I have been hit and miss the last couple of weeks due to my daughter being sick and me being sick. But I've managed to get a little exercise in, but not a whole lot. Most week days, I've managed to at least get 20 minutes of brisk walking in on my breaks, but other than that I've only made it to the gym twice. I must be doing something right though because I have been losing inches (though I'm not sure about weight because I don't have a scale at home, only one at the gym - which I can't seem to get to!)
February 13, 2013 Results...
Bust: Down 1/2 inch
Chest: Same
Waist: Down 1/2 inch
Hips: Same
Left Thigh: Same
Right Thigh: Same
Left Arm: Same
Right Arm: Down 1/2 inch
Total for that week: Down 1 and 1/2 inches
February 20, 2013 Results...
Bust: Down 1/2 inch
Chest: Down 1/2 inch
Waist: Down 1 inch
Hips: Down 1 inch
Left Thigh: Down 1 inch
Right Thigh: Down 1 inch
Left Arm: Down 1/2 inch
Right Arm: Down 1/2 inch
Total for this week: Down 6 inches!!! (hopefully it stays off because this week I've been sick.)
I'll be getting my ticker caught up to reflect where I'm at on everything.
Showing posts with label Carrie Walker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carrie Walker. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Week #1: Update, Carrie W.
My First Week:
Since I hadn't really come up with a HEP and I'm not really sure this constitutes one, but I really hate to limit my eating when I first start to try to lose weight. This may seem counterproductive, but if I tell myself I can't eat something I want it. Typically I start out by working out quite a bit (though this is the first time I've really tried since having a child, so I don't have as much time) and then gradually start not eating certain foods. The main thing for my HEP at this point is that I'm avoiding soda/carbonated beverages/pop (whatever you call it - I prefer calling it "soda"). We are also staying at home for our meals and making our own food, so even though it isn't low fat we are trying to eat foods that are better for us because we are making them at home and not eating fast food.
January 30, 2013...
I got in 28 minutes on the elliptical and 2 minutes on the rowing machine as well as a 20 minute brisk walk.
2 points.
January 31, 2013...
35 minutes - elliptical/5 minutes - rowing machine/20 minutes - brisk walk = 3
Introductory post = 10
HEP = 1
13 points
February 1, 2013...
25 minutes - elliptical (the full body kind where you also work out your arms)
15 minutes - weight machines (worked out various arm muscles and leg muscles - sorry I don't know my muscle names very well).
HEP = 1
3 points
February 2, 2013...
HEP = 1
February 3, 2013...
HEP = 1
February 4, 2013...
HEP = 1
February 5, 2013...
HEP = 1
February 6, 2013...
Measurements:
Bust: 1/2 inch smaller
Chest: 1/2 inch smaller
Waist: same
Hips: 1 inch smaller
R Thigh: 1/2 inch smaller
L Thigh: same
R Arm: 1/2 inch smaller
L Arm: 1/2 inch smaller
Total Inches Lost: 3.5 inches lost for 7 points
HEP = 1
This Post = 1
9 Points
Since I hadn't really come up with a HEP and I'm not really sure this constitutes one, but I really hate to limit my eating when I first start to try to lose weight. This may seem counterproductive, but if I tell myself I can't eat something I want it. Typically I start out by working out quite a bit (though this is the first time I've really tried since having a child, so I don't have as much time) and then gradually start not eating certain foods. The main thing for my HEP at this point is that I'm avoiding soda/carbonated beverages/pop (whatever you call it - I prefer calling it "soda"). We are also staying at home for our meals and making our own food, so even though it isn't low fat we are trying to eat foods that are better for us because we are making them at home and not eating fast food.
January 30, 2013...
I got in 28 minutes on the elliptical and 2 minutes on the rowing machine as well as a 20 minute brisk walk.
2 points.
January 31, 2013...
35 minutes - elliptical/5 minutes - rowing machine/20 minutes - brisk walk = 3
Introductory post = 10
HEP = 1
13 points
February 1, 2013...
25 minutes - elliptical (the full body kind where you also work out your arms)
15 minutes - weight machines (worked out various arm muscles and leg muscles - sorry I don't know my muscle names very well).
HEP = 1
3 points
February 2, 2013...
HEP = 1
February 3, 2013...
HEP = 1
February 4, 2013...
HEP = 1
February 5, 2013...
HEP = 1
February 6, 2013...
Measurements:
Bust: 1/2 inch smaller
Chest: 1/2 inch smaller
Waist: same
Hips: 1 inch smaller
R Thigh: 1/2 inch smaller
L Thigh: same
R Arm: 1/2 inch smaller
L Arm: 1/2 inch smaller
Total Inches Lost: 3.5 inches lost for 7 points
HEP = 1
This Post = 1
9 Points
Total Points for this week: 32
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Carrie Walker - Intro
Hi! My name is Carrie and I joined this fitness challenge 3 years ago. I started losing weight and was on a roll when I developed what I thought was the stomach flu. Turns out, it wasn't the stomach flu...I was just pregnant. While I had every intention of staying fit throughout my pregnancy within my first Doctor's visit I was told I wasn't allowed to exercise since I was having issues with spotting.
Long story short...my child was born and she has not been a good sleeper for over a year. Finally this past August she started sleeping through the night every night not just sporadically, but we were starting new jobs and had just moved and were settling in to our new lives and I was incredibly busy.
Fortunately one of the perks of my new job is that I have a fitness center at my disposal and the membership is included. They have also started a new wellness program and are encouraging the staff to get healthy! So since I've been wanting to (and I'd already started going to the fitness center pretty faithfully for the 2 weeks prior to finding out about this challenge), I figured I'd join and stay motivated!
While I did take my measurements yesterday, I'm not the sharing type. Don't worry, I'll let you know if I lose inches or gain inches. But until I get a bit smaller, I'm not about to let you all know what exactly those starting inches are. :)
That's about it. Here's to getting fit and staying fit this time!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
E-mealz
I wasn't sure what to post this under, but since this does have to do with food I figured I would stick it under a diet tip.
Probably a reason I struggle with weight is because I feel like I never have time to make meals at home that are nutritious. It takes so much time, energy and planning to even get a meal on the table that often times we just grab whatever is in the freezer - pop it into the oven and eat it. Or to save even more time - we just go out to eat. I know this is a very unhealthy practice and super expensive.
So, you can imagine how excited I was to find a website that will take the planning out of it for me. All I have to do is pay $5/mo and I get a weekly menu complete with a grocery list to print out. Now the reason I'm sharing this with you guys is because they have many lists to choose from including low carb, low fat, points system (i.e. if you are using Weight Watchers), vegetarian etc.
As a side bonus for me, if you click through the link below and decide to sign up, I'll get a referral bonus. Even if I didn't get a referral bonus, I'd still be telling you all about it because I'm just so excited about this. Hopefully this will even help those of you who aren't in the states since most of the menu's include a shop at any store option. Hope this helps you guys too!
Probably a reason I struggle with weight is because I feel like I never have time to make meals at home that are nutritious. It takes so much time, energy and planning to even get a meal on the table that often times we just grab whatever is in the freezer - pop it into the oven and eat it. Or to save even more time - we just go out to eat. I know this is a very unhealthy practice and super expensive.
So, you can imagine how excited I was to find a website that will take the planning out of it for me. All I have to do is pay $5/mo and I get a weekly menu complete with a grocery list to print out. Now the reason I'm sharing this with you guys is because they have many lists to choose from including low carb, low fat, points system (i.e. if you are using Weight Watchers), vegetarian etc.
As a side bonus for me, if you click through the link below and decide to sign up, I'll get a referral bonus. Even if I didn't get a referral bonus, I'd still be telling you all about it because I'm just so excited about this. Hopefully this will even help those of you who aren't in the states since most of the menu's include a shop at any store option. Hope this helps you guys too!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Not sure what week we are on, but I'm still alive.
So I really thought that I would be doing much better at this by now. I'm still alive, but the bottom line is I've still been having morning sickness like crazy and so haven't felt like working out or much of anything.
The good news is that I've been basicallly just drinking water. I was able to go to some garage sales on Saturday and walked the plan rather than driving around it with my car.
More good news... My weight gain is very slow. I'm now at 16 weeks in my pregnancy and when I went to the doctor's office they told me that I lost 2 lbs since last month. According to my weigh-in's at home I'd only gained about 3 lbs anyway, so at least I'm not gorging myself.
Hope everyone is doing well with their challenge. Hang in there! Sorry I'm not as motivational this time around.
The good news is that I've been basicallly just drinking water. I was able to go to some garage sales on Saturday and walked the plan rather than driving around it with my car.
More good news... My weight gain is very slow. I'm now at 16 weeks in my pregnancy and when I went to the doctor's office they told me that I lost 2 lbs since last month. According to my weigh-in's at home I'd only gained about 3 lbs anyway, so at least I'm not gorging myself.
Hope everyone is doing well with their challenge. Hang in there! Sorry I'm not as motivational this time around.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
So a little about me...I would say that other than when I was under the age of 9, I've always struggled with my weight. To stay even close to the size of my peers, I had to work-out and diet all the time. For years, it really wasn't that challenging. I played sports all through high school and some in college. During college, my me time was walking around the dorms with friends and talking - so it was relatively easy then as well (not to mention the food at the dining common wasn't that great, so I ate salads all the time). Then, life started getting busier.
I would say there were many factors to my current size. The main one being lack of time and probably to be totally honest, lack of will power too. Since I've constantly had to watch what I eat and work out all the time to stay not even skinny, but just to maintain a decent weight/size I really lost the motivation to even try any more. That combined with working full-time and just having little to no time to make good, nutritious meals.
Those last two paragraphs was how I introduced myself last time. I have a little bit to add now, since about half-way through the last challenge I became pregnant! So, I am entering this challenge not really to lose weight or even inches, but just to stay healthy. Going into this challenge I'm 12 weeks pregnant - already getting a small baby bump - and have just been given the okay by my doctor to resume working out activities!
Simply put my goal: stay healthy and gain only a healthy amount during this pregnancy. I'll mostly be walking, though I'll probably do some strength training so that I'm ready to haul everything around after the baby is born. As far as eating goes, I'm going to try to maintain what I've been doing which is to eat lots of fruit and veggies (meats just haven't been appealing to me lately) and drink tons of water (which is about the only thing that doesn't leave a weird taste in my mouth).
Per Dani Joy's request, I'll try to post some of my growing pregnancy pictures along the way. Pictures will come at a later date since our camera has been borrowed until the end of the month.
I would say there were many factors to my current size. The main one being lack of time and probably to be totally honest, lack of will power too. Since I've constantly had to watch what I eat and work out all the time to stay not even skinny, but just to maintain a decent weight/size I really lost the motivation to even try any more. That combined with working full-time and just having little to no time to make good, nutritious meals.
Those last two paragraphs was how I introduced myself last time. I have a little bit to add now, since about half-way through the last challenge I became pregnant! So, I am entering this challenge not really to lose weight or even inches, but just to stay healthy. Going into this challenge I'm 12 weeks pregnant - already getting a small baby bump - and have just been given the okay by my doctor to resume working out activities!
Simply put my goal: stay healthy and gain only a healthy amount during this pregnancy. I'll mostly be walking, though I'll probably do some strength training so that I'm ready to haul everything around after the baby is born. As far as eating goes, I'm going to try to maintain what I've been doing which is to eat lots of fruit and veggies (meats just haven't been appealing to me lately) and drink tons of water (which is about the only thing that doesn't leave a weird taste in my mouth).
Per Dani Joy's request, I'll try to post some of my growing pregnancy pictures along the way. Pictures will come at a later date since our camera has been borrowed until the end of the month.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Last Springy Journal of this Challenge
I can't believe this is the last day of the challenge. This has been such a great way to jump-start me on becoming a more fit individual for God's glory!
Once again, I've mostly walked - if you really want to see what I've been doing, just check out my widget on the blog. I actually do post on that regularly.
Now on to the summary of these past 10 weeks:
Since this challenge began...
I was hoping to lose more than 6 pounds, but I'm still happy with the progress I've made. Probably my best thing was I lost lots and lots of inches and went down 1 size. Here's the breakdown of where the inches came from.
Once again, I've mostly walked - if you really want to see what I've been doing, just check out my widget on the blog. I actually do post on that regularly.
Now on to the summary of these past 10 weeks:
Since this challenge began...
I have worked out a total of 54 hours and 20 minutes which has allowed me to lose 6 pounds and 35.5 inches.
I was hoping to lose more than 6 pounds, but I'm still happy with the progress I've made. Probably my best thing was I lost lots and lots of inches and went down 1 size. Here's the breakdown of where the inches came from.
Total Loss in each category:
Bust: 5 inches lost
Chest: 4.5 inches lost
Waist: 6 inches lost
Hips: 5 inches lost
Right Thigh: 5.5 inches lost
Left Thigh: 5.5 inches lost
Right Arm: 1.5 inches lost
Left Arm: 1.5 inches lost
Thank you everyone for your encouragement! Thank you Dani Joy for allowing me to join this challenge. And just because this challenge is over doesn't mean getting fit and active is over, keep on keeping on!!! You guys are the greatest!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Only 1 Week Left!
I can't believe it has already been 9 weeks (or pretty close to 9 weeks, since I'm posting on Tuesday). Life has been crazy busy lately - it was either workout or write on here, so I chose to workout, so that I'd have something to write about eventually! :)
For the past couple of weeks, my husband has been joining me on my walks at work, so that has really helped me to stay motivated. We usually walk a little over a mile, but depending on the day, sometimes just a little under 2 miles. I haven't been doing too great at getting on my Wii to do many workouts, so I'm glad I've been able to stay working out by walking.
Since I last posted - which I know was awhile ago - I haven't lost any pounds. Well, I kind of have, but it's been the whole down 2 lbs, up 2 lbs kind of thing, so total since last time, it has averaged at 0.
My measurements:
Bust: 1/2 inch lost
Chest: 1/2 inch lost
Waist: 1 and 1/2 inch lost
Hips: same
Right Thigh: same
Left Thigh: same
Right Arm: same
Left Arm: same
For the past couple of weeks, my husband has been joining me on my walks at work, so that has really helped me to stay motivated. We usually walk a little over a mile, but depending on the day, sometimes just a little under 2 miles. I haven't been doing too great at getting on my Wii to do many workouts, so I'm glad I've been able to stay working out by walking.
Since I last posted - which I know was awhile ago - I haven't lost any pounds. Well, I kind of have, but it's been the whole down 2 lbs, up 2 lbs kind of thing, so total since last time, it has averaged at 0.
My measurements:
Bust: 1/2 inch lost
Chest: 1/2 inch lost
Waist: 1 and 1/2 inch lost
Hips: same
Right Thigh: same
Left Thigh: same
Right Arm: same
Left Arm: same
Totals since beginning:
Pounds lost: 6
Inches Lost: 33.5
Friday, March 5, 2010
6 Weeks Down, only 4 weeks left!
I know it appeared that I wasn't doing this challenge anymore, but that's not the case. I just had a rough couple of weeks.
It all started when the snow started melting from the roof of our house and the water was collecting inside my house on every floor. I was able to get in a couple of actual formal workouts, but mostly I got my workout time in by cleaning up gallons upon gallons of water.
It finally stopped leaking in our house and then we (my husband and I) had our late week at work. Again, I managed to get in only a couple of actual formal workouts. That wasn't the end of it though. At the end of the late week, I got the stomach flu and was unable to workout for 5 days.
This past Tuesday, I was finally able to get going again so I'm back on track.
Update on weight loss and inches since last time (2 weeks ago)...
Bust: Same
Chest: Same
Waist: 1 inch lost
Hips: 1/2 inch lost
Right thigh: Same
Left thigh: Same
Right arm: Same
Left arm: Same
Weight loss: 1 lb lost
It all started when the snow started melting from the roof of our house and the water was collecting inside my house on every floor. I was able to get in a couple of actual formal workouts, but mostly I got my workout time in by cleaning up gallons upon gallons of water.
It finally stopped leaking in our house and then we (my husband and I) had our late week at work. Again, I managed to get in only a couple of actual formal workouts. That wasn't the end of it though. At the end of the late week, I got the stomach flu and was unable to workout for 5 days.
This past Tuesday, I was finally able to get going again so I'm back on track.
Update on weight loss and inches since last time (2 weeks ago)...
Bust: Same
Chest: Same
Waist: 1 inch lost
Hips: 1/2 inch lost
Right thigh: Same
Left thigh: Same
Right arm: Same
Left arm: Same
Weight loss: 1 lb lost
Total Lost:
6 pounds lost
31 inches lost
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
4 weeks done! Only 6 left!!! (aka Double Springy Journal)
Wednesday - February 10, 2010
So, today was encouraging because I found out I'd lost another 8 and 1/2 inches. While I would have liked to have lost more than 1/2 lb, I'll take what I can get.
Today was another snowed in day for me. But, since we are snowed in, guess what there was plenty to do - snow shoveling!!! My arms feel like they are about to fall off. I just shoveled snow for an hour straight. I really thought I was getting into shape until I started to shovel snow tonight.
I also got in a 25 minute work out earlier today - I'm only planning on counting it for 1 point right now though. I guess I'll carry the 5 minutes over for another day, if that is okay. (I think I read Tami did that last fitness challenge - so hoping this still applies for this challenge!)
I think that's all for now - I'm starting to thaw out from being outside, so I'm getting kind of chilled.
Thought I'd share some of winter wonderland pictures for you. These were taken from the first snow we got, not the latest 5-6 inches that we got last night, so the snow is actually a lot higher now than it was in these pictures.
Did not walk at work - too cold and the parking lot is very slippery and snowy. I did get in 1 hour and 35 minutes of DDR, Wii Active and Helix - I did all sorts of stuff today. Good news...I can tell my endurance is getting stronger, I'm having to kick it up to even get worn out. :) (Oh, I'm counting 1 hour and 40 minutes since I had 5 minutes left over from yesterday.)
Ok, that's it for now!
Friday - February 12, 2010
So, today was encouraging because I found out I'd lost another 8 and 1/2 inches. While I would have liked to have lost more than 1/2 lb, I'll take what I can get.
Today was another snowed in day for me. But, since we are snowed in, guess what there was plenty to do - snow shoveling!!! My arms feel like they are about to fall off. I just shoveled snow for an hour straight. I really thought I was getting into shape until I started to shovel snow tonight.
(The car at the top left is the one we were getting out and then we ended up shoveling a lot of this street too because the borough hasn't bothered!)
I also got in a 25 minute work out earlier today - I'm only planning on counting it for 1 point right now though. I guess I'll carry the 5 minutes over for another day, if that is okay. (I think I read Tami did that last fitness challenge - so hoping this still applies for this challenge!)
I think that's all for now - I'm starting to thaw out from being outside, so I'm getting kind of chilled.
Thought I'd share some of winter wonderland pictures for you. These were taken from the first snow we got, not the latest 5-6 inches that we got last night, so the snow is actually a lot higher now than it was in these pictures.
This is to show how tall it was (and these are some jeans I haven't been able to fit into in over a year!!!) - see this is fitness related. :)
My husband getting in some exercise!
These are my "kids!" See how tall the snow is on them!
Thursday - February 11, 2010
Well, I'm going to keep this short as I'm trying to make up some time for work this evening.Did not walk at work - too cold and the parking lot is very slippery and snowy. I did get in 1 hour and 35 minutes of DDR, Wii Active and Helix - I did all sorts of stuff today. Good news...I can tell my endurance is getting stronger, I'm having to kick it up to even get worn out. :) (Oh, I'm counting 1 hour and 40 minutes since I had 5 minutes left over from yesterday.)
Ok, that's it for now!
Friday - February 12, 2010
I tried to keep my work-out time a little shorter today. My husband seemed kind of disappointed that I was going to do a long work-out, so out of respect to him I did a short one.
I worked out for 40 minutes tonight doing my DDR.
Saturday - February 13, 2010
Today was a crazy run errands day. Since we've been snowed in much of the last week, we were running low on oodles of stuff. I did manage to get in some work-out time though - 1 solid hour.
Funny story...(I think so anyway)
My husband had to get a haircut today - so I was wandering around Wal-mart waiting for him. I happened to be in the yogurt section and decided to pick some I'd seen some commercials for - just to see if they really are good or not.
On the way home, I said to my husband "I can't wait to try my new yogurt!" He was like, "Did you hear what you just said?" I told him I had and that I'd actually thought to myself - "oh, no I'm becoming a freak!"
Moral of the story: If I (a junk-food lover) can eat healthier foods anyone can!
Sunday - February 14, 2010
I wanted to work-out today, I really did. But my body was like "are you crazy? I'm exhausted!!!" So, I had an official day of rest today.
Monday - February 15, 2010
I was able to get in one solid hour of working out. I only have one day left for my light intensity 30 Day challenge - so that is exciting.
Tuesday - February 16, 2010
Today was the last day of my 30 Day challenge, and tomorrow I'll be starting another one - just on the next level of intensity up. I did a few different things today during my work-out. I did my Wii Active for awhile and then played Helix. While playing Helix, I added wrist weights to spice things up a bit and then played some normally w/o the weights, but at a high intensity.
And now to the weekly update:
I'll start with my measurements:
Bust: 1 inch less
Chest: 1/2 inch less
Waist: same
Hips: 1/2 inch less
Right Thigh: 1.5 inches less
Left Thigh: 1.5 inches less
Right Arm: same
Left Arm: same
Total Inches for this week: 5 inches less
Total Pounds lost for this week: 1 pound
Cumulative Total:
29.5 inches lost
5 pounds lost
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
3 Weeks Down - 7 to Go!
Wednesday - February 3, 2010
Today was very exciting for me, although I only lost 1/2 pound this week - I found out I had managed to lose 9 more inches.
I was able to walk for 40 minutes today using my breaks at work. When, I got home, I exercised for another hour and 40 minutes. I decided to change things up a bit and use my Dance Dance Revolution to get my legs moving some way other than walking and running.
Thursday - February 4, 2010
Today was picture day at work - we had some photographer going around taking candid pictures of everyone for future promotional and ad related things. Anyway, I wanted to look good since I might end up in some kind of advertisement. I couldn't figure out what to wear, so I decided to try on a pair of dress pants that have been rather snug lately (and therefore just hanging in my closet). To my delight, not only did they fit - they were really loose in the thighs (which had been really tight before) and loose in the waist. Talk about more motivation, it was wonderful to actually feel cute again! :)
I was only able to get an hour in today of working out and it was all just walking at work. My husband had to stay late tonight, so I got my 40 minutes done during work and then walked another 20 after my work day, but before it got dark.
Friday - February 5, 2010
I had really good intentions about walking at work today, but I ended up only walking for 20 minutes. We are in the midst of a snowstorm so needless to say most of the various people that I walk with didn't want to go walking during it.
As soon as we got home this evening, I got started working out. I did all sorts of stuff tonight. I burned 220 calories during my 45 minutes on Dance, Dance Revolution. Then, I did my normal workout on the Wii Active which lasted a little over 30 minutes and in which I burned 150 more calories. Lastly, I burned 90 calories doing a conglomeration of boxing, baseball, basketball, tennis, and volleyball.
Funny story, while I was in the middle of the last part of my workout my husband came down the stairs and said, "What? Are you trying for a new record of working out for 2 hours straight?" I was like, "what are you talking about? I started at 6:30 didn't I?" Turns out that no, I started before 6pm, so by the time everything was finished I had worked out for 2 hours straight.
So, total time today: 2 hours and 20 minutes of working out. I'm super tired now as I'm sure you can imagine. Definitely looking forward to a nice, long, relaxing bath this evening! :)
Saturday - February 6, 2010
I woke up this morning to a winter wonderland - over 18 inches of snow had fallen during the night.
Well, all I got in today was 40 minutes of working out.
Sunday - February 7, 2010
Still snowed in - another 40 minutes of working out.
Monday - February 8, 2010
Still snowed in - one hour and 20 minutes for today.
Tuesday - February 9, 2010
Finally able to get out of the house. Went to work today, but heard that more snow is coming, so may be snowed in again.
I got one solid hour of working out done for today.
Update time:
Well, once again I only lost 1/2 pound. Normally I would be kind of disappointed that I'm working out so much and I've barely seen any loss of weight, but the measurements are definitely saving the day for me.
Since last week:
Bust: 1.5 inches lost
Chest: 1.5 inches lost
Waist: 2 inches lost
Hips: 1.5 inches lost
Right thigh: 1/2 inch lost
Left thigh: 1/2 inch lost
Right arm: 1/2 inch lost
Left arm: 1/2 inch lost
Total inches lost for this week: 8.5 inches!
Today was very exciting for me, although I only lost 1/2 pound this week - I found out I had managed to lose 9 more inches.
I was able to walk for 40 minutes today using my breaks at work. When, I got home, I exercised for another hour and 40 minutes. I decided to change things up a bit and use my Dance Dance Revolution to get my legs moving some way other than walking and running.
Thursday - February 4, 2010
Today was picture day at work - we had some photographer going around taking candid pictures of everyone for future promotional and ad related things. Anyway, I wanted to look good since I might end up in some kind of advertisement. I couldn't figure out what to wear, so I decided to try on a pair of dress pants that have been rather snug lately (and therefore just hanging in my closet). To my delight, not only did they fit - they were really loose in the thighs (which had been really tight before) and loose in the waist. Talk about more motivation, it was wonderful to actually feel cute again! :)
I was only able to get an hour in today of working out and it was all just walking at work. My husband had to stay late tonight, so I got my 40 minutes done during work and then walked another 20 after my work day, but before it got dark.
Friday - February 5, 2010
I had really good intentions about walking at work today, but I ended up only walking for 20 minutes. We are in the midst of a snowstorm so needless to say most of the various people that I walk with didn't want to go walking during it.
As soon as we got home this evening, I got started working out. I did all sorts of stuff tonight. I burned 220 calories during my 45 minutes on Dance, Dance Revolution. Then, I did my normal workout on the Wii Active which lasted a little over 30 minutes and in which I burned 150 more calories. Lastly, I burned 90 calories doing a conglomeration of boxing, baseball, basketball, tennis, and volleyball.
Funny story, while I was in the middle of the last part of my workout my husband came down the stairs and said, "What? Are you trying for a new record of working out for 2 hours straight?" I was like, "what are you talking about? I started at 6:30 didn't I?" Turns out that no, I started before 6pm, so by the time everything was finished I had worked out for 2 hours straight.
So, total time today: 2 hours and 20 minutes of working out. I'm super tired now as I'm sure you can imagine. Definitely looking forward to a nice, long, relaxing bath this evening! :)
Saturday - February 6, 2010
I woke up this morning to a winter wonderland - over 18 inches of snow had fallen during the night.
Well, all I got in today was 40 minutes of working out.
Sunday - February 7, 2010
Still snowed in - another 40 minutes of working out.
Monday - February 8, 2010
Still snowed in - one hour and 20 minutes for today.
Tuesday - February 9, 2010
Finally able to get out of the house. Went to work today, but heard that more snow is coming, so may be snowed in again.
I got one solid hour of working out done for today.
Update time:
Well, once again I only lost 1/2 pound. Normally I would be kind of disappointed that I'm working out so much and I've barely seen any loss of weight, but the measurements are definitely saving the day for me.
Since last week:
Bust: 1.5 inches lost
Chest: 1.5 inches lost
Waist: 2 inches lost
Hips: 1.5 inches lost
Right thigh: 1/2 inch lost
Left thigh: 1/2 inch lost
Right arm: 1/2 inch lost
Left arm: 1/2 inch lost
Total inches lost for this week: 8.5 inches!
Total since start of Fitness Challenge:
4 pounds lost!
24.5 inches lost!!!
Monday, February 8, 2010
A Good Way to Ditch Belly Fat (Without Dieting)
A Good Way to Ditch Belly Fat (Without Dieting)
by RealAge
It's not that slice of cheesecake that goes straight to your belly bulge. It's the couch lounging.
In a recent study, one group of overweight people lost significant amounts of belly fat over 8 months, while another group gained more belly bulge. Yet both groups ate about 2,000 calories a day. The difference? Exercise. The losers exercised about 3 hours a week.
A Little or a Lot...But not just any form of exercise will do. It was high-intensity cardio that helped the overweight exercisers carve out their middles. If you can't commit to 3 hours, know this: Working out less frequently -- and at a more moderate pace -- is also an option. A third group that took this approach didn't lose any belly fat; they didn't gain any, either. A decent accomplishment, considering they also downed about 2,000 calories daily. (Keep your portions under control with this easy-to-use formula.)
Get the Most from Both...So the take-home message is that even a little exercise helps keep your middle mini. And just imagine what you could do if you cut back on calories, too? Truth be told, not only would your jeans fit better, but also you'd reduce your risk of health problems like metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and heart disease. So start whittling your middle with these surgery-free tummy-tucking tools:
by RealAge
It's not that slice of cheesecake that goes straight to your belly bulge. It's the couch lounging.
In a recent study, one group of overweight people lost significant amounts of belly fat over 8 months, while another group gained more belly bulge. Yet both groups ate about 2,000 calories a day. The difference? Exercise. The losers exercised about 3 hours a week.
A Little or a Lot...But not just any form of exercise will do. It was high-intensity cardio that helped the overweight exercisers carve out their middles. If you can't commit to 3 hours, know this: Working out less frequently -- and at a more moderate pace -- is also an option. A third group that took this approach didn't lose any belly fat; they didn't gain any, either. A decent accomplishment, considering they also downed about 2,000 calories daily. (Keep your portions under control with this easy-to-use formula.)
Get the Most from Both...So the take-home message is that even a little exercise helps keep your middle mini. And just imagine what you could do if you cut back on calories, too? Truth be told, not only would your jeans fit better, but also you'd reduce your risk of health problems like metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and heart disease. So start whittling your middle with these surgery-free tummy-tucking tools:
- Don't just wing it. Make a plan. Here's a step-by-step belly buster designed by the YOU Docs.
- Take the easy road. Walking is a great way to burn fat. And this video helps you do it in the comfort of your own home.
- Reward yourself. Give yourself a gold star when you stick to the plan. Use this tracking tool to set your waist loss goal and reward yourself for each accomplishment.
- Check with your doctor before beginning an exercise routine. Here's why it's important.
ReferencesInactivity, exercise, and visceral fat. STRRIDE: a randomized, controlled study of exercise intensity and amount. Slentz, C. A. et al., Journal of Applied Physiology 2005 Oct;99(4):1613-1618.
Flattening your Belly
I read this the other day and I thought it might be helpful to share.
Ask Denise Austin
Why Aren't My Abs Toned?
Q: I do crunches religiously, but I don't seem to get more toned in my abdominal region. What's my problem?
A: You may need to spend less time doing crunches and more time on the treadmill, stair climber, or stationary bike. Contrary to popular belief, abdominal tone doesn't come from doing a million crunches. In fact, you may already have abs of steel — they simply may be covered by a layer of insulation. So, instead of doing 10 or 15 minutes of crunches, try doing three to five minutes of exercises targeting different abdominal muscles as well as your lower back; focus on using good form and really tightening those muscles. Then spend the extra five to seven minutes burning fat with a cardio activity such as running or cycling.
Ask Denise Austin
Why Aren't My Abs Toned?
Q: I do crunches religiously, but I don't seem to get more toned in my abdominal region. What's my problem?
A: You may need to spend less time doing crunches and more time on the treadmill, stair climber, or stationary bike. Contrary to popular belief, abdominal tone doesn't come from doing a million crunches. In fact, you may already have abs of steel — they simply may be covered by a layer of insulation. So, instead of doing 10 or 15 minutes of crunches, try doing three to five minutes of exercises targeting different abdominal muscles as well as your lower back; focus on using good form and really tightening those muscles. Then spend the extra five to seven minutes burning fat with a cardio activity such as running or cycling.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
The Skinny Cow
This is going to final tip for awhile because honestly I don't really have a whole lot of tips that aren't things that I'm sure we all know.
When you are striving to eat right and cut out those sugars and unhealthy foods sometimes you just crave some thing sweet, right? I know I do. I recently discovered a solution to that. Yes, if you follow my advice you are going to end up eating something with sugar, but I think it totally kicks the craving and allows you to go forward without feeling like you are being depraved.
My solution is: Skinny Cow IceCream (in my case Ice Cream sandwiches, though I think they have a whole line of things). Skinny Cow Ice cream is made with skim milk, so it's not as fattening or full of calories as normal ice cream or chocolate.
For one ice cream sandwich it is only 140 calories (and they are big!). They also taste pretty much like normal full of fat ice cream sandwiches. I realize that not all of you are going to be able to even find Skinny Cow ice cream where you are at, since you are all over the world, but thought I'd share anyway.
And for those of you all over the world that can't just go to the store and buy Skinny Cow ice cream brand, you can always do what I believe Sarah F suggested and allow yourself a bite or two of something you crave. It's better to take a little bit of something you crave and get rid of the craving than it is to get to the point where you just binge on foods you haven't had anyway. Because that is what this fitness journey is all about, changing your eating habits so that you can control what you eat and be healthy doing it!
A Low Sodium Alternative - Mrs. Dash
I know many of us are trying to cut back our sodium intake. But let's face it, none of us like to eat bland food and salt does such a good job of adding flavor. May I suggest using Mrs. Dash instead - there are quite a few different varieties of Mrs Dash out there. I know just in our kitchen alone we have three different flavors: Table Blend, Garlic & Herb and then one of their line of Grilling Blends for Steak. These add so much pizazz to food, it's absolutely great and I don't even miss the taste of salt because I have so many other flavorings for my taste buds to enjoy!
Okay, so I was looking for a picture to share and I also found out so much more than I even knew. The brand of Mrs. Dash has their own recipe complete with sodium free recipes! Check out: http://www.mrsdash.com/. I also found out that they have marinades as well as seasonings.
So altogether it is a great product, they have seasonings for pretty much every taste you might have. The following are their list of blends:
- Caribbean Citrus
- Fiesta Lime
- Garlic Herb
- Extra Spicy
- Italian Medley
- Lemon Pepper
- Original
- Table Blend
- Onion & Herb
- Southwest Chipotle
- Tomato Basil Garlic
Grilling Blends:
- Chicken
- Hamburger
- Steak
Anyway...obviously since I just found out some of the information just now, I don't know what they all taste like, but I do know the three products I have are delicious and I'm probably going to head to the store to find some of the others too.
A little bit of humor
Motivational Quote
"Failure cannot - and will not - overtake you, if your determination to succeed is strong enough!" ~ Denise Austin
I just read this today and thought that it would be a good quote to share with you all. Right now I feel very determined, but I know once I start reaching a plateau this will be a good reminder.
I just read this today and thought that it would be a good quote to share with you all. Right now I feel very determined, but I know once I start reaching a plateau this will be a good reminder.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
2 Weeks Down - 8 to Go!
Wednesday - January 27, 2010
Well, today was an exciting day because it was weigh in day and I've lost weight and inches and that motivated me to do well at eating and working out.
I was able to get 40 minutes of brisk walking in at work during my breaks. Then, I came home and worked out on my Wii Active for another 40 minutes. Today's workout really made me push myself and I'm sure I'm going to be feeling it some tomorrow.
Thursday - January 28, 2010
It seems that working out is a lot like our journey as Christians. We have really high days and then the next day for whatever reason we are really low and so have a horrible day. At least that's how it seems for me.
I guess today wasn't awful, I did get in 40 minutes of walking (and may I just add - it was really, really cold and snowing and yet I went anyway) and I did really well at eating a healthy lunch. However, that is where it ended.
I don't think I mentioned this before but my husband and I work at the same company, so we carpool into work. Well, tonight he had to stay late, which meant I did too. I had plenty of work to do on my own, so that wasn't really an issue. But, since we weren't even leaving work until after 7pm we were both super hungry (and this is how I've gained a bunch of weight through the years). So, tonight we stopped at Sheetz (it's a gas station that has a made-to-order restaurant inside) and I was so hungry I just wanted something to fill me up. The food was really good and it wasn't necessarily awful for me, but it wasn't the best choice either. Also since it was pretty late by the time we got home, I wasn't able to do any other workout. C'est la vie! Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day, no make that tomorrow WILL be a better day!
Friday - January 29, 2010
I was only able to get 10 minutes of brisk walking in at work today. I could have gotten more in, but I didn't feel like going out in 9 degree weather again and I wasn't feeling well most of the day.
As soon as I got home though, I did work out for 50 minutes right away. Lots of running and cardio. I did fairly well on eating today as well. When I weighed in, it said I had gained back a little of the weight I'd lost, so that was kind of disappointing. I'm not too concerned because I had just had a bottle of water not that long before I was weighing in.
Saturday - January 30, 2010
Today was a little more challenging to get my workout time in. We ended up having my husband's brother and wife here overnight and then all day today (and they are staying overnight again tonight). This was totally unexpected, so it wasn't like I could plan around this.
I am happy to report that I was able to get in a solid hour of running and high intensity workout. I'm incredibly worn out now! I didn't do too well at eating today, since I had my guests here, but I was careful about not eating too much of the unhealthy stuff and still drank a lot of water.
I'm also super excited to be able to get clean at my own house since we've not had a bathroom with a shower since Labor Day weekend. (This was another major reason I was reluctant to do this challenge at this point and time.) Don't worry, I haven't been dirty for all that time...we've been going over to my in-law's (a short 3 mile drive away) to take showers. Needless to say, this puts a real damper on when I can work-out because I have to orchestrate my work-outs around being able to get clean. So, today after working out I was able to soak in the tub. Still no shower, in fact, the only thing working in there is the tub, we don't even have all the green board up yet, but it's a place to get clean in my very own house! (Sorry to bore you all with that when it has very little to do with getting fit other than getting clean after attempting to get fit!) :)
Sunday - January 31, 2010
Day of rest!
Monday - February 1, 2010
I wasn't able to walk at work today, much to my disappointment. Pretty much everything that can go wrong with each and every one of my clients did indeed go wrong, so Iwasn't really able to take breaks today.
I did get a great high intensity workout in tonight though that lasted 1 solid hour - I'm going to be sore tomorrow. But it will be the good sore!
Tuesday - February 2, 2010
Okay, this will be brief. I was able to get in one brisk 10 minute walk and then a solid hour and a half doing all sorts of things (i.e. running, boxing, volleyball, basketball, baseball, tennis, etc.)
Overall, I'd say it was a pretty good day - I even only drank water!!!
Now the big news....
I'll start with my pounds lost because I want to save the best for last. I only lost 1/2 of a pound this week and normally I would be somewhat discouraged; however, I love that we are measuring too because these are my measurements since last Wednesday:
Bust: 1 inch lost
Chest: 1 inch lost
Waist: 1 inch lost
Hips: 1 inch lost
Right thigh: 2 inches lost
Left thigh: 2 inches lost
Right arm: 1/2 inch lost
Left arm: 1/2 inch lost
So in conclusion...
Well, today was an exciting day because it was weigh in day and I've lost weight and inches and that motivated me to do well at eating and working out.
I was able to get 40 minutes of brisk walking in at work during my breaks. Then, I came home and worked out on my Wii Active for another 40 minutes. Today's workout really made me push myself and I'm sure I'm going to be feeling it some tomorrow.
Thursday - January 28, 2010
It seems that working out is a lot like our journey as Christians. We have really high days and then the next day for whatever reason we are really low and so have a horrible day. At least that's how it seems for me.
I guess today wasn't awful, I did get in 40 minutes of walking (and may I just add - it was really, really cold and snowing and yet I went anyway) and I did really well at eating a healthy lunch. However, that is where it ended.
I don't think I mentioned this before but my husband and I work at the same company, so we carpool into work. Well, tonight he had to stay late, which meant I did too. I had plenty of work to do on my own, so that wasn't really an issue. But, since we weren't even leaving work until after 7pm we were both super hungry (and this is how I've gained a bunch of weight through the years). So, tonight we stopped at Sheetz (it's a gas station that has a made-to-order restaurant inside) and I was so hungry I just wanted something to fill me up. The food was really good and it wasn't necessarily awful for me, but it wasn't the best choice either. Also since it was pretty late by the time we got home, I wasn't able to do any other workout. C'est la vie! Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day, no make that tomorrow WILL be a better day!
Friday - January 29, 2010
I was only able to get 10 minutes of brisk walking in at work today. I could have gotten more in, but I didn't feel like going out in 9 degree weather again and I wasn't feeling well most of the day.
As soon as I got home though, I did work out for 50 minutes right away. Lots of running and cardio. I did fairly well on eating today as well. When I weighed in, it said I had gained back a little of the weight I'd lost, so that was kind of disappointing. I'm not too concerned because I had just had a bottle of water not that long before I was weighing in.
Saturday - January 30, 2010
Today was a little more challenging to get my workout time in. We ended up having my husband's brother and wife here overnight and then all day today (and they are staying overnight again tonight). This was totally unexpected, so it wasn't like I could plan around this.
I am happy to report that I was able to get in a solid hour of running and high intensity workout. I'm incredibly worn out now! I didn't do too well at eating today, since I had my guests here, but I was careful about not eating too much of the unhealthy stuff and still drank a lot of water.
I'm also super excited to be able to get clean at my own house since we've not had a bathroom with a shower since Labor Day weekend. (This was another major reason I was reluctant to do this challenge at this point and time.) Don't worry, I haven't been dirty for all that time...we've been going over to my in-law's (a short 3 mile drive away) to take showers. Needless to say, this puts a real damper on when I can work-out because I have to orchestrate my work-outs around being able to get clean. So, today after working out I was able to soak in the tub. Still no shower, in fact, the only thing working in there is the tub, we don't even have all the green board up yet, but it's a place to get clean in my very own house! (Sorry to bore you all with that when it has very little to do with getting fit other than getting clean after attempting to get fit!) :)
Sunday - January 31, 2010
Day of rest!
Monday - February 1, 2010
I wasn't able to walk at work today, much to my disappointment. Pretty much everything that can go wrong with each and every one of my clients did indeed go wrong, so Iwasn't really able to take breaks today.
I did get a great high intensity workout in tonight though that lasted 1 solid hour - I'm going to be sore tomorrow. But it will be the good sore!
Tuesday - February 2, 2010
Okay, this will be brief. I was able to get in one brisk 10 minute walk and then a solid hour and a half doing all sorts of things (i.e. running, boxing, volleyball, basketball, baseball, tennis, etc.)
Overall, I'd say it was a pretty good day - I even only drank water!!!
Now the big news....
I'll start with my pounds lost because I want to save the best for last. I only lost 1/2 of a pound this week and normally I would be somewhat discouraged; however, I love that we are measuring too because these are my measurements since last Wednesday:
Bust: 1 inch lost
Chest: 1 inch lost
Waist: 1 inch lost
Hips: 1 inch lost
Right thigh: 2 inches lost
Left thigh: 2 inches lost
Right arm: 1/2 inch lost
Left arm: 1/2 inch lost
So in conclusion...
Pounds lost: only 1/2 pound
Inches lost: 9 whole inches!!!
(Total so far: 3.5 pounds lost - 16 inches lost!)
May I just say I'm super excited about that. A lot of my clothes are feeling looser and I'm totally loving that! Pretty soon I'll be back into some clothes I haven't been able to fit into in over a year! Yay working out!!!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Ab Wheel!!!
I promised more information about the ab wheel and here it is...
This little gadget is wonderful. It works out your core muscle group and leaves you feeling toned. It really doesn't take a lot of time either. They recommend only doing about 10 reps in a setting, so if you are short on time, but would like to get a good ab/arm/pec workout, this is for you!
These really aren't that expensive if you don't already have one. The site I found this picture on sells them for $8.99, but I got mine (for those of you in the States) at a Goodwill store for less than $2.
I feel weird saying this, but thought some of you might find this helpful...for those of you that have gotten a little smaller in the bust area than you really wanted this is also helpful in toning that area, leaving you a little bigger - but still worked out. Years ago, I went from a size A to a B using this. As I said earlier, it works your "pecs" so you will automatically perk up.
So, glad we are all women and this site is private! :)
Disclaimer: This is not for everyone. If you have issues with your back or like me have tendonitis, be very careful!!!
Hope this helps!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
1 Week Down - 9 to Go
Day one - Wednesday - January 20, 2010
I would just like to say that I'm so glad that I have a support team because already it challenged me to begin strong. I woke up this morning when my alarm sounded at 6 am. My first thought was absolute confusion - then I remembered, I needed to get up and work out.
So today I worked out on my Wii Active from 6:30 to 7:10 am. I figured the easiest way to stick to it would be to do their 30 Day Challenge. So, I started on Day one - I only did a light intensity work-out because I'm seriously out of shape. They had me doing all sorts of stuff today. I started off running, did some squats, boxing, inline skating (my least favorite of all!!!), and some strength training on the arms and then repeated - though in a slightly different order. It told me I burned 117 calories. Since I'm definitely not a morning person I thought that was pretty good for before 7 am. I finished my morning workout by doing some more arm exercises - this time using a "game" called Helix that is also on my Wii. Basically, you follow this stick figure on the screen and whatever it does you follow the motions. Excellent work out for the arms - though I always keep beat with my legs, so it ends up being a full body work out too.
While I was at work, I decided to actually take the breaks I'm allotted (though I rarely ever use). So, my morning break was a brisk 10 minute walk. Then after I ate lunch, I got in another brisk 10 minute walk. The afternoon turned out to be really bright and sunny - so I decided to take a 20 minute brisk walk. Fortunately, some of my co-workers also felt the need to get some blood pumping so I was joined on 2 out of my 3 walks at work, which makes it a little more enjoyable.
As far as eating goes, I took Dani Joy's advice and printed out the food diary. I think that is going to be super helpful! My focus is to try and eat healthier foods, more fruits and veggies and of course count my calorie intake. Overall, I would say it was a pretty good starter day. Hopefully tomorrow will be equally as profitable.
Oh, and I was able to get my measurements in today. At this point in my Fitness Journey, I'm keeping those numbers to myself though.
Day 2 - Thursday - January 21, 2010
I'm glad I started off so well yesterday because today didn't turn out quite so well. My alarm clock was once again set for 6 am and it even went off then. Since I hate getting up when my alarm immediately sounds, I decided to get up the second time it went off. That's where the problem happened, my alarm didn't go off a second time. I woke up at 6:30 and realized that since I wasn't getting up til then there was no way I'd be able to get my Wii Active Day 2 work out in. So, I went back to sleep telling myself I'd at least walk at work and then work-out in the evening.
Well, walking at work didn't happen either. While I'm sure some people would not have found the temperatures that chilly (I live just north of Pittsburgh, PA by the way), it was incredibly windy and cold here today. So, out went that idea as well.
Ok, so that was all of the bad news. I'm happy to report that I did well on what I ate today and this evening when I got home from work I worked out from 6:30pm to 7:20pm. I'm only counting it as 2 points because some of the transitioning on the Wii Active takes a little bit of time here and there and I wanted to make sure I didn't include that.
After I worked out, I decided to take some measurements just to see if there was any change there. Guess what!!! There was change in almost every category, I even double-checked because I couldn't believe it.
My bust, waist, hips, and left thigh are all 1/2 in smaller. My chest and right thigh are an inch smaller. And then my right arm is 1/4 in smaller. So the only thing that stayed the same was my left arm. I'm so super pumped right now because I really didn't expect to see any results this quickly, let alone these. So, if I did my math correctly that is already 4 1/4 inches lost. Yay for me!!!
I'm very pleased with the progress for this week and hope next week will be just as profitable!
I would just like to say that I'm so glad that I have a support team because already it challenged me to begin strong. I woke up this morning when my alarm sounded at 6 am. My first thought was absolute confusion - then I remembered, I needed to get up and work out.
So today I worked out on my Wii Active from 6:30 to 7:10 am. I figured the easiest way to stick to it would be to do their 30 Day Challenge. So, I started on Day one - I only did a light intensity work-out because I'm seriously out of shape. They had me doing all sorts of stuff today. I started off running, did some squats, boxing, inline skating (my least favorite of all!!!), and some strength training on the arms and then repeated - though in a slightly different order. It told me I burned 117 calories. Since I'm definitely not a morning person I thought that was pretty good for before 7 am. I finished my morning workout by doing some more arm exercises - this time using a "game" called Helix that is also on my Wii. Basically, you follow this stick figure on the screen and whatever it does you follow the motions. Excellent work out for the arms - though I always keep beat with my legs, so it ends up being a full body work out too.
While I was at work, I decided to actually take the breaks I'm allotted (though I rarely ever use). So, my morning break was a brisk 10 minute walk. Then after I ate lunch, I got in another brisk 10 minute walk. The afternoon turned out to be really bright and sunny - so I decided to take a 20 minute brisk walk. Fortunately, some of my co-workers also felt the need to get some blood pumping so I was joined on 2 out of my 3 walks at work, which makes it a little more enjoyable.
As far as eating goes, I took Dani Joy's advice and printed out the food diary. I think that is going to be super helpful! My focus is to try and eat healthier foods, more fruits and veggies and of course count my calorie intake. Overall, I would say it was a pretty good starter day. Hopefully tomorrow will be equally as profitable.
Oh, and I was able to get my measurements in today. At this point in my Fitness Journey, I'm keeping those numbers to myself though.
Day 2 - Thursday - January 21, 2010
I'm glad I started off so well yesterday because today didn't turn out quite so well. My alarm clock was once again set for 6 am and it even went off then. Since I hate getting up when my alarm immediately sounds, I decided to get up the second time it went off. That's where the problem happened, my alarm didn't go off a second time. I woke up at 6:30 and realized that since I wasn't getting up til then there was no way I'd be able to get my Wii Active Day 2 work out in. So, I went back to sleep telling myself I'd at least walk at work and then work-out in the evening.
Well, walking at work didn't happen either. While I'm sure some people would not have found the temperatures that chilly (I live just north of Pittsburgh, PA by the way), it was incredibly windy and cold here today. So, out went that idea as well.
Ok, so that was all of the bad news. I'm happy to report that I did well on what I ate today and this evening when I got home from work I worked out from 6:30pm to 7:20pm. I'm only counting it as 2 points because some of the transitioning on the Wii Active takes a little bit of time here and there and I wanted to make sure I didn't include that.
Day 3 - Friday - January 22, 2010
Well today has been a day of great encouragement to me. But let me tell you what I did to work out today and then I'll tell you the encouraging part.
I walked a total of 40 minutes at work using break/lunch time. The Wii Active has you work out 2 or 3 days and then take a rest day, so today was a rest day. I didn't want to not workout and lose the momentum right at the beginning, so I decided to make up my own custom challenge.
My legs and lower body have really been feeling the workout, so I worked out my upper body instead. I worked out for 35 minutes on my Wii Active boxing and "playing" tennis. Then, the remaining 5 minutes I used my Ab Wheel (will write more about this awesome exercise tool at a later date). So, today I was able to get in a total of 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Now to the encouraging part... Before I started to workout on the Wii Active. I weighed myself on my WiiFit (which is how I had done my initial weigh-in for this challenge). I really didn't expect to lose anything at all, if anything I was expecting it to show that I had gained some weight because my initial weigh in was early in the morning and this weigh-in was in the evening (usually I weigh more at night than the morning). However, I decided that since getting up early just isn't me, I'd better switch my weigh-in time sooner rather than later. So, I weighed in and found out that already since Wednesday morning, I've already lost 1.8 lbs. I was super excited!!!After I worked out, I decided to take some measurements just to see if there was any change there. Guess what!!! There was change in almost every category, I even double-checked because I couldn't believe it.
My bust, waist, hips, and left thigh are all 1/2 in smaller. My chest and right thigh are an inch smaller. And then my right arm is 1/4 in smaller. So the only thing that stayed the same was my left arm. I'm so super pumped right now because I really didn't expect to see any results this quickly, let alone these. So, if I did my math correctly that is already 4 1/4 inches lost. Yay for me!!!
Day 4 - Saturday - January 23, 2010
Normally if there is a day that I do well on Fitness - that day is Saturday. I didn't do horribly, but I didn't do tremendously either.
See right now my life is crazy, crazy busy (as I'm sure most of yours are). I currently work for a company that does a lot of work for The Salvation Army. My technical job title is Data Management Specialist. This essentially means that I have about 8 Salvation Army clients that I input their donor's gifts into their database. As I'm sure many of you know Christmas time is pretty much the Salvation Army's busiest season (or at least that is when most people think of The Salvation Army). So, since the week of Thanksgiving, I've been required to do tons of overtime. The Christmas rush starts to dwindle, but then all sorts of people give at the very end of the year to get their tax breaks. So, it goes from Christmas to getting all previous years gifts in and then usually it is over and my life returns to normal. Well, this year my life is far from normal because Haiti has had multiple earthquakes. I'm seriously not complaining because I know I'm so blessed to be far from all of the destruction that has gone on there. So, why am I saying all of this...because for the past two months Saturday's are just the same as every other day of the week (so are Sundays - except for the little bit of time to go to church). Needless to say, getting up to work some more leaves me very little time to do any lengthy work-outs on Saturdays as well.
So, tonight after I worked for my job for several hours, I was able to get in 40 minutes on my Wii Active. I was really hoping it would be more than that, but that was all I could manage.
On the flip-side, I've been doing really well with keeping my calorie content low and eating foods that are healthy for me. So, I guess I can be pleased with that. I was also pleased to see that my loss of 1.8 lbs was not a fluke, but entirely real.
Day 5 - Sunday - January 24, 2010
My day of rest!!!
Day 6 - Monday - January 25, 2010
It was rainy today, so I was not able to go walking on my breaks. I technically could have, but it would have been a little wet. (Guess I'm not totally dedicated after all). :)
I did, however, get an hour work out done on my Wii. I worked out for 35 minutes using Wii Active which I did all sorts of leg excercises (i.e. lunges, running, lunges, running, squats, running, etc) I think you get the picture. Then, I got another 25 minutes in using Helix (the game that is just supposed to work out your arms, but for me is a full body exercise). I was just having so much fun that I didn't stop until my husband came down and told me that it was time to go to bed (in his defense, it was after 10pm by this time).
Day 7 - Tuesday - January 26, 2010 (My mom's birthday!)
Today was a pretty good day for me. Not only did I get 30 minutes in walking on breaks at work today, but I also got 30 minutes of workout in using a mix of my Wii Active and Helix games. I must confess, I did lose it today and yell at my Active Trainer (who is just a computer program). My husband informed me that if I keep yelling at her, I will lose my privileges on that game. :) She told me ahead of time that I would be working on my upper body and then preceded to give me all sorts of lower body workouts to do. My lower body had pretty much had it, since yesterday was all lower body to. Finally the last 5 workouts of 18 were upper body. She lied. :)
Clearly it is getting late, so I apologize for the craziness of this last part of the post. I will get my updates on measurements and weight tomorrow.
Ok, so here is the update for the week:
Bust: 1 inch lost
Chest: 1 inch lost
Waist: 1/2 inch lost
Hips: 1 1/2 inch lost
Right thigh: 1 inch lost
Left thigh: 1 inch lost
Right arm: 1/2 inch lost
Left arm: 1/2 inch lost
Day 6 - Monday - January 25, 2010
It was rainy today, so I was not able to go walking on my breaks. I technically could have, but it would have been a little wet. (Guess I'm not totally dedicated after all). :)
I did, however, get an hour work out done on my Wii. I worked out for 35 minutes using Wii Active which I did all sorts of leg excercises (i.e. lunges, running, lunges, running, squats, running, etc) I think you get the picture. Then, I got another 25 minutes in using Helix (the game that is just supposed to work out your arms, but for me is a full body exercise). I was just having so much fun that I didn't stop until my husband came down and told me that it was time to go to bed (in his defense, it was after 10pm by this time).
Day 7 - Tuesday - January 26, 2010 (My mom's birthday!)
Today was a pretty good day for me. Not only did I get 30 minutes in walking on breaks at work today, but I also got 30 minutes of workout in using a mix of my Wii Active and Helix games. I must confess, I did lose it today and yell at my Active Trainer (who is just a computer program). My husband informed me that if I keep yelling at her, I will lose my privileges on that game. :) She told me ahead of time that I would be working on my upper body and then preceded to give me all sorts of lower body workouts to do. My lower body had pretty much had it, since yesterday was all lower body to. Finally the last 5 workouts of 18 were upper body. She lied. :)
Clearly it is getting late, so I apologize for the craziness of this last part of the post. I will get my updates on measurements and weight tomorrow.
Ok, so here is the update for the week:
Bust: 1 inch lost
Chest: 1 inch lost
Waist: 1/2 inch lost
Hips: 1 1/2 inch lost
Right thigh: 1 inch lost
Left thigh: 1 inch lost
Right arm: 1/2 inch lost
Left arm: 1/2 inch lost
Total inches lost: 7 inches!!!
Total lbs lost: 3 lbs!!!
I'm very pleased with the progress for this week and hope next week will be just as profitable!
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