#WorkItOut100 : Interview With Amanda McGuire

Meet Amanda.  Her spunky personality is contagious and her positive outlook on everything will make your worries seem minuscule!  Recently, Amanda started a 100-day journey that has proven to be changing not only her life but others as well.  I asked her to share with me some "behind the scenes" of her challenge #WorkItOut100. 

What is #WorkItOut100?

#WorkItOut100 is a challenge I created after seeing a video on YouTube of a woman who committed herself to 100 days of working out.  She was over weight, not happy and just ready to make a change in her life.  She decided to “Give It 100” and ended up seeing many results and is currently still working out and making progress.  After seeing this video it really got me thinking, I’d love to commit 100 days to working out to see what this body of mine can do.  I was fully planning on doing this challenge alone and was super pumped up about it.  I created #WorkItOut100 to include on all my posts so people could follow along.  Turns out the hashtag and challenge ended up spreading like wild fire and now I have 30 people who have committed to this #WorkItOut100 challenge and I couldn’t be more excited!

Working out everyday must take a toll on your body.  How have you stayed committed?

Working out definitely does take a toll on your body. Before going public with this challenge I sat down and made a list of workout ideas that I could do along this journey.  Every workout doesn’t have to be super intense- sweat flying, muscles burning workout.  A workout can be as easy as going for an hour walk outside.  It could be swimming laps, taking a dance or yoga class, etc.  My motto is: Get up and move!

Where did you find your workout ideas?

I get workout ideas all over the place.  I make up a lot of my own workouts such as different cardio exercises I do each day and I have a weight lifting schedule I learned from a trainer a few years ago (Bi’s and Back one day, Tri’s and Chest one day, a leg day and I do abs 4-6 times a week).  I also find a lot of awesome workout ideas on Pinterest.  It’s as simple as searching: Workout ideas; the options are endless!

What do you hope to do/look/feel like when you reach the 100^th day?

With this challenge I just want to see what this body of mine can do in 100 days.  I would like to lose some weight, but I’m trying to stay away from the scale.  Weighing yourself is great but for me it’s more about how I feel, my energy level, my attitude and how my clothes fit.  I hope to gain a lot of muscle mass and get to a feel-good spot where I’m all over confident. 

How do you stay motivated?

I would say my biggest motivator is all the support I’ve been receiving from my family, friends and also people I don’t even know who are following my Instagram and blog! All the comments have been overwhelmingly awesome and I appreciate every one of them.  Also, progress pictures are a huge motivator for me.  I’m a sucker for a good “before & after” picture.  I took pictures on day one of this 100-day challenge and I just took my first set of progress pictures week 2.  I hope to motivate people who are on board this challenge and I can’t wait to see everyone’s journey and progress.  “Cheers to 100”

Can others join in on the fun?

YES, YES, YES!!! The more, the merrier!! Like I said above, when I started this challenge I had full intentions on doing this alone and I was totally fine with that (but was secretly hoping that a few other people would join me).  A few days after going public with my journey, the responses were AMAZING! Two of my close friends jumped on board right away and then in the past few days, thanks to the power of Instagram and Facebook, 30 women have jumped on board and have committed to the #WorkItOut100 challenge.  If anyone is interested in this challenge the only rules are that you must do some type of workout everyday for 100 days.  Also, if you’re on Instagram use #WorkItOut100 on all of your workout posts so that we can all follow along your journey and encourage/motivate you along the way!

You can follow along with me at:

Instagram: amcguire87

Blog: amcguire100.wordpress.com 

****

I'm not only proud of Amanda for taking herself up on this challenge, but also for the way she is helping others along the way.  I'm always a fan for reaching out and motivating others simply by sharing OUR stories.  It shows we don't have superpowers and that we are no better than the person standing next to us at the grocery store. 

The power of "us" - you and I - are pretty remarkable if you slow down and think about it.  Heck, look at the changes that Amanda has already seen in herself after two weeks!  Imagine if we all moved a little more, ate a little cleaner, shared more of us with more of them. 

Starting today, I am now joining Amanda on the #WorkItOut100 journey!  I would love if you would join us, too!  Again, a workout doesn't have to be anything more than a walk after dinner!  Anyone can do this.  

Comment below and let us know that you will be committing yourself to 100 days of moving! 

Own It

She was driving to Aspen and I was driving around downtown Denver, yet we both had awestruck views and couldn’t stop repeating ourselves.

--- Do you see how gorgeous the mountains look right now as the sun is setting?  We live here.  Want to go to Snowmass?  Oh yeah, I am.  We live here.  I feel like my life is a movie right now and someone just pushed play.  We live here.  I think I just saw Eric Decker. We live here. ---

I’m well aware that I talk about my love for Denver often.  From the “big city life” to the mountains, this place has transformed me.  I own it - the events, the restaurants, the people, the experiences.  They are mine and I’m proud to say so because I think we all should be a little arrogant and snotty about where we live. 

It shows that we are taking in all that our mailing address has to offer.  We seek out the hidden treasures – bars, restaurants, shops, trails – because we want to know more, do more, see more, and in return, share more.  

Are you living in a place that you wish so badly to move away from?  Now is the time to remind yourself of the things that make you want to do cart wheels and high-five strangers.  The things that light your face up and bring out the best you.  Because guess what?  There will come a day when you don’t live there anymore and you will miss it.

Take it from me.  I miss home – the lake, Caribou, 8^th Street Dairy Queen on a summer night – but I’m owning where I live because one day I will miss it and no one likes missing something they never truly had. 

It dawned on her that 

happiness is right here

right now.

Friday Favorite: HIIT Me With Your Best Shot

There are days when 3+ miles sounds like a free party and days when it sounds like the most dreadful form of physical activity ever.  Whether I'm training for a race or not, running is just "my thing".  But when "my thing" starts to become the thing I no longer look forward to, I have to spice it up somehow.

I don't have ADD but the second I step foot on a treadmill, it somehow makes an appearance.  I try everything - replaying and blasting my favorite song, counting by three's, reciting all fifty states and their capitals - you name it, I've tried it.  The one thing that always works, though, is my new found love: HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) Runs.

There are TONS of variations on the internet for HIIT workouts, both on the treadmill and off!  Below is my current favorite:

www.fitfbabcities.com

Question & Comment Below - Have you tried a HIIT workout?  What is your favorite?

Are You Uncomfortable?

I like being comfortable.  Two-sizes too big sweatpants, no makeup, an inviting couch, a cozy cabin in the winter and a chick-flick on the screen.  That’s the good stuff, the magic ticket to cloud nine in my mind.  But...wait for it...

Being comfortable makes me uncomfortable. 

Vacation is a time of relaxation and slow moves and being comfortable.  It's about reacquainting yourself with hobbies that have started collecting dust and seeing familiar faces that haven't been seen in too long.  

Yes, I loved my time back home recently.  I loved shopping for my best friends wedding dress, meeting my college roommates newborn, talking hockey with my nephew, running alongside my dad, learning how to knit from my mom, and much more.  But there came a point where I was too comfortable and that's when things started to take a turn. 

I was anxious and always felt like I had a million things to do when really the only thing was to take a chill pill.  I worried about not getting everything done, not seeing everyone I should and if I didn't see those people, would they hold it against me?  After dissecting these thoughts and asking myself why I was feeling this way, the answer was that I was turning back into the old me.  The me who had no real purpose, no real direction and no real sense of happiness because I was always worrying about something.  I was getting comfortable with doing nothing and that made me uncomfortable.

It forced me to look at my life and the questions that make us think.  Really think. 

Minnesota was wonderful but it reminded me that I am where I need to be.  My feet are placed firmly in Colorado and they enjoy walking around here.  I survived my first week back in the real world, not to say it wasn't a strugglefest every morning my alarm would go off, but I'm back to me.  Routine and workouts and work and planned coffee dates with friends.  I'm back to reading before bed, blogging on Saturday mornings and calling my mom everyday at 3pm. 

Get back to being uncomfortable.   

Confessions of a Serial Dater

Don't...

Refer to yourself as the state in which you are from.

"Sup? My name is Kevin but you can just call me Utah"

Talk about future dates when you've been with the person no more than eight minutes. 

"You've never been snowboarding?  You will love it once I teach you how to ride"

Successfully suck at not taking hints that the other person is clearly not interested.  

Find your beer goggles after two drinks.

Attempt to tie a knot with your cherry stem...and fail. 

Wear a faux letterman's jacket.

"Just to clarify, you aren't still in high school are you?"

Tell your date all the creeping you did prior to meeting them.  They don't need to know you have their life somewhat pegged out based on your Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. 

Pretend to be best friends with the workers and talk to them like a complete tool and a half. 

"Thanks bro, you boss man!"

Consume the conversation with "me, me, me" unless you want to kiss your chances of a second date out the door. 

Why Mark Cuban is Going to be My Friend

30 minutes have gone by and all I’ve been doing is listening to Beethoven’s top hits on my phone; over and over and over again.  I don't mind expanding my horizons and listening to something other than "Today's Hits" but after 5 minutes of violins and pianos, it becomes slightly painful and annoying. 

I received an email last night saying that my 9:05am flight this morning was cancelled.  After a curse word was said and my hands shot up to my head, I pouted like a little girl who didn’t get a puppy for Christmas.

Did I mention I gave up swearing for 2014?  

After numerous attempts at calling Orbitz and Frontier and getting a busy tone or a voice recording telling me that they are "experiencing a high volume of calls due to storms and cancellations", I gave up and went to bed.  

Back at it this morning and I was welcomed with the above-mentioned tunes.  With my combined love for the show Shark Tank and being put on hold for an extended period of time while unwillingly making me want to chuck my phone across the room, it dawned on me: wouldn't it be much more pleasant if instead of listening to elevator music and advertisements while being put on hold, it was nothing?  And then once the person on the other side was ready, we knew by our phones vibrating or giving a couple short beeps or rings? 

I think I'll fly with the idea. Oh, wait, I DON'T HAVE A PLANE TICKET!

Twenty-Fourteen

2014 

More...

Writing //  I want to connect more words together these next 365 days; clicking "Publish" more often whether it be a lengthy post or one that is short and sweet and sprinkled with a quote off Pinterest.  I will challenge myself to dig deeper, think harder, reach further in hopes of making more connections with my readers.

Faith //  Gone are the days of a "Sunday only" faith.  I will take my relationship with God beyond the walls of my church on Sunday mornings and carry it throughout all areas of my life.

Jumping //  I'm going to jump more.  Jump into new hobbies, adventures, friendships, relationships.  I will take risks while jumping into the unknowns and uncertainties but won't regret my decisions when I land softly and firmly on both feet.

Carrie //  More me, less you.  2013 showed me glimpses of the woman I am meant to be and 2014 will continue to show me more. I'm not going to listen to you tell me what brands I should dress myself in, when I can consider myself "successful" and how I should order my Lattes.  I'm closing my eyes when you point out my flaws and keeping my mouth closed when I want to trigger back.  You, society, are so 2013.

Giving //   Time, help, money, talents, knowledge, advice.  All of it. 

Reading //  I will open a book before bed instead of Apps.  I want to read about everything from adventure to travel, love to friendships, heath to fitness.  Any book recommendations?

 

What will you be doing more of in 2014?