Oy. What a heavy week. Losing two of Hollywood's greatest, Lauren Bacall & Robin Williams on top of last weekend's murder of a young African-American man by a fearful cop in Ferguson, MO. If you're following me on Twitter, you probably know that Mike Brown's struck a chord deep within me. He was supposed to start college on Monday, and was visiting his grandmother in Ferguson. He could've been your son/brother/friend, or mine. I won't stop sharing all I can about what happened, because it's one more tragic symptom of a problem that's been swept under the rug for far too long. My heart and mind have been with the protestors in Ferguson all week, and I pray for peace and solace for this young man's heartbroken family.

Events like this sure puts my own life in perspective. My struggles and problems will never compare to the fight for basic human rights and respect. More than anything, I've been in awe of the strength Ferguson protestors have shown in the face of truly life-threatening situations (like this) at the hands of some disgustingly ignorant cops. The overlying theme of this week is to stand strong in the face of adversity. Stand strong for your beliefs, your opinions and your rights.

SHOW UP for them, and stand strong.

Image via Pinterest

We're just finishing up our last week of 33 to Glow no grain/soy/dairy/legume challenge, and week 5 of our fitness intensive. The last few days of any detox, diet or workout challenge will have you feeling delirious and ready to move on with your life. Being so close to the end is also when we're highly likely to be distracted away from our goals. The theme of 'standing strong' has just as much meaning here.

When we signed on to do the intensive, Jenn asked us to commit to two things:

1. Show up to every 6am class M-F
2. Give each workout, meal and day 110%

I'm on track for 100% perfect attendance in our 6:00a.m. classes, but I'd be lying if I said I did all that with a smile! Y'all already know how I was feeling last week. I never like looking at the time and seeing 5:00a.m. I hate getting out of bed, especially with the cloudy days and rain of late. I always think about how I feel if I skipped my workout for more sleep, and that's when I roll my ass off the bed & out the door.

No matter what's going on in life, committing to an intensive like this is a great lesson in staying the course. After last week's 'off week', I've seen so much change in the way my body looks and I've already reached my goal weight. My best friends tell me they've never seen me in such good shape, and that I'm glowing. These are the same gals who see me all the time, and they'd tell me if I wasn't progressing - so their word means a lot!

I have a renewed sense of commitment - my second wind, you might say - going into this last week of the intensive, and with 33 to Glow out of the way, I can focus on creating my meal plan the way I want to - with the things I know my body needs. I'm so excited to see my final results and hope to share a glimpse of them with you soon!