A round of applause, please!

And Day 30 got here! It was actually yesterday, and to be totally honest, I do have to make up for some missed days due to life in general and also for being on vacation. But all in all, I was pretty disciplined throughout my 30 for 30 challenge. Once I make up for the lost days, I will be working on a schedule to continue working out consistently at least 4 days a week. Ideally, I would like to continue with the minimum 30 minutes per day, but being realistic, I know that this may not be possible. Whenever I can, I will try to fit it in because, from my point of view, there is something wrong with not being able to dedicate at least 30 minutes per day to myself. But things happen and sometimes it is just impossible, and instead of getting frustrated when I am not able to do so, I would rather work on getting as much time in as possible. I am sure that the discipline I have acquired during the past 30 days will keep me focused.

What I have learned

• One of the most important things I have learned is that at times you can become your worst enemy. Many times did I create excuses to skip a workout and I had to work hard to overcome this. I came up with all sorts of excuses, from being too tired, to it being too late, and while some of these are true (there are days when I would come from work totally exhausted), the feeling of exhilaration after the workout promised to be a better outcome than going to sleep and then feeling bad for having missed a workout. I am glad I curbed that tendency.

Sure, it was hard...but I did it!

• You need people to support you because there are others that will try to bring you down (consciously and unconsciously). I am lucky that my husband Andrew was on board when I decided to do this. He was a constant source of support, despite my being nasty to him many times. I refused to do what he wanted me to do, I fought with him about proper form for exercises; I "fired" him several times, and yet, he kept on helping me with my training. Omar and my girls, Amanda and Ileana, were equally supportive, plus they also gave me frequent boosts of confidence when they commented on the changes they noticed in my body. And my sister Elena, who started this challenge with me but was not able to finish it, kept on cheering on me through it all. Had it not been for their encouragement and support I would have probably fallen for the invites to eat things that are not very healthy, to eat more than the adequate portions for me, or to stop doing so much because "my body needed a break." I am sure many of these were legitimate concerns, but not good for me, and I am glad I was able to fight off those obstacles.

Cause being on vacation is not a reason to slack off!
We brought our bands to keep it up.

• And speaking of food, while on vacation in my beautiful island of Puerto Rico, I have been amazed at the amount of food that people eat! It is unbelievable, and it seems to be a lifestyle, to eat as much as you can! My Bear and I have been very conscious of this; from our first day here, we have been sharing meals when possible, and people looked at us a bit funny. Our hostess at Brisas de Cidra Guest House, Elba Iris Vázquez, told us that in fact many times when you choose to do this, you are told that the serving size is only for one person. Difficult to believe with the amount of food you are served! And then there are so many temptations, all delicious, but lethal if you are not careful. What you have worked on so hard could be undone in a couple of days. So we are enjoying the delicious Puertorrican food, but without stuffing our faces.
• Your body does respond; you just have to wait a bit. Many times did I hear that as you grow older your body takes a lot longer to show results. I am glad that is not necessarily the case! I have already seen great changes in my body, and I can only anticipate what is still to come. During this vacation I am a lot more comfortable with myself and my body, something that I had not experienced in a couple of years. In here I have been told that women live "sin complejos," - without being embarrassed, roughly translated, but to me, and this is only my opinion, there are some things that do not look good, period. I am glad that women have really high self-esteems, but one has to be realistic as well. Good that you feel good, but that does not necessarily translate in your looking good. In any case, I feel a lot better now that my legs are stronger, that I can feel the muscles on my butt when I walk, and that my arms, a constant source of aggravation for me, are on their way to getting a lot better. Oh, and let's not forget my stamina! While at the 30 Aniversario del Día Nacional de la Salsa, I found my dancing partner from when I was living in Puerto Rico, my dear friend Rafael "Papote" Padilla, and we danced like the old times. Whereas before I would have needed a tank (or two) of oxygen after dancing with him, this time around I finished a bit tired but able to control my breath...another sign of the benefits of working out.

This is who I am: a healthy, strong mother, wife, sister, friend.

So, my friends, please join me in giving myself a round of applause for having completed my 30 for 30 challenge! I still have a long road ahead of me, but having done this gives me the strentgh I need to keep going. And your support means a lot too, so keep it coming!