Happy 4th of July!

Hopefully you had a wonderful 4th of July!! Even if you didn't eat "clean" don't worry, everyone is allowed a cheat day here and there and it is definitely not worth beating yourself up about.

I counted all of my calories before I left home and although I had to make some amendments, I think I stayed under my calorie budget for today which is a huge accomplishment for me. Even if I didn't, I know I have earned this day from all of the hard work I have been putting into my workouts this week.

Talk to you all tomorrow when I reveal how my week went. 

Food Swapping

Summertime is the perfect time to pull out the grill and the 4th of July is no exception. Since tomorrow is Independence Day, it should also be the one day that we can declare our independence from foods that may have been holding us back.

Here are some of the food swaps I plan on making tomorrow:

• Turkey burger instead of a regular burger. I am not just talking about the frozen turkey burger patty you can buy, I am talking about lean ground turkey shaped into patties and thrown on the grill. Of course, it will be topped with all of my favorite condiments, but that is okay, because I am cutting out some calories by using ground turkey. 
• Spaghetti salad instead of potato salad. I am not sure what the difference in calories will be, but a little spaghetti salad can go a long way therefore I don't have to load my plate up with a lot of carbs. As a bonus spaghetti salad has more veggies in it than potato salad does. 
• Corn instead of baked beans. Baked beans are delicious, but they fill me up too quickly. Therefore, by swapping them out for an ear of corn, I am replacing a lot of calories with a veggie.

These are the main swaps I plan on making and while it may not seem like much, I will definitely be saving some calories. When it comes to dessert, it will be hot and from what I hear, key lime pie is on the menu. For once, I won't feel like I have to bargain with myself to eat it because I have shaved off some significant calories during the main course.

Another huge calorie saver that is worth trying is to taste a little of everything. It may seem like a lot, but a half of spoonful of everything can help save calories. You are still tasting everything, but you are not consuming all of those calories.

No matter what you eat, remember that it is a celebration and during a celebration you are supposed to enjoy good food (whether healthy or not). One day of good eating never hurt anyone.

I Am Feeling It

You know the saying, 'if it burns, it's working'; that is exactly how my body was feeling this morning when I completed my first official day of Pure Burn / Super Strength. It is an intense workout, but it is one that is doable. It is about 64 to 66 minutes of non-stop action (there are only two water breaks during the whole workout).

Some people do Insanity, P90X, etc., but I consider this to be my version of those programs. My arms were burning, my midsection has been sore all day (it hurts to laugh and to get in and out of a car), my legs hurt; but I am not complaining at all. This is the only body that I will be given in my lifetime and it is about time that I treat it right.

Exercise isn't the only thing I can do to treat my body right, I also have to eat correctly; after all, 'you are what you eat' and I want to be healthy!

Luckily, with this workout, there is a modified version but for the most part I managed to keep up with the non-modified models. I pushed myself today and I couldn't be more proud, it took 6 months for me to realize that if I am not working hard enough, I am hardly working.

I am working harder than ever this month and it is about time.

If you want to follow my progress, follow me on Bloglovin', Twitter (@beyondtheoldme), Instagram (beyondtheoldme) and let's be friends on MyFitnessPal (beyondtheoldme)!

Bob Harper 4 DVD Workout Set

If you have been reading my last couple of posts (or follow me on Twitter) you know that I recently purchased a new set of workout DVDs. The DVDs are from Bob Harper and the set contains total trainer plus, ultimate cardio body, cardio conditioning and pure burn super strength.

I loved Bob Harper from the Biggest Loser workouts so when I purchased these, I thought, "these will be great calorie burners." I am sure they will, but in order to burn those calories, I have to make it through the workout. This morning I attempted to complete total trainer plus and I made 19 out of 30 minutes.

I can say that this workout is hard! There is no doubt about it, but, a hard workout will get results. One of the things that disappointed me about this workout is that there is no modified version. On total trainer plus, your follow along person is already physically fit. That can be discouraging for someone, like myself, who isn't, because she is able to constantly keep up with the workout (there are a few times when she stumbles, I like that because it reminds me that she is human after all). I know I would have been able to keep up better with a modified version of the workout.

Also, this is not a workout to be done on an empty stomach (my mistake), it also shouldn't be done on a completely full one. Bob recommends having a snack about 30 minutes before you do this workout and he is right you are going to need it. As I write this post, I am sitting in a dark room with all the curtains closed because I am nauseated and need to be in complete darkness. Take it from me, do NOT attempt this workout on an empty stomach.

The workout is a repetitive one, the good thing about that is that if you missed a few steps the first time around, you have another chance to catch them. Here are a few of the moves:

• hand walks
• bur-pees
• rows
• lunges
• push ups to a T formation
• squat roll ups
• Turkish get ups
• runners jumping stretch
• plank
• and more! 

These were just the first 15 to 18 minutes worth of workouts, which are intense! 

I plan on looking through all of the other workouts to see if I started with the hardest one of all and if so, I will be updating my workout schedule. If I didn't start with the hardest one, I am in for a very hard and long month ahead of me.

UPDATE:
Ironically, I did pick the hardest workout to start out on. Don't get me wrong, none of these workouts are easy, but the others have 3 models you can follow with one of them being a modified version. Therefore, I have updated my workout calendar to reflect the change in sequence that will be occurring. I will be starting off with pure burn / super strength, body rev / cardio conditioning, ultimate cardio body and total trainer plus.