It's Hump Day

So, here we are on Wednesday. It seems that the freezing rain we were expecting did not come, which is a good thing. It's supposed to be close to 50 tomorrow, which means that the inches and inches of snow that have accumulated in our yard will start to melt away - I'm not convinced that 50 is enough to melt it all, but the rain that is predicted will likely help.

Not having the chance to work out yesterday morning because of the snow was a real bummer. Having also missed Monday night and not being able to make up any missed workouts last night, left me with a rough day. I ate right where I should have, but my body was not ready for no exercise. The good news is I was right back at it this morning...although, I did almost hit my snooze button too many times to get there on time. Spinning was good this morning. Tonight is Bokwa. I am considering going to a 2 hour class on Saturday evening, since we have no other plans.

I completed day 2 of the 30 Day Plank, Ab and Squat Challenge yesterday. Again, I did the plank challenge both at the beginning and the end. It felt good. Crazy that the plank was only 15 seconds and I was shaking...guess I really need to work on planks.

30 Day Plank, Ab and Squat Challenge
Day 3 - 20 second Plank, 5 sit ups, 20 crunches, 35 squats

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.

Snow Day!

What a bummer - woke up to a white world, so there was no class this morning. That wouldn't have been so bad, if I could have fallen asleep, which I could not. And, I missed working out last night because of our schedules.

I guess I will have to be extra diligent in watching my intake today. Yesterday was an easy day for me. I ate and was satisfied and wasn't hungry and wanting to snack. That is a major positive...a hurdle that I am glad to have surpassed, because it is the munchies that are my downfall. I can stop eating after a serving at meal time, but at snack time, if I am munchie, I struggle to stop.

I completed day 1 of the 30 Day Plank, Ab and Squat Challenge last night. It worked out well for me. I even added a second plank to the end of the 4 moves. I think I will try to do that again tonight. I figure that the additional plank work is only a positive for me.

30 Day Plank, Ab and Squat Challenge
Day 2 - 15 second Plank, 20 sit ups, 15 crunches, 30 squats
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.

Monday! Monday!

Well, my first week back into the groove was less than ideal. I had a Girls Night Out planned with my friend that I haven't seen in ages, a work lunch - complete with dessert, and then we went out to dinner with friends for Valentine's Day. I had a small loss, but not nearly as much as I would have if I had stopped the week on Thursday morning. Never the less, onward I go, knowing that without those hurdles, this week should be easier.

This week, I am planning on starting a combination of two 30 day challenges that I found - 30 day plank challenge and 30 day ab and squat challenge. What I liked about the last few 30 day challenges that I did was that it was quick to complete the daily exercise and it got progressively more challenging.

Want to follow along? I will post on here each day what the exercise are. I will be doing them in the evening, but feel free to leave a comment and share how it is going for you.

30 Day Plank, Ab and Squat Challenge
Day 1 - 10 second Plank, 10 sit ups, 10 crunches, 25 squats.

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.

Is it almost Friday?

I hate to be one to wish away time, but I am so ready for the weekend to get here. My husband and I have a date night with friends this weekend, which should be a good time. We only have childcare until 9, so then we will come back and hang out together playing games or just visiting at one of our houses.

Yesterday was an okay day, I even splurged a little on snacks in the evening, eating to the high end of the range. Which brings me to a question...I use SparkPeoople, my husband uses My Fitness Pal...I get a range of daily calories, he gets a number. Is his number the high end of the range? I assume so, but I like that I have a bottom to my range...a point below which, I'm probably not getting enough and my body will misinterpret the signal and hold onto fat. To that end, as well, I find that by varying what I eat and varying regularly through the entirety of the range, that overall, I am more successful. So, if they only have one number, what do they do? I don't really have an answer, I do know that unlike me, my husband has been very successful in losing and keeping off weight. He is somewhere around 50# lost in the past year (started in early March I think)...he toggles around a few pounds, but is pretty steady. I'd be glad to be at half that and able to maintain. I'm on the journey again, which is really what matters.

For fitness yesterday, I started the day with spinning class...it was the first class where all of the bikes were in use. We have had all but one before, but not all bikes. Then in the evening, I went to a Bokwa class. I had tried it last summer when my instructor was first getting certified, but schedule hasn't made it possible for me to go regularly. I really like it and it was the activity that finally helped her get off the plateau and she has lost several inches and 25# since adding Bokwa to her offering. That is enough to sell me that it can work, especially as an addition to what I have already been doing.

Happy Thursday!
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.

It's Hump Day

It may be hump day today, but yesterday sure felt like a Wednesday. I was dragging. I started my day with toning, so I got up at my normal time. When I got to work, I headed into a three hour meeting. I grabbed some coffee on the way in and then, when we took a break, I topped off. My manager totally called me out...a second cup today, you must be struggling. It's not that a second cup of coffee is completely rare, but in that short of a span it was.

I think that the issue is that when I first start to really watch what I eat, there seem to be a couple of days for my body to adjust back to good eating. In much the same way that after eating good for a while, you almost feel sick when you eat what you used to.

I didn't get to the gym for any evening activity, but did walk around the block and then through the snowy backyard with my daughter after dinner. It wasn't much, but at least it was up and moving after dinner. Then we set to work on her treats for Valentine's day. We are doing Minions...I'll share the project on the main blog, if you want to check it out.

My arms and pecs are certainly feeling yesterday's toning class...I love that feeling.

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.

It's Been a While...

but, it is time to refocus my effort. I had been doing okay last year with my workout and eating. I even spent time on my vacation working out. It was great...then, we had a trip to Disney, Thanksgiving, Christmas, illness, and work travel rolled into a very busy 3 month window and well, needless to say, even with regular activity, I just couldn't seem to overcome the additional food and spirits that I was consuming. So, here I am re-embarking on my weight loss journey. I still have the same long term goal weight, which I still have not met. But, I also have a short term incentive to get there. I potentially have a trip coming up for work that includes time hanging out at the pool. If I am going to hang out with co-workers by a pool, I need to feel good in my own skin. I only have about 9 weeks, but would love to lose at least 15 pounds by then. I recognize that it is a lofty goal, but also know that the first few weeks of renewed focus usually lead to some larger losses, before my body settles into a pound or two per week.

Yesterday I did Spin Class in the morning and then went for a 1.75 mile walk/run in the evening during the kids' swim lessons. Eating was good...I certainly was hungry, since I am used to eating more, but I moved through and it was all good. I stayed near the low end of my target.
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.

Stuck!

So, for several weeks now, my husband and our friend have been engaged in a weight loss challenge. My husband is doing great. He is really dedicated to the effort and is really seeing the benefit of his focus. I unfortunately, in that same window have managed to stay completely flat - okay, not entirely true, there have been elements of up and elements of down, but mostly just oscillating around where I am. It has been completely frustrating to me.

I am eating well - I am even more focused on healthy meals now because I want to set my husband up for success. I am exercising regularly with 3-4 mornings of cardio and 2 mornings of toning/bootcamp focus each week.

When we have a weekend event or some travel for work and eat a little more than normal, I seem to put on a pound or two that won't come off for a week or two and by then, I have arrived at the next event. The challenge for me is that is very frustrating. I feel like even if I don't eat right all the time, I have the same result of watching most of the time and relaxing my vigilance on occasion. It's not supposed to work that way...there are even diets out there that suggest that if you focus 6 days a week and 'eat what you want' on the 7th day that you will still be successful. So, why doesn't it work for me?

I think that if I weren't being physically active on a routine basis, I might find it less frustrating. But, I know that I am burning calories during cardio and that I am building muscle with the toning/bootcamp - the combination should make it that much easier for me to weather the peaks and valleys of my calorie intake, but it seems to do nothing.

One of my coworkers has decided that we should walk at lunch. It used to work real well for me, so I am going to start that up again with her. I know that it is a good thing for me emotionally at the very least, a way to take a mental and physical break mid-day that leaves me less stressed and more focused...a better employee.

I am signed up for next session's classes at the YMCA. This time there is an official class on Thursday and toning that day won't just be on me.

I am planning to have a friend meet me at soccer practices, so that I can walk around the park where practice is and use my time at the park in a productive way.

Something has to give. I have a goal in mind and if I am going to lose 25 pounds before I turn 40, I need to start now.

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.