Hanging In

Not much to report for last week. Didn't do anything really, except a walk with a friend on Saturday and another on Sunday with my family. But, I did go down in weight a bit. I'm now at 145.5 lbs. Yesterday I did 20 mins. on the wind trainer, and I hope to do more tonight. I'll check in next week, with pictures (possibly).

Falling Off the Wagon

Yeah, I had a hard time sticking to goals last week. I did manage to do another leg workout, but the 2nd upper body workout of the week did not happen. I also managed to do a couple of good walks, but that's about it! I'm feeling a bit discouraged. I'm so tired from being up 2 or 3 times a night, and I don't think I'm eating right, or drinking enough, and I have so much STUFF to do around here. What I need to do is set exercise as my main priority. So #1 thing to do each day is exercise! Also, maybe I should just concentrate on cardio. It seems like that might be more realistic at this point in time. It's something I can do with the baby, whereas the strength training time seems to be so limited.



Anyway, it's been a month of exercising steadily, and here's my results:



weight: 147 lbs. (down 4 lbs.)

waist: 31" (down 1.5")

hips: 41" (down 1")

This puts my %BF at 35%, which is down 2.7% .



So at least things are progressing, although at a snail's pace. I guess all I can do is stick with it.

Another Week Down...

...and thousands more to go! I met all of my fitness goals this week, and I did okay with the nutrition goals. I'm still not getting in enough water, and I made a valiant effort with the whole veggie thing. I even made a lentil soup, which the family actually loved, surprise, surprise! I think if I can make more soups, that will work well for me. So here's a rundown of my week:

Monday: weights
Tuesday: 20 minutes on my wind trainer
Wednesday: I meant to do weights, but my legs were sooooo stiff from Monday's workout that I decided weights would be a bad idea. I went for a big long walk with a friend instead.
Thursday: weights
Friday: nothing, needed a rest
Saturday: weights
Sunday: big long walk with the family

So, these big walks are not exactly cardio because my heart rate isn't exactly elevated, but I figure they count as calorie-burning sessions. I can't really push it too hard yet, I need to build up slowly. But I can really feel that my strength is coming along quickly. My legs weren't sore after the 2nd and 3rd workouts of the week, so that goes to show that my body is adapting. The bad news is that I didn't lose any weight! I am still at 147.5 lbs, but I am not discouraged.

Last night (Monday, week 4 now!) I did a leg/abs workout:

squats with 10's: 2x12
reverse lunges with 10's: 2x10
step-ups with 10's: 2x10
double crunches: 3x15
oblique crunches: 3x10

I thought that I would be able to do 3 sets of legs, but they were starting to get jello-y, so I stopped at 2 sets. I'm not stiff today though!

Today I did an arm workout. I had to do 2 sets to start, then feed the crying infant, and finished the 3rd set later on:

push-ups: 3x10
narrow rows with 20's: 3x10
lateral raises with 10's: 8/8/10
alternating hammer curls with 20's: 10/8/8
dips: 3x10

Man, those push-ups were tough! Well, it was all tough, but it feels good, too! I will do these 2 workouts another time each this week, and try to get in some cardio as well.

On a roll!

So, I met my fitness goals last week, and I am so proud of myself! I even managed to do a bonus walk one day. Feeling pretty good, and so this week, I kick it up a notch. Yesterday I weighed myself, and I'm down to 147.5 lbs. That's a 2.5 pound weight loss in a week, which is more than I expected. My goals for this week are: 3 full-body weight training sessions, 3 20 minute cardio sessions on my wind trainer, eat 2 servings of veggies per day, and keep up with the water intake. The hardest part of these goals will be getting the veggies. I really don't like veggies, so I have to be very dedicated. If I eat them raw (i.e. in salad) or get them from soups, that's probably my best bet. I'm aiming for something at lunch, and then we usually have some with dinner. Should be doable!

This is the strength workout I'm doing this week (I already did it yesterday, and man, are my legs ever stiff! My chest a bit too!)

2 sets of 15 reps (done in a circuit):

bench press with 20 lb. DB's
crunches
bent-over narrow row with 10 lb. DB's
stiff-legged deadlifts with 10 lb. DB's
shoulder press with 10 lb DB's
squats with 10 lb. DB's
hammer curls with 10 lb. DB's
reverse crunches
skull crushers with 10 lb. DB's

Tonight I did my 20 minutes on the wind trainer, so I'm on track. Yay!

The New Me

I had a baby girl 3 weeks ago yesterday. She is beautiful and healthy, but I am feeling fat, ugly, and tired. I was between 120 and 125 lbs when I became pregnant, and I went up to about 170 lbs. before giving birth. Yikes! Just a little more weight gain than the recommended 25-30 lb. weight gain. Oh well, no point beating myself up about it. I just need to get busy and back on a program.

So, as of last Monday (that's March 8, 2010), this is where I'm at:

Weight: 151 lbs.
Neck: 13"
Waist: 32.5"
Hips: 42"
Upper Thigh: 23.5"

BMI: 26.8
WHR: 0.52
%BF: 37.7%
LBM: 94.1 lbs.

This puts my BMI in the overweight category and my %BF in the obese category. Nasty!

So last week my goal was to do three full body strength workouts, which I did on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I also managed to go for a one hour walk, which was a nice bonus. Here is the workout I did:

1 set of 15 of each:

knee pushups
wide-arm row with 10 lb. DB's
stationary lunges
shoulder press with 10 lb. DB's
crunches

I kind of thought I'd be able to do 2 sets of 15 reps, but I'm glad I only did 1 set. I am really out of shape!

This week, same goal of 3 strength workouts, only I will do 2 sets of 15 reps of the above exercises, and I am adding 1 set of 15 bicep curls and skull crushers with 10 lb. DB's. I did this workout yesterday, and I already felt stronger. I was also down to 150 lbs. This goes along with my other goal, to lose approximately 1 lb. per week, which means it will take me about 6 months to lose this baby weight. I think this is reasonable, and I should be able to do it without cutting calories, which I can't really do when I'm nursing.

My other goal right now is just to make sure I'm drinking enough water. I need to constantly drink so that I can keep hydrated for nursing. So wish me luck, and I will let you know next week if I reached my goals!

P.S.- I will post pictures, but I'm a little embarassed!

The Old Me

About two years ago I entered a fitness competition. I lost between 10 and 15 lbs over 8 months of training, choreographed a routine, bought costumes and tanning supplies, etc. I was living in Dawson City, Yukon at the time. The training took some real imagination and determination. I didn't have access to a fitness facility, so I did weights at the foot of my bed or in the living room after the kids were in bed. I didn't have cardio equipment, so I went out for short runs in the middle of winter (I found out through trial and error that -20 degrees is about as cold as I could handle during these jaunts) or danced around in my bedroom. I wasn't super strict with my diet, but I was consistent, and I became leaner than I'd ever been in my life. I was pretty proud of myself.

That's me in the middle, in the purple there. I was so nervous the whole time, but the adrenaline rush was incredible, and I loved hearing people cheering throughout my routine! I didn't place well (in fact, I came in last) but I don't regret doing it at all. I would like to do it again, which brings me to the purpose of this blog...