Baby Muscles.

This is the first time, ever, that I have muscles to "flex".  They are tiny, but they are growing albeit slowly.  Come September my plans change and I will be lifting differently and eating a lot more.  Looking forward to that!  And I am hoping the extra food will help me sleep better. 
I am still trying to work on my snatch.  I had Merrick come upstairs with me and tweak my form.  He seems to think I am doing better than I realize.  I am still not convinced- but I can start snatching the 35lb bar instead of the tiny pvc pipe.  Fingers crossed I don't drop it on my head.  It's very difficult for me to get out of my head and just do it.  We are working on that as well. 
I am also hoping to see a lot more booty growth.  I am squatting and deadlifting a LOT and I am seeing some growth in my legs but not so much butt yet.  Haha!  I am all about a good butt right now.  I am sure my fellow fight-shapers are tired of me getting excited about any glute workout we have in class!
 It can be difficult to completely let go and trust the process when I am unsure and uneducated as to all of the "whys" and "hows".  But as my husband says, "Trust the Merrick." 

Survival Mode.

 Phew!  This 90 day challenge has been a mental battle.  My days are a blur of sweat pants(and no makeup) and coffee.  I actually never drank coffee before these 90 days started, but I'm drinking it now.  I haven't been sleeping very much due to waking up every hour hungry so my tank is pretty darn low.  I am getting our homeschool schedule ready for this year and that's been pretty taxing as well.  But I am starting to see progress.  Not a ton, but I am seeing some small muscles pop through.  I still have a long way to go but I am getting the work in, even if it's at 5am or 10pm. 

My email today.

Good morning Kelli!

My name is Becca and I am a Program Manager at the corporate offices for Life Time Weight Loss.  You have been selected as a candidate to highlight in an upcoming Flourish article as well as on our Life Time Weight Loss Facebook page.  Your success story and accomplishment from the Spring 2014 90-Day Challenge is a true inspiration and we’d love to feature your story.  If this is something that you would rather not participate in, we can certainly choose another candidate.  Please let me know as soon as possible so that our team can plan accordingly.

 

Thank you!

 

Becca Hurt, MS, RDAssistant Program Manager of Life Time WeightLoss

The Snatch

This snatch exercise (first 22 sec of the video) is my new nemesis!  I am struggling.  Apparently my core strength is nowhere where it needs to be.  Probably a result of three 10lb babies followed by surgery which left me bed-ridden for nearly 2 months.  But practice makes progress and I am practicing on a regualr basis with these bad boys. 

St. Croix Valley Grappling Games

October 4, 2014 -St. Croix Valley Grappling Games

Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and Submission Wrestling Tournament in Hudson, WI! Double Elimination. You will get a ton of matches! Gi, No Gi, and Absolute Divisions. Special medals, Gis, & Grappling Gear for Absolute Winners! Medals for all 1st - 3rd place winners in all divisions. FIRST 50 PAID/REGISTERED COMPETITORS GET FREE TOURNAMENT T-SHIRT!

Saturday October 4, 2014 from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM CDT

Hudson Senior High School
1501 Vine St.
Hudson, WI 54016

Thank you again for registering for our event. This email is confirmation of your successful registration. If any of the information displayed below is incorrect, please contact us as soon as possible.
If you would like to live tweet during this event, please use the hashtag #grapplinggames.

 

 

 

It's official- I have signed up and paid in full for my first BJJ tournament.  To say that I am nervous is an understatement.  But I have about a month and a half to hone my skills and hopefully I can have a great experience!

Week 1

 Week 1 and I'm struggling through some injuries.  A little while back I hurt my neck/ribs in BJJ.  The other day during some neck strengthening exercises I re-injured it and have been in and out of the chiropractor since.  I'm a bit discouraged but I am still going.  This ROCKTAPE is amazing!  It makes such a difference when I am lifting heavy.  I am very sore but not in pain now.  I will continue to get adjusted and taped up as needed.  Like I assured my trainer, what I lack in natural ability I will always make up for in hard work and effort.  I am starting at about 18.4% body fat this time around.  My goal isn't really a number but rather a look.  I am just praying that the number will be low enough in the end to win and qualify for national transformation this time.

 

1 Corinthians 9:27 Living Bible (TLB)

²⁷ Like an athlete I punish my body, treating it roughly, training it to do what it should, not what it wants to. Otherwise I fear that after enlisting others for the race, I myself might be declared unfit and ordered to stand aside.

A New 90 Days.

As I am about to embark on another 90 day fitness challenge I have stopped to contemplate how our lives will adjust to the new schedule.  This time both Eric and myself are in the transformation journey and our goals are to win the national competition as a couple.  That means extra workouts (for both) and very strict eating plans.  Meal prepping, kids activities (homeschool/karate/swimming/etc), early morning/late night lifting before and after work, church, fight classes, etc. all come colliding together starting tomorrow. 
However, I like to view these 90 day challenges as more than just a fitness competition.  To me it encompasses improving all aspect of my life.  It's a great reset to become more disciplined in not just my physical health but also in my spiritual walk, and emotional/mental state.  Health is one way the soul speaks to the world but prayer is the way the Lord speaks to the soul.  I don't want to be healthy for health's sake, but for Heaven's sake.  I want my fitness to be my witness and to allow my testimony of strength to show just how weak I am without Him.