Here I am, past day 60, Day 63 to be exact, and it's not been a good month.
I'm not going to get into specifics, but things have been about as bad as we've seen them around here.. lots of stressful things going on, and our workouts just became the easiest thing to let go. We just needed one less thing to have to worry about. So, days 31-60 were not as they should have been for us on Power 90.
I did however make a decision that for me at least, I am starting over at Day 30. This makes the fact that I stopped blogging on day 30 pretty handy actually. I'm just going to pretend the last month didn't happen, and start from here.
On Day 30 (formerly known as Day 60) I did the Strength Training 3-4 workout... well okay half of it. It's pretty hard core compared to 1-2 AND I hadn't really been working out regularly. I may have to just go back to 1-2 for a week or so, then try 3-4 again. I want to get some heavier weights though. I think that'll help my progress a lot actually. Right now I just have two 5lb dumbbells.
Day 31 was actually my birthday. Hubby, my 11 yr old and I went to the lake and swam for a long time. I'd say I was in the water about 2 hours. I've been trying to be a better swimmer, so I wasn't just splashing around. I was working on my form for a few swim strokes, as well as doing underwater exercises. I try to do all the cardio moves I can remember underwater since I am much more flexible underwater. Seriously, I had no idea I could lift my leg so high, or my knee, but when I'm in 5 ft deep water, it's easy. Sure makes climbing back up the steps out of the lake harder though haha! I was worn out!
My nutrition has been far from "clean eating" though. This is mainly due to finances. Healthy food is expensive. It's also due to stress. I'm sorry, but sometimes I NEED chocolate. To hell with what other people think.
I've only gained back about 5 lbs and those are starting to come back off (some was water weight I think).
I've gotten the treadmill set back up as well since it's so hot outside these days. Since I was so proud of myself for walking 5 miles on the walking trail a while back, I want to work up to doing 5 miles on the treadmill, then work on seeing how quickly I can do 5 miles. It would be great to be able to work up to 7 miles as well, since the trail we walk on is 3.5 miles long, so a round trip is 7 miles. The great thing is that on the treadmill I have a laptop holder, so I can watch my TV shows on Netflix while walking. I need to find more shows to watch though. I'm running out of stuff!
Hopefully I'll do better this time around and post here more regularly with good updates! I did it a month, I can do it again!
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Power 90 Day 31 - Yesterday's photos and measurements!
We made it to Day 30! A third of the way there! I've still been kind of hit and miss with the workouts. I was so proud I didn't miss any for weeks, but then we both got off track and it's been hard to get back to it. I usually do the strength training days, but always find an excuse not to do cardio. I could tell though, yesterday when we did the strength DVD together, I was less in shape than I had been. I have to keep doing the cardio. Though after the workout, we went out and did yard work together and I know I got my heart rate up. Whew! I've not done my workout for today yet BUT the house has been full of teenagers and I want to workout with Christopher when he gets off work this afternoon. No excuses this time. I have to make him workout with me. he's missed more than I have.
Ok, my measurements on Day One were:
Chest 45.5
R Arm 16.5
L Arm 17.12
Waist 48
Hips 48.25
R Thigh 26
L Thigh 24.75
R Calf 17
L Calf 17
Measurements for Day 30 are:
Chest 44.5
R Arm 16
L Arm 15.25
Waist 44
Hips 46.5
R Thigh 24
L Thigh 23.75
R Calf 16
L Calf 16
For a loss of 14.12 inches overall! That's a lot of fat! Oddly I've only lost 3 lbs since I started Power 90. So I'm guessing there must be some serious muscle gain under all the fat that's making up for the loss. I'm ok with that. :)
So, now the photos!
Day One is on the left in blue. Day 30 is on the right.
I'm pretty happy with the results so far. I think the next month will show some really visible results. I've started using Shakeology which is the supplement meal replacement shake that Beachbody sells (not cheap either!). My coach actually gave us a bag for free which was part of a Challenge pack which included Hip Hop Abs! My daughters are doing that workout now. I hope to add some of the Hip Hop Abs workouts to my Power 90 workouts to get an extra boost. My coach said that was a good idea. It looks like a lot of fun, but I don't know if I'm that coordinated lol.
Anyway, the Shakeology has a ton of super foods in it, and I can tell my body is taking some time adjusting to it. I think it's definitely working as a cleanse LOL. I was hoping not to get too dependent on this brand of protein shakes since they're so expensive, but everything I've heard and read about how much they help with weightloss and making your body healthier might make me buy another month's worth afterall. Especially if they have another challenge pack with the Les Mills Combat workout. That one looks really awesome.
*** Update*** I just did my workout for today with Christopher. I did all the ab rippers!! Woohoo! My arms are jello now, which will be hard to type with at work, hah. Have a great night y'all!
Ok, my measurements on Day One were:
Chest 45.5
R Arm 16.5
L Arm 17.12
Waist 48
Hips 48.25
R Thigh 26
L Thigh 24.75
R Calf 17
L Calf 17
Measurements for Day 30 are:
Chest 44.5
R Arm 16
L Arm 15.25
Waist 44
Hips 46.5
R Thigh 24
L Thigh 23.75
R Calf 16
L Calf 16
For a loss of 14.12 inches overall! That's a lot of fat! Oddly I've only lost 3 lbs since I started Power 90. So I'm guessing there must be some serious muscle gain under all the fat that's making up for the loss. I'm ok with that. :)
So, now the photos!
I'm pretty happy with the results so far. I think the next month will show some really visible results. I've started using Shakeology which is the supplement meal replacement shake that Beachbody sells (not cheap either!). My coach actually gave us a bag for free which was part of a Challenge pack which included Hip Hop Abs! My daughters are doing that workout now. I hope to add some of the Hip Hop Abs workouts to my Power 90 workouts to get an extra boost. My coach said that was a good idea. It looks like a lot of fun, but I don't know if I'm that coordinated lol.
Anyway, the Shakeology has a ton of super foods in it, and I can tell my body is taking some time adjusting to it. I think it's definitely working as a cleanse LOL. I was hoping not to get too dependent on this brand of protein shakes since they're so expensive, but everything I've heard and read about how much they help with weightloss and making your body healthier might make me buy another month's worth afterall. Especially if they have another challenge pack with the Les Mills Combat workout. That one looks really awesome.
*** Update*** I just did my workout for today with Christopher. I did all the ab rippers!! Woohoo! My arms are jello now, which will be hard to type with at work, hah. Have a great night y'all!
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Power 90 - Day 25! Really stoked!
I cannot believe we're already on Day 25 of Power 90!! It seems to have flown by since we finally passed that slow first 2 week period.
I've gotten back to doing my daily workouts. I haven't added anything else to them like walking or swimming since the weekend. Been too busy or the weather has been bad.Today was Sweat 1-2, and I was kind of ticked off at myself for having slacked off on doing the DVD workouts for so many days. Last time I'd done the sweat workout, I'd been able to do all of the Power Yoga stuff, and this time I couldn't. I had to just stop and catch my breath and watch Tony do another couple sets before moving on. Next time! I will do it all!
I did try on the large in those capris I talked about before. They did fit okay, but were a little snug in the butt.. I've actually got a butt now! I did a doubletake in the mirror when I first realized it too LOL! I decided to keep the XL ones in the two colors I got for now. They're comfy which is the point of them and I like the colors. The sand ones go with everything. The orange ones are great, but I didn't have a lot that went with them. So when Christopher and I were in the big town up the road a couple days ago, he asked if I wanted to check out Old Navy since they always have great clearance deals on stuff whenever we go. I still can't believe I did it, but I ended up getting 2 shirts at $2.99 each that were on clearance.. they were XL, but the clingy stretchy stuff. I'd been used to buying big baggy men's 2XL shirts to hide myself in. I don't even know what prompted me to try them on other than the great price, but I did it, and I was shocked! They didn't look horrible! They were snug, but it looked ok, good even. I didn't immediately think OMG cover that cow! This was a real turning point for me! I even remember thinking, "What's that?! I can see my belly button straight on?! " It used to "face" the floor since my fat roll was so big LOL. ... I still can't believe I can wear anything from Old Navy that's not in the big guy's section! And they're cute tops!
Another thing that's happened that's very weird for me, is I am wearing tank tops now. I used to REFUSE to wear a tank top unless I had something on over it. I hated my arms that much. I didn't want to see them, and I certainly didn't want anyone else to see them. While they're not great to look at now, I don't mind it anymore. I guess I finally just got over it. This is really great because most dresses these days have just straps at the top, not sleeves. Maybe I'll actually get and wear a dress again?!?! *gasp*
I've gotten back to doing my daily workouts. I haven't added anything else to them like walking or swimming since the weekend. Been too busy or the weather has been bad.Today was Sweat 1-2, and I was kind of ticked off at myself for having slacked off on doing the DVD workouts for so many days. Last time I'd done the sweat workout, I'd been able to do all of the Power Yoga stuff, and this time I couldn't. I had to just stop and catch my breath and watch Tony do another couple sets before moving on. Next time! I will do it all!
I did try on the large in those capris I talked about before. They did fit okay, but were a little snug in the butt.. I've actually got a butt now! I did a doubletake in the mirror when I first realized it too LOL! I decided to keep the XL ones in the two colors I got for now. They're comfy which is the point of them and I like the colors. The sand ones go with everything. The orange ones are great, but I didn't have a lot that went with them. So when Christopher and I were in the big town up the road a couple days ago, he asked if I wanted to check out Old Navy since they always have great clearance deals on stuff whenever we go. I still can't believe I did it, but I ended up getting 2 shirts at $2.99 each that were on clearance.. they were XL, but the clingy stretchy stuff. I'd been used to buying big baggy men's 2XL shirts to hide myself in. I don't even know what prompted me to try them on other than the great price, but I did it, and I was shocked! They didn't look horrible! They were snug, but it looked ok, good even. I didn't immediately think OMG cover that cow! This was a real turning point for me! I even remember thinking, "What's that?! I can see my belly button straight on?! " It used to "face" the floor since my fat roll was so big LOL. ... I still can't believe I can wear anything from Old Navy that's not in the big guy's section! And they're cute tops!
Another thing that's happened that's very weird for me, is I am wearing tank tops now. I used to REFUSE to wear a tank top unless I had something on over it. I hated my arms that much. I didn't want to see them, and I certainly didn't want anyone else to see them. While they're not great to look at now, I don't mind it anymore. I guess I finally just got over it. This is really great because most dresses these days have just straps at the top, not sleeves. Maybe I'll actually get and wear a dress again?!?! *gasp*
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Power 90 Wow Day 23 already?! Seeing results!
Well as I had said in the last entry, we were losing momentum. However, things have kind of turned around for me. I understand now why cross training is such a good idea. Doing the same workouts every day for 2 weeks was doing a little for me, but not enough. That has changed now.
Friday, I only had 2 of the girls at home since Faelyn was at her grandma's. Christopher was working, so I decided since I just got paid, why not take the girls to the pool at the Davy Crockett Birthplace park. It's in the middle of nowhere and usually only has campers in it. So we did! It was great! The pool hardly had anyone in it and the water was so crystal clear and warm.. It was really nice. I swam around in there, trying to work my arms and legs as much as I could for at least an hour, then got out and laid in the sun to dry my bathing suit and get some color. I have more of a tan this year than I have in decades! Though it's more like one big freckle lol.
Saturday, Christopher had to work again, but Faelyn was back home and Corina (my oldest daughter) had called and said she and her husband Tyler wanted to go swimming. So we all piled in their Explorer and went up to the lake. It's farther away but it's FREE! We ended up staying for over 5 hours, in and out of the water. Christopher even came up and met us when he got off work. Then we went out to dinner together. It was really nice. Anyway, I did more working out with my arms and legs in the water for a long time til I got pretty tired and got out to dry off and eat a protein bar.
Sunday was my rest day. While I hadn't done the DVD workouts on Friday or Saturday, I did still get a pretty good workout, so I'm counting that. By Monday morning, I was finally really noticing some changes. I'm starting to see definition in my legs. They're not just solid logs of round fat anymore. Parts of my thighs are starting to sink in a little. It's very slight, but I know it's there.
Unfortunately Monday ended up being a second rest day. I had plenty of time to do my workout early in the day, but I wanted to workout with Christopher. He was supposed to get off work at 2pm. However, he didn't get off work til after 4, then we had to run errands and make dinner then I had to work and he had an article to write. So, I never got my workout in at all yesterday.
Today I decided I was just not going to wait on him anymore. I had to make sure I did my workout no matter what. So, I got up early and did the workout first thing. I was really surprised! It was the day for cardio again which I usually hate. I don't like the power yoga part because I've not been able to do it well... but today I did all of it! I feel MUCH more flexible, and my legs feel stronger. The knee lifts also were a little easier, and I was able to get my knees much higher than before. I know this is due to the swimming exercises I've been doing. I'd work on getting my knees really high since it's so easy in the water. I think this helped get those muscles stretched and more flexible. It was awesome! I feel great!
Also, since the scales were so erratic in the bathroom floor which is uneven, we had moved the scales to the back door area by our bedroom door. It's much more stable there... I just wasn't happy because my weight on the scales there was a lot higher than in the bathroom. But I agreed it was more regular of a reading, so we left it there. Well, I'm finally below the weight I thought I was to start with! After seeing the weight suddenly go back to a higher number and then not move at all for a week or two.. it was really discouraging. Now, seeing it go down AND seeing the changes in my body, I am so thrilled!
One thing that's kind of freaking me out is that I may need to return a pair of capris I bought in an XL and switch them for a L! I've not work a large in anything in YEARS! maybe DECADES! I don't know for sure yet. Have to try on the L, but the XLs just feel much too big. Hooray!
The measuring tape says I've lost 4 inches on my waist! That's a LOT cause I was bit around to start with! So happy!
We take our 30 day photos soon. I can't wait to see what a difference there is now. One more week! Oh and I am going swimming again this weekend! I can't get enough of the lake!
Friday, I only had 2 of the girls at home since Faelyn was at her grandma's. Christopher was working, so I decided since I just got paid, why not take the girls to the pool at the Davy Crockett Birthplace park. It's in the middle of nowhere and usually only has campers in it. So we did! It was great! The pool hardly had anyone in it and the water was so crystal clear and warm.. It was really nice. I swam around in there, trying to work my arms and legs as much as I could for at least an hour, then got out and laid in the sun to dry my bathing suit and get some color. I have more of a tan this year than I have in decades! Though it's more like one big freckle lol.
Saturday, Christopher had to work again, but Faelyn was back home and Corina (my oldest daughter) had called and said she and her husband Tyler wanted to go swimming. So we all piled in their Explorer and went up to the lake. It's farther away but it's FREE! We ended up staying for over 5 hours, in and out of the water. Christopher even came up and met us when he got off work. Then we went out to dinner together. It was really nice. Anyway, I did more working out with my arms and legs in the water for a long time til I got pretty tired and got out to dry off and eat a protein bar.
Sunday was my rest day. While I hadn't done the DVD workouts on Friday or Saturday, I did still get a pretty good workout, so I'm counting that. By Monday morning, I was finally really noticing some changes. I'm starting to see definition in my legs. They're not just solid logs of round fat anymore. Parts of my thighs are starting to sink in a little. It's very slight, but I know it's there.
Unfortunately Monday ended up being a second rest day. I had plenty of time to do my workout early in the day, but I wanted to workout with Christopher. He was supposed to get off work at 2pm. However, he didn't get off work til after 4, then we had to run errands and make dinner then I had to work and he had an article to write. So, I never got my workout in at all yesterday.
Today I decided I was just not going to wait on him anymore. I had to make sure I did my workout no matter what. So, I got up early and did the workout first thing. I was really surprised! It was the day for cardio again which I usually hate. I don't like the power yoga part because I've not been able to do it well... but today I did all of it! I feel MUCH more flexible, and my legs feel stronger. The knee lifts also were a little easier, and I was able to get my knees much higher than before. I know this is due to the swimming exercises I've been doing. I'd work on getting my knees really high since it's so easy in the water. I think this helped get those muscles stretched and more flexible. It was awesome! I feel great!
Also, since the scales were so erratic in the bathroom floor which is uneven, we had moved the scales to the back door area by our bedroom door. It's much more stable there... I just wasn't happy because my weight on the scales there was a lot higher than in the bathroom. But I agreed it was more regular of a reading, so we left it there. Well, I'm finally below the weight I thought I was to start with! After seeing the weight suddenly go back to a higher number and then not move at all for a week or two.. it was really discouraging. Now, seeing it go down AND seeing the changes in my body, I am so thrilled!
One thing that's kind of freaking me out is that I may need to return a pair of capris I bought in an XL and switch them for a L! I've not work a large in anything in YEARS! maybe DECADES! I don't know for sure yet. Have to try on the L, but the XLs just feel much too big. Hooray!
The measuring tape says I've lost 4 inches on my waist! That's a LOT cause I was bit around to start with! So happy!
We take our 30 day photos soon. I can't wait to see what a difference there is now. One more week! Oh and I am going swimming again this weekend! I can't get enough of the lake!
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Power 90 Day 18 - Losing momentum
I'm 3 days away from the 3 week mark for Power 90, plus the 6 day fat burn... so basically a month for us. I know it's working, but I am still getting discouraged. I've read over and over how I should not get hung up about what the scale says, but it's hard to let it go. I've gained 3 lbs according to the scale we have. of course it's a cheap ass thing. It's digital, but must be the cheapest digital scale available. /rant. Anyway, the measuring tape isn't changing much either! I just don't get it. I can see muscles developing and I feel stronger, but the tape isn't getting shorter? Why??
The one thing that has really kind of kept me from chucking it all is that I tried on a pair of shorts I've had forever. I've never been able to wear them. I got them on clearance at the end of summer one year, there were 3 pairs, different colors. I think they were sized wrong or something cause they say they're 18W, and I wore an 18W back then, but they wouldn't come close to buttoning when I got them home. I was pretty ticked off about it. I've had them so long I know I moved with them 4 years ago. They've been put in the give away bag so many times, and every time I take them back out saying they were such a good deal, and shorts cost so much now and I REALLY need to lose enough to get into them. Well, yesterday, I was looking for shorts since it was so hot, and I found those 3 pairs in the back of my bottom drawer. I figured, what the hell. might as well try. I knew I'd be disappointed. I think I almost wanted an excuse to just give up... it was that kind of day. But OMG they fit. I even tried on all 3 pairs to make sure. Oh they're tight, but I can fasten them and wear them without feeling like I'm being cut in half. I was astounded! Last time I tried, there was about 3 inches or more between the buttons and the button holes. Nowhere near meeting and buttoning.
So, that was a good thing, but I still find it hard to get excited about that when the scale and tape aren't budging. I know it's a mental thing, but that's me.
This past weekend not doing the Power 90 workouts has made us both lose momentum.. though life isn't helping. Doing my workouts while kids were still in school was easy. I'd get up around 1pm and do the workout and get cleaned up and dressed before they got home. Now they're home all day with friends running in and out. I have instituted a rule about no friends in the house while I workout, but it barely works. We get interrupted all the time, even by adults. Today, I laid in bed much longer than I should have. I just really wanted to get some extra sleep. Finally I rolled out of bed at 2pm, then piddled around a little, and talked to my kids. I was about to go workout, then take the gilrs and go for a walk like last week (though it was pretty hot and I was wishy washy about that).. then I suddenly realized I had a bill I HAD to pay today, and needed the car. I texted C to see if he had paid it for me or was coming home for lunch. He texted right back that he was on his way. So much for the workout! I got ready while he ate lunch and then took him back to work then went on to pay the bill. I figured I'd go ahead and do grocery shopping for the week since I had the car. Called Rhiannon at home and we hashed out a menu and she gave me ingredients I needed from the recipes on Team Beachbody, and I got the groceries.
By the time I got home, and got all the groceries put away, it was time to make dinner. Then it was time to get to work. So, yeah, no workout for me today. I could do the workout after work at 3am, but last night I could barely move at 3am and couldn't keep my eyes open. I'm thinking about just getting up early tomorrow, doing my strength training workout (which is what Day 19 should be) and then go to the pool at the campground and burn some calories there. I'm not sure though. I'd have to take C to work at 8am for me to have the car all day and that's a bit early for me.
Maybe I'll just do both DVD workouts sometime tomorrow. I could do Day 18 cardio when I wake up then do the Day 19 strength training with C when he gets off work at 5. I'd love to go swimming though. We'll see.
I just wish my shorts fitting was more of an incentive for me. I've got some hangups I need to get over.
Oh here's a shot of dinner. Baked chicken with a little olive oil and Italian seasoning and a sprinkle of parmesan with my spinach and baby arugula salad with blackberries and sunflower seeds, and home made baked sweet potato fries.
The one thing that has really kind of kept me from chucking it all is that I tried on a pair of shorts I've had forever. I've never been able to wear them. I got them on clearance at the end of summer one year, there were 3 pairs, different colors. I think they were sized wrong or something cause they say they're 18W, and I wore an 18W back then, but they wouldn't come close to buttoning when I got them home. I was pretty ticked off about it. I've had them so long I know I moved with them 4 years ago. They've been put in the give away bag so many times, and every time I take them back out saying they were such a good deal, and shorts cost so much now and I REALLY need to lose enough to get into them. Well, yesterday, I was looking for shorts since it was so hot, and I found those 3 pairs in the back of my bottom drawer. I figured, what the hell. might as well try. I knew I'd be disappointed. I think I almost wanted an excuse to just give up... it was that kind of day. But OMG they fit. I even tried on all 3 pairs to make sure. Oh they're tight, but I can fasten them and wear them without feeling like I'm being cut in half. I was astounded! Last time I tried, there was about 3 inches or more between the buttons and the button holes. Nowhere near meeting and buttoning.
So, that was a good thing, but I still find it hard to get excited about that when the scale and tape aren't budging. I know it's a mental thing, but that's me.
This past weekend not doing the Power 90 workouts has made us both lose momentum.. though life isn't helping. Doing my workouts while kids were still in school was easy. I'd get up around 1pm and do the workout and get cleaned up and dressed before they got home. Now they're home all day with friends running in and out. I have instituted a rule about no friends in the house while I workout, but it barely works. We get interrupted all the time, even by adults. Today, I laid in bed much longer than I should have. I just really wanted to get some extra sleep. Finally I rolled out of bed at 2pm, then piddled around a little, and talked to my kids. I was about to go workout, then take the gilrs and go for a walk like last week (though it was pretty hot and I was wishy washy about that).. then I suddenly realized I had a bill I HAD to pay today, and needed the car. I texted C to see if he had paid it for me or was coming home for lunch. He texted right back that he was on his way. So much for the workout! I got ready while he ate lunch and then took him back to work then went on to pay the bill. I figured I'd go ahead and do grocery shopping for the week since I had the car. Called Rhiannon at home and we hashed out a menu and she gave me ingredients I needed from the recipes on Team Beachbody, and I got the groceries.
By the time I got home, and got all the groceries put away, it was time to make dinner. Then it was time to get to work. So, yeah, no workout for me today. I could do the workout after work at 3am, but last night I could barely move at 3am and couldn't keep my eyes open. I'm thinking about just getting up early tomorrow, doing my strength training workout (which is what Day 19 should be) and then go to the pool at the campground and burn some calories there. I'm not sure though. I'd have to take C to work at 8am for me to have the car all day and that's a bit early for me.
Maybe I'll just do both DVD workouts sometime tomorrow. I could do Day 18 cardio when I wake up then do the Day 19 strength training with C when he gets off work at 5. I'd love to go swimming though. We'll see.
I just wish my shorts fitting was more of an incentive for me. I've got some hangups I need to get over.
Oh here's a shot of dinner. Baked chicken with a little olive oil and Italian seasoning and a sprinkle of parmesan with my spinach and baby arugula salad with blackberries and sunflower seeds, and home made baked sweet potato fries.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Power 90 Day 17 - Back on track and a Dr visit
Today I woke up wanting to get a walk in before all the other stuff started happening. It was going to be FDN (Family Dinner Night), and I wanted to work out with Christopher when he got home from work. However, when I finally got fully awake, I realized my mother in law was already here. That's not really a reason not to go walking, but it slowed me down a bit. Then I saw my kitchen. It was a disaster area. It looked like 90% of the tupperware stuff in the fridge had been emptied and all the leftovers eaten and dishes left all over the place. The sink was full, the counters were full, there was even stuff stacked on the stove. Rhiannon, I groggily remembered had gone to the park for a picnic and swimming with her boyfriend. It was her week to do dishes. I called her and blessed her out for leaving before doing her chores (she knows better). She came home a little later and got started on them.
Since I was no longer in the mood to go walking, I decided to get started on dinner. The only thing we could make that would feed a lot of people were kabobs, so I got the chicken prepped and the veggies. Then I realized someone had eaten all the chunks of pineapple and mushrooms. I also got the feeling we were out of charcoal. I sent Faelyn and her grandma to the store to get a list of stuff I needed, and I got the food I did have marinating in the fridge.
About that time I wondered where the heck Christopher was. He worked 6-3 or so I thought, and it was nearly 4. I texted him, and it turns out he worked til 5. Sigh. So I made my protein and spinach shake and went to listen to my Audible book. When Faelyn got back, she said they were out of pineapple, but I had found a handful someone had left in a small container in the fridge, oh well. Everything had been marinating about an hour by the time Christopher walked in.
He said the kabobs had to be ready to go as soon as he started the coals, so the girls put them together while he and I did our workout. We finally were back to doing the strength training workout. I am proud to say I did all the pushups! They may not have been perfect or very low, but I did them instead of just collapsing. My arms are fussing at me even as I write this. The back scratchers on my right arm were rough, but I felt great knowing I DID them! I love the strength training workout, even the pushups. I really like feeling stronger!
Christopher did tell me what happened at his Dr appt today... this was a special appt he set up after his TIA (mini stroke) last month. He's going in for a TEE next week. They need to see if there is a hole in his heart that a clot from his kidney tumor could have gotten through and into his neck or brain. If they don't find a hole, then he has to go for an ultrasound later to see if there's a severe buildup in his neck arteries. If there is a hole, then he'll have to have surgery to repair it. I was numb hearing all of this. Oh and if it is the arteries being blocked, then he'll have to go on coumadin for the rest of his life. That's dangerous. And he'll be on Plavix too. Scary.
Another thing was that one of his toenails just fell off last week. The Dr was not happy to hear that. He said it could have been due to a blood clot which could be very likely since his mother has a weid rare (in that no one else has ever had this before) blood disorder. Her blood runs think like molasses and even coumadin does nothing for it. She was on the highest dose they can give and she was still getting blood clots in her lungs. So, while we thought his health problems were really behind him and we were going to get healthy for the rest of our lives... it looks like we're still battling his heart disease. I hate it.
Here's a pic of dinner. So good!
Since I was no longer in the mood to go walking, I decided to get started on dinner. The only thing we could make that would feed a lot of people were kabobs, so I got the chicken prepped and the veggies. Then I realized someone had eaten all the chunks of pineapple and mushrooms. I also got the feeling we were out of charcoal. I sent Faelyn and her grandma to the store to get a list of stuff I needed, and I got the food I did have marinating in the fridge.
About that time I wondered where the heck Christopher was. He worked 6-3 or so I thought, and it was nearly 4. I texted him, and it turns out he worked til 5. Sigh. So I made my protein and spinach shake and went to listen to my Audible book. When Faelyn got back, she said they were out of pineapple, but I had found a handful someone had left in a small container in the fridge, oh well. Everything had been marinating about an hour by the time Christopher walked in.
He said the kabobs had to be ready to go as soon as he started the coals, so the girls put them together while he and I did our workout. We finally were back to doing the strength training workout. I am proud to say I did all the pushups! They may not have been perfect or very low, but I did them instead of just collapsing. My arms are fussing at me even as I write this. The back scratchers on my right arm were rough, but I felt great knowing I DID them! I love the strength training workout, even the pushups. I really like feeling stronger!
Christopher did tell me what happened at his Dr appt today... this was a special appt he set up after his TIA (mini stroke) last month. He's going in for a TEE next week. They need to see if there is a hole in his heart that a clot from his kidney tumor could have gotten through and into his neck or brain. If they don't find a hole, then he has to go for an ultrasound later to see if there's a severe buildup in his neck arteries. If there is a hole, then he'll have to have surgery to repair it. I was numb hearing all of this. Oh and if it is the arteries being blocked, then he'll have to go on coumadin for the rest of his life. That's dangerous. And he'll be on Plavix too. Scary.
Another thing was that one of his toenails just fell off last week. The Dr was not happy to hear that. He said it could have been due to a blood clot which could be very likely since his mother has a weid rare (in that no one else has ever had this before) blood disorder. Her blood runs think like molasses and even coumadin does nothing for it. She was on the highest dose they can give and she was still getting blood clots in her lungs. So, while we thought his health problems were really behind him and we were going to get healthy for the rest of our lives... it looks like we're still battling his heart disease. I hate it.
Here's a pic of dinner. So good!
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Different Kinds of Workouts This Weekend
Saturday is our rest day (we get one a week), so we had to fit in a workout on Sunday. This wasn't really hard for me, since I was home with the girls all day. Christopher was working 10am-10pm and had the car. He was going to work out in the morning before going to work, but didn't get to it afterall. Weekends are rough on our routines.
I got up around 12:30 as normal and planned on doing my workout as normal, but then I had a great idea. I had the girls get dressed and into walking shoes, and we headed out. I knew from using runkeeper.com that Sav Mor grocery store (which is where I always get produce and many other things on my list) is only a little over a mile from our house if you walk through the neighborhood behind the elementary school. It was a beautiful day, and a walk would feel great, and I decided it would be my cardio for the day. Maybe a little mixing it up would help in my weightloss and getting toned up.
We walked down the road to the new connector road they just put in last year, complete with nice wide sidewalks. It's such a blessing. It goes over the hills between us and town. At the top of the hill if you turn on a little road to the right, you come in the back entrance to the elementary school. If you keep going instead of going up to the school, you end up in an apartment complex. I think it's one of those low-rent project ones. It's a really nice neighborhood though, with playgrounds and landscaping and lots of big shade trees. On the other end of the complex is the road that goes up the hill to my bank, and divides the apartments from the big shopping center. It used to be KMart and Ingles way back in the day, but now it's Tractor Supply and Sav Mor with a high-end furniture/decor store in between them. We decided to walk on to the next shopping center next to it, across another street. It now houses a cash advance place, a game store, the now-closed theater, Staples, and Big Lots. We walked all the way down to Big Lots where we got the girls Power Ades and I got a big bottle of water.
Christopher's KMart is directly across the 4-lane from Big Lots, so I *could* walk to Kmart and get the car sometime if I ever needed it for some reason I guess. Runkeeper says it's exactly 1.5 miles from my house to Kmart's front door. The problem is crossing the 4-lane. Even with a red light, it's still dangerous. I'd sure not do it with kids. This town is really not pedestrian-friendly. We lucked out that we can walk where we do without getting into much any traffic at all. We live right where we can come in the backway to everything on our side of the 4-lane.
On our way back, we stopped at Sav Mor and I got an avacado and some tortillas for the black bean veggie tostados. I don't know how I missed putting those on my list before, but I was glad to be able to "run" out and get them easily. We also got some strawberries and rhubarb for our surprise dessert for Christopher. As we walked back past Tractor Supply, I got a big re-usable shopping tote bag (didn't think to bring one with us) and a 6-pack of tomato plants they had marked down to $1. That was a great deal! The girls took turns carrying the heavy tote back back home, and I ended up with it the last half mile or so. And it';s all uphill to our house after we cross the hill between us and town. You kind of cross the hill in one spot, walk up the road a bit, then walk back up the hill to our house. There's nothing but a briar-filled field between our house and the new road, so we have to walk around. It's fine though. I needed the cardio. Boy, was I sweating by the time we got home! I definitely got a workout. The tostados that night were so yummy!
On Monday, Memorial Day, Christopher was off work (Hooray!), so we got up a little earlier than normal (well for me anyway) and loaded the Explorer up with towels, a quilt and lawn chairs, then headed to the lake. It's a little over a half hour away by backroads. Wish it was closer, but at least we have it at all. So many of the public swim areas have closed, and this one is still free! They have a special swimming area with trucked in sand, the big orange depth rope thing and big orange buoy things dividing us from the boats. I love just sitting and watching the boats. We counted 21 around the swim hole at one time. There was a guy sitting on the grass playing guitar. That was nice. I wish it had a little shop like the one I went to when I was a kid. It sold pizza and had a juke box that piped music down to the beach which was actually all sand even out of the water. This one we go to now is just sand in the water with grass on dry land. I remember hearing J Geils Band songs played over and over on that juke box the last summer I got to go before it was closed down.
The water was SO cold. BRRRrrrrrrr! We knew it would be. The damn hadn't let the water go up til recently, and it had rained pretty hard recently. Besides, the weather hadn't been very warm for long. In fact it was just barely above 80 when we went with a cool breeze. Once we finally got in the water and almost used to it, it made it easier to just stay in the water. Getting out, in the breeze was just too cold to think about. Finally the sun came out from behind the clouds and it warmed up nicely (outside the water anyway). After what felt like 2 hours in the water, Christopher and I got out and sat in the sun to dry off. He still has such a nasty sunburn. He didn't think to reapply his sunblock when he got out of the water. It'll turn to a tan anyway, which is what he wanted.
While we were in the water, he and I had decided to do some of our cardio workout since it was so much easier to move in the water. We did the knee raises and I could get that leg way up so the knee was out of the water (which was above my waist). We tried doing the kicks, which was hard with the resistance of the water, so we figured it would be helping the workout. When I went to climb the stone steps to get out of the water, I could barely pull myself up. I could REALLY feel gravity hit full force. Christopher had actually done his Sunday workout early Monday morning, so we were both due to be doing the strength training workout for Monday.
By the time we got home, we considered working out for a moment, then decided we were too worn out and sore from swimming. I don't know how the girls were even still awake. They were in the water a good half hour or more longer than we were. We started immediately on getting dinner prepped and cooking. We had two small lean steaks I got on mark down, as well as spinach parmesan turkey burgers for us, as well as hot dogs for the girls. Oh we also grilled corn cobs in the husks. Made baked home made potato wedges and sweet potato fries and a salad. For dessert we made a low-sugar strawberry rhubarb crumble and had light vanilla ice cream with it. Oh it was SO GOOD!
It was a really good day and the girls kept commenting on how much fun they'd had and how good the food was. What was nice was that it was just the 5 of us. The teens really had a great time swimming and playing together in the water. They made some great sisterly memories that day. Zoe had fun with us til we got out then made a slew of friends as always. There are always several dozen kids there. I miss sitting there, listening to the guitar player and the speed boats and seeing all the boats on the water and the people having fun, and my kids having a wonderful time.
I got up around 12:30 as normal and planned on doing my workout as normal, but then I had a great idea. I had the girls get dressed and into walking shoes, and we headed out. I knew from using runkeeper.com that Sav Mor grocery store (which is where I always get produce and many other things on my list) is only a little over a mile from our house if you walk through the neighborhood behind the elementary school. It was a beautiful day, and a walk would feel great, and I decided it would be my cardio for the day. Maybe a little mixing it up would help in my weightloss and getting toned up.
We walked down the road to the new connector road they just put in last year, complete with nice wide sidewalks. It's such a blessing. It goes over the hills between us and town. At the top of the hill if you turn on a little road to the right, you come in the back entrance to the elementary school. If you keep going instead of going up to the school, you end up in an apartment complex. I think it's one of those low-rent project ones. It's a really nice neighborhood though, with playgrounds and landscaping and lots of big shade trees. On the other end of the complex is the road that goes up the hill to my bank, and divides the apartments from the big shopping center. It used to be KMart and Ingles way back in the day, but now it's Tractor Supply and Sav Mor with a high-end furniture/decor store in between them. We decided to walk on to the next shopping center next to it, across another street. It now houses a cash advance place, a game store, the now-closed theater, Staples, and Big Lots. We walked all the way down to Big Lots where we got the girls Power Ades and I got a big bottle of water.
Christopher's KMart is directly across the 4-lane from Big Lots, so I *could* walk to Kmart and get the car sometime if I ever needed it for some reason I guess. Runkeeper says it's exactly 1.5 miles from my house to Kmart's front door. The problem is crossing the 4-lane. Even with a red light, it's still dangerous. I'd sure not do it with kids. This town is really not pedestrian-friendly. We lucked out that we can walk where we do without getting into much any traffic at all. We live right where we can come in the backway to everything on our side of the 4-lane.
On our way back, we stopped at Sav Mor and I got an avacado and some tortillas for the black bean veggie tostados. I don't know how I missed putting those on my list before, but I was glad to be able to "run" out and get them easily. We also got some strawberries and rhubarb for our surprise dessert for Christopher. As we walked back past Tractor Supply, I got a big re-usable shopping tote bag (didn't think to bring one with us) and a 6-pack of tomato plants they had marked down to $1. That was a great deal! The girls took turns carrying the heavy tote back back home, and I ended up with it the last half mile or so. And it';s all uphill to our house after we cross the hill between us and town. You kind of cross the hill in one spot, walk up the road a bit, then walk back up the hill to our house. There's nothing but a briar-filled field between our house and the new road, so we have to walk around. It's fine though. I needed the cardio. Boy, was I sweating by the time we got home! I definitely got a workout. The tostados that night were so yummy!
On Monday, Memorial Day, Christopher was off work (Hooray!), so we got up a little earlier than normal (well for me anyway) and loaded the Explorer up with towels, a quilt and lawn chairs, then headed to the lake. It's a little over a half hour away by backroads. Wish it was closer, but at least we have it at all. So many of the public swim areas have closed, and this one is still free! They have a special swimming area with trucked in sand, the big orange depth rope thing and big orange buoy things dividing us from the boats. I love just sitting and watching the boats. We counted 21 around the swim hole at one time. There was a guy sitting on the grass playing guitar. That was nice. I wish it had a little shop like the one I went to when I was a kid. It sold pizza and had a juke box that piped music down to the beach which was actually all sand even out of the water. This one we go to now is just sand in the water with grass on dry land. I remember hearing J Geils Band songs played over and over on that juke box the last summer I got to go before it was closed down.
The water was SO cold. BRRRrrrrrrr! We knew it would be. The damn hadn't let the water go up til recently, and it had rained pretty hard recently. Besides, the weather hadn't been very warm for long. In fact it was just barely above 80 when we went with a cool breeze. Once we finally got in the water and almost used to it, it made it easier to just stay in the water. Getting out, in the breeze was just too cold to think about. Finally the sun came out from behind the clouds and it warmed up nicely (outside the water anyway). After what felt like 2 hours in the water, Christopher and I got out and sat in the sun to dry off. He still has such a nasty sunburn. He didn't think to reapply his sunblock when he got out of the water. It'll turn to a tan anyway, which is what he wanted.
While we were in the water, he and I had decided to do some of our cardio workout since it was so much easier to move in the water. We did the knee raises and I could get that leg way up so the knee was out of the water (which was above my waist). We tried doing the kicks, which was hard with the resistance of the water, so we figured it would be helping the workout. When I went to climb the stone steps to get out of the water, I could barely pull myself up. I could REALLY feel gravity hit full force. Christopher had actually done his Sunday workout early Monday morning, so we were both due to be doing the strength training workout for Monday.
By the time we got home, we considered working out for a moment, then decided we were too worn out and sore from swimming. I don't know how the girls were even still awake. They were in the water a good half hour or more longer than we were. We started immediately on getting dinner prepped and cooking. We had two small lean steaks I got on mark down, as well as spinach parmesan turkey burgers for us, as well as hot dogs for the girls. Oh we also grilled corn cobs in the husks. Made baked home made potato wedges and sweet potato fries and a salad. For dessert we made a low-sugar strawberry rhubarb crumble and had light vanilla ice cream with it. Oh it was SO GOOD!
It was a really good day and the girls kept commenting on how much fun they'd had and how good the food was. What was nice was that it was just the 5 of us. The teens really had a great time swimming and playing together in the water. They made some great sisterly memories that day. Zoe had fun with us til we got out then made a slew of friends as always. There are always several dozen kids there. I miss sitting there, listening to the guitar player and the speed boats and seeing all the boats on the water and the people having fun, and my kids having a wonderful time.
Friday, May 24, 2013
Our Inspiration!
As I said before, our coach for Team Beachbody is my husband's brother in law. His name is Chris Garret. My husband, Christopher, did not grow up with his half sisters, so we don't know Chris and Tekoa very well. We did meet at C's grandfather's funeral a couple years ago. They were very sweet people. We met them before they had started doing the workouts that brought them to where they are now, and we've not seen them in person since... but Chris' photos tell the story!
His transformation in just those first 100 days is amazing! My Christopher started out a little bigger than Chris in his Day 1 photo, but I know he and I both will look and feel great when this is all done. And we'll be able to say we did it! I'm not expecting Christopher to look like Chris at day 100. I am sure a long way from looking like Tekoa, (heck I want to look like her Before photo! lol - you can see her photos at their site , just click the photos above.) I know everyone is different, but even just dropping some of this weight will be good for our health.
They have a great Facebook group just for the folks they coach that's really supportive and upbeat, and we joined a Challenge Group that started not too long after we decided to buy Power 90. It really keeps us on track and makes us feel accountable. We already are to each other, but this makes it even more serious. It's great to see other people doing the challenge too, even though they're not all doing the same program. Some are on P90X, some are doing Insanity, some Les Mills Combat (which I can't wait to be able to do!). I'd only ever heard of P90X before... and it was like some mythological thing only super fit people could do without puking... and here I am thinking that someday, maybe in 90 days, I'll be able to start doing it myself! Amazing!
If you're even somewhat thinking about getting into shape, please give Chris or Tekoa a try as your coach. Having them as a coach is free! Click the photo above to go to their site and then the top left article there is about how to get signed up. Whatever you end up doing, having support is such a great way to help keep at it and not stop.
In case you're wondering, I am not getting anything for plugging their site and coaching, I just really want more people to know about this program. It's really great for folks who need that extra motivation!
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| Check out their website at http://dream-2-reality.com/ - click the photo above. |
His transformation in just those first 100 days is amazing! My Christopher started out a little bigger than Chris in his Day 1 photo, but I know he and I both will look and feel great when this is all done. And we'll be able to say we did it! I'm not expecting Christopher to look like Chris at day 100. I am sure a long way from looking like Tekoa, (heck I want to look like her Before photo! lol - you can see her photos at their site , just click the photos above.) I know everyone is different, but even just dropping some of this weight will be good for our health.
They have a great Facebook group just for the folks they coach that's really supportive and upbeat, and we joined a Challenge Group that started not too long after we decided to buy Power 90. It really keeps us on track and makes us feel accountable. We already are to each other, but this makes it even more serious. It's great to see other people doing the challenge too, even though they're not all doing the same program. Some are on P90X, some are doing Insanity, some Les Mills Combat (which I can't wait to be able to do!). I'd only ever heard of P90X before... and it was like some mythological thing only super fit people could do without puking... and here I am thinking that someday, maybe in 90 days, I'll be able to start doing it myself! Amazing!
If you're even somewhat thinking about getting into shape, please give Chris or Tekoa a try as your coach. Having them as a coach is free! Click the photo above to go to their site and then the top left article there is about how to get signed up. Whatever you end up doing, having support is such a great way to help keep at it and not stop.
In case you're wondering, I am not getting anything for plugging their site and coaching, I just really want more people to know about this program. It's really great for folks who need that extra motivation!
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Power 90 Day 11 - Keep On Keepin On
We haven't missed a day of workouts! Hooray! We just keep at it. I feel like I'm toning up, but I don't see a lot of difference in the measuring tape or the scales yet. Christopher LOOKS smaller already. I think we may take photos at 15 days, just for our own benefit to see if anything really is changing. I think I need some more reinforcement that it's working.
Yesterday was the Strength training and I did all the pushups! I am sure they aren't pretty ones, and I doubt I really am doing them like I should be, but I do try! They're hard! I went to bed last night looking forward to today's workout because it has the Ab Ripper and I can't wait to lose this gut. Am I going crazy? Looking forward to working out?
I did the same today on the abs as I did last time, which is pretty good. I do all the reps til the very last set and I just can't do them. It's a really hard set, and by then my abs have given out, along with the rest of me. It's even hard for me to roll over and do the stretches!
My girls have started working out with us more. Since we have weights and the resistance band, Faelyn had her boyfriend do the strength training one with her yesterday before Christopher and I did ours together. Then today, Faelyn and Rhiannon were watching me do the cardio, when Faelyn said she wanted to do the abs routine too since she wants to flatten her tummy. Then we talked Rhiannon into doing them too. It was fun doing them with the girls. We were all moaning and groaning LOL!
After we recovered from the ab ripper, I got cleaned up and changed, and we walked around the block (if you can call it that in the country) to Sonic since they had 50 cent corndogs today for end-of-school celebration. I got them each one as well as their sister who was at a friend's house. We got drinks too. I got a diet peach green tea. It was SO good! I usually just drink water, but it was nice to have something different.
On the way back, we walked by the elementary school and went down to the pond that has a raised walkway over it, then headed up the steep hill to the benches on the top of the hill overlooking it. Rhiannon found a geocache there that she'd been wanting to find for a while. Her dad and I found it a few months ago without her. So that was fun. Then we headed back home. It was such a wonderful day to go for a walk. They were talking about how great it would be to walk on the walking trail that starts at the college and goes through the countryside, complete with a walking bridge over the highway. That's exactly the kind of thing I want to do with my kids. Before starting Power 90, I would have never given such a walk a second thought. It's a pretty long trek even though it is on a mostly flat paved walkway. So, I'm hoping we can do that together soon. Once I'm in even better shape, I can't wait to go hiking in the mountains with them again. We did that with our oldest daughter when she was very young. Christopher and I were both in fairly decent shape then. That was a LONG time ago.
The girls want to go swimming a lot this summer as well. I'm determined to get over my fear of the water and learn to swim. Christopher is going to teach Zoe to swim this summer, and I've asked him to give me lessons as well.
For dinner tonight, we had home made pizzas again, but someone had eaten the last two pitas. So, Christopher and I ended up having to have the regular pizzas I made for the girls. I'd found a 2-pack crust with sauce pack at Big Lots for $3 and couldn't pass that up. I only ate a piece and a half (small pieces too), because the bread was so thick. It filled me up and I didn't find it very appetizing. I'll definitely get pitas next time we do them.
Yesterday was the Strength training and I did all the pushups! I am sure they aren't pretty ones, and I doubt I really am doing them like I should be, but I do try! They're hard! I went to bed last night looking forward to today's workout because it has the Ab Ripper and I can't wait to lose this gut. Am I going crazy? Looking forward to working out?
I did the same today on the abs as I did last time, which is pretty good. I do all the reps til the very last set and I just can't do them. It's a really hard set, and by then my abs have given out, along with the rest of me. It's even hard for me to roll over and do the stretches!
My girls have started working out with us more. Since we have weights and the resistance band, Faelyn had her boyfriend do the strength training one with her yesterday before Christopher and I did ours together. Then today, Faelyn and Rhiannon were watching me do the cardio, when Faelyn said she wanted to do the abs routine too since she wants to flatten her tummy. Then we talked Rhiannon into doing them too. It was fun doing them with the girls. We were all moaning and groaning LOL!
After we recovered from the ab ripper, I got cleaned up and changed, and we walked around the block (if you can call it that in the country) to Sonic since they had 50 cent corndogs today for end-of-school celebration. I got them each one as well as their sister who was at a friend's house. We got drinks too. I got a diet peach green tea. It was SO good! I usually just drink water, but it was nice to have something different.
On the way back, we walked by the elementary school and went down to the pond that has a raised walkway over it, then headed up the steep hill to the benches on the top of the hill overlooking it. Rhiannon found a geocache there that she'd been wanting to find for a while. Her dad and I found it a few months ago without her. So that was fun. Then we headed back home. It was such a wonderful day to go for a walk. They were talking about how great it would be to walk on the walking trail that starts at the college and goes through the countryside, complete with a walking bridge over the highway. That's exactly the kind of thing I want to do with my kids. Before starting Power 90, I would have never given such a walk a second thought. It's a pretty long trek even though it is on a mostly flat paved walkway. So, I'm hoping we can do that together soon. Once I'm in even better shape, I can't wait to go hiking in the mountains with them again. We did that with our oldest daughter when she was very young. Christopher and I were both in fairly decent shape then. That was a LONG time ago.
The girls want to go swimming a lot this summer as well. I'm determined to get over my fear of the water and learn to swim. Christopher is going to teach Zoe to swim this summer, and I've asked him to give me lessons as well.
For dinner tonight, we had home made pizzas again, but someone had eaten the last two pitas. So, Christopher and I ended up having to have the regular pizzas I made for the girls. I'd found a 2-pack crust with sauce pack at Big Lots for $3 and couldn't pass that up. I only ate a piece and a half (small pieces too), because the bread was so thick. It filled me up and I didn't find it very appetizing. I'll definitely get pitas next time we do them.
Imported Post - Power 90 Day 5 - So Much For Privacy
This morning before work, I packed C's and the girls' lunches, which
took some time, then headed to bed. So when I woke up this afternoon, I
was dragging. I was determined not to skip my workout, but I was running
out of time. The older girls get home on the bus at 3:20 and it was
already after 2:30. I HATE being walked in on during a workout - or
watched by the kids. Then I remember both of them were going home with
their boyfriends because of parties or volunteer stuff. So, I wouldn't
be interrupted. So, I relaxed, took my time and started the workout.
Today is strength training. I was 20 minutes into the workout, when
Rhiannon and her best friend Moneesha came through the front door. There
I was in my sports bra, shorts, hair a mess, and probably unshaved
armpits, holding a resistance band over my head in the middle of a
military press I think it was.. or one of those high ones. I paused it
and went to my room. I was embarrassed. Not only for how I looked, but
how the house looks. It's a freaking mess right now. So, it ruined my
whole groove. Tonight, I am going to do the workout over again with
Christopher since he's doing his after work. Since we only have one
resistance band, I'm going to head to the store a little early and get
some weights. That way we can do the strength training at the same time.
Tonight's dinner/my lunch is chicken stir fry from the power 90 booklet. It's not really much of a recipe, just cook the chicken in a little oil, add the veggies and a little soy sauce and serve with brown rice. What struck me though is how much better stir fry is with fresh veggies. I used to only use frozen veggies in my stirfry and it was not the greatest food to eat.. this was AMAZING! Fresh is best!
Update: I got two 5lb dumb bells and worked out with Christopher after he got off work. It was actually a lot of fun to work out with him. Working out in front of people is an issue I am going to have to deal with. This summer I'll have my 3 kids plus all their friends running in and out of the house all day, every day.
Tonight's dinner/my lunch is chicken stir fry from the power 90 booklet. It's not really much of a recipe, just cook the chicken in a little oil, add the veggies and a little soy sauce and serve with brown rice. What struck me though is how much better stir fry is with fresh veggies. I used to only use frozen veggies in my stirfry and it was not the greatest food to eat.. this was AMAZING! Fresh is best!
Update: I got two 5lb dumb bells and worked out with Christopher after he got off work. It was actually a lot of fun to work out with him. Working out in front of people is an issue I am going to have to deal with. This summer I'll have my 3 kids plus all their friends running in and out of the house all day, every day.
Imported Post - Power 90 Day 4 This Really Works!
I'm on Day 4 of Power 90. OMG am I sore! Still. I know it will
ease off the more I do it, but man! Those leg lifts are killer when you
have thunder thighs LOL!
Here's what we've had for dinner the last couple nights.
Shrimp Kebobs with brown rice. These were SO GOOD! The smokiness of the grill on the veggies was amazing and the marinade YUM!
Vegetarian Curry with more brown rice. This one is also really good. Very filling. Good to have a meatless meal.
I kind of had a feeling my huge gut was a little less huge this morning, so I got out the measuring tape. I have lost 3 inches on my waist!!! I'm guessing I was a little bloated from some water gain when we took the before measurements, but whatever the reason, it's AWESOME! My jeans definitely fit better. They had been getting so tight I had to unbutton them after dinner at work (good thing I work from home!)
Overall, even though I'm sore when I stand and walk, I feel stronger, more limber (in places that aren't in pain), and even standing up taller. The stretches really help with that. I am going back to my hometown next Saturday to my nephew's graduation. I wonder if there'll be any noticeable change for the people I see there that haven't seen me for a couple weeks.
Hope you're all doing well!
Patty
Here's what we've had for dinner the last couple nights.
Shrimp Kebobs with brown rice. These were SO GOOD! The smokiness of the grill on the veggies was amazing and the marinade YUM!
Vegetarian Curry with more brown rice. This one is also really good. Very filling. Good to have a meatless meal.
I kind of had a feeling my huge gut was a little less huge this morning, so I got out the measuring tape. I have lost 3 inches on my waist!!! I'm guessing I was a little bloated from some water gain when we took the before measurements, but whatever the reason, it's AWESOME! My jeans definitely fit better. They had been getting so tight I had to unbutton them after dinner at work (good thing I work from home!)
Overall, even though I'm sore when I stand and walk, I feel stronger, more limber (in places that aren't in pain), and even standing up taller. The stretches really help with that. I am going back to my hometown next Saturday to my nephew's graduation. I wonder if there'll be any noticeable change for the people I see there that haven't seen me for a couple weeks.
Hope you're all doing well!
Patty
Imported Post - Power 90 Day 2 - First Day of Cardio!
Today was Day 2 of Power 90. I am SO GLAD we did the 6 day fat burn
first. It was so much easier than this workout. I think if we did this
one first, we'd have given in the towel. But we know it will get
easier. My second day of cardio on the 6-day fat burn was SO much better
than the first day. So, we're sticking it out and doing it, no matter
how sore we are. Poor Christopher could barely move when he went to
bed, and he has to help unload a truck tomorrow.
Tonight for the family's dinner and my lunch, we had Power Pita Pizzas, straight from the power 90 meal planner booklet. You slice one pita in half along the edges so it becomes two pizza rounds. Stick them in the oven for one minute at 350 to toast a little. Each round gets 1/4 cup sauce (we used our fave cheap Hunt's canned spaghetti sauce, the Four Cheese.) Then add grilled (or baked which is what I did) chicken pieces or other lean protein. Faelyn actually put shrimp on hers. Weird. Then chopped veggies, like we had green bell pepper, spinach, broccoli, mushrooms, pineapple (Zoe had a Hawaiian pizza). Then low fat mozzarella cheese. We found a low fat pizza blend and used it.
I was leery about broccoli on a pizza, but with the cheese it was so yummy! I used more cheese than I normally would, but decided I could have it because I'd not had a mid morning snack and had room for a few more calories. I had a rough workout afterall! I won't be adding extra cheese or anything like that any more this week. one time thing.
No more weight loss this morning, but I hadn't gained. I know I've lost 11 lbs (well according to our cheap scales), and I can feel a difference, I still don't really see a difference. I put on the same tank top I'd taken our first "Before" photos in, and I look exactly the same to me. So, where did the 11lbs come from? Have you seen 11 lbs of meat? It's a LOT. I guess it was just in the inch or so I'd lost here and there. I hate being so big that I can lose that much and not see it. Looking forward to seeing the lbs drop more and seeing a change!
Tonight for the family's dinner and my lunch, we had Power Pita Pizzas, straight from the power 90 meal planner booklet. You slice one pita in half along the edges so it becomes two pizza rounds. Stick them in the oven for one minute at 350 to toast a little. Each round gets 1/4 cup sauce (we used our fave cheap Hunt's canned spaghetti sauce, the Four Cheese.) Then add grilled (or baked which is what I did) chicken pieces or other lean protein. Faelyn actually put shrimp on hers. Weird. Then chopped veggies, like we had green bell pepper, spinach, broccoli, mushrooms, pineapple (Zoe had a Hawaiian pizza). Then low fat mozzarella cheese. We found a low fat pizza blend and used it.
I was leery about broccoli on a pizza, but with the cheese it was so yummy! I used more cheese than I normally would, but decided I could have it because I'd not had a mid morning snack and had room for a few more calories. I had a rough workout afterall! I won't be adding extra cheese or anything like that any more this week. one time thing.
No more weight loss this morning, but I hadn't gained. I know I've lost 11 lbs (well according to our cheap scales), and I can feel a difference, I still don't really see a difference. I put on the same tank top I'd taken our first "Before" photos in, and I look exactly the same to me. So, where did the 11lbs come from? Have you seen 11 lbs of meat? It's a LOT. I guess it was just in the inch or so I'd lost here and there. I hate being so big that I can lose that much and not see it. Looking forward to seeing the lbs drop more and seeing a change!
Imported Post - Power 90 Day 1! Finally!
Today is officially my first day on the 90 day program, Power 90.
I had Christopher take my new "Before" photos last night and we did our measurements following the instructional video on their site. It helped, since we never knew exactly where to measure before.
Today, I did my first workout. It was a strength training one using the resistance band that came with it. It was hard, and I couldn't do the pushups. I have to work on getting the form right, rather than doing them incorrectly. So, I'll try again in a few days and then keep trying til I have built up some more upper body strength. The problem is where I have muscle loss due to my car accident when I was 19 and I never built it back up in the arm I almost lost.So, I am really looking forward to actually building muscle there - if it's possible anyway. What muscle I did have at the time was shredded by the broken bone, so I'm not sure how that will work out. Does it grow back? Not sure.
I had a chocolate protein shake with frozen bananas for breakfast. Then C and I went grocery shopping. I made a menu for breakfasts, lunches and dinners using the meal planner/recipe book that came with it. This was a lot easier than it would have been since we did the 6-day fat burn program last week, and were used to the foods and how they're prepared. It's just more of the same with some new foods added in and more yummy stuff. So our fridge is stuffed to the gills with lots of green stuff, berries, and veggies.
This week we're making our meals for the whole family, so the kids will now be eating what we eat as well. No more making them meals full of carbs like pasta alfredo, or spaghetti or cream soups over egg noodles, etc. Things on the menu this week are meals such as vegetable curry, pita pizzas with chicken, and shrimp and veggies kebobs on the grill.
For a mid morning snack (which was around 4pm for me) I had low fat cottage cheese with blueberries and strawberries. It's better than it sounds LOL - well I never liked cottage cheese before. Let the berries sit for a while and the cottage cheese takes on the flavor. Really good.
For dinner, Christopher grilled out. We followed one of the dinner ideas in the book. 4 oz lean beef hamburgers with lettuce and tomatoes and home made baked french fries on the side. He added some seasoning and onions to the burgers. And we had 100% whole wheat buns. They were really good!
For an "afternoon" snack which I'll have around 9pm, I'll probably have baby carrots and hummus, or maybe raw peanuts.
For dinner which I have around midnight, I will likely just have a salad with red wine vinaigrette.
I'm drinking tons of water now. I haven't had any chai tea (which I used to drink probably a gallon of a night) in over a week. When I want something warm to drink, I have a cup of chamomile tea. I do still put Splenda in it, but I have cut way back on how much I use. Mostly I just drink water though.
As of this morning, I'd lost 11 lbs! :) I don't even feel like I'm on a "diet". It's more like a lifestyle change. It's all great food, that just happens to be good for us. That rocks!
P.S. I did mean to get photos of the food each night and post them all through the week, but it was so busy here today, that I got distracted and totally forgot. Will try to remember tomorrow!
I had Christopher take my new "Before" photos last night and we did our measurements following the instructional video on their site. It helped, since we never knew exactly where to measure before.
Today, I did my first workout. It was a strength training one using the resistance band that came with it. It was hard, and I couldn't do the pushups. I have to work on getting the form right, rather than doing them incorrectly. So, I'll try again in a few days and then keep trying til I have built up some more upper body strength. The problem is where I have muscle loss due to my car accident when I was 19 and I never built it back up in the arm I almost lost.So, I am really looking forward to actually building muscle there - if it's possible anyway. What muscle I did have at the time was shredded by the broken bone, so I'm not sure how that will work out. Does it grow back? Not sure.
I had a chocolate protein shake with frozen bananas for breakfast. Then C and I went grocery shopping. I made a menu for breakfasts, lunches and dinners using the meal planner/recipe book that came with it. This was a lot easier than it would have been since we did the 6-day fat burn program last week, and were used to the foods and how they're prepared. It's just more of the same with some new foods added in and more yummy stuff. So our fridge is stuffed to the gills with lots of green stuff, berries, and veggies.
This week we're making our meals for the whole family, so the kids will now be eating what we eat as well. No more making them meals full of carbs like pasta alfredo, or spaghetti or cream soups over egg noodles, etc. Things on the menu this week are meals such as vegetable curry, pita pizzas with chicken, and shrimp and veggies kebobs on the grill.
For a mid morning snack (which was around 4pm for me) I had low fat cottage cheese with blueberries and strawberries. It's better than it sounds LOL - well I never liked cottage cheese before. Let the berries sit for a while and the cottage cheese takes on the flavor. Really good.
For dinner, Christopher grilled out. We followed one of the dinner ideas in the book. 4 oz lean beef hamburgers with lettuce and tomatoes and home made baked french fries on the side. He added some seasoning and onions to the burgers. And we had 100% whole wheat buns. They were really good!
For an "afternoon" snack which I'll have around 9pm, I'll probably have baby carrots and hummus, or maybe raw peanuts.
For dinner which I have around midnight, I will likely just have a salad with red wine vinaigrette.
I'm drinking tons of water now. I haven't had any chai tea (which I used to drink probably a gallon of a night) in over a week. When I want something warm to drink, I have a cup of chamomile tea. I do still put Splenda in it, but I have cut way back on how much I use. Mostly I just drink water though.
As of this morning, I'd lost 11 lbs! :) I don't even feel like I'm on a "diet". It's more like a lifestyle change. It's all great food, that just happens to be good for us. That rocks!
P.S. I did mean to get photos of the food each night and post them all through the week, but it was so busy here today, that I got distracted and totally forgot. Will try to remember tomorrow!
Imported Post - 6-Day Fat Burn Done!
I had planned on blogging about each day, and even posting photos of
some of the meals... but life happens, and unfortunately I just don't
get time or think to blog about it like I used to.
Regardless, WE DID IT!!!!!!!!!! Christopher and I both did all 6 days of workouts and stuck to the diet. There was one day that he was stuck at work and got the shakes, so he grabbed a burger, so that was his one cheat. Mine was today. I had a vanilla chai latte from Dunkin Donuts. I had a really emotional day and couldn't stop crying - I'm ok, it was just a series of bad stuff going on and hormones not helping. Crying helped, but I felt down til I finally got to work out. Then I was stoked because we'd finally finished the 6-day program. :) That latte was the only thing other than water and a few cups of chamomile tea that I'd had to drink all week. Now I always have a water bottle close by.
The day before we started, (Christopher had the day off), he made a grocery list of everything we would need to make the meals for 2 people for all 6 days. It was quite a hit to our grocery budget - and then some-, but he reminded me that we used to spend way more than that on junk food and fried foods etc. He's right. So, we got it all home - I have never seen so much green stuff in my fridge before! He immediately got to work on prepping stuff for the first day's meals. If he had time, he'd prep and cook meals, and for the days he was at work 10-10, I'd fix all of his meals in the morning after work, and pack them for him. He and I haven't worked so well together as a team in a really long time. I think this ended up being GOOD for our marriage! This was something we did together and we supported each other the whole way. It was a really good week. I hope the next 90+ days keep us as strong a team. It'll sure be a test.
We don't really have room in the budget for Mother's Day, but I did buy myself a yoga mat which was on sale at Kmart. I never in a million years would have thought I would ever buy a yoga mat LOL! I've watched part of the Power 90 DVD and know that there's quite a bit of power yoga in it, and my knees on that hardwood floor are not happy campers. It's going to be a long time before I'm able to do some of those moves well or even correctly, but I'll work at them every time.
We're both really excited to start Power 90 on Monday. We've both lost a few pounds, and an inch here or there, but also I have noticed some real muscle gain. Even in places I never expected to. Like my forearms and my shoulders. It's weird. My arms and back definitely feel a lot stronger than before. And it was only the 6-day fat burn DVD! I can only imagine what Power 90 will do!
A lot of people have asked if we're going to do P90X too. Over the last few years I heard people talk about that program as if it was only something athletes or crazy people would attempt. I really hope that after 90 days of Power 90 that we'll be in the shape we need to be in to do P90x. I would love to say, YES I DID IT! I'll feel that proud after doing Power 90 too, but P90X has that name recognition.
Tomorrow is the high school chorus picnic. While I'm not on the Fat Burn diet anymore, I still don't plan on eating unhealthy. I do look forward to a nice grilled burger though. I may just skip the potato salad.
Regardless, WE DID IT!!!!!!!!!! Christopher and I both did all 6 days of workouts and stuck to the diet. There was one day that he was stuck at work and got the shakes, so he grabbed a burger, so that was his one cheat. Mine was today. I had a vanilla chai latte from Dunkin Donuts. I had a really emotional day and couldn't stop crying - I'm ok, it was just a series of bad stuff going on and hormones not helping. Crying helped, but I felt down til I finally got to work out. Then I was stoked because we'd finally finished the 6-day program. :) That latte was the only thing other than water and a few cups of chamomile tea that I'd had to drink all week. Now I always have a water bottle close by.
The day before we started, (Christopher had the day off), he made a grocery list of everything we would need to make the meals for 2 people for all 6 days. It was quite a hit to our grocery budget - and then some-, but he reminded me that we used to spend way more than that on junk food and fried foods etc. He's right. So, we got it all home - I have never seen so much green stuff in my fridge before! He immediately got to work on prepping stuff for the first day's meals. If he had time, he'd prep and cook meals, and for the days he was at work 10-10, I'd fix all of his meals in the morning after work, and pack them for him. He and I haven't worked so well together as a team in a really long time. I think this ended up being GOOD for our marriage! This was something we did together and we supported each other the whole way. It was a really good week. I hope the next 90+ days keep us as strong a team. It'll sure be a test.
We don't really have room in the budget for Mother's Day, but I did buy myself a yoga mat which was on sale at Kmart. I never in a million years would have thought I would ever buy a yoga mat LOL! I've watched part of the Power 90 DVD and know that there's quite a bit of power yoga in it, and my knees on that hardwood floor are not happy campers. It's going to be a long time before I'm able to do some of those moves well or even correctly, but I'll work at them every time.
We're both really excited to start Power 90 on Monday. We've both lost a few pounds, and an inch here or there, but also I have noticed some real muscle gain. Even in places I never expected to. Like my forearms and my shoulders. It's weird. My arms and back definitely feel a lot stronger than before. And it was only the 6-day fat burn DVD! I can only imagine what Power 90 will do!
A lot of people have asked if we're going to do P90X too. Over the last few years I heard people talk about that program as if it was only something athletes or crazy people would attempt. I really hope that after 90 days of Power 90 that we'll be in the shape we need to be in to do P90x. I would love to say, YES I DID IT! I'll feel that proud after doing Power 90 too, but P90X has that name recognition.
Tomorrow is the high school chorus picnic. While I'm not on the Fat Burn diet anymore, I still don't plan on eating unhealthy. I do look forward to a nice grilled burger though. I may just skip the potato salad.
A New Beginning
Welcome to my new blog!
I have quite a few followers on my other blog, My Chaotic Home, but I think things have changed quite a bit since I started it. This blog is more about where my life is heading now. It's like a new start for me. I really feel like my life is changing, and this is just one way of showing that.
I'm going to port over some of the posts from there. The ones dealing with our health and weight-loss journey. So, if you're following me from the old site, you may have seen those before.
My husband and I have both been very overweight, obese really, and his health is really suffering due to it. He had a heart attack at age 36 and was recently in the hospital for his second TIA ("ministroke"). The doctors said he's already on the medication given for TIA.. there's not much more they can do - but my husband can change something - his weight. At that time we both agreed, that was it. We had to make a change. We were running out of do-overs.
My husband's brother-in-law is a coach for Team Beachbody and is such an inspiration to us both. My sister in law is as well. She and my husband didn't grow up together. They're half-siblings, but family is family. We decided to contact him and ask how to go about changing ourselves the way he had. We ended up getting the Power 90 In Home Boot Camp, and are so glad we did. (You may recognize the name P90X - well Power 90 is like the beginner version of that.)
When we joined up with Chris as our coach, he added us to his closed Facebook group and then we found that we joined just in time to join a big 90 day challenge group that was starting. Since it wouldn't start for another week, we decided to go ahead and get a jump start by doing the extra free gift DVD that came with the set. It's the Power 90 6-Day Fat burn Express. I loved it!
The first day, I could barely move and had to actually sit down 3 times during it. The second day, I could do the whole thing! I was actually surprised. By the end of the 6 days I could zip right through it and looked forward to the workouts! We followed the meal plan that came with it, to a T. It was so liberating to have meals planned for us. All we had to do was follow the directions. We didn't have to think about what to cook or fix and try to be healthy. That was pretty awesome. That week, we still cooked separate meals for our girls. I lost 9 lbs that week!
We then had 2 days off over the weekend, then started the actual Power 90 program on Monday, May 13th. There are two discs. One has Cardio/Abs 1-2 and Strength training 1-2. The other has them both for 3-4. You can also go straight to the Abs routine if you wish. The idea is to switch from the 1-2 disc to the 3-4 disc when you can do the first program without any modifications. We're on Day 11 as I write this, and I am nowhere near doing it without modifying something. Simple stuff too, like I can't do a normal jumping jack. I kind of move my feet back and forth still - no jumping. Also, my pushups probably look NOTHING like the ones Tony Horton does. I am hoping though that I can move on by Day 30. If not, then at least by day 60 for sure. I do feel stronger every day.
While Power 90 doesn't have a set meal plan like the 6-day did, it does have guidelines and ideas. There's recipes in the book, and I found more on the Team Beachbody website. My intent is to post our meals at least several times a week, if not daily.
I also want to post how my workouts are going, and how I'm feeling about them and my weight-loss/toning in general.
As this journey continues, I hope to also get other areas of my life organized and back in shape, like the house and our finances. I'll tag those posts with different keywords, so you can skip reading those if you aren't interested.
Thanks for coming to my new blog, and I hope you enjoy following along on my journey to getting organized and healthy!
I have quite a few followers on my other blog, My Chaotic Home, but I think things have changed quite a bit since I started it. This blog is more about where my life is heading now. It's like a new start for me. I really feel like my life is changing, and this is just one way of showing that.
I'm going to port over some of the posts from there. The ones dealing with our health and weight-loss journey. So, if you're following me from the old site, you may have seen those before.
My husband and I have both been very overweight, obese really, and his health is really suffering due to it. He had a heart attack at age 36 and was recently in the hospital for his second TIA ("ministroke"). The doctors said he's already on the medication given for TIA.. there's not much more they can do - but my husband can change something - his weight. At that time we both agreed, that was it. We had to make a change. We were running out of do-overs.
My husband's brother-in-law is a coach for Team Beachbody and is such an inspiration to us both. My sister in law is as well. She and my husband didn't grow up together. They're half-siblings, but family is family. We decided to contact him and ask how to go about changing ourselves the way he had. We ended up getting the Power 90 In Home Boot Camp, and are so glad we did. (You may recognize the name P90X - well Power 90 is like the beginner version of that.)
When we joined up with Chris as our coach, he added us to his closed Facebook group and then we found that we joined just in time to join a big 90 day challenge group that was starting. Since it wouldn't start for another week, we decided to go ahead and get a jump start by doing the extra free gift DVD that came with the set. It's the Power 90 6-Day Fat burn Express. I loved it!
The first day, I could barely move and had to actually sit down 3 times during it. The second day, I could do the whole thing! I was actually surprised. By the end of the 6 days I could zip right through it and looked forward to the workouts! We followed the meal plan that came with it, to a T. It was so liberating to have meals planned for us. All we had to do was follow the directions. We didn't have to think about what to cook or fix and try to be healthy. That was pretty awesome. That week, we still cooked separate meals for our girls. I lost 9 lbs that week!
We then had 2 days off over the weekend, then started the actual Power 90 program on Monday, May 13th. There are two discs. One has Cardio/Abs 1-2 and Strength training 1-2. The other has them both for 3-4. You can also go straight to the Abs routine if you wish. The idea is to switch from the 1-2 disc to the 3-4 disc when you can do the first program without any modifications. We're on Day 11 as I write this, and I am nowhere near doing it without modifying something. Simple stuff too, like I can't do a normal jumping jack. I kind of move my feet back and forth still - no jumping. Also, my pushups probably look NOTHING like the ones Tony Horton does. I am hoping though that I can move on by Day 30. If not, then at least by day 60 for sure. I do feel stronger every day.
While Power 90 doesn't have a set meal plan like the 6-day did, it does have guidelines and ideas. There's recipes in the book, and I found more on the Team Beachbody website. My intent is to post our meals at least several times a week, if not daily.
I also want to post how my workouts are going, and how I'm feeling about them and my weight-loss/toning in general.
As this journey continues, I hope to also get other areas of my life organized and back in shape, like the house and our finances. I'll tag those posts with different keywords, so you can skip reading those if you aren't interested.
Thanks for coming to my new blog, and I hope you enjoy following along on my journey to getting organized and healthy!
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