I wish I could say it was MORE of the same

Life just never stops. And for as many times as I've learned this lesson, I forget it all over again and constantly am in a state of shock when life gets in the way and my goals seem to slowly come to a stall.

Well, the last several weeks have been no exception. Between visiting my family in Montana to adjusting my mindset to the move we'll have to go through in January, my visits to the base gym have been few and far between. I've been telling Scott more and more often lately to help motivate me by kicking me out of the house in the evening once we've got Violet's last bottle feeding under way. And his attempts have been successful for the few times I request his actions. I guess I'll have to have him do this EVERY night (or at least every other) rather than just when I remind him. But motivation comes slllllooooooowww.

Last night I did go out to the gym and spent half an hour on the bike, which, sadly, is the longest time I've spent doing cardio in a very long while. The media distractions helped tremendously. There are tv's available at every bike, elliptical and treadmill and I was able to flip on the Raiders/Broncos game.

The last little boost I got was the last song to play on my iShuffle. I love Weezer already, but this song really makes me happy =)

Get on your bikes and ride!

During yesterday's workout, I decided to change it up and try out the stationary bike rather than the elliptical machine. After that, I did some ab crunches and something that can be compared to a row machine, without the sliding back and forth and only works the arms/back. I feel pretty good about the hour workout, being that I REALLY didn't want to go. I'm not a emotional eater, I'm not one who can run or bike for miles to work out whatever inner turmoil I've got - what I am is someone who wants to just be still and be left alone when I'm down. But, being that I didn't want to derail my idea of going only twice to the gym this week, I channeled my inner personal trainer and got my butt to the base.

I've been slowly refining my workout music and I've found the most motivating music I've got can also be labeled under 'guilty pleasures'. Along with a whole bunch of songs by Black Eye Peas, Daft Punk, early-to-mid-90's dance music and a handful of Pussycat Dolls, I also rock to:
- Avril Lavigne "Girlfriend"
- Erasure "A Little Respect"
- Ace of Base "Beautiful Life"
- Bjork "Big Time Sensuality"
- Missy Elliot "Get Your Freak On"
- Red Hot Chili Peppers "Higher Ground"
- Brittany Murphy/Paul Oakenfold "Faster Kill Pussycat"
- Crush "Jellyhead"
- Blu Cantrell "Hit 'Em Up With Style"

What music goes with your workout?

Mama's got a brand new goal

I no longer have the wedding celebration in the spring of 2012 to lose all of my weight, but I do have to keep in mind a goal of some sort in order to keep myself motivated. There is a wedding in Austin for one of Scott's old high school buddies that takes place in October. That gives me 3 months to lose as much weight as I can.

I just got back from a week in Kentucky while we visited my in-laws. Now, it's literally crunch time. I have been running around paying visits and moving our home. Far too many things have been distracting me and giving me excuses to not going to the gym. Now I have to get myself disciplined.

Comment on the run

Moving is hard work. So is doing a massive top-to-bottom-clean-up of the house.

But at least I don't feel bad that I haven't gone to the gym. I've still managed to lose a little bit of weight!

Back to the boxes....

Back from the land of no portion control

I'm back from my week long stay in Colorado and I am happy to report that I didn't loose my battle of the weight (by much) while at my mother's house. She has a hard time not over-preparing for meals, so I was thankful there were 6 other people in the house to help eat 'my' share of the food.

I did not get any time to go to the hotel gym as I had imagined. It was a foolish pipedream and I should have recognized the fact that my sister, her two girls, my parents and my brother would take up much more of my time and energy than I thought. I mean that in a good way.

We did get to walk around all over creation, and I did a fair share of walking up and down the flights of stairs in my parents' house. It doesn't sound like a lot, but I generally don't need to climb stairs being that I live on a single floored house (at least for now - details on our move to a house-to-be-determined can be found on my other blog.)

I don't know how often I'll be able to go to the gym on base int he next couple of weeks being that I have to now concentrate my thoughts and energy to packing up and moving (for those who want to keep count, this will be the 3rd move in the last year and a half), but luckily packing will be exercise enough for me.

Long time, little progress

I haven't had a chance to blog in a long while because things got a little hectic around here. Ever since the beginning of April, there have been trips out of town and visiting family that has prevented me from really concentrating on blogging.

But I am happy to say that with the light exercising and the better care I've been taking with what I eat, I have lost 7 pounds since I've really kept an eye on my weight. It's not a miracle shedding of pounds, but at least it's going the right direction.

I'll be going down to visit my parents again and I get to go with my husband this time. I'm going to make sure to take advantage of the fitness room at the hotel and I'll continue to be very good and stay away from my Mom's temptation drawer (she has a kitchen drawer full of chocolates and other snacks, mainly for my sister's kids.)

Hopefully after this next trip, I'll get back to the daily exercising and blogging here and on my other online journal. I feel like I've been neglectful of keeping both conversations going.

Found a possible routine

Found the following suggestion here:

Workout #1 (Day One) Exercises
Chest Press Machine: 8-10 Reps for 3 Sets
Pull Ups (Can be performed on a pull-up station with assist or a traditional pull-up bar): Perform as many pull-ups as you can for 3 sets.
(Substitute Exercise: Cable or Lat Machine Pulldowns)
Seated Overhead Shoulder Press Machine: 8-10 Reps for 3 Sets
Seated Leg Press Machine: 8-10 Reps for 3 Sets
Seated Calf Raise Machine: 15 Reps for 3 Sets
Bicep Curl Machine: 8-10 Reps for 3 Sets
Tricep Pressdown Machine: Perform as many dips as you can for 3 sets.*
Back Extensions (performed on 45 degree back extension bench): One Set of 15**
Swiss/Stability Ball Ab Crunches: 20-25***
Rest and Recover for at least 48 hours.

Workout #2 (Day Two) Exercises
Dips: Perform as many reps as possible for 3 sets*
Cable Rows: 8-10 Reps for 3 Sets
(Substitute Exercise: Seated Machine Rows)
Cable Front Shoulder Raises: 8-10 Reps for 3 Sets
Smith Machine Squats: 8-10 Reps for 3 Sets
Smith Machine Standing Calf Raises: 15 Reps for 3 Sets
Cable Bicep Curls: 8-10 Reps for 3 Sets
Cable Tricep Pressdown:  8-10 Reps for 3 Sets
Back Extensions (performed on 45 degree back extension bench): One Set of 15**
Hanging Leg Raises/Roman Chair (Abs): Perform as many as you can for 3 sets***
Rest and Recover for at least 48 hours.

Workout #3 (Day Three) Exercises
Pec Deck Machine: 8-10 Reps for 3 Sets
Lat Cable Pulldown: 8-10 Reps for 3 Sets
(Substitute Exercise: Lat Pulldown Machine)
Cable Side Shoulder Raises: 8-10 Reps for 3 Sets
Smith Machine Lunges: 8-10 Reps for 3 Sets
Seated Calf Press (Performed on Leg Press Machine): 15 Reps for 3 Sets
Reverse Bicep Curl Machine (Palms down): 8-10 Reps for 3 Sets
Cable Press Downs (performed with palms up on the bar) 8-10 Reps for 3 Sets
Back Extensions (performed on 45 degree back extension bench): One set of 15 **
V-Crunches/Jack-Knife Sit Up (Abs): Perform as many as you can for 3 sets.***


*  As it becomes easier to perform dips with your body weight, add additional resistance by holding a light dumbbell between your feet (in the case of parallel bar dips), or have someone place a light plate across your legs on bench dips.
** Increase resistance on back extensions by holding a light plate or dumbbell over your chest during the movement.
*** Increase resistance progressively during ab crunches by holding a plate or dumbbell across your chest. For hanging leg raises/Roman Chair leg raises or V Crunches, place a light dumbbell between your feet.

Making my (and your) tax dollars work

This morning I was up bright and early to give Violet her 6am diaper change and morning feeding and, for reasons I won't get into here, I couldn't go back to sleep. I used this early morning alertness to get a jump start on the day. Showered, found work out clothes and gathered the items needed for the trip to the base gym.

I was at the gym shortly after it opened so there were very few people milling around, much to my delight. I chose to do some cardio work first and eventually found the room with the elliptical machines. Since I was the only one there, I didn't feel at all foolish huffing and puffing and mouthing the words to the music pumping through my iPod.

I'm not completely certain how many calories I was able to burn because I got interrupted by a phone call 12 minutes in, but I do know that my average heart rate was 180 and I stayed on that machine for about 20 min total. Seems pretty good for my first chance on aerobic reentry.

I wanted to try out the weight machines and selected the ab rotation, the shoulder press, the leg press, and the ab cruncher. I'll have to really map out what to use and how many repetitions I should do, but I just wanted a small taste for today.

All in all, I think just under an hour's worth of work for my first time back is not so bad. I'm going back tomorrow morning and since the gym is open until 11pm on weekdays, I'm making a plan to go every day, except for Thursday because I have a banquet to go to with Scott. (We even have a babysitter for that night! First time... eek.) The daily visit will only be an experiment for a week since I'm planning a trip down to my parents' place for the beginning week of May.

Get real

One of the lessons I've learned (and something I keep reading in magazine articles) is to have realistic goals so that it is easier to achieve them. I am not looking to be a size 0 so that I can fit into the majority of what is sold in Forever 21, but what I am shooting for is to not look humongous in my wedding dress.

When I stepped on the scale the other day, I was happy to see that whatever little I've been doing over the last couple of weeks has resulted in losing a couple of pounds. Then, I started doing some calculations in my head.

I would LOVE to go back to being 120-125 lbs as I was about 4 years ago. However, I would be happy if I reached 130-135 lbs. That would mean I have to loose anywhere between 35-50 lbs, and seeing those numbers gives me the encouragement I need to help me think I can actually reach this goal.

One of the other reasons why I'm trying so hard in loosing all my pregnancy weight is to fit into the clothes I already own. As of right now, I don't fit into 95% of what I have in my closet and I don't want to go shopping - it's too depressing yet.

One of the new things I'll be starting tomorrow morning is using the gym located on base. Yesterday I confirmed with Scott that spouses of military are allowed to use the facility and I'm looking at using the elliptical and the weight lifting equipment. I'm not sure if I'll be able to get myself there during the work week, but I'll be making big efforts into going on the weekend.

Wii --eeee Fit

As it turns out, my trip out east didn't destroy me as much as I thought it would. I still wasn't 'good' by any means, but I didn't come back 10 pounds heavier as I feared I might. There was some exercise had by helping my brother throw out some garbage and all of the walking I ended up doing, so I'm feeling pretty good about that.

And now that I'm back, it's time to get serious....er. In packing up some of my brother's things, I asked him if it would be alright to borrow his Wii Fit board and the corresponding disc and I will give it back to him at the end of May when I see him in Colorado. He gave me permission and Scott and I set up the game today. I think Scott enjoys his first try at the various games and I have a more solid idea of what my weight loss/BMI reduction goal will be for the next 6 months.

After breakfast we'll be taking Violet on a walk since it's 10 am and already 60 degrees out (yay, warm weather!!)

Another practice I'll be adding to my weight-loss goal will be to sign up for the Weight Watchers Points system. While visiting friends, I've heard very good personal testimonies from two different sources on the success they've had with the WW program. Since I don't have a 'healthy eating lifestyle', it's time to start one right.

I'll be opening this entry up to whomever reads my blog: What have you found to be successful? What has been a complete disappointment? I'd like to hear your opinions!

A little lightness

These commercials have been cracking me up since the first one aired. The latest one reminds me of the comic strip "Sally Forth" and the yearly battle for the ears.

The original commercial still make me giggle

Entering the danger zone... already

Today concludes week 1 of my get-my-big-butt-moving-initiative. I have kept up with exercising nearly every day and been diligent about logging in my calories into Calorie Count. After each day's recording of the foods consumed for the day, there is a 'Mark day complete'  button, and once pressed, the site will grade your nutrition intake for the day. I've mostly been graded a 'C', but today I got a 'B-', which is a good enough improvement for me.

Also, I just hopped on the scale and I'm down to 172.2, but I do have to add that I wasn't wearing the exact same clothes as the first weigh in AND it's at a different time of day. But I'll take the confidence boost.

Now comes the hard part. On Thursday I will be returning to NJ for a short visit to catch a Mets game and to help my brother pack up his apartment so that he can move to Colorado at the end of the month. I'm hoping all of the moving, cleaning and packing will count as my exercise and that will help take off all of the junk I will end up eating at the game. I COULD flex my will power and abstain from the stadium food, but c'mon get real, you know I'll be eating hot dogs and beer. You gotta at a game ;)

Once I return, Scott and I are going to do something stupid-crazy. We are going to attempt to do the P90X series of dvd's. For those who don't know what that is, Google it. All I hear from ANYONE who's done it, you basically want to die from the physical soreness and exhaustion after only ONE dvd. There are 11 in all.

But you got to do something daring every once and a while =)

Counting on .... calories

Along with the possible workout video suggestions, my sister also notified me of a calorie counting website. I've never, ever been health conscious enough to pay attention to such a thing, so I had to start from scratch of knowing what my intake should be. I knew basically what is healthy and what is really not, but other than that, I'm a complete noob. The site not only keeps track of the calories, but it has a huge database of nutritional facts for specific food items so it can also provide the Nutrient/Vitamin analysis of your meals for the day and tell you which parts you are good or bad in. So far, I'm fairly impressed.

She made me promise not to go too overboard-crazy in tracking my food, but since I've never done it, I'm going to try it out for a week straight and see what becomes of it.

Another website that I want to become more familiar with is something that my friend Marsha suggested. Bar Belles is something a friend of hers is responsible for starting but beyond that, I don't know much about it. I haven't had the time to bounce around the site yet. Little Violet has been hollering her head off most afternoons this week and I haven't figured out why... yet.

Day two - and lots of waiting

Day 2 wasn't the gangbuster day yesterday was, but it wasn't a complete standstill either. Violet and I did get to go for a walk, though we only went out for 15 minutes since it was wicked windy out. I also tried the pilates video my sister does, but I have come across a glitch in the process. I watch Netflix streaming videos through the Wii and right now I only have it connect through my wireless modem. There are a good many times it pauses the video so that it can 'retrieve.' This causes me to wait... and wait... and wait. I lose my ambition just a little bit each time this happens, but I try to keep up my heart rate by marching in place. But this gets old. Now my plan is to preview whatever video I can 'Watch Instantly' and throw it on my queue so that I can actually pop the DVD in the player.

Tomorrow will be dedicated to trying out exercises from the magazine clippings I've collected over the years.

Day of hodgepodge

Day One went alright. I tried a little bit of all sorts of different things, though I still have to work on my timing with Violet's feedings and naptimes. I only got to ease myself into things, but I think the day went in a positive direction.

I started off pulling clips from YouTube of possible routines involving the exercise ball. I want to get some good examples for ab crunches, leg lifts and back work. I was able to find a few and I was even able to do a couple. One routine would have left me falling flat on my face time and again, so I'll build up to that one. Here are a couple I sampled:

I even tried some stuff with the dumbbells:

I was also inspired by something my sister mentioned to me last week and looked up some of the 'Watch Instantly' videos off of Netflix. Because Violet started getting fussy at this point, I just watched "Dance Off the Inches: 15-Minute Express" and "Crunch: CardioSalsa" only to see if I could follow the moves. The prospects look good.

After I calmed down Violet with a feeding and a diaper change, I decided a walk would do us both good. We walked for about an hour and I felt alright afterwards. Violet felt nothing but the sleepies and she napped the rest of the afternoon.

I have yet to dive into the pile of clippings of exercises I've been collecting from years of fashion magazines. I think that'll be tomorrow's project.

Hopefully I'll figure out the best arrangement of events to maximize my day. At the end of today, I feel pretty satisfied.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

I have finally decided to get serious about working out. And being that I don't have a personal trainer, and I'm not that shy about sharing embarrassing details, I figured the best way to track my progress and press forward was to keep a public diary of my exercise trials and tribulations.

I have not kept a regular exercise routine since having to do the Wellness class in high school PE. And even then, I was only somewhat successful because I was trying to keep pace with a guy who was crazy dedicated to working out. That was the one and only year I remember having any definition to my arms.

It was only 3 short years ago that I was weighing at 125. After having a desk job (with no supplemental job at the bookstore that gave me a day to day workout with lifting boxes of books and walking all over the store), living in Tennessee where I ate far too many things that only added inches to my figure AND having a baby, I am now clocking in at 174. I do know that during my pregnancy, I went a little too buck-wild on having ice cream again. There was something strange that went on while I was pregnant with Violet that caused my former lactose intolerance to disappear and I became enthusiastic friends with Ben and Jerry once more. HUGE downfall.

But now I aim to lose as much as I possibly can so that I can fit into a decent sized wedding gown at the celebration we want to have with the large group of people who we didn't get to invite to our ceremony last July.

The equipment I have to help me on my endeavor, other than the nagging voice in my head whenever I try to put on clothes, is the following:

• exercise ball with base
• yoga mat
• Yoga Workout for Dummies DVD
• Denise Austin Fit & Firm Pregnancy (which apparently has something for post-pregnancy)
• two 5 lb dumbbells
• iPod
• Netflix on the Wii
• Skechers Tone Up sneakers
• stroller and a baby who should be aired out as much as her Mommy

I will be posting my weight once a week to help me track what's going on. I will also be posting the exercise routines I find on YouTube so that I can find them easily and possibly share with whomever is reading my new blog.

Any helpful suggestions on any of this will be received with open, and hopefully sore, arms.

Let's see how successful I am at this experiment.