I know, I know...can you believe it's already that time again. Time for my weekly weigh-in and measurements. This past week was a rough one at bootcamp, I did the 5K on Saturday, yoga twice last week....but how does that all reflect today? Will the fish and chips and 2 Coors Lites I had this past weekend compromise all of the hard work? Guess it's time to see.....
This week's weight: 221lbs (-2lbs) Not too bad...a loss, would of liked to have seen a bigger number. My goal this week is to break 220...keep your fingers crossed that I can get below that mark by next week.
This week's measurements:
Waist: 39" (-1/2")
Chest: 42 1/2" (-1/2")
Hips: 46 1/2" (-1/2")
Bicep: 15" (no change)
Calf: 17" (no change)
Thigh: 22 1/2" (-1/2")
I'm happy to see a little gone from my waist and hips...a little frustrated that there is still no change to my bicep or calf. The whole weight and measurements thing is becoming a little disheartening, I have to admit. Before bootcamp, weight was coming off at a nice steady rate..and now I can barely budge a couple of pounds. Putting the numbers aside, I definately can feel my strength and endurance increasing...heck, I can see it in my running. The first day of bootcamp, I couldn't even run a mile - I walked 90% of the way. Now I can run for 20 minutes (and then some) without stopping and even have the energy to sprint at the end of it. I will be very happy walking away from bootcamp in 3 weeks just being a stronger person, but it sure would be AMAZING to see some better results on the scale. Not really on the scale, but with my body fat percentage. Bootcamp doesn't focus on weight - it focuses on body fat percentage..so let's hope that result turns out a lot better than the lousy results I'm posting here each week.
I'm really looking forward to bootcamp tonight. It's "buddy night", and the National Guard are coming back. If you remember, the last time the National Guard paid us a visit - I got to pull a HumVee. Well, I get to do it again tonight, and this time I'm taking my lil brother and sister with me. They are so excited to see what I've been up to the past few weeks, and give it a go themselves. I actually want a tough night tonight - so they can see how hard I've been working. (Minus those stinking sandbags, of course..LOL) This is my chance to show them how strong their flabby big sister has gotten over the past few weeks. I'm sure "Bob" and "Jillian" won't disappoint me - if anything, I'm probably going to be eating my words tomorrow. HA!
Till next time. ;)
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Enter Sandman
The night started out with the usual burn-out. I'm getting much better at push-ups and sit-ups, although I still have a LONG way to go with my pull-ups. Calasthetics wouldn't of been so bad last night if half of the team hadn't forgotten their log book and/or dog tags - which lead to cals before cals. Wait, who am I kidding - "Jillian" did cals last night...so they would still have been that hard. It was then on to the obstacle course - a single run to start, followed by a double run with the usual cals in between. I have gotten to where I actually like running the course - I can feel my strength improving while I'm running it. Actually, I have to say I'm not the hugest fan of cals - but I get through them. Circuits are hard - but I'm really getting better at those....I'm pretty much ok with everything we do at bootcamp, except one thing. I have made my mind up that I absolutely, without a doubt, HATE sandbag drills!!
Nothing pushes me to the verge of tears like toting around a 50lb sandbag for what seems like an eternity. They leak, they're hard to hold, they are so freakin' heavy...they just SUCK!! As you've probably figured out (with my catchy post title, I'm sure, you're welcome Metallica fans), last night we did sandbag drills. I actually preferred the circuits we did Friday night over the everlasting torture we did last night. We laid on our backs and did sandbag presses, then add some flutter kicks while doing that, then it was sandbag lunges, then back on the ground for more presses, then up and more lunges. To get a mental picture of how it feels to do those exercises, get a bowl of Jell-O and then place a 50lb weight on top of it....that's how I felt last night. It made me realize one thing, though...my upper body strength needs work - MAJOR work. It appears I have no upper body strength..LOL
Ok, so I couldn't of been more happy when we were given the sweet release from the sandbags and informed that it was run time. I was excited to run...yep, me, excited...funny, huh? I was gonna be running in "Bob's" group - so I took my place at the start of the line (so I could keep the pace) and off we went. "Bob" informed us that we'd be running for 20 minutes and there would be NO walking!! BRING IT ON!! We started the run, and I took it nice and slow. We started singing some military cadence songs- and I tell you what...they made the run so much easier. It was great to have something that took my mind off the running, but helped me keep a good pace. Not once did I want to quit running...I just kept my slow and steady pace. Even when it was time to sprint around the whole line of runners twice, I didn't falter. My exercise high kicked in as we were coming to the end of the run - and off I went for a nice sprint to the end. Even when "Bob" told us we were done, and that we could walk it off...I just wanted to keep running. Now that is improvement!! I finished the night out strong...just the way I like it!!
Today I have plans to try out my new Jillian Michaels Yoga DVD, do some weight work, and either go out and run tonight or hit the treadmill for a while. There are only 6 sessions of bootcamp left, so it's time to really dig in and push myself. I may not be able to move mountains- but I sure can learn to climb them.
Till next time. ;)
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Now That That Don't Kill Me Can Only Make Me Stronger
Are you liking the titles for my last few blogs? If you're a music fan - you should of noticed that I'm trying something new and using song titles/ lyrics...it's fun to come up with them to associate them to my life..LOL
Anywho - wow, what a day yesterday. Today's title couldn't say it any better. Just 2 measly months ago I ran my first 5K, and after it was all over with I spent the next 2 days on the couch barely able to move. Yesterday, I went from a 5K race to walking around for 2 1/2 hours to more walking around for another hour to being out until after midnight with my honey. I have no idea where I got all my energy yesterday...wait, yes I do: BOOTCAMP!!!
Yesterday really was a true testiment to how much stronger I have become since starting bootcamp. In just 3 short weeks, I'm a totally different person. I posted yesterday how great I felt after coming home from the race - but inside I was still a little nervous for the busy day that I had planned. In the hour long car ride to Eureka Springs, my legs started to get a little sore. I was certain that when it came time to get out of the car, I just wouldn't be able to do what I had planned on doing. I was wrong! When we got to Eureka, we parked in our usual spot - the parking lot at the bottom of the hill. I knew I was going to have to spend the first part of the afternoon walking all the way up hill (and it's not a slight hill, it's a BIG hill!!). We started walking, and what I felt was...nothing. We walked, we browsed in some stores, walked some more...no pain. We stopped to eat lunch at a little outdoor grill. I almost ordered a beer - but I didn't. I opted for diet Pepsi. I spent forever browsing the menu for something "healthy" - but no such luck...and then I thought, "hey I deserve a little reward for all the hard work I've done" so I ordered fish and chips. I know, BAD food choice...but my first bad food choice in 3 weeks - so I'm not dwelling. I will take my punishment on bootcamp on Monday if need be. After a great lunch, all I could think about was working off the food I had just put in my mouth...so further up the hill we went. For 2 more hours we walked, stopping a few times in some stores. I really wanted to go to a small dress boutique that I visited the same time last year. When I was there last year, I couldn't buy anything - because they didn't carry anything in "huge" size. This year, I was able to buy a GORGEOUS dress...and I felt amazing. The feeling of being able to buy a dress in a boutique was a high in itself..such a motivating moment. We finished out our afternoon of walking around and decided to head on home.
When we got home, I freshened up, put on my new dress, a little make-up and we were back out the door again. We headed to Fayetteville. The plan was to meet a friend of mine at a club - but before that, we decided to head to the mall for an hour of walking around. By this time, I had spent approximately 5 hours walking/running around throughout the day...what would one more hour hurt?? Not at all!! After our little mall walk, we went on to the club. I had originally planned on having a beer - but I had two. I did opt for light beers - so I don't feel too bad about it.
Overall, it was a FANTABULOUS day. I had such a great time. Today, is my rest day...and I'm gonna do exactly that before getting back into my routine of the week to come.
Till next time. ;)
Anywho - wow, what a day yesterday. Today's title couldn't say it any better. Just 2 measly months ago I ran my first 5K, and after it was all over with I spent the next 2 days on the couch barely able to move. Yesterday, I went from a 5K race to walking around for 2 1/2 hours to more walking around for another hour to being out until after midnight with my honey. I have no idea where I got all my energy yesterday...wait, yes I do: BOOTCAMP!!!
Yesterday really was a true testiment to how much stronger I have become since starting bootcamp. In just 3 short weeks, I'm a totally different person. I posted yesterday how great I felt after coming home from the race - but inside I was still a little nervous for the busy day that I had planned. In the hour long car ride to Eureka Springs, my legs started to get a little sore. I was certain that when it came time to get out of the car, I just wouldn't be able to do what I had planned on doing. I was wrong! When we got to Eureka, we parked in our usual spot - the parking lot at the bottom of the hill. I knew I was going to have to spend the first part of the afternoon walking all the way up hill (and it's not a slight hill, it's a BIG hill!!). We started walking, and what I felt was...nothing. We walked, we browsed in some stores, walked some more...no pain. We stopped to eat lunch at a little outdoor grill. I almost ordered a beer - but I didn't. I opted for diet Pepsi. I spent forever browsing the menu for something "healthy" - but no such luck...and then I thought, "hey I deserve a little reward for all the hard work I've done" so I ordered fish and chips. I know, BAD food choice...but my first bad food choice in 3 weeks - so I'm not dwelling. I will take my punishment on bootcamp on Monday if need be. After a great lunch, all I could think about was working off the food I had just put in my mouth...so further up the hill we went. For 2 more hours we walked, stopping a few times in some stores. I really wanted to go to a small dress boutique that I visited the same time last year. When I was there last year, I couldn't buy anything - because they didn't carry anything in "huge" size. This year, I was able to buy a GORGEOUS dress...and I felt amazing. The feeling of being able to buy a dress in a boutique was a high in itself..such a motivating moment. We finished out our afternoon of walking around and decided to head on home.
When we got home, I freshened up, put on my new dress, a little make-up and we were back out the door again. We headed to Fayetteville. The plan was to meet a friend of mine at a club - but before that, we decided to head to the mall for an hour of walking around. By this time, I had spent approximately 5 hours walking/running around throughout the day...what would one more hour hurt?? Not at all!! After our little mall walk, we went on to the club. I had originally planned on having a beer - but I had two. I did opt for light beers - so I don't feel too bad about it.
Overall, it was a FANTABULOUS day. I had such a great time. Today, is my rest day...and I'm gonna do exactly that before getting back into my routine of the week to come.
Till next time. ;)
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Give Me Fuel, Give Me Fire!!
Words can't express how amazing I feel right now. I went through a night of hell last night at bootcamp, and then got up this morning and ran a 5K.....and I FEEL GREAT!!
I will start out with last night. Wow, what a night. Only 6 people showed up to bootcamp - I was really surprised. We started out with our normal routine, and I'm proud to say that I'm back to doing pull-ups with no pain...that means I am now at 100% recovery!! Then the "fun" began.
I'm going to take a detour here in order to get my point across of how last night was. For you Biggest Loser fans out there - how many of you have watched the show and said "man, I wish I could work out with Jillian and Bob?" Well, then get your butt to bootcamp - cause that's exactly how our instructors are. "Jillian" is the one that yells "don't you quit", "come on" until you literally push yourself to the verge of puking. "Bob" has a little more sensitivity, but he's not about to let you back down. I have to admit, though, as much as "Jillian" makes me want to scream (and I do) I know I wouldn't push myself half as hard without her. She has really helped me overcome my desire to just say "ok, I've had enough". She finds that new level within me until she literally fuels my fire - and then comes the burst of energy that I need to get the job done.
So, back to hell night. After "Jillian" style calasthetics - meaning flutter kicks, swimmers, jumping jacks, ski jumps, etc. - it was time for the obstacle course. Last week, we got to do the course twice in a row...well, last night it was three times. YAY!!! No biggie, I did it - oh, yes I did. Then, it was circuits. Although I dread circuits - I would of gladly taken our normal circuits over the horrid 50lb sandbag circuits we did last night. We did four circuits: flat pull-ups, sandbag lunges, sandbag bicep curls, and then push-ups. My arms were screaming after the first circuit, but then it was on to the second, and then the third, and then the fourth...and then I lost count how many we did. By the fourth one, "Jillian" was on me..."don't you quit" "COME ON, JOANNA!! YOU CAN DO THIS!!" Again, the fire burned inside me - and I did another circuit...more push-ups, more pull-ups, more lunges, more curls. After the last circuit I could barely move. What a night - think it's over, right?? WRONG!!! What would hell night be without some sprints?? 12 springs to be exact. Six 25 yard sprints, four 50 yard sprints, and two 100 yard sprints. Oh yeah, I was hurting...dying would be a better explanation...and I couldn't of been more happy to hear the sweet release of stretch time. When I left last night, all I could think of was - "how the hell am I gonna be able to do a 5k race in the morning?" Thus, we move on to part 2 of today's blog.
I woke up this morning at 6am. My thighs hurt, my calfs hurt, my arms hurt, my ankle hurt...I considered for about 3 seconds to just get back into bed...but I didn't. I got into my running clothes and took the drive to Springdale. After registering, I took 15 minutes to warm-up. I stretched, stretched, and stretched some more - hoping that the stiffness in my thighs and calfs would lift a little...no such luck. The race got under way, and I decided to jog softly. I jogged until the first hill - and then power walked up the hill, jogged down the hill, power walked up the hill. The whole freakin' course seemed to be up hill - but I just kept a nice, brisk pace and decided to just do what I could. My energy burst hit me a couple of times - and I jogged (or should I say bounced/walk). By the last 1/2 a mile, my legs were really starting to feel it - but then the high kicked in and I jogged the rest of the way. When the finish line was in sight - I took of...and sprinted across the finish line seeing 44:36 on the clock. At first I was a little bummed that I had only shaved 4 minutes off my first 5K race in April - but then I thought "oh well, I did it". I walked around for a while and then spent about 5 minutes stretching before heading home. Overall, I'm happy with the time. I think if I wasn't so sore I could of done better - heck, I took it pretty easy on myself and I know I could of pushed myself harder, but I didn't and I'm ok with that. This afternoon, I will be spending time walking up and down hills around Eureka Springs so I really didn't want to be too sore to do that.
So, there ya have it...5K #2 is officially under my belt. I shaved 4 minutes of the previous time..so there's only room for continued improvement. Now, I'm off to the shower and then out for a fun day with my honey.
Till next time. ;)
I will start out with last night. Wow, what a night. Only 6 people showed up to bootcamp - I was really surprised. We started out with our normal routine, and I'm proud to say that I'm back to doing pull-ups with no pain...that means I am now at 100% recovery!! Then the "fun" began.
I'm going to take a detour here in order to get my point across of how last night was. For you Biggest Loser fans out there - how many of you have watched the show and said "man, I wish I could work out with Jillian and Bob?" Well, then get your butt to bootcamp - cause that's exactly how our instructors are. "Jillian" is the one that yells "don't you quit", "come on" until you literally push yourself to the verge of puking. "Bob" has a little more sensitivity, but he's not about to let you back down. I have to admit, though, as much as "Jillian" makes me want to scream (and I do) I know I wouldn't push myself half as hard without her. She has really helped me overcome my desire to just say "ok, I've had enough". She finds that new level within me until she literally fuels my fire - and then comes the burst of energy that I need to get the job done.
So, back to hell night. After "Jillian" style calasthetics - meaning flutter kicks, swimmers, jumping jacks, ski jumps, etc. - it was time for the obstacle course. Last week, we got to do the course twice in a row...well, last night it was three times. YAY!!! No biggie, I did it - oh, yes I did. Then, it was circuits. Although I dread circuits - I would of gladly taken our normal circuits over the horrid 50lb sandbag circuits we did last night. We did four circuits: flat pull-ups, sandbag lunges, sandbag bicep curls, and then push-ups. My arms were screaming after the first circuit, but then it was on to the second, and then the third, and then the fourth...and then I lost count how many we did. By the fourth one, "Jillian" was on me..."don't you quit" "COME ON, JOANNA!! YOU CAN DO THIS!!" Again, the fire burned inside me - and I did another circuit...more push-ups, more pull-ups, more lunges, more curls. After the last circuit I could barely move. What a night - think it's over, right?? WRONG!!! What would hell night be without some sprints?? 12 springs to be exact. Six 25 yard sprints, four 50 yard sprints, and two 100 yard sprints. Oh yeah, I was hurting...dying would be a better explanation...and I couldn't of been more happy to hear the sweet release of stretch time. When I left last night, all I could think of was - "how the hell am I gonna be able to do a 5k race in the morning?" Thus, we move on to part 2 of today's blog.
I woke up this morning at 6am. My thighs hurt, my calfs hurt, my arms hurt, my ankle hurt...I considered for about 3 seconds to just get back into bed...but I didn't. I got into my running clothes and took the drive to Springdale. After registering, I took 15 minutes to warm-up. I stretched, stretched, and stretched some more - hoping that the stiffness in my thighs and calfs would lift a little...no such luck. The race got under way, and I decided to jog softly. I jogged until the first hill - and then power walked up the hill, jogged down the hill, power walked up the hill. The whole freakin' course seemed to be up hill - but I just kept a nice, brisk pace and decided to just do what I could. My energy burst hit me a couple of times - and I jogged (or should I say bounced/walk). By the last 1/2 a mile, my legs were really starting to feel it - but then the high kicked in and I jogged the rest of the way. When the finish line was in sight - I took of...and sprinted across the finish line seeing 44:36 on the clock. At first I was a little bummed that I had only shaved 4 minutes off my first 5K race in April - but then I thought "oh well, I did it". I walked around for a while and then spent about 5 minutes stretching before heading home. Overall, I'm happy with the time. I think if I wasn't so sore I could of done better - heck, I took it pretty easy on myself and I know I could of pushed myself harder, but I didn't and I'm ok with that. This afternoon, I will be spending time walking up and down hills around Eureka Springs so I really didn't want to be too sore to do that.
So, there ya have it...5K #2 is officially under my belt. I shaved 4 minutes of the previous time..so there's only room for continued improvement. Now, I'm off to the shower and then out for a fun day with my honey.
Till next time. ;)
Friday, June 25, 2010
While the Children are Away..Mommy Will Play (and workout)
Today is an exciting day for me - my kids are all going away for the weekend!! Having a weekend alone is a very rare luxury for Steve and I, and this weekend will be far from quiet and relaxing.
Tonight is another bootcamp. Tomorrow, my 5K at 8am followed by a day of shopping and walking around Eureka Springs, followed by an evening out with some friends. Sunday will start out with some yoga and then FINALLY a little quiet time before heading out to pick the kids up.
I have to admit, I'm a little nervous with as much as we've got planned for tomorrow. After my first 5K, I had to spend the day on the couch because I literally couldn't move from the pain. Planning a day out walking up and down hills after this 5K hopefully won't be a disaster.
Yesterday was a good day. I took the kids swimming at the local pool. It was nice to get into the water with my 2 year old - and amazing at how much I got to work out while having fun. The pool has 2 huge water slides, and in order to ride them - you have to walk up 2 flights of stairs. Well, that in itself becomes a good workout after the first half dozen times...but add in carrying a 35lb two year old up the stairs and the workout is increased 3 fold. I carried her up the stairs about 10 times. By the time we left, my legs felt like they do after bootcamp..LOL
When we got home we all needed a nap. After waking up, eating dinner, and watching TV for a while I decided to go to Wal-Mart at 10pm. My brother and I walked around Wal-Mart for a while, and I picked up Jillian Michael's Yoga DVD. Being that I'm not going to be able to attend anymore yoga classes at 5am because of Steve working nights - I figured I'd do the next best thing and get a DVD. My plan is that every morning, when I get up, I will start my day with a good yoga workout.
Ok, so there's my plans for the weekend. I will let you know how the 5K goes tomorrow. Everyone send me good vibes that I not only get through the 5K in a better time than my first race, but also that I'm able to enjoy a good day out after I get through it.
Till next time. ;)
Tonight is another bootcamp. Tomorrow, my 5K at 8am followed by a day of shopping and walking around Eureka Springs, followed by an evening out with some friends. Sunday will start out with some yoga and then FINALLY a little quiet time before heading out to pick the kids up.
I have to admit, I'm a little nervous with as much as we've got planned for tomorrow. After my first 5K, I had to spend the day on the couch because I literally couldn't move from the pain. Planning a day out walking up and down hills after this 5K hopefully won't be a disaster.
Yesterday was a good day. I took the kids swimming at the local pool. It was nice to get into the water with my 2 year old - and amazing at how much I got to work out while having fun. The pool has 2 huge water slides, and in order to ride them - you have to walk up 2 flights of stairs. Well, that in itself becomes a good workout after the first half dozen times...but add in carrying a 35lb two year old up the stairs and the workout is increased 3 fold. I carried her up the stairs about 10 times. By the time we left, my legs felt like they do after bootcamp..LOL
When we got home we all needed a nap. After waking up, eating dinner, and watching TV for a while I decided to go to Wal-Mart at 10pm. My brother and I walked around Wal-Mart for a while, and I picked up Jillian Michael's Yoga DVD. Being that I'm not going to be able to attend anymore yoga classes at 5am because of Steve working nights - I figured I'd do the next best thing and get a DVD. My plan is that every morning, when I get up, I will start my day with a good yoga workout.
Ok, so there's my plans for the weekend. I will let you know how the 5K goes tomorrow. Everyone send me good vibes that I not only get through the 5K in a better time than my first race, but also that I'm able to enjoy a good day out after I get through it.
Till next time. ;)
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Wanna Get Physical, Physical
While sitting in my office thinking about my blog post for the morning, I couldn't get the Olivia Newton John song out of my head - thus, our title for today. It's appropriate though, cause after the night I had last night it's exactly how I feel today.
Last night's bootcamp was a wake-up call to how bad I want to change my mind, body, and life. I've known since January 17th that losing weight was one of my top priorities, but now I know that it is my TOP priority. Despite my busy and hectic life - I've made sure I stick with my healthy diet and working out. Sure, I've had my "off days" (sometimes weeks) but I have been working at this longer than I have in my whole life!! This isn't just about losing weight anymore - this is about losing weight, getting fit and healthy, staying that way, and being a postivie role-model to my children. Some people may think that it's selfish to put my weight and fitness above everything else - but what good will I be if I die of a heart attack? How can I raise and support my children if I'm not here? In order to give my family the best possible life, I have to be in the best possible health.
Ok - so how did this epiphany come to be? It started out with a discussion with the bootcamp coordinator before bootcamp started last night. He spoke to us about the importance of taking responsibility for everything that we put into our bodies and the way we treat out bodies. The phrase "eat to live not live to eat" came up several times - and it really hit home to me. Even since getting serious about my weight loss there has been more than enough times that I have opted to grab Domino's pizza as a quick meal, because we're too busy to cook. This same experience happened Tuesday night - but this time, instead of opting for Domino's I told the family we were heading to Subway instead. I had a 6" sub rather than my regular footlong. I was acutally making conscience decisions about what I was going to put into my body. Even though we were in a crunch for time, and didn't want to have to cook - I was able to make a healthy decision. Then he talked about our fitness. We go to bootcamp for a total of 4 1/2 hours a week - and there are 168 hours in a week. That means we are working out less than 3% of the week. That's definately better than nothing, but more can be done. That made me think about preparing my home gym, going to yoga class, etc. I, again, was realizing that I was already making the decision to up the amount I'm working out each week - regardless of time constraints. If I'm willing to get up at 4am to go to a yoga class - I'm making that effort. The talk was very informative, not just because of the tips he shared to help boost my weight loss - but to the fact that I'm already implementing the things he was suggesting. I have officially made the step from trying to lose weight to changing my entire lifestyle.
Bootcamp started last night and all that kept running through my head was "no more stationary bike!" If you remember, I've had to ride the stationary bike on a couple of occasions either because of my stomach injury (which now seems to be 100% healed by the way) or because I just couldn't do what everyone else was doing. That happened Monday night when I wasn't able to run with my team because I was too tired from the relays that we had done prior. Last night, just 2 days later I might add, I wasn't going to let that happen again. We started out with the hardest calasthetics we've EVER done - 40 jumping jacks, 30 flutter kicks, 30 swimmers, and 30 lunges. I was exhausted just from doing that..LOL We then moved on to circuits. Ugh, I really don't care for circuits. We did mule kicks, horizontal pull-ups, swimmers, burpees (push-up and then jump in the air), flutter kicks, and mountain climbers. We started out with 70 second rotations, then did 50 seconds, then 30 seconds. It was hard, but I did NO modifications. After the circuits, it was time for a run. My nerves kicked in - but I was DETERMINED that I was NOT going to do that bike!! I was placed in the front of the line of 6 runners that were running in my group. This put the pressure on, because I had to keep the pace. We jogged the whole time, and every few minutes the back person came to the front of the line and then the second from last and so on until I had to sprint to the front of the line. We didn't walk ONCE - and I DID IT!!!! On top of that, when it came down to the last stretch of the run - I actually picked up the pace and sprinted to the end. I felt a surge of adrenaline rush through me, and I literally felt like I could do the whole night over again. I was later informed that I had experienced my first "exercise high". Basically I got to the point where I just couldn't do anymore, pushed through it, and was given a burst of energy. It felt SOOOOOO good!!!
It was such an amazing night for me. I literally felt my life altering change set in. I have one more bootcamp before my 5K run on Saturday - and I couldnt' be more excited. I am stronger, healthier, and lighter than I have been in a long time - and it's only going to get better from here on out.
Till next time. ;)
Last night's bootcamp was a wake-up call to how bad I want to change my mind, body, and life. I've known since January 17th that losing weight was one of my top priorities, but now I know that it is my TOP priority. Despite my busy and hectic life - I've made sure I stick with my healthy diet and working out. Sure, I've had my "off days" (sometimes weeks) but I have been working at this longer than I have in my whole life!! This isn't just about losing weight anymore - this is about losing weight, getting fit and healthy, staying that way, and being a postivie role-model to my children. Some people may think that it's selfish to put my weight and fitness above everything else - but what good will I be if I die of a heart attack? How can I raise and support my children if I'm not here? In order to give my family the best possible life, I have to be in the best possible health.
Ok - so how did this epiphany come to be? It started out with a discussion with the bootcamp coordinator before bootcamp started last night. He spoke to us about the importance of taking responsibility for everything that we put into our bodies and the way we treat out bodies. The phrase "eat to live not live to eat" came up several times - and it really hit home to me. Even since getting serious about my weight loss there has been more than enough times that I have opted to grab Domino's pizza as a quick meal, because we're too busy to cook. This same experience happened Tuesday night - but this time, instead of opting for Domino's I told the family we were heading to Subway instead. I had a 6" sub rather than my regular footlong. I was acutally making conscience decisions about what I was going to put into my body. Even though we were in a crunch for time, and didn't want to have to cook - I was able to make a healthy decision. Then he talked about our fitness. We go to bootcamp for a total of 4 1/2 hours a week - and there are 168 hours in a week. That means we are working out less than 3% of the week. That's definately better than nothing, but more can be done. That made me think about preparing my home gym, going to yoga class, etc. I, again, was realizing that I was already making the decision to up the amount I'm working out each week - regardless of time constraints. If I'm willing to get up at 4am to go to a yoga class - I'm making that effort. The talk was very informative, not just because of the tips he shared to help boost my weight loss - but to the fact that I'm already implementing the things he was suggesting. I have officially made the step from trying to lose weight to changing my entire lifestyle.
Bootcamp started last night and all that kept running through my head was "no more stationary bike!" If you remember, I've had to ride the stationary bike on a couple of occasions either because of my stomach injury (which now seems to be 100% healed by the way) or because I just couldn't do what everyone else was doing. That happened Monday night when I wasn't able to run with my team because I was too tired from the relays that we had done prior. Last night, just 2 days later I might add, I wasn't going to let that happen again. We started out with the hardest calasthetics we've EVER done - 40 jumping jacks, 30 flutter kicks, 30 swimmers, and 30 lunges. I was exhausted just from doing that..LOL We then moved on to circuits. Ugh, I really don't care for circuits. We did mule kicks, horizontal pull-ups, swimmers, burpees (push-up and then jump in the air), flutter kicks, and mountain climbers. We started out with 70 second rotations, then did 50 seconds, then 30 seconds. It was hard, but I did NO modifications. After the circuits, it was time for a run. My nerves kicked in - but I was DETERMINED that I was NOT going to do that bike!! I was placed in the front of the line of 6 runners that were running in my group. This put the pressure on, because I had to keep the pace. We jogged the whole time, and every few minutes the back person came to the front of the line and then the second from last and so on until I had to sprint to the front of the line. We didn't walk ONCE - and I DID IT!!!! On top of that, when it came down to the last stretch of the run - I actually picked up the pace and sprinted to the end. I felt a surge of adrenaline rush through me, and I literally felt like I could do the whole night over again. I was later informed that I had experienced my first "exercise high". Basically I got to the point where I just couldn't do anymore, pushed through it, and was given a burst of energy. It felt SOOOOOO good!!!
It was such an amazing night for me. I literally felt my life altering change set in. I have one more bootcamp before my 5K run on Saturday - and I couldnt' be more excited. I am stronger, healthier, and lighter than I have been in a long time - and it's only going to get better from here on out.
Till next time. ;)
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Weigh-In and Measurements Time
Yep, folks, it's that time of the week when I see how much my hard work is paying off (or not). This morning has thrown me off a little because I left for yoga class at 4am. I made sure to weigh before I left, though.
So, let's get right down to it. This is my 3rd week of bootcamp. I'm at the halfway mark, and can only hope my results get better in the next 3 weeks. Before I post my weight, I will say that this week is a "hopeful thinking" kind of week. Aunt Flo is here to visit this week, and that always means a weight gain for me. My usual weight gain when she's here is 2lbs. So...
This week's weight: 223lbs (-2lbs since last week). That means if I'm carrying the usual 2lbs of bloat weight, that number could be quite a bit smaller next week...keep your fingers crossed.
This week's measurements:
Waist: 39 1/2" (-1")
Chest: 43" (I'm an idiot and haven't been measuring my chest correctly. I think I started out at 44" at bootcamp)
Hips: 47" (no change)
Bicep: 15" (no change)
Thigh: 23" (no change)
Calf: 17" (no change)
So, this week's results aren't the greatest in the world - but I'm happy about another inch being gone from my waist. The speculation I have from no change to my biceps, calfs, and thighs is the fact that I'm starting to tone muscle in those areas which is "replacing" the fat.
Yesterday was a good day for me. I managed to score a couple of extra additions for my home gym from Craigslist. One of the items was a stair stepper. The other is a full set of dumbells, a couple of rubber weights, and a set of push-up bars. I'll post a pic of the stair stepper tomorrow (as it's not in my gym as of yet) but this is a pic of the weights:
I feel like I got a great bargain - cause I snagged all of this for $20!! The guy also had a treadmill that I feel in love with. It was top of the line with all the bells and whistles. It retails for about $2000 and he was wanting $400. I thought it was a great bargain, but just one that was a little out of my range - so I had to skip that great offer. I already have a treadmill, so I should be greatful for the stuff I have.
I managed to pull myself out of bed this morning for another great yoga session. It was much more difficult today, because I'm still "recouping" from Monday...but I got through it with not too many moderations.
Today, I'm going to reorganize my office/ gym so that I am able to use all of my new equipment - and the old stuff. Tonight guarentees to be another hot and grueling night at bootcamp. Before leaving the gym this morning, I saw the morning bootcamp doing circuits....I left feeling a little nervous. Hopefully, I can suck it up and get through them.
Till next time. ;)
So, let's get right down to it. This is my 3rd week of bootcamp. I'm at the halfway mark, and can only hope my results get better in the next 3 weeks. Before I post my weight, I will say that this week is a "hopeful thinking" kind of week. Aunt Flo is here to visit this week, and that always means a weight gain for me. My usual weight gain when she's here is 2lbs. So...
This week's weight: 223lbs (-2lbs since last week). That means if I'm carrying the usual 2lbs of bloat weight, that number could be quite a bit smaller next week...keep your fingers crossed.
This week's measurements:
Waist: 39 1/2" (-1")
Chest: 43" (I'm an idiot and haven't been measuring my chest correctly. I think I started out at 44" at bootcamp)
Hips: 47" (no change)
Bicep: 15" (no change)
Thigh: 23" (no change)
Calf: 17" (no change)
So, this week's results aren't the greatest in the world - but I'm happy about another inch being gone from my waist. The speculation I have from no change to my biceps, calfs, and thighs is the fact that I'm starting to tone muscle in those areas which is "replacing" the fat.
Yesterday was a good day for me. I managed to score a couple of extra additions for my home gym from Craigslist. One of the items was a stair stepper. The other is a full set of dumbells, a couple of rubber weights, and a set of push-up bars. I'll post a pic of the stair stepper tomorrow (as it's not in my gym as of yet) but this is a pic of the weights:
I managed to pull myself out of bed this morning for another great yoga session. It was much more difficult today, because I'm still "recouping" from Monday...but I got through it with not too many moderations.
Today, I'm going to reorganize my office/ gym so that I am able to use all of my new equipment - and the old stuff. Tonight guarentees to be another hot and grueling night at bootcamp. Before leaving the gym this morning, I saw the morning bootcamp doing circuits....I left feeling a little nervous. Hopefully, I can suck it up and get through them.
Till next time. ;)
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Give Me Strength!!
Each bootcamp session seems to bring on new challenges...last night was no exception. The evening started out rough just being out in the 92 degrees - but the evening that awaited us was nothing in comparison.
We started out with our usual burn-outs. I am SOOOO proud to say that I managed to do 15 sit-ups without an ounce of pain from my stomach!! I also managed to do 2 "real" pushups!! That's a huge accomplishment for me, being that I couldn't do a single one just 3 weeks ago. I am also able to do 20 "moderated" push-ups - where as my beginning amount was a measly 4.
After burn-outs, it was time for warm-ups. Warm-ups consisted of push-ups (again), swimmers and flutter kicks - WHICH I DID again with no pain!! Last night, we weren't allowed to "rest" at any point, so in between exercises we did jogging in place, knee lifts, or footbal shuffles. We started out with some relays. The relays consisted of wheelbarrows, crab walks, bear crawls, bunny hops, and sand-bag sprints. It was GRUELING - but I did them, and our team didn't come in last....in fact, I think we actually won a couple..LOL After about 45 minutes of that punishment, it was announced we were going on a run. My heart felt like it was already going to beat out of my chest, so I knew that the run was going to be difficult. I managed to run for a while, but my heart rate got so high that I had to go inside and ride the stupid stationary bike. I was so PISSED!! There's nothing wrong with the stationary bike - it's not it's fault - but I feel like such a quitter when I have to go inside and ride it. I did 3 miles on the bike, got my heart rate to a normal rate, and then went outside and joined my team mates once again. I was able to run the last little bit, and then it was time for cool-downs.
Overall, the night was SOOO tough - but I knew that I had worked my ass off by the time it was all over with. I woke up this morning extremely sore - and extremely happy. Soreness means that my body was pushed to the limits.
Tomorrow I plan on getting up at 4am to do yoga class, and then another grueling bootcamp session. Tomorrow is also "weigh-in" day so I'm excited to see my results from this week.
I have to run, so that's why my post is extremely short and sweet today.
Till next time. ;)
We started out with our usual burn-outs. I am SOOOO proud to say that I managed to do 15 sit-ups without an ounce of pain from my stomach!! I also managed to do 2 "real" pushups!! That's a huge accomplishment for me, being that I couldn't do a single one just 3 weeks ago. I am also able to do 20 "moderated" push-ups - where as my beginning amount was a measly 4.
After burn-outs, it was time for warm-ups. Warm-ups consisted of push-ups (again), swimmers and flutter kicks - WHICH I DID again with no pain!! Last night, we weren't allowed to "rest" at any point, so in between exercises we did jogging in place, knee lifts, or footbal shuffles. We started out with some relays. The relays consisted of wheelbarrows, crab walks, bear crawls, bunny hops, and sand-bag sprints. It was GRUELING - but I did them, and our team didn't come in last....in fact, I think we actually won a couple..LOL After about 45 minutes of that punishment, it was announced we were going on a run. My heart felt like it was already going to beat out of my chest, so I knew that the run was going to be difficult. I managed to run for a while, but my heart rate got so high that I had to go inside and ride the stupid stationary bike. I was so PISSED!! There's nothing wrong with the stationary bike - it's not it's fault - but I feel like such a quitter when I have to go inside and ride it. I did 3 miles on the bike, got my heart rate to a normal rate, and then went outside and joined my team mates once again. I was able to run the last little bit, and then it was time for cool-downs.
Overall, the night was SOOO tough - but I knew that I had worked my ass off by the time it was all over with. I woke up this morning extremely sore - and extremely happy. Soreness means that my body was pushed to the limits.
Tomorrow I plan on getting up at 4am to do yoga class, and then another grueling bootcamp session. Tomorrow is also "weigh-in" day so I'm excited to see my results from this week.
I have to run, so that's why my post is extremely short and sweet today.
Till next time. ;)
Monday, June 21, 2010
Connecting with the Yogi Within
I am so proud of myself. This morning, I managed to get out of bed at 4am to head to a yoga class at the gym. The class started at 5:10. I arrived with my yoga mat in tow - and some nerves twitching in my stomach. I have done a little yoga in the past - but I'm in no way any kind of yoga pro.
We set up our mats, and it was time to start. It seemed like in no time at all, sweat was literally dripping off of me. It's absolutely amazing how stretching can be so tiring. I was able to do most of the poses with little difficulty - it was actually harder to hold the pose than to get into it. The warm-up was fabulous, the rotation was great - and then we moved on to postures. They were a lot more challenging. I did the poses, but man it was hard holding them for as long as we had to. My arms and legs were buckling under the pressure. I had a really hard time with the core work, but kicked butt in the floor work. The final cool-down felt like I was in paradise.
I left the gym feeling so relaxed, rejuvanated, and ready for my day. I really thought that I was going to rush home and want to curl up in bed after getting up so early - but I don't. I feel more energized today than I have in a LONG time!!
I plan on going back Wednesday morning - but then I will probably have to give up going to the gym. My brother is staying with me right now, so he was able to watch the kids while I went. Steve works nights, so when my brother goes home - I won't be able to get up and head out at 4:30 in the morning. I guess I will just have to invest in some decent yoga DVDs and get up 3 times a week nice and early to get my yoga in. It's such an amazing workout - low impact, but effective. I'm really glad that I decided to get up and go.
Tonight is another night of bootcamp. It's amazing to know that this Wednesday will be the halfway point. I already feel like I've come a long way, and I'm excited to see the continuation of my strength throughout the next 3 weeks.
Till next time. :)
We set up our mats, and it was time to start. It seemed like in no time at all, sweat was literally dripping off of me. It's absolutely amazing how stretching can be so tiring. I was able to do most of the poses with little difficulty - it was actually harder to hold the pose than to get into it. The warm-up was fabulous, the rotation was great - and then we moved on to postures. They were a lot more challenging. I did the poses, but man it was hard holding them for as long as we had to. My arms and legs were buckling under the pressure. I had a really hard time with the core work, but kicked butt in the floor work. The final cool-down felt like I was in paradise.
I left the gym feeling so relaxed, rejuvanated, and ready for my day. I really thought that I was going to rush home and want to curl up in bed after getting up so early - but I don't. I feel more energized today than I have in a LONG time!!
I plan on going back Wednesday morning - but then I will probably have to give up going to the gym. My brother is staying with me right now, so he was able to watch the kids while I went. Steve works nights, so when my brother goes home - I won't be able to get up and head out at 4:30 in the morning. I guess I will just have to invest in some decent yoga DVDs and get up 3 times a week nice and early to get my yoga in. It's such an amazing workout - low impact, but effective. I'm really glad that I decided to get up and go.
Tonight is another night of bootcamp. It's amazing to know that this Wednesday will be the halfway point. I already feel like I've come a long way, and I'm excited to see the continuation of my strength throughout the next 3 weeks.
Till next time. :)
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Happy Father's Day!!!
I started today out much better than I started my honey's birthday back in February. I didn't wake up cranky, I didn't forget to say "Happy Father's Day", and I bought him a gift. I'm with one of those guys that "doesn't do holidays". He thinks every holiday is a commercialized ploy to make people buy things. (**Rolls eyes**) He, however, never takes back the gifts we buy for him..LOL
Holidays may not be a big deal to him, but they are to me. I think that there are good reasons to celebrate holidays - and don't always have to be about buying gifts. I will admit that Mother's Day and Father's Day aren't huge celebratory occasions in my house - but something nice is always done.
Last weekend, Steve (my honey) and I went and had tattoos together. It was a late Mother's Day gift for me, and an early Father's Day gift for him. I enjoyed doing that together - but I still wanted to do something small for him today. So, I got up this morning and I'm currently cooking a healthy quiche for breakfast. I'm also cooking dinner tonight - so that he can have the "day off". One of my closest friends was awesome, like she always is, and bought Steve a nifty skewer set for the grill. I bought him a Barbeque Bible to go along with it. Steve LOVES to cook, and grill, so the gifts were perfect for him. The added bonus is that the kids and I can benefit from the fabulous new creations he'll be making on the grill..LOL
In regards to my own dad - today makes me a little sad. A couple of years ago, it was decided that I wouldn't buy gifts for my own parents. The main reason was because I tended to have more money during Mother's Day - but was a little short on Father's Day. I felt that it was unfair - so I cut them both off. I really hate it because this year, things are a little better for us financially - and I really would like to do something special for them both. I love my parents very much - but my father and I have a very close bond. My mom is more like a "best friend" and my dad is - well, my dad...LOL I think that this year I will find something that I can give to both of them...and from now on, I'm going to lift the "no gift rule". I just hate not being able to buy gifts for them.
Anways, enough with my own personal babbling. I was a bad girl and didn't go running this morning. I was up at 7:30, but it was already over 80 degrees outside!! That's really nothing compared to the temperatures that I do bootcamp in - but I chickened out. It just means that I will get a small jog in on the treadmill this afternoon, and work on some more weights. I'm getting excited about yoga class in the morning - my stomach is feeling much better so I'm hoping that the stretching I do in yoga will be a help to getting it even more recovered.
Well, that's it for me today...everyone enjoy the holiday. :)
Till next time. ;)
Holidays may not be a big deal to him, but they are to me. I think that there are good reasons to celebrate holidays - and don't always have to be about buying gifts. I will admit that Mother's Day and Father's Day aren't huge celebratory occasions in my house - but something nice is always done.
Last weekend, Steve (my honey) and I went and had tattoos together. It was a late Mother's Day gift for me, and an early Father's Day gift for him. I enjoyed doing that together - but I still wanted to do something small for him today. So, I got up this morning and I'm currently cooking a healthy quiche for breakfast. I'm also cooking dinner tonight - so that he can have the "day off". One of my closest friends was awesome, like she always is, and bought Steve a nifty skewer set for the grill. I bought him a Barbeque Bible to go along with it. Steve LOVES to cook, and grill, so the gifts were perfect for him. The added bonus is that the kids and I can benefit from the fabulous new creations he'll be making on the grill..LOL
In regards to my own dad - today makes me a little sad. A couple of years ago, it was decided that I wouldn't buy gifts for my own parents. The main reason was because I tended to have more money during Mother's Day - but was a little short on Father's Day. I felt that it was unfair - so I cut them both off. I really hate it because this year, things are a little better for us financially - and I really would like to do something special for them both. I love my parents very much - but my father and I have a very close bond. My mom is more like a "best friend" and my dad is - well, my dad...LOL I think that this year I will find something that I can give to both of them...and from now on, I'm going to lift the "no gift rule". I just hate not being able to buy gifts for them.
Anways, enough with my own personal babbling. I was a bad girl and didn't go running this morning. I was up at 7:30, but it was already over 80 degrees outside!! That's really nothing compared to the temperatures that I do bootcamp in - but I chickened out. It just means that I will get a small jog in on the treadmill this afternoon, and work on some more weights. I'm getting excited about yoga class in the morning - my stomach is feeling much better so I'm hoping that the stretching I do in yoga will be a help to getting it even more recovered.
Well, that's it for me today...everyone enjoy the holiday. :)
Till next time. ;)
Saturday, June 19, 2010
School's Out for Summer!!
Today is my official first day of summer break. I haven't had a "summer break" since I was in high school - 9th grade, actually, cause I worked while in 10th - 12th grade. Even the past three years while in college, I had a part-time job while out for summer. This year, for the next six weeks, I have no school, no work, nothing...except of course freedom to focus on my body and my family.
Being that today is my first day - it's going to be devoted to relaxing. It's only fair that for at least one day I do nothing but laze on my deck and do some reading. There will be more days during the break that I will do the same - but definately today.
So, what are my plans for this monumentous first summer break in over a decade? Well, on top of bootcamp every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evening until July 16th - I'm not 100% sure. I know that I really want to spend some valuable time with my kids. That will include many trips to the pool, some movie trips, park picnics - family stuff like that.
I also want to devote some hard time on me, also. Monday morning, I will be getting up at 4am to go to my first yoga class that begins at 5:10. I will be doing yoga on Wednesday morning too, if I'm up for it after the first class. I really want to give yoga a try - not thrilled about having to get up at butt crack 30 to do it - but I'm hoping it will be really good for me. The instructor that does the yoga classes also does spin classes, so the following week I may give spin class a go. My biggest challenge will be what to do after bootcamp ends. As much as I have really warmed up to the idea of having a gym membership, it's just not going to be feasible once I start teaching in August. My hours will be so crazy, that it will be really hard to justify paying for a gym membership that I might be able to use once a week. That means, I will need to take everything that I learn at bootcamp and find a way to apply it to things I can do at home. That will be quite a challenge, but one I think I can do.
Ok, so now that's out of the way - on to my bootcamp replay from last night. It was another very difficult evening - probably the hardest thus far. The temperature alone made things extremely hard. When I pulled into the gym parking lot last night my car themometer was reading 97 degrees!! The evening started out with the basic burn-outs, warm-ups and calasthetics. It was then on to the obstacle course. We did it once in groups of 3 - with the usual calasthetics while waiting for the other groups to finish. After that, we were given the wonderful news (**insert sarcasm**) that we were going to do "double duty" on the obstacle course. The definition of "double duty" means running the obstacle twice without stopping in between. It was hard, grueling, hot...but I did it. After the short victory of my ability, it was on to sandbag drills. I will say right now that I HATE sandbag drills. It wouldn't be so bad if we used 50lb weights - at least they wouldn't leak sand all in your face, hair, eyes, and shirt. A 50lb weight would also be a lot easier to freakin' pick up and carry. After what seemed like an eternity of lifting and lunging with the sandbags, we could finally put the horrid things back on the pile. I thought that the evening was finally coming to a close, but I was wrong...ugh!! After what can only be described as complete muscle failure, we get the added bonus of getting to run SPRINTS..that's right, not jogging..SPRINTS!! A total of 17 to be exact. We ran eight 25 yard sprints, then six 50 yard sprints, and then three 100 yard sprints. My first couple of sprints were awesome...I hauled ass down the sidewalk. The jogs back to the starting line started getting slower and slower, until they became walks, and by the 4th or 5th sprint turned into hobbles. As soon as I got back to the starting line the dreaded "go" was yelled in my ear - signaling to haul ass down the sidewalk again. By the 100 yard sprints, my legs felt like the were hanging by a string - I could barely walk, let alone sprint 100 yards. I finished the night drained of every ounce of energy, drenched in sweat, and in shock at how much we had done in such a short time. I was so glad for the punishment to be OVER!! Now, I'm back to looking forward to Monday and hoping that my soreness is gone by then...hopefully the 5am yoga class Monday morning will help with that.
Till next time :)
Being that today is my first day - it's going to be devoted to relaxing. It's only fair that for at least one day I do nothing but laze on my deck and do some reading. There will be more days during the break that I will do the same - but definately today.
So, what are my plans for this monumentous first summer break in over a decade? Well, on top of bootcamp every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evening until July 16th - I'm not 100% sure. I know that I really want to spend some valuable time with my kids. That will include many trips to the pool, some movie trips, park picnics - family stuff like that.
I also want to devote some hard time on me, also. Monday morning, I will be getting up at 4am to go to my first yoga class that begins at 5:10. I will be doing yoga on Wednesday morning too, if I'm up for it after the first class. I really want to give yoga a try - not thrilled about having to get up at butt crack 30 to do it - but I'm hoping it will be really good for me. The instructor that does the yoga classes also does spin classes, so the following week I may give spin class a go. My biggest challenge will be what to do after bootcamp ends. As much as I have really warmed up to the idea of having a gym membership, it's just not going to be feasible once I start teaching in August. My hours will be so crazy, that it will be really hard to justify paying for a gym membership that I might be able to use once a week. That means, I will need to take everything that I learn at bootcamp and find a way to apply it to things I can do at home. That will be quite a challenge, but one I think I can do.
Ok, so now that's out of the way - on to my bootcamp replay from last night. It was another very difficult evening - probably the hardest thus far. The temperature alone made things extremely hard. When I pulled into the gym parking lot last night my car themometer was reading 97 degrees!! The evening started out with the basic burn-outs, warm-ups and calasthetics. It was then on to the obstacle course. We did it once in groups of 3 - with the usual calasthetics while waiting for the other groups to finish. After that, we were given the wonderful news (**insert sarcasm**) that we were going to do "double duty" on the obstacle course. The definition of "double duty" means running the obstacle twice without stopping in between. It was hard, grueling, hot...but I did it. After the short victory of my ability, it was on to sandbag drills. I will say right now that I HATE sandbag drills. It wouldn't be so bad if we used 50lb weights - at least they wouldn't leak sand all in your face, hair, eyes, and shirt. A 50lb weight would also be a lot easier to freakin' pick up and carry. After what seemed like an eternity of lifting and lunging with the sandbags, we could finally put the horrid things back on the pile. I thought that the evening was finally coming to a close, but I was wrong...ugh!! After what can only be described as complete muscle failure, we get the added bonus of getting to run SPRINTS..that's right, not jogging..SPRINTS!! A total of 17 to be exact. We ran eight 25 yard sprints, then six 50 yard sprints, and then three 100 yard sprints. My first couple of sprints were awesome...I hauled ass down the sidewalk. The jogs back to the starting line started getting slower and slower, until they became walks, and by the 4th or 5th sprint turned into hobbles. As soon as I got back to the starting line the dreaded "go" was yelled in my ear - signaling to haul ass down the sidewalk again. By the 100 yard sprints, my legs felt like the were hanging by a string - I could barely walk, let alone sprint 100 yards. I finished the night drained of every ounce of energy, drenched in sweat, and in shock at how much we had done in such a short time. I was so glad for the punishment to be OVER!! Now, I'm back to looking forward to Monday and hoping that my soreness is gone by then...hopefully the 5am yoga class Monday morning will help with that.
Till next time :)
Friday, June 18, 2010
It's Official!!
I'm officially signed up for the 5K Cancer Challenge that is taking place next Saturday morning. Can't think of a better way to celebrate my "kid free" weekend than with a great charitable run.
If you remember, my first 5K wasn't exactly what I planned. I had a messed up knee, it poured down rain, and I finished the race in a miserable 48 minutes. I really kind of gave up on working out and running for several weeks after - until I started bootcamp.
Now, I feel stronger than ever. My running still hasn't gotten to where I like it, but I'm hoping that the strength and endurance that I'm getting through bootcamp will help me through next week's race. My ultimate goal is to finish in less than 35 minutes - but I will be OVER JOYED if I finish in less than 40. Shaving 8 minutes off my time will be a big accomplishment. I'm still not up to being able to run for a long amount of time - I'm capping at about 3 minutes per interval, but my time having to walk is decreasing. At bootcamp Monday night, I was able to run for 3 minutes with a 1 minute walk interval inbetween for 30 minutes. There were several times that I was running for longer than 3 minutes - by the constant battering of "don't you stop running!!! Keep moving!!" from a certain drill instructor. Maybe I should record him telling me that and play it in my iPhone as I'm running??? That could be a great way to get through it...LOL
Last night, I managed to get in a good workout. I worked on the weights for about 30 minutes - focusing on my arms, chest, and back. Then I did a little while on the treadmill. I'm going to try and do the same tomorrow and Sunday - and work out Tuesday. I need one rest day, so I guess that will be next Thursday - cause bootcamp the night before the race is surely going to have a nice impact on me. I might surprise myself in the morning and actually head to the track. I so prefer running outside to my wobbly treadmill - plus it's a great stress reliever for me. It would mean having to get up at about 6:30 again in the morning, but I've done it all week - one more day isn't going to kill me.
To add an extra bonus - I'm thinking about taking a couple of yoga classes and/or spin classes next week. A perk of bootcamp is that I get to attend classes FREE!! One of my BC instructors teaches yoga and spin. She wants me to give the spin class a chance...I'm a little nervous, but I might as well take advantage of anything I can get. The yoga classes are at 5:10 in the morning!! That wouldn't be so bad, but having bootcamp the same nights would mean up at 4am, yoga, home, sleep -or I'll be totally wiped out by the time BC started.
Well, there's my rambling for today. It's my last day of summer school today - and I'm super excited about that. Now I can devote more time to planning out some good blog posts. :) Oh, and one last side note - I cheated this morning, and stepped on the scale. It said 223lbs!! Could it be that the weight is now starting to disappear?? That would be nice...guess we'll have to wait and see what the official results are next Wednesday - but that's a step in the right direction. It puts me at the official 40lbs of weight loss since January 17th. It took a lot longer than I had planned - but it's there. Here's to the next 40lbs (hopefully a lot quicker than the first).
Till next time. ;)
P.S. I started a fundraiser page to try and raise some extra money for the Cancer challenge. If you have a couple of dollars to spare - I would really appreciate you helping me reach my goal. :)
Joanna's Cancer Challenge Fundraiser Page
If you remember, my first 5K wasn't exactly what I planned. I had a messed up knee, it poured down rain, and I finished the race in a miserable 48 minutes. I really kind of gave up on working out and running for several weeks after - until I started bootcamp.
Now, I feel stronger than ever. My running still hasn't gotten to where I like it, but I'm hoping that the strength and endurance that I'm getting through bootcamp will help me through next week's race. My ultimate goal is to finish in less than 35 minutes - but I will be OVER JOYED if I finish in less than 40. Shaving 8 minutes off my time will be a big accomplishment. I'm still not up to being able to run for a long amount of time - I'm capping at about 3 minutes per interval, but my time having to walk is decreasing. At bootcamp Monday night, I was able to run for 3 minutes with a 1 minute walk interval inbetween for 30 minutes. There were several times that I was running for longer than 3 minutes - by the constant battering of "don't you stop running!!! Keep moving!!" from a certain drill instructor. Maybe I should record him telling me that and play it in my iPhone as I'm running??? That could be a great way to get through it...LOL
Last night, I managed to get in a good workout. I worked on the weights for about 30 minutes - focusing on my arms, chest, and back. Then I did a little while on the treadmill. I'm going to try and do the same tomorrow and Sunday - and work out Tuesday. I need one rest day, so I guess that will be next Thursday - cause bootcamp the night before the race is surely going to have a nice impact on me. I might surprise myself in the morning and actually head to the track. I so prefer running outside to my wobbly treadmill - plus it's a great stress reliever for me. It would mean having to get up at about 6:30 again in the morning, but I've done it all week - one more day isn't going to kill me.
To add an extra bonus - I'm thinking about taking a couple of yoga classes and/or spin classes next week. A perk of bootcamp is that I get to attend classes FREE!! One of my BC instructors teaches yoga and spin. She wants me to give the spin class a chance...I'm a little nervous, but I might as well take advantage of anything I can get. The yoga classes are at 5:10 in the morning!! That wouldn't be so bad, but having bootcamp the same nights would mean up at 4am, yoga, home, sleep -or I'll be totally wiped out by the time BC started.
Well, there's my rambling for today. It's my last day of summer school today - and I'm super excited about that. Now I can devote more time to planning out some good blog posts. :) Oh, and one last side note - I cheated this morning, and stepped on the scale. It said 223lbs!! Could it be that the weight is now starting to disappear?? That would be nice...guess we'll have to wait and see what the official results are next Wednesday - but that's a step in the right direction. It puts me at the official 40lbs of weight loss since January 17th. It took a lot longer than I had planned - but it's there. Here's to the next 40lbs (hopefully a lot quicker than the first).
Till next time. ;)
P.S. I started a fundraiser page to try and raise some extra money for the Cancer challenge. If you have a couple of dollars to spare - I would really appreciate you helping me reach my goal. :)
Joanna's Cancer Challenge Fundraiser Page
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Injury? What Injury?
So, after a long day of worrying how much I wouldn't be able to do at bootcamp yesterday, I came out working my butt off...literally.
After a quick meeting with the instructors when I arrived, they assured me that they would find alternative exercises for me to do that would give me the same benefits - but less strain on my stomach. They weren't kidding, either.
I started out by doing push-ups on the beam. I was so proud that I was able to knock out over 20 before hiting my "burn out" level. A week ago, I could barely make it to 10. Once the workout actually got underway, we were told that we were going to do circuits. I was so nervous, cause circuits are all calasthetics - something I knew I would have trouble doing. Well, I didn't. I did push-ups, swimmers, donkey kicks, knee lifts, basketball tosses, etc. The only modification I needed was for flutter kicks and mountain climbers - but the modifications were just as tough. We did 3 circuits - 70 seconds each, 50 seconds each, and then 40 seconds each. After that, it was another nice long run around the gym - twice.
The night seemed to zoom by, and not once did I start feeling any pain. I left looking like I had just gone swimming with my clothes on!! I can really feel the strength that I've gained -and in such a short time.
Next weekend, I'm running another 5K. I'm actually quite excited to see how well I do with my added training.
Wanted to give a quick update on Patsy. If you remember, Patsy is the amazing woman I met at bootcamp last Friday. Well, she's had some medical issues and last night she found out that the trainers really thought that she wasn't going to be able to do bootcamp. The trainers offered her personal training sessions in place of bootcamp. I was so amazed to see how upset she was - this woman is pure willpower, I tell you what. She still hasn't made her mind up whether or not she's going to take the personal training sessions - because she thinks it will mean that she's "quitting". I say - DO IT!!! I've never seen so much determination in a person - she thinks that it's me motivating her, but the motivation is definately the other way around. She makes me want to continue with everything I have - just as she's doing.
Patsy, honey, if you're reading this I hope you take my suggestion and the offer of the personal training. I will still be here for you - and will see you through your own weight loss journey. Taking the offer doesn't make you a quitter...it shows your strength to do whatever you have to do. :)
Till next time. ;)
After a quick meeting with the instructors when I arrived, they assured me that they would find alternative exercises for me to do that would give me the same benefits - but less strain on my stomach. They weren't kidding, either.
I started out by doing push-ups on the beam. I was so proud that I was able to knock out over 20 before hiting my "burn out" level. A week ago, I could barely make it to 10. Once the workout actually got underway, we were told that we were going to do circuits. I was so nervous, cause circuits are all calasthetics - something I knew I would have trouble doing. Well, I didn't. I did push-ups, swimmers, donkey kicks, knee lifts, basketball tosses, etc. The only modification I needed was for flutter kicks and mountain climbers - but the modifications were just as tough. We did 3 circuits - 70 seconds each, 50 seconds each, and then 40 seconds each. After that, it was another nice long run around the gym - twice.
The night seemed to zoom by, and not once did I start feeling any pain. I left looking like I had just gone swimming with my clothes on!! I can really feel the strength that I've gained -and in such a short time.
Next weekend, I'm running another 5K. I'm actually quite excited to see how well I do with my added training.
Wanted to give a quick update on Patsy. If you remember, Patsy is the amazing woman I met at bootcamp last Friday. Well, she's had some medical issues and last night she found out that the trainers really thought that she wasn't going to be able to do bootcamp. The trainers offered her personal training sessions in place of bootcamp. I was so amazed to see how upset she was - this woman is pure willpower, I tell you what. She still hasn't made her mind up whether or not she's going to take the personal training sessions - because she thinks it will mean that she's "quitting". I say - DO IT!!! I've never seen so much determination in a person - she thinks that it's me motivating her, but the motivation is definately the other way around. She makes me want to continue with everything I have - just as she's doing.
Patsy, honey, if you're reading this I hope you take my suggestion and the offer of the personal training. I will still be here for you - and will see you through your own weight loss journey. Taking the offer doesn't make you a quitter...it shows your strength to do whatever you have to do. :)
Till next time. ;)
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Weigh-In and Measurements Time
I wasn't very happy when I stepped on the scale this morning. It must be stuck - cause once again my weight is 225lbs. The postive is I didn't gain any weight....but after the compliments I have received this week I was sure that I would of lost a couple of pounds. My instructor did warn me on Monday not to take the scale's number to heart and that again it would be possible to have gained a pound or two. I didn't gain, so not gonna dwell...now it's time for the "physical" results - the inches!
This week's official results:
Weight: 225lbs (still no change)
Measurements:
Waist: 40 1/2" (no change)
Chest: 41" (-1")
Hips: 47" (-1" from first week, I didn't include this last week)
Bicep: 15" (no change)
Thigh: 23" (-1/2")
Calf: 17" (-1")
Quite an assortment this week. No change to my waist or bicep but good drops in everything else. I'm happy with that.
I know that my injury is going to be a damper on the types of results that I was expecting. It just means that I have to pick up my game in the cardio area - and work as hard as I can on everything that doesn't cause any strain to my abs. The one area of the body that I really need to most work just has to be the one area that I have to avoid..geez.
Oh well - here's to another week of doing what I can. :)
Till next time ;)
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
A Late Quickie
Not that!!! You perverted people!! I mean, it's late in the day so I thought I would fit in a quick post.
Last night at bootcamp, things got kind of rough. What we thought to be a strained hip flexer muscle now may be a sports hernia. Unfortunately, when you don't have medical insurance - and the only treatment for a sports hernia is surgery - there just isn't much I can do.
Don't worry - I'm not quitting bootcamp. I know that a lot of you are saying "is she crazy??" The best way to answer that is - "probably". It's just that I've come too far to give up now. The pain is above my pelvic bone. There is no swelling or lumps - so they don't think it's a hernia on my stomach. There's a possibility that I ripped a muscle - so I just have to be careful not to put too much strain on it.
The set back for me is that I can't partcipate in the calesthetics - which really works my core. I can still participate in the cardio exercises and the obstacle course.
Last night, I was sent into the gym to do a 5 mile stationary bike ride while the rest of the group did calesthetcis. I did that in 15 minutes (I actually did 6 miles). I went back outside just in time for a nice, long run. The run lasted about 25 minutes and I managed to run most of the way. I was able to stretch at the end of the night, too, so that was good.
I'm very disappointed that I'm going to have to miss out on some of the activities now, because I'm not going to benefit as much as everyone else. I'm hoping that the cardio and strength training I can do will still be good enough.
Well, that's today's "quickie".
Till next time. :)
Last night at bootcamp, things got kind of rough. What we thought to be a strained hip flexer muscle now may be a sports hernia. Unfortunately, when you don't have medical insurance - and the only treatment for a sports hernia is surgery - there just isn't much I can do.
Don't worry - I'm not quitting bootcamp. I know that a lot of you are saying "is she crazy??" The best way to answer that is - "probably". It's just that I've come too far to give up now. The pain is above my pelvic bone. There is no swelling or lumps - so they don't think it's a hernia on my stomach. There's a possibility that I ripped a muscle - so I just have to be careful not to put too much strain on it.
The set back for me is that I can't partcipate in the calesthetics - which really works my core. I can still participate in the cardio exercises and the obstacle course.
Last night, I was sent into the gym to do a 5 mile stationary bike ride while the rest of the group did calesthetcis. I did that in 15 minutes (I actually did 6 miles). I went back outside just in time for a nice, long run. The run lasted about 25 minutes and I managed to run most of the way. I was able to stretch at the end of the night, too, so that was good.
I'm very disappointed that I'm going to have to miss out on some of the activities now, because I'm not going to benefit as much as everyone else. I'm hoping that the cardio and strength training I can do will still be good enough.
Well, that's today's "quickie".
Till next time. :)
Monday, June 14, 2010
This Weekend Disturbed the Schedule
It's amazing to me how for the past 2 weeks I have done a great job of making time to eat 6 times a day, drink 100ozs of water, and get myself to bootcamp three times a week on top of going to school, dealing with three children, and going to bootcamp three times a week. I get to a weekend that changes the "schedule" I had put myself on - and everything goes to hell in a handbag.
A simple case of planning a head would of made things run smoothly this weekend, but instead - I bombed!! Saturday came, and I ate breakfast as usual and then ate my first snack. It was then time to head out for my tattoo. Spending four hours at a tattoo shop had a devastating effect on the schedule of my next two meals. When I finally got home, I managed to make a healthy dinner and then Steve and I headed out for the evening. Around 11:00PM, I found that I was starving!! It's crazy how going from eating six times a day to only eating three times can have such an effect on your hunger. There's really not any healthy options available at that time of night, so we opted at stoping at Taco Bell. The bad news was I did NOT order from the healthy menu - the good news was I couldn't eat all of the burrito I ordered because I got too full.
Yesterday, I started out the day just fine...I ate breakfast, my first snack, grabbed a light lunch while I was out shopping, and then it was time to head to my mom's. I missed my 4th meal, and then we decided to grab Chinese take-out on the way home. I didn't do too bad with that. I chose a light meal that was loaded with veggies, but probably still above my limit for proteins, carbs, and fats.
I'm really not happy with my food choices this weekend, or the fact that I didn't do ANY extra workouts. I'm really ready to get into this week full speed ahead. This week at bootcamp is supposed to be a hard one, so I really want to get in there and make up for the "choices" I made. I know that one bad weekend isn't going to kill me - as long as it happens on a RARE occasion. My routine will now consist of bootcamp Monday, Wednesday, and Thursdays; 30 minutes of cardio and 45 minutes of weights on Tuesdays and Thursdays; and Saturday mornings will be devoted to my running. Sundays, by order of bootcamp personnel, will be my "rest day". If I want to drop 26lbs (hopefully less than that after the weigh-in this week) in the next 5 1/2 weeks, I have GOT to start uping the ante on my work-outs. It also means NO MORE sliding out of the food schedule either.
This is my last week of school, so starting Saturday I am going to have to reevaluate my schedule. I don't plan on sitting in the house all summer, so I am going to have to start planning ahead and taking food with me - if need be. Fourth of July is approaching fast, which means another holiday full of food, fun, and drink...planning MUST be made in advance for that one.
I'm not going to dwell on things that happened this weekend, I'm going to learn from my mistakes. It's the only way to do it, right? In the words of Harley, my bootcamp instructor "I only live once, I'm gonna feed my taste buds once in a while." Once in a while is the key part of that sentence...I did it once - now no more till I'm at least done with bootcamp.
Till next time. ;)
A simple case of planning a head would of made things run smoothly this weekend, but instead - I bombed!! Saturday came, and I ate breakfast as usual and then ate my first snack. It was then time to head out for my tattoo. Spending four hours at a tattoo shop had a devastating effect on the schedule of my next two meals. When I finally got home, I managed to make a healthy dinner and then Steve and I headed out for the evening. Around 11:00PM, I found that I was starving!! It's crazy how going from eating six times a day to only eating three times can have such an effect on your hunger. There's really not any healthy options available at that time of night, so we opted at stoping at Taco Bell. The bad news was I did NOT order from the healthy menu - the good news was I couldn't eat all of the burrito I ordered because I got too full.
Yesterday, I started out the day just fine...I ate breakfast, my first snack, grabbed a light lunch while I was out shopping, and then it was time to head to my mom's. I missed my 4th meal, and then we decided to grab Chinese take-out on the way home. I didn't do too bad with that. I chose a light meal that was loaded with veggies, but probably still above my limit for proteins, carbs, and fats.
I'm really not happy with my food choices this weekend, or the fact that I didn't do ANY extra workouts. I'm really ready to get into this week full speed ahead. This week at bootcamp is supposed to be a hard one, so I really want to get in there and make up for the "choices" I made. I know that one bad weekend isn't going to kill me - as long as it happens on a RARE occasion. My routine will now consist of bootcamp Monday, Wednesday, and Thursdays; 30 minutes of cardio and 45 minutes of weights on Tuesdays and Thursdays; and Saturday mornings will be devoted to my running. Sundays, by order of bootcamp personnel, will be my "rest day". If I want to drop 26lbs (hopefully less than that after the weigh-in this week) in the next 5 1/2 weeks, I have GOT to start uping the ante on my work-outs. It also means NO MORE sliding out of the food schedule either.
This is my last week of school, so starting Saturday I am going to have to reevaluate my schedule. I don't plan on sitting in the house all summer, so I am going to have to start planning ahead and taking food with me - if need be. Fourth of July is approaching fast, which means another holiday full of food, fun, and drink...planning MUST be made in advance for that one.
I'm not going to dwell on things that happened this weekend, I'm going to learn from my mistakes. It's the only way to do it, right? In the words of Harley, my bootcamp instructor "I only live once, I'm gonna feed my taste buds once in a while." Once in a while is the key part of that sentence...I did it once - now no more till I'm at least done with bootcamp.
Till next time. ;)
Sunday, June 13, 2010
I am Now a Tattooed American
My dad is COVERED in tattoos, my mom has 1, and my brothers each have a couple. I thought it was only fitting that I join my family and their desire to be "inked". We got to the tattoo shop around noon yesterday, and I can tell you that my heart was racing. Having your first tattoo is really like having your first child. You hear so many different versions of what the pain is going to be like - you literally freak out!! Steve (my hubby) was also getting his first tattoo, so I opted to go first - just to be sure that I didn't chicken out...LOL
Sitting in the chair waiting for the artist to get ready is probably the worst part about getting a tattoo. You're sitting in the chair, psyching yourself up for the moment....it seems to last forever...and then you hear the "buzzzz" of the tattoo gun. I almost jumped out of the seat when she first turned it on. Luckily she was just getting the needle ready, and not starting. It was finally time to get started, and my dress had wet handprints on it from the sweat from my palms.
I will have to say, that when she first started doing the outline for the tattoo my nerves started to get in order. The best way I can describe the "pain" is to say it felt like I was being scratched with a sharp pencil. It was irritating, but definately nothing I couldn't handle. I felt much better about the procedure after the first part was over. When the outline was all done, the gem of a tattoo artist sprayed my shoulder with lydocane so that I would be mostly numb for the coloring part. That was so nice of her. I really didn't feel any of the coloring, except for some minor scratches here and there. The whole thing was a piece of cake!!!
Steve got his done in half the time I got mine - but his was a lot less detailed. We were still in the shop for 4 hours, though. After we left, my shoulder was kind of sore. When the sun hit the tattoo, it felt like I had bad sunburn - but again, nothing I couldn't handle.
Now, for the next 6-10 days, I have to take special care not to irritate my shoulder. This should be interesting when bootcamp is involved. I spend a lot of time on my back doing exercises there, so I just hope I'm careful enough not to irritate it.
So, I'm happy for yet another big change to myself - a permanent one. For anyone that asks "ewww, what's it going to look like when you're 80?" I will respond "old and wrinkly - like the rest of my body". In case you're wondering what the tattoo is - the inside is a triquatra. It is a Celtic/ Pagan symbol symbolizing the woman's journey of maiden, mother, and crone - and how the three phases of her life intertwine. The flowers and vines are just to give it a "girly" touch.
Till next time. :)
Saturday, June 12, 2010
I Did the Obstacle Course How Fast??
Last night, bootcamp gave me another one of those "I am Woman" moments. We found out when we first got there that we would be doing a timed run through the obstacle course. We've ran the obstacle course several times since starting bootcamp last week, but we've always done it after an ass kicking work-out - so I was always exhausted while trying to get over the obstacles.
Last night, we got the chance to do the course as fast as possible without already being exhausted. We got into our formations, and went in groups of 3. My group was the second to last group to go. I got on the starting line, listened for the signal, and off I went. I sprinted to the starting line and started jumping through the tires. Got into the 3rd tire, and BAM!! I went down. I guess I was going a little too fast..LOL I got back up, and took off again. I flew up the rope ladder, came back down the other side, flipped my legs over 5 hurdles, jumped over the sandbags, and held on at the monkey bars for 7 seconds (cause I still haven't grasped those yet). It was then on to going over and under 5 more hurdles. I climbed over the 10ft straight wall, hit the ground and army crawled my ass off....then came the 5ft wall. I'm almost to the point where I could get over it, but it didn't happen - so I took my 3 second penalty and took off the the zig-zag balance beams. I jumped off those and ran as fast as I could to the finish line. My heart was pounding, my legs were screaming, but I ran!! I crossed the finish line and heard "2 minutes 39 seconds". I looked around thinking surely they were talking to someone else - but nope, I had completed the course in a little over 2 1/2 minutes. I was sooooo happy!!!
Shortly after letting my victory set in, I noticed that one of the recruits that had started with me was having a really hard time getting through the course. This woman started bootcamp on Wednesday. She is a larger woman, and reminded me very much of how I looked this time last year. I was so amazed that she was willing to give bootcamp a try. When I saw her struggling, I knew what I had to do. I went back to where she was and started cheering for her. I was with her every step of the way - and it blew my mind to watch this woman get over the obstacles that I struggle with. When it came to the army crawl, she zipped through that sucker like she was on a slip and slide. I could see the exhaustion in her face and so I just had to help. I helped her across the zig-zag bars, and then ran with her to the finish line. She didn't say "I can't" once...she did it!! Tears welled in my eyes as this woman crossed the finish line. Unfortunately, the fear that she accounted while doing the course set in - and it caused her to get very dizzy and had to be taken in side for some medical treatment.
After seeing this woman, the motivation level in me shot through the roof. I was so proud of her, and knew that I had to step in and do what I could to help her achieve her goals. After bootcamp was over, I got to spend some time with her and her kids. We discussed my weight loss journey, and I told her I wanted to help her do what I did. I gave her my number and thus our friendship has now begun. My goal not only includes continuing my journey, but now includes helping this woman achieve hers.
Till next time. ;)
Last night, we got the chance to do the course as fast as possible without already being exhausted. We got into our formations, and went in groups of 3. My group was the second to last group to go. I got on the starting line, listened for the signal, and off I went. I sprinted to the starting line and started jumping through the tires. Got into the 3rd tire, and BAM!! I went down. I guess I was going a little too fast..LOL I got back up, and took off again. I flew up the rope ladder, came back down the other side, flipped my legs over 5 hurdles, jumped over the sandbags, and held on at the monkey bars for 7 seconds (cause I still haven't grasped those yet). It was then on to going over and under 5 more hurdles. I climbed over the 10ft straight wall, hit the ground and army crawled my ass off....then came the 5ft wall. I'm almost to the point where I could get over it, but it didn't happen - so I took my 3 second penalty and took off the the zig-zag balance beams. I jumped off those and ran as fast as I could to the finish line. My heart was pounding, my legs were screaming, but I ran!! I crossed the finish line and heard "2 minutes 39 seconds". I looked around thinking surely they were talking to someone else - but nope, I had completed the course in a little over 2 1/2 minutes. I was sooooo happy!!!
Shortly after letting my victory set in, I noticed that one of the recruits that had started with me was having a really hard time getting through the course. This woman started bootcamp on Wednesday. She is a larger woman, and reminded me very much of how I looked this time last year. I was so amazed that she was willing to give bootcamp a try. When I saw her struggling, I knew what I had to do. I went back to where she was and started cheering for her. I was with her every step of the way - and it blew my mind to watch this woman get over the obstacles that I struggle with. When it came to the army crawl, she zipped through that sucker like she was on a slip and slide. I could see the exhaustion in her face and so I just had to help. I helped her across the zig-zag bars, and then ran with her to the finish line. She didn't say "I can't" once...she did it!! Tears welled in my eyes as this woman crossed the finish line. Unfortunately, the fear that she accounted while doing the course set in - and it caused her to get very dizzy and had to be taken in side for some medical treatment.
After seeing this woman, the motivation level in me shot through the roof. I was so proud of her, and knew that I had to step in and do what I could to help her achieve her goals. After bootcamp was over, I got to spend some time with her and her kids. We discussed my weight loss journey, and I told her I wanted to help her do what I did. I gave her my number and thus our friendship has now begun. My goal not only includes continuing my journey, but now includes helping this woman achieve hers.
Till next time. ;)
Friday, June 11, 2010
Change of Scenery - Time to RUN!
So, you may have noticed that I have changed the background for the blog. It's only fitting that I change the background to represent one of my goals from my weight loss: to be a runner.
I have decided that on the 26th of this month, I am going to run my 2nd 5K. I'm really hoping that by that time, my running will be a lot stronger and my time will be much better. My goal for bootcamp is to be able to run a mile in 10 minutes. I would love to be able to run the 5k in 35 minutes - that's a very tall order, and over 10 minutes less than what I ran my first 5k. The thing I keep reminding myself, though, is that on my first 5k I wasn't as strong and I had a really bad knee. I finished that 5k in 48 minutes, so surely I can shave a nice chunk of time off of the next one.
This weekend, I really want to focus on my running. I have had a chance to do a little running at bootcamp, but it's focused more on strength training. That's great, and exactly what I need - but I also need to be training for my running. I keep telling myself that on my "off days" between bootcamp, that I will run - but that hasn't happened yet. Mostly because I'm so tired from the bootcamps, I need a day to rest before having to do it all over again. One thing I realized last week, though, is that having the weekend off really made things tough for me on Monday.
My hip-flexer muscle is feeling a little better - but still sore. I did my stretches this morning, and that made the pangs of pain creep back. I attempted a sit-up and the pain was there again. I decided to hold off on doing anything else until tonight, because I really don't want to add insult to injury (pun intended).
Ok, so goal for this weekend: 5 miles on the treadmill both Saturday and Sunday. Can I do it? Guess you'll just have to wait and see.
Till next time. ;)
I have decided that on the 26th of this month, I am going to run my 2nd 5K. I'm really hoping that by that time, my running will be a lot stronger and my time will be much better. My goal for bootcamp is to be able to run a mile in 10 minutes. I would love to be able to run the 5k in 35 minutes - that's a very tall order, and over 10 minutes less than what I ran my first 5k. The thing I keep reminding myself, though, is that on my first 5k I wasn't as strong and I had a really bad knee. I finished that 5k in 48 minutes, so surely I can shave a nice chunk of time off of the next one.
This weekend, I really want to focus on my running. I have had a chance to do a little running at bootcamp, but it's focused more on strength training. That's great, and exactly what I need - but I also need to be training for my running. I keep telling myself that on my "off days" between bootcamp, that I will run - but that hasn't happened yet. Mostly because I'm so tired from the bootcamps, I need a day to rest before having to do it all over again. One thing I realized last week, though, is that having the weekend off really made things tough for me on Monday.
My hip-flexer muscle is feeling a little better - but still sore. I did my stretches this morning, and that made the pangs of pain creep back. I attempted a sit-up and the pain was there again. I decided to hold off on doing anything else until tonight, because I really don't want to add insult to injury (pun intended).
Ok, so goal for this weekend: 5 miles on the treadmill both Saturday and Sunday. Can I do it? Guess you'll just have to wait and see.
Till next time. ;)
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Holy Hip-Flexer, Batman!!
Well, I have sustained my first "injury" from bootcamp - a pulled hip-flexer muscle. I noticed a sharp pain in the bottom of my stomach while working out on Monday, but didn't think much of it. That was until it was time to do sit-ups last night. The only way to describe the pain is to say that it felt like the right side of my stomach was going to rip open while trying to do a sit-up.
After reporting my pain to the instructor, he advised me of what the problem was and suggested that I watch the pain. We started out with our normal stretches and rotations, and then it was time for calasthetics. The calasthetics, thus far, have been pretty simple. Last night, the instructor thought it would be fun to add in my favorite exercise (NOT!!): flutter kicks. The minute I tried to do a flutter kick, the pain was there...bad!! I reported the pain, and the instructor suggested it might be a good idea to skip last night's workout. Hmm, easy out for a night of torture?? That's just not how I roll!! I told him I would stick it out, just might not be able to do some of the exercises. Well, I had no idea that the evening was going to consist of sand bag work-outs.
Ahhh, sandbag workouts. These workouts consist of carrying around a 50lb sandbag as if it were your child - it can NEVER touch the ground!! We did sandbag chest presses, sandbag pull-ups, and sandbag lunges...all such wonderful exercises to endure with a pulled muscle. The real icing on the cake was the fact that we had to hold our sandbag over our heads while laying flat on the ground - and they leaked!!! By the time we were done, all of us were absolutely covered in sand. I had sand in my hair, my mouth, all down my shirt...it was everywhere. I did manage to endure the torture, with only minor modifications (like not having to do flutter kicks while holding the sandbag over my head).
After the sandbag torture was over, which lasted 30 minutes I might add, we moved on to running. I was actually happy to hear that we were going to be running. Although, because of my injury, it was suggested that I spent 20 minutes on a stationary bike so that I could work on stretching my strained muscle..YAY!! (**Insert sarcasm**) Another girl had a slight back injury, so the both of us worked on stationary bikes while the rest of the group went on a jog around the gym. I thought I would have the chance to take it easy - who the heck was I kidding?? LOL The instructor put us on a set level which included high resistance. After 20 minutes on the bike, my legs felt like jello. It was then time to rejoin the group and finish up the night with some stretches.
I felt like last night was ok - it was tough, especially with the pain, but I had it easier than most. The instructor gave me some stretches that I have to do in the morning and at night to help with my pulled hip-flexor, so hopefully I will be back to full-torture by Friday..YAY!! (again **Insert sarcasm**)
Till next time ;)
After reporting my pain to the instructor, he advised me of what the problem was and suggested that I watch the pain. We started out with our normal stretches and rotations, and then it was time for calasthetics. The calasthetics, thus far, have been pretty simple. Last night, the instructor thought it would be fun to add in my favorite exercise (NOT!!): flutter kicks. The minute I tried to do a flutter kick, the pain was there...bad!! I reported the pain, and the instructor suggested it might be a good idea to skip last night's workout. Hmm, easy out for a night of torture?? That's just not how I roll!! I told him I would stick it out, just might not be able to do some of the exercises. Well, I had no idea that the evening was going to consist of sand bag work-outs.
Ahhh, sandbag workouts. These workouts consist of carrying around a 50lb sandbag as if it were your child - it can NEVER touch the ground!! We did sandbag chest presses, sandbag pull-ups, and sandbag lunges...all such wonderful exercises to endure with a pulled muscle. The real icing on the cake was the fact that we had to hold our sandbag over our heads while laying flat on the ground - and they leaked!!! By the time we were done, all of us were absolutely covered in sand. I had sand in my hair, my mouth, all down my shirt...it was everywhere. I did manage to endure the torture, with only minor modifications (like not having to do flutter kicks while holding the sandbag over my head).
After the sandbag torture was over, which lasted 30 minutes I might add, we moved on to running. I was actually happy to hear that we were going to be running. Although, because of my injury, it was suggested that I spent 20 minutes on a stationary bike so that I could work on stretching my strained muscle..YAY!! (**Insert sarcasm**) Another girl had a slight back injury, so the both of us worked on stationary bikes while the rest of the group went on a jog around the gym. I thought I would have the chance to take it easy - who the heck was I kidding?? LOL The instructor put us on a set level which included high resistance. After 20 minutes on the bike, my legs felt like jello. It was then time to rejoin the group and finish up the night with some stretches.
I felt like last night was ok - it was tough, especially with the pain, but I had it easier than most. The instructor gave me some stretches that I have to do in the morning and at night to help with my pulled hip-flexor, so hopefully I will be back to full-torture by Friday..YAY!! (again **Insert sarcasm**)
Till next time ;)
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
Bootcamp Week One Weigh-In Results
My first week of bootcamp is over, and I've got three sessions under my belt. I was very anxious to see what my weight and measurements were this morning. We were warned on Monday night that we might see a slight increase in our weight the first week or two, as our body was building muscle. I was a little nervous about hearing that - because the last thing I want to do is put ON weight.
So, here are this week's results:
225lbs (no change)
Measurements:
Waist: 40 1/2" (-1/2")
Chest: 42" (-1")
Bicep: 15" (-1")
Thigh: 23 1/2" (-1/2")
Calf: 18" (-1")
So, I would rather have no change in my weight rather than more weight. I am pretty happy with my measurements - an average loss of 1" is pretty good in a week, I think.
Keeping it short and sweet today. Will have another session of bootcamp tonight to write about tomorrow.
Till next time. ;)
So, here are this week's results:
225lbs (no change)
Measurements:
Waist: 40 1/2" (-1/2")
Chest: 42" (-1")
Bicep: 15" (-1")
Thigh: 23 1/2" (-1/2")
Calf: 18" (-1")
So, I would rather have no change in my weight rather than more weight. I am pretty happy with my measurements - an average loss of 1" is pretty good in a week, I think.
Keeping it short and sweet today. Will have another session of bootcamp tonight to write about tomorrow.
Till next time. ;)
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
My First "What was I thinking?" Moment Last Night
Last night's bootcamp was the hardest, thus far. Even though I had or have no intention of quitting, there were several times last night that I said "WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING???"
We started the evening out with push-ups, sit-ups, stretches and calasthetics. Then it was on to the obstacle course. My team was the last team to run the course, which meant we spent the whole time doing core-focused calesthetics while the other teams had their turn on the course. Spending a few minutes doing flutter kicks, push-ups, and swimmers before the course takes every ounce of energy out of me which makes the course 10 times harder. I managed to pull myself (literally) through the obstacle course - not once, but twice.
After the course, we had a 1 minute break and then it was on to circuits. The circuits consist of flutter kicks, push-ups, mountain climbers, jumping jacks, basketball tosses (you do a push-up and then stand up and jump), swimmers, and donkey kicks (you jump up and kick your own butt). We had to do 1 minute at each station, then sprint to the next station. By the last circuit, I was literally crawling. We then had another 1 minute break to find out we were doing the circuits again for 40 seconds each. That was it - the "WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING??" moment. I really couldn't do the push-ups, flutter kicks, mountain climbers, or basketball tosses, so the drill instructor had me hold a push-up position for each of those circuits for the 40 seconds.
Following the circuits, it was time for sprints. We lined up and had to sprint 100 yards and back, then 200 yards and back, and then 300 yards and back. I did this a couple of times - only having to walk back after the 300 yard run. We did all 3 runs 3 times. We then walked 300 yards back to our starting formations. We then ended the night with some stretches - which I will admit felt SOOOO good. I was really hurting more than I've ever hurt before we started stretching, but the stretches made everything feel much better.
When we were dismissed, I had a quick nutritional check and got the ok for doing well. I was then given a gym membership to use while I'm in bootcamp. I was excited about that - cause that means on the weekends I can go and take a couple of classes to keep things working while I'm not at bootcamp. I know, I'm a gluten for punishment, but I'm not going through all of this torture for nothing.
This morning, I'm not nearly as sore as I thought I'd be. Don't get me wrong, I ache, but I also feel really good. I guess that shows that I'm getting stronger?? We'll see.
Till next time. ;)
We started the evening out with push-ups, sit-ups, stretches and calasthetics. Then it was on to the obstacle course. My team was the last team to run the course, which meant we spent the whole time doing core-focused calesthetics while the other teams had their turn on the course. Spending a few minutes doing flutter kicks, push-ups, and swimmers before the course takes every ounce of energy out of me which makes the course 10 times harder. I managed to pull myself (literally) through the obstacle course - not once, but twice.
After the course, we had a 1 minute break and then it was on to circuits. The circuits consist of flutter kicks, push-ups, mountain climbers, jumping jacks, basketball tosses (you do a push-up and then stand up and jump), swimmers, and donkey kicks (you jump up and kick your own butt). We had to do 1 minute at each station, then sprint to the next station. By the last circuit, I was literally crawling. We then had another 1 minute break to find out we were doing the circuits again for 40 seconds each. That was it - the "WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING??" moment. I really couldn't do the push-ups, flutter kicks, mountain climbers, or basketball tosses, so the drill instructor had me hold a push-up position for each of those circuits for the 40 seconds.
Following the circuits, it was time for sprints. We lined up and had to sprint 100 yards and back, then 200 yards and back, and then 300 yards and back. I did this a couple of times - only having to walk back after the 300 yard run. We did all 3 runs 3 times. We then walked 300 yards back to our starting formations. We then ended the night with some stretches - which I will admit felt SOOOO good. I was really hurting more than I've ever hurt before we started stretching, but the stretches made everything feel much better.
When we were dismissed, I had a quick nutritional check and got the ok for doing well. I was then given a gym membership to use while I'm in bootcamp. I was excited about that - cause that means on the weekends I can go and take a couple of classes to keep things working while I'm not at bootcamp. I know, I'm a gluten for punishment, but I'm not going through all of this torture for nothing.
This morning, I'm not nearly as sore as I thought I'd be. Don't get me wrong, I ache, but I also feel really good. I guess that shows that I'm getting stronger?? We'll see.
Till next time. ;)
Sunday, June 06, 2010
Diet for Life
Yesterday, I told you that I would share the information given to me at bootcamp on Friday all about nutrition. Those of you that have been following this blog are aware that I don't consider myself to be on a diet, rather I focus on healthy eating. In terms of using the word "diet", I actually described it as a bad word. One thing to remember during this post is that I will be using the word "diet" but it's just going to be used to describe the things that I eat. The food that I eat each day is my diet - it's not a fad plan that's going to help me lose a bunch of weight only to return to eating junk.
Ok, now that we've cleared that up - we'll talk about how to control your diet so that it can be maintained every day for the rest of your life. The information I am providing was the information provided to me by the trainers at bootcamp - it's not my opinion, it's professional advice - so PAY ATTENTION!! ;)
Any one that considers carbs or protein to be "the devil" are setting themselves up for failure. Carbohydrates and protein are necessary for a healthy body. We'll focus on carbs first. Have you ever wondered why the word "hydrate" is at the end of carbohydrates? That's because carbs help your body absorb water - the number one essential that makes your body work. If you deprive yourself of carbs, you also deprive your body from proper water absorbtion - ultimately leading towards dehydration which can cause headaches, dizziness, etc. Proper hydration helps energize your body and provides the fuel to run it properly. This can help lead to more calories being burned during exercise. If your body doesn't receive an adequate supply of water AND carbs, it will start to store body fat to help provide energy. In order for carbs to do their job, you also need to be drinking plenty of water. The recommendation for proper hydration is 100ozs of water a day!! Now, let's move on to protein. Protein helps repair and strenghten the muscles in your body. Without the correct amounts of protein, your muscles begin to break down and fat begins to store around them. Your muscles will become weak, and you will start to gain body fat. Seeing a pattern here? Basically, you will gain more body fat by depriving yourself carbs and protein - which means you will end up eventually gaining more weight.
Let's move on to how much you should be eating. In order to obtain and keep a healthy body, you need to refuel your body about six times a day. You should eat a small meal every 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Now, that doesn't mean that you eat 6 full meals a day. In order to adequately refuel, you need to focus on 6 small meals a day that are focused on small portions. Each meal should contain protein and carbs as well as a very small amount of fat. Fat is another essential, although in much smaller amounts. Fats help your body absorb vitamins and nutrients, so if you are focusing on a fat-free diet - that is very unhealthy to your body. So, how do you know what the correct amounts of carbs, proteins and fats you should be eating? Your diet should be made up of 60% carbs, 30% protein, and 10% fat. That means that each meal should have 2 servings of carbs to one serving of protein.
I asked this question during a post the other day: "How many grams of carbs and proteins should I be eating?" Well the answer to that question is in the form of formula. Don't we all love formulas? Don't worry, those that aren't great at math can do this - it's easy. You take your desired weight, cut that number in half - and that's the grams of protein you should be eating every day. The carbs should be pound for pound. Your head spinning yet?? Let me show you....
My desired body weight is 140lbs. If I cut that number in half, I get 70. That means I should be eating 70 grams of protein each day and 140 grams of carbs each day. Those numbers will help me get to my desired weight, and once I'm there will help maintain that weight.
Ok, now on to portions. Portion size is the vital key in maintaining your diet. The best tool to help with portion control is the palm of your hand. Each portion of carbs and protein should be about the size of the palm of your hand - not your entire hand - the palm. When put together, the meal should fit on a small plate. Now, you probably won't eat a piece of meat and 2 servings of veggies at each meal - but for the meals you do, use your palm as a guide. A piece of meat should be no more than 4ozs and should fit (with room) into the palm of your hand. If you eat eggs and toast for breakfast, 2 scrambled eggs and a piece of toast would be the correct portion.
Lastly, I'm going to touch on suppliments. Eating six meals a day can be quite difficult, especially to someone who leads an extremely busy lifestyle. This can't be an excuse. One mistake that I have been making is grabbing a piece of fruit to eat as my "snacks". The problem with that - no protein. An apple has 17 grams of carbs, but no protein. So, how do I add protein to it? By using a protein suppliment drink. You can find protein suppliments in any healthy food store or Wal-Mart - but be careful when making your selections. When choosing a suppliment, watch how much sugar and fat are in the suppliments. You can buy protein powder that you can add to juice or water that contain no fat or empty calories. Protein meal bars are also available. The best ones that I found are the South Beach Diet meal bars - each bar has 100 calories, 15 grams of carbs, 5 grams of protein, and 3 grams of fat which are the perfect ratios for a meal. There are other meal bars, but be sure to look at the carb to protein ratios and the fat content. If a meal bar has 5 grams of protein but 12 grams of fat - STAY AWAY!! Also remember that you can't eat 6 meal bars a day - that doesn't add up to enough carbs and protein. A guide is to eat 3 meals a day with 3 "snack size" meals a day. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner should be staple meals to eat higher amounts of carbs and protein, and the other three meals can have less carbs and protein.
Ok, I think that about sums it up. I will continue to dish out all of the great tips I learn while in bootcamp - this is a learning process for me, and I want to help pass on the knowledge I gain.
Till next time. ;)
Ok, now that we've cleared that up - we'll talk about how to control your diet so that it can be maintained every day for the rest of your life. The information I am providing was the information provided to me by the trainers at bootcamp - it's not my opinion, it's professional advice - so PAY ATTENTION!! ;)
Any one that considers carbs or protein to be "the devil" are setting themselves up for failure. Carbohydrates and protein are necessary for a healthy body. We'll focus on carbs first. Have you ever wondered why the word "hydrate" is at the end of carbohydrates? That's because carbs help your body absorb water - the number one essential that makes your body work. If you deprive yourself of carbs, you also deprive your body from proper water absorbtion - ultimately leading towards dehydration which can cause headaches, dizziness, etc. Proper hydration helps energize your body and provides the fuel to run it properly. This can help lead to more calories being burned during exercise. If your body doesn't receive an adequate supply of water AND carbs, it will start to store body fat to help provide energy. In order for carbs to do their job, you also need to be drinking plenty of water. The recommendation for proper hydration is 100ozs of water a day!! Now, let's move on to protein. Protein helps repair and strenghten the muscles in your body. Without the correct amounts of protein, your muscles begin to break down and fat begins to store around them. Your muscles will become weak, and you will start to gain body fat. Seeing a pattern here? Basically, you will gain more body fat by depriving yourself carbs and protein - which means you will end up eventually gaining more weight.
Let's move on to how much you should be eating. In order to obtain and keep a healthy body, you need to refuel your body about six times a day. You should eat a small meal every 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Now, that doesn't mean that you eat 6 full meals a day. In order to adequately refuel, you need to focus on 6 small meals a day that are focused on small portions. Each meal should contain protein and carbs as well as a very small amount of fat. Fat is another essential, although in much smaller amounts. Fats help your body absorb vitamins and nutrients, so if you are focusing on a fat-free diet - that is very unhealthy to your body. So, how do you know what the correct amounts of carbs, proteins and fats you should be eating? Your diet should be made up of 60% carbs, 30% protein, and 10% fat. That means that each meal should have 2 servings of carbs to one serving of protein.
I asked this question during a post the other day: "How many grams of carbs and proteins should I be eating?" Well the answer to that question is in the form of formula. Don't we all love formulas? Don't worry, those that aren't great at math can do this - it's easy. You take your desired weight, cut that number in half - and that's the grams of protein you should be eating every day. The carbs should be pound for pound. Your head spinning yet?? Let me show you....
My desired body weight is 140lbs. If I cut that number in half, I get 70. That means I should be eating 70 grams of protein each day and 140 grams of carbs each day. Those numbers will help me get to my desired weight, and once I'm there will help maintain that weight.
Ok, now on to portions. Portion size is the vital key in maintaining your diet. The best tool to help with portion control is the palm of your hand. Each portion of carbs and protein should be about the size of the palm of your hand - not your entire hand - the palm. When put together, the meal should fit on a small plate. Now, you probably won't eat a piece of meat and 2 servings of veggies at each meal - but for the meals you do, use your palm as a guide. A piece of meat should be no more than 4ozs and should fit (with room) into the palm of your hand. If you eat eggs and toast for breakfast, 2 scrambled eggs and a piece of toast would be the correct portion.
Lastly, I'm going to touch on suppliments. Eating six meals a day can be quite difficult, especially to someone who leads an extremely busy lifestyle. This can't be an excuse. One mistake that I have been making is grabbing a piece of fruit to eat as my "snacks". The problem with that - no protein. An apple has 17 grams of carbs, but no protein. So, how do I add protein to it? By using a protein suppliment drink. You can find protein suppliments in any healthy food store or Wal-Mart - but be careful when making your selections. When choosing a suppliment, watch how much sugar and fat are in the suppliments. You can buy protein powder that you can add to juice or water that contain no fat or empty calories. Protein meal bars are also available. The best ones that I found are the South Beach Diet meal bars - each bar has 100 calories, 15 grams of carbs, 5 grams of protein, and 3 grams of fat which are the perfect ratios for a meal. There are other meal bars, but be sure to look at the carb to protein ratios and the fat content. If a meal bar has 5 grams of protein but 12 grams of fat - STAY AWAY!! Also remember that you can't eat 6 meal bars a day - that doesn't add up to enough carbs and protein. A guide is to eat 3 meals a day with 3 "snack size" meals a day. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner should be staple meals to eat higher amounts of carbs and protein, and the other three meals can have less carbs and protein.
Ok, I think that about sums it up. I will continue to dish out all of the great tips I learn while in bootcamp - this is a learning process for me, and I want to help pass on the knowledge I gain.
Till next time. ;)
Saturday, June 05, 2010
I AM WOMAN, HEAR ME ROAR!!!!
Today's blog title is my new slogan after the workout I did at bootcamp last night. I think I'm gonna have to get a t-shirt or headband made with it - cause that's exactly how I felt after I left last night.
What a night it was. You will remember that after my first session (which just consisted of basic fitness tests) I was on the verge of passing out? Well, not last night. I made sure I stayed hydrated correctly all day, ate well all day, and ate an apple before I left to ensure that I had the proper fuel in my body for what they had in store for me.
Ok - so when we get there, there's a member of the National Guard there to help train us. We started the night out with doing push-up, sit-up, and pull-up drills. We had to do push-ups against a beam, then on the sandbags, then we went to the floor. I was very surprised that I was able to do several push-ups against the beam - not so much with the sandbags and on the ground. After that, we had to do sit-ups until we couldn't sit up anymore. I did about 15. Then the pull-ups..oh, the pull-ups. I was lucky enough to have a guy help me out, and he helped push me up so that I was able to do 5 pull-ups. That sounds impressive, but not really when you have a guy doing most of the work...LOL After that we had our nutritional counseling. We were able to sit down for 10 minutes and rest so that the head instructor could give us some tips for our nutritional logs. Because our heart rate went to rest after the counseling, it was then time for warm-ups
The stretching was simple - the calasthetics were what really got the blood pumping. We did 10 jumping jacks, 10 ski jumps, 10 lunge jumps, and then jogged on the spot. After we were good and warmed up, it was time for the obstacle course. We were paired up, and we had to do the obstacle course with a partner and race against 2 other teams. My partner and I were in the second set of people to do the course. It wouldn't of been so bad, if the drill sargeant hadn't made us do continuous calasthetics while the other team was running the course. We did push-ups, sit-ups, leg floats, swimmers, and then repeated. I was EXHAUSTED before we even started the obstacle course. I did the course, though. My partner helped motivate me the whole way, and the National Guard guy helped give me a boost over the 5ft wall. I even had the energy to sprint back to the finish line when I was done. :) When we got back, the last team was on the course and so it was back to calasthetics until that team finished the course. Did I mention I was EXHAUSTED???
After the last team completed, we had 90 seconds to get a drink of water and then we had to sprint to the end of the parking lot. There we were met with 3 foot peddled go-carts. We then did go-cart relay races as teams. Each team member would get in line, everyone had a turn at lifting and turning the go-cart, pushing the next person off, and then driving the go-cart down the track and back again. I had a lot of fun with the go-carts. They require a lot of lower body strength, and that's about the only strength I have..LOL Our team came in second (out of 3) so we didn't lose. :) After 10 push-ups for not winning, it was time to do the race again - and that race we came in second too.
So, are you feeling exhausted just from reading this yet? You should!! Only half of the session was over with by then...there was still a long way to go. Which brings me to the next challenge. This was the highlight of my night and gave me the "I am woman, hear me roar" feeling. In our teams, we were told that we were going to pull one of two National Guard HumVees across the parking lot. I was so excited. We got in our formations, grabbed the rope, and off we went. We managed to get to a steady jog pulling that sucker -and we won the race!! It was such a rush knowing that I could do something like that. Even it was a team effort - I felt so empowered. We then did it two more times...and I LOVED every time. To show that I didn't just let my team pick up the slack and that I busted my ass - here's a couple pics of my arm....the battle wound from the HumVee pulling contest:
The night still wasn't over - and it was back to the obstacle course for us. This time we ran the obstacle course individually in groups of 3. The pain of the evening really set in climbing up the rope ladder..but I just kept trucking. I pulled every ounce of energy I had inside of me and I finished that course..again!! Back to the starting line...MORE freakin' calasthetics. We did football rushes, mountain climbers, push-ups, and repeat. We did that for 5 MINUTES! That may not sound a lot...but it most certainly is. Then, just when we think it's all over - time to rest... WRONG - just one more time through the obstacle course. The last time I literally had to crawl through the course..but again, I did it. Didn't sprint to the finish line - but I jogged - and being that every muscle in my body was screaming at me...I told them to shut-up and finished.
When we were dismissed, I just had this burst of energy rush through my body. I felt like I could take on the world...not a feeling one would expect after the severe punishment I'd just put my body though. I came home, bragged to the family about my night, and then when it was time to go to bed I slept like a baby.
I woke up this morning feeling the same sense of empowerment and energy. I expected not to be able to get out of bed..LOL I am sore, don't get me wrong about that, but it's a good pain - one that makes me know that something is going on in this body for the good.
So, can you tell that I'm liking it so far?? Hopefully you can. Tomorrow, I will share the information given to me about nutrition - and the best way to be healthy for life.
Till next time. :)
What a night it was. You will remember that after my first session (which just consisted of basic fitness tests) I was on the verge of passing out? Well, not last night. I made sure I stayed hydrated correctly all day, ate well all day, and ate an apple before I left to ensure that I had the proper fuel in my body for what they had in store for me.
Ok - so when we get there, there's a member of the National Guard there to help train us. We started the night out with doing push-up, sit-up, and pull-up drills. We had to do push-ups against a beam, then on the sandbags, then we went to the floor. I was very surprised that I was able to do several push-ups against the beam - not so much with the sandbags and on the ground. After that, we had to do sit-ups until we couldn't sit up anymore. I did about 15. Then the pull-ups..oh, the pull-ups. I was lucky enough to have a guy help me out, and he helped push me up so that I was able to do 5 pull-ups. That sounds impressive, but not really when you have a guy doing most of the work...LOL After that we had our nutritional counseling. We were able to sit down for 10 minutes and rest so that the head instructor could give us some tips for our nutritional logs. Because our heart rate went to rest after the counseling, it was then time for warm-ups
The stretching was simple - the calasthetics were what really got the blood pumping. We did 10 jumping jacks, 10 ski jumps, 10 lunge jumps, and then jogged on the spot. After we were good and warmed up, it was time for the obstacle course. We were paired up, and we had to do the obstacle course with a partner and race against 2 other teams. My partner and I were in the second set of people to do the course. It wouldn't of been so bad, if the drill sargeant hadn't made us do continuous calasthetics while the other team was running the course. We did push-ups, sit-ups, leg floats, swimmers, and then repeated. I was EXHAUSTED before we even started the obstacle course. I did the course, though. My partner helped motivate me the whole way, and the National Guard guy helped give me a boost over the 5ft wall. I even had the energy to sprint back to the finish line when I was done. :) When we got back, the last team was on the course and so it was back to calasthetics until that team finished the course. Did I mention I was EXHAUSTED???
After the last team completed, we had 90 seconds to get a drink of water and then we had to sprint to the end of the parking lot. There we were met with 3 foot peddled go-carts. We then did go-cart relay races as teams. Each team member would get in line, everyone had a turn at lifting and turning the go-cart, pushing the next person off, and then driving the go-cart down the track and back again. I had a lot of fun with the go-carts. They require a lot of lower body strength, and that's about the only strength I have..LOL Our team came in second (out of 3) so we didn't lose. :) After 10 push-ups for not winning, it was time to do the race again - and that race we came in second too.
So, are you feeling exhausted just from reading this yet? You should!! Only half of the session was over with by then...there was still a long way to go. Which brings me to the next challenge. This was the highlight of my night and gave me the "I am woman, hear me roar" feeling. In our teams, we were told that we were going to pull one of two National Guard HumVees across the parking lot. I was so excited. We got in our formations, grabbed the rope, and off we went. We managed to get to a steady jog pulling that sucker -and we won the race!! It was such a rush knowing that I could do something like that. Even it was a team effort - I felt so empowered. We then did it two more times...and I LOVED every time. To show that I didn't just let my team pick up the slack and that I busted my ass - here's a couple pics of my arm....the battle wound from the HumVee pulling contest:
When we were dismissed, I just had this burst of energy rush through my body. I felt like I could take on the world...not a feeling one would expect after the severe punishment I'd just put my body though. I came home, bragged to the family about my night, and then when it was time to go to bed I slept like a baby.
I woke up this morning feeling the same sense of empowerment and energy. I expected not to be able to get out of bed..LOL I am sore, don't get me wrong about that, but it's a good pain - one that makes me know that something is going on in this body for the good.
So, can you tell that I'm liking it so far?? Hopefully you can. Tomorrow, I will share the information given to me about nutrition - and the best way to be healthy for life.
Till next time. :)
Friday, June 04, 2010
The Food Recording Book
So, everyone that has read my blog for a while knows how much I despise keeping a log of all the food that I eat. When life is stressful enough with family, work, school, working out, etc. the last thing I want to do is take time out of my busy day to sit in front of a food journal and log everything I eat - and I mean everything - and then count how many grams of carbs, protein, and fat I'm eating. Despite my despise, it's something I have to do for the next six weeks of bootcamp.
Bootcamp isn't just about working out, it's about getting healthy. That wouldn't be complete without nutritional counseling. Unfortunately, we don't get that part until tonight. On Wednesday, we were all given a log book that we have to write down EVERYTHING that we put into our mouths and then count how many grams of carbs, protein, and fat that is in all of the food and drinks. The only guidance we were given on Wednesday was that we have to eat 6 times a day and drink 100ozs of water each day. That wasn't a real problem for me, because I have been doing that for a very long time - so I'm in the routine. The part that sits uneasy with me is if am I eating the amounts I'm supposed to be?
Here's my log from yesterday:
Meal 1: 2 slices of 45 calorie toast, 2 tbsp sugar free peach butter, 8ozs of 1% milk, 3 cups of coffee Total Carbs: 38g Total Protein: 13g Total Fat: 3.5g
Meal 2: 90 calorie granola bar, 24ozs water
Total Carbs: 19g Total Protein: 1g Total Fat: 2g
Meal 3: Turkey & Cheese sandwich (on 2 slices whole wheat), 24ozs water
Total Carbs: 37g Total Protein: 25g Total Fat: 9g
Meal 4: Large apple, 24ozs water
Total Carbs: 17g Total Protein: 0 Total Fat: 0
Meal 5: Ft. long low fat ham sub from Subway, 24ozs water
Total Carbs: 96g Total Protein: 37g Total Fat: 17.5g
Meal 6: 8ozs 1% milk, 2 Weight Watchers chocolate chip cookies
Total Carbs: 26.9g Total Protein: 8.9g Total Fat: 4.5g
Grand Total Carbs: 250.9g
Grand Total Protein: 84.9g
Grand Total Fat: 36.5g
Grand Total Water: 96ozs (very close!!)
When I saw those total numbers, I was a little freaked out. That looks like A LOT! So, I decided to check out a website that I love, but haven't used in a while http://www.sparkpeople.com/ The site is a free dieting website that offers recommended daily counts based on your weight. You can log how much you eat and track if you're within your limits. For my weight, the site states that my daily goal for carbs is 163 - 236g, protein is 60-127g, and fat is 32-56g. So, I actually was in my goal range for everything but my carbs.
Now, I guess tonight will tell if the website is accurate about those ranges or not. I will say, it was weird not counting calories. The one thing the bootcamp instructor pressed on us was to NOT count calories, but instead make healthy food choices and only count protein and carbs. I would hope that being my carbs, protein, and fats were within range (somewhat) with what my recommendations are, that my calories would be about the same.
So, today's blog is not a recommendation for the "book" - you all know how I feel about that. It's just simply an update on what I have to do for bootcamp. I am curious about the counting protein, carbs, and fat vs. counting calories. I guess time will tell on that one.
I'm all ready for Round 2 tonight - and I'm not going to make the mistake of showing up not fully hydrated and without eating prior to. I'm sore this morning, something I wasn't yesterday. It's weird how exercise can have a delayed reaction on your body - but I love the phrase "no pain, no gain" so hopefully the pain is a great sign that something is already working.
Till next time. ;)
Bootcamp isn't just about working out, it's about getting healthy. That wouldn't be complete without nutritional counseling. Unfortunately, we don't get that part until tonight. On Wednesday, we were all given a log book that we have to write down EVERYTHING that we put into our mouths and then count how many grams of carbs, protein, and fat that is in all of the food and drinks. The only guidance we were given on Wednesday was that we have to eat 6 times a day and drink 100ozs of water each day. That wasn't a real problem for me, because I have been doing that for a very long time - so I'm in the routine. The part that sits uneasy with me is if am I eating the amounts I'm supposed to be?
Here's my log from yesterday:
Meal 1: 2 slices of 45 calorie toast, 2 tbsp sugar free peach butter, 8ozs of 1% milk, 3 cups of coffee Total Carbs: 38g Total Protein: 13g Total Fat: 3.5g
Meal 2: 90 calorie granola bar, 24ozs water
Total Carbs: 19g Total Protein: 1g Total Fat: 2g
Meal 3: Turkey & Cheese sandwich (on 2 slices whole wheat), 24ozs water
Total Carbs: 37g Total Protein: 25g Total Fat: 9g
Meal 4: Large apple, 24ozs water
Total Carbs: 17g Total Protein: 0 Total Fat: 0
Meal 5: Ft. long low fat ham sub from Subway, 24ozs water
Total Carbs: 96g Total Protein: 37g Total Fat: 17.5g
Meal 6: 8ozs 1% milk, 2 Weight Watchers chocolate chip cookies
Total Carbs: 26.9g Total Protein: 8.9g Total Fat: 4.5g
Grand Total Carbs: 250.9g
Grand Total Protein: 84.9g
Grand Total Fat: 36.5g
Grand Total Water: 96ozs (very close!!)
When I saw those total numbers, I was a little freaked out. That looks like A LOT! So, I decided to check out a website that I love, but haven't used in a while http://www.sparkpeople.com/ The site is a free dieting website that offers recommended daily counts based on your weight. You can log how much you eat and track if you're within your limits. For my weight, the site states that my daily goal for carbs is 163 - 236g, protein is 60-127g, and fat is 32-56g. So, I actually was in my goal range for everything but my carbs.
Now, I guess tonight will tell if the website is accurate about those ranges or not. I will say, it was weird not counting calories. The one thing the bootcamp instructor pressed on us was to NOT count calories, but instead make healthy food choices and only count protein and carbs. I would hope that being my carbs, protein, and fats were within range (somewhat) with what my recommendations are, that my calories would be about the same.
So, today's blog is not a recommendation for the "book" - you all know how I feel about that. It's just simply an update on what I have to do for bootcamp. I am curious about the counting protein, carbs, and fat vs. counting calories. I guess time will tell on that one.
I'm all ready for Round 2 tonight - and I'm not going to make the mistake of showing up not fully hydrated and without eating prior to. I'm sore this morning, something I wasn't yesterday. It's weird how exercise can have a delayed reaction on your body - but I love the phrase "no pain, no gain" so hopefully the pain is a great sign that something is already working.
Till next time. ;)
Thursday, June 03, 2010
What a Night - Bootcamp Session One
So, after much anticipation, I finally started bootcamp. What an evening it was. Being that it was the first session, we spent the entire time performing fitness tests. I really thought that it wouldn't be so bad just doing that, but oh I was wrong.
We started in the building with the AC while 3 instructors took all of our measurments. I was spot on with the measurements I posted yesterday - so I was happy about that. Then the head "drill sargeant" did the "pinch an inch" test - and holy cow!! It felt like he was going to physically remove my skin. That test was a little painful. Then the intstructors informed us that all of our sessions would be done outside, so we made our way out there. Now, luckily the temperature had dropped from 95 degrees to 90 degress - so it was only a little uncomfortable heat wise (**insert sarcasm**).
We started off with doing the push-up and sit-up test. Each test consisted of seeing how many of each we could do in a minute. I was expecting a big fat zero for both -but I was a little surprised. I actually managed to do 4 push-ups in a minute, and 10 sit-ups in a minute. I was happy with that.
Then came the running test. This was the one test that I was pretty confident about. I mean, I've done quite a bit of running in the past couple of months - so I thought it would be a piece of cake to knock out a mile. Well, we started walking to the running area which was across a field. The walk itself had me pretty pooped out..LOL So, we get to the starting line, stretch a little, and get told that we have to try and run the mile as fast as we can. I'm still thinking "no problemo"!! We start, I get a good start, and then about 45 seconds in I get a sharp pain in my side..ugh!! It was the pain that said "hey, you haven't ran in several weeks - you're not going to be able to pull this off". So, I had to walk for a second (or two, or 30). Every time the pain subsided, I took off running again - only to have the pain right back in a couple of seconds. I was getting really pissed!! I got through half a mile, and decided to just try and powerwalk back. That worked and then when I got about halfway back, I took off running again and sprinted to the end. I managed to finish the mile in 14 minutes...NOT IMPRESSED!! As soon as I was done though, it hit me why I did so bad - I almost passed out because I hadn't eaten before going....IDIOT!! I had a terrible dizzy sensation, and the feeling that I was going to throw up. The instuctors then informed us that we were headed for the obstacle course.
I have to say, being completely exhausted and on the verge of passing out didn't slow me down a bit during the obstacle course. I stepped through tires, up a 10ft rope wall, down the other side, jumped over 5 hurdles, didn't make the monkey bars, but did manage to jump over and under 6 more hurdles, had to crawl on my elbows and knees under 10ft of wire, made it over a 5ft wall (with a little help) and then ran across a zig-zag beam. We stopped between each obstacle for an explanation, so we didn't get timed - but I'm ready for that part tomorrow.
So, there you go - that's how the first day of bootcamp went. I left completely exhausted, dripping in sweat, and ready for the next round. I have a feeling I'm finally going to see some dramatic results in the next 6 weeks - so stay posted. :)
Till next time. ;)
We started in the building with the AC while 3 instructors took all of our measurments. I was spot on with the measurements I posted yesterday - so I was happy about that. Then the head "drill sargeant" did the "pinch an inch" test - and holy cow!! It felt like he was going to physically remove my skin. That test was a little painful. Then the intstructors informed us that all of our sessions would be done outside, so we made our way out there. Now, luckily the temperature had dropped from 95 degrees to 90 degress - so it was only a little uncomfortable heat wise (**insert sarcasm**).
We started off with doing the push-up and sit-up test. Each test consisted of seeing how many of each we could do in a minute. I was expecting a big fat zero for both -but I was a little surprised. I actually managed to do 4 push-ups in a minute, and 10 sit-ups in a minute. I was happy with that.
Then came the running test. This was the one test that I was pretty confident about. I mean, I've done quite a bit of running in the past couple of months - so I thought it would be a piece of cake to knock out a mile. Well, we started walking to the running area which was across a field. The walk itself had me pretty pooped out..LOL So, we get to the starting line, stretch a little, and get told that we have to try and run the mile as fast as we can. I'm still thinking "no problemo"!! We start, I get a good start, and then about 45 seconds in I get a sharp pain in my side..ugh!! It was the pain that said "hey, you haven't ran in several weeks - you're not going to be able to pull this off". So, I had to walk for a second (or two, or 30). Every time the pain subsided, I took off running again - only to have the pain right back in a couple of seconds. I was getting really pissed!! I got through half a mile, and decided to just try and powerwalk back. That worked and then when I got about halfway back, I took off running again and sprinted to the end. I managed to finish the mile in 14 minutes...NOT IMPRESSED!! As soon as I was done though, it hit me why I did so bad - I almost passed out because I hadn't eaten before going....IDIOT!! I had a terrible dizzy sensation, and the feeling that I was going to throw up. The instuctors then informed us that we were headed for the obstacle course.
I have to say, being completely exhausted and on the verge of passing out didn't slow me down a bit during the obstacle course. I stepped through tires, up a 10ft rope wall, down the other side, jumped over 5 hurdles, didn't make the monkey bars, but did manage to jump over and under 6 more hurdles, had to crawl on my elbows and knees under 10ft of wire, made it over a 5ft wall (with a little help) and then ran across a zig-zag beam. We stopped between each obstacle for an explanation, so we didn't get timed - but I'm ready for that part tomorrow.
So, there you go - that's how the first day of bootcamp went. I left completely exhausted, dripping in sweat, and ready for the next round. I have a feeling I'm finally going to see some dramatic results in the next 6 weeks - so stay posted. :)
Till next time. ;)
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Today's the Day!! Pre-Bootcamp Weigh-In and Measurements
So, time to get down to business. This morning, not only did I weigh myself, but I also decided to take some measurements. I want to see the change in the inches I'm losing, as well as the weight that will be coming off.
Ok - so starting weight for bootcamp:
225lbs
I lost the pound that I put on last week, but after the holiday and stuff I'm not too unhappy with the start weight.
Measurements:
Waist - 44"
Hips - 50 1/2" (ouch!!)
Bicep - 16"
Thigh - 28 1/2"
Calf - 19" (only 3" bigger than my bicep - ouch again!!)
It really is terrifying to see those numbers on the screen. My 2 1/2 year old is 40" tall, which means that I'm actually bigger around than she is tall!!
Here are my short-term goals:
Be smaller around than the height of my 2 year old
Lose 26lbs by August 1st (2 months)
Each week, I will add more goals that pertain to bootcamp - but until I know what I will be doing, there is no way for me to set any.
So, there you have it. My starting information. Tomorrow, you'll get to hear all about my first night at bootcamp.
Till next time. ;)
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
Plan of Action for the Blog
So, I'm down to one day away from starting boot camp - and I couldn't be more excited. I've gone back and forth between being nervous and excited, but after a lot of mental preparation - I think I'm finally ready.
I have three weeks left of summer school, and then I get 6 weeks off before having to start the fall semester. My goal is to lose at least 26lbs by the end of the summer, but if I could do that by the end of boot camp that would be AWESOME!!
So, here's what to expect going forward from me and the blog. I won't lie, it's been really difficult coming up with new stuff to talk about every day. Even though this is my personal blog to talk about my progress and feelings while trying to lose weight - I also want to incorporate helpful tips and support to others that are looking to do the same thing. Lately, it feels all I've done is talk about myself without any real helpful insight into why. There are days that I get up and sit in front of the computer for a long time trying to think about what to talk about. Then, I start rambling - and that's not good reading.
My plan is that starting bootcamp will give me 3 days a week to blog about fitness tips and how I'm doing with that, 3 days I can blog about other stuff, and Wednesdays will be "weigh-in" day that will track my progress for the week. So, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays I will blog about what I did in bootcamp and how you can apply it to your life. The other days, I will try to mix things up with eating and my personal feelings.
I really want to help motivate people and inspire them. I can't really do that if all I do is ramble on about clothes that I bought or how I painted my fingernails..LOL So, being that today is the first day of the month - it's a great time to start getting back on track with the blog.
Happy reading!!
Till next time. ;)
I have three weeks left of summer school, and then I get 6 weeks off before having to start the fall semester. My goal is to lose at least 26lbs by the end of the summer, but if I could do that by the end of boot camp that would be AWESOME!!
So, here's what to expect going forward from me and the blog. I won't lie, it's been really difficult coming up with new stuff to talk about every day. Even though this is my personal blog to talk about my progress and feelings while trying to lose weight - I also want to incorporate helpful tips and support to others that are looking to do the same thing. Lately, it feels all I've done is talk about myself without any real helpful insight into why. There are days that I get up and sit in front of the computer for a long time trying to think about what to talk about. Then, I start rambling - and that's not good reading.
My plan is that starting bootcamp will give me 3 days a week to blog about fitness tips and how I'm doing with that, 3 days I can blog about other stuff, and Wednesdays will be "weigh-in" day that will track my progress for the week. So, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays I will blog about what I did in bootcamp and how you can apply it to your life. The other days, I will try to mix things up with eating and my personal feelings.
I really want to help motivate people and inspire them. I can't really do that if all I do is ramble on about clothes that I bought or how I painted my fingernails..LOL So, being that today is the first day of the month - it's a great time to start getting back on track with the blog.
Happy reading!!
Till next time. ;)
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