Margi Faze sounds like she could be one of my girlfriends.  Her story is oh-so-similar.  Overweight, exhausted mom who one day looks in the mirror and hardly recognizes the reflection staring back at her.

Been there?  I thought so.  But that is where her story’s similarity ends.

Margi made a decision to change her life and her circumstances.  She enrolled herself in the Body-For-Life Challenge.  (Unfamiliar? Body-For-Life was introduced in 1997 by EAS.  It essentially challenges people to a 12-week lifestyle overhaul then compares results with other “competitors” for a grand prize.)

In just 12 weeks, she  dropped an amazing 28 lbs and 13% body fat to reign supreme as the 2007 Body-for-LIFE Grand Master Champion.  Can you even imagine? Margi successfully morphed from overweight and frazzled mother to that of spokes model, author, motivational speaker and fitness competitor.  She has had the opportunity to meet and inspire hundreds of people on their own fitness journey.

I interviewed Margi recently about her accomplishments:

Q. Okay, as a mother of two children myself, I am dying to know how you did it! What is your typical workout day like?

On a typical day at the gym I will do circuit training for 30 minutes and do 30 minutes of cardio whether that is running several miles on the track or getting on the stairmaster, arc trainer and treadmill for ten minutes each. Then I take approximately 15 minutes to stretch and relax.

Q. Well, that doesn’t sound too hard.  So I assume then that you don’t EAT, then?

Actually, I eat five to six small meals a day.

Q. Well there goes THAT argument. Best advice you can give to those of us struggling with our weight?

I would say to remain positive regardless of what the scale tells you. You didn’t gain weight overnight! Getting fit takes time. Keep your self-talk positive, stay the course and you will succeed.

Hey, I did it and so can you!  What it takes is determination and perseverance. Make your health a priority in your life. Between diaper changes, homework, extra-curricular activities, dinners, housekeeping and more, we never find the time for ourselves. You have to make that time and stop making excuses.

Start slow and give yourself time. If you rush into harder workouts you can burn out easy and even hurt yourself. We’ve all heard the saying “slow and steady wins the race.”  Be sure to set yourself some goals, too. If you can’t make it to the gym for whatever reason, go for a brisk walk. Do jump squats and run in place at home. Make a commitment to get at least 15 to 30 minutes of cardio a day and do it. The energy that comes with exercise will help you get everything else in your list done quicker and better.

Feeling inspired yet?  I know that I certainly am! So with a little help from Margi and her new “Transformation Journal” I plan to make some changes.  I’m going to use her journal to map out my own healthy lifestyle.  I invite you to follow along with me and change your own reflection in the mirror! More information on Margi or her new project can be found here.

DON’T FORGET: I’m hosting a $250 cash sponsorship to Blogher2010 from SEED!  Find out more here!

This Fitness Friday I have asked my friend Lori Rypka to do a guest post.  Lori has lost an amazing amount of weight (70 pounds and counting…)on her fitness journey and inspires me every day to make the right choices.  She is living proof that determination will get you the results you want every time!

Dieting sucks, so why do it?

Now that you’ve gasped and spit out your morning danish, hear me out.
It’s true, dieting sucks. Coming from a serial dieter, I can’t say I have looked back on a single program and thought, “Wow, this is the
life. I’ve got it made on this program. Next stop: The cover of Oxygen magazine.”

Deprivation, starvation, contemplation of confection. Shun them all. I have seen the light and am giving you a glimpse of my world.

The Girl Scout Cookie Diet.

OK, I’m obviously kidding. So let’s drill down to what we hear the most. Forget Aktins. Forget South Beath. Forget The Cookie Diet. Doctors have
been saying it for time and eternity. Eat a well balanced diet with fruits, veggies, lean proteins, whole grains and healthy fats. I mean,
they built a whole Food Pyramid on these principles.

Yeah, yeah, heard that before. Guess what … it actually works. Whoa!

Call the media! This is HUGE news!

A friend told me about the Eat Clean Diet by Tosca Rosa. I thought about it, researched it, bought the book … and a light went on in an already
lit room. She’s got some great information there, the actual food she recommends is on the Food Pyramid. No food groups are eliminated.
Certain food groups are limited. She recommends food as close to how God made them as possible, and in the healthiest varieties (read: no white
flour/sugar/rice). I’ve heard it all before, but this time it clicked. I was also weighed down with the whole “Do I really want to set my kids up
for health issues in the future?” guilt.

Was it easy? Yes and no. Yes, because I made up my mind that this is a lifestyle change and not a diet, and that it ultimately is the best
thing I could do for my family. No, because I have too cook and shop a lot more (sort of wish I could find all the ingredients in one store).

I’m about three weeks into it, and I do feel better, have dropped some weight and feel good for what I’m doing for my kids. It’s also been fun
to be approached for advice from friends who have also been thinking about this. It’s worth the extra mileage hunting down ingredients as
well as the extra time in the kitchen. After all, a diet is temporary. A lifestyle is for life.

Lastly, it was also about deciding that I’m worth it. And I am.

IT’S FLASHBACK FRIDAY!
Today’s Flashback Friday was originally posted on March 2oth of last year
and it is STILL RELEVANT.  Wish I could claim that it was not, BUT…

I am concerned about future interaction with my children. At this point in my life I am the all-knowing-all-seeing-mother-of-the-world.

I see that changing fast. SUPER fast. The kids are already hitting me with questions that, quite frankly, I can’t answer. Technical questions. SCIENCE questions.

I am just going to go ahead and be honest with you – science was not my best subject in school. Truthfully, I squeeked by. Barely.

And although I would consider myself a morning person, science questions thrown at me before noon unravel me faster than anything.

For example, the other morning the Jedi approached me with this little inquiry:

“Mom, what does DNA stand for?”

“Who?”

“DNA, Mom. What does it stand for? What IS it?”

“Um, DNA?”

“Yeah. DNA. For real?” (As opposed to what? For NOT real?)

Okay, I won’t lie. I had to Google it. Google, by the way, is my favorite modern day invention. (Besides chicken nuggets and Splenda.)

“DNA stands for DeoxyriboNucleic Acid.”

“What? What’s THAT?”

(Google, Google, Google…) “It is the genetic material of a cell.”

“What is a cell?”

(Oh, man! For the love of Pete… Don’t know that one either. Googling…)

“A cell is the very smallest unit of living matter. All living things including plants and animals are made up of cells. Cells are made of atoms, which are the smallest units of matter. There are many different kinds of cells….” (At this point he is bored and totally not listening to me but I am fascinating myself.)

“Okay, okay. Thanks, Mom. Sheesh.”

SHEESH!? I think it is worth repeating – Young Jedi is eight. Eight! (I’m in for a ride, aren’t I?) For the record, he thought DNA stood for Deadly Nicotine Apple. (Tee hee hee!  I love it when I am smarter….)

Don’t ever ask me to get involved in international espionage.  I can already tell you that I would fail.  If the fate of the country rested in my hands, then let’s just say….y’all are toast.

I know this because every year birthday espionage gets harder. I don’t know why, but trust me, it is true.  This year, I almost failed….HORRIBLY.

What in the world am I talking about? Why, THE BIRTHDAY ROOM, of course.

Every birthday my husband and I conspire together in the wee hours of the morning to assemble a “birthday room” for the boys.  This basically consists of a ton of balloons all over the floor,  streamers draping across the ceilings and beds, and other random festive decorations.  So when the birthday boy wakes up on his big day…VOILA!  Birthday magic!

Now, for some reason, each birthday gets harder.  Case in point: tomorrow is the Jedi’s birthday.  While we were in the process of assembling his room the boy woke up three times.  Each time I stood there frozen, streamers in hand, like a Greek statue hoping he wasn’t fully alert.  I couldn’t move. I didn’t even breathe.  I was petrified.

It took thirty minutes to put together a couple of balloons and some streamers.  I mean, REALLY!  Apparently I am like a bull in a china shop when it comes to my non stealthy ways.

However, I am happy to report that the mission was successful, despite the sad spy skills demonstrated by this mother.

In any event – here’s hoping Young Jedi wakes up to a terrific birthday!

I am incredibly frustrated today.

Today was not a good food day. I pretty much ate anything that was not nailed down.

GAH!!!  I really, really hate dieting.

I know, I know… dieting doesn’t WORK. I need to make a “lifestyle change.”

Whatever.

I know all of this. Truthfully, I know everything I need to know about it. I’ve worked in the fitness industry. I’ve studied books. Heck, I’ve even run two marathons.

It is all about food and control.  I envy women who have this control. I don’t have it.  I am at war with food.

So I am having a down day, you know?  On the up side, I am not going to let it beat me.  I’m going to forgive myself and start again in the morning.  Try to make up for the Mexican mess I ate for lunch and dinner. (Cheese, chips, tacos, cheese, salsa… Did I mention the cheese?)

So, in case you are in same boat as I with regards to food, I am listing a couple of links that might be helpful in YOUR battle of the bulge.

Jump Start Your Diet

Clean Eating <—awesome resource.

Bookie Boo.  Weird name. Excellent fitness community. They will keep you motivated!

I feel like my children are obsessed with me dying. Actually, scratch that. I feel like my children are obsessed with the the way in which I want to die.  Or maybe they are just curious?  Or maybe they need psychological help?  Or maybe they are plotting something?

It seems like every time I turn around they are asking me bizarre random questions about my  untimely demise.  It usually goes something like this:

BOYS:  So, mom.  Would you rather die from a shark attack at sea,  be thrown into a vat of lava or fall into a pit of snakes?

ME:  Err…. none?

BOYS:  C’mon, mom. You have to choose something!

ME:  Okay, then. I guess lava because it is quicker.

BOYS:  Would you rather be eaten by a dinosaur or killed by a Jedi lightsabor?

ME:  I don’t know. Why?

BOYS:  JUST ANSWER THE QUESTION, MOM!

ME:  Dinosaur.

BOYS:  How about a million killer bee stings?  Or a giant wall of fire?

ME:  Oh for heaven’s sake!

BOYS:  What?

This kind of thing happens all the time.  They think up the most ridiculous situations and give me a preference between the two.  Which makes me wonder….  Are they plotting against me? Am I in danger, here?

The next time I say no to iCarly on a school night should I look over my shoulder for a dinosaur or a swarm of killer bees?

Or is it all some kind of pre-pubescent male mommy mind trick?

Call me crazy but I am beginning to feel like perhaps we should seek family counseling.

My side of the family celebrates big on Christmas Eve. We feast. I mean, we REALLY feast. And we giggle. We chortle. We laugh. Hell, we L O L. We even L M A O.

In a nutshell…. we party. HARD.

My mom and dad host the annual festival of frivolity every year and it is just a blast. Thought I would share a little bit of the kid-caroling with you.

I know. Mayhem.  Ain’t that what the holiday is all about, though?