I went on a 3 day break after finishing the Couch to 5K program. It wasn't intentional but I'm not stressing over it. I'm down 0.4lbs this week. I actually hoped for a 1lb loss after getting back to religiously tracking my food so I hope to play "catch-up" next week.
Today I did the FIRM Cardio Sculpt Blaster which is a 30 minute step aerobics workout with 5lbs dumbbells. I have circuits planned for tomorrow and a run planned for Friday.
Today was circuits but instead of traditional circuits where you hit each muscle group with an exercise and repeat the circuit, I used Michelle Dozois' Your Best Body Circuit program which has three circuits of hi/lo aerobics for 5-7 minutes followed by lifting for two muscle groups.
Here's the breakdown (used 8lbs for medium weight and 12lbs for heavy weights)
Warm-Up. Just under 5 minutes; marches with step touches, punches, hamstring curls, and knee lifts; finishes with moving stretches.
Circuit 1 (Back and Biceps 1). Cardio: Step-touch, cross-back with optional hop, knee up w/twist and punch, plie squat with jump into squat. Heavy weights: side step with row to bicep curls; double row. Medium weights: bicep curls. Band: single arm back row in plie.
Circuit 2 (Chest and Triceps 1). Cardio: same as above, left lead.
Chest: push-ups w/alternating knee drops; full push-ups. Heavy weights: lying chest press. Band: seated tricep extension; standing chest press.
Circuit 3 (Shoulders w/Legs). Cardio: side-to-side hips (single then double), alternating knee lifts, alternating kicks, front/back kick combo, power jacks. Moderate weights: slow wood chop, 1-arm shoulder press with leg extension and curtsey dip. Band: rotating kneeling shoulder raise.
Circuit 4 (Abdominals). About 6 minutes: side elbow plank crunch, side crunch with leg lift, half roll-up with arm extension (holding band), double arm/leg extension (holding band), oblique crunch adding arm extension, pulsing crunches.
Today was circuits but instead of traditional circuits where you hit each muscle group with an exercise and repeat the circuit, I used Michelle Dozois' Your Best Body Circuit program which has three circuits of hi/lo aerobics for 5-7 minutes followed by lifting for two muscle groups.
Hm! She's a trainer in Pasadena. I should check out her website.
Came in to congratulate you in your own log as well. I'm so impressed with your running! I don't enjoy running (except for sprints) so I have lots of respect for runners. But I guess you guys like it and all.
I forgot to mention that I only did the "express" circuit workout yesterday.
Thanks Tracey
Elisabeth - I began slow ass jogging (it ain't running yet) with extremely bad shinsplints. I've had them since high school. I have unusually large calves and when I run I hardly ever felt it in my thighs or knees. It was always in my calves and shins until I discovered that I needed an arch support for someone with flat feet. I don't have flat feet per se, I just need alot of shock absorption. Once I got some new inserts, shinsplints were virtually obsolete.
The diet confessional...(knew it would come sooner or later )
I've been on Weight Watchers for the past 6 weeks. I like it because it doesn't make me neurotic like counting calories and macros do. But it is easy to follow the "spirit" of the program instead of really trying to change one's eating habits for the long haul. And now it's catching up to me.
So I started WW simply trying to control my portions. But I was controlling portions of fast food (i.e. I'd have a big ass burger and pair it with a salad instead of fries), processed meats, too much bread (simply because it was whole grain and had lots of fiber) and not eating enough fruits and vegetables. I also was having a lot of low-fat frozen entrees to take to work because they were convenient. Yet, I was eating my assigned number of points and for about 4 weeks, I was losing pretty steadily until two weeks ago.
Two weeks ago, I didn't keep my food journal for more than 3 days because eventually I was ashamed to write on paper what I was eating. So last week, I committed to journaling every single day and I did it. But my weight loss was the equivalent of a good pee. I was angry because I thought I "deserved" a bigger loss since I kept my journal. Well, something told me to review the journal to see what I was doing and good grief, it's no wonder I haven't lost much. Here's what I found out:
I ate 16 slices of Weight Watchers Bread (for no other reason than it was low in POINTS)
I averaged about 2 servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
I drank about 6 glasses of water per day and didn't even record how much diet soda I had.
I ate turkey kielbasa, toast and margarine for breakfast 6 out of 7 times (no vegetables, no fruit)
I ate 16oz of turkey kielbasa
I ate 3 fast food meals (which is actually an improvement - in terms of reduction of the # of trips - apart from that Wendy's Hamburger and Fries and the Hawaiian Mixed Plate)
I ate 6 Weight Watchers Ice Cream Candy Bars
Well, based on all of this, I'm lucky I lost anything. Plus, I only managed to get in 3 solid workouts last week
I do plan to stay on Weight Watchers but instead of following the "spiri"t of the plan, I'm going to follow the Good Health guidelines they encourage people to follow such as: minimum 5 fruits and vegetables, 2 servings low-fat dairy, whole grains (not bread and certainly not white stuff), consume small portions of healthy fats, and eat lean protein among other things.
In order to execute this plan, I have to do some prep work ahead of time which I hadn't been doing even when I was doing OPT last year. I left meal-planning to chance and ended up eating way too much. DH goes to his MBA prep course on Saturday mornings so that is a perfect time to grocery shop and cook for a few hours (or toss something into the crockpot).
I'm starting today by roasting a whole chicken in our Ronco. DH doesn't like white meat so I can remove the skin and get plenty of meals out of roasted skinless chicken breasts. Oh yeah, and I also found over 50 packets of plain instant oatmeal in our lazy susan this morning and yet I was wolfing down turkey kielbasa and bread like it was going out of style Guess what I had for breakfast?
I'm actually really glad I kept my food journal like I did because I really could see where I was going wrong and now I can take steps to correct it instead of being mad with WW for not helping me lose weight faster.
Today was a rest day. Instead of running tomorrow, I am going to move the run to Monday. I have a 5K training program that I'll be following which focuses on speed/distance as opposed to time as I was using C25K.
Eating has been really good for these last two days. I made a Chicken Pesto Pasta Dish with zucchini and spinach. It was delish and easy to make. I will get these vegetables by hook or crook.
Whatever ya gotta do to get them in! Now that the weather is cooler, I'm back to making a homemade veggie soup based off of WW's zero point soup recipe. YUMMMMY!
I attempted a run yesterday but about 10 minutes into it, I stopped. My breathing was off and mentally I wasn't there. Instead, I did the 1.5 mile run I was planning this morning. Breathing was fine, mentally I was there but my right knee hurt like a SOB during the entire run. I did my usual warm-up, stretches, etc and it still gave me fits. I'm icing my knee down now and hope it gets better soon so I can run again on Thursday.
Tracey - I've been thinking about that WW Vegetable Soup. I've been adding vegetables to frittata and any casseroles that I'm making.
Evie - Thanks! Yes, this eating part is rough. It really takes alot of concentration and focus to eat well.
I'm taking a rest day today. I iced my knee down last night and it's still bothering this morning. I figure since I'll be on my feet all day (Wednesday is my 12 hour teaching day), I could forego the exercise today and do my run and upper body and core lifting tomorrow.
Good job on realizing the mistakes you were making on WW. I lost 30 lbs 10 years ago on WW and I do think it's a great plan. Though it's not easy for someone who gets lots of exercise.
Those rules of healthy eating are there for a reason, as you discovered.
It actually went through my head to track points for a few days rather than calories. Just to do something different. Points encourage me to eat more veggies and less fat, something I have a problem with.
You seem to be doing a terrific job. My daughter recently completed C25K and has continued to run about 3 miles a few times a week. Her goal is to keep it up over the winter (she's started weights now too) and hopes to increase when the weather gets nice in the Spring.
Annette - Thanks for the encouragement. Yes, following those guidelines seem to do the trick. Now this week might be a bit of an increase because I partied hard on Halloween but I'm seeing progress so one week isn't going to kill me
Today I did Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred Level 1 - which is an interval program that kicks my ass. The system based on a 3-2-1 format of 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of high impact cardio and 1 minute of abs. The workout only lasts 20 minutes total but there is no rest and I thought I was going to faint.
Hi Donna,
You have been making some pretty steady progress in this challenge! Me and my daughter did the 30 day shred workout when I started back working out back in Oct(after a 3 month break) Interesteing workouts that really get your blood pumping. I had to turn the heat all the way down and even open the door a crack and I'd still be drenched with sweat afterwards.
Keep up the good work you're doing. We're half way there.
__________________ Sade-
If you're not living life on the edge, you're taking up too much space! Move it, move it.
Thanks Tracey - Jillian's persona on DVD isn't quite as bad as television but her workouts are still tough. I thought they couldn't be that bad if you are using only 5lbs dumbbells. Boy, I was wrong. First, she likes to combine do compound exercises which brings together smaller muscle groups (i.e. shoulders) with larger ones and do alot of reps in a slow controlled manner. Then the cardio is higher impact and there is absolutely no rest. I have to really push myself through that last circuit but it is over quickly.
Sage - Yes, 30 Day Shred is no joke. My only problem is the higher impact cardio. I already have to wear high arch supports when I run so the cardio in Jillian's workouts are hell on my knees esp. since I'm not willing to give up running. Thanks for the encouragement.
I took a rest day. Aunt Flo' made her appearance and it's 11:00pm and I still have freakin' cramps after popping some pills. My knees were also red and swollen and I had to ice them down in hopes of getting a short run in tomorrow.
I was playing with Picasa from Google so I could make a progress pic collage. This collage reflects my true progress from when I began in April of this year with power walking to the present. I've only managed to lose 9lbs but I've lost well over 17" total.
Please excuse the fact that I look like Aunt Jemima and Fat Bastard's secret love child on the first picture
That's great.
I'll admit - I seem to be in the minority looking at people's progress pictures - I rarely see any of the changes that others point out.
But in your pictures - I can see by the angle of your upper arms/shoulders how much you've really lost in both the arms and the chest/back.
That's great.
I'll admit - I seem to be in the minority looking at people's progress pictures - I rarely see any of the changes that others point out.
But in your pictures - I can see by the angle of your upper arms/shoulders how much you've really lost in both the arms and the chest/back.
I agree-- you're one of the ones really showing changes. Good work!
I was playing with Picasa from Google so I could make a progress pic collage. This collage reflects my true progress from when I began in April of this year with power walking to the present. I've only managed to lose 9lbs but I've lost well over 17" total.
Please excuse the fact that I look like Aunt Jemima and Fat Bastard's secret love child on the first picture
That is a really good collage. You are right, it shows true difference.
Ha! On the love child thing . . . tooooo funny! It is almost mentally impossible to even warp that into any type of visualization.
It was worth a minute to try though . . just to say that I did
__________________
***********************
If you weren't born drop dead gorgeous, be thankful for the opportunity to develop character first.
I haven't posted in a couple of days but I'm still working.
Wednesday - Did FIRM Rock It Off using the Wave. I thought this thing was the biggest gimmick around and then a friend sent me the whole set for the cost of shipping. I was wrong. If you get your foot position (ala horsestance), you can get some decent DOMS in your hamstrings and quads.
Thursday - Did a one mile jog (upped the speed to 4.4 mph) and did the the Burn, Shape and Tone premix from FIRM Cardio Core Fusion.
Eating has been pretty good. I've been able to get in my fruits and vegetables pretty easily so far. Same with my water....I'm drinking about 10 cups a day now. I do need to get consistent with taking my vitamins though
Lisa - I too usually can't see changes in others photos but at my cousin's Halloween Party, I got tons of compliments and wanted to see what others saw. Once I finished the collage, I was pleasantly surprised.
Thanks Evie, Sminchie, Tracey and Katy for the compliments and encouragement
I haven't worked out since Thursday. My car lost power and died on the freeway in the middle of rush-hour traffic on Friday night. After getting it towed to the repair shop, I shelled out $600 on a new fuel distributor, cap, rotor, spark plugs and oil change. There went my Christmas shopping money To add insult to injury, we had a neighborhood-wide blackout for hours which messed up our garage door opener. DH and I spent the better part of today trying to fix the damn thing only to have the frame bend. Hubby had to hold the door open while I got his car out.
I'm in a foul mood but at least I prepped enough lunches and dinners to get me through the week. This upcoming week will be better, dammit
I normally only workout in the AM but my darn DVD player wanted to give me grief so I exercised when I got home. I did Michelle Dozois' Your Best Body Circuit DVD.
Here is the breakdown:
Warm-Up. Just under 5 minutes; marches with step touches, punches, hamstring curls, and knee lifts; finishes with moving stretches.
Circuit 1 (Back and Biceps 1). Cardio: Step-touch, cross-back with optional hop, knee up w/twist and punch, plie squat with jump into squat. Heavy weights: side step with row to bicep curls; double row. Medium weights: bicep curls. Band: single arm back row in plie.
Circuit 2 (Chest and Triceps 1). Cardio: same as above, left lead.
Chest: push-ups w/alternating knee drops; full push-ups. Heavy weights: lying chest press. Band: seated tricep extension; standing chest press.
Circuit 3 (Back and Biceps 2). Cardio: march/jog w/tap out or jacks, lunges, samba, scissor step, alternating or power lunge. Heavy weights: row with rear lunge. Band: bicep curls, wide row, seated row.
Circuit 4 (Chest and Triceps 2). Cardio: same as above, left lead. Band: shoulder rotation adding tricep extension, push-ups w/resistance. Heavy weights: chest flyes adding leg extensions. Plank work: lower to forearms, raise and lower knees.
Circuit 5 (Shoulders w/Legs). Cardio: side-to-side hips (single then double), alternating knee lifts, alternating kicks, front/back kick combo, power jacks. Moderate weights: slow wood chop, 1-arm shoulder press with leg extension and curtsey dip. Band: rotating kneeling shoulder raise.
Circuit 6 (Legs). Cardio: same as above, left lead. Heavy weights: squats. Moderate (or no) weights: forward/rear lunge adding back leg extension and knee lift. Band: side-to-side step touch adding leg extension.
Circuit 7 (Abdominals). About 6 minutes: side elbow plank crunch, side crunch with leg lift, half roll-up with arm extension (holding band), double arm/leg extension (holding band), oblique crunch adding arm extension, pulsing crunches.
Cool-Down. Stretches with band (about 5 minutes): lying hamstring and IT band, thread the needle, seated cross-leg forward bend, chest and triceps stretch, kneeling hip flexor with side bend/side extension.
I tried to do most of the power cardio options but PM workouts are just not good for me. I ended up burning 345 calories in 57 minutes.
Tomorrow's plan is a 2 mile jog and 30 minutes of hi/low aerobics with intensity bursts.
)
But my weight loss was the equivalent of a good pee. 
I was angry because I thought I "deserved" a bigger loss since I kept my journal. 
Guess what I had for breakfast? 
To add insult to injury, we had a neighborhood-wide blackout for hours which messed up our garage door opener. DH and I spent the better part of today trying to fix the damn thing only to have the frame bend. Hubby had to hold the door open while I got his car out.
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