I Lost 9lbs in 2 days...Want The Secret?

Eat bad Chicken!

I totally do not recommend. It was no fun at all!

Besides feeling awful, it ruined all my plans for the weekend :(
It ruined my 8 straight wks of meeting my Go Girl Goal. Double :(
I had planned on participating in the Race for Grace Saturday morning with Mama Chick and Hot Stuff. Instead I called them at 6:30am to say, "I'm totally sick." There was no chance of me squeezing in my 5th and final workout this past weekend. I was, and still am disappointed. Once the momentum stops it is hard for me to get started. I'm sure some of you feel the same way. Trying to look past it. After all, I successfully completed 7wks.

So today I went to the Y and climbed back on that treadmill. I was a saaaaad sight walking at 1.7mph (while Hot Stuff is walking her usual 3.7), but when I was done I felt better than I had in over 2 days. Sometimes you just gotta move, even if it is slow.

BTW I randomly decided to go check my weight on Friday after I did the pilates class. I thought after 8wks of exercise I would check in. I think I lost 1lb. That's right ONE stinking little pound. It wasn't exciting or rewarding. And reinforced why I don't weigh in. I felt more accomplished before I saw the weight. Ahh... Head games. (of course muscle weighs more than fat... blah, blah, blah. I still secretly wanted to see some tangible results)

So Sunday night I was telling all this to Hot Honey. That's when he said we should bust out the Wii and see how much weight I lost being sick. I knew I must of lost something, but I wasn't expecting 9lbs! Crazy! Of course it was dehydration, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I'm hoping to only gain back 7 of those 9lbs this week. Since I lost 1lb in 8wks, this is like an additional 16wks of exercise, Right!? I love free stuff! It is almost like couponing (which I've been doing a lot of these days)

Hopefully, you all know I'm somewhat kidding. It's late. I'm Goofy. Lack of sleep and proper nutrition.

If you thought we were done because it is the end of March or because I hadn't blogged, we aren't. Keep exercising. 5 Days a week Girls for at least 30min. each day.

I think I'm throwing in one more goal for me for the month of April. I'm nervous to say it out loud because then I have to do it. Stay tuned....

Above and Beyond

That's what I did today--I went above and beyond. I don't usually toot my horn, but I can't help it today. I met Hot Stuff at the Y as usual. We finished treadmill. As I was going to get some paperwork to finish another home school mom invited me to do pilates. At first I said no, but then I thought about sitting in the lobby doing work. I decided to go. And I'm glad I did! It was challenging, so it must be working something. I think I will try it again next Friday. 35min on the treadmill and a bonus 50min of pilates.

Then I had Haagen-Dazs with the boys for snack! Maybe that is why I'm not getting rapid results :)

Have a good weekend!

Wow, It's Wednesday

The days just fly by. I'm still trying to figure out how to get it all done--balancing all my roles and exercise and write this blog. It seems like blog is the short end of the stick right now, which is better than exercise being short! I'm still moving. Yesterday I did a WATP DVD. Today I will head back to the Y. Thurs will probably be a day off. I have a meeting. But Saturday I will do the Race for Grace. If anyone else signed up, let me know so we can walk together.

Have a great day my fellow Go Girls!

I Did It!!!!

Friday night I finished my mini version of 30 Day Shred. I turned it into 7 Day Shred. Talk about tough. I was sore everyday, but no pain no gain. I'm not sure I shredded anything other than sweat and frustration, but I feel accomplished. The truth is that by day 6 and 7 I could see some improvement in my ability and endurance. I would encourage any of you to try and make a mini goal that REALLY pushes you out of your comfort zone.

Now for this week. Spring Break is over and I will be heading back to the YMCA today. Maybe I will crank it up a notch. Maybe.

I know many of the Go Girls had challenging weeks last week with spring break plans that they chose or in several cases didn't choose (funeral, family member operation, etc). I will be praying for you all to get back on track and have a successful week.

Go Girls!!!!

From Mama Chick

I found this list of ways to stay motivated to exercise on http://www.happiness-project.com/happiness_project/ .

1. Always exercise on Monday. This sets the psychological pattern for the week.

2. If at all possible, exercise first thing in the morning. The longer the day goes on, the more likely you are to get derailed.

3. Never skip exercising for three days in a row. You can skip a day, and you can skip two days, but on the third day, you must exercise no matter how inconvenient. (This rule is more effective than it sounds; it kept me exercising regularly during college.)

4. Give yourself credit for the smallest effort. And don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. The fifteen-minute walk you DO take is better than the three-mile run you DON'T take.

5. If you don’t have time both to exercise and take a shower, find an activity that doesn’t require a shower afterward, like yoga or walking.

6. Look for affordable ways to make exercising more pleasant or satisfying. Could you upgrade to a nicer gym? Buy yourself a new iPod? Work with a trainer? Get a pedometer? (they’re only $20). A lot of people are feeling a real money crunch right now, but exercise is a high life priority, so if you can afford it, this is a place to spend some money if that helps.

7. Remind yourself of the benefits from exercising. Personally, I’m more motivated by short-term gratifications like “I’ll feel more focused” or “I’ll sleep better” than long-term considerations like “I’ll live longer” or “If I have surgery, I’ll recover quicker.” Women are more motivated by the promise of improving their appearance.

8. Think about context. If you find it much harder to go running in winter than summer, maybe the real trouble is that you don’t like the cold. Do you hate the loud music in your gym? Is your work-out so exhausting that you can’t face the rest of your day?

9. When choosing an activity, a gym, or an exercise class, make convenience a top priority. You’re much more likely to go to a mediocre gym near your office or home than to a great gym that’s out of your way.

Almost Done!

Still doing the 7 day Shred! I have one more day, then I'm mailing it back to Netflix. Even though it is hard, make that really hard, I am getting better. Fanny kicks and jump roping are improving, although slight. Still, it is improvement. Kudos to anyone out there that can do it 30 days straight. I'm looking forward to having Saturday and Sunday off!

Seriously...I Think Exercise Is Suppose To Be A Four Letter Word

At least it feels like a four letter word in my book-Ouch, Pain, Hurt, Yuck, Sore

OK. So exercise is really 8 letters, not 4. But maybe that is worse than a 4 letter word. It is a four letter word times two! Think about that!

4 More Days

Trust me I am counting these down. I've done 3 days in a row of the 30 Day Shred and I can totally feel it! Right now I can't even imagine doing this for 7 days in a row. At least I don't enjoy imagining it. Just taking it one day at a time. I was glad to read that some of the Go Girls were doing it yesterday as well. It encouraged me as I started at 9:45pm last night. And for anyone out there that thinks they can't work out in the evening--Hogwash. I am a morning person!!!! Let me say that one more time. I'm a morning person! I prefer to have everything done by noon! If I can squeeze in the time to torture myself, so can you. I believe in you! Make it happen!

MIA

I feel like I've been Missing in Action from the blog since Thursday morning. But not to worry the action hasn't stopped in my world. I've had a full plate the last few days. I didn't do 30 Day Shred on Thursday like planned. I was too pooped by the end of the day. So this week I missed both Tues. & Thurs, meaning that both Sat. and Sun. were make-up days for me. (Friday I did the Y). Saturday evening after the kids went to bed we put in 30 Day Shred. I say we because Hot Honey decided to join me! Thanks Hot Honey!

Let's just say we survived it. I'm glad this is not a video blog! I'm really glad it is not a video blog. Everyone would have been on the floor watching the two of us try Jillian's workout! Turns out I need a much better sports bra, if I'm going to be imaginary jump roping in my living room. Luckily it was imaginary, so I could use my hands for extra support. Of course Hot Honey volunteered his hands! I passed on that idea. Thanks Honey.

It also turns out that I need to do more kegel exercises so I don't wet myself. And I didn't! But it was too close for comfort. After all, if I have to think about not doing something, it is a bit distracting. Jumping jacks, jump rope and fanny kicks took some effort on my bladder after 4 babies. Or maybe I'm just getting old!

The part that I enjoyed most, and I use enjoy loosely here, were the squats. At least I know how to squat. Sure my thighs burn, but it is a straight forward no brainer for me. Poor, Poor, Hot Honey. Squats are not so natural for him. The more instruction he got, the more awkward he looked. I would say, don't let your knees go over your toes. Pretend you are sitting on a toilet when you go down. Chest out. Shoulders back. Pretend a string is running along your spine and pulling you up through your head. Good. There you go. --Two squats later, starting all over. He gave great effort. And lets face it, I felt much better about myself watching him struggle. Maybe that was his plan. I don't really think so, but we'll go with it;)

I also struggled in some other areas (push ups) and Hot Honey is the most inflexible person I know (next to my dad). But we somehow made it through balancing each others strengths and weaknesses. I'm glad we had each other. We laughed, we wanted to cry, at least I wanted to cry. It was great. We can put that experience in the super cheep date column.

For the most part I hated the DVD. Part of it is I don't care for Jillian. I don't like her personality. Hot Honey does. We continue to be opposite. It is a wonder we are together. The other part is that it was stink'n hard. However, I do agree with Jillian that it is good to stress the body to get results. This DVD pushed me. Usually I do Walk Away the Pounds, which I love. However, when I do WATP at night it charges me up and I'm awake longer than I want. 30 Day Shred makes me want to pass out. Too pooped to even shower. Fell asleep on couch.
***********
Here is the surprise. I did it again Sunday afternoon! Still hate it, but I think I'm going to turn it into the 7 Day Shred then send it back to Netflix. 5 more days! I will be counting them down. Feel free to join me for the next 5 days.

Happy Thursday!

Hope you all have a good workout today. I'll check back later tonight to see what you did. I have a busy Thursday and won't get a chance to exercise until after dinner sometime tonight. Hot Honey decided to surprise me with 30 day Shred from Netflix. It is suppose to be in the mailbox today.I'm totally scared! I don't want to know how old and out of shape I actually am. In my mind I'm still young and cool. Can't say I will do that tonight, but I will probably watch it. I'll let you know.

Is This The Forth Week Of March?

Feels like we have already hit the end of the month slow and it is just the beginning of the second week. Yikes!

Yesterday I had intended on working out to a DVD. Got big kids down for nap/quiet time. Nursed baby. Put on my shoes. Pulled out a Walk Away the Pounds DVD. Waited an eternity for Hot Honey's Blue Ray player to load. (If you have one, you know what I mean. personally I don't care if the picture is better. It takes a year to start! In my world, I need things fast. Too many distractions.) Finally starts, but I can't get the stink'n picture to come on. I can hear it, but I want to see it! Where is my picture!!! Hot Honey has a fancy remote, which most of the time I love--just not yesterday. I press the help button. TV shuts off. NOOOOO! That isn't helpful, I shout. Try again. press help button. Stereo shuts off. NOOOO! Stop it you stink'n remote! Mouth pressed together. Eyes burning with angry frustration. Be calm, try something else. Press more buttons. Restart Blueray. Did I mention how long it takes to load? This now feels like the longest 20 min ever. Baby cries. He doesn't want to play on floor anymore. Or maybe he feels my frustration! I think the whole block could. I pick up baby and give up. Decide to watch Jon and Kate plus 8. For a moment I thought about walking while watching, but decided on sitting instead.

Then baby went to sleep. I put him in his bed. 10min later my 3yr old says, "Hi mommy." So much for a break for me!!! I did keep my shoes on until 11:30 last night thinking I would squeeze in some exercise. Didn't happen. Although, I did squeeze in a 20 min nap, shoes and all, while the kids played Wii.

The good news is today is another day. And in a couple hours I will head to the Y.

Hopefully, you all are getting in your workouts this week. Hard to believe we are already on day 3 this week.

Calling All Houston Area Go Girls

Mama Chick has registered for the Race for Grace on March 28th at 8am. I'm going to walk the 5k with her and so is Hot Stuff. If you would like to join us, please visit here to sign up. We can walk as a group or if someone would like to run, don't let us hold you back! But you won't see me running!

It should me a fun Girls Morning Out and it raises money for a worthy cause.

Weekend Warriors

Wow, It has been a busy and fast weekend. I realized at 9:30 tonight that I never did my last day of exercise. So I put on my shoes and made a phone call to Hip Mamsita (she's my mom) for some pep me up. Plus, I figured it would give her incentive to do her workout tonight if she hadn't yet. Turns out she didn't need my incentive, she was motivated by Frosty and added some new songs to her playlist. Then she danced around the house for 33min. Her name ain't Hip for nothing! She's one hip high school teacher! Way to go.

I ran into Mama Chick at the Rodeo. Although it isn't exactly the kind of exercise we are counting, She was on her feet walking around from 8-3. Definitely a good bonus. More hours than Hot Honey and I lasted.

And I called Ms. Cutie Pie on my way home and she was meeting Frosty at the park to walk dogs!

Way to stay active on the weekend. You Go Girls!!!

And I put in a Walk/Kick DVD and did my 30 mins at 9:50 tonight. I was super close to having an incomplete week, but I made it with a little under two hours to spare!

Looking forward to another AWESOME week with my Go Girls!

Another Friday Review

Frosty here! I'm bringing a review of work-out music. First a little background about me (I got in a week late so no real get-to-know-you post until now).

Growing up I was a dancer (mainly ballet). My mom put me in classes at 3yo because I was shy - she had no idea what that would turn into! One day a week turned into 3-4 in junior high, by high school I was at the studio 6 days a week and in college I was a dancer in a student run modern dance group multiple times a week. After I graduated I basically quit cold turkey because it was difficult to find dancing opportunities and now the next best thing is classes at the gym. Unfortunately I do not really enjoy working out for the sake of working out (our kids will have to learn that from my husband the track coach and long distance runner), but I do love most of the accouterments that are involved: clothing, classes especially using extra equipment, and music. Music is so important in getting me moving because when I was dancing that is all you had was you and the music. So on with the review:

I love pop music, and Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake are always great stand-bys for me, as well as Hey Ya by Outkast and Hollaback Girl by Gwen Stefani - they will always get me moving no matter how blah I feel. I'm going to offer some random songs that are maybe not as well known to add something new to your playlist:

Here are a couple that have great driving rhythms and really move (I cannot vouch for the kid-friendliness of these songs. I get the clean versions and can't think of anything I find offensive, but I don't have a kid filter on all the time):

Try It Again - Hives

Shake It - Metro Station

Daylight - Matt and Kim

The Way I Are - Timbaland

Just Dance - Lady Gaga - a fairly new one that I just can't get out of my head, beware

Love Song for a Savior - Jars of Clay - An older Christian stand-by that always makes me want to run (which is saying something). It starts slower, but once it gets going it I just want to play it over and over.

Hope these help make your time go by a little faster and/or get you motivated to get those 30min done.

Also, I promise to get a picture up just as soon as I can find the cable for my camera!

Blur

The week is rolling by super fast. I can't believe it is already Thursday, the 4th day of this first week. In a blink March will be over and it has just started.

So go out there and find some exercise! Then come back here and tell us what you found.

Tomorrow will be another Friday Review from one of our Go Girls. Come back to see who it is and what she has to say.

Love The Restart!!!

It is so great to restart this month. I can feel the excitement through my computer! Last month felt like we were all dying off by the end.

I had fun reading through yesterday's comments. I hadn't noticed that the two that did all four weeks have the most kids until it was pointed out. So if Mama Chick and I can get it done with our 4 kiddos apiece, you can too! I believe you can! And BTW Mama Chick you rock with your intervals!

Frosty had two successful weeks, if you didn't read the comments yesterday. Way to go! Can't wait to see what you do this month.

Hip Mamasita is feeling better after struggling with an awful cold last month. She has walked home two days in a row from work. Awesome job!

kSk--what a cute drink. They must be copying us ;) And three days would be so regular. We don't want to be regular--We're the Go Girls!

This is Fun!!! Keep telling us what you did and where you are!

Hello.....Anyone Out There!?

This is how I've been feeling since Saturday. (Small pity party. OK. I'm over it.) I was really hoping to gather some good feedback over the weekend before kicking off March on Sunday night. (How else are we going to hold each other accountable?)

I've finally heard back from the original Go Girls. After all they agreed to doing the 5x/week for 4 weeks before this was a blog thing so I felt comfortable pressing them for info. Here are the results:

Mama Chick--Completed 4 weeks successfully Yeah!
Hot Mama--Completed 4 weeks successfully
Cutie Pie--Completed 3 weeks successfully
Hot Stuff--Completed 3 weeks successfully
Hip Mamasita--Completed 2 weeks successfully

(note: a successful week=5 days of 30 min (or more) of exercise. Some may have only done 4 days. It does not mean that they didn't exercise the whole week.)

Good job to all the Girls. It is not easy to squeeze it in. Do not. I repeat, Do not beat yourself up for not getting all 4 weeks. You can not go back in time and fix it. So stop thinking about it!

If you are not on this list, Please leave a comment with how many successful weeks you had. Maybe at the end of March we will have 10 Girls comfortable enough to report in. We are stronger as a team!

The Good News....March is a Restart (this was suppose to be Monday's post, but now I'm combining things)

Time to keep moving! We are on week one of March. If you missed the start of this blog saga or need to refresh what you are doing go here but, change the month to March. Also check here.

I'm excited to restart! Hope you are too!

(side note--if these linky things work, I'm pretty impressed with myself. fingers crossed!)