Shakeology Cleanse: Day One

Goooooood morning! Now that I know there are people actually reading this, I'll try to be more frequent in posting. I'll also try to not make as many typos (Bonnie, I'm looking at you!).

Today is day one of my 3 day shakeology cleanse. Basically it's three days of very minimal calories, no dairy, lots of trips to the bathroom, etc. It's intended to clean your system out before starting a workout regimen. I started my morning with a cup of green tea instead of coffee, and right now I'm sipping on my very first chocolate shakeology. And man, it's AMAZING! I have heard from so many shakeology users that it's a good product, but I had no idea a healthy drink could be this delicious. It serisouly does not even taste like it's good for me. Love.

I got my shoes last night! They're amaaaaaaazing. Cannot wait to get the kiddies down for a nap today and slip on my new kicks and work out with Bob. I'm a dork, I know.

It's Thursday, so today is a Madden day. Madden is the three year old son of a girl I work with. he comes over every Thursday and hangs out with the kids while his mom works. This dude is the MAN. He loves my kids and my kdis love him...when he's here, I do LESS, not more, because the three of them barricade themselves in the kids' room and play together for hours without a single arguement or tear. Pure bliss.

To keep my numbers accurate, and for fool proff documentation, I started today out at 159.2 pounds. I'm very interested to see what I lose over the next three days. Stay tuned!!!

Sidenote: My team is SOOOOOO going to the Superbowl this year. Is yours?

Almost New Year

Reading Kristina's blog today about dreams with falling, crumbling, rotting teeth encouraged me to blog today (sht up, I don't ahve to make sense, no one read this anyways!).

Do you have any New Years Resolutions? It's always rather anticlimactic to me. I mean, I have resolutions, but I don't wait until January 1st to kick 'em into gear. And the weather here has been dreadful for a month and isn't changing anytime soon, so that's nothing to look forward to. And I have to close the bar on New YEars Eve and we are open until 1...so I'll be toasting myself at midnight, most likely alone at the bar...because no one goes to O'Charley's to bring in the New Year. But hey, it's just 2011. Not 2000.

Now THAT was a funny New Years...I was 15...and I was allowed to have friends over, but I couldn't go anywhere...you know, because it was y2k and the world was going to end. We had a bonfire in our cul-de-sac. I specifically remember Tracy Smith and Eddie Mullins being there...and Eddie leaving before midnight because his parents were worried about him. It was a fun night where we all worried that maybe, jsut maybe, it was the end. 

And then after that it was Shorstein-palooza every New Years Eve for 5 years. I'll never forget the year a few of us had the underage kids drinking straight tonic water, having convinced them we'd spiked it for them...and then watched them "get drunk"...and video taped it...to later tell them they hadn't had a drop of liquor. ha.

 Someone is coming to visit me this weekend, someone I love so very much. But it's kinda a secret and I can't talk about it until said friend departs to go home. It's just...like that.

I'm still working out, for those of you who are simply DYING to know if I'm getting in shape. yes. Yes I am. But I don't want to talk about my sore arse or my still squishy spare tire, so I'll move on. Except to throw in real quick that I'm getting some new running kicks tonight:

Gotta keep it pink. That's how I keep it real. I may be chubby, but I like to look cute regardless, and these shoes are gonna look so fly with my new "performance capris".

I'm off to play the "Mystery Person Game Where You Pretend To Be Someone And I Pretend To Be Someone Else And We Try To Figure Out Who Is Who" with my daughter. Also known as Guess Who. :)

Pride and Prejudice and Raspberries

I'm reading Pride and Prejudice for the first time, and I must say, it's positively DELIGHTFUL. I am so taken by the language and dialogue...I've yet to decide if it's simply the beauty of the time period or the eloquence of Austen, or both...but goodness...it's just magnificent. I plan on spending the better part of this bitterly cold winter day curled up on the couch with a cup of coffee and Elizabeth...who reminds me desperately of my younger sister.

Subsequently, that coffee might be joined with fresh raspberries. Sometimes I honestly believe that God made raspberries specifically for me. Everything from their sweet and tart flavor to it's delectable texture to it's vibrant color just couldn't be more ME.

I knocked out 60 minutes of cardio with Bob yesterday, yielding another .5 pound off the scale this morning, much to my excitement. Especially considering I was indulgent last night with homemade meatloaf, mashed potatoes with gravy, and fresh grilled asparagus. God blessed me with a very gifted chef of a husband, which I readily and frequently praise him for. Eric's cooking is unparalleled in my book. I polished it off with about a quarter cup of Ciao Bella's Raspberry Sorbet (to DIE!!!!!! for).

Today when the kids rest, I'll be jumping into Bob's 60 minute strength dvd. I have yet to tire of this regimen or his training in any way. Though this will be the 5th time in two and a half weeks that I've done this work out, I've yet to grow weary of it.

In reflecting on this post, I feel that Jane Austen is rubbing off on me. My language seems rather proper today.

Hope all two of my followers are having a lovely day. :)

Progressive photos

Gulp.


So, here's the part where I get all honest and crap. Sigh. If anything, it's more motivation for me to KEEP AT IT!!!!!


Here's me, Week One, Day One:

165.4 pounds. Yuck.


Here's me today, Week Three, Day One:

158.6 pounds...So down almost 7 pounds in two weeks, and one of those weeks I think I worked out all of once.


The best thing about these photos is that I'm seeing changes EVERYWHERE. Not just my Buddha belly, but my legs, arms, etc.


Anyways. On to cuter pictures. Like... my kids!


One of the presents Jordan received from my Mom was a Chill Treats Dessert Maker. And...sigh, though we've re-vamped how we eat, I love making this stuff with her!!! Here's Jo, decked out in her apron, ready to make some Ice Cream!!

And her little brother being a total cheeseball:

And the two of them, loving eachother:

They DO love eachother this much. It's not make believe!!!!!

And now, I'm off to work out. 30 pounds to go!!!!

Snowed In

Well, not SNOWED in...but up to 6 inches today. Yuck. I guess. I mean, I do not like snow, and it's no secret to those who know me. But there's something enormously peaceful about today's snow fall.

My legs and rear end, on the other hand? Not so peaceful. Ouch. Very sore. it's going to be a rough strength workout today, but I can DO IT! Gonna push play when I put the kiddies down for their nap before I have to go to work.

So. Over the summer when I (almost) finished p90x I went from 168 pounds to 155 in 8 weeks...and gained about 6 pounds of musicle, so the weight loss was closer to 20 total pounds. When I stepped on the scale Sunday morning I weighed 164.5 pounds. Sigh. Lost most of the muscle I gained over the summer in addition to putting on almost all the weight again. Ridiculous. I should be in the Guiness Book of Records for weight yoyo-ing.

The good news? That was Saturday. This morning I stepped on the scale and was down to 160.8. Yep. Almost four pounds in just as many days.

I attribute this largely to no soda, no salt, and very careful calorie control. I'm on track to be 150 flat by the end of January. Yippee Skippy!

My goal, by the way? 125. Or a size four. Whatever comes first. From there, maintaining and staying healthy.

The blogging has been helping as an accountability tool, and I love it. So to all of you who are (not) reading, thanks. :)

Oops

So, I took a week off from blogging. And from exersizing. And from not smoking. It was a rough week. No excuses, no "explanations". Eric lost a very close friend last week...someone he's known for the better half of his life, and the passing was sudden, unexpected, and heartbreaking. I took time off work, and, as listed above, pretty much everything else in life, to tend to his needs.

But now I'm back. Yesterday I decided that I'm going to pretend that I never skipped Week 2 of Bob's Inside Out Method. Jumping straight into Week 3, which is 6 days of 7. Whew. So yesterday I did the hour long strength session. Still VERY hard, but I got through a lot more of it than I did the first week. Today, my arse is certainly sore again, as are my triceps, and my abs. There is this one core move towards the end of the session that involves holding a plank position and swiveling from side to side....sheesh. What's up, obliques?!?!

Today I'll be completing the hour long cardio session with Bob (the toughest of all the workouts, IMO) when the kids go down for naps, and I'll also be starting Week 1, Day 1 of C25K, as I HAVE to be locked into the regimen before the first of the year so that I don't quit when I start p90x again in January.

Also on the agenda for today is baking sugar cookies with Jordan. We got this awesome cookie kit from Trader Joes to bake cookies. Have I mentioned that Trader Joes is the BEST PLACE EVER? My inner fat kid is so satisfied, yet everything there is so much better for me than what comes from the grocery store. I've been finishing my nights the past few days with their AMAZING fat free Pear Cinnamon Cider. Ingrediants? Pear Juice. Cinnamon. Water. I cannot believe we waited so long to convert ourselves to trader joe's for all our food shopping pleasures.

I've put myself on a strict 1230 calorie a day diet. NO, people, this is not starving myself. I factor in calories lost from working out, and add them to my daily totals. So yesterday I actually was able to consume close to 1700 calories. Amazing. Beginning tomorrow, I will be documenting my weight, as well.

Hope everyone is having an awesome week. Is your Christmas shopping done??

REVAMP!

Due to popular demand (no, not really...actually, there's been NO demand), I am removing the limited content of my blog. I'm gonna blog, darn it all. About whatever I want. Since nobody is reading this anyways, I might as well have fun with it.

Tomorrow I am going to buy an apron. Step one in becoming a better housewife.

I have so much fun with my kiddos everyday, but I want to show them who I believe a Mommy should be.

Starting with aprons.

Catching Up

So I am a little behind on blogging. It's Wednesday. Monday I completed the "Bob Workout", which was 30 minutes of intense circuit training. It was intense. And it also completed week one of Bob!

I've decided to skip week two. I'm going to jump right to week three, which is two days of strength, two of cardio, and a day of yoga and a day of Bob.

I'm also starting Couch to 5k again today. I've got the app for my iPod, and have a LOT of work to do before the first weekend of May! :)

I've been following the Biggest Loser this season, and have been SO inspired by Ada. She started at 268...and is down to around 160. Amazing. Best Reality show. Seriously.

Yoga with Bob

So today was an hour of yoga...Bob Harper's yoga program is very similar to the power yoga in p90x, except that unlike Tony Horton's yoga (45 minutes of ashtanga variations/sun salutations, then 30 minutes of stretching/balance postures), Bob's was sporratic, almost erratic, to me, in flow. From warrior poses to tree pose, from triangle to splits....I still haven't decided if I liked it or not. Only time will tell, I guess.

I did feel great afterwards. That first downward dog of the day can be a doozy. It also made me realize how much I NEED yoga...because after an hour of yoga, holding downward dog for a few minutes is almost enjoyable. :)

Short post, because I'm bouncing off to work for a late bar shift.

Tomorrow is an easy day...Bob's Workout. That's what it's literally called. It's core focused, and only 30 minutes (*does happy dance*), and will close out the first week of the program for me.

Hope everyone's had a great weekend. Go Patriots!

Whoever invented scorpion pushups should be forced to do them for life.

So, day three of my four week plan. Today was an hour of cardio with my used-to-be-friend-who-is-quickly-becoming-an-enemy Bob Harper.

O.M.G. I have never done so many deadlift and squat combinations in my life. Paired with mountain climbers and these new fangled pushups called "scorpion" pushups, I was practically BEGGING for jumping jacks. i'm also pretty sure I've never burned so many calories inside 60 minutes before, so I'll quit my whining.

I appreciated Bob's cheesy yet heartfelt intro regarding our hearts. And the fact that they are the muscle we need to work on the most, and keep the healthiest. I needed to hear this today. Today is day three of Operation No Smoking. I've been a smoker on and off for the past 7 and a half years (exlcluding my pregnancies and nursing seasons...I was careful to never let my kids be exposed), and enough is enough. I want to run a 5k in 24 minutes. I want to run a 10k in under an hour. I want to be able to dance all night, every night, if I so choose. I know these things are not attainable as a smoker.

I never listened to the warnings: You'll get cancer, you'll get heart disease, etc. I knew the risks. And I didn't care because I enjoyed smoking. It wasn't a ball and chain. It was an enjoyable pastime. BUT. I had to quit, as part of my early resolution to be the most fit I can be. So. Three days without a smoke. YAY!

Tomorrow is supposed to be another off day with week one of the program. I might sneak in the yoga tomorrow though, because Sunday is FOOTBALL and I would rather be watching football than doing yoga.

Until tomorrow!

"Rest" Day?

So even though no one is reading this blog yet, I am going to pretend that lots of people are...because I love to ask questions.

Does anyone else feel that "rest" days in an exersize program do more harm than good? Yesterday was a "rest" day, and today I am more sore than I was yesterday! Sigh.

Today is Bob's Body Rev/Cardio Conditioning. I'll be sure to report in this afternoon with details of how out of shape I am, how much I couldn't breathe through the workout, and how much I hate it. :)

Bob Harper's Inside Out Method Day One

I've never won anything in my life through a form of lottery...big or small. Until a few weeks ago.

I follow Bob Harper on Twitter. He is one of the two personal trainers on NBC's The Biggest Loser. Bob has a reputation of being the "nicer" of the two trainers, and while he may be more kind hearted, he certainly does not let up in the gym, or so I have learned.

A few weeks ago Bob announced a contest on twitter, and I entered. The two winners won his entire at home fitness dvds, as well as all the resistance bands needed to complete the training. Of all the entries, I was one of the winners. I could NOT believe it. I have been a fan of his for a while, love that he embraces a vegan lifestyle (though I am not vegan), and always thought, "If I could just have him as a trainer, then I could do it. I really could get in the best shape of my life."

Today was day one of his 4 week fitness plan. 60 minutes of strength training. There is the option of a 25 minute routine instead, but I've been moderately active for the past 12 months and figured I could handle it. Let me be straight, here. It was the hardest 60 minutes of working out that I have ever endured. I only used 5 pound weights, and found myself wishing a few times that I owned 3 pound weights, because it was too much for me.

To clarify, this workout is titled as a strength training dvd, but it's NOT a muscle building tool. If anything, you might gain some lean muscle mass, but bulk muscle is not gained from the kind of repetitions Bob has you doing. And I'm good with that.

My plan is to complete his four week training program, take a week for yoga and running only, and then jump into P90X again on January 1st. I plan to detail everything here, along with pictures (at the end, of course).

Along with getting fit physically, I decided that it's time to get emotionally and spiritually fit as well. I finished reading a wonderful parenting book that has help me snap out of the trance I was in...a trance of laziness and selfishness, letting my kids sit in front of the tv for far too long every day. Now in the mornings we are waking up, having breakfast, reading a Bible story and working on scripture memorization, and taking major time away from the tv. Jordan is thisclose to reading, and I get so excited for her when she makes the smallest amount of progress.

So off we go. Day one of the Inside Out Method down, 27 to go!