shake with cold water:

I LOVE the NRG GO3! Fizzing Beverage Tablets – this morning I’m enjoying a Pomegranate drink (dissolved in the water bottle in the picture), however the Citrus is equally as delicious.

It’s not a secret anymore – this is what I’m doing and have lost 10.4 lbs so far. This is just another reason why I love Arbonne so much – shop from my own store and save on the products that our household uses daily.

I tend to cheat on the weekends and eat 2 meals, because my husband is such a phenomenal cook. However, my weight hasn’t fluctuated, because I’ve learned how to eat in proportions and with more whole foods, eliminating processed foods and after dinner snacking. I also contribute my success to increasing my physical activity (get your mind out of the gutter ;) but I must say I have a lot more energy for that and confidence with the new me) – with the fitness classes, walks around our community, and pushing the lawn mower.

If you have any questions or are interested in becoming accountability partners, please let me know.

My friend Sara had AMAZING success losing the pregnancy weight that she wanted to, with the Go Figure 8 Weight Loss Program. I’m just thinking if you’d be interested, maybe I could sweet talk her into doing a conference call for a group of us to hear about her journey and tips. Let me know if this would be appealing and motivating for you.

Here’s to becoming “hot(ter) and thin(ner)” in 2009! Thanks for the fantastic motto Sara!

Each day features a different aerobic workout, but the support and motivation is awesome.

The instructor Wednesday was really upbeat and focused. She kept incorporating the phrase “phenomenal abdominals” in her encouraging instructions, as she coached us to keep our core tight – which I thought was fabulous! Lifting was the theme, however cardio and mat work was incorporated – I’m feeling the difference!

After the workout I asked how to improve the pain in my feet when balancing on one foot. She told me to keep my toes up and the pressure will be more balanced across my foot and when you’re doing exercises that you need to keep your knees behind your toes – it really helps! I was excited to learn this trick!

Today our class was on Step Aerobics! Ba ha ha…I’m working on becoming “more balanced” – the real truth is I’m quite a klutz and grace could easily be my middle name! (oh – 2 good stories on both of those that I’ll have to share – I’ve had quite a few broken limbs and have 2 wild middle names!! back to the story of the day…) Just before 12noon, I emailed my friend to see if she was “going” to the class today and she replied “Yes – it’s step – COME” – oh man – the vision of divas doing step class was flying through my mind and I was looking for excuses to skip out of it – I’ll be honest! I’m not perfect, but I remembered my friend Sara’s line – “I’m going to look all hot and thin” – so off I went! Thanks for getting me out of seat Nicky!! After our step routine, we winded down with a few core strengthening moves. Our instructor told us to get into the “Earthquake Zone” – referring to the position that you’re abs start shaking you’re focusing on that area of your body so much! I just love these new “terms” I’ve learned this week!

I’m really glad I attended my class, even though I was the only beginner in my class, the instructor told me after that I picked up the moves much quicker than most! Watch out now…a little recognition and I’m fueled for next time ;)

I’m now done my first 3 group fitness classes and I am VERY excited – I have more energy and feel great about how my body is toning up! I hope that if you’re working on weight loss and management goals – to get involved in a group exercise program, because I  know from experience that me and a gym card in hand aren’t enough to get me excited!

Hope you have an AMAZING weekend – hope the sun shines where you are! Here’s to “Phenomenal Abdominals” and the “Earthquake Zone” . My husband is coming home – the first time in 6 weeks – I don’t plan to be near my computer ;) Cheers!