My Experience With Focus T25

Let's get the first, and most popular, question out of the way.  Did it work?!

YES!!

Hahaha!  Yes, it worked.  It worked better than I ever thought that it would work.  I'm back in clothes I haven't worn in a DECADE!  A decade you guys!  Clothes that I've held on to because I kept telling myself "One day I'll wear these again!".

So, where did I start and where did I finish?  Let's talk stats.

On the left are pictures taken before I started Focus T25 and before I pushed myself too hard and had to stop the workouts.  In these pictures I weigh 158lbs, I was a size 12/13 pants, a size large in everything, a shoe size 9/9.5 (this is important), 35% body fat, and I was aching all the time.   My feet were constantly swollen, my bones hurt, and I was sick ALL. THE. TIME.  If it wasn't a cold it was a migraine, if it wasn't a migraine it was my Lyme disease, if it wasn't my Lyme disease it was my depression, if it wasn't my depression it was just generalized pain and aches.  

Ok, enough about the past!  Let's talk the present!!

So, in the after photo I am 140lbs, 27% body fat, a size 8 pants, a small or medium in everything, and a shoe size...8/8.5!  That's right, I even went down a shoe size!  I still need to buy replacement heels!  :D  It's crazy!

Inches lost:

Waist = -3"

Hips = -1"

Arms = -.5" each

Thighs = -2.5" and 2"

Chest = -1"

Total inches: 10"

TEN INCHES you guys!  That's almost a FOOT of ME that's gone forever!  Thank you!  Good bye!  I won't be seeing you again!

Did you JUST do Focus T25?

Technically, no.  I also drank Shakeology everyday.  I really feel that is a part of why it helped me soo much!  I'm not going to run through the whole reasoning why here, that'll be in a different post, but I'll provide a video I made about it.  :D

So...That's It?

Pretty much!  I just followed the instructions really.  I ate the 25 foods, drank my shakeology, and pressed play.  Now, I did have some cheat days here and there, I'm not perfect.  But I didn't get crazy and I found ways to keep my calories within the range when I did have a cheat meal by tracking everything that I ate.  And I mean EVEYTHING and I tracked it BEFORE I ate it.  That is KEY!  

So, Now What?

Now I'm going through P90X3!  I'm two weeks in and I'm down 1% in body fat percentage and 2.5" overall and I'm fitting into size 6/7 pants!  XD  No weight change, I'm still 140lbs, that means MUSCLE GAINS!  

Join Me!

Message me, comment below, or find me on Facebook!  I have a fitness group that starts every month to create a supportive environment for your transformation!  I also coach you along the way, helping you to achieve the body that you want.  

Much Love,

Coach Marquita

Discover Your Purpose

I'll admit it, I have times when I doubt myself.  Am I pursuing the correct career?  Am I truly going to be successful?  Am I doing everything in my power to ensure that I will be successful?

When I start to have these thoughts I know it's time to realign myself and dig into my dreams.  Tony Robbins manages to focus my digging and get my head on straight within a hour.  This is why I wanted to share his inspirational video "Starting Over, Living with Purpose".  Living with a purpose has improved my life beyond my wildest dreams.  However, we are creatures of habit so compliance sets in.  Living in compliance isn't enough to accomplish your dreams!

So, watch this video!  Do the exercises!  Really!  And find what you want to focus on.  Don't be compliant and break the daily habits.  You'll feel better once you start.

The Power of Visualization

"If you can't see it, then how are you going to get it?!"
That is a thought that was running through my head when I first decided that I wanted to lose weight.  Waay back before I actually understood my "why" behind my desire to lose weight and get back the physique I once had.  So, this thought has been in my mind recently, since I just discovered my why not too long ago.

The art of seeing what you want to achieve, and I do believe it is an art, is called visualization.  I'm sure we all know what visualization is, but just to ensure we have all of our i's crossed and t's dotted (=P) let's throw a definition out there:

Visualization is "...a cognitive tool accessing imagination to realize all aspects of an object, action or outcome".  In a sense it's kind of like day dreaming, but with a purpose behind it, because you (re)create a scenario using most, or even all, of your senses" (Baumgartner, 2011).

I use visualization on an almost daily basis now because if I can't see myself with a four pack in a bikini for the first time ever, then how am I going to know what to aim for?  How am I going to know when I reach my goal?

Visualization has many uses outside of helping you get the body you want.  Psychologists use it in their practice to help patients exercise specific reactions to situations; athletes use it before a match; actors use it before they perform.  It helps because the brain is being trained to perform the task, it's like practicing a practice match.

Angie LeVan, MAPP, (2009) goes over a great way to get started with visualization.  I've included the excerpt below:

Begin by establishing a highly specific goal. Imagine the future; you have already achieved your goal. Hold a mental ‘picture’ of it as if it were occurring to you right at that moment. Imagine the scene in as much detail as possible. Engage as many of the five senses as you can in your visualization. Who are you with? Which emotions are you feeling right now? What are you wearing? Is there a smell in the air? What do you hear? What is your environment? Sit with a straight spine when you do this. Practice at night or in the morning (just before/after sleep). Eliminate any doubts, if they come to you. Repeat this practice often. Combine with meditation or an affirmation (e.g. “I am courageous; I am strong”, or to borrow from Ali, “I am the greatest!”).

So, what is your highly specific goal?  Can you see it happening yet?  If not, keep practicing!

Reference(s):
Baumgartner, J. (November 8, 2011). The psychology of dress, the doctor is in...you closet! Visualize it. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-psychology-dress/201111/visualize-it.

LeVan, A. (December 3, 2009). Flourish! Seeing is believing: The power of visualization. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/flourish/200912/seeing-is-believing-the-power-visualization.

Exercising when others are home...

I love, LOVE, the idea of working out at home. There's no gym membership, no need to remember to pack a bag when I go to work, no having to drive across town after work to get to a gym. These are all great perks, especially the not having to pay a membership fee.  Heck, I became a Beachbody coach not only because I want to help people and because I believe in the product, I became one because they're amazing programs to do AT HOME!!

However, I have a mental block when I comes to exercising when other people are home. In my old townhouse this wasn't an issue because I exercised in the basement. In my 439 sq. ft. apartment...It apparently is. Thoughts of "I'm being too loud." or "This is just embarrassing." pop into my head. And while I push myself through because bettering yourself, internally or externally, is worth it I feel uncomfortable the whole time. I don't push as hard as I could. I don't feel as connected with the workout. 

Eventually, I began to dread exercising at home when I knew someone else was going to be there. I'll admit, even today I'll skip a workout and just do a different activity outside or power walk the mall instead. 

This just isn't going to work for me anymore though. It's harder to lose the weight when I'm not giving it 100%. So now, I'm searching for a place to have my workouts. Since I work in a hotel now, I'm going to be asking if I can use a conference room that's not in use. It's the only solution I have right now, though I'm still thinking of more.