Boot Camp

Ever heard of Jillian Michael? Well, I've had a virtual introduction - via her "30 Day Shred". Holy Cow!!! That's all I can say. Who knew that in 20 minutes a person could feel like laying down and packing it in? I foolishly thought that my 30 days of exercise had somehow prepared me for this - HA! Literally 5 minutes into the workout I was panting like a dog and felt like my arms and legs were going to give out on me. It's insane...

For those of you who have never tried this workout, it's basically a 20 minute circuit. You have a 2-minute warm-up, then three 6-minute circuits. Each circuit is 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio and 1 minute of abs, with a 2-minute cool down at the end. There are 3 separate workouts - Level 1, 2 and 3, each more intense than the other. I obviously am starting at Level 1, however, at this rate, I'm pretty sure I'll reach Level 3 before the end of 30 days. I borrowed this dvd from a friend, and after reading the jacket thought, "20 minutes, I can easily do that for 30 days!" Oh my. I know I can, but my body is screaming at me, and I'm dripping sweat as I type this. I had to write all this down before it fades from my memory...like that's going to happen...

Anyway, I've decided to make "30 Day Shred" my next 30 day challenge. Starting today. I think I'll call this "Boot Camp" because it certainly feels like it. I found out today that I've been doing cheater push-ups the wrong way! I've never been able to do a true push-up, so I've always done them with my knees on the floor. However, I've also always stuck my butt in the air, and that isn't correct. You're supposed to keep your body straight, just as if you were doing a true push-up, only with your knees on the ground. Oh my word! They are HARD! I only got 4 - how sad is that?!

I am seriously out of shape, and last month was only the warm-up. I am determined to get healthy and fit. That doesn't necessarily mean that I want to be a size 6, but I do want to be able to do jumping jacks without my stomach coming up and hitting me in the double chin... There's way too much flesh moving voluntarily during this workout. When Jillian says, "keep your abs tight", I swear I'm holding them in as tightly as I can - and I can still feel things jiggling...

I've got 30 days. They'll go by quickly. And at the end, I can measure myself again. I think the results will speak for themselves.

Join me!!!

Forgive & Move On

Ok, so I'm going to try really hard to not make a habit of waiting a whole week to post! Yikes! Anyway, I'm going to also be totally honest - and if you haven't figured it out yet: Last week was a bust for me weight-wise. First, I felt fat all week. Second, I snacked all week. Third, I didn't do a lick of exercise. This doesn't generally add up to a successful or healthy week, which it didn't. But, as a friend of mine so pointedly reminded me on FaceBook, "Don't give up! Forgive yourself and move on!" That is exactly what I intend to do.

I will 'fess up and let you know that my week of fatness gained me 3 pounds. Yep, 220 is the weight verdict this week. (I unbroke my scale...) I would really like to be at 215 by the end of June, so I have a lot of work ahead of me! Actually, as I think about it, it's not that much work. I just need to eat decently, get a little exercise every day and drink my water. Does that sound difficult to you?

I Love To Swim

I am so excited! Our town pool is opening today! This year I intend to take advantage of the adult swim time and get some great exercise in. Swimming is exercise that I can handle. It's the best of both worlds - exercise and cooling off - at the same time! Last year, the few times I got to swim without having to watch my daughter, I realized just how out of shape I was. It's tough work and I'm looking forward to it!

I love summer. I love warm weather. I love being outdoors without a coat. I love working outdoors. I love to swim.

Don't forget your sunscreen!

"Bye" Week Needed...

I think it's only fair to claim a "bye" week here. First of all, bloating makes me very afraid to step on the scale - so I'm not going to. Maybe that's a cop-out, but why make myself feel depressed when in a week I know I'll feel much better? Second, I've exercised once in a week - yikes! Another good reason to not step on the scale. I've been good with my diet, but that's about it. So, next Wednesday, I'll weigh in and let you know the results.

Speaking of diets, it seems like there is always something new and fabulous out there - touting its ability to make you lose tons of weight and feel great. I've tried a couple of them and have come to this conclusion: The best way to lose weight and keep it off is to eat/drink right, exercise and get plenty of sleep.

Eating right can mean a lot of things. For me, it means portion control and drinking plenty of water. I'm not as concerned about what I eat, just that I don't over-eat! I don't make a habit of taking second helpings, and I try really hard to keep my serving sizes small. Sure, I have "relapses", but not very often!

My exercise consists of doing something that requires movement and effort on my part. So just sitting outside watching my daughter run around doesn't count. Haha!! Seriously, though, I'm a terrible exerciser and I have to really make myself do it. Like I said, I haven't done a thing the past week except for a walk on Tuesday. That won't get me where I want to be. Thankfully, today is a new day!

What is plenty of sleep? For me, it's at least 7 hours with 8 being ideal. My hubby works 2nd shift, so he gets home around 11:30 and I usually stay up so I can spend some time with him. This means bedtime for me can run anywhere from 12:30-2:00am. This is ok if my daughter sleeps until 9, but that's not always the case. I need to be a lot more disciplined about sleep. I'm pretty sure that lack of sleep has been a big contributor to my weight gain... sad, isn't it?

With that being said, today is a new day with a new opportunity to do things right. I'm not going to give up - like I would have in the past - I'm going to take advantage of this day with its beautiful weather and get moving!

Exercise - Yeah, right...

I need to confess - I really don't like to exercise. Knowing that I have to do it, just makes it worse. So I keep trying to come up with creative ways to get exercise without really calling it exercise. Did that make any sense at all?

The bike in my living room has helped, because I can ride while watching tv. Here are some other things I do while watching tv (which, I must confess, I enjoy too much):

• Leg Lifts - they're way more fun when you're watching your favorite tv show
• Leg Presses - I lay on my back with my knees to my chest and have my daughter lay on my feet and lift her up - she loves it!
• Pilates - once you learn the basics, you can do this anywhere!
• Jumping Jacks
• Walking/running in place

For some reason, I am much more faithful at doing these things when I'm not following a dvd. I'm sure it's all in my head, but hey! Whatever works, right?! You don't have to sit on your butt the entire time you're watching a show.

With spring here, I love being outdoors, and that means all kinds of exercise - mowing lawn, gardening, weeding, swimming (soon!), walking, riding bike and so much more. Sure, these things don't burn as many calories as a full-on one hour workout, but they get the job done! Especially if you keep your food intake sensible! That's the topic for tomorrow...

Enjoy your Friday!