It’s week #6 in our contest– HALFWAY mark. In the SSS journal there is a halfway report. Take some time and reflect– possibly even take a set of progress pics and stats.

Halfway done report
How are you doing?
Do you feel any different?Are you seeing results?
What obstacles are you facing? (What are the solutions?)
Are you still on fire and focused? (if not look back at your Starting thoughts)

TIME TO GET RELENTLESS!!

ALSO, Don’t forget our March theme is “Makin’ Chages”– What are you going to CHANGE this month so you can see more results??

http://www.teambuffmother.com/…/makin-changes-march

This March let’s focus on doing thing differently. Let’s MAKE CHANGES that impact our lives for the positive. Let’s do things that are hard, different and scary…I challenge you to MAKE CHANGES because making change will challenge you and challenge will change you!

Specifically, I want you to focus on making 4 changes this month.  It can be something that will change your diet or exercise routine. But it could also be something like a lifestyle habit. Here are some examples:

Workout at the gym instead of home or vise versa
Stop swearing
Clean your kitchen each night before bed
Wear make up daily
Eat more green veggies
Eat out less/pack your lunch daily
Walk more (get involved in a fitbit steps challenge)
Get highlights in your hair or a new cut/styleGo to church each week
Listen to Audiobooks vs. music while working out
Read a book
Watch less TV
Start a running program
Take up a new creative hobby- Learn an instrument or to sing or learn to paint

As you can see the CHANGES can be anything, but 4 on purpose changes to yourself this month is the goal!  Makin’ Changes MARCH! #makingchangesmarch
#changeisgood

Now on to my update….I’ve been feeling more energy the past couple days, feels awesome and makes me hopeful that the second half of this SSS contest will bring more results! I’ve been thinking hard about what I want to change in order to see more results in my life, body and mindset.  I am super proud of eliminating coffee and caffiene from my diet in the past month~ Changes work!!

My 4 Changes for “Makin’ Changes” March:

1. Join a gym in Bentonville– I’ll go a couple times a week to get more results and to shake up my workouts!
2. Cut my carbs again– I’ve had the best success in weight loss with very low carbs.  My goal is to keep Net Carb intake under 30g per day.
3. Get in extra morning cardio- it doesn’t have to be fasted, but many times it will be.  My goal is to either ride bike or hike/walk outside 4 days a week. 20 mins minimum.
4. Keep kitchen clean.  Our family eats constantly and we have dishes like crazy, thus my kitchen is always a mess– the goals is to enlist help with from the kids and be sure it’s clean it before bed each night.
   

   Week #6 poa and report

   BuffMotherVIP 3/7/161:28 PM

   So, as I mentioned in my blog the other day, last week sucked!
   Monday was the only day I lifted. I had woke up that day with a stiff neck, but it didn’t bother me at all during my Chest workout, but after, holy cow! I was in pain for 3 days from it.  Tues, I rode bike for 20 mins. Wed, I rested. Thurs, I ran slow and easy. Fri, nothing again, but finally on SATURDAY i had some energy. I had a good interval/hills run outside and felt alive.  Sunday, I took off again. I am glad I at least did what I could, but certainly lost my mojo a bit.

   My POA for week #6~ try on bikini daily… My workouts will be very intuitive this week. I’ll see how my body feels and go with it. I don’t want to overdo it and end up exhausted.
   M-  Lift legs~Track meet for my 3 girls, I’ll do some walking/running between races. I certainly am not going to be “sitting” in the stands the entire meet.
   T- Back/Sh/Biceps
   W- Chest/tri’s and run intervals
   Th- Meet for my son- same plan to be active during it as Monday
   F- Legs
   Sa- Run outside
   Su- Upper body lift

   SSS Halfway done report~
   How are you doing?
   I am better than when we started. It does seem I’ve been taking 1 step forward then 1 back. Week #4 was awesome, then week #5 Sucked!  I do have a lot of hope and I believe I can see some good results this month. The SPRING weather will help with that!!

   Do you feel any different?
   Yes, I feel more fit. I also feel more healthy- my stomach issues are much better.
   Are you seeing results?
   Yes, I can see my body composition changing a bit.  Less cellulite, more veins and a bit more definition. I don’t feel as PUFFY. Lunges week rocked, I need to keep on adding in lunges to my workouts!
   What obstacles are you facing? (What are the solutions?)
   My obstacles have been major fatigue and the “sickies”.  During the first half of the contest I’ve been “sick” 3 times. A flu, a cold and another flu….I think alot of the problem has been my thyroid being so low.  Now that I am taking some meds, I hope my immune system gets stronger and that I will have more energy.  My solution is to keep FIGHTING no matter what! Never give up!

   Are you still on fire and focused? (if not look back at your Starting thoughts)
   Yes, I am on fire and focused to see results.  I may have to adjust my goals a bit, but I feel like I can still get some nice results in the 35 days we have left.  I need to really focus on making each day count!

   Today’s Eats- (I’ll edit this as I go along)
   Eggs (4) cooked in butter and 1/2 avacado

   Off to a decent start….

   BuffMotherVIP 3/9/1611:49 AM

   This week is off to a decent start…have more energy than last week, but still dragging in the mornings a lot.  Been sleeping 11+ hours, that just isn’t right…Anyhow, I am very thankful that I have an option to do that. My body seems to just really need it right now, so I’ll let it have it.

   My workouts have been very low key and simple. Monday I did my lower body buffing workout from my book Hormonal timing and Tuesday I did the upper body buffing workout plus 10 mins on the treadmill and 10 mins on the bike.

   The track meet on Monday was long– i was there from 3:30 to 9:30, but it was fun to see my girls run and jump so well!! All 3 of them did great~ Tia and Gracie were both in the 4×100 (3rd place) and 4×400~ Gracie also WON the open 400m.

   Today I have a lot of work to do and bring Gracie to guitar… I am sore from the past 2 day workouts~ a good feeling…my PLAN is to do some cardio and abs/booty today-  20 mins on the bike in just a bit, then later I’ll run intervals on the treadmill.

   Keep up the great mojo ladies, you are energizing me!! thanks!!

   letting go of my STRESS….

   BuffMotherVIP 3/11/1612:51 PM

   This morning it dawned on me that this week has been GREAT! I’ve somehow been able to “let go of my stress” and just enjoy life!

   Truly, I am the one who causes my own stress. My DH has made it VERY clear he does not want me to stress out about things. I am a slow learner though when it comes to it…I tend to try to do to much, too fast and too perfect.

   A few examples from this week that are me letting go…

   • Workouts were minimal- I have done them, just not made them “KILLER”.  Keeping them short, a bit on the EASY side and allowing me to change my POA
   • I decided that my “making changes March” goals all don’t have to happen this week, lol– I have the whole month to get the changes in place!
   • Allowing myself to take the time to go to 2 track meets this week. The fresh air and seeing ATHLETES competes was so exciting! Plus the time with my kids rocks!!

   I expect this trend of letting go to continue…I feel that my body and mind had been so stressed from having the low thyroid that now it’s starting to “heal”.  I can feel the INFLAMMATION in my body going away and today I woke up weighing the least I have in awhile….137.6 YAY!!

   I certainly hope you’ve had a great week too!! Enjoy your weekend!!

   Love,

   Michelle

   SSS Week #7 Mini Challenge- Suck it in!

   BuffMotherVIP 3/14/167:34 AM

   Our Week #7 Mini Challenge is to do 10 stomach vacuums each day (10-15 secs each).

   You will see your waist get smaller this week!!!
   Vacuums are simply sucking in your tummy!

   I find they produce HUGE results~ they work your TRANSVERSE abs. “T-ABS” These are highly important muscles that act as a “girdle” around your waist. The muscles run HORIZONTALLY and HOLD your organs in place. They are stretched out after pregnancy and need to be rebuilt. VACUUMS will do just that! They are worked whenever you practice good posture, and will respond even quicker if you aggressively work at rebuilding them through exercises like vacuums.

   Follow this link for demo pictures: http://buffmother.com/?p=6786

   One of the easiest ways to do them is to stand with your hands on your knees and suck your tummy in. Try to pull your belly button to your spine. You can do vacuums anywhere anytime- I did some last night while brushing my teeth and this morning sitting in the car.

   Have fun with this mini-challenge and you will see some results in you waist! Work it girls!!

   -Michelle

   Tues= track meet

   BuffMotherVIP 3/15/1610:08 AM

   HEY YA LADIES!!

   I’m feeling very good this week~ it sure does help that the sun is shining again!
   Today, marks 90 days until my birthday…The 12 week countdown begins!

   I need to take some pics, stats and set some goals…But I have other pressing WORK to get done right now. TAXES…Started them yesterday and need to get a couple hours done today before I head to the track meet!  Tia and Gracie are competing. Layla’s not, she’s been dealing with bad stomach pains the past month and it’s really making her want to run or jump.  It’s high time I bring her to the Dr.  She had her appendix burst about 4 years ago, so I know it’s not that, but I have read that appendix are more important than once thought and I may need to get her on some good probiotics, enzymes, gut support, etc….

   My workout yesterday felt strong, however I’ve had an issue with my thumb the past couple weeks~ it really is annoying trying to lift with a bumb thumb

   Bench
   45×10
   95×10, 115×8, 115×7, 115×6

   Shoulder killer- lateral raises
   10# plates x10 reps x 7 sets with just 30 sec rest

   Bicep curls machine
   65x10x3sets + short bicep burnouts on each

   Dips
   8, 4, 3

   Bowflex flys
   70x10x3set

   kick backs
   15’s x10x2sets

   Abs between sets- on ball with 10#, knee ups, vacuums, ladder on ball

   Today is supposed to be a run, I’d like to do it outside at the meet…last time that didn’t go very well, but this meet is in Bentonville and I know where I can run better.  That’ll probably be the plan because of my need to work on taxes now~ BLECH!

   Patty the baby chick!

   BuffMotherVIP 3/17/1612:33 PM

   Baby chick #1 is pecking it’s way out of the shell today~ On St. Patrick’s day– we’ll name her Patty!!  Birthing my first baby chick is so cool, but I need to get prepared!  I don’t have my brooder set up just yet~ EEK!!

   Plus I have parent teacher conferences and a track meet to attend today~ busy, busy!

   Yesterday, I got my hair done– blonder!! FUN! and was able to fit in a run while DD was at guitar lessons.  It was a hilly on pavement run for about 19 mins… I’m not used to running on pavement at all!

   Today, I’m going to train the girls at the track just a bit. No official practice for them since the HS has a meet….figured it’s a good chance for me to coach them up a bit

   I’m keeping up with my vacuums this week, are you?

   Gotta go~
   LOVE YA, Michelle

   No Luck!

   BuffMotherVIP 3/18/1612:26 PM

   Oh it’s so sad, little Patty (baby chick) was almost out of it’s shell when it died   Sweet Layla was camped out after school watching and listening to the little chick peck and chirp as it worked to get out. Then it stopped…we hoped it was just resting, but she was certain it was no longer breathing.  She was right, RIP Patty.  I sure hope the next one makes it, it’s heartbreaking!

   In other news I am on cycle day 28 today– it will be cycle day 1most likely any time.  I am totally BOOSTING…feeling starving, edgy, lazy and a bit yucky.  Overall though I’ve had much more energy again this week! I’m on the RISE!!

   So….yesterday my workout was short and odd. I did a little jogging, a few drills and “starts” on the track with my DD’s. Then we did the long jump. I jumped just twice, it was fun but messy– I got sand all down my leggings.  Then I finished off with a 100m dash…AND WOWIE, I AM SO SORE TODAY from it.

   The plan today is to do legs! I should really get them done in about 20 mins~ that’d be the “SMART” thing to do! I’m also going to be sure to do extra ab work and my VACUUMS!! they are working!!

   Here’s a cute pic from yesterday~

   Have a good FRIDAY NIGHT!!

   Love, M

   Week #8 Mini Challenge- Eat 3 servings of greens each day!!

   BuffMotherVIP 3/21/1612:46 PM

   SSS Week #8 Mini Challenge- Eat 3 servings of greens each day!!

   Eating GREENS takes effort and determination. The way I get 3 in a day is to start my day with a GREEN, focus on eating greens for my “snacks” and having greens with dinner.
   Greens are so good for your digestion, your body’s acidic balance, for nutrition, for energy, etc…. My favorite Greens lately are: Cucumbers, Peppers, Green Beans, Radishes, Asparagus, Beets

   Others I eat quite often include:
   Stir fry veggies, Spinach, Romaine Lettuce, Green and Red Onion and Spaghetti Squash Get after those greens~
   They are SO good for you and REALLY help lean you up!!! YUMMY!!!
   Enjoy eating GREEN this week~

   Please share with us some of your favorite GREENS with a comment on today’s post and throughout the week using the hashtag #greens

   http://buffmother.com/?p=6799

   Have a super week my GREEN GODDESS Friends!!

   Love, Michelle

   p.s. also check out this post with videos about eating and cooking your Greens http://buffmother.com/?p=6781

   AND try this RECIPE!!

   Red pepper stuffed with egg salad- 3 eggs total

   Simply boil eggs (I keep boiled eggs on hand in the refrigerator),
   peel them ,
   smash 3 of them with a fork (I also warm up the eggs for 20-30 seconds in microwave to make this easier),
   add 2 tsp Mayo or Salad Dressing (miracle whip) or Greek Yogurt
   salt and pepper to taste-
   Place salad in halves of red pepper and ENJOY

   Countdown

   BuffMotherVIP 3/21/161:52 PM

   So…If you follow me on YouTube, IG or on FB you’ve noticed I started a 90 day bikini birthday countdown last Tuesday.  Today is already 84 days to go and I am going to start following my “Six Weeks to SEXY” program for workouts.

   http://www.teambuffmother.com/…-2-sexy-download-vip

   It’s Spring Break week here~ my kids are RESTLESS!!  I plan to do some “fun” outings with them, but not today– today is just about enjoying being home and not having to GO, GO, GO!

   It’s also week #8 in our SSS contest, wow, just 3 weeks to go…April 10th will be upon us soon.  I’m fired up that I’m feeling so much better than I was in January, or February…it’s a good trend!!
   On tap now is making EGGS for my son, then getting my workout done– Chest/Triceps/ABS and INTERVALS!
   Let’s have a great week!!

   -Michelle

   Not working out makes me stiff…

   BuffMotherVIP 3/21/165:24 PM

   My last real workout was on Friday, I had done legs. Then Saturday we did some burning, meaning I did some raking, cutting shrubs, throwing logs. But yesterday I literally did nothing. Layed in bed watching tv with DH all day and SHESSH I am so stiff from that today!

   Today is cycle day 3, but I opted to go ahead and start buffing with this workout:

   warm up bike 5 mins
   Bench Press
   warm up set 45×20 reps
   95×10
   105x10x2sets
   during rest- Knee ups on bench 15 front/5 rt. side/5 left side 3 sets

   Push ups
   10 reps x 3 sets on handles (did pigeon toe pikes between each)
   during rest-Old School sit ups
   25 reps x2sets

   Incline Flys
   30’sx 10x3sets
   during rest-Ball Crunches
   15 front/5 rt. side/5 left side 2 sets

   Tricep Extensions
   50x10x3sets
   during rest-Reverse crunches
   25x2sets

   Kickbacks (tricep)
   10’s x 10x 3sets
   during rest-Cats/Dogs
   5 reps each way x2sets

   I really noticed that I have been taking extra time between sets, so I timed it today to be 1 min., need to keep doing that, especially during buffing!

   Ran Intervals outside- warm up 4 mins, 1 min uphill, 1 min downhill x 6, cool down mins = 20 mins total

   I weighed 140 this morning, but that’s a bit of bloat from the weekend. I’ve been consistently around 138, I expect to see that tomorrow morning.

   Here’s my countdown pic for today….84 to go!

   

   Now I need to eat some GREENS, haven’t gotten in any yet today…plan is for a big salad!! YUMMY!!

   Have a great evening,

   Michelle

   Bowling then legs

   BuffMotherVIP 3/22/166:29 PM

   Went Bowling today with my Girls!! It was fun, we all threw many gutter balls, but still stayed happy

   Afterward we went shopping for a bit then once home I did my leg workout

   Bulgarians bwx10, 10’sx10x3sets
   Squats 45×10, 135x10x3
   Deads 135x10x3sets
   Knee extensions singles 55×15, 115×10+extra vmo’s x3sets
   Leg curls on ball 3 sets of 10
   Calf raises– 2 sets with weight
   Lunges 1 set of 15, 2nd set of 10 both with 50# on back
   Laying side Leg lifts, knee ups, froggy knee ups, hip ups, hip swivels and some other ab stuff

   Killer workout!!

   I also posted my 83 days to go “Bikini Birthday Countdown” video (on www.facebook.com/buffmotherpage ) and pic…here’s the pic

   Now it’s time to “hang out” with my man!!
   have a good night,
   Michelle

   It wasn’t pretty, but got it done!

   BuffMotherVIP 3/23/163:54 PM

   I am very sore today~ but I got in a halfway decent back/shoulder workout plus a 20 min hills interval run outside.  Wednesday is officially pizza night in our house, I’m planning to have some but also a nice spinach salad.

   Got my bikni pic done for today too– a Itty bitty teeny weeny yellow polka-dot bikini
   82 days to go…‪#‎bikini‬ ‪#‎birthday‬ ‪#‎countdown‬

   Itty bitty teeny weeny yellow polka-dot bikini 82 days to go…#bikini #birthday #countdown

   Posted by BuffMother on Wednesday, March 23, 2016

   My baby

   BuffMotherVIP 3/26/167:03 PM

   Finally had a baby chick hatch I also got in a good workout today lifted just a bit and then ran really hard intervals on the hill

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   Spring break is over!!

   BuffMotherVIP 3/28/161:27 PM

   I had a good week with the kids home on SPRING BREAK, but very glad they are back in school today!

   It’s Week #9 in our SSS contest– 14 days left! Big changes can happen in 2 weeks, so let’s keep pushing hard!

   Your challenge this week is simple…. Drink 1.5 gallons of water a each day
   Typically my recommendation is to drink your GOAL body weight in ounces of water daily…

   But this week let’s get more aggressive after our water intake. Let’s strive for 1.5 gallons = 192 oz or 5.7 liters or 24 cups of water.

   Chug a lug!!!

   Yesterday, I got in a good solid leg workout.

   warm up- air squats, light dead lifts
   Squat 45×10, 135×10, 155x10x2sets, 135×10
   Dead lift 135x10x3sets
   Leg Extensions 90×15, 115x12x3sets
   leg curls- bowflex (it’s been awhile since i’ve done these, a pain to set it up)
   80x10x3sets
   Lunges- 30# on back
   sidex10, stationaryx10, sidex10, stationaryx10
   hip ups, knee ups, hip swivels between sets

   Also in the middle of my workout I did my Bikini Birthday Countdown pic….a bunch of people thought I workout in my heels and bikini, LOL!!  NOPE I do not!
   

   So on Saturday we had a chick hatch, 1 out of the 8 I incubated and the poor thing is so lonely!  CHIRPS so LOUD constantly when you are not holding it! We barley slept despite having every “white noise” on in the house.  Crazy little chick!  Gracie carried it around with her most of the day yesterday and Cuji seems to like it too– however, I do not trust her not to eat the little bird!

   My POA for the week:

   M- Lift Back/shoulders/Biceps and Intervals
   T-  Intervals
   W- Chest/Triceps and Intervals
   Th-  Legs
   F- Lift Back/shoulders/Biceps and IntervalsSa/Sun- have one day off and do a run on the other day

   By the way I am doing the 6 to sexy workout program and had a really good week #1 on it, I actually did an extra lifting day!! YAY!!  The only problem I am having is my left thumb joint by the pad/wrist…I’ve been battling with it a little over a month. Wondering if it’s some sort of arthritis because I can’t remember doing anything odd to it.  It’s really making me unable to hold the bar and weights for certain lifts- bench is especially hard on it. I’ve modified my upper body workouts the best I can, thankfully I can still do my leg workout and run just fine

   Time to get up and GULP some water!!
   See you later~

   Michelle

   ABS April!!

   BuffMotherVIP 3/29/161:26 PM

   HI!!

   ABS is the focus for APRIL!! We’ll be following our FAB ABS program for the 28 day challenge~ http://buffmother.com/wp-conte…8/FabAbsCalendar.pdf

   All of you should join in on the fun for it~
   I’ll be promoting it on www.BuffMother.com and on my other social media sites. Let’s get ready to rock our ABS!!

   Let me know if you have any questions ….
   Thanks, Michelle

   p.s. please tag any of your ABS April posts with these hashtags:
   ‪#‎abs‬ ‪#‎buffmother‬ ‪#‎absapril‬

   Gearing up for APRIL!!

   BuffMotherVIP 3/29/161:33 PM

   I can’t believe March is almost over…it’s been a good month. I’ve made progress towards my goals and am ready to go all out in April!!  April is the perfect month for us to focus on ABS!! ABS APRIL!!

   http://www.teambuffmother.com/topic/abs-april

   Yesterday i did a run– easier version of it though…just ran a couple harder loops, did some sprint drills, then ran intervals of about 30 sec up the hill back to my house. I took 20 mins for everything, but did quite a bit of walking during that time.

   Lifted back/shoulders/Biceps when I got back…not going to detail it as it was a MISH MOSH of stuff– trying to find stuff that didn’t hurt my thumb.  I lifted for about 35 mins.

   Today I have chest, triceps, abs and intervals on tap. It will be a modified workout again– I can’t bench with my thumb or do any db presses. I can however do pushups on my KNUCKLES~ those work well!  Intervals will be on the bike today, my knees are sore and I don’t run 2 days in a row.

   After the workout, I head to the girl’s track meet.  Tia and Gracie are in a million events!

   Bye for now!