What's next?

Today was workout 11 again.  One move I forgot to mention on Monday was the 'three part push up'.  I am not sure how anyone does this move gracefully.  Basically you pop your hands out 3 times, getting a little wider each time until you are in push up position.  I can do this one, but not nearly as pretty as Jillian's athletes.

Now that I have a little over 2 weeks left, I am starting to think about what's next.  I feel like I SHOULD do P90x because I have it.

See, the box says 'Decide, Commit, Succeed'.  But I am just so indecisive about it.  And I don't know that I want to commit to an hour + every day.  So since I haven't decided or committed.... I won't succeed?

I have heard great things about Les Mills Pump and it is only half an hour a day.  However, I am not sure I want to invest in another program when I have P90x sitting around collecting dust.  But if I will do the Les Mills pump, it's worth it. Plus, they are british, so it can't be rubish, can it?  See- I am so indecisive!!

Please leave me a comment if you know what you are going to take on next, I am really excited to hear what everyone is doing.

I have been so inspired by the viral plank challenge,  so while my son was happily frolicking around-

I decided to hold plank, here-

Right in front of our state capitol.  I didn't have my phone, so I wasn't sure of my time- I'll remember it next time.  I also did some yoga moves and 15 bonus push ups.  I think this is how I'll make the plank challenge my own- find unusual places to do plank!

Have a great night! :)

No grain, no pain?

Workout 12- the last front of the body workout.  I was a little sad to do this workout today.  Today marked the end of the surprises.  From here on out, I know what's in store.  No more nervousness or butterflies about what is left.  No more new workouts to look forward to.

I thought workout 12 was easier than workout 10.  I was surprised that some of the moves were actually pretty basic.  We even do a straight bicep curl in this one- no weird balancing squats or lunges with it, just a straight up, good old fashioned bicep curl.

My biggest fear was realized today though.  A move I could NOT do.  Like physically could not do it, not this hurts to do.  Wheel push ups- WTF?  I could barely get into wheel let alone do a push up in this position. Here is a wheel:

Yep, you are supposed to get in this position and do a push up.  I couldn't do it- so I did the modification which was to just hold the wheel position.  It seemed like everyone on the video was doing these with relative ease.  I am not sure if I am doing something wrong or what, but it wasn't working out and holding wheel was hard enough!

Other moves include a one legged bridge with lat pull, a cable move which is hollow man then up into a cable pull, plank with a lat raise, some twisty version of the crab kicks- you kick out one leg and bring the opposite arm over to that leg.  That's all I can remember- oh yeah, did I mention wheel push ups?

So, food.  I could say alot about this because it is a big thing in my life right now, but I am going to keep it simple for now.  I am having some testing done right now because of thyroid and digestive issues I have.  It is highly likely I am going to need to go gluten free for life.  While I am waiting for the results, I am eating gluten free.  This is really new to me and I have ALOT of research to do.  So for now food is difficult until I figure out the healthiest way to do a gluten free diet.  I have been relying on some gluten free store bought  products to supplement my diet while I figure it out which I really don't like to do.

I may do a whole post on this because there are some unexpected feelings that this is stirring inside me and it is a big part of my journey to wellness.

Breakfast- homemade gluten free waffle with berry compote.  This is similar in calories to the multi grain pancakes.  The batter is largely composed of mashed banana so it was crunchy and surprisingly good.  My son doesn't like pancakes or waffles, but gobbled one of these babies up.

Lunch- Greek chicken salad on gluten free English muffin.  The english muffin was store bought and it is NOT very good.  Very dry and kind of stuck in my throat.  The chicken salad was homemade from leftover roast chicken- mmmmm delicious.

Snack- banana and homemade almond butter.  The picture does not look that appetizing, but this snack was delicious!  This is a surprisingly good combination.  I figured if it goes together in a smoothie, why not eat the banana and almond butter together?  Way better than the smoothie.  Too much banana today, but I am sticking with things I know are safe that are in the house.

Dinner- chicken tostadas- not pictured.

Today was pretty much the perfect day weather wise, so it was a super active day today.  A walk to the park, workout 12, a walk around the lake, and a bike ride to the grocery store.  Whew!  I should sleep good tonight!

Is that all you've got Jillian?

I've been on a bit of a blogging hiatus dealing with a cold, but I'm still here- sweating the cold off and have done all my workouts.

Today was workout 11.  This is the last front of the body workout- the 'mother of all workouts'.  I think the fact that workout 11 and 12 go on for 3 weeks is just to stretch it out to 90 days.  Jillian states at the beginning of the workout that we are in the last 2 weeks.  The fact that this goes on for 3 weeks seems like somewhat of an afterthought.  

I had a really high calorie burn on this one, but didn't find it all that tough- definitely not 'hell on earth' as I've heard her describe it.  It was just a good tough workout and it flies by.  We start by doing reverse squats- you squat all the way down to the floor and then come up.  In the first circuit the push ups are called 'scorpion push ups'.  I found these challenging.  You bring your leg over your back to the opposite elbow as you lower.  This adds quite a bit of resistance AND it makes you unstable.  I really had to focus on engaging my core.  There are also jumping static lunges with a shoulder raise.   I thought I was going to cry when she said 'weighted burpees' for cardio, but they were not that bad.  I used 7's on this one.

I remember thinking at one time that it's a good thing that weighted push ups aren't possible or she'd have us doing push ups with weights.  I was wrong- THEY ARE possible.  You wrap your cable around your back and under your arms and the cable catches you on the way up adding resistance.  Jumping statue of liberties looked bad, but really it's just a statue of liberty with a jump.  I really liked the tricep kick backs in plank.

My food has been pretty plain because I am undergoing food intolerance tests, so I don't have any exciting food to post.  More on this later.

Hopefully back to a regular blogging schedule tomorrow.  Workout 12 and then I've seen them all!

The blahs....

Quick post today.

Today I woke up with a scratchy throat.... ugh.  The last thing I need to do is get sick the back end of the program.  I am too close to the end.  It was a very rainy day so I spent much of the day nurturing myself. Resting, drinking warm tea, and lots of water.  I did do workout 9 and it felt so much harder, but I gave it my all.   I am hoping a bath and a good nights rest will help me kick whatever this is.

Since I was sick, we didn't get out much today.  Not getting out and having a boring mom ='s a bored toddler.  A bored toddler ='s a fussy toddler.  I could feel frustration building in myself and had to work hard not to show it.  I don't like myself as a mom today, but tomorrow will be better.  How could I get frustrated with this cuteness (who climbs in the dishwasher every time I try to load it)?

Today's food is all quick and easy choices due to the above mentioned woes.

Breakfast- Mango, almond, chia overnight oats.  These are supposed to be enjoyed cold, but I was not enjoying so I heated them up.  Much better.

Lunch- Breakfast for lunch.  Breakfast burrito.  Eggs, green and red peppers, avocado, a little cheddar cheese and ALOT of salsa.

Dinner- Pan Fried curried cod over wheat couscous.  My appetite is nil, so I only ate about half and no snack today.

Have a great night!

A first...

I am usually sore the first week of a new set of workouts. By the second week the soreness has subsided and it is smooth sailing.  That was all before I met workout 10.  Weighted jumping lunges, jumping squats, weighted rockstars..... you get the picture.  They are all tough on the glutes, so I am sore again today.....very, very sore.  Cardio 3 was tough today- the soreness coupled with a higher than normal temperature in the house made it tough, but I pushed through.

I did not want to go to yoga today, but I did.  When I got there I could tell I wasn't the only one who wasn't feeling it tonight by the vibe in the air.  We went through a very stretching intensive workout tonight and it was heaven.  Afterwards our instructor said she could pick on the energy and tailored the workout to the vibe.  I LOVE that about yoga.  I got exactly what I needed.

Food-

Today I poached my very first egg and topped it with a little hot sauce.  Not bad for the first attempt.  I also had the goat cheese spread on top of toast with kiwi.

Lunch was just leftover falafel from last night, not pictured.

Snack- more yogurt!  This time with raspberry and pecans.  The novelty has worn off, I'll have something different tomorrow.

Dinner-cajun chicken pasta (I used brown rice pasta).  This was really good!  It had just the right amount of kick.  Here is the recipe from Prevention RD-

http://www.preventionrd.com/2011/12/money-matters-cajun-chicken-pasta/

Have a great night everyone!

Pigeons are cute

At one time, I thought pigeons were super cute little creatures.  Proof- I took the time to take pictures of these little cuties on my honeymoon.  Aren't they pretty?

My view on the pigeons has changed.  I am 100 % confident I don't look cute attempting the pigeon squats with a bicep curl.   I can do a few with relative ease, then I am stumbling all over the place.  Friday is my last day with workout 10 and I am praying for the love of pigeons that I can master this move!

The only other thing to say about workout 10 that hasn't been said is that I went down in weight on the half moon!!  :)   This is probably the only move you will celebrate going DOWN in weights on.  Here's a half moon, but we balance on the weights.  I moved from a 7 to a 5 lber on this one.   I may get crazy and try to balance on the floor on Friday.  We'll see!

Food today didn't go as planned, but was pretty good.  I had pancakes AGAIN this morning.  I wanted to make a savory breakfast, but by 8 am, I had been peed on and puked on and lost all ambition to cook.  It's good to have these leftovers around for mornings like these.

Lunch- Baked chicken nuggets (recipe from skinny taste) and leftover sweet potato soup.

Snack- 1/4 of a cup of my homemade yogurt topped with half of a crumbled homemade granola bar.  The yogurt tastes just like yogurt!  I made plain for the first time, but there are so many possibilities.  My husband added a little vanilla extract to make his vanilla and made a breakfast parfait.

Baked falafel for dinner.  Yummm!!

Happy cardio eve!  Have a wonderful night.

Inspiration.

What makes someone shell out $134.95 for a brand new infomercial product seconds after she gets the e-mail that it is available to be ordered?  A fitness program that has only had test group participants when there are so many other products on the market that have great testimonials.

Simple.  I was inspired by someone..... no not Jillian.  I had a random encounter with one of the test group participants and have followed her story ever since.  Her transformation is nothing short of incredible and her body has only improved since she ended the program.  She put out a video today so I am sharing it with those who may need a little inspiration.

www.youtube.com/fujitawellness 

She is A-Mazing!

Today was back to workout 9.  Still very challenging.  I am getting much better at the one legged squat into plank out and didn't stumble at all on my right leg.  Left leg still needs some work.  I can't believe that I only do this workout one more time and then I move on to the last front of the body workout.  Even though this is front of the body, I do tend to feel it in my glutes when the workout is over- there is PLENTY of lower body action in this one.

Food today- hot damn, it was a good food day.

Breakfast- kind of a snoozer, but still good.  Steel cut oats, kiwi, raspberry, pecan and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Lunch- Grilled goat cheese, avocado and tomato sandwich with a side of Kale Chips made with nutritional yeast and pepper.   This sandwich was my little creation- I made the goat cheese breakfast spread, added 1/4 of an avocado and a little tomato.   MMMMM..

Snack- Banana Blueberry Muffin.

Dinner- Salmon taco and a side of zucchini and tomato.

I received a yogurt maker for a birthday gift but haven't used it yet, so I am trying my hand at making some yogurt.  Should be interesting to see how this turns out.

Have a great night everyone! :)

Phase 3- No Joke, just results!

Happy rest day to everyone!   Sunday is rest day and also weigh in day for me.  I always try to lose 1 lb a week and usually fall a little short.  So, I hopped on the scale and closed my eyes- WOWZA!  Despite my P.F. Changs indiscretion, a zico coconut water, and some Kombucha here and there I lost 2 lbs.  This is huge for me!  YESS!!!

No workout today, so this post will be quick.

I made the soft goat cheese spread and topped it on multi-grain bread with raspberries and honey.  OMG- so good!  I used to despise honey until I found raw honey, the taste is really that much different.  My husband has the hook up on raw honey too from a co-worker.  Score.

Even the bread was locally made.  Great quality ingredients make such a difference.  Local baby, LOCAL!

We were out and about for lunch, so I had a veggie wrap with fruit.  Mmmmmmmm...... guacamole.  I don't think I go a day without avocado in some form or other these days.

For my snack, I had the trail mix.  This is really simple- chopped almonds, sunflower seeds, and I use cacao chips.  Even though a serving of this is tiny, tiny it is really filling.

For dinner we had sweet potato chorizo soup and a simple salad.  The soup definitely had some kick.
Here is a link to the recipe:

http://www.fatsecret.com/recipes/chorizo-and-sweet-potato-soup/Default.aspx

You'll notice that when white plates are used- I prepared the meal.  If black plates are used- my husband cooked.  Those are the plate sets we had pre-marriage and we tend to gravitate towards our own.

Back to push up jacks tomorrow!  Have a great night! The good wife is back, one of the few shows I still make time to watch. :)

Cardio 3 and a Victory!

I LOVE the Body Revolution program, love it.  That being said, I am very surprised at the number of errors and inconsistencies on the DVDs.  If circuit 2 in cardio 3 seems much shorter than the others, that is because it is!  There are 2 whole exercises omitted from circuit 2- I feel cheated!!!  But not cheated enough to do them when the DVD has finished.   My heart rate monitor registered another wicked calorie burn today of 416 calories.  Since I had salty sweat dripping in my eye most of the 3rd circuit I am starting to believe it.

This morning I was sorting out some clothes to give to the Goodwill when I spotted a size 2 dress I wore to a wedding a few years ago and figured I would try it on for fun.  Holy heck- it zipped all the way up!  It could definitely look better, but still- happy dance!

I am in definite need of a wardrobe revolution, but everything out right now is so blah!  Where are the vibrant springy colors?

So food today.... a very yummy mix!

Leftover pancakes- still yummy, but not as cute.

I also had a vegan 'latte'.  I have used these to replace the coffee.  I tried tea, but I really want something warm and creamy in the morning.  This is just a cup of almond milk topped with 1/2 a teaspoon of cacao powder and cinnamon.  It's a whopping 40 calories.  If you take your coffee with cream, the cream is probably more than that.

For lunch I made 1/4th of a creamy avocado recipe I got from 'Oh She Glows'.  This is a vegan website..... I like to take vegan recipes and ADD MEAT!  So I made the chicken the same way Jillian does for the spinach pesto, but paired it with the creamy avocado pasta.  This is a great way to have a creamy texture in a pasta without using dairy products.

I have nothing against vegetarians, I think it's great and so good for the planet.  I tried to be one at one time, who hasn't?  I just personally feel best as an omnivore.  Vegan recipes are just so creative though, I am obsessed.

Snack was a frozen banana pop- not pictured.


Dinner- almond crusted chicken and smashed sweet potatoes with coconut milk.  I think I'll sub in almond milk for coconut milk next time.

I am super pumped for breakfast tomorrow.  I picked up some goat cheese from my favorite dairy aire at a co-op today.  Those who know the body revolution recipes may be able to guess what is for breakfast tomorrow.

I love knowing where my food came from!  Seriously, this cheese could have come from one of the goats my son was petting- how cool is that? 

Have a great rest day!

Today!

I think we've all seen this inspirational quote in some form or the other, but it is so true.  I don't know how many times I tell myself oh, tomorrow.  This is especially true for fitness.  I finally started and once you start, you just can't stop!  Today was a great reminder of how far I have come in just a few short months and it wouldn't have happened if I hadn't started 01/03/2012!

Today was workout 10 again and it was so much easier than Tuesday.  When I did the 30 day shred, jumping lunges were a level 3 move.  I would do maybe 20 seconds of them before my legs were on fire, then I would need to switch to the modified alternating lunges.  Today, they were nothing!  I actually like them now.  I would have never imagined that a couple of months ago, it's crazy.  This doesn't just apply to fitness, it applies to so many things in life.  If you want change- just do it, you'll never regret taking action to making your life better.

There is really only one move I am struggling with- pigeon squats with bicep curls.  You stand in almost a tree like yoga position and squat down while doing a bicep curl.  Balance is my weak point, that's okay it's just something to work towards.

Today was not the best body revolution food day.  Sometimes you just have to do the best you can with what you're working with.

I woke up late this morning and had to get myself ready, my son ready and feed us both within half an hour of waking up.  So today it was cereal topped with kiwi and raspberry.  Okay, I have never had these 2 fruits together and this combination tastes like CANDY. 

Then today was girls lunch with my wonderful, supportive best girls at P.F. Changs.  I had the lettuce wraps.  Though these were within calorie range, I am sure there is something in there I was definitely not supposed to have. 

My hubby wanted to cook bolognese sauce tonight and sometimes you just have to compromise!  So I had a small portion of the bolognese on top of whole wheat pasta. 

Check out the fortune I got at P.F. Changs.  How cool is that?

I hope everyone has an absolutely fabulous weekend!  Cardio tomorrow and rest day Sunday!  Whoot! :)

Me, Myself, and I

Whenever I see an article about losing weight and living well, the author always stresses the importance of getting 7-9 hours of sleep a night.  Our body revolution book has a section on this as well.  My wonderful son has never been a good sleeper.   After two weeks of almost consistent sleeping through the night, he is back to 2 night wakings.... OY.  My husband is taking him out of town on Saturday, so I will have the whole day to do me things.  If my body cooperates, I may finally have a day of sleeping in!!  I need to plan the rest of my day out.  I can't get sucked into cleaning all day- ME time baby! After cardio 3 of course.

Today was back to workout 9.  It was a little more challenging today because I am sore.  My legs and glutes have taken quite a beating the last couple of days.  Though workout 9 is front of the body, there is plenty of leg and glute work- curtsy lunges with lat raises, squats with front raises (an old familiar level 2 shred move), static holding of chair pose and one legged squat into plank.  I also noticed I may have not had the greatest form on some of the moves on Monday.  During divebombers, I noticed my butt dipping, so I really focused on keeping it lifted and it was much more challenging.  My triceps are feeling it.  All in all, a tough workout- but so doable.  I am having the most trouble with the one legged squat into plank as well as the rock and roll squat cardio.


Food!!!  For breakfast, I wanted a little more variety than normal- like a combo plate you would get at your local Village Inn, so I just had small portions of everything.  Steel cut oats with blueberries, an egg on top of spinach and 1/4th of an avocado topped with hot sauce.  YUMMM!!

The powdery substance on top of my oats is a teaspoon of Bourbon Vanilla Protein Powder.  I use this to sweeten oats, cereal or plain yogurt on occasion instead of sugar.  I don't ever use protein powder for shakes, so even though this can says 12 servings it lasts me a good 6 months!  I really like the brand below because there are 3 ingredients and it's sweetened with Stevia.  This runs about $32.00 at my local health food store, but this company was at our Natural Living Expo and they sell it direct for $20.00- score!!

For lunch, I had the Quinoa stuffed pepper.  I'm not really sure how I feel about this one.  Quinoa is one of those things I feel like I am SUPPOSED to like, but I'm not really sure if I truly do.

My son enjoyed a body revolution meal as well.  I made the spinach pesto, but I really DON'T like this one.  He goes crazy for the stuff- see that greedy little hand reaching for it!

Snack- oh, the best part of the day.  My zucchini hummus is finally made.  I forgot to thaw out some of the pita chips, so I just cut up some red pepper instead.  I thought about cutting up some more zucchini, but it feels kind of wrong to dip zucchini in zucchini!!

Dinner was plain and not really that good.  Plain chicken breast topped with tomato and pepper and baked sweet potato fries.

I am still feeling kind of hungry and think my calories are a little too low today. I am trying to talk myself into making some banana soft serve rather than being tempted by the chocolate zico coconut water in the fridge! 

Have a good night.  If you're aching like I am- I hope your muscles recover so you can KILL your workouts tomorrow.