A little Too Ambitious

Earlier this week I gave myself the goal of losing 1.3 kilos and as it is 2 days to weigh-in and my weight is still the same, it is pretty safe to say that I will be lucky to lose 300 grams.  I thought I had my head back where it needed to be, but unfortunately, I was wrong.  My head is still here......

rather than where I would like it to be..........

I want to get back to enjoying exercise.  I was at the point where I looked forward to getting up at 5 am to go swimming, it was actually becoming routine, a normal part of my daily life and then I let someone ruin it for me.  I hate myself at the moment.  

I hate myself because I let someone make me feel bad about myself.  I let someone make me feel utterly useless and worthless.  I let someone make me doubt myself, my abilities and what I am actually capable of.  I let them, I did it.  By letting someone else make me judge and doubt my worth, I have let myself down.   

The good news though, is that I am aware of it (this time),  I am understanding how and why I am feeling the way I am.  The best news though, is that I know it's not true.  I know now that I am worth feeling good about myself and that my life is worth more than a Tim Tam or Crunchie mmmmmm Crunchie.  I know what I have to do to change myself and my life.  This time last year I would have just given up on everything and gone back to over 115 kilos, but NOT this time.

This time I know how to deal with and beat these negative feelings I am having.  I have been a little slow getting back into the swing of things, but I have devised a new exercise routine which has gotten me a little excited to start again.  I have an early morning swim planned tomorrow, followed by the dreaded 30 Day Shred with Jill (my BFF).  I have done level 1 before, so I know I can do it. 

Tomorrow is my day!

How do you get yourself out of a fitness rut.......

• Do you sit and wallow for a few months or more?
• Do you eat whatever your heart desires?
• Do you try and kick yourself in the butt and get moving again as soon as possible?

 

Please Sir, I want some more - Sleep!

I wish I could sleep like this!

I have been having so much trouble sleeping lately it is really starting to bug me.  There were a few good nights this week where I actually felt tired and wanted to go to sleep, but unfortunately for everyone in my family it didn't last.  I love my sleep and when I don't get enough I can be really bitchy cranky.

With a good night sleep, I can handle all the things thrown at me (including the toys) during the day, but when my sleep is lacking, so is my mood.  I have been overdosing on tea because it is usually one thing that helps me relax, but the last couple of days it just isn't doing it's job (stupid tea), but I know that's only because of my lack of sleep.  I have been doing my workouts despite my best attempts of trying to talk myself out of them because I don't really feel like it and I am tired.  Luckily for me, my mind surprisingly says "NO, you are going to do it, you will feel better for it" and I do.  

The last few days, I have really been struggling on the treadmill.  The first 20 mins doing my DVD is going well and the burn is practically non-existent now (time for level 2), but I am really feeling it in my treadmill workouts.  On Monday I really had to force myself to keep going.  I really, really wanted to stop at minute 17, but I made myself finish it because it was only a 30 min workout and I knew I would feel as though I had let myself down by not finishing it.  Today's workout felt much the same, but again I pushed myself to finish and I'm glad I did. 

Today's workout consisted of day 10 of the 30 Day Shred DVD.  As I said before, the burn in this is very minimal now so I am definitely ready for level 2 and I  have no doubt, no doubt whatsoever that the burn will return 3 fold.  I am actually looking forward to the next level as I am starting to get a little bored with the same routine over and over.  I came across another Jillian Michaels DVD today, something about trouble zones, it goes for 50 mins.  I don't think I am quite ready for 50 mins of Jillian just yet, but I am going to make it a goal of mine to be able to complete it.

Anyhooo, back to today - I completed the DVD then completed another 30 mins on the treadmill.  Just like Monday, I really wasn't feeling it and really wanted to stop after about 6 mins into it.  Not wanting to feel like a complete loser I just told myself to shut up and get on with it.  I was going to do Day 2 of my 200 squats, but my legs just couldn't handle it, I was already struggling with my running intervals so I decided to try again with the squats tomorrow.  

*HRM Stats*

 

I realised this afternoon just how tired I am when I handed Miss 3 some toilet paper  (I have to hide the toilet paper otherwise the whole role ends up in the bowl) and told her to "just drink that."  All I need is a good nights sleep and a better sleeping routine and I will be able to focus much better.  I suppose it doesn't really help when I get woken at 3 am by a child screaming "I have sprinkles in my eye" - no more fairy bread for you! 

Paying for Itself!

The Vibration Platform is "just another gimmick", or is it? Well I first thought it was, then I saw a health / beauty segment on Foxtel that trials many different products from skin care to exercise equipment. 

One trial was based on which exercise was best for firming and reducing the butt. Now, we all know that squats are great for the rear end, but the top results for the trail were squats done  while standing  on the vibration platform. This trial peaked my interest in these machines a little more.  When I decided to leave the gym and get myself a treadmill my husband decided that he wanted a vibration platform because he liked it and thought it was fun. 

Since starting my Shred DVD with Jillian Michaels, apart from during the workout, I haven't really been that sore and even with the squats program I didn't think I would be able to walk up or down the stairs, but surprisingly, my legs are handling all this extra pressure pretty well. I know if I were a pair of legs I wouldn't want to be holding up 100 kilos and doing exercises - poor, poor legs.

Back to the platform - after every workout I get onto the platform where I finish up with a few minutes of squats and stretches. Then I crank up the speed and just let everything wobble shake out all the kinks for a few minutes.  The platform is on a 10 minute timer so at the very end of the workout I lie on the floor with my calves on the platform and just relax until it turns itself off.

The reason I have concluded that the platform is the best thing for after a workout is because the other night when I just did the DVD (no treadmill or platform) I was really sore.  I could really feel it going up those stairs and even after my shower, my legs were really stiff.  The next day I was still really sore and even put off my Friday workout because of it.  I do have to thank my husband for thinking the platform was fun because without him I wouldn't have it and I am soooooo glad that I do. In my opinion, the platform is paying for itself by reducing the amount of stiffness and soreness to my body.

Today's workout consisted of Day 8 of the Shred DVD followed by a 30 min interval treadmill workout  (#1) focusing on speed and then my stretches and calf massage on the vibration platform.

*HRM Stats*

Just Another Workout

Today's workout consisted of Day 7 of my Shred DVD followed by 60 mins on the treadmill with a 5 min cool down, the re-start of my 200 Squats program plus my usual stretches.

The first half of the treadmill workout focused more on speed while the last half was all about the incline.

*Workout 5*

*part 1*

*Part 2*

*Cool Down*


*200 Squats*


*HRM Stats*


*Favourite Stretches*

*Calf Stretch*

*Quad Stretch*

*Glute Stretch*

A Quick and Speedy Workout

My Thursday workout was a quick and speedy one. This was due to a couple of things (1) my knee is still a little sore from Tuesday and (2) I didn't even start it until 9 pm. This is where the 30 Day Shred comes in very handy - it's only 20 mins and with a little bit of stretching at the end it is still under 30 mins in total.

*Day 6*

On the Shred DVD is Jillian (of course) and she has 2 other ladies with her. Both Jillian and Anita are wearing a similar outfit to the one on the cover of the DVD, while Natalie wears shorts and a singlet top.

In the middle of the DVD my 4 year old daughter informed me that "I can wear clothes like that", all I could manage was an "ooooh." She then continued on with her insight and told me "you can't wear those clothes because you're fat." Charming!!

*HRM Stats*

Confessions of a Husband

In case you didn't know, I LOVE meringues - any size, shape or colour. Meringues are my serious weakness! Thanks to my Health Blitz, I have been able to limit myself to one of these babies a week and I can't wait to have it. I cherish every single bite. I have no trouble saving myself 3 Pro Points a week to indulge myself.

My husband knows I love them and with a bakery right across the street, access to these is not a problem. Every time he goes over there he brings me back something from the bakery and it is usually a meringue and he knows I can't resist them. I have always wondered why he does this. Is he trying to prevent me from losing weight?

I came across a post called Friend or Foe over at Just Another *** Weight Loss Blog. The part of this blog that really stood out to me was "ultimately you need to be able to rely on and take responsibility for this journey yourself". I immediately thought of my husband and all the times he brings me food and not just meringues. Luckily for me, I have learned to say no to the potato scallops, the McFlurry's, the Crunchie chocolate bars, the packets of chips and the chocolate and caramel slices from the bakery. I began to wonder whether my husband was a friend or my foe? I am bad enough on my own at sabotaging my efforts without the help of someone close to me who knows how much I am trying to shed the kilos.

We were talking the other day and the subject of dreams came up. I told my husband how I had a dream with Kim Kardashian and how I was a little upset because even in my dreams I am the fat girl, but then a couple of nights after that I had another dream where there was some kind of reunion and I was skinny in it. I loved that dream! It was after this that my husband confessed to me that he didn't really want me to lose the weight because he is scared that when I do get to goal that I am going to leave him for someone else. It all makes sense now - naughty husband!

Today's workout began with Day 5 of the 30 Day Shred. I am quite surprised with the differences I can feel between Day 1 and now. I still detest jumping jacks, but my shoulders must be handling the squat and press up better now cause the burn is nowhere near as bad.

Another improvement I can feel is the "butt kicks". This is just jogging on the spot but kicking your heels up to your butt. On Day 1 I had trouble with these and was just doing the "easy" option where my heels were about half way to my butt, but now, I can actually kick my own butt.

Although I was happy with my progress, my legs weren't. When I jumped onto the treadmill and started my interval workout, I could really feel it, especially in my knee (stupid knee). I was all pumped to repeat Tuesday's treadmill workout because I absolutely loved it. How sad am I falling in love with a workout!

My knee really started to hurt around the 11th minute so I decided to crop the workout to 15 mins. I have learned a lot from Janae at The Hungry Runner girl, but one thing that always sticks out is "listen to your body". I know that if I push my knee it will put me out of action for at least 2 weeks and that's somewhere I don't want to go right now.

*workout*


*Cool Down*


*HRM Stats*

The 30 Day Shred Continues

On to Tuesday! A much better workout today, but that's because I actually did one. As usual I started with the Shred DVD - Day 4 done, only 26 days to go.

I did find the workout a little easier today in some areas. The jumping jacks I still don't like, but I don't think I ever will no matter how good (or bad) I am at them. The squat and press up still hurts so I am very thankful that it is at the beginning of the DVD to get it out of the way.

Again, I followed up the DVD with 30 mins on the treadmill. This has become my new favourite workout lately. I just feel it is a great finish to the DVD - get smashed by Jillian and then smash myself with a good interval workout.

*Workout #8*


*Cool Down*

*HRM Stats*

Working It Out on a Sunday

I started today's workout with day 3 of the 30 Day Shred! My arms during the squat and press up are really feeling it. I am only using 1 kilo hand weights as well, but boy it hurts. I even noticed earlier on when I was rearranging cupboards and moving coat hangers around, my shoulders were burning. I am hoping it will get easier, but at the moment it seems to be getting harder each day. I am beginning to wonder if I am just weird in some way :)

After my "Shred" (as Jillian calls it) I wasn't in the mood for a huge treadmill workout so I ended up modifying a 30 min workout down to a quick 15 mins just to finish off my session and burn a few more calories.

*Treadmill Workout*


*Cool Down*

*HRM Stats*

I am actually really enjoying my workouts. I am getting to know the Shred DVD and I know it's the first part of the DVD that really hurts so I enjoy the second half and am already looking forward to level 2. I am not going to push myself though so I still have 7 days of level 1 to go.

The treadmill interval workouts are fantastic! I absolutely love them :0 Not only do I burn heaps of calories, but the time just flies. I am really glad that I have 'quick keys' on the treadmill though so when it calls for a change of incline or speed I can just hit a button instead of having to hit the speed or incline buttons 20 times to get to where I want to. Jillian's 20 mins goes by pretty fast as well, but I think that's because the workout is also broken into intervals.

There is nothing better than a workout that just flies by and leaves you feeling great :)

Feel the burn ~ squat press up!

Today was day 2 of my 30 Day Shred DVD with Jillian Michaels. Although it is only a 20 min workout, my goodness it really does get the heart rate up. The exercise I feel the most is the squat press up using 1kg weights. My shoulders really burn, the rest of the DVD I can handle a little better. I just keep reminding myself that the more I do it the better I will get.

I followed the DVD with a 30 min treadmill workout and a 5 min cool down :

Those 40 seconds at speed 4 sure do pass quickly.

*HRM Stats*

A New Month brings New Challenges

While exploring a Blog Hop this morning, I came across a wonderful blog called The Adventures of Goober Grape and Monkey Man written by a gorgeous woman named Stephanie. During my exploration of her blog I came across her weight loss story which inspired me to get up off my ass, away from the computer and workout. And that's what I did......

The B.I.G. news is not that I worked out but I actually did the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD which has been sitting on my shelves for a good 12 months, well, probably closer to 18 months. Although my arms were burning, then my legs were burning and sometimes my arms and legs were burning simultaneously for 20 mins, the best thing is I SURVIVED!!

I have been putting this DVD off again and again despite making promise after promise to myself that I would do it because I was scared. Scared of how unfit and unhealthy I am, but today thanks to Stephanie I did the DVD :)

"On the other side of Fear is Victory"

*HRM Stats for Shred DVD*

It actually took me a little over 28 mins to do a 20 min DVD, that's because I'm a little slow! No, only kidding, well sort of. No, it's because one of the kids needed to do a poo, another needed a drink another needed something else, they stole my hand weights and I had to find them and so on. Just a few little interruptions when doing DVDs, but they make great waterboys/girls when I am on the treadmill :)

Because I knew my legs would already be spent after the 'Shred' and because it only went for 20 mins, I decided to do an incline workout on the treadmill to up the time and burn some more calories. The interval workout looked like this :

Then I also added on a nice, relaxing 10 min cool down..............

*HRM Stats for Tredmill*


*HRM Stats for Total Workout*

All in all, I had an enjoyable afternoon. The kids were really good today when I was on the treadmill, only 2 items flew past my head, landed behind me and went for a ride. I think they are getting used to it now and the novelty has worn off a bit for them, which is even better for me.