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.

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.

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!

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!

Closing In

It's almost that time. School will be done within a week or two and then, according to my self-inflicted schedule, I should start incorporating a workout session into my day. Honestly, I've ended up having the time to do it even with school but I've been doing house renovations instead. We've still got enough projects needing done that I'm going to continue with renovations during my free time instead of exercising.

August 1st is the date I have chosen to go official with the exercise. I haven't decided yet which exercise I want to do but I'm leaning toward Hip Hop Abs because it's so freaking hot outside. In September, I want to start the The Couch-to-5K ® Running Plan, which should have me jogging 3 miles within 2 months - just in time for winter - I know, sometimes I'm not very logical. I would like to run the Powell Gardens 5K on September 10th but it looks like I'll be walking it instead (or whatever interval level I'm at on the Plan at that time). It will be my first 5K as an adult and I'm crossing my fingers that I can find some friends willing to crawl out of bed early enough to conquer it with me!

Routine

I haven't had much to write about in here because, in short, the changes I've made have become routine.

Through the week, I eat a bowl of steel-cut oats with dried fruit for breakfast, a very large salad for lunch, and small portions of whatever Ashley makes for dinner. The salad generally has at least 6g of protein but I'm not so concerned with how much I'm getting since I'm not exercising right now. I really like fish or cold chicken but sometimes cheese is all we have.

On Saturday and Sunday, if I'm up for breakfast, I'll have an egg dish or pancakes or sometimes oatmeal is just easier. If we aren't doing anything and Ashley isn't set on making something I'll have a salad for lunch. Weekends are pretty lax on what I eat - I don't really pay much attention but I know I don't eat as much or as well as I do during the week.

If the budget allows, I still eat a twist cone from McDonald's sometimes as often as one a day. It's my one splurge that I don't even try to give up. I work best on eating healthy when I don't feel like I'm telling myself "No" all the time.

I'm still taking the fish oil capsules twice a day. I'll get my blood retested in the end of July to find out if that made any difference.

I'm still not drinking soda. It will be a year in August since I gave it up and I can honestly say that I only miss it when I'm eating greasy diner food - which isn't often. Awhile back, I ordered a mixed drink and didn't even think about the fact that it would have soda in it. I felt miserable later and when I thought back on what I'd had I realized there was soda in the drink I had. Yesterday I had a 12oz bottle of Sarsaparilla made with cane sugar and didn't feel sick after, which was nice to know. Oh, I guess there was a few weeks where Ashley and I were sharing ice cream floats too - which would have had root beer in them. I think the difference is I'm not drinking it all day, or even every day.

I haven't weighed myself since the last time I posted about it so I have no idea if my weight has fluctuated but the pants I bought in the last post still fit the same so I'm assuming I haven't fluctuated much, if at all.

Ashley tried Hip Hop Abs the other day. She agrees that she won't be doing it in front of anyone but that it was a good start toward aerobic activity. She also said it is WAY cheesy, Shaun is very chatty, and the camera man likes to spend a lot of time on a specific girl LOL. She did the 5-minute Abs workout and had to take a break about halfway through, which was great news to me because it means there's a good amount of activity going on. I'll be using that program as a way to ease back into Insanity once school is done in August.

So that's it in a nutshell. Any ideas for a "cool" breakfast I can start on for summer? Low cholesterol, low sugar and filling is what I'm looking for.

Loose pants

I need to head over to Goodwill this week to shop for new pants. Every single pair of pants I own are loose now. I have two pair which don't require a belt but move around on my hips. The other pairs will fall off if I don't wear a belt. At one point in August 2010, I was wearing a 36 without a belt. I could also wear a 34 but they were tight and very uncomfortable. Being the cheap skate I am, I refused to buy another pair of 36 to be comfy. Instead I started working out so that I could fit back into the other perfectly wearable pants. Now I've done so well that none of them are fitting either. I guess that's not really a complaint though ;-)

Sweetie was concerned that I'm losing weight still even though I'm not on a strict diet nor working out. I think the difference is that I'm still eating less. And I'm still eating salads or fish with whole grains through the week. I think she's right to be concerned but until I feel excessively tired or otherwise 'not well', I'm not going to worry about how the weight is coming off.

Regarding the 'not working out' thing. While I'm not doing an actual routine workout where my heart rate increases, I have been doing something. I came across a clip of Shaun T on the Ellen Show explaining how Hip Hop Abs works. He demonstrated how to hunch your shoulders forward and tense up your stomach, then straighten up but leave your stomach flexed. This was the cornerstone of the entire workout. I decided I'd start doing that throughout the day, just whenever I thought of it. I've been driving that way, working at my desk, and sometimes when I walk. So maybe that's how my waist is slimming. I'm not breaking a sweat but I am activating the muscles in that area several times a day and that's got to be doing something. I know the first couple days of doing it, my abs were actually a bit tender. As if I'd been doing crunches. So there's a little tip for anyone not wanting to sweat their asses off but still want to slim up a bit in the tummy area. Worth a shot anyway. At the least, you won't lose inches but will gain core strength. Either way it's a win. I also noticed that when I'm flexing my stomach, I tend to sit up straight. So it's improving my posture as well!