Okay, I seriously should be sleeping but I just have to get this out! Today {err,.. technically yesterday, but I haven't been to bed yet} was day 2 of my personal 21 day Shakeology Challenge. Today was my 1st day of cardio in this challenge. So, I got up and took care of the kidlet; made sure he was dressed, feed and dropped off at school. Upon return to home, I grabbed my workout clothes, a bottle of water, my pedometer and a hooded sweater, because it's down-right freezing here! Out the door I go with a 30 minutes goal of mostly jogging, if I can handle it. Hmmm,... 5 minutes in and I'm cold. The wind is whipping all around. 10 minutes in and I'm freezing; it really feels like the biting wind is blowing right through me!... At this point, I'm a good 1/2 mile from the house, so I turn around for a return trip. The return trip didn't take nearly as long and I'm only 15 minutes into my 30 minute target time. ... What to do? What to do? ... I really miss the days when I had access to a treadmill 24/7, but alas, that is no longer the case! I go inside and grab a tissue because the cold has my nose running, .. but I don't stop moving. I kid you not, I am in the bathroom marching in place as I blow my nose! I really don't want to bail on my 1st day of cardio but it is just too cold for me outside. My solution: I start walking a figure eight between my living room, dining room and kitchen. Now, this is where it gets interesting and funny! ....
My sweet dog, a lab-mutt, becomes very concerned and starts to bark and "lunge" at me. He thinks something is wrong and he wants me to sit down. I keep pushing him out of the way. He then follows me around like a Thanksgiving Day Parade for a few round of my figure eight and I can't help but giggle. Then, he stops following and stand directly at the cross-point of my figure eight, turning to face and watch me as I go round... After a minute or two of this, he places himself a little more out of the way and sits down, head raised and ears back. A few more minutes go by and he lays his body down but keeps his head up, watching me. The last few minutes of my 30 minutes, he decides to lay his head on his paws and simple raises an eyebrow as I pass him....
So, I foroze in the cold, had to come in to blow my nose and still managed to finish my cardio. But, most importantly, my dog gave me the perfect example of how most of your friends and family will behave when you start your quest for a healthier life! At first they may be completely baffled by your actions and try to stop you with good intentions: "Oh, be careful hon, don't over-exert, don't hurt yourself" , or some other "well-intended" comment or remark that may prevent you from continuing. DON'T LET IT! And when you don't quit, they may "follow" you, either to deter you or to encourage you. If it is encouragement, enjoy it! But if it is determent, just remember that they will lose interest, and soon they will be sitting close by. They will still be watching you, but they won't be badgering you and, if they were encouraging you to begin with, they may be silent now. No matter the reason for their silence, use it as fuel for your determination! Before you know it, you will be on a well-established path of healthy living and they will still be lying around and "watching" .... So, my point is, no matter where you are in your health and fitness when you start; don't let others get in the way of your goals! Getting to your "final" goal will undoubtedly take longer then you'd like, but it really truly begins by simply putting one day, one work out, in after the other and stepping around those who would stand in your way!
My sweet dog, a lab-mutt, becomes very concerned and starts to bark and "lunge" at me. He thinks something is wrong and he wants me to sit down. I keep pushing him out of the way. He then follows me around like a Thanksgiving Day Parade for a few round of my figure eight and I can't help but giggle. Then, he stops following and stand directly at the cross-point of my figure eight, turning to face and watch me as I go round... After a minute or two of this, he places himself a little more out of the way and sits down, head raised and ears back. A few more minutes go by and he lays his body down but keeps his head up, watching me. The last few minutes of my 30 minutes, he decides to lay his head on his paws and simple raises an eyebrow as I pass him.... 
Okay, so here we go!!! I have decided that February is MY month and I am going to be my own Valentine! So I am doing a three week Shakeology challenge. I will replace one meal a day with a shake and I will work out every day of the week. I will use my totally awesome Shakeology workouts 3 – 4 times a week and I will do some form of cardio on the alternating days. Additionally, I will be tracking my weight and progress with measurements and pictures and taking note of my own personal energy level. 
