day 150 (day 3 / week 22)

Today is a (non)rest day. I started to do Slim in 6 (Start it up) and decided to just do the intro, over and over again. I counted each segment 10 times then did the whole circuit. Then counted 20, then 30 and so forth, for each segment for 20 minutes. I'm surprised that just a "warm up" could get me pretty sweaty. Maybe it's just a warm up if you only do it twice through like Debbie Siebers does :). It's hard to explain what the intro is, so I will count it as low intensity cardio. It's a lot of knee lifts/arm raises, horizontal bicep curls/1/2 squats, triceps kickbacks/ham flexes, pectoral flies/steps--really hard to describe if you aren't familiar with Slim in 6.

Anyway, I did 20 minutes of that, and anticipating a lot of walking today. If I don't do as much walking as I think, then I am satisfied with the 20 minutes of low intensity/impact cardio.

I am extremely excited about school! I am finally taking the steps I need to go back and finish college. I printed out all of my unofficial transcripts and am only 3-4 classes (in Nevada) away from getting my AGS (Associate of General Studies Degree), which is the most generic Associates Degree someone can get! Changing my major multiple times will finally pay off somewhere lol! I also decided that when I go back to college (hopefully sometime this year) that I am going to take another physical education class, so that I won't have the excuse not to exercise. I will be scheduling it in, and making specific time for it plus I will have gym equipment, without the gym price! I am taking this blog and my new years resolution very seriously, so I do not plan to miss 1 single day of exercise, or cheat either (like count walking from class to class as exercise--total cop out!). I think this will be my best bet, but it's too soon to tell what exactly will happen (especially if I start working soon) but it sounds like a good plan :).

Hope you all have a great weekend! Make it count!

I can do this. I am a star.

day 148 (day 1 / week 22)

Today I stayed home to exercise again. I did Slim in 6's Ramp It Up (48 minutes) again. My tummy is still trying to recover from those sugar free coconut chocolate things I had the other night. It was a party and everyone was eating pie and ice cream, and I chose to have 3 of those sugar free candy things for 200 calories--it hit the spot, but I probably wont have any ever again lol.

I really like Slim in 6. You guys know this though :). Between the cardio, yoga and strength training with the resistance bands, I feel like I get a good workout. There are squats, lunges, push ups and all sorts of slimming goodness in just 48 minutes.

For the last few weeks I have been tweaking with my calories. Sparkpeople has me eating 1200 calories everyday along with my exercise. I realized that when I eat 1200 calories a day, I stay at a stand still with my weight. This small delay tells me that I'm not eating enough. I added another 100-150 calories to that (still staying in my calorie range that sparkpeople gives me), and my body reacts to it better. I find this fascinating. Exercise/diet misconceptions say that the less you eat, the more you will gain weight. Very NOT true. I learned this in school and have read articles about this over the years (including recently on sparkpeople), so if paraphrasing isn't accurate enough, please don't bark at me. I am not a professional! This is what sparkpeople has to say about it:

The SparkPeople program will NOT allow any female to eat less than 1,200 calories daily or any male to eat less than 1,500 calories daily.

When calories drop too low (usually below 1,200 calories for women and 1,500 calories for men), your body’s protection mechanism switches on because the body thinks it is starving. In order to conserve energy, the body lowers your metabolism and you will not burn calories as quickly. This results in a slower weight loss rate, or sometimes prohibits any weight loss from occurring.

At SparkPeople we call this “Starvation Mode”. When your caloric intake falls below these levels, it is also extremely difficult to obtain all the nutrients that your body needs for health and survival. These very low calorie intakes can also lead to other health problems such as eating disorders, gout, gallstones, and heart complications.

Your body, our bodies go into starvation mode, when we don't eat enough, and it starts storing, instead of burning thanks to our ancestor, Captain Caveman. They never had a guaranteed meal so their bodies had to adapt to that. I guess we still have this gene. Anyway, make sure you are eating enough! Eating too little on your weight loss journey can hinder your results! Sparkpeople provides and actually incorporates the formula into your account so that you are getting the estimated correct amount of calories to your lifestyle. You can even go in and see the formula, and do it yourself (I did!). Maybe I'll post the formula here someday so you guys can do it too :).

I can't believe it's almost Friday. Time is flying by waay too fast, so I am glad that I am not sitting here, saying "I'll exercise tomorrow." Tomorrow is gone, and today will be soon. Make it count!

I can do this. I am a star.

day 147 (day 7 / week 21)

Today I woke up early to go for my walk, but decided to stay at home and do 44/48 minutes from Slim in 6's Ramp It Up. I also did some more strength training (see below). I ate something a few days ago that my stomach didn't agree with and for the last few days, I have been paying for it. They sure are super yummy, but really did a number on me! I decided to trust my instincts again today (and the sound of my stomach lol) and just stay close to home.

My workout was really great and I wasn't able to finish the last 4 minutes of yoga because my son was just so darn funny and wouldn't stop what he was doing. Debbie Siebers said "downward dog" and when Logan heard that, he immediately crawled underneath me and through my arms, barking! I laughed and so that instigated for more. He is such a riot--he ALWAYS makes me laugh...funny kid.

This is the strength training I did today:

Crunches with a twist -- 2 sets / 15 reps
Reverse crunch -- 2 sets / 15 reps
Low Mount Seated Rows with Band -- 2 sets / 15 reps
Seated Dumbbell Concentration Curls -- 2 sets / 15 reps
Squats -- 2 sets / 15 reps
Forward Lunges -- 2 sets / 15 reps
Overhead Tricep Extension -- 2 sets / 15 reps
Seated Dumbell Overhead Press -- 2 sets / 15 reps

I heart strength training. It's a very empowering feeling to work your muscles to fatigue and see them getting stronger. Then you get to go flex them guns and muscles in the mirror! *flex*

Jim Carrey as Vera De Milo

Hope you guys have a great day! My husband's "Gram" (Oma to our son) is in town. She and her hubby, "Papa" (Opa) is moving back to Las Vegas from Texas and I'm so excited! She is so much fun and my son loves them both so much. I'm glad that he will get to know them growing up, and that I will get to know them better as well :).

Make today count!

I can do this. I am a star!
*Vera De Milo muscle flex*

day 139 (day 6 / week 20)

I am so proud of myself! I woke up at 6am and had eaten some yogurt, drank some water, gotten dressed and was ready to go jogging by 6:30, so that I could make sure that I was home before my hubby left for work at 7:15.

I stretched outside a little bit and left my driveway at 6:46am. I jogged for 1 minute, and walked for 1 minute, keeping my heart rate between 150-160 (walking) and 160-170 (jogging). I stepped foot back into my driveway at 7:16am, so I did 2-15 minute miles!

I tried to be mindful of my form, although I still haven't been able to get my grubby hands on a ChiRunning video yet. I've just seen some snip-its from youtube, but it's hard I think without someone helping me. I'll get it down soon enough. When I felt like I wasn't pain free, I would stop and just walk--luckily enough, I felt good today! There weren't any barking ants following me this time either, or the last time I jogged, but lemme tell ya, they were everywhere the first day though...(lol).

When I got home I stretched really well. I put on my 15 minute stretching video, Slim & Limber (Slim in 6) and it felt GREAT. After I stretched I grabbed my hand weights and did 2 sets of 2o arm curls, 2 set of 20 over head press, and 2 set of 20 one-arm dumbbell rows (back/shoulder and bicep day) with my 5# hand weights.

It feels like a real sense of accomplishment to try to do this. Knowing that someday in the next few months, I will be able to run this whole thing, really motivates me! Heck, 5 months ago I couldn't do a jumping jack or jog in place. Today I jogged for at least 15 minutes--outside, in public, no less!

My MIL really blessed me by buying me these shoes for mother's day also. They have really helped me to step up to the next fitness level. They are actual Nike Running shoes (Nike Run) so they are made for what I'm doing (I would love to go get fitted for some running shoes someday, but we just can't afford it right now), AND they cute on top of it--black and silver with a pink logo :).

Anyway enough of that. Gotta go jump in the shower and start the day!

Hope you all have a great one! Make it count!

I can do this. I am a star!

day 138 (day 5 / week 20)

I can't believe it's Monday again. My weekends usually go by pretty slowly because I procrastinate with exercise with my hubby around. I went jogging first thing in the morning, so the day's just flew by.

I love this new found strength that I have found with getting outside and making a big effort to jog (although I do power-walk a big portion of the time). I decided today, though, to take it easy, and give my body a rest, to see if it has anything to say about this new high impact exercise (compared to what I have been doing). I did Slim in 6's Slim & 6pack and Slim & Limber, and will probably go for a long walk with Logan today, to see where this road goes to that I have been turning off of for the past 2 days.

Yesterday Ellie mentioned a few things for me to check out in regards to running again, and I am so excited about one in particular--ChiRunning. It's a philosophy that my previous running partner used to talk about a lot, but I never knew the name of. Reading about it yesterday brought a flood of memories back.

ChiRunning.com explains more to give you an idea of what ChiRunning is:

ChiRunning combines the inner focus and flow of T'ai Chi with the power and energy of running to create a revolutionary running form and philosophy that takes the pounding, pain, and potential damage out of the sport of running. The ChiRunning program increases mental clarity and focus, enhances the joy of running, and turns running into a safe and effective lifelong program for health, fitness, and well-being.

I went to youtube and watched a few videos from people that swear by this technique and philosophy and I am excited! I am going to take it one day at a time and not push too hard to avoid injuries. Once I get the form/technique down, and have it down, I will start running really slow, to practice and practice that. Then I will focus on some of the training aspects for a new runner that Ellie also mentioned from CoolRunning.com, and apply ChiRunning to that. There is a whole section just for new runners, including the couch-to-5k running plan.

I feel so blessed that you guys are out there cheering for me and helping me with this goal! I have learned so much through you guys and I wish I could just give you all a hug! I'm just so excited with all of the potential I see, and it's because of you guys and your support (and of course our Saviour!).

I will update my labels to reflect the other exercises I do today. Yesterday I did some general swimming for about 20 minutes, so I am just going to add that to today's labels (it's easier for me).

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

I can do this. I am a star!

day 135 (day 2 / week 20)

Today I started off my workout (Ramp It up from Slim in 6) with the word of the day, from yesterday, resonating in my mind....boredom. If I think I'm going to be bored with my workout, then I'm going to be bored with my workout. Why am I letting myself be self defeating? I am a star! I can do this and have been doing this! I know I can do this!

With that attitude in mind, I didn't focus on the workout anymore, but on my body. My muscles. My movement. My breathing. The task at hand. I just closed my eyes and focused. You'll be surprised with what you can accomplish when you approach every task with this kind of focus. Before I knew it, I had done every single second of Ramp It Up, as if I had been doing it for a month straight...including those tedious leg lifts! I did EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM--IN A ROW! I definitely felt the burn, but that burn just made me focus even more!

The moment I decided to let go of the workout and focus on my body, my entire focus of the workout changed. I am no longer thinking about the mundane and monotonous workout--the time that it takes to complete it, but that the more I do this, the stronger I am going to get.

A friend of mine that lives next door to my in-laws here in Vegas, runs every Saturday morning with her "running group." When we first moved here and she saw that I had been losing weight, she asked me if I wanted to go running with her. First I thought, "wow that would be a great way to lose this weight faster" but then reality set in and I kind of chuckled in the back of my head thinking, "that's a good one, a fat girl 'running.'" But instead of saying "no," I said, "when I have a pair of running shoes that fit me w/out causing pain, I will go running with you," knowing fully well that that wasn't going to happen. I think it was the next weekend that my MIL bought me these shoes (I love them so much!).

I saw my friend the week after I got these shoes and I was still on the high from being able to fit in these shoes, that I mentioned to her that I had them now. Well she invited me then. The idea of going to run, is more exhilarating to me at this point, than doing it. I am scared! She said she would email me some information and we left it at that.

Two days ago I got that information and it's been gnawing at the nape of my neck ever since. When it was just the thought of her and I running, I was ok with it. Now she has a runner friend coming too! They want to run 5 miles for 2 hours. How on earth am I supposed to do this??? I have not ran a single step in a VERY long time--at least 5 years. I used to run all the time when I was fit, but I had some problems with my foot, that I am afraid will come back to haunt me.

All of this went through my mind as I found my focus in my workout today. How will I ever become a "runner" and get into the best shape of my life, if I don't just do it? My friend knows that I am overweight (duh it's obvious lol) and she knows that I will probably not be able to run like her and her friend. She knows she will probably have to stop for me a million times, and she still wants me to come (I think, lol). What's the worst that will happen? I go and all of this happens--I'll stop, my foot will hurt, I will have to walk, I'll slow them down, annoy her friend, yadda-yadda-yadda. No the worst thing that would happen, is that I think about it, and that's all that I do. "What if I went running with her?" "Would I have been able to do it?"

I think I'm going to do it. I woke up this morning planning my email to her, telling her why I couldn't do it. I will tell her exactly how I feel, and if she still wants me to go, I will. If she doesn't, then I will go running in my own neighborhood, by myself, just to see how I do. What's the worst that could happen? I find out that it's just not the right time for me yet, and I know, not assume, but actually know :).

It amazes me that when God sees us grabbing for the strength to do something, He gives it to us. We can do all things in Christ, who gives us the strength to do it! ALL THINGS. (Philippians 4:13).

I can do this. I am a star!

day 134 (day 1 / week 20)

Today I did Ramp It Up again (Slim in 6). It took me almost 2 hours to finish 48 minutes of exercise due to numerous interruptions. I guess I'll be doing this workout for 2-3 weeks, until I move onto Burn It up. I need to figure out how to trick my brain so that I don't get bored doing Slim in 6 for the next 6 weeks. (on a side note, my son is standing next to me watching me type this, and he laughs hysterically as soon as I type something *shrugs* 2 year olds will laugh at anything lol) Today is only day 2 of doing Slim in 6 again, and I can easily see myself getting bored. I'm sure I'll figure out someway to trick my brain into happily doing it--after all that's what I did to get myself to exercise for 20 weeks straight so far!

Yesterday I was never able to do Slim & Limber like I wanted to (when I am done here, I am going to fix my labels so that it's not accounted for). The monkey boy just never went down for a nap, making him a tiny terror for most of the day, so I wasn't able to get anymore alone time than to type my post. We did, however, go for a walk to the park down the street. It was nice because it was windy yesterday, but it was still close to 90F and the sun was so bright I ended up with a headache (I need to find a cute sun hat or something).

Today I want to do Slim & Limber and Slim & 6pack when he goes down for his nap, but I'm not going to hold my breath. If it happens, it happens, if not, oh well. We will probalby go for another walk as well.

I hope everyone has a great day. I can't believe tomorrow is Friday?!?! These days are going by a little too fast for me. Make it count!

I can do this. I am a star.

day 133 (day 7 / week 19)

This morning I did Slim in 6's, Ramp It Up (48 minutes) and sometime this afternoon I want to do, Slim & Limber (it's basically just 15 minutes of stretching).

Do you know how God helps women to forget just exactly how painful childbirth is, so that we will continue to have children? I don't know if that's for that exact reason, but I'm focusing mainly on the forgetting the pain part :). Like, we have an idea, and remember that it hurt horribly, but we--well, no one I have ever spoken with, and certainly not myself--can remember exactly how horrible the pain was (my epi didn't work correctly--I could feel everything on my right side).

Well, lol, just like in that instance (not really), God had me forget how much the leg lift/kick things hurt in this workout, so that I will come back to do it again. OMG I can't believe I forgot about those horrid things! I do remember now dreading the leg kick variation part, but wow. They truly truly suck, but I am going to have an awesome butt and legs for sticking to it. Man, I wish there was an epidural for that! (haha I'm j/k ;)).

My left pectoral muscles are pretty sore from yesterday's push-ups. Today I just pushed through them (I even did a "man" push-up!). If I'm sore tomorrow, I will not do the push-ups.

I wasn't able to finish the last few minutes of the workout which is just stretching anyway, because Logan decided to sit on my stomach while I was doing a full body stretch. He just about had a cow (bouncing up and down on my stomach) when I tried to get up and asked him nicely to move so that I could finish stretching. He must have gotten confused though and thought "get up" meant to lay his head on my shoulder (silly boy). All good :). I can't resist my baby doll's lovin' and I will just get a good stretch in this afternoon :).

I hope everyone has a great Wed. Can you believe it's Wednesday already?!?!?! Make it count! Before you know it, it will be Thursday! :)

I can do this. I am a star.

day 132 (day 6 / week 19)

So today I started the Slim in 6 series again. I did, "Start It Up!" (25 minutes) and planned on doing, "Slim & Limber" again, but did ",Slim & 6pack" instead (11 minutes). Going back to something that I have already done has great advantages. I can see how much I have gained from exercising everyday. I realized while I was exercising today, some of the things I can do now, that I couldn't do at all before or w/out some sort of a struggle:

1) push ups! (shedding 15 lbs helps!)
2) I can touch my toes with my legs straight and am A LOT more flexible :)
3) I can sit on my knees (resting my bottom on heels) (my legs were so big before that I couldn't do this--at all!)
4) I can do squats AND lunges! (15 lbs really does make a big difference!)
5) Lying on my back, I can pull my knees into my chest (like I'm hugging my knees)
6) I can stand with my legs together, knees together and have my feet also be together! (and do a squat at the same time w/out falling!)
7) I can kick AND I an jump--more than once in a row!

There are others, but I like the number 7 :) (I know, I know, #7 is really 2 points, but I'm allowed to make it 1 lol) . I am still a big girl, but exercising has given me my life back. I can do pretty much do anything that any average person can do--maybe more! (I say this just because I'm pretty sure that I exercise more than the "average" person). I couldn't say this before, and that is such a blessing.

So amazing!

Doing "Start It Up!" today really excited me. It's different from Turbo Jam, but I think it will help give some muscle definition. I think I might do Slim in 6 for 2 6week periods, and use my sculpting gloves from Turbo Jam, on the 2nd round (we will see).

I feel like I am moving onto a new level of exercise, and I have energy again!

On a side note...I think I might have developed an aspartame allergy and that's why I've been so tired, and have had so many headaches! I stopped using my protein/fiber water things, that I mentioned a few weeks ago (the South Beach Tide Me Over things that you mix in your water), and I feel much better!

I hope you all have a great day! I feel great and hope you do too! Make today count!

I can do this! I am a star!

day 131 (day 5 / week 19)

Today I did Turbo Jam's Cardio Party, but felt like I had to force myself to do every minute of it. I even skipped through a few minutes of it *gasp!* where I literally wanted to just sit down and watch. I don't know if I feel tired, but I'm a little sore from yesterday. I think I'm just bored with Turbo Jam now *gasp!*. Don't get me wrong, I truly <3 size="1">*gasp!*

It sounds ridiculous, and maybe boring for you guys, but I think I am going to do the Slim in 6 series over again--for another month. I had great results in the first month I started exercising, and I have no doubt (after yesterday's workout) that I will see great results again. It still blows my mind that I thought, "this is harder that what I have been doing," when I was doing "Start It Up!" yesterday, because it used to be REALLY easy for me to do when I was doing Slim in 6 often.

So that does it, tomorrow I will start Slim in 6 again. Maybe I will feel more energy due to a lack of boredom. I will definitely have to bring my own music into the mix though, cause going from club music in Turbo Jam, to elevator music in Slim in 6, is music shock (kind of like culture shock, but with music lol). We'll see what tomorrow brings!

I hope you all have a great Monday. Before we know it, it will be Friday again, so make today count! The day's fly by so fast if we don't stop to smell the flowers!

I can do this. I am a star.

day 130 (day 4 / week 19)

Today I tried to switch it up a little... ok. I lied. I actually just didn't want to do "punch, kick and jam" so I did 40 minutes of something else, to get out of the 48 minutes of PK&J (such a dork! lol should have just done the 48 minutes).

I decided to pop in my old friend, Slim in 6, today. I did the first one, "Start It Up!" and Slim & Limber. Wow! I thought it would be a breeze because I started out my resolution doing Slim in 6, and I felt that I had mastered it--after all, I could get through the toughest workout without a blink. Man, it was tough! It's A LOT different from Turbo Jam, but I knew this. Slim in 6 is more Calisthenics (squats, lunges, plies, push-ups--utilizing our body weight) and Turbo Jam is like aerobic/kickboxing/dancing. Turbo Jam is definitely a lot funner :). I'm sure I will feel today's workout tomorrow with all of the lunges and squats I did. My knees really don't like Slim in 6 lol. They really don't. lol.

Anyway, off to go help my friend move and spend some time with family!

Hope you all have a Happy Mother's Day!

I can do this. I am a star.

Day 59 (day 3 / week 9)

This morning I woke up and my back and chest were really achy and kind of hurt a little (like it did on day 45). Because I had felt this once before, and have already learned that working through this pain, only makes it worse, I decided to make it a (non)rest day (doing Slim & 6pack and Slim & Limber from the Slim in 6 series). The thing I like about the (non)rest days is that I can focus on my abs, and I get to take the time and really just focus on a well deserved stretch. I'm a little disappointed though that I won't be able to take today to get one last workout in and really work hard before I take my measurements tomorrow (not that one day will make a difference lol). Oh well, better safe than sorry. I would really regret it if I tried to do something more with this pain. As I sit here and type this, I can feel the achiness in my chest every time I take a breath, so this is definitely a smart choice :).

My Turbo Jam Maximum Results is in Sparks, NV! It made it's grand entrance early this morning at 1:05 am (PST). I wish I knew which UPS facility the box was sitting in, so I could go pick it up lol. Knowing it's here, and knowing I won't be able to get my grubby little hands on it until Monday, stinks. Oh well, such is life. lol. I just hope I remember to put my "knock softly, baby sleeping" sign on the door, so that the UPS guy doesn't wake Logan up during his nap (any and all deliveries are always made during Logan's nap lol).

On another note we are definitely moving back to Las Vegas. Tomorrow we are going to turn in our 30 day notice to our apartment complex, so in 30 days we are outta here! It will be really interesting to see how I am going to get a regular workout in (without cheating and saying "I moved boxes! *in a Carlos Mencia de-de-de-voice*), and how/if it will cut into the 30 Day Shred.

Hope everyone has a great workout! See you tomorrow :)

I can do this. I am a star.