It's On! My 60-Day Get Fit Challenge!

I know, I know... This is only my umpteenth post about how I'm finally going to bite the bullet and get in shape, right??

Well, I'm REALLY going to do it this time! I swear! And what is going to be different about this time? Why, I'm SO glad you asked! YOU! Yes, YOU are going to hold me accountable, because I will be posting everyday to keep myself in check! I'm embarking on a 60-day challenge to shed majah L-B's and get this mummy tummy back into shape!!

So, prepare to be blinded, because below are my starting photos and stats:

Sorry, I know that was painful, but it had to be done.

Weight - 138.0 lbs
BMI - 25.2
Body Fat - 28mm/33.5% (scale says 31.5%, but I guess that is splitting hairs at this point)
Chest - 34''
Waist - 28.5''
Hips - 39.25'' (HOLY!!?!?)
R Thigh - 21.5''
L Thigh - 21.25''
R Arm - 12'' (flexing)
L Arm - 11.5''

My goal is to get down to 120 lbs - about what I weighed the day I got married! I also want to get my body fat percentage down to 24%.

Clearly, I have a lot of work cut out for me...

I will be doing the Insanity 60-day program for exercise, with some runs and yoga thrown in here and there when possible. So, that gives me until Memorial Day weekend to get bikini-ready!

So, what do you say? Are you up to the challenge of keeping my butt in check and on-track???

The Hamster Wheel

Since beginning my "Get Fit Challenge" at the beginning of January, I've been running about three days a week on the treadmill. (I can't run outside when its cold, my lungs close right up!) When I started, I was struggling to just eek out two miles! Now, I'm up to a solid 5 miles!

I have historically hated the treadmill. Its boring. And I swear its harder than running on a regular surface. But I discovered treadmill interval routines, which have transformed my treadmill experience! Intervals are great because they keep your mind busy, shake things up, and keep your body guessing so you don't hit a plateau! Plus, its been shown that increasing and decreasing intensity burns more fat!

So, I thought I would share some of the routines I've made up with you!

5 Miles in 60 minutes

Speed(mph)/Duration (min)
3.5 / 2.5
4 / 2.5
5 / 5
4.5 / 2
5.5 / 5
5 / 2
6 / 5
5.5 / 2
6.5 / 5
5.5 / 3
6 / 5
5 / 3
5.5 / 5
4.5 / 3
5 / 5
4 / 3
3.5 / 4

My treadmill says I burn about 745 calories doing this, but I think its probably closer to 600-650, but still! You can decrease the intensity of this routine by shortening the higher speed intervals or by increasing by .5 mph and decreasing by .25 mph. Or, you can increase by shortening the rest intervals and moving up the speed faster! Or by repeating the higher speed intervals or going even higher than 6.5 mph (my shortie legs don't go much faster than that). But it definitely keeps your mind busy and slowly increases speed so you can go faster and longer!

Try it! And if you like it, come back next Sunday for another routine!

I've been cheating...

... on my blog. Yep, instead of getting on here at night and pouring out my 2 cents ( or 25 on a really profound day), I've been spending my evenings ...

Doing P90X!!!

Its a total body workout program that includes 12 different workouts. You work out 6 days a week for approximately an hour. The program is set up in three phases - totaling 90 days. Some of the work outs are strength training, some are stretching and flexibility, and others are intense cardio.

I'd heard about this program casually from several people, but it was actually Ace who researched it and peaked my interest in it! He has a friend who did the program and went from beer gut to ripped in 90 days! Sounds enticing, right???


So, we went online and looked at the message board forums and again and again, when the person actually stuck to it, they had amazing results at the end of 90 days! For example...

This lady had three babies and, like me, was struggling to burn off the excess skin and baby fat. Can we say AMAZING?!?!?










This girl was a marathon runner, but she never could get the definition she wanted. She tried P90X before her wedding, and can we all just have a moment of silence now to drool over her abs??









These are just two examples of many! But they were inspiring enough to me to make the commitment for 90 days to make my health a priority! I've been very fortunate to have several workout buddies (Ace, my sister-in-law, and my brother- in-law's girlfriend) on this endeavor with me. They definitely help when your motivation is lagging and you are tempted to take just one night off!

Fast forward and I'm now in the middle of week 4!!!! I'm seriously amazed that I've stuck with it this long because these workouts are INTENSE. But I'm seeing results and every day I feel like I'm getting stronger. Its almost addicting! Plus, my energy has been through the ROOF!

So, I may post my before pictures and my end of Phase I pictures on here on Monday (or I may not, depending, lol!). I haven't really lost much weight thus far (2 measly lbs), but I can definitely see major changes going on with my body! I figure I'm adding muscle right now and the weight loss will eventually follow. One way I know for sure that this is working - I can actually fit back into my size 4 dress pants!!!!! I was seriously beginning to fear that would never happen again! YIPPEE!!!!

So, stay tuned on my progress!!! I'll try to be a little more faithful to you in the future :)