Charlotte's Virtual Coaching

*note* this was supposed to be posted yesterday and wasn't for some reason!

Today I start Charlotte's Virtual Coaching program with a few other ladies on a private Christian message board. One by one we all signed up. It was on sale last month and I decided last minute to do it. Today's the day! And I guess anyone who reads here (and you know who the two of you are) will get a review! I won't be sharing details of course in respect to Charlotte but it should still be fun. And anyone who's up in the air about it should get an idea of what it's like as I blog. But if you've read at all you know that I find Charlotte incredibly inspiring as I can't see myself NOT like it. But time will tell.......
It's funny in some ways for me to post that I'm starting this after my New Year's post. But they don't conflict. Exercise, healthy eating, etc. are all good things. And I believe they please the Lord. It's when you make rules that dictate how you feel about yourself, laws for yourself about what you eat, what you do, outside of leaning on the Lord that are missing the mark. I do believe the Lord wants me to get healthy again. And after prayer feel that this is a great start.

So how does the Virtual Coaching program work? You get:

· An e-book, Renew You Virtual Coaching Personal Workout Inspiration and Schedule, with workout schedules, instructions and convenient forms

· 30 daily emails full of inspiration, T-Tapp tips and valuable insights

· Every 3rd day, a link to a coaching video of Charlotte sharing her insights and tips for you

· Bonus links and articles

Renew You Virtual Coaching gives you access to expert advice:

• How to jumpstart yourself when enthusiasm lags. Day 11.
• Tips for setting up your space for success with your workouts. Video Day 3.
• What is your brain wired to do (it can't help it!) and how can you take advantage of that? Video Day 24.
• How to stay consistent with T-Tapp. Day 28
• A secret that helped motivate me on the way to my goals. Video Day 15.
• Why it's not selfish to care for yourself—first—from a busy mom of 12. Day 8

New Year's Resolution?

First things first.... Happy New Year!!!

But as I head into the New Year I am SO grateful that the Lord has been working with me the last couple weeks and preparing my heart for this New Year. By working through my issues with food and exercise and generally stripping away any pretenses leaving nothing but truth, this year I have a different perspective on the New Year than any other year to date. Like everyone else I am So temped to want to say I'm starting a new diet, making this change or that.
WHAT? No new diet for you? No PLAN? I mean everyone HAS to have a plan going into the New Year right?! I do but it's not the plan you think. Late last night the Lord stripped away any plan I thought I was going to have. He stripped it down to one single solitary plan. He did this by showing me this verse. I didn't go to bed until 1 AM and yet still I opened my Bible. I was SO tired but the Lord wouldn't let it go. He had greater work to do than letting me sleep. This is what he showed me. And when He did I couldn't believe it. I got tears. He is perfect. And his plans to prosper me are perfect. And His Word is perfect.

[20] If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— [21] “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” [22] (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? [23] These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.
[3:1] If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. [2] Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. [3] For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
(Colossians 2:20-3:3 ESV)

Any rule I could come up with, any diet, any resolution, would be of NO value in stopping the indulgence of my flesh! The ONLY answer is to set my mind on the Lord, on the things above, NOT on the things on the earth. In one fail swoop the Lord destroyed my towers of Babel that thought that I could be like God, doing it on my own.

There is only one resolution to be made this year, and every year from this point on. To set my eyes on the Lord. And all the things that I would love to make resolutions about will fall in place. With the Lord ALL things are possible.

ONE RESOLUTION to rule them all.

Free Food/Exercise Log

I started this originally thinking I could easily keep track of my workouts. But if I don't log in for a couple of days I find I forget my workouts so easily. Every time I start a new entry I keep having to rack my brain to remember. And I have realized that while I don't like to journal at all in an actual paper notebook, I like to list, plan, etc. in a real notebook. Do you KNOW how many binders and notebooks I've made? Now using them.... it another story for another time.

Then of course while poking around Charlotte's blog I read this post by Charlotte about her notebooking. Here's her always motivating entry:
Charlotte's Notebooking Entry I was told she goes into more detail about it in her book. Go read there and be inspired to start the year off with a notebook.

As the New Year approaches I, like most every other woman out there, am gearing up to start revamping my life. So as part of that I want to set up an exercise, food and supplement journal. So I opened Photoshop and made myself some. And I figured that others might enjoy and use them too. SO you can download them here on the blog! The links are down under the preview and description. Here's a little preview of the pages.

There are two versions - plain and swirls with more decorative font.
Each zip includes:
Cover page
Daily Log page
2 Weekly Log sheets(1 with food log space, one without)
Long-term goal sheet
Short-term goal sheet
2 Numbers sheet (one with weight & measurements, one with just measurements)
T-tapp tips and tweaks sheet
A sheet with some great dry brushing info (I mean you can pretty much guarantee you get "what's dry brushing?" whenever you mention it so now you can print this and hand it out)

Download here:
Plain Log Sheets Download
Swirly Log Sheets Download

Note- if you haven't used 4shared before when you click that link it will take you to a page where it says "thank you for downloading" and has a timer counting down. Wait the 20 seconds, then click the BLUE link that says "Download Now". When the popup opens click SAVE then choose where you want it saved. It is a zip file so you will need to unzip it. When you go to open it, your computer will have a button that says "Extract Files". Click that and you're golden.
They are both zip files and if you have troubles opening them, just let me know.

I hope you enjoy and get loads of use out of these. AND I'm totally open for making more pages if anyone wants to suggest a change or a different page!

And lest I forget:
Thursday: BWO+ using the audio - I tried to do this in the bathroom with the mirror. I don't know how you guys who use a mirror do it. I couldn't focus ONE BIT. It was a so-so workout

Sunday: BWO+ Tempo and brushing. I like brushing. Why I procrastinate with it I don't know.

Monday: Brushed in the morning & BWO+ and the Balance Sequence from TWO. Balance was a tad hard and I'm crossing my fingers that my back feels good in the morning. Worked out in the afternoon instead of night.

A nugget of wisdom from the amazing Charlotte

Remember Miss Inspiration herself Charlotte from my blog entry? If not, run over here and check out her video. On a Christian women's message board I'm on there has been a discussion/review thread of Charlotte's ebook. I won't give away a lot but I will say I really want to read it. She is such an inspiration and my friend Kim has said that the book is really inspiring. She shared with me a quote from her book and it really spoke to me.

You know, time is going to pass
whether you decide to T-Tapp consistently or not.
You can choose to give up or be “too busy”
and 6 months from now
wear the same size (or larger).
Or you can choose to be consistent
and work the workout
and 6 months from now
wear a smaller size and/or be toned and shapelier.
Six months will pass either way.

Where will I be in 6 months? I have been gaining about 5 lbs a month. So I can either be heavier than I've EVER been or I can be under 200 lbs! I can be fitter, healthier and happier. I can be disappointed in myself or I can be proud of my consistency.

I can't afford Charlotte's book right now as I have another t-tapp workout I want to get with my 50% off coupon that expires in January. But as soon as I can I'll do a review here. For myself of course LOL.

Did BWO+ (well Basic Tempo Plus since it's my favorite right now) this afternoon. Fighting the urge to do SATI. I need to break that "More is Better" mentality that years of diet and exercise have hammered in my brain. I may do PBS and t-tapp twist before bed though since my theory is that t-tapp twist and PBS are helping my back the most. We'll see...

If this doesn't inspire you I don't know what will

Poke around the t-tapp forums, get to know enough about t-tapp and you will eventually hear of Charlotte. Charlotte is the mom of 12 kids and THE most inspiring t-tapp testimony in MY opinion of course. With regular short workouts, with consistency with t-tapp she went from a size 22W to a now size 4! Seriously. That's something. And what's amazing to me as well is that as you watch her from the first segment to a year later, she has gained so much self-confidence as well as looks amazing. Okay we've seen a million transformation stories where someone goes from being 250 lbs to 120 and how they now love the gym and workout an hour every morning at 4am and run marathons. But I will never do that. There was a time in my youth when we lived in the city that we went to the gym early but I'm not that spring chicken, I live in the country, I have horrible back problems and now find that I am incredibly lazy Bwahahah. But over and over at the t-tapp forums and things like in Charlotte's video I hear the same thing "you don't have to workout hours a day, you just have to BE CONSISTENT". Smaller shorter workouts where you give 100% and be consistent. I've watched Charlotte's video a million times because it always makes me feel like I can actually DO THIS. I can be thin again, I can be healthy again, I can find strength and self-confidence again.