WorkOut Wednesday #9

It usually isn’t until Wednesday rolls around that I realize just how fast time travels and that all the things that I wanted to do throughout the week… well I just didn’t find the time.

I guess you could say that Wednesdays are my new Mondays. UGH!  I have less than three weeks to accomplish my goal.  (I get to take a vacation in 16 days.  Yeah!  But I have to get into a bathing suit.  Just the thought makes me sweat). 

I have been walking/ running with my dogs much more often than I was previously and exercising at home this last week. 

I am so very thankful for the support from everyone regarding this 12 (very extended) week challenge.  Due to my post last week, I received a few emails from sweet peeps that informed me about the 30 Day Shred DVD.  It sounds like an intense 20 minute workout.  I am a big fan of that!!

I am heading to the store and will hopefully begin the new DVD this morning.  I will keep you posted. 

WorkOut Wednesdays #8

Okay, I am humbly asking for forgiveness… I could use a million excuses.

1. I was overwhelmed with LIFE.

2. I love unhealthy foods way too much

3.  I have no self control when it comes to sugar

But what it all boils down to is that I slacked so bad on my 12 Week Challenge.  So bad that I in fact, have taken a 12 Week Hiatus from the 12 Week Challenge.  I could have the body of a sculpted model right now if I had stuck to it, but no I didn’t.  So here I go again. 

You see I didn’t give up.  I just took a break.  I did continue to watch what I was eating but I stopped working out.  I am jumping back on the train, where I left off and I plan on going full force for the next 5 Weeks to get back my body.

I cut out almost all carbs… I let myself have one free day but I ate a high protein diet, eating five times a day and watching calories VERY closely.  I lost 8 pounds just by changing my diet.  However, now it is time to start doing cardio, because I have reached the point where I have lost enough weight where I can see the muscles, it just looks like my body has “hail damage”.  (The cellulite has been pushed to the surface by the muscle underneath and is being SHOWN OFF.  It’s gross).  I am not a fan of that word… cellulite. Blah.  This in-between stage is the worst… at least for my body/skin type. 

So this is where I have to step it up and begin (drum roll) my cardio workout EVERYDAY.  To motivate myself I did a little background:

Cardiovascular fitness refers to the ability of your heart, lungs and organs to consume, transport and utilize oxygen.  When you exercise regularly, you can increase your cardiovascular fitness as your heart becomes more efficient at pumping blood and oxygen to the body, and the body becomes more efficient at using the oxygen.

When we mention cardio fitness we are referring to the body’s ability to generate energy through the circulation of blood and oxygen, this is often referred to as the circulatory system. For a person to improve their cardiovascular health they would have to strengthen the heart and increase endurance. Just like any other muscle in the body the heart can be made stronger by exercise and conditioning.

The general formula implemented when trying to decipher one’s optimal heart rate while performing cardio exercise is to subtract your age from 220. If you are 28 then you would simply subtract 28 from 220 to get 192. Your optimal heart beat range would be 60% to 80% of 192 or 115 to 153 beats per minute.

While a cardio fitness regime strengthens one’s heart, its benefits affect the entire body physically as well as mentally due to the increased blood flow to the body’s brain. When you exercise regularly there is also an increase in the number of red blood cells which the body uses to transport oxygen throughout the body.

Now I have come to the conclusion that I hate Cardio.  I’m sorry I don’t even like the word hate.  It unnerves me, but seriously I do NOT understand people that look forward to this.  If my parent’s only knew this when I was a teenager, they could have used this as punishment instead of grounding.  I would much rather be grounded & told to stay in my room and read a book then get your booty up & go work out.  I guess I can Thank God for small favors. :-)

All that pessimism aside, I am looking forward to reaching my goal and I only have 5 more pounds to go and one more pant size to lose.  I’m almost there and I have faith that I will accomplish this goal in the next five weeks.

Technorati Tags: working out,losing weight,12 week challenge

WorkOut Wednesdays #7

It's that time again. This week has flown by so quickly.

Okay now, it's time for confession. I have not followed my "healthy" diet very well this week and have eaten out way too many times. We eat out with my in-laws probably three or so times a week. I love them & don't want to miss out on the fun, so I go... but I have no will power when the plate of cheese fries are in front of me... or the menu for that matter. No one made me order the cheese burger. I did it to myself.

While I still feel better this week, I can't help but wonder how much better I would feel if I had been able to stick to the diet as well.

I am swearing off vowing this week, because last week I VOWED to do better and then was stagnant so instead I am not going to vow, not going to do it. I will not do it. Instead I will just go back in my closet & play dress up with my old clothes that I can fit into again. If this doesn't work, next week I will get out the boxes of clothes from the next size down & hang all of them in my closet (none of them fit me right now... so it would really be a CRUEL joke... Sitting there just staring at all the clothes that I can't wear).

Okay, now it's time to stop beating myself up... I can save all that to motivate me next week. This last week HAS been productive. I have been able to workout & play a bit more than normal and my body is definitely feeling the effects. I keep having to take breaks from typing to do my happy dance. I didn't lose pounds this week but I have moved down another pant size. Woo HOOO!

Just a quick recap: Since I have started my half-efforted workout challenge, I have lost 9 pounds and two pant sizes. I have 14 more pounds to go or two more pant sizes. I'll be honest, I really don't care about the weight itself. I don't mind if I don't lose another pound, however I DO want to lose the two more pant sizes. I want to comfortably fit into my old clothes again. And when I say comfortably, I mean I want to be able to wear them & bend over without having to worry that I am going to split my pants or have the buttons fly off shooting across the room as I sit down. My ultimate dream goal is to be able to put on a bathing suit and not pick myself apart. Is it really possible??? Are there women out there that are totally comfortable with their bodies???

WorkOut Wednesdays #6

Yes, I know that I am posting the Workout Wednesday at 10pm on Thursday night, but that is exactly the way that my week has gone.

Well that and I am dreading announcing that I have slacked again this week. Although I have skipped a few (okay, most) of my workouts this week, I have still lost 3 more pounds and a pant size. My sister always told me that muscle helps burn fat. I guess that this week I have just proven that theory for her. (I'm sure that the theory was proven years ago in some research lab somewhere long ago, but I always appreciate learning from a hands-on approach).

Every two weeks I have been increasing my workout's quality (same amount of time just a more intense exercise regime). So now that we are at the halfway point I will be changing the workout again. I am still doing the workouts from the magazine, plus the cardio (I usually TiVo one) and now I will be also focusing on different body sculpting exercises that are more specific to my body and the areas that I want to "fix" or rather ELIMINATE.

As I am hiding my face in shame this week, I am vowing to have more for you next week! I feel terrible for letting myself down and for letting you down as well.

WorkOut Wednesdays #5

This last week has been a great week! I am finally seeing more results and my clothes are fitting better! Yeah!

I lost 6 pounds this week. I am excited about finally getting to "see" some changes. Feeling good and less stressed was great, don't get me wrong. However I am glad to know that the scale actually works and hasn't been stuck this entire time. (I was really beginning to believe that was the case).

Now for those that don't know me personally may not realize what a feat this new result actually is... but let me just tell you it is HUGE! Someone had offered the kids a Hershey's candy bar and I was actually able to split it up between the two of them without stealing a little square for myself or just flat out getting the shakes or breaking out in a sweat from the sugar withdrawals. I didn't know this was possible.

For those of you that have an iPhone I downloaded this cool app called Gym Buddy that helps you log your exercises, reps, etc as well as have workout recommendations by the area of the body that you intend to target that day. It is very resourceful and helps me keep up with my workouts. However! And this is a big however, I had not utilized the entire app until now. Since I had actually started loosing weight, I thought that it would be encouraging to log it so that I could enjoy watching the improvement. After entering my information into this Gym Buddy I hit "enter" or "submit" and back came some results that I wasn't exactly asking to receive. It said as plainly, bluntly, with a hint of RUDE.... OBESE (next to body mass index). After drop kicking the phone across the room, (just kidding.... I couldn't get my leg that high. I'm still a little sore) I began talking to my phone, saying "ya, I know... I'm working on it". Normally this isn't an issue but this time no one was on the other end of the phone.

I still love the Gym Buddy app, but I won't be pushing the Body Calc button again until after I finish the 12 week challenge. Then I hope that it will tell me "Job well done. Now, go have a Snickers".

WorkOut Wednesdays #4

I have a question, do you guys dread Wednesdays as much as I do? I wasn't always this way, but now that I am being held accountable for my commitment (or lack thereof) to working out on Wednesdays --- I TOTALLY dread Wednesdays!

I would love to use going on a vacation with my husband as my excuse for not working out, but the Resort had an amazing fitness facility. So I'll just be honest, I chose to lay in the nice warm bed and watch the snow fall with my husband instead of working out. So I didn't make very much progress this week.

I have been battling tremendously with this evil little product called CHOCOLATE! It's terrible. Before I had children, I rarely ate candy, chocolate, and junk, however now I can't seem to get enough.

I realize that I am a third of the way through the 12 week challenge and so the pressure is on. I am still doing the workout from the Fitness Magazines that I have told you about, and this week I will also be adding cardio to my workout. I am hoping that this will help me see results a bit faster (which will in turn help motivate me).

Work Out Wednesdays #3

OH PLEASE!!!

Great News!! She's BACK! My sister, Kristen, called earlier this week and told me that she was going to be calling me to give me some of her exercises. I am so excited about this because she just had a baby two weeks ago and she looks PHE-NOM-IN-ALL!!! I can't emphasis this enough! This girl gets results!

As you all know I have been on a water kick ever since I started this workout thingy. Yes, I said "thingy" and until I actually begin seeing results that's all it will be is a "thingy". I refuse to give it the respect that it will deserve until then.

Since, I don't have any new milestones to post about the workout I will leave you with this instead:

The following will probably amaze and startle you.

One glass of water shuts down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University study.

Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.

A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or

Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

Are you drinking the amount of water you should every day?

(No kidding, all of the above is true...)

OF COURSE, TOO MUCH WATER MAY HAVE STRANGE SIDE AFFECTS.

Now that I have your attention, go get another glass of water!

--BUT BE VERY CAREFUL.

Laugh often, long and loud.

Laugh until you gasp for your breath.

And if you have a friend who makes you laugh, spend lots and lots of time with them.

A girl that I know sent this via email earlier today and it touched my warped sense of humor, so I couldn't help myself... I had to share.

WorkOut Wednesdays #2

Unfortunately Week 1 of the 12 Week Challenge did not go exactly like I had envisioned. But seriously, does every thing EVER go like it was planned. I hope and pray that it does for you, however, in my world, things rolling out smoothly without any kinks is a very rare thing. That is okay though, I adapt easily and move right along.

Here's the reason that the challenge will be adapting. My sister, Kristen, the personal trainer, flaked on the challenge. We were supposed to start it last Monday (and this time it was HER idea so I thought that she might stick with it & follow through... not the case). As you all know on Wednesday I posted about it. I need accountability to motivate me to workout & that did it for me! I wanted to have something to bring back to you today and share.

So beginning last Tuesday I felt like a stalker. I called Kristen 7 times each day (7 is my lucky number), asking her if she could read me her list of exercises that she keeps in her notebook. She always has it... she logs what she eats, how often she nurses, how many diapers she changes, and her exercises among many other things. However it wasn't ever convenient for her to read them to me... she would take the time to read to me what she ATE, but not the exercises. I didn't want to harass her, so I wasn't pushy (I probably should have been). I gave her many opportunities (we would often talk for thirty minutes each phone call), but as I said before, it wasn't convenient. So all that to say, I gave up on her 12 week challenge on day 6 and went out bought a few fitness magazines and decided to Banish Cellulite in 15 minutes a day and Lose belly fat now and Get fit for under $30. I began torturing, oops I mean training myself.

So far I have been more than pleased with these workouts. It has only been a few days but they seem to be REALLY working because I can't walk normally. I resemble a pregnant penguin at the moment because I can't lift my legs to walk. And for some reason I am VERY happy about this!! You can tell I am still in the excited stage about working out.

I have been drinking more water which is HUGE for me. This was probably my greatest downfall as far as health was concerned. I'm sure this was the root of many of my problems, but I am now doing my best to get this lactic acid to move through my body. In addition to working out I have started rolling my lazy booty out of bed early in the morning to walk my dog. This has helped tremendously, because I am still too tired to notice that my body is sore, and today I noticed a huge difference later in the afternoon as I was stretching.

Due to the holidays (I have to blame it on something), my diet was not the best. I cheated and had some chocolate covered strawberries, and french silk pie... and a Twix. Well it was Valentine's day... except for the Twix... I have no excuse for that one. I had no will power. Other than that, I have done better with watching my portions. Portion control can make a world of difference for me, let me put it this way... Some people's husbands have endearing nicknames for them like "Honey", "Sweetheart", "Love", well the nickname that Corey had for me was "My Big Eater" and he told every waiter & anyone that we shared a mean with about this loving name of mine. Unfortunately, I couldn't deny it, nor did it bother me. Heck, I may have even been a little proud, as if I was a little child that just finished everything on their plate and sporting the big proud smile to match. I stay pretty active so my eating didn't hurt me too bad, however when I am trying to cut pounds cutting my portions (not the number of times) that I eat can make a difference.

As far as snacks this week, I have been sticking to Soy Nuts (Corey, get your mind out of the gutter... I'm sure all that he say was the word "Nuts"). Seriously honey roasted Soy Nuts which I have found at Reasors (local grocery store) for my 10am snack and then after lunch I also have a 3pm snack which is usually a yogurt or dairy of some sort.

To help Motivate me I use the reward system with myself. Each person is different... you might be the type of person that rewards yourself all the time... so it won't mean as much. You chose what works best for you. If I stick to the diet then I get to splurge one day and have something sweet. If I stick to the workout then I will pamper myself. Hey, I can give a great pedicure! :-) If I get to the point that I get to move down a pant size & get to break out a box of clothes then I just might have to have some "Me time" to celebrate. I like books & movies. Those are not things that I do for myself very often but when it's a reward I don't feel guilty for taking that time for myself.

In the Fitness magazine, I found some delicious sounding recipes that I will be trying this next week. If they are any good, I will definitely pass them along, but for now here is the menu:

Healthy Menu

Coriander Teriyaki Flank Steak
Orange-Curry Grilled Turkey Tenderloins
Chutney Chicken

Easy Healthy Menu

Whole wheat pasta with ripe tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and fresh herbs
spinach salad with prosciutto, pecans, and dried cherries

WorkOut Wednesdays

THE 12 WEEK CHALLENGE

I am more than just a little late about starting this "New Years Resolution" but in this case late is better than never. I am extremely goal oriented and the idea of working out just to workout... well it exhausts me before I even start. So I am usually too tired to get in the car to go to the gym. (Yes, I know fatigue is a HUGE sign of being out of shape. I have HIGH hopes that working out will give me the extra energy that I desire need.

To give into the "goal oriented" side of me there is a time limit on my workout regimen. I do have hopes that by the end of my 12 weeks that working out will have become a habit or at least routine enough so that I don't feel like I should be doing something else instead.

I don't know about you but I need a bit lots of extra motivation to keep me going so I will try to post about these things that help motivate me on Wednesdays.

WEEK 1 IDEAS

• Keep yourself motivated by hanging a bulletin or magnetic board for posting exercise information in your workout space.
• Use the board to hold your exercise routine, inspirational photos or quotations, and a chart for tracking your progress.
• If you don't have wall space for an information board, use a three-ring binder instead.
• I have chosen to some of my inspiration on the mirror in my bathroom. It is the first thing I see and it encourages me for all the right reasons. This will hopefully keep me positive about working out and prevent me from dreading it. (I don't dread the workout itself. I usually dread the amount of time it takes to go workout and I feel like I'm getting behind in all the other things that I should be doing. For some reason I NEVER feel that way about blogging... That is probably due to all the sweet comments and feedback that I receive from all of you. I LOVE THE INTERNET. My only regret here is not discovering blogging earlier.

Now I have to admit I will be cheating!! I am getting my workout routine from my sister, Kristen. She is a personal trainer by profession. You ask why I haven't taken advantage of this opportunity before... TIME. To visit her gym, I would have to drive 30 minutes to get there, workout for 45 minutes, then 30 minutes back home, then shower & get ready, which is another 30 minutes... working out would have taken up 2 hours & 15 minutes of my day. Then if I have any errands in the city I would have to drive 30 minutes back again (I wouldn't want to run those errands without a shower) plus add in child care and gas and the issue becomes TIME and MONEY. To sum it all up... that is why.

However the sweetest little bundle of joy, my new niece, Koah Hope, has provided me with a wonderful opportunity. Kristen, due to her HIGHLY motivated self (that's why she's good at what she does), is determined to get her awesome pre-baby body back. She was not obsessed with her body while she was pregnant instead she was more concerned with making sure her baby received all the nourishment and nutrition that she needed. (This incredibly healthy baby had a 9.9 APGAR result; she is already off to a great start). Consequently Kristen gained some pregnancy weight. I am so proud of her for this. I have seen too many mom's obsess about their weight & then the babies have health issues. You don't get the opportunity to grow THAT healthy child again but you CAN always work out & loose the weight. WHOA! I need to get back on track. So ANYWAY, now that she just had a baby 5 days ago, she will begin the 12 weeks with a LIGHT workout only lasting ten minutes. She will be telling me over the phone what to do so I can workout at home. I'm loving this! Time and Money are on my side. The time and the intensity will increase gradually as her body heals but she is wanting the workouts to remain around 30-45 minutes. (This will vary depending on the results that she will be receiving). Once she develops the exercise program she is planning on marketing it. She is just wrapping up the production of her pregnancy workout videos... hmm. I foresee a future contest or giveaway here).

As we all know working out without changing your eating habits may help your heart but it won't help the condition of your body. Instead you will feel like you are & will be getting bigger because you will be building muscle under the 'chub" that is already there. (I am not a fan of the word fat). So I will be... UGHHH ... changing my diet. SOB! SOB! No more cheese fries. SOB, cheese burgers, (the tears are streaming down my face at this point), or junk food. I am still in search for healthy family recipes (I'm not going to cook seperate meals for each of us. Besides, it will be good for all of them as well to start eating healthy). As I find good ones I will post recipes & share them. If any of you have any good healthy recipes, please.. I beg you... please share with me.

As I said earlier, Kristen will probably be marketing the 12 week (post-baby) workout so unfortunately I can't give you the detailed exercises but I do have permission to share the general areas & times that we are working out so that if you want to follow the challenge you can. Please let me know if anyone is interested in working out with us & I will set up a Mr. Linky so we can all read each others posts & gripe about it together follow the progress together.