Boot Camp - Day 5

Another great class. I am completely certain that I will feel this morning's workout in my legs and my core. She did the workout circuit style again. We warmed up by doing exercises across the room - walking lunges, run backwards, run forward, walking lunges, grapevines, grapevines, high knee skip, walking lunges, stationary jumping jacks, walking lunges. (I think that was the extent) Then, we moved into the circuits - 1 minute for each exercise. First, we used balance balls and did push ups and then rolled the ball in with our legs (abs). Second was power lunges - we would get down in a runner's lunge and then jump up raising our back leg as a high knee and then back down - second minute was the other leg. Next, we did kettle bells. In round one we did gunslinger and did each arm for one minute. The second round we did boxing and did each arm for one minute. Then, we did cross jack squats and push up jacks. The next station was the step - we did power steps forward and then across. The last station was abs. We took turns, each doing a minute, of lying on the floor and the other person throwing our legs forward, right, forward, left and so on. We did the circuit twice and then moved on to push ups and planks. We did 15 push ups, followed by 30 s per side, leg lift side plank. Next we did plank and then did this side plank push up thing (that I completely failed at). Then we did a back plank for one minute. As you can see, it was awesome! Next week there is no class due to spring break for our teacher. So, maybe I will try to do some of these exercises at home with my equipment.

I am still trying to recover on the scale from this weekend. It is kind of crazy to think how much impact one night of snacking and wine can make on your weight and how it doesn't just 'drop' the next day. You would think that a return to normal routine would bring you back quickly...but at least for me, it doesn't. I finally have most of the snacks out of the house, so at least they won't tempt me any more.

I am not a diet or fitness expert. I am a mom, just trying to be healthy and fit. All opinions expressed are my own.

Catching Up!

I guess I must be busy...it has been almost two weeks since I updated.

Things have been going well. The scale was finally responsive...of course, we had a game night last night and now I need to "recover" from the snacks everyone brought to share and the couple of glasses of wine that I enjoyed.

Boot Camp Day 4 was a great class. We used balance balls for the class and she alternated between 1 minute of cardio and 2 minutes of strength. The after effect of the class was mostly felt in the triceps and upper abs.

I was worried about missing some classes in the coming weeks due to travel, but turns out that the instructor is going to miss a couple of them and is moving those classes to the 'break' week - makes me feel better that I won't completely miss out. Now, I only have one class that I expect to miss and have to find my own make-up class.

The Zumba class that I take not at the Y is adding a resistance training class in April that a friend and I are planning adding to our rotation. I really think that the more I focus on both cardio and toning, the overall better my results are. I think that is part of why the scale was slow to respond in the beginning of the year when my workout was more cardio based.

I am not a diet or fitness expert. I am a mom, just trying to be healthy and fit. All opinions expressed are my own.

Boot Camp - Day 3

I must admit - I am absolutely loving my Boot Camp class. It probably is a good thing that is only once a week - it took me until Saturday to recover last week. Today's class was no exception.

We started with a 1/2 mile warm-up run. It became clear to me from the beginning, I am not in good running shape compared to my classmates. The 1/2 mile is 4 laps at the track and although we started in a group, most of them finished about 1/4 lap ahead of me. Not awful, but not great. Then we headed back to the workout room for our workout. We did lengths of the room in assorted fashion - walking lunges with a back kick, duck walk, frog hop, hopping on one foot, shuttle run, and I'm sure something else was mixed in there. In between lengths, while the other half did the same thing, we alternated between squats, lunges of assorted styles, cross over jacks, resting and some regular jacks. We did this circuit of fun twice. Then, we went to wall squats - both regular and one leg. After that we grabbed mats and bands to work on the rest of the body. We did some back exercises, some shoulder exercises, biceps, and triceps. We took to the mats and did superman, v-sits and bicycles. Then we stretched. I can already feel it. In fact, when I arrived at work this morning I could feel the 'tired' in my leg muscles. Now, the soreness is creeping in. I can only imagine what tomorrow morning will be like. I might have to take the elevator to get to spinning class!

Eating has been really good. I think that my husband watching what he is eating is making it easier. I am trying to make sure that we have meals that he enjoys, so that he realizes that eating healthy doesn't mean not eating what you enjoy. I think I might be convincing him that it is about choices. The 'healthy' pasta is 40 calories less per serving than the standard pasta. Having french bread pizzas is lower in calories than a regular pizza (and both are better than take out - in calories and taste too if you ask me!). We have had more salads in the recent weeks than we have in a long time. I have been buying cucumbers, cauliflower and the like to chop up for the salads. The kids are really enjoying it and frequently have a second serving of salad.

I'm certain the scale will respond any day!

I am not a diet or fitness expert. I am a mom, just trying to be healthy and fit. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thursday - a day for arms

There was no class this morning for me, for whatever reason there isn't a class offered early morning on Thursdays this session, so I had to come up with a game plan for today. Last night, as I was still experiencing the soreness (a good thing) of having done Boot Camp on Tuesday morning and Zumba with plenty of squats and lunges on Wednesday night, I decided that this morning would be an arm morning. So, in typical fashion, I turned to P90X Arms and Shoulders. It was a great workout, but I must admit, I could barely do the kick backs in warm up and picking up my weights for the workout was a real challenge, my legs just didn't want to. I am glad that I had planned for arms and didn't have any visions of an extended walk or run for this morning. I just don't think that I would have gotten too far if I couldn't even do kick backs in the warm up.

I am not a diet or fitness expert. I am a mom, just trying to be healthy and fit. All opinions expressed are my own.

Boot Camp Day 2 - the next day

Tuesday morning marked boot camp. It was another great workout. I think above all else, I am amazed at how quickly the time goes and how greatly I feel the workout when I am done. Yesterday's class was a circuit class. She set up 5 stations and fit in some walking push ups and side planks in between the circuits. We were paired up for the circuit. The first station for me was with weighted balls - we did 1 minute each of slam down squats and torso twists (who knows their real name, that is just what I call them). I think I used an 8# ball. The second station was kettle bells - we did 1 minute of kettle bell swing squats and 1 minute of step back lunge kettle bell figure eights (again, I don't know the real name!). The third station was sit ups - you switched off with your partner, each doing 1 minute of sit ups. The fourth station was step - we did 1 minute of a quick step and then 1 minute of a cross over step. The fourth station was plank - the first minute was plank, the second minute was reverse (backwards?) plank. Then the walking push-ups and side plank. We did the circuit two full times and the third one was for 30 seconds each, in the interest of time. I certainly felt the squats and lunges in my legs and glutes and honestly, still am! I was expecting with the sit-ups, planks and push-ups to feel more in my core - generally, I do - but for some reason I did not. Maybe my form was off because the planks were at the end of the cycle for me.

This morning's spinning class was a challenge. I felt stiff starting out and around 20 minutes was thinking to myself, now that I am going, I am doing well. Then, we went to position 3 for a song and did a climb...guess what! my glutes and hamstrings were not in favor of that one and I realized that it was really hard to climb when I was feeling yesterday's workout.

Then, at Zumba tonight our warm up song includes kick-backs...it took a while to loosen enough to really have a spring in my step while I did the workout. She did a few songs with squats and lunges, so I am sure that the legs will continue to recover. She also did a bunch with side bends, circles and other core working activities.

Eating has been reasonable, but a few work lunches make things harder and leaving me not fully tracking - which is a bit of a detriment come evening and not really knowing where I finished my day. I plan to refocus on that. My husband is trying to more cognizant of what he is eating, so that makes eating at home a little easier. It has helped me make sure that vegetables are more a part of our dinner - be it salad or hot vegetables, or could it be, both.

Now, if only the scale could catchup, it would make me feel better. Reenforce my efforts and all.

I am not a diet or fitness expert. I am a mom, just trying to be healthy and fit. All opinions expressed are my own.

Time Flies!

It is crazy to think almost a full week has passed since I posted. It was a busy week!

Thursday morning is one without a scheduled class. I had thought about heading up to the Y, but since I haven't yet had a chance to be trained on the use of the strength training equipment I decided to stay home and do P90X Arms and Shoulders. It was a good workout, it has been a while since I have done that DVD. I keep thinking that I will fit in three P90X strength workouts in the evening, since most of my morning workouts seem to be more cardio.

Friday morning it was back to Spinning. It was another great workout.

Saturday, I started my day with a one mile warm up, followed by Zumba Toning and then a Zumba class. I was a little surprised by how heavy those little 3# weights feel in your hands after a 45 minute class.

Sunday is usually a non-workout day for me, but my daughter has been asking me to take her to the track with me. I didn't realize how serious she was. I wore my jeans and a pair of tennis shoes, as we were going to run errands and have dinner out after we went to the track. She wanted for me to run with her...I couldn't really do that in jeans. I told her we could jog and that next week, I would wear workout clothes and then we could run. I think it is fun that she wants to work out with me. She always would join me in the DVD workouts, if she was up when I did them.

Today, unfortunately, my little girl is sick. She had gotten up in the middle of the night and I was tentative about going to the Y, but when my alarm went off and she hadn't been up again, I decided to go. Right up until it was time to walk out the door and I heard her get up. I headed back upstairs and sure enough, she got sick and I stayed home from Spinning. I had planned to do a DVD, but she was up and wanted to watch a show. So, I will have to see what I can fit in later today.

I am not a diet or fitness expert. I am a mom, just trying to be healthy and fit. All opinions expressed are my own.