Getting Back Upstairs

Hi Everyone! :)

I must say it's been too long since my last post... almost 2 weeks :(
With the 12 week challenge over, and summer vacation still going strong, I've taken the last 12 days to spend some extra time with my family and doing some much needed purging! WOW, does it feel great!!!

I have been on a mission as of late, going through every room, drawer, closet etc. and sorting, donating and throwing away all those things that are not needed in our home.
It constantly surprises me how changing my outlook on my health has affected so many other facets of my life. It means so much more to me to enjoy the simple things, time with family and friends and my new project... re vamping my house!
It hit me pretty hard one day when I looked around my house and saw the sadness of the person I was staring back at me... so, like I did about a year ago, I am taking one step at a time to make my house (which I love) reflect who I am now. Step one is the cleansing purge that is underway :).

With all the focus my family and I have been putting on the house, I have not been spending as much time at the gym. Don't take that the wrong way lol... I've still been getting cardio in 3x's a week and BeautyFit boot camp 2x's per week. Nothing to scoff at, BUT not the same level that I have been used to.
I am fully aware that now, more than ever, people are following my updates to see what I'm upto. Sandra (BeautyFit) once told me that what I do AFTER my 12 weeks is what will determine my success.

With that in mind, I headed upstairs (the weight training area) at the gym for the first time since my 12 weeks ended. Thank goodness that boot camp has lots of weight bering exercise! lol
Man!!! Did it feel good!!! :)
Once again, Sandra was right by my side, making sure I felt confident and helping me find my bearings again :)
So with a new plan and all of the amazing knowledge I have been given by Sandra (BeautyFit) and Lisa (my 12 week trainer), I begin the next stage of my journey... training solo!!! :)

I am very sure that I will have many stories etc. for you all about my journeies upstairs.... stay tuned ;)
Today was leg day... I'm going to hurt tomorrow, mind you stronger legs will definitely help with moving all those boxes and bags out of my house!!! :P

Lift with the legs Hugs... Crystal :) xo

My "Happy List"... so far!

Hi Everyone! :)

It's been a long while since I put any thought into my "list". You know the one... all things you'd like to experience in your lifetime.

It seems natural, when a big change occurs, to re evaluate and think about all those things you've always wanted to do but haven't yet.

So I say... lets stop thinking and get down to doing!!! :)

You'll notice that most of the things I want to do are very non threatening and all of them are definitely based on things I love :)

Let"s start with my #1, most dangerous and possibly insane thing that I will be doing...

Shark cage diving w/ Great Whites!!! :D

Ever since I can remember, I have been intrigued with sharks... many would say that's not enough reason to get into the water with them lol. I say... there's a cage, I'll be fine! ;)

Seriously, how cool would this be?!?! Not to mention that JAWS is one of my FAVE movies and Captain Quint reminds me of my Uncle Lewis from Newfoundland! :)

Next and definitely not scary is...

The Paris Opera House

Pretty tame in comparison lol

I can't even fathom how beautiful it would be in person.

Again, based on another fave movie (and musical) of mine... I'll probably break into tears standing in front of it. And if I'm going to be in Paris... I might as well got to Italy and Portugal!

The Mayan Ruins

No real reason, I'm just drawn to it... might be the ancient love of chocolate! ;)

"Hogwarts" Castle

Yep, I'm a big Harry Potter fan lol

Castles in general are amazing and a tour would be right up my ally!!!

Since I'm touring castles... bring on Scotland!!! Why? Well it looks beautiful and......
They have kilted men there!!! ;) Love me some men in kilts!!! LOL GRrrrrr.....

Last but absolutely not least...

Al Capones' home in Cuba

I did a project on Al Capone in high school... he was pretty fascinating! I'd like to see what his tax evasion money built! lol

Cuba is, from what I hear, beautiful and a bunch of fun. I'm not much of a drinker so the idea of the all exclusive vacay doesn't sway me at all.

What does float my boat is cuban music, dancing, all things latin and of course......

My favourite Cuban... Pitbull ;) GRrrrrrrrr..... (yes, my hubby is fully aware of my crush and he just rolls his eyes ;)

So, now that I've shared some of my "list" with you... I want to know... What's on your list? Don't have one? Now's a good time to start!!!

Until next time... Enjoy some Pitbull (make sure to dance... I am!!! :D)

Salsa dancing Hugs... Crystal :) xo

My Favorite Little Powerhouse!!!

Hi Everyone!

While, I would like to think, I'm great at keeping secrets (especially for really important things OR surprises!!! lol) there are just some things that should be shared and NOT kept to yourself.

BeautySlender is one of those things!

As I go on with my day to day, I receive messages from women asking about my weightloss and what I would recommend to others just getting started or looking to boost their results.

The truth is, as I've said many times, I am not a professional. I know what has worked for me and that is diet, exercise and BeautyFit.

I've written about how much I love BeautyFuel and BeautyBum, but (no pun intended ;) I need to rave about BeautySlender!!!

BeautySlender is my "Power House". It takes all of the guess work out of choosing a supplement to maximize my weight loss while helping to maintain my lean muscle mass ( I know!!! I never thought I'd ever have "lean muscle mass" and now that I do, I'm protecting and maintaining it! lol).

Again, I'm not a scientist, so I'll leave it to the geniuses at BeautyFit R&D to explain all the benefits...

https://www.beautyfit.com/beautyslender.html

What I do know is that this product makes me feel... slim! lol My skin and hair are benefitting from it as are my joints.

Like with BeautyBum, BeautySlender targets fattier areas that we women long to tone, but this time from the inside!!! Hips, butt and thighs are showing vast improvement thanks to my little Slender friend! :) Oh! and PMS cravings are totally manageable now! Ya, I said it!!! :P Regulated hormones not only metabolize (sp?) fat BUT also help to suppress sugar cravings.... Yay!!!!! Bonus!

I am so fortunate to have found a company that is completely dedicated to creating products and supplements for WOMEN! All women, not just athletes or fitness competitors!

I have struggled with weight for too long. Let too many opportunities pass and wasted too much time... no more. I wish this struggle on NO ONE!

If I can point anyone in the right direction to help them create a healthy lifestyle for themselves, it's the very least I can do :)

Check out www.beautyfit.com

Read up on the products and the testimonials... I have met meny of those women, they are all real!

Make the decision to do something for YOU!

Slender and hormone regulated hugs... Crystal :) xo

Family Road Trip :)

Hi All!

You guessed it! We ended up @ Whole Foods Market again lol
I really don't get sick of going here... there are so many great "new" things that I didn't notice the previous visit!!! On top of it all, we like the drive and downtown Oakville is really pretty!

I thought this purple cauliflower was so pretty! If you have a fussy eater on your hands, try something fun like this to entice them ;)

Sidney decided to grind her own almond butter while there... awesome way to get your kids (big or small lol) involved in healthy choices!

We couldn't resist the chance to stop in @ Lulu Lemon... this is Sidney sporting a scuba hoodie... that's a bunch of allowance she needs to save! lol ;)

I hope this little adventure shows that having a family day doesn't have to be expensive, well planned or revolve around fatty foods :)

Purple veggie Hugs... Crystal :) xo

Celebration!!! Gotta Burn to Earn ;)

Hi Everyone!

With the 12 week BeautyFit challenge over, it was clear from our results that we earned the chance to partake in some "contra banned" lol ;) Yes, I said earned... this is an essential lesson I have learned in the past year and definitely in the last 12 weeks!
Some may read this and scoff at the idea of "earning" a "cheat" or "special meal"... that's ok! I choose to live this way because I did a BUNCH of living (ie. eating whatever, whenever) to get to 239lbs. The amount of work I have done to get to where I am now, is not going to be undone just because I want some chocolate or sushi.
My "cheat" meals will be planned, enjoyed and followed by a couple days of extra cardio and water. Some may say this takes all the "fun" out of eating what I want... I say it makes the special food taste all that much better!!! After all, if Christmas was everyday, would it be special?!

So with our weigh in and measurements complete, the BeautyFit blog team (including Coach Sandra) went out for a great girls night!
There was no "girls gone wild" or even "girls gone moderately sassy" lol. It was a wonderful night out with dinner, drinks (one actually lol), the above mentioned contra ban and awesome conversation... that's MY kinda girls night :)

So here I am, getting ready to "dig in" to my mile high chocolate cake, chocolate cheesecake, chocolate mousse mountain of wonderful-ness (aka. contra ban)... I didn't get even halfway through it!!! lol
A year ago I could've polished it off no problem... instead, I brought the rest home for my family :)

For those wondering, my eating has not really changed at all from the 12 week challenge. I stick to my staples because they work for me. I'm in such a routine with my food, why mess with a good thing?!

Until next time...

Heavenly chocolate Hugs... Crystal :) xo