“Follow your passion, be prepared to work hard and sacrifice, and, above all, don’t let anyone limit your dreams.” Donovan Bailey
I am celebrating today! I have completed my 21 Day Challenge and I am on my final lap for my summer program. I am even more energized, motivated and I really needed this challenge to put my dreams into action and to follow my passion.
This 21 day challenge lifestyle challenge wasn’t only about losing weight, it was a challenge to change my mindset on life. I knew the month of July would be one of the toughest month of the year. I knew I needed a support system to balance working 13 hour days, 4 days a week and still maintain a healthy lifestyle in preparation for my birthday. I yearned to learn how to balance family, fitness, work and remain healthy and stay strong. It was a MAJOR sacrifice I was willing to make and I wanted to learn how to prepare healthy meals for my children and still burn the midnight oil. Moreover, I have been battling ovarian cyst and uterine fibroids and my doctor told me last year to change my mindset when it comes to eating. I wanted to complete this challenge before my annual visit after my birthday and to show her I could do this!
LET’S REWIND to JUNE 2016 <<<<<— So my summer program was successful. I had 26 students enrolled and 4 groups. My morning group started at 8:30am and ended around 12:30pm and my afternoon group started at 1:00pm to 5:00pm. Mind you, I even added 3 additional groups of Algebra Readiness (Monday/ Wednesday 3:00pm to 5:00pm, 6:00pm to 8:00pm and Tuesday/Thursday 6:00pm to 8:00pm) that started on July 5th. Just for the month of July, I was offering this Algebra readiness 4 evenings just for students who will be taking Algebra in the 8th grade. Call me crazy but my phone was ringing off the hook the end of June and I had to even turn away a few parents. My results were off the chain and YES, with hard work, our school had beat out many of the top schools in the surrounding area and is NOW AN “A”. I truly worked my butt off during the year and I wanted my students to continue on the path of success. Most of my students who brought me to tears were first year students in the US and they truly loved me as a teacher. These students worked hard to learn English, the American curriculum and was very successful on the FSA. Their parents cried, shared kind words and how much of an impact I had on their lives.
So ENOUGH about my program!!!! Let’s get to the point. MEAL PREPPING was on the top of my list. My alarm clock was set to 4am most mornings and I had to prepare LUNCH and DINNER FOR 3. YES! My kids were in on the challenge too as I refused to cook separate meals. It was tiring and sometimes I even fell asleep while the food was on the stove. By 7am, LUNCH and DINNER was packed and ready to go. In between cooking, I was doing my exercise routine. YES, I had to learn how to balance it all. I decided to MEAL PREP SUNDAYS and WEDNESDAYS and PREPARED 2 meats on those days. The other days were simple and easy meals since I was home on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. I left home Mondays through Thursdays at 7:40am and came back around 8:40pm. My kids had to join in and they knew mommy wasn’t gonna pay for them to go play at a CAMP!
My children struggled the first week knowing that PIZZA and JUNK was off the menu. They complained but by the 2nd week, they got use to it. My son was very upset knowing that mommy wasn’t planning on eating out at all. HE also decided to change his mindset and was so happy the first week when he lost 2 pounds. We were exercising together at nights, doing jumping jacks challenges and walking every chance we got. ELEVATORS were banned and we parked as far as we could from buildings.
THIS has been one amazing journey and I am happy to report that my children have embraced HEALTHY eating, enjoying FITNESS while making it FUN. My son struggles with junk food and I am in shock that my apple juice from last week hasn’t been touched. Water is mandatory and we go through a case of 24 every 2 days. Thanks Patrice for changing our lives. THIS challenge has given me a different perspective on FOOD and I now I can be a better MOM!!
GO CHECK her out and join the NEXT challenge on August 1st. I am doing another round as I am 10 pounds down and 10 inches have been GONE!! YES GONE!
I am and 8 to 10 pounds AWAY from my GOAL WEIGHT and I am ready to hit the ground running again on August 1!!!!