Day 335 (day 6 / week 47)

1) 95 minute walk w/ the Monkey Boy, 10,251 steps/4.85 miles

2) heavy cleaning, 63 minutes

3) 30DS, level 2, day 5.

I mapped my route today and got the same distance (off by .01 miles) that the pedometer/step website that I use got (thanks again Loree!). That somehow makes me feel a sense of freedom that my steps/numbers correlate with that site. That confirms work as exercise in my head (lol).

After I got home from the walk I did some heavy cleaning. My kitchen needed it. I even relining all the cupboards w/ grip it mats--a very frustrating task. I am glad this isn't our house. The cupboards aren't perfect squares (I'm very symmetrical and like my lines straight). They are crooked! I'm totally anal about this stuff, so I know it's the house and not me lol. I don't want to jinx anything, but there is some talk in the air that my in-laws may try to help us buy a house in the beginning months of next year. How exciting, but I don't want to get my hopes up in case it falls through (nothing good ever happens to my hubby, according to him--isn't that sweet of him to say?). I will not end up in a house like Lily and Marshall's apartment on How I Met Your Mother lol.

I promised Erin I would do the 30 Day Shred with her, and I will keep it, although it will be well passed 30 days when I actually complete it lol. I need heavier weights. I have 5lb hand weights but my son hid them at some point in the last week and I have no idea where they are(???). My hubby and I checked the most obvious hiding places, but can't find them. Maybe they are in the back yard? He started bringing things out there like Pebbles did not too long ago lol. On a side note I still miss her but it doesn't hurt so much--I'm very happy for her now :). So that being said (missing 5lbers) I had to use my 3lb hand weights. Not so effective with this workout. The Monkey Boy worked out with me, and used spoons for his weights. I might as well have used spoons also, because that's what it felt like anyway lol. He kept up with me until the 3rd set thingy (brain fart--can't remember what it's called).

My ankle is a little sore but I want to get on the Wii Fit. My hubby is cranky and needs his TV time. If I get on I will update, unless it's just a body test. I should probably just stick to that.

I met my protein goal for today and didn't throw everything else off terribly (only by like 100 calories!). 139 grams of protein. Stick a fork in me, I am done.

Have a great night!

I can do this. I am a star.

P.S. Hubby said he will help me with my picture/measurements on Saturday morning. Stay tuned for a horrible update! (lol)

Day 325 (day 3 / week 46)

Last night was the first night that the Monkey Boy spent the night somewhere else (with his Nana). It was different. I was able to exercise this morning and focus 100% on that. That was nice :).

Today I did Day 4 of the 30DS and I did level 2, because I am bored with level 1 (yes only after 3 days lol). I modified the cardio again, doing shadow boxing instead of the jumping (high knees). I also followed Anita with the other jumpy ones that they were able to make low impact through her.

I also did 36 Wii Minutes focusing on balance and core stuff .

This is Mii (Meli). Isn't she cute?

Today I played this one game, that I hate. It's a balance game that I don't even know the name of. I hate it, because I absolutely suck at it. I can usually never get passed level 2 or 3 (I've been to level 3 like maybe 2 times in the last month) so I never play the game. I decided to today, though, just to see if I could do it.

I beat it! I finished ALL of the levels in the time allotted! TWICE!! Wow. I really amazed myself today. Just goes to show that all of the balance work I have been doing lately is paying off, and proves anything you put time into does pay off in some way or another (*cough* exercise).

This is level 1. You have to shift your balance to get the tiny Mii marble into the glowing pinkish hole.


(level 1)

Then it drops to level 2, it becomes more challenging with more marbles, so on and so forth. The very last level has like 10 (i'm guessing) Mii marbles and you have to get them all into the hole. It's shaped like a W with ridges and the sides are flat so that they roll of the edges (the entire board spins and knocks them all off when one of them falls off the sides). It was surprisingly easy. Some of the previous levels are much harder.


(level 2)

At the very end, all of the Mii Marbles form a circle, change into little Wii people at the end, and jump around excitidly. It's a small but fun reward.



On top of that fun reward, my Wii Fit age was 20 today! TWENTY!



Even the balance board was pretty impressed with that--it never says my body is in "great condition" (that means absolutely nothing except to a 31 year old fat chick lol).



Off to take a shower and go Christmas shopping for the boy and other family members. That is why we had him spend the night at his Nana's house. I hope he didn't drive her crazy. He probably didn't. He only does that to us. lol.

Make it count! The holidays are coming up!

I can do this. I am a star.

UPDATE: I also walked 2.12 miles.

Day 283 (day 3 / week 40)

I woke up this morning REALLY sore. I told myself yesterday that I would do the 30DS regardless of how I felt, and I did. I'm glad I did. I am a lot less sore now, than I was when I woke up, but I knew that would be the case if I did it.

Today was day 2 of the 30 day shred and I did level 2. It's a fun level and I like how I am doing this other schedule of it, so everyday seems different. I think that will keep my interest.

As far as the 30 day in a row thing, I am not going to hold myself to that, because of work and other things that I don't have much control over. I can say now, while it's my day off, that I will do the 30DS when I get off of work, but that's much easier said than done. I am, however, going to do 30 days, and will follow the schedule I posted a few days ago. Thirty days is 30 days, no mater how you look at it. I know that I will be doing something physical on the days that I am not doing the 30 day shred, so it's all good.

Day 2 of no sugar is much easier than day 1. Not having the temptations in my own home makes it easy, but my hubby does have 2 candy bars on the kitchen counter, that I am surprisingly not tempted by (yaay!) and we also have chocolate chips/chocolate milk, but those are for the most part for the monkey boy, so I am not tempted by those either. Consistency is definitely the name of the game when it comes to a hard goal like this (this is how it was for me at the beginning of my exercise resolution as well). Each day becomes easier than the day before, and it's like a snowball effect.

I'm secretly excited because my hubby has been interested and has been looking at a Wii Fit. I don't want to seem too excited to him, because I want him to think he's getting it for himself. If I show too much of an interest, we will have gotten it because of me. Then when one of those discussions comes up when I want something (a haircut, exercise video, weights, whatever it may be) he will use it against me and say "well we just got you a ________". lol. If he gets it for himself, we all know who will use it though (ME!). So, I'm hoping we can get it for Christmas, for a present to the family (the monkey boy will like it too). It's coming up pretty quickly!

We have lots of errands to do today, so we will get in a lot of walking. I am going to return the HRM that we bought from Kohl's. My HRM doesn't count the calories for anything below 80ish (my resting HR is pretty low--48-52). It also jumps around and reads inaccurately (I had my arms in the air and it said my HR was 188--so not true) and I think my timex reads better than this New Balance HRM so I will just use what I have for now. *shrugs*

Ok well off to take a shower.

Have a great day! Make it count!

I can do this. I am a star.

day 170 (day 2 / week 25)

I find myself avoiding Level 2 on the 30 Day Shred, so I decided to do it today, to see what's so darn scary. There isn't anything scary about it, I just don't like the chair squat/lateral shoulder raise thingies and time really drags by on Level 2. Strange, cause it's the same amount of time as Level 1 and 3.

I also don't like this comment that she makes in the middle of the workout that just totally turns me off. She is great and it seems like she is afraid to own it by herself--alone, almost like there is a lack of confidence. She will say something like "I'm good at this!" which I am fine with (I want a confident trainer!), but then she follows it with a "well at least that's what they tell me" with this tone in her voice, almost like (and this probably isn't true at all--me just being psychologically-silly) it's not a true statement until she mentions that other people feel that way. She says it at the beginning of the DVD too! "They say that I am T.V.'s toughest trainer..." and she ends the sentence with this same tone in her voice and body language that just gives me this wild hair! It's like she doesn't have the confidence to just say it and own it--she always has to throw in that someone else or "they" say it. I know it is totally silly of me, but I really don't enjoy listening to her say it every. single. day. Which is why I avoid level 2 also. I leave the room during the DVD intro (since I can't fast forward or skip through it...what's up with that?!?!) so that part is avoidable--I wish I could just delete her saying the "at least that's what they tell me" part lol. She gives us an AWESOME workout, so that's why I don't turn it off all together (plus I made a 30 day commitment out loud to other people in this group). I think I am going to start muting it though, just so I don't let that affect my workout. It's totally a ME issue, not a HER issue because I tell Debbie Siebers to "stop talking" during Slim in 6 too! LOL. And I love her! (I'm sure Jillian is great too :))

I'm in a pissy mood today if you can't tell.

~>:) (me with my wild hair)

I realized yesterday that I am going to have to start getting up even earlier to exercise, and I just don't want to! The Monkey Boy knows that he can get up and get out of bed when he wakes up in the morning now (thanks to his toddler bed), instead of rolling over and going back to sleep, so that is interrupting my morning exercise time AND he has been skipping his naps an awful lot which makes it virtually impossible for me to exercise during the afternoons *whines*. Today he kept shoving books in my face when I was trying to do the walking pushups thingy, and the plank jacks and squat thrusts. He sits on my stomach during the 1 minute Ab part and he always has a tantrum when I ask him to please move. It just stinks cause he does this all the time now. Part of me wants to just stop exercising and give him the attention he wants/deserves (he's only 2 for heavens sake), but I really don't want to flake on my goal, my exercising, or me! I would gladly put him before me and always do but I don't have much "me" time as it is. If I lock the door, I have the bathroom, but he bangs on it until he is let in. Exercise is it for me. When my hubby gets home, it's his time. I know he would prefer me to have my exercise done before he comes home, so he can have his time with us.

When this 30 days is over for the Shred, it will be much easier because I can just put The Monkey boy in his stroller and take him outside and walk/jog, w/out worrying about getting my daily Shred in. Today is day 19 so I have 10 more days left--that will fly by I'm pretty sure as long I stay away from level 2 lol.

Sorry for the double rant.

I guess it's just one of those days. I know that God is on my side, so I am not just going to kick it to the curb, like I want to and call defeat. That would be such a waste of 170 days. And that would be so easy to do! Totally the easy way out, but I would still wonder "what if" and regret it.

Make today count!

Less than 200 days left. I can do this. I am a star.

day 161 (day 7 / week 23)

I don't know why I can't count, but for some reason I got my day's confused and thought that yesterday was day 8 into the 30 day shred. I have been doing it everyday since the 1st of the month, so I should just not use my brain, and just look at the date. yesterday was day 9, today is day 10 (it's june 10th lol).

You guys blessed me so much with your comments. I am SO blessed to have you guys there to lift me up when I am feeling discouraged. I had tears in my eyes yesterday, reading what you guys had to say, knowing that you care enough to help me. Thank you :).

Today I did Day 10 (really? not day 9? or day 11?) of the 30 day shred, level 2. I have no idea what was up with my deltoid yesterday. Today it was as if the pain never existed. Probably a good thing that I didn't push it.

Tomorrow I am going to post the math that I did to make sure I am eating enough with my exercise. The only thing that I am a little confused with, is that the formula asks you to estimate the number of minutes/week that you do. My numbers change almost weekly. It depends on if I am walking, or not, or if I am scrubbing grills and such. I just said that I was exercising 30 mins a day/7 days a week, and used that as my base information. Do you guys think that I should be using the maximum number of estimated minutes that I do in a week, instead of the minimum? I'll go pull out some of my info from school and see what it says. I ask this, becuase if I am going over 30 minutes a day, and my calories are set for only 30 and not more, I wonder if I am getting the proper amount of nutrients that my body needs? When I calculated it the first time, I didn't think that it made much of a difference, but maybe it does? Right now I have it set at 30 minutes (I think). I also plugged the numbers in to lose 2lbs a week, and that obviously isn't working, so something is wrong somewhere (human error).

I'll post everything tomorrow, and the formula so that you can follow along, and plug in your numbers (if you would like) to see where you should be at, if you are trying to lose weight, or maintain your weight. It's simple math, and it's nice to see the numbers customised for you, and you alone (we are all in the same boat but everyone is different!). There is also a sense of satisfaction, knowing that you can adjust these numbers yourself. This is the info that a lot of people pay for! I enjoy having this info and look forward to sharing it with you tomorrow.

Thank you again!

Make it count!

I can do this. I am a star.

day 159 (day 5 / week 23)

Today I felt kind of defeated (but NOT discouraged--nothing at this point will make me stop or slow down my mission). I'm only losing on average about a pound a week. It's not bad, but it sucks when I hear about people losing 2-5 lbs a week when I know I am probably eating better than they are and exercising more. Oh well, I am doing my best so I guess that's life and I just have to accept it.

I did level 2 of the 30 day shred (day 7) and because I want to step it up a notch, I power walked 4.25 miles! It took me 80 minutes to walk that, so I guess it wasn't really a power walk, but it's all good. At least I did it. I had Logan with me, so I can't really walk any faster with the stroller (it's not a jogging stroller) and he enjoyed the time away from home.

Hope you guys have a great Monday! If you are working today and you are thinking that you want to be more active, but don't know how to fit it in with work, here is an article called 100 Tips and Tricks to Sneak in a Work Out at Work. Someone named Amber Johnson emailed it to me and thought you guys might find it appealing (I did!).

Make today count!

I can do this. I am a star.

day 158 (day 4 / week 23)

Today I thought I was going to do more than I did, but I didn't (boring day).

I did Level 2 of the 30 Day Shred this morning (day 7). I really like the "plank jacks" and the "Oblique twist" things (I can't remember what she calls them). I'm getting much better at the walking push ups--I can feel myself getting stronger. I'm beginning to be more aware of my form, and can correct it now, but still need to take an occasional few second rest. She says to rest for no more than 5 seconds, but I have counted that out, and that seems like an awful long time because the entire segment is over before you know it (and I feel I will get left behind! lol).

That's it! Short and sweet today.

Hope you guys have a great day! Make it count!

I can do this. I am a star.

day 157 (day 3 / week 23)

Today was a late day for exercise. It usually is on the weekends (for the most part) because I procrastinate. My husband is here and for some reason that makes me procrastinate muy mucho. I woke up early, and was ready by 7:30 (still pretty late for me) and then I fell asleep on the couch lol. *shrugs.* I think the sandman must camp out on my couch when we aren't here, because that couch ALWAYS makes me fall asleep. During the weekday's I never sit in it. I only sit in it to sit next to my hubby, and I always fall asleep.

After I shook myself out of the slumber, I got up and didn't want to exercise. again. Surprise, surprise! So I did level 2. again. of the 30 day shred. *whew* I feel awake now. The chair squats are difficult, but I will work at them. My favorites so far are the pendilum lunges and the plank jacks (?). I like the stationary lunge/row as well. I really feel the burn and it motivates me. day 6, level 2, done!

Yesterday I finished scrubbing/scraping the grill. The day before I used oven cleaner, but it never foamed, and dried almost immediately with the sun (it was 90 degrees out). Yesterday the same thing pretty much happened, except for I went through 2 bottles of oven cleaner, and they didn't even make a dent with the grill. It did help with the racks though. Surprisingly, I dumped some 409 in the grill and that helped break up the grime/rust at the bottom so that I could chizzle it away. I'm glad that is done, especially considering that I burned. I can also rest now.

I was out there for almost 3 hours and didn't realize it. I had 50 proof on (I never go outside w/out sunblock on), but I was out there for so long that I guess it just stopped working. I am never in the sun for that long and I didn't realize how fast the time really flew by or I would have put more on. Oh well. There are 2 good things to come from my burn: 1) I didn't get sick (I have a sun allergy) which leads to #2) my allergy must be going away. The MD said it was a matter of getting used to the sun, which I never let myself do. Walking/jogging in the mornings must have really helped me, and I did notice last week that I didn't feel queezy when I was out in the sun walking either. Yaay! This is big for me :) But no more burns. Burns are bad. Very, very bad. BUT, my hubby's father's day grill is done! *happy dance*

Off to take a shower. Have a great weekend and make it count!

I can do this. I am a burned star.

day 156 (day 2 / week 23)

"I want you guys to feel like you're going to die!"
--Jillian Michaels, The 30 Day Shred

I woke up this morning exhausted. Yesterday I spent 2.5 hours STRAIGHT (no joke!) scrubbing and scraping that grill. It was filthy and caked with grease and grime. It has (according to my mom) 15 years worth of build up on it (should have taken a before picture). I have to go back today to finish, because it was just not possible to do it all in one day. The steel wool ripped through my gloves and so I gave up with those, but now my nails and fingers are all...nasty. They look worse than man hand lol. I scrubbed so hard that I don't know if there was originally a protective coating of paint at the bottom of the build up, or if it was just straight aluminum (like it is now lol).

So I really didn't want to do The 30 day shred today because I know that I am just going to be scraping and scrubbing again today. I really didn't want to exercised. Then I remembered that I made a commitment with the group members in a sparkteam (on sparkpeople.com) fittingly called "The 30 Day Shred," to do the shred for the entire month of June. Arg! (yes I'ma pirate today).

What do you do when you don't want to do something? You take it to another level! Today I did the 30 day shred, but instead of doing level 1, I did level 2! This method is quite motivating for me. Jump in head first and just get it done with. I had only done level 2 once before (I think--I don't really remember) so I couldn't expect anything and wuss out of anything. I am really proud of myself and glad that I pushed through it. I feel great now, and KNOW that I can tackle that grill. With better gloves. And more oven cleaner. *vera de milo muscle flex*

Off to wake the boy up (wow I'm waking him up super late today!).

Make today count! Take it to the next level and push through it! You'll be glad you did :)

I can do this. I am a star.

Day 58 (day 2 / week 9)

Thank goodness for Anita! Some of you may know who I'm talking about, and some of you don't. Anita is one of Jillian Michaels' "best girls." More specifically, she is the one that does the modified movements on the 30 Day Shred. Man, if it weren't for that girl being the designated n00b, I might have turned off Level 2, and went back to Level 1. (I have always wanted to use n00b in a sentence, so I just threw it in there. I guess I would be a n00b to the term "n00b" lol)

Today I did the 30 Day Shred and did Level 2 (day 5). I was a little scared becuase she didn't do the knee circles, so I was afraid they would hurt, but I guess we really didn't need to do them. Level 2 is tough, let me tell you! But it's gonna get me into great shape, so I'm excited. I was able to do some of the regular moves, and with others, I had to use Anita's modification.

Sunday is March 1st, and I am excited about doing my measurements, and taking a picture again. My pants are baggy, so I know I have lost inches on my legs and... inch off of my hips (I would say "inches" but I don't want to get ahead of myself lol). During these pictures, for the next few months, I am going to wear the same shirt (a brown, Goodbye Alice in Wonderland, Jewel Kilcher shirt and black stretchy pants) until I look like a ridiculous clown, then I will change, and use those same clothes for the pictures as well. :)

Hope everyone has a great Friday! Yaay! It's Friday :). Get in a great workout and enjoy the weekend! :)

Smiles and blessings to everyone!

I can do this. I am a n00b, I mean a star. :-D