Woot! Here It Is! My Bikini Body Revealed

So let’s see here. I’m about 80% happy with my results (eh, I’m my own worst critic), yet 110% ecstatic that the very thing I set out to do back in February (to wear a bikini with confidence), I have now achieved. I had quite a bit of anxiety when I publicly committed to this goal and I knew when I invited you all to join in on the Bikini Body Challenge that I would need to lead by example.

I’ve never trained as hard and never committed to such a high level of disciplined eating as I have in these past 5 months. And you know what? This is a lifestyle for me now. I have no intention of taking a pie-eating break (okay, maybe just a little pie), and definitely no workout hiatuses. I’m on a roll and I’m not slowing down!

The journey of reshaping my body and slimming the trouble zones (my thighs and stomach) continues. There’s nothing I can do about the stretch marks and loose skin from birthing 4 child-spawns (including 3 c-sections). And there’s nothing I can do about the scars from 2 separate hernia operations, except to accept all those imperfections.

But everything else is in my control and that goes the same for YOU! It’s up to me to make my body what I want it to be – for my health, strength, and to look my very best.

Important Note! There are 3 hot chicks who saw this Challenge through to the end and submitted their before/after pics for Bikini Body Challenge (Donna and Angela and Tonda). The winner will be announced before the week is out, so please submit your before/after pics right away if you also participated.

The Tools I Used To Get My Bikini Body (and continue to use)

1) Plyometric workouts of 20-30 minutes and other bodyweight exercises. I barely lifted a dumbbell and only stepped foot into a gym twice during the Challenge. I’m a home workout kinda gal. I do NOT engage in hour-long cardio sessions. Short, yet high-intensity workouts do the trick. Bodyrock.Tv has been instrumental in my results, along with my own Bodyrock-style workouts that I create.

2) Running: I didn’t start running until late in the Challenge. My focus is short-distance speed work (1-2 miles) after each plyometric workout. But I only set out to run if time permits as an “icing on the cake” kinda of thing. I run for bonus training, not as my primary workout.

3) I cut back on dairy products. My own intuition compelled me to do so.

4) I cut back on the sweet treats. Every food trap likes to have a little fun with the sweet stuff and I’ve already been in serious moderation mode with sweets for over a year now. But during the Challenge? I reduced my sweet stuff intake to almost zero.

5) Shakeology: You probably know how I feel about this stuff by now (but if not, check the left and right sidebars of the blog). When I drink Shakeology in the morning, it keeps me full until about 1:30pm with no need to snack in between. And when it’s time for lunch, instead of chewing on a big azz meal, I eat salad and/or sensible portions of whole grains and protein-rich foods. For mid-afternoon snacking, it’s great to chomp on a breakfast cookie (so what if it’s afternoon!), fruit or a Larabar.

So there you have it! Of course, none of these tools matter unless you add consistent discipline to the mix, but I’m sure you know that already.

Thank you all for following my bikini journey. Please keep working hard to achieve your goals. There’s no such thing as not making progress if you commit at the level necessary. Think about what needs to be done, what needs to be changed/tweaked, and what potentially needs to be ousted from your lifestyle completely to achieve the results you want. Even as I’m telling you this, I’m thinking back to what I looked like back in 2006. Whew! This has definitely been a journey. Stay the course and you will be rewarded!

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