How to Get Started Towards Your Goals

When starting any weight loss regimen or exercise program there are always a ton of questions that goes through your mind. This can be extremely overwhelming for someone who is starting with no past experience. You will have questions about which foods you should be eating. Are you taking in too little calories or too many calories? How many times should I do cardio? How long do I workout?...etc...

 I was in the same position about 3 years ago. I put on about 40 lbs after high school, and was the heaviest I had ever been in my life! In October of 2012 I had a reality check! After looking at the picture on the left I was in disbelief that I let myself go. I cried because I looked awful. I thought how could I not see how heavy I was. How come nobody told me. This sparked a fire inside me and without ever trying one single product I signed up with AdvoCare and ordered their 24 Day Challenge. I knew others were getting amazing results with the products so why couldn't I! And I did just that, my first challenge I lost 10 pounds and 10 inches and I felt absolutely incredible! For the first time in my life I felt confident about my image. I was no where near my goal weight, but I had found a system that worked for me! 
Now fast forward to 2015...I am still taking those products, and I have not gained any of  my weight back since! I have lost a total of 25 pounds and I feel amazing! 

As you see in the photo those pictures where from October 2012 and June 2013.
Here I am rocking a TWO-PIECE on vacation this summer :) 

I will be the first to tell you that TWO-PIECES were not in my wardrobe, but once you start reaching your goals you'll see what I am talking about.

The day I got a little too much sun. I may not be as skinny as I want, but I love my body, and to me that is a HUGH GOAL ACCOMPLISHED! 

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Let's talk about YOU now. That's why you're here right? You want to get started towards your goals?

First off ask yourself...

What is it that I want to accomplish?

Once you have this write it down. 

I wrote my goals out so when I woke up I could see it everyday! Make them noticeable & make it something you'll be able to accomplish.

Next step...DO YOUR RESEARCH.

If there is a product or system you are wanting to try I suggest researching about it first. I have bought into too many products and weightloss systems that simply didn't work! I do highly suggest AdvoCare's 24 Day Challenge if you are looking to lose weight, gain weight, or put on muscle. You will be provided with guided meal plans to fit your goals and coached along the way.  

After you find the system for you GET STARTED! Don't wait on tomorrow or a Monday! Get started TODAY, because you'll be one step closer to your goals than you were yesterday. 

After you start working towards your goals join a support group to help keep you motivated! I know there are plenty on Facebook if you just search what you are looking for you'll find it :) 

If you have any questions about anything discussed in this post please comment below or email me at simplypureandbeautiful@gmail.com 

Week 2 of BBG 1.0

I am super excited to share with you my progress I have been making over the last two weeks! 

I started Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Guide 1.0 on January 18th and I was blown away with my own results from the first week. 

Okay to post these photos is super embarrassing because I am showing the whole world what my body looks like underneath...one thing I know is I am being super vulnerable and letting you guys see the raw me.

These two photos were just one week apart and I am super excited with the results I am already seeing. I have lost 3 lbs and a couple of inches, but most importantly I am seeing my skin become firmer. The exercises are by no means easy and they will challenge every muscle in your body, but if you are looking to get into shape or looking to get ready for the summer these workouts are on point! 

I use AdvoCare Spark to power through the workouts because the plyometric set up consists of cardio and body weight training. The boost of energy and mental focus Spark provides is the perfect aide to my workouts. And I feel amazing even though my body feels like death. If you've seen on instagram most of us Bikini Body Girls hashtag #deathbykayla when we complete a workout. :) 

Here was one of my death by Kayla faces. It was leg day & I felt like puking 14 minutes into the workout. This girl knows how to design a kick ass workout let me tell ya! 

Flexing with my whittle bicep. I have been weight training since mid-June and I am starting to see muscles pop up here and there, which is super exciting! My arms are one area that is seeing the slowest progress along with my abs of course. I have a ton of body fat I am trying to get rid of, but this is a process that takes time. 

Cleaning up my diet is the next thing on my list to really tune into. My workouts have been pretty consistent. I train 5 times a week sometimes 6 with Sunday as my rest day. Rest days are important because your body is actually breaking down the muscle when you are in the gym training, so rest days give your body time to repair and heal those muscle fibers. 

I always use Nighttime Recovery from AdvoCare before I go to bed and this helps me get out of bed in the mornings. Without this little product my body would feel like I went to battle. Nighttime Recovery is an amino acid and herbal supplement that supports muscle repair and enhances muscle growth. Definitley one of my favorite go to products. You can find all my workout supplements here

12 Week Transformation Underway!

Hello Ladies! 

As the month of January is already halfway over I have decided to start a 12 week transformation program to kick start my goals for 2015.

If you have instagram you may have already seen many results from girls doing Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Guide 1.0 

I was shocked to see many girls getting great results that I had to get my hands on one of the guides and try this program out for myself. 

My first week of the program starts tomorrow so in 12 weeks I hope to see some awesome results. I know with how my bodies condition is right now I may need to go through the workout guide twice just to get the results I am looking for.

For you ladies out there who have no idea what I am talking about here is just a few girls transformations over the 12 weeks...or 24..

These are real girls with real results and I am extremely excited for them and all the other girls out there who are seeing amazing results! I am so happy I stumbled upon Kayla on instagram because she gets the image girls are looking for and created a workout system that is working for so many girls. 

If any of you would like to join me on these next 12 weeks you can get the Bikini Body Guide 1.0 @ http://www.kaylaitsines.com/collections/guides

Cant wait to start tomorrow & share with you my journey! If you don't already go follow my instagram @shelbyrenee9210. This is where I will be posting photos throughout my journey of my meals and exercises, along with some TRANSFORMATIONS :)

HAPPY SUNDAY!

2015 BRING IT ON!

Ringing in the New Year was extremely different for me this year. I brought in the NEW YEAR with a NEW ME! For the past few years I would wake up the next morning with a hangover from Hell, because we would be partying all hours of the night. This year was a big change for me, I brought in the year with a new outlook on my life. I was sober, happy, and knew what I wanted for myself coming into 2015! To be honest I was passed out, in my bed by 11. Some may call me lame for that and others may be inspired, but I know this year will be the best year of my life! 

My Goals for 2015 are...

LOVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST

NEVER GIVE UP

INSPIRE OTHERS

WAKE UP & THANK HIM FOR ANOTHER DAY :)

HIT THE GYM 5 Xs/WEEK

IMPROVE MY CARDIO

MEAL PREP

WEIGH 140s

BE 18% BODY FAT

DONT BE AFRAID TO CHANGE WHAT ISN'T WORKING

HAVE FUN WITH THE PROCESS OF CHANGING YOUR BODY

I have already seen great progress with how my body is changing and I owe it all to being consistent with hitting the gym and having my boyfriend motivate me on my goals. I have already had multiple compliments from my co-workers and family tell me how great I look, which lights the fire under my ass and keeps me motivated on my goals. 

Some of you may not see a difference between these two photos, but I can tell you not only is their a physical difference I've made life changing choices that have brought me to a happier place. Here is something many of you probably did not know about me...in the picture of the left I was 21, engaged, and thought I had everything figured out for the future. I believed I was in a good place in my life and that I was the happiest I had ever been. My goals towards being a healthier person were being established and I thought I was looking great! Well everything started changing for me and my relationship as of August 2014. I became very unhappy with myself and was extremely unhappy in my relationship to my ex-fiance. I called off our engagement and broke up with him because of the life choices he was making for himself and I knew deep down I could not partake in those actions. I had never felt relieved once we broke up. It was like I was trapped and I never knew it or I did not want to see the truth. I can honestly say it was for the best, because I have been truly happy with myself. 

My lesson to you ladies out there who are trying to figure out what you want in life. Never settle because we deserve the best! I will be the first to say that when I said YES I did see a future, but after time went on and the true him came out "red flags" were threw at me and I knew there was something better out there waiting for me. The photo on the right was taken today (January 9th, 2015), and she is much stronger & knows what she wants! 

 One of my good friends from work, who is now the guy I am seeing is the total package to me, and I have had my eye on him for awhile :) This is from Christmas, Jesus's birthday (my man) & the Lord haha. He has made me realize that I deserve the best & I am extremely happy with the chances we took on each other. 

He brings out the wild child in me that was hiding within & I am so happy she has come out and blossomed because it's like I am the girl who I used to be when I was little. Care free, inspired, adventurous, living my life to the fullest, and on edge, I love this life of mine now & I wouldn't want it any other way. 

So 2015,

watch out, because THIS GIRL IS ON FIRE! 

Training for a 5K

Who has ever set their mind to running a 5K? Well I will be the very first to tell you I HATE, double HATE, RUNNING! I always feel like I am a hamster on a wheel going no where when I run, and for that reason I rarely will do it.

The aching in my legs and the deep breathing that happens when I go out for a brisk jog, haunts me. So why I ever signed up to run a 5K on Thanksgiving morning I simply can not grasp it. I actually was thinking about today how I am not ready to run 3.1 miles without stopping, because yes my ass signed up for the actual race where there is cash prizes and everything. This freaks me out because I will be bringing up the rear on this one. My training has not gone the greatest either. I run about once a week and for the past couple of weeks I have psyched myself out to running more than 1.5 miles. I find excuses such as my legs are killing me or I simply can not run anymore I am going to die. Yea I know lame, someone needs to wake me up and say you got this "just keep swimming!" 
We also just had our first snow here in Indiana, so I am thinking the weather is going to be awfully cold Thanksgiving morning. 

This was back during the summer when I was completing Tone It Up's Bikini Series. I was racking up my mileage to either 2 or 3 miles a day, so I just need to get back in the gear of running. I have found that running is not well liked by my body and the more I pushed myself the easier it got for me. Another thing I noticed was my heart rate began decreasing the more I went out for runs as well, so my heart health was improving. This is one thing I really would love to work on and any suggestions or tips would be helpful to this slow ass turtle! :) 

Cardio Session

In about 45 minutes and I going to be lacing up my nikes and heading to the gym. Tonight's cardio session includes an hours worth of shaking what my momma gave me...aka ZUMBA! This is a great way to burn off calories and the time flies by because it is a great source of fun. Find a great instructor and you are on your way to learning some great moves. 

Yesterday was my rest day, but I felt horrible because I did not make it to the gym. I have been hitting it hard for the last two months with my partner and crime. I am so lucky to have someone who motivates me and pushes me to my limits in the gym. Having a workout partner is always a great way to get the fire burning under your ass to get in shape because you know they are working on the getting the same results you are.

This post was just a little update on myself because I don't post much of what I am up to anymore. Life has got in the way and my blog has suffered from that, but I am working on some new recipes and I hope to have them posted to share! 

Hope you all enjoy your evening and get some sort of exercise in today! 

SP & B's 100th Post!

I can't believe this is my 100th blog post! It seems just like yesterday when I started this blog and was writing about whatever I wanted. It took me awhile to get the hang of everything but I slowly figured it out. There are still some things I am completely clueless about such as how to make my site more appealing with web designs and such. I also suck at blogging frequently as if you all couldn't tell. :) 

Sooo as I mentioned in my last post I was welcoming SP & B to YOUTUBE.......yea no! I had two videos ready to go and upload and they were gonna take 4+ hours to download so I said heck with it! I am going to try and start my "vlogging" on the blog so bear with me, but I will get this thing going and it should actually be a lot of fun. I am really excited to start it and share with you guys my progress. Not to mention this week is coming to an end of week #2 of the LiveFit program I started doing. It is a lot easier than I thought it was going to be so I am pretty excited everyday to get my booty to the gym. 

It is hard to post photos like this but I want to show all my followers and readers that I am working hard to better my life. This photo was taken last week on Monday my very 1st day on the new program. I can't wait to keep sharing progress photos and make comparisons on how my body is changing. 

If y'all want to join me the plan is completely free on bodybuilding.com 

It is super easy to follow and the workouts have not been to difficult especially if you are a beginner. I am having a lot of fun with it so far and can't wait for next weeks workouts! 

That is all I have for this post today, and I am off to the gym!! Byeeee

Let's Rewind

Take me back to May when summer classes haven't started up yet and I was still working 7-3 not 7-11. Ever since I have been on 3rd shift and taking my two summer classes I have been falling short in every area of my life! I have not been able to find any balance this summer. This chicka has been on the struggle bus more times than she can count and I really hope it starts getting better soon. 

Working nights has drained me physically and mentally to where I have not been working out or really eating that great to be completely honest. All bullshit aside I have probably gained 5-10 lbs which I hate admitting. Life happens ya, ya, ya, but I just when I was starting to see progress and losing a little, WHAM the train was put to a halt and I was hitting a wall. My dieting went from clean, lean, and green, to carbs, soda, and alcohol. Not to mention I was working out 6-7 days a week sometimes 2 times a day to BAM absolutely nada. This became very frustrating for me, and I am actually a little depressed I think because of it, but only I can change it. So let this be motivation to you all and never give up on yourself. Look forwards and not backwards :)

I think I only did because I saw no success for myself. I was only getting 5 hours a sleep most days, working 10 hour shifts, and having assignments due every other day. There was no room for me time which was gym time. 

This past week has been more focused. I have been eating better but not 100% and there is a lack of balance most days. I have worked out only twice so far, but I count my job as physical activity sometimes. Like this week has been very draining so for me work has been counting for something. I am very happy that tonight is my FRIDAY though! It's almost the weekend! I can't wait because Saturday morning I am hitting up my zumba class then heading to Ohio for some shopping at IKEA!! 

Not only have I been looking for new furniture but I am now on a hunt for a NEW CAR! Yea as if I didn't have enough problems before with my car I am now doomed. This is off subject of dieting, but I am a little messed up all around ha. So the other morning last week I got off work at 4:30 am and I was heading home. I kid you not my car decided to go bat shit crazy and shoot out a fireball out of the hood.  Never been more scared in my life until then. I am pretty sure I saw my life flash before my eyes...oh no wait it was a freaking flame saying hey I think I am going to blow up on you! So yea now every time I drive it I am on the edge of my seat just waiting to eject from my car. Oh yes you heard that right the baby still runs, I really don't know how and if it is even still safe to drive, but I am managing until I find a car that's in my budget. 

So with all that aside I am still breathing and living happily as I ever could. I am seriously ready though to get myself  back on a normal schedule, start sleeping at night, and lose about 25 lbs! Who's with me..haha..okay my random ass is done rambling.

Staying Motivated While On 3rd Shift!

I have been working nights for a little over a month now and I am starting to feel my body become shot and worn out from one the lack of sleep, keeping up on my homework, and working overtime. This schedule is seriously the worst! I have no idea why I loved it last summer....CRAZY. 

I can't wait for my summer classes to end so I can get back on days and into a routine. 

My workouts have been here and there because of how unmotivated I am. So if anyone reading this is working nights and is a health freak like me...this question is for you! How do you stay motivated and set on a schedule? My schedule changes all the time because some days I come home and sleep and others I stay up til noon. When I first started this shift I was working out 7 days a week and eating a super clean diet, but lately I miss my workouts because all I want to do is sleep and I eat maybe two meals a day now. My appetite is super suppressed and I'm never hungry but this obviously is still horrible for my metabolism. I am in such a slump...

Last Friday I managed to get in 2 miles but this was only because I took my advocare slam a couple hours before I got off work and was wired! 

I followed my run with a delicious bowl of yogurt and seeds. 

Other than this meal my others were shitty and not clean. I think I ate a deli sandwich with potatoe chips...

So basically I am sucking! Would love anyone's advice on how to get my butt back in gear and lose this weight Ive been trying to get off this summer. 

She's Feeling 22!

It's my 22nd birthday! I am super excited but then again I'm like shit I'm one year older. There really isn't any set plans for this old fart, but last night a group of us went out on the town. It was rather interesting and there were a bunch of  shenanigans that happened.

Me and my friend Trenelle were playing some beer pong and laughing our asses off about the most random stuff. 

Last year my 21st fell on a Sunday so Clay took me out on Saturday at midnight. That was one hell of a roller coaster ride. 

My friend Sammy and her man came out with me and Clay last year and made it one special birthday. 

Made a trip to Indy to see all my girls for the next weekend and it was a blast! 

This girl made my birthday last year! I love my big :)

Shelby made me my 21st paddle. I absolutely loved it!

 This guy made my 21st birthday last year so special. He spoiled me and went all out, took care of me while vomiting, and made sure it was the best 21st birthday I could ever have. 

Unfortunately he couldn't celebrate my 22nd birthday with me because he went on vacation with his dad and brother to our favorite place on earth, Minnesota! I can't wait until he comes home though so we can go out and celebrate :)

Not much occurred today I came home and cleaned my room, slept for a couple of hours and then woke up for work. About an hour before work I felt horrible, so I stayed home tonight. Pretty sure my brother gave me what he had for three days. Not looking forward to this...

I am going to try and get some rest though and hope when I wake up I feel much better.