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.

The Day After Boot Camp

It's been a day since I took the boot camp class and the good news is that I am feeling it! The boot camp workout was amazing and today I have the tenderness to prove it. It is not quite the P90X Plyometric feeling in my legs, but as an added bonus, I can feel it in my back and shoulders and a little in my chest too. This morning at spinning, I could definitely feel yesterday in my legs. It was just that much harder to push myself and get the RPMs at each gear. I forgot my heart rate monitor today, but based on the sweat factor - I would say I was in the zone most of the workout and it was a good one. The cool down walk was a definite necessity today.

Eating was good yesterday. I finally was headache free all day, which further supports my theory on the source and I will be exploring that in a week or two when I see the doctor. Having no headache left me feeling snacky last night. I had some white cheddar cheese and some Triscuit Thins, which was fine until I had a second serving. Oh well! You will have that from time to time and it is okay. Before my snack, dinner was tasty and reasonably healthy too - Cajun Jambalaya Pasta. Full of peppers, onions and tomatoes, with some chicken breast too (we skipped the shrimp last night) - it is high in veggies, lean protein and flavor. I made sure to stick with a single serve of the pasta, but allowed a little extra of the toppings.

Tonight, I plan to fit in a Zumba class. I miss Zumba, now that it is not available at a convenient time for me at the Y.

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.

Keep on Keeping On

I have been like the little engine lately...just sort of chugging along. Not making much in the way of progress, but continuing to be conscientious about what I choose to eat and sticking to a regular workout schedule. I may not be having a scale impact, but I think by now the one thing that I know about my body is that it will seem to not react and then suddenly, BOOM!, I will be down a decent amount and will continue to waffle around a weight for a little while again.

This morning was frustrating, I will admit. I had been out last night for a concert and got home and to bed much later than I normally do. My husband said to me, it is okay to miss a class. I said that I wanted to try and still make it to class. I got up and headed up to the Y a little late and only had time for 7/8 mile warm up (but I did run a full 1/2 of that distance). When I headed over to the group exercise room, my fellow class mate was there, but no sign of the instructor. We gave her a few minutes and when she didn't show, we figured there was no class. So, here I was - at the Y and warmed up, what would I do. I decided to walk. So, I headed back to the track. It was much more crowded than it is first thing in the morning. I wasn't sure how far I wanted to go, but decided that my workout ought to be twice as long as my warm up, so I settled on 1 3/4 miles. It seemed a bit strange to run the warm up and walk the work out, but it is what it is and I just couldn't muster up the run after having cooled down in prep for class.

I guess I will have to try to make it to another Zumba class later this week to make up for the miss.

This weekend was a banner weekend for working out. I went to Zumba on Saturday morning, because I knew the substitute would be there and she does a great workout with lots of squats and lunges and hops. Then, Saturday afternoon we went roller skating with friends. Then, Sunday, my son had a birthday party at Pump it Up and since it was small, the parents got in on the jumping and we ran the obstacle course. It was a nice little unplanned bonus exercise and certainly made me realize that I am not a kid anymore. I was very ready for a nap after playing hard.

Generally, eating has been really good. I even did a reasonably acceptable job with eating out dinner this weekend and enjoying the Big Game with friends. I tried to snack mostly on the cut vegetables and only have a taste here and there of the buffalo chicken dip and other things that I simply love. I know that I need to figure out the balance, because I want to be able to enjoy life and maintain a healthy weight.

What a Wonderful Weekend (and Monday too)

I had a really good weekend. I started my day on Saturday with a Zumba class. It was with my regular instructor, but the song mix was a little different and she did a lot more of teaching to many levels - makes me wonder if the fact that I am not super coordinated is why she keeps it lower intensity. We shall see. Saturday night was Girls' Night Out. I had a great time with my friends. We went to a Thai restaurant and I ordered Seafood Garlic. It was full of steamed vegetables and had mussels, shrimp, scallops and calamari in it. The sauce was awesome. After I ate the main course, I ate the rice - covered in the sauce. I also enjoyed some wine with dinner. Then we went out to a show. I managed to maintain my weight, despite a fun a night out...that I awesome. Just think, if I had skipped even part of the rice (or a glass of wine), it could have been a net loss. That is so encouraging to me. Going out and enjoying time with friends and family is very important to me...I just need to do it in a healthy way.

Sunday was sort of a lazy day. No workout. I ate cereal for breakfast - which I never do during the week. It was nice to just relax.

Monday, I am happy to say started with Spinning. I managed to get up on time and head over for class, despite the freezing rain. It was a great class, even though at the beginning I was questioning if I could make it through. My cool down walk felt good. It was mostly a good eating day, except for the chocolate. What can I say, co-workers have chocolate and work has been crazy, busy = stressful lately. Better to enjoy a little than to go over board, is all I can say.

Hope you are off to a great week!

WoooHoooo!

You know, the thing is, I actually really enjoy working out. Sure, there are times when it is hard to get out of bed, but I know that if I get up and move, I will feel so much better. For me, working out is as much about the physical benefits as it is the mental ones. Working out is such a stress release. I can't really 'think' when I am doing Spinning or Zumba, it is a good break to turn the mind off and focus on the activity at hand. I think in the multi-tasking world in which we live, our minds are always on. The opportunity to disconnect really helps our mental abilities. The brain needs a break! Of course, when I am walking in warm up or cool down mode, I admit, I do use that time to run through my mental checklists, plan out my day or work through a conversation that I need to have that day. But, even that feels like a great chance to focus and align - I know that technically I am multi-tasking, but really for the mind, it doesn't feel that way - plus, it makes the walk/run super quick.

Yesterday was a busy, but great day. I started with Spinning Class. It was a very quick 45 minutes. I didn't get as much distance, but I can tell that I am working harder. I have my gears at higher numbers and am still getting the same RPMs during the different phases of the workout. It felt great. Then, I did a 1/4 mile cool down walk - it simply is a necessity after that workout. A busy day at work was followed by a one hour Zumba class. The class was packed - had I arrived 2 minutes later, I would have been turned away at the door and upset. I need to make sure that I head to Zumba a little earlier I guess....at least for a few more weeks.

Eating has been good. I have been getting a great variety of food, but eating within my targets. We even went out to dinner with friends and I was able to do it. Eating right makes me feel better too! There just is something to be said for how sluggish I feel after I nibble on chips or sweets. Now, don't get me wrong, I still find a way to fit in a bit of chocolate each day, I'm talking the 'desserty' sweets. Yesterday, mid-afternoon I was feeling a little hungry and grabbed a bag of baked chips that was leftover from a meeting. After eating it, I wondered why. I can't say that I really felt less hungry, but I felt a lot more sluggish. It fit within my day from a calorie perspective, but I could have grabbed an apple or a banana and been so much more satisfied and felt better too.

The scale is continuing to respond. I am so thankful for that. It is amazing how motivational progress can be.

Move it! Move it!

I went to a Zumba class that I don't normally attend. My intent had been to see how my less than enthusiastic instructor did when there were a number of participants in the class. Of course, as luck had it, she wasn't here today, so I joined in the class with the substitute instructor. She had us moving. There was a lot of squats and lunges and jumps and hops and turns. It was a great class. If she were my regular instructor, I have no doubt that I would be burning off calories a lot faster. It really was more like aerobics or toning than Zumba - there were little of what I have done from a 'dance step' perspective in either of my other Zumba classes. I think more than anything, the extreme difference in what Zumba is depending on instructor really struck me.

Friday morning was a great spinning class. I am still fighting this cold, but I likened the sweat and the pumping of blood through my body to how your body normally fights a bug with a bit of a fever. I struggled with some of the workout, the cold is leaving me feeling a little light on energy, but I was glad that I went.

Eating has been good.

The scale is FINALLY responding in a way that I was hoping.

Have a great weekend.

Oh, the Pressure!

I simply do not like being unable to breathe. I know, crazy right? This crazy head cold that I am starting to develop is really a pain. I have been fighting it tooth and nail. I have been taking my zinc and vitamin c. I have been drinking Gatorade (hydration, electrolytes and all that good stuff). I have been drinking my hot tea with honey. I have been trying to get a good night's sleep each night. I have been trying to stay active and hopefully, by getting the blood pumping, up the fighting power. Last night was the worst. I couldn't fall asleep because I couldn't breath. I finally gave in and had some decongestant in hope that I might actually get to sleep. I did, but it was a fitful sleep. I am fine when I am standing, but when I sit or lay down, my nose feels completely stuffed. I just want it to go away!!!

Yesterday was a great day for working out. I did my spinning class and it was a workout. Maybe it was because I am fighting this cold, but I was sweating like crazy and really was pushing myself. I definitely needed the 1/4 mile cool down walk I do after class. I think my legs would not have carried me down the stairs otherwise. Then, last night, I headed to Zumba at my 'regular' place. I think it is part instructor, part song. It was inspired, up beat and fun. Then, this morning, I went to Zumba at the Y. It was a good class. The music still was less upbeat and loud, but it was still a better class than it had been. I think the instructor might have been sick last week with a cold, and that might explain her lack of get up and go that I observed. I also did my 1 1/2 mile walk before Zumba and I actually even ran 3 of the laps. It felt good.

Eating - mostly pretty good. I seem to be overdoing it only on liquids, but that can be the nature of a cold. I am trying to drink plenty of fluids in an effort to thwart this cold. Also, I had soup yesterday - tomato bisque - one of my favorites. I couldn't skip the croutons and Parmesan cheese garnish.

The scale seems to be finally considering moving. There hasn't been much activity, but I keep think one of these days it is just going to drop and that weight that I should be losing in monitoring food and increasing activity will suddenly be realized.

A New Week

It is a new week and the Y finally seems to have the lighting issue under control. Yesterday morning, I arrived just as they got the lights on. Today, it seems that there were no issues with lighting.

Monday morning was filled with Spinning class. I am definitely getting 'better' at Spinning. I am able to stay 'out of the saddle' for longer periods. It probably helped that yesterday's class focused on strength training. Higher gears and climbing worked well for me. My legs were dying by the end of the class. I wrapped up with a 1/4 mile cool down walk around the track.

Eating was mostly okay yesterday, I seem to be experiencing a bit of stress at work and I am a stress eater, so I found myself picking at chocolate. I think I need an alternate stress breaker than chocolate.

This morning, I started my day with the intent to do strength training. I signed up at the Y for an equipment overview, so that I could ensure that I was doing the right circuit of strength training equipment and the right reps. Unfortunately, they haven't set those meetings up. I asked and the guy on duty told me the staff had not yet been trained on everything. So, I did a quick 1 1/4 mile walk and joined the Zumba class. I might wind up moving from a 3-day a week class schedule to 5-day a week - at least for this first session, since it feels like I will be through the session before I am called to set up a time to work through everything.

Time to get ready for the day!

Uninspired Workout

So, this morning, I got up and headed to the Y to check out their Zumba class. I have only taken Zumba from one instructor and she is someone that has lost weight and achieved better fitness through Zumba. She has a true love of the program. I got to the Y a half hour before the class started, so I began with a 1 1/2 mile warm up walk. Then, I headed to the fitness area to the group class studio. No one was there yet. I signed up for the overview program for the equipment in the fitness center. Just a few minutes before class started, the instructor arrived. There were supposed to be four people in the class, plus me - I was just checking it out. I was the only one as class started. The routines were not too complicated - but I still stumbled on some transitions, since they were new. After a couple of songs, another person arrived for the class. As the class progressed, the instructor slowed down - I don't know if she was not wanting to do jumping jacks or really move or if she was trying to demonstrate the low side for beginners, but it seemed so uninspired. I left the workout not really feeling like I had done much. I have some muscle tenderness now, so I think that I might have actually done something, it just wasn't the 'fun' class that I was used to Zumba being, because the instructor was not as energetic. I am hopeful that it was a first class of the new year kind of thing and that next week it will be better. I really wanted that to be one of the morning classes that I took in addition to Spinning.

Eating was okay today, until it wasn't. I like to think that I made mostly wise decisions when we went out to dinner at a new Mexican restaurant, but the reality is that I picked at the chips (so I know I had more than the 12 that is a serving). My meal was one chicken taco and one chicken enchilada. No sour cream. There was that queso though...and I enjoyed dipping a few chips in it. Hopefully, it won't have an actual impact, but I feel a little blah from the food right now.

Hoping for a healthier meal plan and a more energetic workout tomorrow!

Tuesday

Yesterday was a great day. I started my day with an awesome run and then in the evening, I had the chance to go to Zumba with my friend. I really am enjoying the Zumba. It is a decent workout and I don't feel completely uncoordinated in the class - which in most aerobics type classes I have taken before I am completely uncoordinated. Next week, if I go, I am on my own because my friend is out of town.

Eating was good yesterday. I actually found myself below target for the day and relaxed and enjoyed a little cheese and crackers and a small drink with my husband, while we watched the pilots for The Food Network Star. Which reminds me, I need to go vote. I think that I like Justin - he is just wacky enough to be entertaining. Second choice, not sure if I would go with Martie or Yvon. I just know that Michele is my least favorite, just couldn't see myself watching her show.

Travel enters the mix tonight and tomorrow. I will have to see how I manage the eating out and limited options for working out. Ab Challenge Day 15 (which I did on Day 16 because I flipped my recovery day due to schedule), wasn't too bad. It is always refreshing to find one that I can do. I will have to see about Day 17 at a hotel - that might just have to wait until Day 18 when I can lay on my own floor.

Just in the Nick of Time

When I woke up this morning and checked the weather, there was rain showing up to the west. It seemed to be almost on top of us, so I decided I would wait a few minutes before I headed out. Well, a few minutes turned into 15 and still no rain, so I checked the map and it seemed to have moved south but not east. I decided I would give it a go and hope for the best. Well, it was a good decision. I got up to the track and resumed my counter-clockwise approach to the track. I started with my standard 1 lap of walking to warm up and then moved onto running. I wound up running 6 laps, but could have run more. Well, except for the fact that as the sun was getting higher in the sky, the dark blue sky to the west became more and more ominous looking and then as I was finishing the 5th lap, I noticed a rainbow. As I finished the 6th lap, I decided I would capture the rainbow and sky:

As I headed home, I could feel the breeze picking up against my back. I was hopeful that I would get home before the rain started. After opening the garage door, I snapped this picture of the rainbow, now more fully developed and a hint of second rainbow starting:

Then, it started to sprinkle. I headed inside, content in knowing that I had run 1 1/2 miles straight and had seen a beautiful rainbow at the end of my run. It was a great rain too, the sun was shining and it was coming down. Beautiful to watch from the dryness of my home.

Last night, I fit in both Zumba with my friend, as well as Day 9 of the Ab Challenge. I am not yet feeling the Ab workout, which has me worried that I am not giving it 110%. I will just have to be sure to give it more.

Eating was good yesterday. I tried a new recipe at dinner - it was shrimp and pineapple kebobs with a brown sugar and lime glaze. Very tasty and pretty healthy too!

The scale is finally starting to respond and I have almost fully recovered the last week and a half of intermittent picnics, parties and nights out.