Still Around...

I'm still around.

And in boot camp.

And loving it.

And making progress....

But it's slow and discouraging.

Well....back up. I'm losing about a pound a week, which is a completely acceptable and healthy number, it's just not as fast as I'd like. And I know. I've been alllll over Pinterest. I've seen the pins about you didn't put it on overnight; it's not going to come off overnight. I know that, but still, I was hoping for at least a few weeks where my loss would equate to two or three pounds. And it didn't help this that this week turned out to be a difficult one as far as what I put in my body and how often I worked out. Double fail. =/

Trying to stay positive, I told my husband Friday night that it was okay. Yeah. I messed up. But I didn't completely undo everything I had worked for, and I'd just have to get right back to it. And I'm right. I know that. But it's still frustrating. Add to that trying to buy clothes for vacation. ...We're going to Disney World soon. I haven't really bought any new clothes since I started working out. I've been able to mostly pull out some of my older smaller clothes. But I do need shorts. So, not knowing exactly what size I am now, we went shopping. I was able to buy one pair of shorts a size smaller....the second one was the same size. =/ To be fair, I could actually get on the smaller size of the second pair. But it was muffin city, if you know what I mean, and I didn't find that very attractive. I will give msyelf some credit, though. ...Buying clothes that actually fit you does provide a nice slimming effect. My clothes now fit, in the morning, but by the end of the day, I'm constantly pulling on them. So I guess any small victory is good.

I guess I should finally start owning up to what I eat. They all seem to say that keeping track of what you eat aids in weight loss...the accountability part, anyway. Sooo...what I've had so far today:

Breakfast:

 Bacon and Egg taco from Fuego....with some queso and salsa. I know, not the best. But my husband drove the car there, and I was powerless to stop him. And really, I could have done a lot worse than that. Plus I had ice water with lemon.

Snack:

Banana cookie w/ chocolate chips (pretty much like a single serving of banana bread; I probably won't use the chips next time)

Lunch:

Natural peanut butter on wheat toast
Small Granny Smith apple with about 2 Tbsp of natural peanut butter
1 glass of skim milk
....still hungry.... =/

Boot Camp, Week 5

I didn't make it to Boot Camp this morning. ..I know, shame on me. And I have an excuse, and it's a good one, but still an excuse. But since I usually take off Wednesdays anyway to give my body a day to rest, I'm just going to act like today was Wednesday, and I'll pick back up again in the morning.

With the benefits of Daylight Savings Time, my family and I have taken to trying to go for nightly walks. I want to instill a love of exercise, health, and fitness in my children from a young age. I have struggled with weight my entire life, and I don't want that for my girls.

We're not going on our nightly walk tonight; I woke up with what I thought was allergies, but those symptoms usually subside somewhat as the day goes on. ..They haven't. I think I caught something, which sucks, but doubly sucks, because today is my birthday!

Last night, though, I did sprints. Not long. And not too many reps, but sprints, nonetheless. I was very wary to try them, because doing sprints to increase my endurance and speed is what landed me in PT for my knee a couple years ago. The angle of my right hip, to my knee, to my ankle is weird, which causes stress on my knee. I was actually told that I really shouldn't be doing much running, and certainly not sprints.

I also know, though, through part of my PT, that strengthening my quads and the muscles around my knee will help me knee to be stronger, and boot camp has definitely done that! I'll probably never be able to run as fast of a mile as I'd like or as fast of a lot of the other people in my boot camp, and that stinks, but hey. I have a medical reason, and I really don't want to end up back in PT. That got expensive! And I have insurance! Can't imagine what the cost would be if it were strictly out of pocket. Geesh!

I'm really loving my boot camp, and seeing the results it gives me. ...Right now most of what I can "see" is my ability to do more/do it better at boot camp. I'm not physically seeing the results in myself yet, which is discouraging. Not to say they aren't there. I am actually getting tons of comments at work, and actually someone today walked by and said, "Hey, Skinny Minnie!" lol I know there are results going on. People tell me. My scale tells me. My tape measure tells me. I just need to get to a place where I can realistically look at myself in the mirror and see what I've done and not what I have left to do. ...I'm working on that.

I also need to set more realistic goals. We're going on a huge family trip to Disney World at the start of the summer, and I had this goal to be a certain size by then. I don't know. It may happen, but I'm starting to become discouraged that it won't. And I need to be okay with that, because I know I'm working hard, and that the results will come as I continue to work. But I also need to really buckle down on my diet. I'm not a terrible eater. I definitely watch how much I eat, and since boot camp started, I am becoming more aware of what I eat as well. I know I'm not someone that can completely cut certain foods from my diet. ...At least not cold turkey. So for now, I'm working on making healthier substitutions for things I can change and cutting back on things that I'll really need to cut out entirely. I need to continue to be vigilant about that. It's tough.

For now, though, I just need to continue working hard and not sabotage myself by thinking that I'm not seeing results fast enough, because I'm realizing that I may have begun to allow some of that into my thinking without realizing it. I need to continue to be strong and work towards the goals that I have set. A healthier me. 

Boot Camp; End of Week 4

So I am definitely in a love-hate relationship with Boot Camp.

Really, I love it. It pushes me beyond the limits I thought I had. It encourages me when I feel like I can't go further. And it gets results.

I was slightly disappointed when, at the end of Week 3, I had lost a couple inches, but gained a pound. ...I was hesitant to step back on the scale this morning. (Sunday is my weekly weigh-in day.) But I did and was pleasantly surprise to discover that I had lost two pounds. Sweet. On to my measurements.

I did a Biblically-based weight loss program in high school, and they had us measure in pounds and inches, so following that lead, I measure in the following areas:

-waist
-hips
-bust
-thigh
-arm

I was so shocked by the results, I had to measure twice! From last week, I had lost about 5 inches, combined across all areas, for a grand total of 7 since I began measuring. I even re-calculated the math, thinking that somewhere, I had messed up my simple math. But no. 5 inches for the week, and 7 total.

I'm still not personally seeing the results, but clearly, they are there. Others notice them, and I now hear at least twice a week how much slimmer and toned I'm looking. And it's like I went shopping for a free wardrobe! Clothes that haven't fit since before I became pregnant are fitting again...and fitting well. It's kinda nice. I'm anxious to get to a point where I will start to see the results in myself, too, though. But hey. One step at a time. Success begets success, no matter how small the increments. :)

Some highlights of Boot Camp this week:

-alternating a 400 meter run with 50 squats, 30 burpees, 30 crunch/toe touches, and 20 pull ups. (one activity per alternate)

-relay races

-20 seconds on, 10 seconds off (for 3 minutes) mountain climbers, then a standing bench press, then rowing

I'm looking forward to continuing to get stronger, and more fit. Now if I can continue to make great choices where eating is concerned....I'll be set. For now, though, I'm working on just making sure that what I put into my body, especially when it's not super healthy, is in moderation and controlled. It would be nice to cut those things completely out, but for me, going cold turkey, is just a binge waiting to happen. So we'll go slow. :) And hey! My husband took me out for an early birthday lunch today, and I ordered sweet tea instead of Dr. Pepper. ..Probably still has plenty of sugar in it, but sweet tea has got to be less complicated, and therefore not as bad, than Dr. Pepper. :)

And so I guess that's it for the time being. Looking forward to our family fun run tonight, hoping we'll have time for me to attempt three miles (running).

Quick Update

Today starts Week 3 of Boot Camp. I have gone faithfully. I do take off Wednesdays to let my body rest, but I am there bright and early...well...more accurately I am there "dark" and early, but either way....

But, thanks to Daylight Savings Time, it is now light enough, long enough, after dinner to reinstate our nightly Family Fun Runs. I love being able to boast two workouts in one day, not to mention the fact that I get to work on my endurance and stamina. Two nights ago, B decided she wanted to ride her bike, which I thought would be perfect. I'd just jog along side her. I did not forsee her pedaling at the speed of stop, though. ...I kinda get why, though. We've taken her out to the school parking lot behind our house forever, and she speeds around the lot like nobody's business. But this was her first time riding along the roads. She was more than cautious. I jogged along side of her. At times she was going along so slowly that I literally had to stop and jog, virtually in place. Oh it was painful! lol  My bad knee did not appreciate the slow plodding along. I think it actually put more pressure on my knee going along so slowly. The good news is that I was able to jog the whole thing...2.25 miles. Of course, my speed was almost non-existant, but hey...I was more than walking, and that counts!

One of the things I have loved most about Boot Camp, though, is that it's always different, and usually with some type of running. ..And this I love! I was up to 6 miles before I got pregnant, and it was so discouraging to finally go out again and not be able to make it a quarter of a mile. But with Boot Camp, the different distances and speeds that we go, it has really helped boost my endurance.

The other night on another Family Fun Run, we took the small route....just over a mile, but I ran the whole thing. And do you know who ran with me? My 4 year old! Yeah! My 4 year old can run a mile! ...I guess I should offer the disclaimer that my running is more of a slow and steady jog, but moving is moving! And I can't believe my 4 year old ran the whole mile! I am detemined to foster a love of exercise and fitness in my girls. I do not want them to have to deal with the struggles of weight and self-image the way that I have.

....Looking forward to tonight's Family Fun Run. Today was stressful, and I could use a release! And then tomorrow...more Boot Camp! :)

Boot Camp: Day 2

Boot camp. It's not just for army recruits anymore.

Today was Day 2 of boot camp. It was great. More cardio. Thought I was going to keel over. But I didn't. And the cool thing is that I'm getting workouts that target all areas of my body AND running. However, my quads are shot, and I'm just praying that my legs feel better and I can actually walk. If not, tomorrow is going to be TOUGH!

And now, off to bed. ...Not a wholly descriptive or informative update, but, it's here either way.

5am comes quick! G'night! :)

Ummm...Day 1 DO OVER. :)

Okay, so it was like last week...or last, last week that I posted about Day 1 on my XBOX Kinect?

Yeah.

So a lot has happened since then. Or, more accurately, not a lot has happened since then. As it turns out, my genius plan to get fit in front of my tv wasn't all that great. I was so pumped for success, I didn't take into account prime tv viewing hours, or my husband's method of stress relief:  Netflix and video games.

Since my last post, I have been roped into joining a Boot Camp by a very sweet friend. Roped carries a slightly negative connotation. I really have wanted something like this for years, but didn't think we could fit it into our budget. But I was able to get a very reasonable rate per month for what equates to almost a personal trainer, five days a week.

Today was Day 1.

Today kicked my butt. Here is a recipe for how to turn your legs to jello.....

1. Run Kickbacks around a circle drive.
2. Run High Knees around a circle drive.
3. Do this weird "side shuffle/jumping jack" thing around a circle drive.
4. Skip around a circle drive. (This I have not done since I was like 8.)
5. Stretch.
6. I might be skipping something here...can't remember. ..Yep..I know I'm skipping some kind of mat exercise.
7. Run 400 meters.
8. Do 5 burpees (if you're me and new..otherwise do 10).
9. Do 15 squats (if you're me and new..otherwise do 30).
10. Do some number of sit ups...I do half.
11. Do burpees again?
12. Run 400 meters...or if you're me and you might actually keel over and die...walk it...and run the last 50 feet. :)
13. Do some ab work with weights...
14. Walk to your car looking like Gumbee melted.

It. Kicked. My. Butt!!!

I can't wait to go back tomorrow!!! :) ..Actually, I'm kinda of terrified! I'm mostly afraid of not being able to keep up, at least for the first couple of weeks while my body adjusts, but my friend feels like tomorrow will be less heavy cardio and more weighted lifting. Sweet. My arm flab could use a direct hit.

Okay...I am making a new promise to try to update this blog more now, especially since I finally have a structured, predictable workout. Here's to feeling better in my own skin and getting summer ready!

So hopefully look for an updated post tomorrow, but for now, I gotta jet. Did I forget to mention my Boot Camp is at 5:30am? Holy cow, I'm not a morning person, and I kinda need to be up by 5am!

'Night! :)

Week 1, (should have been) Day 2

Today was Day 2 of Week 1 of my 9 week XBox Kinect program. ...Or, it should have been. Instead, after ending the day with a sore throat and a neck that felt tender, I went home to investigate, only to discover white patches on the back of my throat. Greeeeat! That's all I needed. Thank you maternity leave for leaving me no sick days, and of course  tomorrow night I have a work event I am expected to attend.

I opted to spend the night in urgent care getting checked out, just to be on the safe side. Surely, if I went, it would be nothing. But you KNOW if I didn't go, I would wake up tomorrow morning feeling like my throat had been sealed off. Either way, better safe than sorry with little ones around, and  one who can't even tell me what's bothering her. I went in.

I gotta hand it to the urgent care facility. It was quick and orderly, and was fairly empty. I had expected to be one of many. I actually brought my backpack to work on lesson plans while I waited. It didn't take long to get checked out, and while the physician's assistant who saw me did say that it probably wasn't strep, she went ahead and prescribed me a Z-pack, just in case. She agreed that my little splotchy friends in the back of my throat were questionable.

So I'm glad I got checked out, but pretty bummed it meant that my night was pretty much shot. I may need to renounce my former view of morning workouts, as that time is fairly interrupted by little more than the fussings of my Littlest Little...and then only on the mornings that she stirs early, which isn't really every morning. Most, maybe. But not every.

I'll have to play catch up the rest of the week. And just in case you were wondering, and I have had a few people ask me, about the effectiveness of the workout games out there. ....When you put forth effort, it will work. My last/first workout was Monday, and I can still feel it in my abs, arms, and legs.

And with that quick (non)update, I'm headed to bed. Strep or no, my throat is definitely sore. And my neck does feel tender to the touch. I'm getting some much needed rest.

Tomorrow? Water. A healthy lunch, a busy day of teaching (never sitting down counts for something, right?!), and making up Week 1, Day 2. It's gonna be a good, good day. :)