Well hey, my friends! I hope you all had a beautiful Easter last Sunday!
Ya know, I always like to snap a pic of my kiddos with (or in the vicinity) of their Easter baskets every year….
It is amazing to me to see just how dang big they are getting!!! Sigh. What in the world? Folks, my mind is just seriously blown with how quickly time is flyin’, how fast these kids are growin’ and how OLD I AM GETTING!
It kills me. Auuughhh.
One of these days, I should scrounge up all of the Easter pics over all the years and see them side by side. It would probably make me bawl my eyes out though.
Love these kiddos.
I’m also thinkin’ I should start taking pictures of us in our Easter Sunday clothes, huh? I saw so many beautiful pictures of my friends and families all dressed up on Easter and I thought, “Now why do I never think of that!??”
Next year.
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Well, guys I thought I’d let y’all know that I’ve decided to do the Oxygen Magazine OC5 Challenge that starts next week! Eeeeee!
It “officially” starts on Monday, May 6th, but all the information (exercise and diet plan) is being released tomorrow. I think I can also submit my “before” picture tomorrow as well, so as far as I’m concerned, I’m starting tomorrow! Woot!
I loooooove Oxygen Magazine and I loooooove this challenge! This will be my 4th year doing this challenge. I have loved every one and have learned so much from each of them!!!
This year, the coaches are Camille Leblanc-Bazinet or Amber Dodzweit Riposta.
They are both amazing, but I decided to choose Amber Dodzwiet Riposta as my coach. I like her as a person, I love her vibe and I love that she puts an emphasis on intermittent fasting and macro counting, which are two things I’m a big believer in as well.
I do feel a need to mention though that I am NOT a fan of macro counting as a long-term lifestyle, like at all. I think it’s a wonderful way to educate yourself about food and how protein, carbs and fat effect the body. I also think it can be very helpful in losing weight or changing your body composition.
HOWEVER, I’ve seen how macro counting has taken the fitness world by storm and I’ve seen how it can become an obsession and IMO, another form of an eating disorder. Counting and tracking every single thing you eat day in and day out is not freedom and is not a happy or healthy way to live!
I think the long-term goal of health and fitness should be to create a lifestyle for yourself where you feel your best, look great and find a practical, healthy way to live and stay that way!
With that being said, I do like to track macros from time to time, short-term. It helps me to get my butt (and my mind!) in gear and helps me to get back on track. It’s just another way to hold myself accountable and stay motivated.
The goal for me is to count macros long enough for my body (hormones, cravings, appetite, overall functions) to get to a good spot, to remind myself how I should eating and then eventually STOP macro counting and just do a better job of being mindful and committed to what I’m putting into my body.
I’ve had great success with this way of living; just being aware of the foods I’m putting in my body, trying to load up on all ALL the healthy stuff, and then just loosely counting calories or macros in my head. It’s a great, livable and very happy way to live!
With that being said, being the human that I am, I sometimes find myself in a spot where I need a swift kick and need to find some extra motivation! Over the years, I’ve tried many, many programs and challenges. I’ve learned from them all, but I gotta say the Oxygen Challenges have been my favorites!
That’s why I’m doing it again this year for the fourth time! Here are some of the many things I looooove about this challenge:
- I get to choose a coach to guide me through the process; a coach who is renowned, knows her stuff and is an inspiration to me!
- The workouts have always been awesome. I’ve learned so much and have seen great results. I love that they’re very doable and practical (some workouts are only 25-30 minutes) and also that rest days are part of the plan.
- I’ve been able to incorporate the workouts into my existing exercise routine. I’ve still been able to go to some of my favorite classes at the gym or fit in the occasional run and make it work with my Oxygen Challenge workout plan. I count the run as my cardio or stay after a class and add in a few strength training moves from my Oxygen Challenge plan. I like that it’s flexible!
- I’ve loved so many recipes from these challenges! Most of the recipes are easy, quick, simple to make and made from normal (non gourmet) ingredients.
- I love the Facebook support group! There are so many motivational, inspirational ladies on there and they all support each other so well. People are always asking questions like, “What’s the best protein powder, BCAAs, Collagen Peptides, etc.” There are a lot of questions about how to stay motivated, what food everyone’s eating, workout tips, etc. It’s great!
- They have a contest to be on the cover of Oxygen Magazine! Even though I know it’s always a long-shot, it’s a huge motivator! I love that I have to take a before picture….it makes me want to work hard for a great after picture!
- This challenge is based on good old fashioned hard work; consistently eating well and killer workouts. It’s the real deal. I always learn so much and am reminded that looking good and feeling/being healthy really just comes down to taking care of your body and being committed….day after day after day.
When I did this challenge for the first time, in 2015, I chose Erin Stern as my coach and she was phenomenal.
When I started that challenge, I still had a nursing baby and still wasn’t sleeping too well at night, so I kind of pooped out about half way through. Boo. I still loved it though and saw great results!
These were my results after just ONE month!
I still kind of half-heartedly followed the program the rest of the time, but my results pretty much stalled right about here.
I didn’t do the Oxygen Challenge in 2016 and I can’t remember why. I just wasn’t feelin’ it. I did do it in 2017 though and I loved it so much! In fact, I think it was my favorite one.
I chose Jamie Eason as my coach and she’s one of my favorite health people on the planet. She is such a beautiful, kind, down-to-earth lady and she knows her stuff!
I learned SO much from her program and loved it so much. I stuck with it the entire time, although I wasn’t quite as hard core during month two. I still saw and felt great results though!
I also did the challenge last year and chose Jen Widerstrom as my coach.
It was a great challenge for me and I learned a lot, but it was also a frustrating challenge for me!
I loved Jen as my coach. She is such a genuine and kind person, however, I never felt a lot of clear direction from her as far as the nutrition part of the challenge went. AND, I think the nutrition part is the most important part!
In Jen’s defense, she was very open about how she didn’t like to give a cut and dry eating plan and/or menu because everyone is different! She didn’t want to tell everyone specifically what to eat; she wanted people to figure out what works for them.
I understand that approach, but it just made it hard for me to be consistent or stay motivated because I wasn’t quite sure I was doing the right thing! I didn’t have faith in the process.
She was also always telling everyone to make sure to eat enough food. She put a huge emphasis on that and I think it kind of got into my head. I think I ended up eating too much food and consequently, I didn’t lose any weight or really see much in the way of results.
Funny thing though, I think I actually gained some muscle during that challenge. I didn’t realize it at the time because I was feeling chubby! BUT, the past several months as I’ve lost a little weight I’ve noticed I have more muscle. I’m sure it was from that challenge last year because although I ate too much, I ate very well and lifted weights consistently!
Soooo, although the process was frustrating, I think it paid off. I still learned a ton and am glad I did it!
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Soooooo, I’m hoping to see and feel great results with the challenge this year. I’m determined to give it my all and not quit! Three months is a long time, but weight loss, body transformation and body recomposition should be slow and should take a long time!
I’m also hoping to not give back any progress I make after the challenge is over. I’d like to make my “after picture” my “normal” and stay there!
Such is life though, folks. It’s very normal to find yourself in a spot where you need to shape up or lose some weight. I’ve taken a lot of “before” pictures in my lifetime. I guess the key is to just keep trying.
I will be keepin’ it real with all y’all and sharing my experience throughout the process on here and on my Instagram and Instagram Stories.
Oh, and if any of you guys would like to sign up for the challenge too, you still can!!! I obviously highly recommend this challenge. It really is a practical, healthy way to get into shape and lose weight! It’s tough though and at the end of the day, YOU have to do the work and stay committed!
If you want to join the challenge, I have a promo code you can enter to get 20% off. It brings the cost down to $71, which I think is an amazing deal! Here’s my code,
http://oxygen.refr.cc/melanieb
If any of you do end up signing up, let me know and we can help keep each other motivated and cheer each other on!! I’m excited to get started!!!
Well, I gotta hit the hay! I hope you all have a wonderful night!
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