Postponing stats

I woke up to the start of my cycle this morning. So, because I am likely bloated, I'm going to wait until next week to do the weight, measurements, and the after photo.

Bottomless pit

I've been doing really great at working out. However, whenever I get back into the habit of daily workouts, it seems to kick my metabolism into overdrive. When I finish the workout I am famished! And when I'm that hungry, I don't do well with portion control. I try, don't get me wrong. I put the good portion amount on my salad plate. I scarf it down and sit for 30 minutes to wait and see if that hunger goes away. Thirty minutes (sometimes more) goes by and I'm still hungry so I eat another helping.
Logically, I can see in hindsight that instead of a second helping, maybe I should be grabbing some fruits or veggies. Unfortunately, that logical sense never seems to hit when that feeling of never-ending-hunger is upon me. The upside is that breakfast and lunch portions haven't changed!
I haven't weighed or measured yet so I can't say with certainty, but I feel like I've just managed to maintain the same weight and measurements. My pants and shirts don't feel like they fit any differently anyway, which is what I was going for.
Still though, if the worst that's happened is that I've maintained my body, I can't say that's a horrible thing.

Productivity :D

I had an excellent week!

The day job has been super busy and doesn't look like it will slow any time soon. Busy days go by quicker and leave me with a sense of accomplishment. They also leave me with an exhausted mind and stress-weary body, but the workouts wipe all that away!

I completed my weekend workouts and managed not to eat like Complete crap. Only 2 more days of Hip Hop Abs and then I'm starting the C25K program. I'm actually hoping to start that tomorrow so I'm back on track with my original calendar. I am a scheduler so I have these calendars that I printed which workout I'm doing on which days. When I changed my rest day and then skipped a few days on the HHA program, it threw off the days. I also have on the calendar that I was going to do Insanity at the same time as C25K but I've changed my mind on that. I think I'm pushing too hard and don't wanna end up back where I was last year.

Wednesday, I will be taking my weight and measurements again to compare with what I took when I started HHA, and also to serve as a comparison for when I finish C25K.

This week's lunch is leftover turkey (some lime-mint roasted and some maple roasted), turkey bacon and whole wheat penne. It seems disjointed because I intended to have sandwiches but the penne was there and Sweetie doesn't like it so I figured I may as well use it. Maybe I'll throw a pesto sauce or something similarly light.

Lazy weekend

Friday was the new rest day for the workout schedule. It's not much of a rest day when I work 2 jobs and have barely 2 hours of down time between them but that's what I've got.
Saturday I woke up very late and didn't have time to workout before heading out to celebrate my brothers' birthdays at the bowling alley. When I got home from that I was just exhausted and didn't feel well. I'd eaten like crap since Thursday night and my body was telling me about it. So I didn't work out.
Sunday I woke up by 9 (still late for what we had planned for the day), proceeded to drive 2 hours to meet up with a friend and help organize for a garage sale (don't feel like we did much though), and drive 2 hours back. I'm exhausted again. I don't feel like crap though. I just don't feel like working out. I've lost the drive. So I'm taking another day off.
I will start up again tomorrow after work. I'm not as likely to talk myself out of working out if I do it as soon as I get home from work. I just walk in the door, change into my workout clothes, and go downstairs. The weekends don't give me that opportunity. I'm a little frustrated that I let it go so easily AND went to crap on the food front, but it's one little slip and not the end of the world. I'll be back on track and feeling great in no time.
I still have steel-cut oatmeal with dried fruit for breakfast throughout the week. I just finished making lunches for the week as well. This week I'll be having tequila-lime seasoned pork with lemon soaked quinoa. I might cook some frozen veggies in a bowl after work to eat on the way home if I don't have room to eat them with lunch. The quinoa tends to fill me up pretty quick.

Measurements 08/03/2011

A continuation of my body measurements.

August 2011 (just before beginning 30-day Hip Hop Abs workout schedule)

Chest: 37
L Bicep: 10 (10.5 flexed)
R Bicep: 10 (10.5 flexed)
Waist: 32
Hips: 37
L Thigh: 18.5
R Thigh: 19.5

I never got around to weighing but I don't think it's changed much since last February (147)

A tiny rant

Few things frustrate me more than a person who is not morbidly obese calling themselves fat. If you're 250 and the target range is 150, you're overweight but not fat. I guess in my head, the label "fat" just conjures up all sorts of negative imagery and seems so demeaning. Why would you be so demeaning to yourself?
On the same line of ranting, I also get frustrated when people assume I'm exercising or eating better because I think I'm fat. Do I have an issue with my belly? Yes. I would like it to be more toned. I would like it to show definition. I'll say things like, "My pants have been fitting tight lately. It's time for me to watch what I eat and start focusing on exercise." and inevitably, someone will pipe up, "You are NOT fat!". Uh, I didn't say I Was.

Double burn!

I did Hip Hop Abs "Total Body Burn" on Tuesday night. Holy hell that burned! I'd estimate about 20 minutes of the 45 were spent in either a stationary or moving squat position. Wednesday was reminding me of what I had done every time I stood, sat, or walked! LOL

Wednesday night I did the combo "Fat Burning Cardio" which is a pretty common one on the schedule so it's getting 'easier'. Then I did the 2nd workout scheduled: "Hips, Buns, and Thighs". Holy double hell! SO much worse than Total Body Burn (in a good way). Obviously, the title gives away what muscle groups they're targeting with this workout so I should have been expecting it but I wasn't. When there was about 10 minutes left of the workout, I had sweat literally dripping off various areas of my body. I had to take my glasses off because they kept slipping down my face when I was in plank position. My knee would slip every once in a while due to the puddle accumulating under it. Just crazy. Every part in that title is noticeable today.

So the workout is excellent. Hip Hop Abs is so much better of a workout than I expected it to be.

I'm Prepared!

I've got a really busy 3 weeks coming so I decided I needed to plan my lunches so that I could prepare them over the weekend and have one less thing to remember on weekday evenings.

This week's lunches will be "Fiesta chicken sandwiches" and "Fiesta sweet potatoes". 

The chicken was just a container of fresh salsa and 2 chicken breasts in a crockpot on low for 6 hours. I strained off the excess liquid and put that in a container for the week. When I assemble my sandwich, it's a bun, slice of cheese, green peppers, pineapple, and chicken. SO tasty! 

The potatoes are 2 large sweet potatoes cut into bite sized chunks - tossed with olive oil to coat - then tossed with 2 Tbsp of fajita seasoning (I found a diy and made my own) - bake at 350 for 35 minutes. I'm not as impressed with the potatoes. I don't know if I have too much seasoning or if the potatoes just aren't sweet enough to counter the spice (the ones in the bin marked "sweet potatoes" were yellow/white - not orange.

I went ahead and rearranged the workout schedule. I could see myself allowing a skip day otherwise. So I took Saturday as my rest day and started the week on Sunday. I'll take Friday as my rest day this week which will be one day earlier than scheduled but better than 2 days early. 

I tried working out downstairs tonight. The adapter cable was missing quite a few pins so the picture wouldn't show on the television. Since I'd already lugged everything down (fan, mat, laptop, dvds, water, phone) I wasn't about to pack it all back upstairs. So I just played the dvd from my laptop. About 15 minutes in, the laptop decided it wasn't going to recognize the dvd anymore. ARGH! So I restarted the laptop and walked in place while I waited for the start-up to complete and dvd to load. The rest of the workout went flawlessly. Plus, once I turned on the light, I could see my reflection in the black television screen so it was like having a mirror!

I left the fan and mat downstairs. I think I'll keep working out down there. Maybe we'll find a freebie used dvd player somewhere.

Scheduling Snaffoo

I made my workout schedule to give me Sundays as the rest day. Unfortunately, Fridays are so crammed full that I barely have time to get a 45 minute workout in. It's do-able, I did it this Friday, but hectic and just cuts into what little time I have. One one hand, I want to re-arrange the schedule but on the other hand, I realize it's possible and kind of just want to leave it as it is because I really enjoy having that entire day. Ideally, I would get up earlier on Fridays so I can get the workout in before going to the day job - but that didn't happen this time around.
I might also start a twice a week cleaning job at my office. The current cleaning person comes on Wednesday and Friday. Just one more thing that would cut into the little span of time I have between jobs on Friday. Although I'm sure I could find a way to make it work.

As for Hip Hop Abs, I'm getting the hang of most of the routines. This means I can focus more attention to holding my abs tight and putting more energy into the movements. This also means I'm getting tired before the workout ends! Usually about 30 minutes into the 35 minute routine, I'm pounding my fists into my hips to try and loosen them up so I can continue. Then I start the 25 minute routine and barely get 10 minutes in before I have to stop or else I feel like my legs are just going to fall out from under me. Definitely more of a workout than I expected and I'm glad for it!

And Rest, I Did!

Today was my rest day on the workout schedule. I mentioned last night that I had been working other areas of my body with housework throughout the week, and was definitely ready for that day off.
When I say I didn't do anything today, I'm not exaggerating! I reluctantly crawled out of bed at 1:30pm, fixed my iced coffee drink, and sat down with my laptop to work on the logo project. Around 7, I put the laptop down and picked up my book (Catching Fire, pt 2 in the Hunger Games trilogy - excellent quick read) and got sucked into it until about 9:30. The only thing that pulled me out of the book was having to run an errand to the Plaza area (41st & Warwick). When we got home, I helped gather trash and recyclables and brought them out to the curb. That was the extent of physical motion for me.
My eyes hurt from so much near-sighted focus, and my brain is foggy from sleeping in, but my body is enjoying this relaxation bit.

Rest day!

I am so grateful for today's rest day. After a week of workouts, scrubbing floors, swinging hammers, digging and shoveling, running up and down stairs, moving heavy furniture ... - my body is toast!

And by 'rest' - I will truly be resting. I have a logo design project to work on and a good book to shove my nose in. The thunderstorm just confirmed my plans. Absolutely no work to do today!

Whoop Whoop!

This week has been amazing for productivity! I've been pretty good about getting home from work and immediately changing into workout clothes to get the Hip Hop Abs workout done. After the workout, I've been getting some housework done. We've got a bunch of friends coming over for a bbq on Saturday and we wanted the basement renovations done by then, and I wanted the house spic 'n span!
So far, I've scrubbed & mopped the living room and basement floors. I finished some landscaping work outside on that one day that wasn't 100 degrees and also wasn't raining. Great timing on my part ;-)
Tonight I have to head out the door by 7:30 for the weekend job and there are some unpredictable things that might put a kink in my already tight schedule.
Ideally, I'd like to get home from work by 5:30, get the workout in and done by 6:15, sweep & mop the bathroom, hop in the shower, and eat some dinner before 7:30. If anything else pops up though, one or more of those things won't happen. We'll see I guess!

Also, Wednesday night I did the Ab Sculpting dvd. The first routine Shaun was leading just did Not process in my brain. I could not for the life of me get the legs, abs, and arms to coordinate. The rest of the workout went swimmingly. A LOT of ab work. I was a bit shaky toward the end, which is a good thing :-)

Quick Review

Just a quick post to say how much I enjoyed last night's first workout with Hip Hop Abs. I did the Fat Burning Cardio dvd last night and was surprised at how much I actually enjoyed it! I felt great after as well. It really got my heart rate up, but not as high as Insanity had been, and my muscles weren't a quivering mess afterward! I think this will be a great way to ease back into Insanity as well as the walk/jog I have slated to begin in September.

Start Your Engines!

Today is August 1st. Well that crept up on me! As I've stated previously, it's time to start incorporating a workout session into my day. I'm starting with Hip Hop Abs because it's still so freaking hot outside. In fact, tomorrow is forecast to bring the hottest temperatures since 2003 to our area. Record high for tomorrow is 109, which was hit in 1984. Our area reached 106 in 2003. I'm really hoping we don't break or meet any previous temperature records, but in either case I'm not going to be doing outside workouts.

I've already mentioned that I would like to run the Powell Gardens 5K on September 10th as my first 5K as an adult. I've recently also become enamored by the Ruckus Course as shared by a friend who recently completed the Warrior Dash.  I mean really, it's like a playground for adults! It looks like so much fun! The realistic part of me fully realizes how difficult it would be without proper training though - so it's something to aim for. The Ruckus Course has been rescheduled for November due to our heat wave, which gives me until October to come up with the $75 (or find a team/sponsor) and get physically prepared. 

Here's my ideal timeline:
8/01 through 8/31 - Hip Hop Abs

9/05 Powell Gardens 5K

9/01 through 9/30 - Couch to 5K Plan and first half of Insanity

10/01 through 10/31 - Insanity 2nd half

11/05 Ruckus KC Course

Luckily, the first week of Hip Hop Abs is 25-30 minute workouts because I also need to get some housework and yard work done before the weekend. Since we're in 100+ temps now, those chores will be done from 6-7am when it's (hopefully) under 90. Tuesday morning I'll finish edging and filling with rock. Wed-Sat I'll do a section of the yard at a time, finishing off with the backyard on Saturday. 

I'm exhausted just thinking of it!