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!

Be it hereby resolved

Happy New Year! I love new beginnings! Not only do we have a new year to celebrate, but a new DECADE!!!!

I'm a New Year's Resolution junkie. Well, I'm a goal-making, planning, type-A junkie, period. Last year, my Resolutions spanned two pages, typed. It was basically a comprehensive plan of how to make my life perfect. No wonder I didn't accomplish more than a fraction of what I had set out to do over the past year!

This year, I've got a better plan! Instead of making an exhaustive list of everything that needed to be worked on in my life, I decided to focus on three. That's a tad more digestible, no? I looked at my life, and tried to figure out what three changes would make the biggest impact on improving my life.

First, I decided that getting into shape would probably make the single biggest improvement. I would have more energy, focus, stamina, and confidence!

Second, I decided that I needed to schedule time with God every day. Up until now, I only read the Bible or wrote in my prayer journal whenever an opportunity conveniently arose. Well, you all know how often opportunity and intention so perfectly come into convergence... I know that by focusing on my spiritual health, I will be renewed and refilled daily. That will outpour into every other area of my life!

Third, I will launch my own business this year, in conjunction with my two business partners. Early last year, I came up with an amazingly clever idea for a product that will benefit every mom! Even better, my partners and I could pretty much design and create this product completely from our (and our amazing hubbies') own resources and talents! There really is no excuse for not getting this business off the ground and running! So, this year, I will make it happen! Having the extra income from what I know will be a thunderously successful business would definitely help in so many ways! (By the way, I'm purposely not divulging the details of the business just yet. Rest ye assured, you will be the first ones to know and sample the goods when we're ready to launch!).

But, making goals is only the start. It doesn't do much good unless you actually execute them! Borrowing from Tony Robbins (one of my favorite motivational speakers!), I created a MAP - a Massive Action Plan. First, you clearly define the goal with specificity. Then you create a plan - every step, big or small, that I need to take to accomplish that goal and when I am going to complete each step. Here are my MAPs:

Resolution 1: Get in shape - 120 lbs by my birthday! (April 13)
* I scheduled all my workouts through April on my calendar.
* I am committed to getting up early in the morning to workout. I've learned that if I don't do it first thing, it just doesn't get done!
* I took my measurements and before photos so I can measure and track my progress.
* I have a program on my iPhone where I can journal my workouts and eating so I can see how well I'm doing over time.
* I've defined healthy eating limits and have made meal plans full of healthy foods. Every Sunday, I will go to the grocery and do all the prep work for all my meals and snacks so there are NO EXCUSES.
* I've established prizes to reward myself when I hit each goal - New tennis shoes after I've lost the first 5 lbs; a "Girls' Night" at the Melting Pot after the first 10 lbs; a trip to the salon for a new hairdo and manicure and pedicure after I've lost 15 lbs, and after I've hit my goal of losing 20 lbs - I'm going to buy myself a new spring/summer wardrobe! Now if that doesn't motivate me...

Resolution 2 - Grow Spiritually.
* After I finish my workout each morning, I will spend 20 minutes reading the Bible and doing my Bible Study program, and praying.
* I loaded up my iPod with new spiritual music!
* Each day while I eat lunch, I will read my daily passage (they are super short) from Joel Osteen's Your Best Life Now Devotions which I have loaded on my iPhone Kindle to make it super easy!
* I bought Ace the Love Dare Couples' Daily Devotions book (based on the movie Fireproof) for Christmas, and each night before bed, we are reading through that day's devotion and discussing. This is not just great for me personally, but also for us as a couple!

Resolution 3 - Launch my business by June!
* I made up a step-by-step process for developing the product and a time table for doing so.
* I have scheduled two hours each week where I will completely devote myself to this project!

I have also scheduled on my calendar a time each month where I sit down and review my progress on my resolutions and track my progress. I know that unless I keep this in constant focus, I will gradually lose steam over the year! I've very excited for 2010 and for the BIG changes I am making this year!

What are YOUR resolutions?????

I've gone insane!!!

I think I've already firmly established the questionable state of my sanity on this blog. But this is different. Well, maybe not.

So, you know that I endured 3 months of grueling physical exercise and completed the P90X program. I was really happy with the level of toning and all the great new muscles I built up! But....unfortunately, I didn't lose a single pound doing this. (Hence the reason I never posted any more progress pics, because you gotta have progress to call them progress pics, right?) So, a nice cushy layer of fat continues to cover up my incredibly strong, sleek and defined musculature. Blech.

Well...keeping in line with my new found fascination for extreme exercise.....

I gotta tell ya, they don't call it "INSANITY" for nuthin! Wowsah, this stuff is hard. Harder than hard. Twice as hard as P90X, if you can imagine that!

Its intense cardio-based interval and strength training. Unlike traditional interval training, INSANITY flips the model, making the "intense" (i.e. pushing yourself as hard as you can go) interval 3 minutes long and the rest/recovery period only 30 (measley) seconds. I've completed two of the work outs, and I gotta say, if this doesn't whittle me down a few sizes, then I dunno what will! 'Cuz its a little...insane.

But I love pushing myself and surprising myself with what I didn't think I could do! Stay tuned!

Imbalanced

Do any of these sound like you?

• A scale that doesn't budge, no matter much you exercise or how fervently you diet?
• You have low energy?
• Your skin is starting to wrinkle, and you're not old enough to have wrinkles?
• Your skin is breaking out?
• You suffer from mood swings?
• Your monthly cycle is irregular? (girls...)
• You feel tired no matter how much sleep you get?
• You keep losing and gaining the same weight?

Well, I gotta say, I was able to say yes to quite a few of these. And that is what gave me that "ah ha" moment that Jillian Michaels just might know what she's talking about in her new book, Master Your Metabolism!!!

These things used to describe Jillian too. Until she realized that her hormones were out of balance. And once she did something about it, things began to fall into place. She used to restrict her diet to 1200 calories per day and work out like a dog 6 days a week to struggle to maintain 120 lbs (she's 5'2'' - just like me!), and would instantly put on 15 lbs just from increasing her diet to 1500 calories per day (which is reasonable and appropriate). Once she was able to balance her hormones, she now maintains a sleek 115 lbs and eats 1800 to 2000 calories per day and only has to exercise 3-4 days a week (although, she really brings it when she does!).


So what is the secret you ask???? Well, you really ought to read the book to be able to appreciate the full spectrum of the problem and the solutions. Its an excellent book, and I burned through it in a matter of days. But in case you don't have time at the moment, I'll share the synopsis.

Basically, the chemicals, hormones, pesticides, additives, preservatives, etc. that are coating the food we consume, are throwing our hormones out of whack! Seriously, you gotta read the book to really understand it. But common sense will tell you that this crap can't possible be good for you, right??

Ok, so the synopsis I promised....

Rule 1 - Eat clean. Buy organic as much as resonably possible an avoid as much as you can any foods which have any additives or chemcials. Unprocessed, whole foods are best. What ever you do, avoid like the plague any foods that contain:

• hydrogentated fats (even partially hydrogenated)
• Refined grains (make sure the ingredient list says 100% whole grain!)
• high fructose corn syrup (this one is a toughie - its in SO much!)
• Artificial sweetners (sorry, the Diet Coke, even though 0 calories, is working against you!)
• Artificial coloring or preservatives
• Glutamates

Reduce starchy veggies (corn, potatoes), tropical, dried, or canned fruits, process soy, excess alcohol, canned foods, and sadly, caffeine.

Rule 2 - Fill up on lots of these foods!!!

• legumes (beans)
• alliums (onions, garlic, etc.)
• berries (organic, otherwise, they are sprayed heavily in pesitcides!)
• meat and eggs (she said eggs are nearly the perfect food, don't worry about the cholesterol)
• Colorful fruits and veggies
• Cruciferous veggies unless you are hypothyroid (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, etc.)
• Dark green leafy veggies
• Nuts and seeds
• Dairy (ALWAYS organic!)
  
• Whole grains (again, make sure its 100%. It only has to be 51% whole to be able to say its whole grain!)

Rule 3 - Focus on getting a balance of 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% healthy fats. Additonally, make sure you eat breakfast, always. Eat every four hours, no exception. Don't eat after 9 p.m.; do not eat carbs at night! Only eat until you are full, but not stuffed.

Additionally, Jillian recommends you sleep at least 7, but no more than 9 hours a night. Use organic personal products inasmuch as you possibly can (your skin is afterall your largest organ, and we coat it with chemicals daily with non-organic shampoos, washes, etc.). Use glass food storage containers, and make sure you do not eat out of any plastics that contain BPA. Also, replace your chemical-based cleaners, with simple (and inexpensive) natural cleaners.

Ok, so I'm cheap. I can't just throw stuff out like Jillian urges me to. But, I do plan on buying organic and all-natural products from here on out. I have a known and previously diagnosed hormonal imbalances that made it difficult for me to become or stay pregnant. If these changes can help, well then, I'm all for that!!!!!

Stepping Up My Game

I've now completed Phase II of P90X. Where are the photos, you ask? There are none. Why? Because I see absolutely NO difference. GRRR!!!! No change in measurements. I'm still UP 2 lbs from where I started. No new definition, nothing. I'm ready to throw a tantrum about it.

So, I'm stepping up my game. Starting Monday (because I'll be out of town all weekend), I'm doing the P90X diet. I hate diets. HATE them. I feel like I eat pretty darn healthy and reasonable already, and exercising hardcore like this should take me from maintaining my weight to losing, right? Wrong. My fat loves me and is determined to stick around unless I take drastic measures. (Yes, what a brat I am to call dieting a drastic measure, but whatever, its my blog!). I'm not working my butt off to have super toned and ripped muscles under my fat!

Phase I - Fat Shredder - is comprised of 50% protein, 30% carbohydrates, and 20% fats. It allows you roughly 1800 calories a day.

Its going to be really hard for me eating that much protein (I'm not a huge meat eater...), and that little fruit. BUT this only lasts for about4 weeks, and then you move on to Phase II, which is much more reasonable.

I'm combining this with "clean eating" principles of not eating anything processed or packaged, only fresh. If this doesn't kick me over the edge in terms of my weight loss/fitness goals, then the next step will be.....

Liposuction.

Just kidding!!!!

Frustrated!

I've completed almost 6 full weeks of P90X, but as of this morning, have GAINED just shy of 4 lbs! Are you KIDDING me?!?!

I mean, I didn't sign up for sacrificing over an hour of my evenings to hard-core, intense work outs to gain weight! No no no...you see, I did this so that I could lose weight people!!!

I know what you are going to say - "But you are gaining muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat!"

Yeah, I know. But it still "sucks" to see the number on the scale creeping up! Its incredibly frustrating! And I can't help but wonder, when is the gaining going to translate into losssssing????

Soon? Please!!!!

P90X - End of Phase I

Ok folks, be nice!!! Here are my before pics compared with my end of Phase I pics.













































































I can definitely see some trimming in the mummy tummy! I can't wait to see what progress comes with Phase I!!!!!























































Thanks!

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 :)

Random Recaps

Last night, Ace and I had free tickets to pre-screen the movie Angels & Demons that is released today. This movie is based on the book by Dan Brown, which is the sequel to the Da Vinci Code. I was wary of this movie because I really didn't think the Da Vinci Code movie was all that good. But, I had read the book first, and movies based on books never seem to measure up, do they? I have not read Angels & Demons yet though, and I thought the movie was EXCELLENT! And as a Catholic, I felt that it was much nicer to the Church than the Da Vinci Code was, which I appreciated. It did not really so much bash the church or make it suspect, yet it still had all the amazing "factual" and historical intricacies of the Da Vinci Code.

The fight scenes were awesome, as were the special effects. The actors were all very good, and the scenes really looked like the Vatican! I highly recommend this to anyone looking for something fun to do this weekend. I can't wait to read the book now!!


This week, I also finally finished reading The Mommy Wars. It was o.k. Yes, just o.k. I felt like the author picked mostly her friends and acquaintances to write the articles, so there didn't seem to be a wide variety of experiences or demographic represenation. Mostly, the contributors were all career writers. I found that most of them worked from home at least in some capacity. There were very few articles by women who are exclusively stay at home moms. There was very little of the divisive extremism that the real-life mommy wars are known for. All of the authors were very conciliatory about their choices and opposing choices. Not that it was a bad thing, but it was kind of boring after the first five articles or so.

One thing that struck me reading the book, is that very few of the contributors really seemed completely content with their choice to work or stay home. I know there are pros and cons to both sides, but reading this book left me with a sense that women (in general) aren't going to be completely happy no matter what we decide to do. That was ... disappointing ... for lack of a better word. Particularly from the stay at home mom side, I wanted to hear someone say "I absolutely love what I do, and here is why."

So how about that diet, huh? Well, I made it a whopping 5 days before I cracked. My blood sugar kept dipping too low, no matter how much I was eating. I guess the fact that I started out hypoglycemic and am still nursing didn't help. So, I switched over to Phase II, with limited complex carbs, and am doing better with that. I cheated a lot over Bennett's birthday weekend. During Phase I, I lost 5 lbs total. I've gained back 1.5 lbs as of this morning. I am recommitting to doing better on Phase II and adding in exercise this coming week! I set my alarm for 5:30 a.m. every.single.morning. this week, and slept in every day. We're going to Virginia Beach next weekend for my nephew's first birthday (a mini-escape of sorts), and will be required to don a bathing suit. This is problematic because I don't own a one-piece, and I'm no wear near an acceptable level of skinniness/fitness at the moment to rock a bikini! So, momma is going to be VERY good this week!

We have an exciting weekend ahead of us! I hope you all do too! I'll see ya Monday!

Bringing out the Big Guns

This week, in pursuit of my neverending quest to get in shape again, I had the most brilliant idea to start the 100 Push-Up Challenge. I mean, how awesome would it be to be able to say you could actually do 100 push-ups in a row??? Visions of sexy, ripped, Michelle Obama arms began to dance in my head. Summer is, afterall right around the corner, along with sleeveless tops and (shudder) bathing suits. Great idea, right???

So, you start out by taking the initial test to see how many push-ups you can already do in a row, pushing on until you cannott.do.one.more....


Much to my shock and amazement, I could already do TWENTY!! Yeah, I was feeling kind of proud of myself. But now, at the end of Week 1, I'm kind of wishing I weren't such an over-achiever...

So, I'm in the third column level-wise. As you can see, for the 5th set, you have to max out, with a minimum stipulation. Day 1 (still cocky and ambitious), I maxed out at 15 on the 5th set. Not bad, huh? It really wasn't all that hard.

Day 2 ...oh my gosh, I'm so sore...I am crying by the time I get to 12 on the 5th set...

And Day 3 - well, lets just say I did get to 13, but I had to take a little pause between push-up 10 and push-up 11, and I felt a little Opus Dei telling myself - "Its Good Friday, Jesus endured worst, you can do this you pansy!!" - but, hey - whatever works!

Seriously, its really not so bad - you should try it!!! When you're salivating over my seriously sculpted guns without a trace of jiggly under-arm fat in sight this summer, you'll be wishing you did!!! Any takers????

(And no, Ace, you cannott participate if you can already do 100 push-ups in a row....)