Thursday

It is like Pea Soup outside. We had inches of snow on Monday night into Tuesday, yesterday was slight warming and today we are expecting near 50 with thundershowers. Not a typical three day cycle in the middle of February. I just wish that we could have 50 and no rain...then, I could get outside tonight for a bonus workout. With the rain, its just not an option.

Yesterday was a good active day. Spinning in the morning. Walked to lunch with a friend - not far, but we weren't in the car. Bokwa in the evening. 30 Day Challenge at night - with plank at the beginning and the end again.

It was a good eating day too. Even though I went to lunch with a friend, I was able to keep it healthier by getting the chicken fajitas with no beans, no tortillas, and just having a touch of the rice, which I wasn't supposed to get since I had also said no rice.

Today is Day 4 of the 30 Day Plank, Ab and Squat Challenge. Have you been joining in?

30 Day Plank, Ab and Squat Challenge
Day 4 - 25 second Plank, 10 sit ups, 25 crunches, 40 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.

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.