YES!... I DID IT......NOW...I'M EXCITED !

Girls!

I achieved part of my goals for this week!

Achieved goals:
1. Alternated Bootcamp 1 and Bootcamp 2 every weekday this week (Mon-Fri)
2. Alternated JM's Full Frontal and Maximize Frontal during the weekdays
3. Did 2 days of Blank's Ab Bootcamp
4. Walked along Maroubra beach coastline (3/4) on Thursday
5. Did some gym work

Felt I really needed to get a kickstart this week! Felt at times like really not doing it but was "driven' towards doing the workouts....I'm 'feeling' different! It's helping me FEEL different!

Blank says to give it 40 days before you see the changes and that kind of hit a nerve with me...Ok....I want to see the 'changes'...so...I need consistency...commitment...Ok...

I'm not doing it to the point of exhaustion....I'm a big girl but I always had a high level of flexibility when I was younger and part of me was really 'anxious' ... actually...about having to face reality and accept that perhaps age (and years of inactivity) had taken that away!

...BUT...it's still there!
ALLELUYA!
Realizing "I still could" just rocketed me on!

I can already 'feel' the changes...though miniscule to the casual observer....
I'm breathing better! - Confession time: I have been suffering from this 'anxiety' type of throat constriction for years...where I felt I had something in my throat and could never swallow it...the sensation would make me claustrophobic and panicky...YET...NOW...I'm swallowing better! I don't feel the same...I actually went on an elevator to the 17th floor (entering an elevator is something I haven't done for years!)...These minor stepping stones are making me sooooo HAPPY!

Unachieved Goals:

Did not begin the Liver Cleansing Diet (had to re-buy the book after having lent my copy)-
Feel I still need to follow some structured eating and cleansing plan!


Goals for this Week:

1. Bootcamp workouts daily
2. Gym workouts
3. Specific ab workouts ( JM's Full Frontal and Maximize)
4. Start Liver Cleansing Diet

Thank you, Girls for your support in all this....knowing that you guys are out there and wanting me to achieve this is really helping!

God Bless and have a great workout week!!!!!!!!!

Leonie's Workout Log

Goals for this week ~

*Concentrate on cardio/kickboxing, especially Turbo Jam and Taebo. Why? I find that cardio/kickbox helps me keep that calories balance and works out my upper abs ( my problem area). And it helps burn off stress, all those powerful punches and kicks, all that cool music.

* Work on portion control and avoidng mindless eating, picking at food...

* Smile more!

Sunday Not a bad eating day, in spite of those yummy margaritas! lol! Did a 40 minutes workout - Turbo Jam Cardio Party 1. Busta move!

Monday Worked out with dh and son Jonathon - an hour long Taebo Advanced Live 9. Classic Taebo, leg and butt and ab work, pushups. My arms were feeling it. Yay! I was singing and jumping and happy, with all the endorphins cruising in my veins...Its okay, I can laugh at myself! :-)

Tuesday Fitting a workout into a busy day. Turbo Jam Punch, Kick and Jam. A more athletic version of TJ.

Wednesday. In a rush, couldn't decide what to do so did Turbo Jam Fatblaster. Gota love all those Turbo drills in this workout. had a terrible tummy ache this evening so ate a late but light dinner ~ a Weight Watchers meal, Chicken Carbonara.

Thursday Another TJ workout - this time a weights workout. I am a bit of a cardio freak but I know weights are important for bone density, building and toning muscle, increasing metabolism. So, I did Booty Sculpt plus Abs with 7 and 9 lb weights and a resistance band.

Friday. Today! Still on my TJ craze so did Cardio Party 2 - love the kick sequence in this, to the music and lyrics of Sir Mixalot - Baby Got Back.

Saturday. Tired - lack of sleep, and worked at church working bee, so had to workout in the afternoon. Decided to go for corny dancing fun. Richard Simmon's Disco Sweat - I can make it harder by increasing the impact. Sang Disco Inferno!

How's everyone's week?

Operation Cut The Fat....out!

I have made a new schedule for my week...this week is still School holidays so I think it's perfect to focus on getting into a solid workout plan:

Goals: To do the Billy Blank Bootcamp workouts daily

Play some afternoon tennis with the family

Walking (my husband is off work and the kids love it...we are off to the National Park today!)

To keep moving!


Food Attitude: Because of the amount of weight I have to loose...I need to start a structured eating plan......
Having listened intently to some friends sharing 'diets' on Friday, I prayed and remembered a diet plan that helped my sister lose 3 dress sizes and I had tried it for 5 days and lost nearly 5 kilos...but failed to perservere...

The Liver Cleansing Diet by Sandra Cabot

My mother had always said to us that it was important to keep our livers healthy- something which our perservative ridden lifestyles do not do!!!! I will tell you that my sister shrunk! Literally but looked so healthy! Its all about going back to healthy eating...no starvation....all aiming to restore the liver to its natural functions so that it can do its job and kick the metabolism back on track and deal with cleaning out our bodies...like it was meant to do...

Here I go....my commitment this week...workout and clean out my food!!!!! No more icy cokes from Maccas!!!

Whatever Process You are Following is Perfect for the Results You are Getting

I ran across the above profoundity somewhere on line as I was surfing health/diet/exercise.

This spoke to me and convicted me, too! I made a little sign and posted it on my fridge.

As I stand there looking at the words I realize just where I am now, with health and weight and fitness really is just the perfect reflection of the 'process' my body has been through as of late. My body does not play tricks with me, it just naturally reflects what I put into it and how much I move it.

That strips away the 'magic' of this diet or that one. There is no secret formula or mojo to make a diet work. It simply reflects how I live.

I think it also helped me to stop beating myself up because I didn't follow a strict diet or exercise plan. It made me see this is a process.

And, I realized too, that if I had not done all the good I HAD done, that I would be more out of shape and heavier. I am doing good things, too and my body notices those!

So, anyway, I liked this. It was honest and convicting but not negative.. and helps me continue to see this is a process and about long term habits. And slip ups are allowed. That is life!

Cindy's Exercise Plan for Week of Oct 4th

Every Sunday I look at my calendar for the week. The first thing I pencil in every day is my workout plan. That is the only way I know I will get to my workouts and treat them like appointments.

Then I fill in the rest of my life around them.... :) I love the way it makes me feel.. and i love getting the workouts done first thing so they are done.. and I can move on with my day.

This week will be challenging as I am going to be in Chicago Thursday through Saturday for a Lighthouse Catholic Media conference. I am excited, though to meet all these wonderful people and on Thursday I get to go to an Ignatian silent retreat at a monestary. Boy, do I need it! So, I will have to find some way to MOVE during my Chicago time.

Here is my workout plan: (all at the YMCA)

Sunday- Eliptical machines at the Y with new playlist my spinning teacher gave me! Oh, music motivates me so much!


Monday:
11 am weight workout &
Spinning class

Tuesday:
6am (yikes!) Step and Mat class


Wednesday:
6am- Athletic Conditining class (cardio and weights)


Thursday:
Friday:
Saturday:
Me and my tennis shoes at the monestary! I asked my friend going with me to bring her tennies, too... she has told me she HATES exercise and calls my workouts my 'torture sessions' but she does like to walk.. .so we will have fun.



What are you all planning this week? Big steps? Little steps?

Now...I'm angry...this is war against fat!

Somehow...someway....I have avoided looking at my PROBLEM realistically....
Sure...I knew I had gained weight...but...today the full impact of realizing that I am obese has just hit me.....I'm so mad...mad at myself....mad at the fat!

We took some photos yesterday and while downloading them today....AHHHHHHH! I look sooo bad... I'm not kidding...this is not self-pity...It's just being real...as a matter of fact, before today, I would have deleted all the photos (I did one or two because I just couldn't handle it..) but I have purposely put them on my Facebook because I want to SEE change...I want to see what everyone else is obviously seeing and I've been 'editing' out of my life....

No more excuses....I need excercise
I need to change my eating habits
I need to change my sedentary lifestyle

I really do need this!

No more excuses....No more excuses...No more excuses.... My habits have to change!!! Now!!!

Kicked it at my workout this morning!

Well, to finish out my week I took off yesterday because a good friend called and was on my side of town, so we went to a resturant for breakfast, then did shopping, then lunch.. what fun!

But today... I made up for it.. See here... :)

Hi Yall

Hi everyone! I decided to get back to my workout journal. I will keep posting here, but if you want more boring details about my life, please drop in!

Cindy

September Summary

I got back into running in September by starting with a running partner who is a homeschooling mother of 5. We meet two mornings a week to run and share ideas although the huffing and puffing has cut down on the talking. Nancy found a program that eased us into running with 1 mi jogs followed by 2 min brisk walks alternating for 5 sets. Then it was 2 min runs...then 3 min. Weekend runs were on our own, but I've managed to make all of mine. :)

My first Oct run was yesterday and afterward I sat down to look over what I've accomplished. In September I ran 3 times a week for 4 weeks, and yesterday I easily ran 2 miles seperated by a 1/4 mi walk. I'm feeling pretty good, and this morning I treated myself to a plain, grande coffee from Starbucks after my run. On the chilly walk home with my hands warmed by the coffee and my nose full of the scent of paper cup, I pondered what habit I could gently add in this month. No decisions yet. Perhaps making sure I get my (breastfeeding mom's) 8 servings of fruit/veg a day?

Enough with the excuses!

Having decided to take the 'exercise' plunge...I'm a bit frustrated that I have failed to do the workouts over the last two days....

The school holidays has proven to send things into a spin...but not of the excersise kind!

Not having exercised for years.... I struggled at first with Jeanette Jenkins' Kickboxing Bootcamp...achieving a whole 10 mins of the warm up on the first try (uhggggg)...but I thought to myself...it's a start! Two days later I was able to do the whole dvd but in three segments (uhggggg...uhgggg...uhgggg).... I felt encouraged....I guess the endorphin kick set in and I no longer felt that negative ' I will never be able to do this' feeling. I find that her workout is good but she wears me out before I can get to the nitty gritty of the workout....so I tried

JM's Shape Up front....thinking again...I'll never make it...but I did..on the first try I finished it after two breaks and am keen on trying the maximise full frontal (my major problem area). I was able to keep up with her much better than the Jenkin's workout - didn't feel so puffed out...go figure! Loved her " I'm not going to let you quit' attitude...I needed it!

The curious 'take on a challenge' part of me took the Billy Blank's Bootcamp 1 out of its plastic wrap (can't even remember when I had bought it..but it was there...challenging me from the dingy darkness of the closet..).... It was fabulous...I was a human sprinkler system and in the privacy of my own exercise corner AND I felt like I was achieving something! I was able to finish it with two very short breaks...I found him very encouraging with his tidbits....just when I was questioning everything inside me...I heard this "you need at least 40 days of effort before you are going to see any results" voice coming from the tv and it just helped me put things into perspective....I know it sounds silly and unrealistic...but that defeatist part of me wanted to have seen results yesterday...just to justify giving up...but Blank's set me straight and I did it!

These last two days have seen other major obstacles stand in my way and I have not been able to get back to my workouts....but whereas...in the past...I would have let them get to me to the point of feeling 'crippled'...I've stopped to think that perhaps God is letting them come to surface because, like the exercise....I have to deal with them and they too have been a thorn in my side...the piece of wood in this lions paw.... with all her roars and bravado...these rotten little things tend to get the better of me...but...I don't want them to anymore...ENOUGH IS WITH THE EXCUSES!

Mind you! I chose yesterday to get out of the house and trying to 'air out'... went on a window shopping outing to a couple of suburbs.....I had the 'need to exercise' in the forefront of my mind so I pushed the pace at which I walked right around the shopping precincts....Does that count? I was good and refused to buy any junk...though the Pastisserie's taunted me to the left and the right and though I felt the hunger pangs by 2pm, I shunned the Chinese Take-away.....

On the drive home however...... the thought of an icy cold Coke from Mc Donalds seemed to be exactly what I needed.....so I talked myself into just making a quick stop and maybe grabbing a couple of chicken mcnuggets...I had done all that walking... I thought... and the heat yesterday here in Sydney was stifling...but...would you believe...that on the drive home (the shortcut way I use) had NO MC DONALDS ! The only Maccas and Hungry Jacks I passed were on the other side of the Princes Highway , which with the heat, I was not bothered to do the major turns and u turns needed to get there.........so I made it home....and sat down to the chicken leftovers from the night before and a refreshing salad........there were no cold cokes in the fridge...just some cold apple juice.... and....an ice cream (wooooops)!

Cindy's Log Week of Sun Sept 29th

Sunday:

REST :)

Monday:
Spinning class. I have not been to spinning in so long and I loved it. This instructor (Lynn) has THE best music. It all has a beat and keeps me so motiavated. After, I did 100 abs and 40 pushups

Tuweday:
Trying to get back to my 6am workouts.... I got really tired mid afternoon when I did them, but I MISS them! The format, instructor and fellow participants were just awseome AND I was done by 7:30! That was a cool feeling. But slept in, so did 40 min on the eliptical.

Wednesday: 6am Athletic conditioning class at the Y. Fun.
She had us do 30 min alternating step, BOSU and Slide. Ever done the slide? I found a picture and put it up top...it is the long thing that looks like a gray slip and slide about 6 feet long and 2 feet wide. You put little booties over your tennies and you slide right to left like a speed skater. GREAT workout.

AFter cardio, we did 30 min of weight work. Felt great as many of us had few workouts during the 3 weeks since Hurricane Ike.

Thursday Plan:
6am Mat Pilates class and eliptical

Friday Plan:
not sure yet...

Eating has been way off. Schedules have been werid since the hurricane.. ready to get back on healthy track.

Workout Log Week of Sun Sept 29

Am keeping an online log - do you want to join me?

Sunday Taebo Bootcamp 1 - with my dh! A 40 minute bootcamp military style workout - with traditional taebo moves, of course!
Terrible with eating - no, I didn't eat too much calorie wise, but I ate unwisely. No dinner for example! Something that has been happening regularly lately...

Monday Turbo Jam Punch Kick and Jam. About 50 minutes of kickbox and capoeira. Fun!

Tuesday Turbo Jam Cardio Party 3- a 55 minute cardio sweat fest. A nice section near the end where you work on form in punches and kicks. And I need to stop eating mindlessly, stop picking at food here and there...

Wednesday A quickie today. Turbo Jam Fatblaster. 30 minutes but advanced - 8 Turbos! Feeling fat, especially, when I look at pics. Am re-reading Overcoming Overeating, Confessions of a Former Fat Girl and The Do-able Diet.

Thursday. Am off to do another Turbo Jam workout. Probably Cardio Party 1 or 2.
ETA - Did Cardio Party 1. Did you hear me singing along with LL Cool J - Mamma said knock you out! lol! And my eating was still pretty uneven..

Friday Planning on another Turbo Jam - probably Cardio Party 3. Didn't happen, our DVD player broke. So I did an old Taebo on VHS. Advanced Live 2 - great music, singing along with Early In The Morning, Be What I Wanna Be. Powerful kicks and punches, great standing ab work. Trying not to eat more than I need. It's all about portion control..

Saturday Gonna try that TJ Cardio Party 2 from yesterday, hopefully the DVD player has recovered!

Hey, guys!

I changed the look of our blog - hope this is okay! And do you know anyone else who is interested in joining and sharing about fitness?

Can You Relate?

Turbo Jam Kickin' Core

A super workout for yesterday - I forgot how much I love the music in that workout, simply because I've been so focused on puke-in-the-bucket workouts that I FORGET to get into my fiun but effective workouts. The ones that work but with great music.

I think there's room for both sorts of workouts in my regime.

And, to be truthful, kickboxing like Taebo and Turbo Jam have played the biggest exercise role in my weight loss, helped to (kinda) reshape my body.

Kickin' Core has some nice hip hop, old school. It has some dance, shake what your mamma gave you moves. It has powerful kicks, punches and capoeira. And it is good for the core and those obliques - boy, do I need that.

About 45 minutes long, although I sometimes do just the cardio and then double up on a favourite section or on the turbo ( the anerobic drill).

Have you Turbo'd today? :-)

DIEt not

I liked this, from Sparkpeople

No Fads, No Pills, No Diets, Just Living Life

I'm looking for the honest balance that I can keep for the rest of my life. So far I think I've found it. A diet is not the answer. I've read the quote before, "DIET starts with DIE". I believe this to be true. It's has to be a complete way of life. It just has to be. Something that you can live with, day in and day out FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE AND BE 100% COMFORTABLE WITH IT. If you can't do that with how you eat right now... you've not found it yet. Anything less and you've started to DIEt.

The REAL goal is to MINDFULLY eat SENSIBLE, CLEAN, HEALTHY food EVERY day. If you approach eating this way you'll never be hungry.

MINDFUL - This is so important. You must be mindful of what you eat. By mindful I mean that when eating you should take the time to concentrate ON eating. Plate your food. Sit down. Eat it. Think about each bite. Revel in every sensation of eating. Why? Being mindful give you purpose. It slows you down. Makes you think about every bite... and gives your tummy time to send the message... HEY! I'm full! Be mindful.

SENSIBLE - I'm 42 years old. I will NOT deprive myself. If I want A cookie (notice I said "A"), or I want A bowl of ice cream (again, that "A") then doggone it... I'm going to. My "SENSIBLE" 1/2 cup of ice cream isn't going to make me fat again... but eating a pint every day will. I have to live. I will not deprive myself, but I will be SENSIBLE about what I put in my face.

CLEAN - I've also cut the vast majority of processed foods out of my general eating habits. I've found that most processed food have horrific amounts of salt in them. If you can't pick it off a bush or tree, pull it out of the ground or cut it off of an animal, it has no business being in your body. I'm not perfect with this... but again... I am only human... see SENSIBLE.

HEALTHY - Here is where SparkPeople is really helping me. By letting me look at what's going in its helping me make better and better choices each day as to what I eat. I eat 6 times a day. This REALLY helped me a lot. Before I would skip breakfast, not eat till 12... gorge on Chili's Asian Wings (about 1800 cal), eat a few packs of Gems outa the snack machine (800 more), eat some outrageous dinner and then finish it off with cereal or ice cream later... And wonder why I was fat... By eating how I do now, I never get TOO hungry (A trigger point for me).

Your thoughts?

I have hit a goal. YIPEE!!

My weight goals were twofold:
1) go from a tight size 14 to a loose size 8. I HAVE DONE THAT!(I got my first pair of size 8 jeans yesterday!)
2) go from 168 pounds to 135 pounds. I AM ALMOST THERE. Why not stop some might ask? Well, I want a 3 to 5 pound buffer or, as My Hunny likes to say, a weight box. The weight box is the zone I can safely stay within. So, if I want to pig out at a party and I am 135, I have the room to do so. However, if I am 138 I won't be pigging out at a party, I will be calorically lying low.

I am really proud of myself, and extremely grateful to God for the grace He has given me to do this. I would NEVER have been able to do it on my own. I am, notoriously, not one to follow through on much of anything...thus the reason I unschool (LOL). Up until my mom's death, I was between 135-140. I never thought about what I was eating and didn't exercise. But the depression that sank in upon mom's death, and all the craziness going on with Ben, and getting older, just did me in weight-wise. I think it happens to alot of women.

I have learned that I can't eat what I used to. I just don't have the same metabolism. I have learned to have mastery over my appetite (THANKS TO GOD!), and I have developed the discipline (ya like that Lisa B.?) of regular exercise. Thanks to Sparkpeople (see sidebar) for all the past and continued help. Also, I have to say that the way I have lost has been High Carb, High Fiber (mostly complex carbs grains, fruits and veggies) Low Sugar, Low Fat and Low Protein. When researching the way I eat it is reminiscent of the Pritikin Diet, the Rice Diet, & the McDougall Diet and Ornish Diet (though I am not a vegetarian).

My cholesterol is 180, down from 220. My bloodwork is great, my blood pressure is on the low end (though that has always been true) my blood sugar is perfect. What I have been doing has been working, it hasn't always been easy, yet I have not been deprived (saying things like "I can never have ____ again" sabotages many a weight loss program).

I am so psyched and happy....Yeah God!!

Peace,

Some posts

Rachel's post on grains and weight loss.

My post on how to start losing weight...

Any other links or posts that you care to share? :-)

Puke-in-a-bucket workouts

Yep, puke-in-a-bucket workouts. That's what my friends at the VF Video Fitness internet forum call hard workouts, workouts that may push you a little to the edge, that may make you want to puke. Barf. Vomit. Pass out.

Call me masochistic but I love those sort of workouts. Yes, they have a high dread factor for me but, I feel a great sense of accomplishment when the workout is over. I feel like an athlete, like it is so worth the pain.

Yesterday in the post I received Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred - three thirty minute workouts on one DVD. Level 1, 2 and 3 - with 3 being the toughest.

Internet fitness friends tell me these are puke-in-the-bucket workouts - if you do Level 2 or 3 or two or more levels combined.

I was sad last night - I knew I couldn't do these with my current cold/cough/flu. I bemoaned this fact to Greg, when he called from the UK. I knew he'd understand, fellow workout freak that he is.

But today I had a bright idea! A first, I am sure!

Why not do Level 1 but keep it low impact and use lighter weights ( 2 and 3kg - 4 and 6 lbs).

That's what I did! A perfect short but effective workout for when I am not up to par. Might do the same tomorrow with Level 2..and when I am fully recovered from this can't shake it flu, I'll try the workouts high impact. Truly almost throwing up style, I hope!

From the Collage Video website, where this DVD is rated as advanced -

Three well-structured aero/tone interval workouts led by “The Biggest Loser” trainer. These fast-paced exercises will keep you burning fat as you sculpt muscle. The programs build in intensity; you can start with the intermediate level and work up to the advanced program (it’s tough! — moves like plyo-lunges and traveling pushups). Each workout has three “cycles.” Each cycle starts with three minutes of multi-muscle and isolated strength training. Then it’s two minutes of non-dancy kickbox and athletic-style cardio. That’s followed by one minute of classic abwork (then — no rest — you’ll immediately start a new cycle). Like on the TV show, Jillian is both demanding and supportive .

Three cycles plus a warm up and a cool down, in each workout. And the workouts build in intensity. Who could ask for more??

Doing the cha-cha

I've been thinking about you all and even did a marathon read one day to catch up with everyone by reading your posts. :)

For my workouts lately, I have a new friend who will walk with me while our kids play in the middle of the track or I do my TaeBo DVD or I swim laps. There is a new park across the street so I will go over and instead of doing pull-ups, I do controlled drops as an arm workout. Let's just say I'm feeling it! I'm also trying to get back into biking as I have at least one friend who is interested in my triathlon.

I'm trying to get back into the swing with Weight Watchers too, but after a strong start, I had so much of my family come and stay for long enough to make it a burden. I have yet to learn to only eat when I'm hungry so I do the weighing and measuring. I've done it enough that it's easy when life is in it's usual routine.

Rght now with eating and exercise I feel like I'm going a few steps forward and a few steps back and always ending up in the same place.

On the bright side, my weight is not going up. :)

Check in

Hi Leonie and all-- Leonie do you feel you have been talking to yourself? i have been terrible about posting!

But I have been working out at the Y still. My schedule changed so I tried some 6am classes to get my mornings free. OUCH! It was hard at first, but now i love it. I do 6am classes M-Th. I get up at 5, drink coffee and get on the computer, let the dogs out. Then work out, then come home work and do daily life, then lay down at 2pm with an audio book and have a delcious nap. Not bad, actually!

But, I thought of you all today and wanted to share.
Today at my class, the instructor had us on big exercise balls at the wall which is covered with a mirror panel.

So, picture it. We lay on the big ball, facing the mirrored wall. Our feet are on the wall. We have a medicine ball in our hands, over our heads and are doing crunches, at 6:37am.

The view:

I get a great wide-screen panoramic of my inner thighs as I scruntch up in my crunches.

Lovely.

So, I shift my gaze higher (enough of this self-torture) and see my neck. I am lifting the medicine ball in the CRUNCH and with the mirror about 1.5 feet from my face, I see my neck. It has all those wrinkles that the stars get lifted out.. you know that loose-chicken skin?

Sheesh! I nudge the lady next to me who is about my age and a grandmother and show her my view. She laughs, as she has a similar one.

Oh well. Felt great after, but I gotta talk to the instructor. I think we only should be made to do exercises facing away from the mirror at close range.

But I am enjoying the variety. I was doing a lot of step classes, but my knee is hurting. So now I have added in spinning one day a week, and substituing eliptical for my aerobics a couple of times. But I am bonding with the 6am crowd which is fun. There are about 5 guys who come too, which I never had in the the 9am classes. They are a hoot and the instructor today was telling "man stories" about her husband.

Like how he went on a guy's weekend with his buddies and never asked their college friend about the triplets that were born the month before. Spent 4 days with the guy and never even asked. Men!

So, it is a good time.

How are you all doing? Enjoying any particular workouts these days?

What have you been up to??

Rachel has been losing weight and getting fit - check out her cool pics.

And me? Today was another time crunch day so I did the 30 minute Turbo Jam Cardio Party Remix. Love the music in this workout - its a happy workout for me...But then I DO love both cardio and high impact!

What have you been up to?

The Biggest Winner

I've been doing the Jillian Michaels 30 minute advanced Biggest Winner workout DVDs. Simply because this is a busy week so only have time for short workouts ~ but I want to make them count. Well, today, I woke up at 6.20 to take son Jonathon to the bus stop. And I had DOMs in my chest, shoulders and glutes. Not big DOMs but a nice little soreness. Woo hoo! I love to feel the results of working out...

Check in

Another check in! Anyone elsewant to join in - or am I talking to myself? lol! Even if you haven't had time to workout, just call in and say hi - we'll motivate you!

My eating on Friday was terrible - I was home alone for awhile, eveyone else was out and that was scary to say the least! I had a lot of work to do for WYD - I am a volunteer co-ordinator in my parish. So I dealt with stress and loneliness by eating a whole pack of peanut M& Ms - 1000 calories!

Woah, just when you think you have emotional eating under control...

I did a Transfirmation workout yesterday too - High Definition Sculpt with Annie. A first for me - I bought this just before I had my surgery. Not bad, definitely go heavier with the weights next time.

We are having World Youth Day in Sydney this week, with the Pope. So yesterday was flat out organising pilgrims - we are going to have 8-10 young Iraqi Christian males stay with us this week! Maybe a week of short workouts - was thinking Jillian Michael's set. But today will be a fun cardio - one of the Turbo Jams.

Women's Health and Fitness

Before my surgery, I picked up a couple of DVD workouts by Women's Health and Fitness.

Today I had an early medical appt and errands with son Alexander, so only had time for a shorter workout. Sigh. And sob!

Picked up Ultimate Fat Burn ; about 40 minutes of cardio and weights. The cardio can be high impact if you like ~ hey, right up my alley. And can also let off agression - you don't wanna know who I was kicking and punching in my imagination during the kickboxing segment! lol!

The weight moves were all compound moves - combining upper and lower body or core.

I really like the instructor, Amy Dixon. Good cueing, an athletic body, she's a mum like me, a nice demeanour.

Not a tough workout ( sadly) but a good workout for days like today. Busy days...

Tomorrow I might do some of another workout in this series ~
The Wedding Workout. Isn't the title a scream? Has cardio, upper body, lower body, core, flexibilty and yoga. You can mix and match segments.

More Taebo

Check out my blog for pics of two of my sons (Alexander and Greg) doing a Taebo workout with me. Gotta love that Billy Blanks!

Need Advice!

Hi guys. I am just plugging right along. I have lost 15.2 pounds and have 17.6 to go. My measurements, when I started in April, were 42/39/42 and are now 38/32/40, so I am on a roll. I blogged back at my blog about how I have been struck with Cholinergic Urticaria (aka: exercise induced hives) so I have had to scale back and also do a fair amount of exercise at home.  Though I really prefer to be outside. I got to go out yesterday, without hives, coz it was a rainy day here and cooler than usual for June in Atlanta. Anyway, the Billy Blanks Tae Bo DVDs have always looked interesting to me. I am trying to amass just a small collection of different styles of work out DVDs for when it's too hot to go outside.  (When it gets cold, you WON'T find me inside.)  So, of those of you here that are into Tae Bo (I know Leonie is) what is a good one to start with?

Thanks!

Rachel

Taebo

Yesterday I got to do one of my Taebo workouts ~ with my doctor's permission. I did Taebo Ulitmate Upper Body -

Kickboxing with an upper body focus, for 60 minutes. Upper body focus = less pull on my abs and post surgery area.

I loved it! I could have worked out for another 30 minutes, but I showed restraint. And who has the time??

Sadly, I couldn't do my usual full push ups - they hurt my abs. So I did the push ups on my knees. But I know I'll work back up to full, big boy push ups eventually.

At the end, Billy gave his little motivational talk. Get Fit-Have Fun-Be Strong - Remember the Spirit.

Billy Blanks is a Christian. And his motivational talks reflect this. I was jumping around, dancing and smiling at Billy at the end of the workout and during his little talk.

And, so, yes, my workouts remind me of not doing this, my life, on my own strength but of relying on God.

Body Combat

I am really enjoying the Body Combat class I do on Sat morning.. here is a video. Leonie you would love this! Click here to see video

My class is better than this video.. in that the instructor is not on the stage.. lol.. This is a good cardio example, it is intense-- We also do "ninja" moves.. and they are really elegant.

At first I didn't like the 'violent' aspect of it. We are supposed to be beating someone up! But when we really start punching someone I pretend it is The bad guy as all don't like and his demons. Or maybe a guy who assults me in the parking lot..I told my gym buddy today if I guy did ever try and get me, I would do some of these moves and it might just make him laugh so hard he would forget his plans. :0

It is a great cardio workout.
But.. I am finding I am SORE from this workout-- muscles are sore which is amazing as it is all cardio and we use no equipment.

Just wanted to share.. :)
Hope everyone is well and moving!

Off for a walk

Here I am, ready for my morning walk. Today I am walking with a friend. She is meeting me at my house at 7.;30 a.m and then we will walk for an hour, around a nearby lake and up a hill.

Ladies, keep up your walking and working out!

Check in time??

Walk, Walk, Walk

Yep, that is what I have been doing lately. Walking. An hour every day.

Walking is the only workout that gets my doctor's approval right now, post surgery. I see him again on June 24 ( the feast of The Birth of St John the Baptist and our liturgical year celebration with Xmas Pudding and Xmas Cake in June) . At this visit, I hope to get the okay for adding in other workouts.

But , mean time, walking is not so bad. It is rhythmic. It is fun. It encourages meditation. And it is helping me maintain my weight loss.

I lost a few kilograms after surgery but thought I'd put them back on with no workouts. I have a fear of getting fat again. I'm not fat any more, I'm normal BMI, pretty fit but not super thin! Dang! lol!

Anyway, weight gain hasn't happened. You know, an hour of walking cardio every day is helping me maintain my weight. Coupled with some loose calorie counting, of course!


Walking is man's best medicine - Hippocrates

Definitely. I have been dealing with some stress and anger and depression in a family member's life and walking away from things for an hour really helps. Sometimes, this person walks with me - the exercise and time together outside, even if we don't talk, has to be good for both of us, right? I usually pray my Rosary while walking. I ask St Anthony of Padua for his intercession. Or I stay home, I put on a walking workout DVD ( yes, they do exist! lol) and I walk and smile and blow off worry. Or concerns.

And those super addictive make-me-feel-happy edorphins kick in. I am a pretty happy person any way, like to smile and laugh. Walking, and working out, makes me even happier!

I feel good! - James Brown.

Walking workout DVDs? I've been doing some by Leslie Sansone - especially like her 5 mile fast walk and her 4 mile fast walk - these have options and markers for just doing one/two/three miles, too! These also have weight training options, if you want to add in some weights while walking -well, I can't, my doc says no weights for now but at least the option is there.

I also have some fun George Foreman, ex boxer, walking DVDs and one Prevention one with trainer Chris Freytag.

I can't wait to get back to my Billy (Taebo) and Chalene (Turbo Jam) and to the Stepford Wives of The Firms. But walking is working fine for me right now.

Maybe you can add some walking into your week? You don't have to do an hour, even a fifteen minute walk is cool!

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and right
Meet in her aspect and her eyes...Lord Byron

( She walks in beauty....I wish! I'm more like Big Girls Are Beautiful by Mika, well, not exactly beautiful! lol! ~ Check out Mika's YouTube clip for the Big Girls song... )

Post natal taebo rocks!

Leonie recommended this DVD, and I have been checking it out for the past few weeks.

The workout is Shellie Blanks (Billy Blanks' daughter) at 10 weeks post partum with 2 other moms, one also having delivered recently. They warm up and then do core, upper body, lower body, and cardio workouts for a little more than 10 min each and then stretch. The moves are simple and effective and easy to follow. Shellie frequently reminds you to breathe, drink your water, move at your own pace, be patient, and adapt moves if necessary. For example, a lower body lunge included a top tap with your back leg, so she suggested holding onto a chair for balance. And I did!

I'm pretty uncoordinated, but by the second time watching, I could follow along fairly easily. I did shorter weekday workouts by only doing 2 segments, and today I did the whole hour. It was a challenge to do the whole hour, but in a good way. :) And you can still feel it when you only do a section or two. I especially loved that, even though she looks great, Shellie does have a soft little post partum tummy if you look. That made me not feel quite so squishy myself. The kids enjoyed doing some of the parts with me, too. The only thing I miss is a long, slow, yoga style stretch at the end which I could do myself if I plan the time. I'm definitely going to buy this one.

Also, Leonie mentioned, and I thought the same thing, this is a really good workout for anyone getting back into exercise. :) THANKS, LEONIE!

Try, try again...

Hello Everyone,
I am still trying to get myself in shape. I am always taking care of everyone else.
And sugar! I use eating it as my only control in life. It needs to stop. But it is so hard during baseball season--running here and there and keeping little sister entertained. It makes me feel good :)
So, I am letting you all know my struggles. I saw a photo of me last night pushing dd on the swings. It showed me from the back. I was shocked. I am getting a big caboose. I keep thinking of it and hoping it will motivate me more.
I got a bike this weekend. It is an old lady bike with a cushy seat, high handle bars, etc. My neck issues are so much better on this bike. Dd loves to ride the trail a bike so we invested in this. It uses different muscles than my old triathlon/mountain biking bikes. I am struggling. But I also give myself a little credit pulling dd and a half a bike behind me. Of course, I am going to be exhausted riding 5 miles!! I hope to get out on it once a week all summer.
I hope to come back in a few weeks and report in that I am eating better, lost a pound or two, something in the right direction.
Keep on trucking ladies...now to go open my Best Life diet book, yet again :)
Anne

Pilates

nI am still on NO workouts but am consoling myself by planning rotations of workouts.

A friend gave me a box of Winsor Pilates videos so I was thinking of adding pilates into my rotation when I am back into working out...I love cardio so was thinking of doing cardio or kickboxing or AWT every day, followed by a bit of pilates.

Anyone else into pilates?

Checking Back In

Hi All,

Just wanted to say that I signed up with SparkPeople last month and I am down 10 POUNDS! I am so psyched! I just had to share.  I am eating mindfully, tracking my food on Spark (which is so easy and fun and FREE) and walking when I can.  I have eczema that flares in Spring and it's on the bottom of my feet, making it painful to do anything cardio.  I am also Calorie Cycling.  Where I have different calories from day to day, so I am still eating my chocolate!

If you haven't already...check out Spark People.

Peace,

Rachel

Thought you'd enjoy this...

Isn't it true? I know I am wearing a smaller size now than when I was this weight years ago - all that kickboxing has helped to re-shape my body.

Oh, not working out after this surgery is killing me. All I am doing is a little ( very little) bit of walking. No, I should say shuffling! lol! And even that makes me tired. Gosh!

How are you all?

Interesting article on Psychological Eating

It is a quick read...

click here

Hit Me With Your Best Shot!

Like a Virgin.

True Colours.

Mickey.

And many others songs, on the workout DVD I did yesterday and today.

An 80s aeobics and music mix, with Richard Simmons ( yeah, I know, sorry - and corny as h**l).

I jogged in place, I did high impact instead of the workout's low impact moves, to make the workout more advanced. And I had a whale of a time - sweatin' and singin' and dancin' to 80s hits.

And because of the high impact, my heart rate was up. Cool!

I felt like I was at party, being a dag, dancing around, doing aerobics moves and singing.

Now, that is not just a cardio workout - it is pure fun.

I think working out should be fun, at least some of the time, don't you?

Slacker attempts new approach after Prednisone

Okay, so I know I had some nice and meaningful posts back in the beginning of the year. And things were going ok until my eczema came back with a vengence. Normally it's just on my fingers,but it was on the heels and balls of my feet and it was horrible. After trying every home remedy I went to the dermatologist and was put on prednisone...2 courses. I gained 8 lbs in a month!!! What's weird too is that I noticed only in retrospect what a pig I had been about eating. Truly inhaling anything. I forgot the effects that steroids have on the appetite. The last time I was on steroid therapy for my eczema (which 15 years ago was so bad I looked like a leper...all over my hands, fingers, arms to my elbows...horrible) I was really, really skinny so what ever pounds it put on me then, I probably needed.

So, I thought to myself that I needed to get back to eating mindfully. No more stuffing whatever in my mouth. I have to take little bites and really savor stuff. Also, I knew, being an unschooler to the core who balks at being told "I have to do" anything, that starting some 'diet regime' would only blow up in my face. I don't like it when someone says I can't have this, or my bloodtype is wrong for that, or carbs are bad, fat is bad, protein is bad, sugar is bad, dairy is bad. Geesh, I've got one life to live and I would like a little enjoyment!

I am really being aware of what I am eating, how it tastes and smells, and making sure I am eating lots of fruits and veggies (because stress/emotional/bored eating tends toward the sugary, baked carby stuff). And when I do I have cookie or two, I eat them really, really slowly as if I am a toddler. Ever notice how it takes a toddler 15 minutes to eat one Chips' Ahoy?

Nothing is off limits, but I actually take the time to pause and think about what I am going to eat. Already I feel tremendously less bloated and in the last 10 days have lost 4 of the 8 pounds I put on. The thing is I really wanted to lose about 15 lbs prior to this steroid night mare, so I have jacked myself up to needing to lose 23 (or rather 19)lbs now.

Autumn and I walked to the park today to go to her pottery class. Unlike some of you on this list (Leonie, Cindy etc...) I really don't like working out. I still have really great muscle tone, just a jiggly tummy. I'm still a size 12/14 (US) and really would love to be an 8/10. I want to incorporate the exercise in to my life. I am not a gym-going-gal. I tried Curves and ended up losing hundreds of bucks coz it is just not me. I like swimming, but the pools aren't open yet. I like an occasional walk too. Now that the weather is nice, assuming I can keep my allergies under control, playing tennis with Autumn and Ben would probably be good. Plus, I really hate being hot and sweaty. I think it's a mental thing having lived in Florida, which I really didn't like at all, for almost 20 years. I am the kind of person who should live in the north and do winter sports.

I love the book Secrets of a Former Fat Girl. It's a great read. I also love the Fat Girls Guide to Life. Even though people might still not consider me a fat girl, I can relate to stuff they say. I was really quite thin up until the death of my mom. Nothing will put 20lbs on someone like depression/grief eating. I just know that if I don't 'pay attention' (because that really is what it is about for me) I will only get heavier and little bit at a time, year by year until I really am at a place that would be overwhelmingly upsetting to me.  Plus, I am going to be 42 in 5 days.  I am not getting any younger and time is not going to stand still either. So, I better get going!

So, just like I am into Mindful Learning, I am now practicing Mindful Eating. We will see how it goes.

Peace Out!

Rach

Lift up your hearts.

Today my heart was lifted by Mass at 7.00 a.m., by the prayers and by the Sacrament. Peaceful. Helpful.

Today was my heart was lifted by my Taebo workout. (Yeah, I know). Punching, kicking, pushing myself to the limit, singing to loud music, sweating, made me forget my failings and my faults, my imperfections, my self centredness.

Hey, is is a new day and a new start.

Rachel, hope your new baby is well.

Everyone - any new starts with your health and fitness regime?

A Sprint to the End

After my marathon pregnancy of 41 weeks and 1 day, I had a final sprint for my labor; it was under 3 hours with a very fast finish.

Joseph Damien was born April 7th weighing in at 9 lbs 9.5 oz (4.354 kg). I guess living on sugar after Easter might have added to his weight. ;)

Now I'm resting, trying to get back on track with healthful eating, and looking forward to being cleared to exercise in 6 weeks...and of course, enjoying my new baby.

Sometimes I am a dork!

Jammin' to my Turbo Jam workout this morning, 55 minutes of TJ Cardio Party 3 before Mass and homeschool ice skating and work meetings, well, I thought to myself - You are a dork sometimes.



dork
–noun Slang.
a ridiculous person; jerk; nerd.


I mean, there I am in the family room, dancing away, twirling around, punching and kicking, belting out the song lyrics, having a ball of a time. I realized how dorky this must look. Must be.





But, hey, it is all in the pursuit of fitness, fun and happiness!

I Finished a Half-Marathon!

Well, LBNM'ers, I was thinking of you all today. I completed (walking) a half-marathon here in Portland. :-) It was a beautiful day, and a friend and I did it in 4 hours. :-) I felt thankful--for living in such a beautiful part of the world and getting to watch the town wake up; for my body--that it could walk that far and feel so good; for good friends--one who walked with me, two who called for support during the walk; and for you, my online support group :-)--without whom I probably would have given up LONG ago! :-)

So thank you all!

Momspiration

"That which does not kill you makes you stronger." Nietzsche

At Runner's World there is a quick article about working women and mothers who are training for the Olympic Trials. I found it inspiring to see these women face and overcome the challenges to their personal goals.

Olympic Effort

Rules to Live By

...At least for this week...

After reviewing my responses to my children and the aftermath of too much chocolate in the Easter season, I have decided to make a few temporary rules for living.

A temporary Rule of Life.

Re-reading Secrets of a Former Fat Girl reminded me of the role of rules in one's life.

The author, Delaney, shares how a few rules and a few mantras can help one change. She suggests adopting the mantra "Whatever it Takes" and "Its Not an Option (INO) ~ whatever it takes to get the change that is needed and giving up is not a option.

If you have any doubt about the role of INO to change you life, think about this: Right now other"mere words" have just as much power over you. Words Like"I am weak" and "I am not worthy." Words like I can't". These words are defining you; they are shaping the way you live now. Secret 3 : Adopt INO can help you fix that...

The idea of living ( and eating) by some set of rules is hard even to think about I know. When you life is full of stress ( as most of ours are), you savour the freedom to eat what you want and do what you want with the little downtime you have..But you know on some level that this is hurting you more than helping you..

How not to use INO: to make youself feel bad for not living up to some impossible standard you set for yourself . Think about INO as the encouraging words of a coach, not the judgement command of a drill segeant. It is meant to lift you up, not tear you down.

Chapter 3 "Secrets of a Former Fat Girl" Lisa Delaney.

This week's rules? Or should I say ~ Current Rules?

* Morning prayer and/or Mass ( getting back into good habits)

* No sharp words ( 'nuff said)

* No chocolate ( self explanatory, in the post Easter chocolate haze)

* No large helpings, no seconds, no nibbling

* Workout with intensity

I'll let you know how I fare with these rules. Assuming you are interested, of course!

New workouts

Went shopping yesterday and found a couple of new DVD workouts, on special.

Of course I had to snap them up!

Both were Crunch Fitness workouts, from the Crunch gym.

Both were fairly short - one 30 mintue, one 35 minutes. I did both , one after the other, for a good hour plus workout.

Crunch Fatblaster Next Step - 35 minutes of step aerobics. A whole lot of fun, especially the cardio bursts.

AndCrunch Burn and Firm in 30 - 30 minutes of circuits, cardio and weights.

Combined, I had a great workout, some different moves to keep both mind and muscles guessing.

Happy Easter!

Easter workouts?

Rachel, I hope yours was or will be labour - hey, we are still in Easter season, aren't we?

Cindy, prayers for your father.

My Easter workouts? Grabbing time to work out makes me a cooler person. I hope. Nicer. I hope. Healthier. More fit. More fun. Puts an added smile on my face.

What workouts? Aerobic weight training and step aerobics. Weight training ~ light weight high rep. Kickboxing.

Working off chocolate and tiredness .Working out to look and feel better, to be better. Even at Easter.

As a fellow poster says in her avatar, on the Ya-Yas fitness forum ~ What can I say, life is my catwalk. I want to be a"hottie"senior citizen.

Happy Easter season!

Good Friday workout

What will be your Good Friday workout?

Today, before Stations of the Cross, I did another FIRM workout - Complete Aerobics and Weight Training. Step aerobics and weight training. Fun! 55 minutes.

Have a blessed Good Friday everyone.

New Workout blog

In case anyone here gets really, really bored. lol.. I started a new little personal workout blog to track my workouts, journal and hopefully continue to motivate me.

Click here if ya wanna thrill lol lol lol

Bragging rights?

This is a quick thank you for motivating for me to do something to get my body moving when I'm mostly motivated to wish it weren't Lent so I could eat sugar and more sugar and sit on the couch and watch TV. Today, feeling huge at 37 weeks 6 days, I did 40 min of prenatal yoga and swam a VERY slow 1/2 mile (however I did beat the guy in the lane next to me a few times which I'm sure had nothing to do with the fact that he had already had been swimming for a long time before I got there). I pumped myself up by thinking about how I could come and share here about this "huge" accomplishment, LOL, and then I worked on humility by remembering that both my midwife and Elizabeth Foss swam DURING labor.

Zumba Momma

I couldn't resist posting this...

Oh, it looks so official.. lol

Ok, here it is.. drum roll please!

The 'official' results of the 5K.

Look to # 31. At least I am on the list!

And see the Martinez grouping above me? That was the dad with the little boys..

click here

Today Tennis Lessons with my Sons...

Well, my two sons have been taking tennis lessons for 6 years now- group lessons to start and now down to themselves and their buddy- so semi-private lessons- the past 2 years.

They love the pro-- so do I. He has a great sense of humor and now he and my boys (14 and 17) are more like friends.

But, I wanted some doubles strategy lessons. I have just started playing doubles with some ladies from my 'hood. They have all played for years, and I am very, very ignorant about doubles strategy. Like, when my partner serves I keep finding myself at the baseline instead of the serving line. I think it is from all my history of racquetball, where you always stand at the back of the court when you play because that is the ONLY place to stand and get to the ball.

Well, I asked Rod about lessons and he suggested I join the boys for a couple of sessions. At first one son was not so sure.. the Mom Factor and all, but it helps that their friend is SO cool about it and loves to hang with me. lol

So, we are off to tennis lessons-- hope I don't do anything too dumb!

Ran a 5K today!

Well, I decided I wanted to get out in the world with my workouts- beyond the Y and my neighborhood. Karen (who sometimes reads and comments here) is my good friend from the suburb up the road and has gotten into running big time. Like, she did a marathon in January. :0See Karen's blog here (warning, there is currently an 'ugly toe' picture on her blog..lol

We had planned to run a 5K out in the beautiful Blue Bell countryside of Brenham, but I had a conflict, so she invited me up to her neck of the woods to run this little 5K, put on every two weeks by a local running shoe store.

It was COLD- 38F when we started! I was not too worried about it, as I have run 3 miles around the neighborhood with no problem and run 5 miles with a few walk breaks.

Well, out of 35 runners, I placed at 32. And at one point 2 little boys running with their dad whipped past me. lol Karen ran back with me, and I think if she had not had her sore calf would have been far ahead.

But it was a beautiful, crisp day, and I ran very fast for me. I usually run about 11:30 min miles. Today she clocked us at 10:50 min miles. Not bad!

She also has one of those cool GPS gadgets that bounced off a satelite, can tell where on earth you are, and keeps track of your milage and pace. Wow. And I thought I was Hi tech with my little nano ipod.

Afterwards we went out for breakfast and had a lovely talk. A lot about how our lives have evolved since we first met 8 years ago... homeschooling, living, life and changes. Oh, and running. :)

Overall a lovely morning.

Oh, my hips are VERY sore after that. I am not sure why. The distance was not more than I am used to, but the pace was faster. Maybe it is my age??? lol I think I was one of the oldest crazy people out there!

Workouts

I've been sick lately, so mostly doing easier workouts. Or Advanced workouts, but for only half the time. Walking it out a bit.

So, it felt good to be back in the swing this morning, before Friday Mass. I did Taebo Advanced Live 7 ~ some great ab and glute and legwork, after the warm up and stetches, then kickboxing for cardio, kicks and punches. Fun music, too. "Riding on the Metro" by Berlin "Boogie Fever" by the Sylvers. "Be Who You Wanna Be." Some rap....

I love music in workouts.

My doctor told me, on Wednesday, to take it easy - I have to remind myself of this, as I tend to like to push myself in workouts. Esp when I can get ino the music groove!

( I am laughing at myself so its okay,you can laugh, too. ).

More Inspiration

Teacher loses 120 pounds through healthy eating and exercising

MARTINSBURG, West Virginia (CNN) -- Hardly a day that goes by that you won't find Tracey Wygal working out at the gym.
The 30-year-old middle-school teacher does cardio exercise, strength trains and follows what she calls a "clean diet."
That's quite a change for a woman who tipped the scales eight years ago at 295 pounds.
Wygal first started gaining weight in her early teens. A fast-food diet and little to no exercise helped her pack on the pounds, and her weight ballooned to over 200 pounds.
"It was my first year out of college, and that number, along with being diagnosed as morbidly obese, was very frightening," remembers Wygal. "I went to several doctors, trying to get them to prescribe a weight-loss pill."
But none of her doctors would give her the quick fix she was looking for. Instead, a physician handed her a 1,600-calorie-a-day diet and told her to start moving.
At first, Wygal was shocked and refused to begin a diet that she thought was too restrictive. Even though her weight was rapidly approaching 300 pounds, she believed she had a pretty good diet and an active lifestyle. of her life.
She started by keeping track of her daily calorie intake in a food diary and soon realized that her eating was worse than she thought. I was amazed by how many calories I was eating," Wygal said. "The food diary showed me that I really needed to get my food intake under control and helped me maintain my diet realistically."
She also started exercising.
At first, Wygal says, she was too embarrassed to go to a gym, so she bought an elliptical machine and started working out 15 minutes a day in her apartment.
"It was all I could do at first. I didn't give up, though," she said. "Gradually, my endurance improved. After losing about 30 pounds, I decided to join a small gym."
Several months later, Wygal was ready to take the next step. She hired a trainer and began a short strength-training program.
That's when something clicked.
Instead of feeling intimidated, Wygal started to love her workouts and the physical changes taking shape with her body. Ready to take the next step, she joined a larger gym, began researching different workouts and got into weight training.
Over the next three years, she lost 120 pounds and dropped seven dress sizes. Wygal, who's 5 feet 10 inches tall, says the fear of gaining weight motivates her to stick to her diet and exercise regimen because she never wants to look like she did at 295 pounds.
Now comfortable with her weight, which she says fluctuates between 170 and 180 pounds, Wygal works out at least five to six days a week. She says the key to losing weight and keeping it off is being honest about what you eat, writing it down and staying consistent. She wants people to know they can do it, but there are no quick fixes or easy outs -- just hard work.
"It won't happen overnight," Wygal advises. "Know that it will take time but it is worth it in the end."

Did some running

Well, I have tried to keep increasing my jogging. In the subject I called it 'running' but am not sure an 11 minute mile counts as that.

But I got some new shoes with my old running buddy from college who was visiting last spring at a running store, so my joints don't hurt as much. I have been trying to increase my milage, or really time, and decrease my walk breaks.

Saturday was my best to date, running (jogging) 5 miles in about an hour. No joint pain the next day!

Today I did 3.5 miles. And tonight the UPS guy (we love him around here) delivered a new pair of the same style of shoe. It was getting beat up and not cushioning, and i found a great price for a replacment pair online.

I like jogging. Especially with my ipod. I switch between KC and the Sunshine Band, Devo and Catholic spiritual talks. My heartrate is definitly faster with Whip It, but I love to hear Scott Hahn and he has me looking forward to confession this weekend. ;)

That is all from here. Working off Valentines goodies... oh, and my ezcema is back. I KNOW it is the food. It is allergic, I know. this week I had girl scout cookies and lots of refined flour so plan to cut that out.

Hope you all are healhty and well!

Oh, and hello to two friends I invited here who are not going to post (so they say.. lol) but are reading.

Hi Barb and Roxanne! Love you!

Mood Altering Drugs

Well, it seems that I am not so strange for going through a funk right now. Two weeks ago I was energized and doing a form of nesting which can only be described as "extreme". Then I got a cold and the cleaning lady came and I sort of just pooped out. Yesterday was the worst. The entire morning I was exhausted and unmotivated and uncheerful and unlike myself. And for the first time I wondered about PPD and whether it can set in before you have the baby and whether I should ask about medication at my next OB visit.

After a quick nap, I thought a little about what had changed. My cold and general lack of enthusiasm about my current shape (I can see my cheeks some days) led me to stop eating some of the good foods I have stocked up on and stop exercising. Giving up desserts for Lent left me feeling deprived (I'm offering it up at the same time as I'm looking around for a good chocolate substitute). I'm not sleeping well at night. The weather has kept me from being outside and talking to friends I enjoy. I stopped drinking water.

So I made a decision. I got on the exercise bike for 1o Braxton-Hicks filled minutes. Then I had a glass of water, a spinach salad, and my vitamins. I read a funny email from a really smart friend who told me that she had forgotten how to spell the word "the". And then I got back on the bike for 10 more minutes. Last night I made slept like a baby, and this morning, I started moving furniture and shampooing carpets again.

Exercise, good food, restful sleep, friends. Those are the mood altering drugs I prefer.

The Journey

Hi all-
I just posted a comment to Leonie's last post.. about the Lent time being a bit rough for me.

It really seems to integrate the whole mind/body experience for me, and as I mentioned the 'challenges' I give myself would make me a very healthy person if I just stuck to them.. for 40 days. lol

But, as always I fail, but then God seems to put new challenges in my path.

anyway, I have had a difficult week eating and exersize-wise and found this article I enjoyed and thought you might, too.

Cindy
click here

Update - so how did you lose that weight?

Okay, people, others have asked this question - since I posted my journey.

I pust a post on my blog. I hope it encourages. It is not easy , making health and fitness changes, But it is SO worthwhile.

How are you all during Lent?

Diet Girl

I've been reading "The Amazing Advenures of Diet Girl". This is her blog.

Very inspiring. An Aussie, living in Scotland, who has lost and maintained the loss of 70 kg ( about 150 lbs).

How?

By eventually giving up diets and working on body image, eating healthfully , allowing food treats and exercising. And blogging about these things, in order to create an online community of support.

Like us. :-)

Good Health is a Noble and Holy Goal

From Pastoral Care of the Sick:

"Part of the plan laid out by God's providence as that we should fight strenuously against all sickness and carefully seek the blessings of good health, so that we may fulfill our role in human society and in the Church. Yet, we should always be prepared to fill up what is lacking in Christ's sufferings for the salvation of the world as we look forward to creation's being set free in the glory of the children of God...

The sick person is not the only one who should fight against illness. Doctors and all who are devoted in any way to caring for the sick should consider it their duty to use all means which in their judgment may help the sick, both physically and spiritually."

I read in this that beyond seeking to comfort and help restore the ill to health, that it is noble for us to seek to improve or continue ongoing good health through healthy habits such as exercise and nutrition. It is a good goal for us, as God wants us to fight against illness. And it is a good goal to help encourage others to do the same and support both physically and spiritually. :)

A quote

Of course I work out, my stress acts like aerobics. - Woody Allen

Can you imagine it? lol!

This is REAL Penance

Hello Friends,

I know I haven't posted in a while. However, on my blog I recently posted about how I am giving up sugar for Lent. What I mean by sugar is desserts and anything full of white/brown/corn sugar. So, I can have fruit and if someone makes me BBQ pork, as my friend Sara did yesterdat at her house for lunch, and the sauce has some sugar in it, that's fine. Ketchup (not that I am really into Ketchup) is fine. I think you get the gist. Today is day 3. And I have some interesting observations.

1) Since I haven't eaten obvious sugar, I am less hungry for other food, so I find I am not snacking much. Hmmm?

2) I am much clearer mentally, even though I have 2/3 pot of coffee in me. I like coffee with cream and no sugar, so the coffee hasn't suffered.

3) I am not as TIRED! (This is huge for me!)

4) I make much better food choices throughout the day,which has made me realize how often I would turn to cookies, chocolate etc...when peckish...instead of just grabbing an organge, banana, or handful of roasted almonds.

5) I am thinking about Christ's sacrifice in the dessert alot. I am 'clinging' to Him much more throughout this ordeal. Because even though I am not craving sugar (which is weird) I still mentally think about and want it. For example, when I think about how long it will be before I can have sugar again, I get panicky,think of Jesus, and He absolutely gives me the grace to just handle today, coz it's all I have.

So, I find those observations VERY interesting. Also, I added in a little more Lenten penance and that is walking on the treadmill. I only do about 30 min. Listening to Muse, in particular, helps alot. I walk while the kids play Guitar Hero 3, so that I can watch them have fun and kinda forget what I am doing. I LOATHE exercise. I wasn't always this way. When I was in my 20's I used to bike 10-15 miles per day and I swam alot (I grew up in Palm Beach county, Florida). I think parenting Ben, in particular, just made me want to lie down and sleep instead of get up and going. Mixed in with that was depression over his issues and mental exhaustion from dealing with them.

However, this being Lent. I figure why not do something I loathe as a sacrifice for Christ. hopefully, through my dying to self, he can resurrect something good in me, by the time we all celebrate His resurrection.

~Peace,
Rachel

Fitness by Genotype

I thought I'd share these ideas from a newsletter I received, based on The Genotype Diet. The idea Dr. D'Adamo has is that different types of people are better suited to different types of exercise, and this list gives each type of few ideas to try.

Set a Fitness Goal

If incorporating exercise into your life is a tricky challenge, perhaps you need a little push. Try these physical activity goals for one week to see if they help you get moving.

Hunter: As a Hunter, you require intense daily activity to maintain your top level of fitness and health. For your goal, dedicate about 45 minutes a day to vigorous walking. When you feel that famous Hunter energy burst kick in, step it up to a run. Just keep the pace brisk so you don't lose interest.

Gatherer: A good fitness goal for a Gatherer is to alternate hatha yoga with aerobics every day for six days. Get DVDs or find classes at your health club. And take one day off for rest to avoid burnout.

Teacher: Teachers can keep their metabolism in balance by participating in 40 minutes of activity at least four to five days a week. Aim to balance tai chi workouts with alternating days of resistance training this week to see how you feel — you'll probably have tons of energy for your two days off!

Explorer: Alternate days of Pilates and aerobics classes for four to five days this week. Be sure you sweat out the toxins for an effective workout. This goal will keep you fit and cleansed — see for yourself!

Warrior: Warm up to a fitness routine with four days of stretching and strengthening exercises this week, Warrior. Try 30 to 40 minutes of hatha yoga on two days, and light resistance training on the other two.

Nomad: On three days this week, take a vigorous walk. Once you have that down, boost your efforts by carrying 2-pound weights along with you on two additional walks. If this goal seems too easy, next week boost your weight level to 3 to 5 pounds, according to your fitness level.

My Journey

Six years ago. Health problems and depression. And I gained weight.

I went from thin to obese.

I was a chubby child ( and my mother had me on constant diets), an anorexic teen, an always dieting, always working out young mum, then an overweight and finally depressed obese person.

I got help for my depression. And for my health.

Over the last six years, I have worked on healthy eating ( again) and have come to love working out ~ again.

So, here I am today ~ a work in progress. Still chubby but not as ,well , fat, as I was. I've lost well over 30 kg - well over 66 lbs.

Cindy asked us to share our fitness journeys. This is mine in a in a nutshell.

I feel very brave sharing these pics . I forgot how it used to be. I feel sad that I am no longer the thin person I was. But happy I am no longer obese. Yet I live in fear, every day, of going back there. Of getting fat and depressed.

It's a mind thing, as well as a physical journey.

A February Challenge

Something for us to think about. I mean, fitness is a mental and spiritual thing, as well as physical , isn't it?

BILLY BLANKS' FEBRUARY CHALLENGE

This month, let's do a "love" challenge, instead of a physical one. Each day of the month, let's do something for the ones we love, and yes, that includes yourself. Write down each new thing that you will do every day to show someone your love, and to show you that you love yourself. You can even do something for your pet, or maybe an organization that you love.

Get creative.

Cindy did it :)

Ok, OK, Cindy's post inspired me to give you all an update.
There really isn't much to write in this particular season of my life. We have been busy with a lot of family funerals(2 in 6 weeks, a 2 day drive one way-ugh), family visits(both going to and people coming--the guest room sheets get changed more than ours:), dh working 7am to 8-9pm, and the holidays. Trying to get the kids back to a good place for homeschool to work, get them sleeping again, etc.
BUT--I WAS in my little basement "gym" before all this started and for about 3-4 weeks I was exercising pretty much every day. Walking, and starting to jog, on the treadmill. Some work with weights. Stretching--oh, do I need that! The Pilate's video. It was good :) IF I can exercise the diet follows, as I feel so good in my skin, I don't want to ruin it :)
Right now, the mind is willing but the body just isn't there yet. I want to stay in bed in the am. So, right now I am being kind to myself and I am staying in bed most mornings. I'll be back. It is a season. I continue to walk the dog in the woods on the weekend when dh is home snoozing with the kids in the am. We have started going to a homeschool gym day and last week I played football with the boys--I was so sore. This week a few of us Mom's played some b-ball with the girls. That worked better than football. I miss our neighborhood walks, and waves, but Cindy is right--it is so COLD here in Ohio. It has been hard to drag the kids out. The dog is fine :)
So, I am still here. I am still inspired by you all. I just had nothing exciting to report. I will be back.
Anne