Cheat day - schmeat day

Cheat days are a bunch of hocus pocus. I have no research to support this, but I'm willing to wager that any plan that includes a "cheat day" tends to be a plan with temporary results. I'd also be willing to bet the same way if an individual incorporates a cheat day in their own personal routine.

Logically, cheat days don't make sense for long term success because you grant yourself permission to submarine your own goals. The mindset of, "I can have this ice cream sundae on my cheat day," can spiral to, "I know today's not my cheat day, but I can have this and that because I'll work out twice as hard tomorrow." Depending on the person, this can easily lead to someone making themself feel guilty or bad which can lead to, "Why am I doing this? I'm not happy."

That's why I love my system. There are no cheat days, only days. Some days I enjoy two shakes. On others I might not have any. I fit the system to fit my lifestyle. For instance this summer, has my weight loss drastically slowed down? You bet your booty it has. As a teacher I don't have a strict schedule so I choose to go out to lunch with my son and sleep in (if my 1-1/2 yr old daughter getting up at 7:30 counts as sleeping in) and family BBQs and 4th of July picnics and... (well, you get the idea).

I'm not about feeling guilty or mentally punishing myself for enjoying my life and neither should you.  Now, don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean that there aren't challenges to what I do. The cleansing isn't always easy and working out is intended to be tough. Like anything else in life, it's about balance.

I'm guessing if you're reading my blog (a HUGE HUGE thank you, by the way) you might be someone who is interested in getting healthier or is already on that path. That's freaking awesome. Keep it up and have fun. However you define success, put yourself in the right mindset to be successful.

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Welcoming chemicals into our lives

One of the important components to the Isagenix system is the cleansing. I understand why it's vital to help remove toxins from the body. On all platforms of social media there are many posts about the dangers of chemicals to the body. However, it occurred to me that we often welcome them as a part of our lives. As I was walking my dog this evening a village truck drove by and was spraying mosquito repellent and I realized that we choose to include chemicals for any number of reasons. Chalk it up to vanity (how many of us hire a chemical lawn service to keep out weeds and crabgrass), safety (sunscreen can prevent against sunburn), or convenience (think about how cleaning products reduce the effort it takes to clean things).

Recognizing it is the key. Like many things in life, it's easy to demonize things because we get emotionally connected. Sometimes it's good to take a step back and try to evaluate situations from a neutral perspective. But man, that can be so hard, especially when it doesn't fit our own frame of mind.

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The City Museum of St. Louis

I'm not kidding when I say that Isagenix helped me have more fun with my son today. I just got back from the City Museum of St. Louis and if you've never been, think of it as an indoor playground if Tim Burton had vomited. There are all kinds of tunnels, crwal spaces, tight corners and climbing things. I'm crawling so much I'm glad I brought knee pads. I had so many parents comment to me that they had wish they had brought knee pads. It's a fun, crazy experience.

I truly believe that I wouldn't have had nearly as much fun with my 4-yr old back in January when I was 28 pounds heavier. He's just a bundle of energy and even today I struggled to keep up with him. First off, there would have been places I just wouldn't have been able to fit. Secondly, I can't imagine how much I would've been able to do in my previous physical condition - check that - how much I would have WANTED to do in my previous physical condition. I would have been more winded and  tired lugging around those extra pounds. I was sweating up a storm today and this served as my workout.

I'm glad that I was able to share in the experience with my son. No matter what, I know he would have enjoyed it. However, it meant so much more to me that I could climb the wacky jungle gyms and crawls through all kinds of tunnels with him.

Just an average guy

Last night I chatted with someone who's expressed interest in starting the program and a question she asked me inspired today's entry. She asked: do you have to sell it to benefit from the wholesale prices? (The answer is no. You can benefit from wholesale pricing if you choose to sell it or not.)

Naturally the company highlights the major success stories such as: people that have lost 100 lbs. or more, individuals who have earned MAJOR money (and I'm talking six to seven figure yearly income money through this), people who were in a dead-end job or just got laid off and used Isagenix as their new full-time job. I know some of these people and they are powerful examples of what Isagenix has done for some.

However, that's not me. I'm just and average guy with an average life. I'm looking to lose anywhere from 40-50 pounds. I LOVE my job a a high school social studies teacher. I wouldn't classify myself as a very religious guy, but I honestly believe God put me on this earth to be a teacher.

So far, those that have been curious about the system and gotten in touch are in similar situations. They're not morbidly obese, but are looking to become healthier. So far, not one individual on my team has expressed interest about becoming a consultant. And that's ok. I want my teammates to be happy, to feel good, to enjoy. If Isagenix brings a little more of that into their lives then that's awesome and I'm proud to be a tiny part of that.

I have no statistics on this, but I'm guessing that the majority of people who use Isagenix are just regular folks looking to adjust a part of their life; I know I was and I'm betting you are too.

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Upping the ante

I started this journey because I wasn't happy with my physical self. As we all know, we are most often times the most critical of ourselves than anyone else could be. Our own "flaws" scream out to us while others may not notice or even care. Yet, we view these flaws as a reflection of ourselves and, maybe more importantly, how others see us.

In order for a person to act, it's important to be in the right frame of mind. That's why for the first 6 months of this program I only utilized the nutritional component and not the physical exercise.

I'm lazy.

There, I said it. Cognitively, I understood that by exercising I could accelerate my physical well-being. However, I preferred staying in bed or watching TV or whatever else was easy. And it wasn't due to a lack of energy; I prioritized my comfort above my fitness.

In all honesty, I may have subconsciously started Isagenix as an "easy way out" to lose weight by doing less work. Yet, somewhere along the way things changed. The results I experienced began to invigorate me into adding more to my routine. I kept thinking, "These are the results by doing minimum effort. Can you imagine if I did more?"

As a teacher it's easy for me to get out of a routine in the summer. I don't have daily work commitments or a schedule that will cause problems if I don't stick to it to a tee. I mean, who really gives a hoot if I happen to drop my kid off at day camp five minutes late? Now, during school if I'm five minutes late and a 29 freshmen are waiting for me, then that's a problem. My point is that scheduling workouts in the summer is more challenging for me and it takes a lot to adjust my thinking. Isagenix is starting to do that. I joined a fitness center. I attend classes it offers. I want to up the ante in myself. There's still a ways for me to go, but that's cool. I'm ok with that. As long as you're ok with what you're doing, what others say or do or advise is inconsequential.

A start to better health

Welcome to my Isagenix blog. I thought I'd share my journey in an authentic manner and this seemed like a good way to do this.

I wasn't happy with my physical health. I knew I was overweight and found it challenging to be healthy. A Harley riding buddy had lost some significant weight and I wanted to know more. After grilling him about both the company and its products (he'll tell you that, to date, I've been his most challenging enrollee - something I wear as a badge of honor) I decided to take a chance. There was a 30-day money back guarantee and  I didn't have to sign any contracts or anything; I figured if I didn't like it I could always stop.

On January 29, 2015 it began with my first shake.

Over these past six months I've experienced amazing results. So far I'm down 27.5 lbs. and my BMI has dropped 4.3 points.

Through this blog I'll share a no-holes barred of my experience. I'll include the good, the bad, and the ugly (as they say).

Thanks for reading.

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