Q&A

Ok so I know my Weight Loss Journey Story page is in this blog but I think some people don't know that and I still get asked a lot about my journey. So today I will be answering a lot of those Q's.... How did I start?! What was my "ah-ha" moment? What did I eat? What workouts did I start with? How long did it take you to lose your weight? When did I start running? How fast and how far did I start running? What workouts am I currently doing to get toned? What am I eating now? If you have anymore just ask but here you go...........

 
What was my "ah-ha" moment?
After I had my youngest son, I went into my closet to get dressed, we were going to take a tour of the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium. It was the first time I had to get dressed dressed after giving birth. I pulled up a size 15/16 jeans and they were so tight. I knew that just weeks ago I weighed 218lbs and I was terrified to get onto the scale. I didn't want to go anywhere with my muffin top stuffed into those tight jeans so I threw on a big sweater to cover the muffin top and vowed to my self that I would never buy another pair of jeans that big and my mission started "operation muffin topless". I guess you can say that is the closest to my ah-ha moment I could get. I didn't want to be the fat mom watching my kids play at the park from the bench! I wanted to be out there sliding on the slides with them, hanging on the monkey bars, chasing them them over the bridges! My youngest child was just weeks old but my journey began there! I threw out our deep fryer (I cannot believe we owned one, and we used it weekly) I thank God for this ah-ha moment because my kids would have been raised eating from that deep fryer if I hadn't had that ah-ha moment :)
What did I eat?!
I started changing my eating habits, I bought veggies and 100 calorie pitas, and 100 calories snacks. (I still had no clue what I was doing) but just by watching my calories I started to lose some weight. I lost all my pregnancy weight and about 5-10 more pounds by just changing my diet to a lower calorie intake.
How did you start working out?
When my youngest was 7 months old I joined the YMCA with a friend. We only did group classes but we did them everyday Monday-Friday. We did body pump 2 days a week, step aerobics 2 times a week, and spin class once a week. After just a few weeks the weight just started melting off. By my sons first birthday I had lost about 40 more pounds and by the end of that year I had lost all of my baby weight plus 50lbs. A total of 72lbs in one year.
What workouts did I start with?
My son developed asthma and the doctor told me that I could not take him to the gym daycare anymore because the risk of him getting sick/cold could cause him to have asthma attacks and he could end up back in the hospital. SO I had to quit the gym. For the next 2.5 years I did at home workouts. I completed many rounds of The 30 Day shred, one round of P90x, 2 rounds of Jillian Michales Body Revolution, and picked up running as a hobby.
How long did it take you to lose your weight?
I lost 72lbs in one year, and now my total is at 80lbs and I continue to work on body fat % loss and sculpting every day and will forever work on my health and endurance.
When did I start running?
One day walking home from my sisters house who lived just a few blocks away I decided to try and run as far as I could to see if I could make it the few 100 yards back to my house. When I made it to my house without stopping I was so excited. I had never ever in my life ran for one straight mile. This sparked inside me to challenge myself to run a mile. We bought a treadmill off craigslist for 150.00 and I started challenging myself everyday. It was winter there was snow outside and I was on fire inside! Within a month I think I made it up to 2 miles in 22 minutes........
How fast and how far did I start running?
So I made it up to 2 miles in 22 minutes with that being the farthest I had ever ran in my life and at 11 minute mile pace. In May of 2012 decided to sign up for the Color Me Rad 5K. I ran the whole thing. They didn't officially time that race but my app said I finished in around 29 minutes. This lit a bigger fire inside of me and I  signed up for a 5k every month for the rest of the year. I hit my 5K PR in December at 25:30. I was also training for my first half marathon which I decided to do with my sister and mom with our small town community churches to help raise money for Team World Vision. (Team World Vision is an amazing organization and training to run with them made the whole half marathon a memorable meaningful experience, because you are not only running for yourself but you are saving lives with every mile!) I ran my first half marathon in Jan of 2013 with a PR of 1:59.13!!!
What workouts am I currently doing to get toned?
After finishing my second round of Jillian Michales Body Revolution. I maxed out on my 15lb weights and had to bump up my game, so I joined the gym again for the first time in 3 years. I am currently in my 4th week of Jamie Eason's LiveFit Trainer 12 week program and it is AMAZING!!!! I am loving the results so far and I am really loving all these weights and lifting with the "big boys" I am still running and running my second half marathon next weekend ahhhhhh :)
What am I eating now?
Now I am eating clean for the most part. I still have protein bars, protein shakes , and one cheat day/meal. But for the most part it's chicken and veggies and sweet potatoes, or ground turkeyloaf with hidden veggies in there for the kids :) I have used MyFitness Pal app throughout my entire journey it's the best fitness tool ever invented!!! I am currently playing around with all this macros percentages (google is my best friend) so in the coming weeks hopefully I will find what will get me the best results, it's really hard to try and get certain amount of grams in for carbs, proteins, and fats so it's all new to me but everyday I am learning something new in the fitness world. I am half way through my personal training book hoping to take the exam by the end of summer!!!!

Well that is all I got for today it was a lot of info about me and my journey but I hope it helped answer a lot of the questions!!!

 

I hope you all are having a FITtastic week and killing those workouts!!!

XOXO

Elisha

 

It's NUTRITION pepople! (not you people, those people)

OK so I have been getting A LOT of emails for help! Which I LOVE LOVE LOVE to help people who want help! and those are the people that are willing to take the advise and do what needs to be done because they are motivated and determined to make changes in their life. Then there are the people that don't want help which is fine, and I see them announcing that they are going to start going to the gym because they want to be ready for summer, and then I see them post on the weekends pictures of themselves at the bar drinking beer and margaritas indulging in nachos. Perfectly fine again if you are perfectly fine with your body the way it is. Then on Monday they post well I'm back to the gym getting back on track......
LET me just say you are not getting back on track. Ok you may be "on" the track but your not moving forward you're natural, when you go home from the gym and eat the same things you have always been eating you are canceling out anything you just did at the gym.

Then I get the "I'm a very busy mom I have no time to work out" line. Okay I agree being a mom is very busy! and it is VERY hard to find time for yourself. So then I come back with the line well "I don't find time I MAKE time for myself" and if most of the time you can't well here is an example.... I put my heart rate monitor on one day while I mopped the floors and cleaned the bathrooms and GUESS what I burned 300 calories. That equals to me running 3 miles! So GUESS what you don't HAVE to workout! Yes it will aid in sculpting your body and losing inches tremendously but if you are a busy mom on your feet all day you already live an active life style and you are burning calories. So if you are not losing weight it's because of your diet. It's what you eat that makes up 80% of your fitness success. FOOD IS FUEL! You don't necessarily HAVE to work out, just stay active do what you do and change what you eat.

I always tell people I'm not on a diet! I just eat according to my goals!

SODA IS BAD! If you say you are eating good yet still drinking any kind of soda you are not eating good! Your body NEEDS water! DRINK WATER people! Add in lemons, strawberries what ever fruit you like to make it, to make it easier for you if you have to, but DITCH the soda! You don't want your kids drinking that stuff so don't let them see you!

Have I lost anyone yet?! Please don't get offended this is for the very few people that might be reading this, that are having a hard time with having their gears stuck in neutral or park! But not y'all right?! Y'all are killin' it in the gym/home workouts and coming home to clean eating RIGHT?! RIGHT?! Y'all are making that 30 minute window in your day for yourself. 30 Minutes of "me" time is also for your kids and your loved ones because it makes you a better person and it is aiding in creating a better YOU!

I am really scared to post this because I'm sure some readers will get offended but it's in all honesty to help. It's the truth and some people don't like the truth. Maybe open the eyes to the ones that think that working out is what changes your body. (I thought this for years) Yes it sculpts you, but if you are on a weight loss mission NUTRITION needs to be your number one priority on that mission!

I hope y'all are having a FITtastic day

Happy Thursday

XOXO

Elisha

Mothers Shape Our World

Well Mothers Day Weekend is over and even though I didn't get to spend it with my own Momma :-( I have to say this one was a memorable one for sure. I did get 5 miles of me time in and came home to a clean house and gifts and flowers from my kids and hubby! We then spent the day on the coast shopping, with a side of ice cream and coffee date. We came home and swam and the hubby cooked us dinner and did all the laundry! I'm a lucky lady for sure!

I learned how to be a mother from the best! My mom is amazing, the most loving person you will ever meet and she will leave a memory stamp in your heart for sure! She made it her mission to leave us four children with the most memorable child hood full of love and joy and she did just that and then some.... 

My mom always always always put her children first and never once took anytime from us for herself. After having 4 children the baby weight never left and with no time for herself she slowly packed on the pounds. In 2002 she was hit by a drunk driver. With a broken hip and knee she was bed bound and could only walk with a walker for several months. At that time of course the injuries and depression caused her weight to reach an all time high.

In 2009 my mom was 49 and decided to join weight watchers with my sister. She made it a goal to lose 50lbs by her 50th birthday! At the end of 2009 she flew out to Texas to visit our families newest addition (my now 3 year old son). Which also was my all time highest weight! She and my sister had already lost a good amount if weight and that is where my inspiration and motivation and my weight loss journey started! They gave me a few weight watcher pointers, they left back to California and my journey began!

My mom made her goal of 50lbs lost by her 50th birthday and for the first time in her life she has confidence and she shines as bright on the outside as she is in the inside!

She is my best friend, I talk to her everyday and I am so very lucky and blessed to have such an amazing strong mother. She still has many permanent injuries from her accident yet she ran the half marathon with me and my sister in Jan of this year and came in at 2:16!!!!  She is one of my inspirations in many areas fitness, women, faith, but most of all as a mother. She is amazing and I just wanted to share a big piece of my heart that I call Momma!!!!

I hope all you Momma's had an amazing Mother's Day! Have a great week and Happy Monday

XOXO

Elisha

 

Heavy Weights = Less Weight

So I'm still slacking on the weekly posts and I'm sorry, but I'm still on Instagram almost everyday and I changed my name since I'm adding all these other things into my routine like weight lifting!!! So my new name is @elishavfitness. It fits me much better since I LOVE all things fitness!!! Anyways I wanted to share with you my 4.5 months progress pic, since I started adding weights into my workouts.

The picture on the top I took right after running my half marathon in January. I knew I was going to start Body Revolution with heavy weights so I took the before pic and I had to flex my hardest to get that baby to pop. The pic on the bottom I took on Monday. No flexing just progress. It's amazing to me what a little weights can do for you and your body. I upped my calories and weights and I'm down on the scale! Imagine that!

I am still running OF COURSE! I am curious to see how all this cross training is going to effect my half marathon run in JUST 3 WEEKS AHHHHH!!!!. We shall see. I'm going into the race with no goals but to just run! I'm going to try my very hardest not to pay attention to the times and just run what feels best.

It's mothers day weekend this weekend up so I'm going to put together a little post about my momma and share her amazing transformation of her own, at 50 years old losing 50lbs is not the easiest and she is a inspiration. Hoping to have that up by tomorrow!

Well kids are up and it's time to take on the day and go visit my new man GYM! Hope y'all have a fabulous weekend and a very HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!

XOXO

Elisha

Yoga Monday

Good Monday morning fit fam!!!! This weekend was a great one for sure! I am a running coach for Girls on the Run, it is an amazing program for young girls to get into. If you have a daughter or little girl from ages 3rd-8th, you should really look into this it will change their life I'm sure of it. Anyways we had our end of the season 5K and every little girl runs a 5K with a running buddy. I will not post pictures to respect the privacy of all these amazing girls but every one of them did amazing!!!! I ran with a 6th grader and we played the ABC game, chit chatted, and had a blast. I had to help keep her going a few times but she finished her 5K in 33 minutes which I think is amazing for a young girl. All of the girls at this race was amazing, to see these very young girls finishing the 5k at incredible paces just inspired me! It was really a great day!

I am trying to get into yoga a little more. I started taking a weekly class at the gym. The only reason why is because I think all these yoga moves are seriously bad A and I want to be able to do them. Also because it's great cross training for a runner :)

If you follow me on instagram this is a re post for you.......

But really Yoga is so good for you! Do any of y'all include yoga into your training? Did you know that isometric contractions such as yoga can produce 20% more strength than concentric contractions such as a bicep curls. We are talking strength here. I am really becoming a big fan of yoga with every class I take. So even if you don't feel like working out one day, maybe just take a yoga class it doesn't feel like a workout, yet you are building some serious strength :)

I set off on Saturday morning for a long run. I wanted to get 10 miles in but I had a head ache the whole time so I cut my run short. I'm hoping to get in at least 10 miles this weekend since this half marathon is creeping up super fast on me. However, I am happy about staying sub 9 minute miles on this run. Maybe somehow I'm getting faster?! Maybe it's the yoga hmmmmmm?! :)

I hope y'all are having a great Monday and stay on track this week! Summer is so close and this is going to be our healthiest one yet right guys!

Happy Monday

XOXO

Elisha

 

Pump Pump Pump It Up

Yep that is what I have been up to this week. Killin' it at the gym! I love saying that now that I have a gym membership I just like to say that. So Jamie Eason's LivFit program is so awesome as a beginner over on the cool kids playground (aka lifting section of the gym). I am modifying her program to fit my needs and this girl needs to run and ad HIIT into my life. But as far as weights go she's my go to girl on the planning. Here is a sample of Monday's workout just to give you an idea of what's going on over here........
 

Monday Chest and Tri's

1 mile 7.0 run on the treadmill

 

Wide Pushups

-3 sets of 12 reps

go to knees when needed

1 minute jumping jacks

Dumbbell Bench Press

3 sets of 12 reps

1 minute high knees

Flat Bench Dumbbell Flys

3 sets of 12 reps

mountain climbers

Narrow Pushups

3 sets of 12 reps

1 minute jog in place

Standing Dumbbell Tripcep Extensions

3 sets of 12 reps

1 minute alternating bench step ups

Tricep pushups

3 sets of 12 reps

 

1 mile 7.0 run on the treadmill 

cool down and stretch :)

Today's workout was Back and Biceps, I loved it! and I love taking pictures when I'm all pumped up from a workout!

 

Well I wanted to check in and give y'all an update on my new routine I know I'm bad at it and I was getting some emails about  my workouts so here y'all are just for my lovely FITnatics XOXO

 

I have been stretched pretty thin lately and the blog gets put on the back burner! But I love y'all and miss y'all I'm still always on Instagram and I'll be back at it full force soon!

 

Happy Thursday Fit Fam

XOXO

Elisha RUN RUN RUN 

No Quick Fix

Good Tuesday Morning fit fam! Yesterday was my first day walking over to the weights section of the gym and I wasn't scared! I felt so cool like I was playing on the playground with the cool kids haha! Anyways my arms are feeling that workout today. I decided to follow Jamie Eason's LiveFit program. I'm not going to be as strict and follow it to a T because I still need to get my runs in and her first phase doesn't include cardio. But she definitely knows her stuff so I will follow her gym plans everyday along with modifying when needed day by day. I also did my first ever Yoga class. It was amazing!!! I loved it! I think I'm going to stick to that class weekly! I was so surprised that I could do the Bird of Paradise pose (it wasn't very pretty) but I did it, and I held Crow pose for 30 seconds! I was so proud!

I came home and tried it and it wasn't as easy as in class and the picture credit goes to my 3 year old but you get the point right ha!

 

 

Moving on to what I really wanted to talk about. I was driving my kids to school this morning and a commercial came on for MediFast and how if your looking to lose 10-20lbs by summer this is a great plan. It made me think back to the days when I used to hear those kinds of commercials on the radio, and I wanted to call them and order whatever they were selling asap. Sometimes I did call them and I would spend money on these wasteful products that do not teach you how to be healthy! They are a quick fix and you'll gain the weight back as soon as you put normal food back into your body.

 

So if there are any readers out there that are looking into these silly products like the "weight loss shakes" I won't name the products because there are so many (I do like shakeology but it's too expensive for me these days, and I wouldn't consider that a weightloss shake), but if the person telling you about it is the one making the money off it, then it's most likely a product that is not going to work unless you keep using/paying for it forever. These shakes may help you lose weight but they do not teach you how to eat healthy they are doing the work for you and we all know work is what gets you results. Moving onto more silly products....

 

Those silly wraps that are so popular right now! All I have to say about that is bahahahahahahahahaha really?! I can do a review on this because I actually tried one. Lets just say I could have gotten better use out my 25.00 if I wrapped it around the toilet paper role in my bathroom.

 

 

Meals sent to your house. Once again unhealthy full of chemicals and still not teaching you/your not learning how to cook and make your own healthy meals and once you stop having food sent to your door, you're not going to know what to do with yourself or how to eat except for go back to how you used to eat.

 

 

I know there are so so so many weight loss blogs /stories out there of people who have been over weight and who are now fit. Do you notice that those are people shouting to the world how they did and that you can do it too for free. They are not getting paid to be on a commercial, they are telling you all of this for free because they are so happy that they finally found the magic pill and it's called Healthy Diet and Exercise! Ever stop to think maybe it's because we tried all these quick fixes and we are now so happy to have found the right way! and actually how much easier and cheaper it is to do it all on your own, and most of all it's the most rewarding.

 

 

 

Don't take the easy way out, if it was easy America would not have an obesity epidemic. We can make the choice to change. We can end the trend. Yes it's hard but YES it's worth it! For the health of us and our children.

 

I hope you all have a FITtastic Tuesday

XOXO

Elisha