The Guy With No Shirt On

    Yes, well, you did read that title right!

   I want to share with you today someone I've recently subscribed to on YouTube. I'd actually done one of his videos a long time ago, but wasn't hooked. It was a 20 minute jump rope video and it just wasn't my fav. I realize it's confusing to start a post about something I love by saying I didn't like it! But seriously, doesn't that happen?! You really are unsure (or strait up hate/dislike) something, and then you just give it a solid effort and then you realize how much you enjoy it!? Maybe it's just me, but it happens all the time!

    Anyway, while looking on YouTube for a workout video, one of the other channels I subscribe to, BeFit, had a bunch of videos featuring this guy from the jump rope video. I was looking for a quick and hard workout, so I thought I'd give him a try again.

   Well, turns out he's the freakin' best. Ok, I'll admit calling someone "the best" is pretty relative, but take my word for it - if you're looking for a workout to seriously kick your butt, and have a laugh, and feel like you're working out with your friend who happens to swear like a sailor, you will LOVE Mike! 
 
   Mike Donavanik is his name, and his shirt status in the intros to a lot of his workous? Non-exsistent. Why does this matter? It doesn't. 

   Except when your 8 year old daughter asks if he's wearing clothes at all and you need to explain he is....or you hope he is....but you can definitely reassure her that he wears clothes during the workout. 

     I wanetd to narrow down the videos and show you my favourite today, but basically ALL of his videos are my favourite! 

     He works you hard (especially if you try to keep pace with him!), and if you're slightly ADD when it comes to working out (like I am), you'll appreciate that he rarely repeats moves. I mean, yes, he does some times, but it's not the kind of workout where you do 4 moves, and then repeat that circuit of 4 moves 5 times! That makes my brain so upset! I like to kick-ass in a move and know that I won't have to do it again! 

​    Anyway, here's one of my favourites! He even has his shirt on in the intro! : ) 

   One of my favourite things about Mike's videos is seeing how hard he's working, and how difficult it is for him (even though he's super fit) and feeling like you're not alone in your torrent of sweat dripping down your face!

   I hate feeling like I'm working SO HARD at a workout, and the pretty person leading the workout is still fresh and happy looking! I'm freakin' dying and they're just have beautiful rosy cheeks and are still smiling! 

  With Mike you'll get someone leading you through a workout who is super sweaty, swears, and make crazy faces.

    I can relate to that!!!   

    Since the spring I've been struggling with getting back into better shape. The spring was very stressful for me, and I didn't workout as often or as hard as I wanted to, and my eating habits were getting pretty derailed. 

    So, the end of the summer and early fall I really buckled down and started eating better and trying to workout harder and smarter....but it seemed like nothing was changing. 

    I realized that my workouts, although they were tough, were not kicking me into gear like I needed them to. They were difficult, but not the leave me with a purple face, sweat everywhere, and a serious jello legs kind of difficult. I think when working out we know if we're giving our all, or just trying to do it so we can say we did. And that's what I was doing. I was doing good workouts, but not really pushing myself hard enough. 

    Then I started these workouts with Mike at the end of October, and I'm down 2 inches on my wasit, an inch on each leg, down 5lbs in total weight, my arms are getting definition again, and my stomach is getting flatter again. And I wore a pair of jeans. On purpose. : ) 

    If you know me you know that I basically only ever wear leggings. I wear them because they're cozy, they go well with all my whacko sweaters I own, and they are forgiving for when the waist is growing or shrinking! 

    But, I wore jeans. And they fit great! They'd been hiding in my pant drawer since last winter, and I had tried to wear them once just before summer...and it was a little upsetting how they didn't fit well at all! So, to wear my fav jeans again, and feel comfortable in them was amazing! I literally put them on, and proclaimed, "I LOVE Mike!". My adoring husband just rolled his eyes at me.  : )  

    ​This past weekend was my husbands work Christmas party. I had kinda sorta wanted to get a new dress for it, but I hate shopping. Seriously hate it. Anyway, after we spent many hours at the mall with me going "bleh", "meh", and "yuk!" to many dresses I finally found one I liked. I grabbed the size I thought I needed and headed to the changeroom to try it on, but ended up needing a store employee to bring me one 2 sizes smaller to try on instead! That's me wearing the dress in the photos above!  

     So, Mike, thanks for the new motivation, the new found love of working out, and for the new dress, 2 sizes smaller than I thought I would have been wearing! 
  
 If you want to try some new workouts, head over to Mike's YouTube channel (MikeDFitness), and give them a whirl. Seriously, just doing one of his 10 minute workouts will leave you feeling whipped! 

    Can I also say though that my version of being fit doesn't have to be (and shouldn't be) your version. In October, while a friend was visiting, I told her I'd put on 15-lbs and had lost a lot of muscle and muscle definition during the spring and summer, and she was like, "what? For real? You weigh 15-lbs more than before?". She's not the kind of person to be nice just for the sake of it, and it reminded me that I am my biggest critic, and I need to be kinder to myself. For me though, I only care moderately what other people think of me and how I look. What I care about more is how I feel in my body, my clothes and how healthy I feel (getting good sleep, having lots of energy, stable moods, etc.). 

     So, that's it! I hope you check out Mike's videos, and I hope you had a good weekend and have a great week!