Need to get naked?

On Saturday, a friend of mine introduced me to Naked Juice. C'mon now, get your mind out of the gutter. Hah. The name does send off some rather non-family friendly vibes, but it is a good product. At least the 2 flavors I've tried, Orange & Mango Motion and Protein Zone.

With the fitness challenge in full fledge, I was interested in the protein drink which contains protein soy an whey, along with the one pound of fruit that each and every bottle of Naked Juice boasts. The drinks are all-natural, with no preservatives and no sugar added. Protein Zone, as I finish off my second bottle, is a great option for meal replacements. My goal for the 12-week challenge is to consume five to six portion-sized meals each day. By adding Protein Zone to my options, it has made it easy to meet that daily goal.

I'm interested in trying some of the other flavors, but, with each 15.2 fluid ounce bottle running anywhere from $2 to $3.50, I'm content with simply adding them to my daily meal plan. I am looking into having a relative stop by the local club store to check out the pricing available there. If it's worth it, I'll definitely take that option.

Extra Value Meals and Calories

I was caught going through the McDonald's drive-thru yesterday because we have no food at home. Neither me nor my husband has gone to get groceries so we've been eating out more than normal. Not a good place to be and I will go no longer without stopping by the grocery store to pick essentials.

I know that fast food is not the best for you, but I wasn't aware of the number of calories in a 'extra value' meal. I usually order the No. 2, two cheeseburgers with regular fries and a Sprite. I've been keeping track of my caloric intake and had to log my meal. I was agast when I saw that this meal alone was 1,190 calories! Yikes! Again, because we had no food at home, we stopped by the same McDonald's for a quick dinner and I grabbed the Premium Chicken Sandwich meal instead. This meal ran a total of 780 calories. It would've been more but I only ate a handful of fries and drank a few sips of the Sprite. I couldn't bring myself to eat or drink more.

So, where does this all fit in the whole Challenge scheme? Well, we've had to push back the official start date to next Monday, Sept. 24th. We couldn't get an appointment for our body fat measurements until Saturday, Sept. 22nd, so we're starting the following Monday. I'm still trying my best to eat healthy and will be working out throughout the week. Yesterday really was an anomaly for us and hopefully, we won't be visiting a McDonald's for a long time.

Challenge Day 2

I had a rough start this morning. The alarm didn't go off (I think I forgot to set it) so I didn't have time to do my cardio. I can only hope that I don't run into any snags tonight. Breakfast was hardly anything, I grabbed a cup of mixed nuts, cashews and pistachios, and ate them on the way to drop off my daughter at daycare and head into work, late of course. I have to say, cashews are just good. I could eat more than I should if I'm not careful, so I'm glad I was on the move.

Lunch today was pretty good. In my rush this morning I forgot to grab the leftovers in the fridge as well as my employee badge (we have a cefateria at work). And, my husband stole my cash to pick up some nuts for snacks. So, no cash in the wallet. Luckily, my husband dropped off a cup of Wendy's chili and a side salad. That chili hit the spot. I'm waiting to eat the salad in a couple of hours since the soup surprisingly filled me up.

I'm hoping to leave work a bit early and grab a quick workout and shower before a meeting at 6:30pm. Dinner will have to wait and will probably be out somewhere. I'm craving a good hearty chicken salad with fresh greens. Maybe some cucumber and tomatoes. Yum.

It has begun

Today marked the start of our 12-week fitness challenge. My husband and I are pretty competitive, and our best friends (Chris and Sarah) are the same. So, we decided to challenge our spouses and team up, guys vs. gals. The friendly banter has been fun, and I'm looking forward to kicking some testosterone tail.

We're getting our body fat measured tonight. We'll have a more precise measuring comparison than with weight. I remember being a size 5 and weighing nearly 150 pounds. Nothing but muscle baby. Ahh, the good ole' days.

I woke up early this morning and did a 20-minute high intensity interval bike ride. My plan over the course of the next 12 weeks is to do cardio in the morning and resistance training after work. I'm breaking down the strength training to certain body parts each day. So, today, after work, I'll be working the biceps and triceps. Tomorrow, shoulders and back, and so on.

Ironically, I'm really excited about my eating plan for duration of the challenge. I have my 2 favorite cookbooks in hand, Eating for Life and The South Beach Diet Cookbook. I plan on using the South Beach Diet plan until phase 3 where I will work in recipes from Eating for Life.

I'm wondering how my husband will do. He loves to workout, but hates to eat healthy. Rarely does a vegetable touch his plate. Unless, of course, you consider potatoes and corn veggies, which I don't. He'll eat green beans, and guacamole, but anything other than these things, he hates. For his health's sake and Chris', I hope he takes his diet seriously. He scoffed at me after lunch because he ate salad. It'll be an interesting 12 weeks. Indeed.

On a side note, we have a Bowflex Xtreme 2 that we absolutely love using. It is so convenient. I love being able to walk down the hall to workout as opposed to driving to the gym. Our little home gym will get used plenty these next 12 weeks.

Couples' fitness challenge

After some friendly banter with my husband, we found ourselves in a challenge to see who can make the most progress in the area of fitness. We've recruited our best friends who were just as excited to do this. What makes this exciting is that we're facing off guys versus gals.

I have to say, I'm really looking forward to getting back into shape. The best part is that the winner gets $100 do with what they please. The trash talking has already begun, eventhough the contest won't officially start until Sept 3rd.