Good Morning– It’s the start of our Final Week for the Shine in 49 contest~ WOW!!!

Here’s a PDF download for you that lays out the final week in detail.

Sin49-wk-7

Let’s have a good one!!

My week will be filled with all sorts of "EXTRA" prep besides besides photoshoot prep- I've got vacation prep, vistor prep, birtday prep and even tax prep to get done. Anyhow, my plan is to take each little project one at a time and have a very productive week!!

Contest Prizes*:
1st Place- an 8 week MIRACLE 8 Customized online training program with Michelle Berger, BuffMother (worth $2000)!! PLUS “The Royal Treatment”~ you get all of my products FREE for an entire year~ Books, supplement, shirts, video coaching and the Rally Room!

2nd Place- The Royal Treatment~ you get all of my products except customized online training for FREE for an entire year~ Books, supplement, shirts, video coaching and the Rally Room!

FINALISTS= anyone who submits a complete final entry- you will get a FREE “BuffMother!” shirt

Judging:
A panel of 5 judges (leaders in Team BuffMother) will pick their top 3 picks for the WINNER based on participation, results, attitude and the “light” shining within. Each judges picks will be put on a piece of paper (15 little pieces of paper) will be placed in a hat and the winner drawn from there.

Suggested Optional Participation:

• Be an active member of the Rally Room (the judges of the contest are Rally Room leaders, so the more “visible” to them you are the better chance you have at winning)
• Consider joining our TEAM BuffMother Facebook group:
• Blog your progress and encourage others in the contest (a great place to do this is in the Rally Room )
• Weekly post your POA (plan of attack) for the next week
• Weekly do your best to participate in the “weekly MINI challenge”

Each and every one of you CAN WIN this Contest~ Please participate and let’s enjoy the synergy of TEAM BuffMother! working together towards being continually FOCUSED on being our BEST!!!!

Shine in 49 ENTRY FORM- Once the 49 day contest is complete….please submit this word document along with your stats and photos to michelle@buffmother.com.

The entry due date is June 17th~

Let's finish STRONG!! with a good diet and some amazing final week workouts~ we deserve to see some amazing final pictures and stats!!
SHINE BRIGHT my Friends!!

-Michelle

I've got 15 days to go until my birthday~ whoohoo!!! Why is it that I get so fired up to be fit for my birthday EVERY YEAR??? It's so motivating for me!! I just love feeling my best on "MY DAY"!!

This year Travis is actually going to be home on my Birthday!! He's missed more than half of my birthdays in the past 10 years due to travel. Anyhow~ the whole family will be here for my day and trust me we will have a PARTY! And the whole week AFTER my b-day is going to be a VACATION for me- I will be totally UNPLUGGED and KIDLESS!! They are going to MN with Grandma :)

Yesterday was a great "RESET" day for me with workouts-- but not so much for my diet. I had more dairy than normal, more junk than normal and ended up going to bed with a tummy ache. The goal today is to get DIET on track and I'll be good to go for the next 15 days until my 37th B-day!! The goal is to not only be buff for my birthday, but BEAUTIFUL also.

I've been doing my best to add some extra effort on that department- I got another facial yesterday to help my face be glowing and radiant. I also bought some "manicure" supplies, a new "miracle" face cream and have an appt with my dermatologist for Friday. I've also got plans to get a manicure, pedicure, hair highlight/trim and I will also be TANNED for my day!! It takes effort to be beautiful :)

Today- my girls are determined to go buy some summer clothes- and my son is determined to go spend the night with his lifelong buddy. He's had this friend since he was 2!

I'm just loving the final push of our Shine in 49--we have just 11 days left!! Thanks so much for all the effort, posts, encouragement and thoughts about the contest!! You ladies are "SHINING STARS"~ I love you!!

Have an amazing Wednesday!!

Love,
Michelle

Yesterday, a conference call, listen here:

weights-injuries

~~~~

I think we'll go to the movies today~!

yesteday I got in a good workout~ my 11th day of working out in a row!!

PBJ warm up
Incline Flys- 30'sx10x3sets
Bicep curls- 45# and 50# on machine reps= 10+ x4 sets
Dead Lifts- 45 for warm up, 95x20, 115x10x2sets
Lunges- forward version with 45# curl bar on back 3 sets of 10
Seated Rows- on bowflex

20 mins steady cardio on upright bike

See ya!!

-Michelle

p.s. Here's today's public post:

Give and Take~ Shine in 49: Day 33

I’ve been thinking today a bit about GIVING…over the past several years I’ve really been blessed because of what I’ve GIVEN to God, to my friends, to my clients and to perfect strangers who’ve found me on the internet through a blog post, picture, etc …it is true that when you GIVE you do RECEIVE.

…Giving also can create vulnerability: Giving opens us up to be hurt, disappointed or feeling like we’ve been taken for granted. I’ve often felt hurt or disappointed and that my giving has been taken for granted many times — BUT!— the Blessings I’ve received from GIVING always outweigh the pain. Staying focused on the positives of giving always makes me want to give more and help more people and love more!! I don’t ever want to get jaded or fearful regarding how my GIVING will be received. Don’t EVER be Afraid to GIVE!! Your blessings will COME!!

I’ve had a couple GREAT days~ Tues night we had another family bonfire and then yesterday Travis “kidnapped” me for a date day~ we had a BLAST together just talking and loving each other! It was wonderful!!! We didn’t workout yesterday, but we did make it there today for a chest workout.
AND GUESS WHAT??!!! we had an amazing workout = some more great bonding time!! LOVE IT!

The rest of my day has been spent on website stuff and cleaning my house. I am also planning on going running after my salmon digests smile

keep on GIVING !!

YEAH- i realized last night that I forgot to issue our Mini-Challenge for this week!! OOOPs!! the challenge is at least 10 - 10 second stomach VACUUMS a day.

Week #4 Mini Challenge- do at least 10 stomach vacuums each day (10-15 secs each).

You will see your waist get smaller this week!!! Vacuums are simply sucking in your tummy!
I find they produce HUGE results~ they work your TRANSVERSE abs. "T-ABS"
These are highly important muscles that act as a "girdle" around your waist. The muscles run HORIZONTALLY and HOLD your organs in place. They are stretched out after pregnancy and need to be rebuilt. VACUUMS will do just that! They are worked whenever you practice good posture, and will respond even quicker if you aggressively work at rebuilding them through exercises like vacuums.

One of the easiest ways to do them is to stand with your hands on your knees and suck your tummy in. Try to pull your belly button to your spine. You can do vacuums anywhere anytime- I did some last night while brushing my teeth and this morning sitting in the car.

Have fun with this mini-challenge and you will see some results in you waist!

I other happenings-- I have had a good start to my 30 days counting down to my birthday- I plan to workout EVERY DAY for the next 30 (keep in mind some of the days will be just 11 mins- very close to "rest" days). I started on MONDAY~ with a great hill/sprint workout- 5 minute long hills with walk/jog recovery + 1 LONG 2.5 min hill followed by 4 more 100M sprints with walking recovery. It was a very good workout!

Then yesterday I started a NEW style of workout plan- a full body plan- my son has been sick and to help him get back into the swing of things we'll be doing full body workouts for these next 2 weeks (my "boosting phase"). It's pretty much the same plan as what we followed in our RallyROOM- 30 day Get Buff Contest in Aug of 2010(the info is still up)... anyhow-- I love the workouts from our current contest, but for me in at this time the full body option is actually very appealing.

Yesterday's workout looked like this:

WARM UP:Leg press- 1 big set: Lower back extensions; Stretching- some lunges, some bodyweight squats, 1 set body weight bulgarians

Smith Squats (I don't go heavy on these on purpose-- they tend to hurt my knees and lower back--the gym I was at does not have a free bar squat rack)
50x15
75x15x3sets

Bench Press
45x20
95x10x3

Lat Pulls
90x10
105x10
90x10x2sets

Then we rushed home to cook chicken- and then hit th softball fields and walmart.

I've been deailing with some major allergies- I guess the GRASS POLLEN is very HIGH here right now and it's been DRY-- soooo annoying.
Another thing that is annoying is the bruise on my butt from my hammock breaking while I was on it yesterday! OUCH!

OH well, life goes on-- here's my "to do" list for today:

• work on training programs for clients
• pay bills- organize papers! (such a mess)
• plant at least 10 trees! (I've got about 100 to plant-- they are going to die if I don't get to it ASAP!)
• workout with Gunner- I think we'll play tennis today!!
• Go for an interval run- 1 min easy/1min hard foer 20mins

Let's make today GREAT!!
And PLEASE be sure to join us for our conference call tomorrow- I'm going to talk about measureing your success- inches, stats, sizes, water weight, bodyfat and lean muscle!

See you later babes!!

-Michelle

Wow!! that Warrior dash kicked my booty! I feel like I am finally over the HUMP in recovering from it!! I ended up taking yesterday "off" so today will be my MAKE UP workout day.

The Warrior Dash weekend itself was so fun!! I drove up to KC on Friday leaving at noon, getting there about 4:30. It was a good drive and nice to be "alone" for a bit. Once I got there I almost immediatly met Nicole! It was fun to finally "hug" her after YEARS of knowing her online. We hung out in my room for a bit while we waited for more ladies to arrive. Next Sherry showed up from Iowa-- she and I ran a couple errands, then by the time we got back Lisa, Kathy and Melanie had arrived. Melanie was another member of TEAM BuffMother whom I've known for quite some time now, but had never physically met. She has such a wonderful smile and a son who's 12 like mine that she brought with (along with her super supportive hubby Todd!!).
Once we primped a bit we headed out to met up for dinner at the Zona Rosa shopping area- www.zonarosa.com

At the restuarant we met up with Brenda and her hubby Mike, Tina and her sister Wendy (they are IDENTICAL TWINS!!), Mindy and her hubby, Natalie (Bamboo here in the rally room), and Danielle and her man Aaron. After dinner we SHOPPED in Lisa's room at her makeshif OOLALA! I had a blast trying on such CUTE items- I got a dress, a miniskirt, a t-shirt and a bracelete...AWESOME!! Towards the end of the night a couple more members of our TEAM showed up, Karen and Dottie. The excitement for the race was palpiable!! But we all knew we had to get some sleep and I certainly did-- I slept like a ROCK!

Thankfully I woke up Saturday morning feeling Much better than Friday when I was scared I had an ear infection. I think the addrenaline was kicking in~ After breakfeast we got dressed in our CRAZY LMFAO outfits and headed out on the shuttle to the event. Once we were there we had a couple hours to wait. We hit some of the free sample booths- Monster, Anytime fitness and Bare Naked--Plus a Physical Therapy/Massage booth-- OH YES!! It was good!!
As we wondered around trying to stay cool before the race we took a bunch of pics, but never enough! That's one regret of mine~ i wish I had taken more pics!!

Anyhow, the race started at 12:30 and I was done 33.04HELLISH mins later~ The WORST of the race was the swimming obstacle- I DON't SWIM! and the amount and length of HILLS on the course. All the other obstacles were fine if you could keep from being thrown off course by some of the rude male competitors. The race itself was VERY HARD! It was my first 5k in 10 years for a reason...I don't like racing that far. A mile or better yet a half-mile should be my MAX race distance, lol!

It was so fun to be done with the race and able to cheer the rest of our team into the finish!! One of the funniest finishes I saw was Danielle and Cari. They both hit the final mudpit looking as though they hadn't gotten 1 speck of mud on them the entire race-- Cari looked dermined to keep it that way, lol!! NO DICE!! She had to submerge in the muck like the rest of us!!

After the race we got hosed down by the fire hydrant, I had brought a change of clothes-- then we got our free beers and a Lisa and I shared a turkey leg!! It was YUMMY! We hung around for a while, then hit the shuttle to the hotel-- where I showered and napped for an hour prior to dinner. We ate then primped and head out to PARTY downtown on the "power and lights district"...COOL place!! Once we got our groove on it was a blast-- we danced with Danielle and her crew a bit at Mosaic and then went out to the main atrium and dance for a couple more hours. It was all our feet could take! Once we got back to the hotel NONE of us could hardly walk! AND I was STARVING!!

Anyhow we hit the hay around 2:30am...then a group of us got up and ate a wonderful brunch before hittitng the road. It seemed like a LONG drive home! I was so thankful to seem my beautiful loving family after the drive. They missed me!!

I'm sure I missed telling you many of the fun details, but that was my weekend at a glance- tons of pics are on facebook-- I'll try to upload some here eventually too!!

Here are a couple Q and A's from this morning~

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Q:
Hey Michelle, me again, thanks for answering my question earlier today on the fb comments section. Another question, the 100 lunges a day challange has me confused. I thought we were supposed to rest the next day the body parts we worked on that paticular day?
Thanks a bunch!

A:
Doing 100 lunges is more like a bit of “cardio”/stretching but I wouldn’t consider it an entire “leg workout” to where you need to rest 2 days prior to workin those muscles again. Also, in lifting “rules” are not set in stone– they can be broken from time to time in order to shake up the routine and challenge your body to new heights. There are even workout programs out there where it is recommended to lift the same muscles every day! Normally I do agree it’s best to give your body parts a couple days rest between heavy lifting workouts and it’s a good general rule to go by. But that’s why this is a “challenge” both mentally and physically!!

~~~~~~

Q:
Hey there, Michelle...I have a fitness question for you...I train with weights, I've been strength training for quite a while now and I've seen good results! I'm built very little. My body fat percentage is somewhere in the area of 15%. My question is this...I work out mostly from home, I have dumbbells and barbells, weight bench, elliptical, bands...I have it all! I recently re-joined my gym to get some use of their yoga classes and some machines. I'm looking to build some more muscle and get more "lean" and sculpted...in your perfectly sculpted opinion, can I do that without the gym, and just with free weights? I know what I'm doing pretty much, and also trying to study for a personal training certification in my spare time (ha!) so I pick up a lot of knowledge when I read my books. I'm pretty disciplined to work out at home, but wondering if the machines at the gym would be better to get the results I want...

A:
You "can" do it at home, but using the gym is much easier to be able to really challenge yourself to lift heavier. Using their equipment will allow you to push the limits. Since you have the memebership use it! Be sure to go lower in reps-- 5to6 range and lift heavy with plenty of recovery between each set. You'll see great gains if you challenge yourself in an anaerobic capacity.

Now it's time for me to get at least "part" of my workout done! OH and PLEASE try to make our Conference Call tomorrow at NOON Central time!!

Love ya's,

Michelle

HI Everyone!! TGIF!!! My day today will be spent driving to Kansas City to meet up with our TEAM for the Warrior Dash tomorrow~ I'm very exctied to see everyone, hang out and have a fun playing in the mud! LOL!! I picked up our shirts yesterday and they are CUTE! We'll take tons of pictures I am SURE!

So....I've been CRAZY busy with a car in the shop, dr. appts, meetings, broken AC, planting tress, baby mice, softball games, etc....

Plus I'm still recovering from the cold I had 2 weeks ago- not sure what's going on there, but I may have a slight sinus or ear infection?? Two of my kids and my hubby have been dealing with the same issues-- crazy! Anyhow, I feel good except for my head/face, lol! In order to save some energy for the weekend, I opted to take the last couple days off of workouts. I tend to get stressed when I travel and end up sick after wards-- NOT THIE TIME! I'm being very careful to protect my immune system and keep my COOL!

It's a 4.5 hour drive to KC. And I hope to get in at least a little walk afterwards so my legs aren't all stiff for the race.

I've been posting daily on www.BuffMother.com in my blog-- so if you've missed any posts be sure to check them out there!! Here's today's!!

I'm off to be a WARRIOR!!

Love ya,

Michelle

”D” is for Determined!

Be Determined to stay on track this weekend with your EATING and even an EXTRA workout!!

I am so DARN DETERMINED to get to my goal!! I love that feeling of FOCUS!!!
DETERMINATION is a GREAT thing!!!

“The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man’s determination.”
-Tommy Lasorda (American Baseball Player and Coach, b.1927)

“Some are destined to succeed, some are determined to succeed.”
- H. H. Swami Tejomayananda (Indian , b.1950)

“We must remember that one determined person can make a significant difference, and that a small group of determined people can change the course of history.”
- Sonia Johnson

My determination will lead me to workout hard again today!!! I am on fire!!
I hope you are equally DETERMINED to get your workout done and make it better than your last one!! Lift heavier, push harder and focus on getting results at the gym!!

Today’s workout is: LEGs and ABS

Today’s Hormonal Timing (HORMONE CHARTING):
1- what cycle day is it for you? 5
2- what was your weight today?128
3- do you notice any water retention in your body? if yes, where? yes everywhere
4- are there any “other” factors of importance to note about your weight gain or loss today? I am looking leaner every day!! My tummy is shrinking and my arms are getting lean! FUN STUFF!!!

BE DETERMINED to reach your goals!! And remember that together we CAN change the world for the better!!! We can help every woman become their best

Love,
Michelle!!!

I can't tell you how exciting it is to have so many women fired up to get fit, healthy and SHINE for SUMMER!! The Energy is certainly contagious! It goes to show how Energy is transferable! Another NON-tangible that is so vital to a successful fitness program is your mind. As you workout you must not only strengthen your skeletal muscles but also "MIND MUSCLE".

Engaging your BRAIN into your workouts will accellerate your results BIG time-- When you are lifting LEARN and KNOW what muscles you are working. Here are some mental cues that will help you as you work your legs today:

Sqauts- Butt muscles- engage glutes (BUTT) by looking up, lowering slowly sticking your butt out and back and you start coming up think "squeeze but as you press through heels

Calf raises- Calf muscles- use a FULL range of motion, when you are at the TOP of your TIPPIE toes hold and SQUEEZE for a count before lowering. As you go through your reps "look" at your claf. I look at my right calf for 5 reps then at my left. If you have a non-dominant leg focus on that one--make it CONTRACT!

Lunges- BUTT muscles- focus on using your FRONT leg for the movement- let all the weight be lifted with your FRONT leg using your back leg only for assitance and balance. As you lower down STRETCH your glute by leaning forward slightly (chest to knee)

Dead lifts- Hamstring muscles- LOWER the weight slowly, hamstrings respond to the ECCENTRIC motion, the stretching. Challenge yourself to keep great posture and your lumbar curve as you lower the weight slowly- You may not be able to go down far at first, but in time you'll be to the floor!

Leg curls- Hamstring muscles- again focus on lowering slowly (eccentric)- also keep toes straight and flexex (don't allow yourself to cheat by putting your toes out)

Leg Extensions- QUADS- Don't use too big of a Range of Motion- keep the motion within a 4Odegree angle- raise weight up and PAUSE Squeezing (flexing) quads for a count then lowering. Keep your feet flexed but it's okay to put toes out slightly to give extra attention to VMO. Finish your set with 5 extra short reps with toes out focused on your VMO Entirely- it's OKAY to touch it even to give yourself more mental focus!

Day #2- TUESDAY's workout
1- Lower Body LIFTING & 2-ABS!

I'll fill this in after I finish it~

I also need to take my measurments and stats, but that'll be on TOMORROW's to do list! I have to travel to an out of town softball game tonight for my twins. FUN TIMES!!

Keep on SHINING!! and use your MIND MUSCLES!! They need practice and exercise too!!

Love ya,

Michelle

Be OPTIMISTIC that you can SHINE!!

Today's day #1-- workout plan as laid out in the PDF-

2- Intervals- This is 20 min total: 4 hard min. total and can be done on any type of equipment you’d like to use- spinning bike, elliptical, stair mill, treadmill, etc..

*If you don’t feel exhausted by the end, increase the intensity of all hard and easy min.

3- ABS:

Plus, in the email that was sent out I instructed you to go shopping for good protein and green vegetable choice on hand

AND....JOURNAL...take some time to JOURNAL.
Write it down!! I'd like to encourage you
to write about 3 specific things:

1- Do you remember how great you felt
both mentally and physically when you had your most
OUTSTANDING fitness/diet results?

I have felt outstanding many times in my life-- most recently on our trip to Mexico last August. It feels great to put anything on and know you look smashing!!

2- What do you have to change about your
current habits to attain OVER-THE-TOP
results like that again?

I need to stay consistent with my diet. I've worked up a great consistency in my workouts, my running and my activity level, but my diet is way to inconsistent. I'm going to focus really hard on consistently keeping my carbs down, my protein up and eating my greens!

3- What is your #1 goal for the next 7
weeks? What are the "solutions" you must
OBSESS over order to attain that goal?

My goal for the next 7 weeks is to lean up for my birthday!! I will be 37 in just 7 weeks!! I'm planning to do a photo shoot and need to come in weighing about 123. I will need to lose only about 4 pounds-- but I want those 4 pounds to be FAT!
My solutions to achieve this goal is to stay consistent with my workouts (lifitng/running) and keep my diet in line!

-Michelle

P.S.
Please connect with other contestants:
via commenting on my BuffMother Blog: www.BuffMother.com
via Privacy of The Rally Room: www.therallyroom.com
via FaceBook on my Profile: www.facebook.com/buffmother
via Facebook "women only" Team BuffMother group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/buffmother/
via our FaceBook "SHINE in 49" event page (please invite other fb friends): https://www.facebook.com/events/369387579767176/

P.P.S. Tomorrow's email will detail how to take starting stats and pictures; Wednesday's will be all about how to WIN this contest :)

Well, I guess all my "go, go, go" caught up with me a bit! I'm now a tiny bit sick~ way better than last night though! Hope that was the worst of it! I'm not the only person sick-- my lifting buddy is home again today with the same thing, but worse. He's got a horrible fever! Poor boy!

Anyhow, life goes on and I'm getting things done today-- my plan is to get some sun and a run in today.

The BIG News from yesterday is that my new www.BuffMother.com is up!! YAY!! It's really fun to see it up~ despite some work left to be done on it. AND my email was down yesterday totally-- so if you sent me an email I didn't get it :)

Okay, today's "work" is to get some more of my site working and send out an email blast for the new contest!! The link I'd like to have used for sign up is on my site www.buffmother.com/free-contests/

Please share with your friends!! We want as many women as possible to join us!!

Thanks!!
-Michelle