Friday, April 29, 2011

A Super-Quick Slimdown for Busy [Ladies]

The original article said "Busy Moms" but I could have used this before I ever had kids. Just because a person isn't a mom yet doesn't mean they aren't busy!

I digress...

So, I read this article and it makes complete sense. It's not located online so I'm going to scan in the pages for you as PDFs and outline the basic principles.

"To see results in just five weeks, do the 18-minute routine at right three times a week, plus some other form of cardio twice a week (like walking or jogging for 20-30 minutes). select the arm and ab moves from the following pages [scanned in], and incrase the length of your cardio bursts to two minutes over time. For even faster results, do the routine twice through each time, changing your strenth and cardio picks the second time through." Parents Magazine, May 2011, Page 98.

Here's the schedule:

1 arm move
1 belly move
1-minute cardio burst. Do one of the following moves:
  • jogging in place
  • jumping jacks
  • running up and down stairs
  • jumping rope
  • butt kicks
  • alternating knee lifts
  • leaping side to side
    (any of these sound familiar???)
1 arm move
1 belly move
1-minute cardio burst. Choose a different move from the previous list.
1 arm move
1 belly move
1-minute cardio burst. Choose a different move from the previous list.
1 arm move
1 belly move
1-minute cardio burst. Choose a different move from the previous list.

I've attached the scan of the article below. I had planned on possibly doing this in May, but I have developed tendinitis and am not sure if I can manage any of the cardio bursts. I have been using the recumbent elliptical bike at work and it doesn't seem to aggravate my ankle/calf so that's probably how I'll get my cardio. And maybe Wii boxing.

The 30-day challenge is wrapping up! Don't forget to post your progress tomorrow.

Fitness

Monday, April 25, 2011

support starts at home

alright. i had an easy week. because i spent the week lounging in bed, sipping on hot tea and watching cheesy movies on netflix.

no, i wasn't on vacation. i had strep throat. and a sinus infection. and an ear infection. so i was out of commission. and you know how you lose weight while you're sick? boy, did i ever.

i don't document my weight gains before this week. because that would be defeating the purpose. and instead of seeing a nice little step-down image on loseit!, i would see a zig-zag thingy going up and down and down and down and up and down... so when it looks like i've lost 1.2 lbs, i really lost over 3 lbs. i didn't document my lowest weight, because i figured that was just a fluke (it was. it's from being sick).

we ate pretty healthy this past week anyways, though. and i don't think THAT'S a fluke. my husband is finally really supportive of not having unhealthy snacks and stuff in the house, and he's loving the fresh grapes that are on the eye-level shelf in the fridge. do you know how much easier it is to eat healthy when your other half wants to eat healthy? yay! we've got this whole-life overhaul plan (it's not as drastic as it sounds, i promise), where we're getting healthy before we have a kiddo, so we can implant healthy ideas in his/her life, also.

so, the moral of this story? get sick. it's a jumpstart? no, wait. that's not it. life's easier with a supportive spouse. that means for everything, but especially for healthy eating.

Hoppy Easter!



See all of that? See all that candy? If I don't eat it, then he does... at least that's what I keep telling myself. I can't just THROW it OUT. No way Jose.






So... no change in weight , but honestly, it would have been a freaking miracle if I had. As a matter of a fact, I'm surprised I didn't gain 7 lbs. I've been fairly useless this week as I've had family down the whole week, and have been indulging in too much ice cream. Luckily the weather has been great, and we've gone on a few great walks, and played lots.

I'm sorry this post is so short, but It's late and I must sleep while I can. I hope you are all enjoying your Easter, and that your 30 day challenge was productive enough to keep you thinking about positive, healthy changes in your lives. Rome wasn't built in a day... or even 30!



Friday, April 22, 2011

skewed perspective

hello everyone. since leann's out of town, and i missed my post on monday, i'm stealing her day. i'm also stealing my post from our community site, because i wanted more people to read it. so, if this is old news for you, ignore it. but if it's not, comment, please.



since i missed my blog post this week (thanks, strep throat. and sinus infection. and ear infection.), i'm posting it here.

there was a news story on this past week, which made me think some horrible thoughts. a woman had a baby, and afterwards, got a horrible infection. i don't remember. staph or something. anyways, it put her in a coma. her husband had to make the terrifying decision to amputate her legs and arms. all of them. the woman is alive, and now trying to live without arms or legs. she's got hooks on the ends of her elbows, and stumps from her knees down. she's learning to walk as her daughter learns.

i think the point of the story was hope-- like, look at her, succeeding after this huge event. she could have died. she probably should have died. but she'll live, even if she has no appendages.

but you know what i got out of that story?
 
i wonder how much weight i would lose if i lost my arms and legs...

that's sick, people. sick.

so i had to remind myself of the name of this blog. it's not twitter to get skinnier, or twitter to lose weight, or twitter to get thinner. it's twitter to get fitter.

as much as we all focus on weight in this endeavor, shouldn't we look at the goodness of just being healthy? of making positive, healthy changes in lifestyle and eating habits? that, although i'm still 30 lbs from my goal (and probably 50 from my ideal weight per doctors and such), i have normal blood pressure? and am not pre-diabetic? and my rheumatoid arthritis is in remission? i'm making scones for breakfast (not TERRIBLE for you) and not eating a donut. i'm snacking on grapes (in season and cheap right now!) instead of candy or junk food.

and you know what? i bet you are, too.

here's my public announcement: this blog is about being healthy. about taking things one step at a time. i'm proud of all of you who have been losing weight, although i'm frustrated with my lack of weight loss. but you know how we're losing weight? not by downing hydroxycut, or getting on some fad diet. we're exercising. we're eating fruits. we're being fitter.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Where the heck I've been

Alright, so it's Wednesday, which is my day of the week, and I've been absent for a couple weeks, so I figured I should pop in here and explain a little of what's been going on in my life.

Two weeks ago, my mom's health took a drastic turn for the worse, she was hospitalized, and when she was released, it was decided that she qualified to enter in-home hospice. She's at home now, and we have been blessed with the most amazing group of hospice workers on the planet, but I've been very busy. For those fortunate enough to not know what hospice entails, my mom has a full team of health care workers who come into the home, doctors, nurses, CNAs, social workers, chaplains, and volunteers. I've wanted to be with her as much as possible while getting her set up in this new program, and as such, I haven't been around much here, or on our spruz site.

I've pretty much failed the 30 day challenge. I don't have time to work out daily, I haven't been to a Zumba class in 2 weeks (which I'm killing myself for, because I bought a monthly pass that I basically just threw away), and my eating habits have been atrocious. I'm stress eating like a mofo, and drinking like a fish, and truth be told, I can't be bothered to care about it. I feel like my priorities in my life just violently exploded and reorganized, I have a limited amount of energy to get through the day, and I just can't focus on more than a few important things.

I'm still around and making sure that I'm reading everyone's updates. I love hearing about all of your personal victories and watching you overcome your personal challenges. I just haven't had anything to contribute, so I haven't been posting along with you.

I know a few people have talked about what's coming up next for the next 30 day challenge, and I want you to know that I will SO be up for that once we get it organized.

Peace & <3

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Week 3....


O.o - I can't even imagine why I lost any weight this week. Celebrating my brother in laws birthday, was anything but weight-loss inducing. However, It looks like the weight hasn't caught up with me yet. We'll see how things look next week.

Still keeping the body moving by playing with the boy, walking, yard-work, and housework. The weather is starting to get better, and I'm starting to feel the winter blahs slipping away! Thank goodness. For added incentive, my mother, who struggles with COPD, purchased herself a treadmill to keep her body moving. If she can get on the treadmill, and huff and puff her way through a few minutes of exercise, I had better be able to do the same. I think it might be time to pull out that stupid elliptical that I tried to sell, with no luck. Maybe someone was trying to tell me something.

This week, my in-laws are visiting, and I know we will be eating extra well because of that. They generally eat a protein, a baked potato, and salad. That is a great balanced meal for me to balance out last weeks insanity.

In saying that... we all know what next weekend means right? It means Jesus rose! He came back after three days! Right????? Yes. That is true. But in our house, it also means that the Easter Bunny will be leaving egg shaped poos all around my house, and since we all know that I have very-little-to-no-willpower, I will be eating some chocolate poos. At least a couple.

I can't wait to hear about your Easter plans. Is it Church? Is it Family Dinners? Is it Chocolate poo finding indoors/outdoors? Is it community activities? Is it going to totally blow your 30 day challenge?


Saturday, April 16, 2011

Week 3 Check-In

THREE DOWN, ONE TO GO! Woot!

So, how's everyone been doing? Made any progress? Meet any goals this week?

Talk to us.

What are you plans afterward? Do you plan on continuing with your exercise regimen, or possibly changing it up a bit? Are you done after this? 
Personally, I plan to keep my momentum going. I have Zumba Fitness and I might switch that up with some of the fun sports on Wii Active (I am loving the baseball that was introduced this week, and I don't even like baseball that much). I might hit the gym some at work, but I prefer to get my workouts over with in the early morning; that seems to be working well for me. My mom has an elliptical and I may try to do that for about 15 minutes on the days when I pick up my son from her house (three days per week).

And I plan on continuing to utilize our community site. I hope you will, too. I still have goals to meet well after our 30 days are up.

Post here or write up a forum post on Spruz about the results you're seeing, how you feel, or whatever you want. Just let us know the link here in the comments.

You're doing great and are almost done with 30 days! Gives yourselves a pat on the back!

Friday, April 15, 2011

Almost There!

We're almost finished with Week 3 and will be done with the challenge before you know it!

Have you hit any snags? I felt sorry for myself this week because I haven't really seen any tangible progress even though I've completed every. single. workout. Although, when I was scratching my arm yesterday, I could feel muscle definition! And family members have told me I look like I'm losing (even if the scales say otherwise--well, my scale is currently on the fritz so I may just have to get a cheap analog to continue). My pants keep getting looser and I think I may even see a bit more definition in my waistline even if my stomach doesn't look like it's shrinking. Also, I hurt my left foot and ankle (and today, it feels like the inner muscle right below my knee is achy), so I've been glad the exercises have been fairly easy this week and not leg-intensive even though I'd like to burn more calories.

I posted yesterday on the community site that I'm getting kind of bored with my low-cal food options. However, I do go to the grocery store at some point this weekend so I'm going to see if I can vary it up a bit. Is anyone else having trouble finding healthy but tasty meals?

Thursday, April 14, 2011

lack of progress

Okay! So here's what's been going on... I've been failing at working out. I have NOT however been failing at eating less and listening to my body give me clues about when it is hungry or full. I have not really lost any weight though some of my clothes are fitting a little bit differently but not much. And last week, I feel off the band wagon for working out and then when I looked for it, it was so far away I couldn't find it! But I've worked out twice this week in four days. I still count this as progress. I plan to train to walk a 5K this summer starting the first week of May or as I like to call it "The first week of summer and please don't let there be a zombie apocalypse because I really need to relax"!

So yes, besides for 2 presentations and 2 papers due this week, along with the first part of my ePortfolio for teaching that will be submitted to the state in 2 years to get my license being due next week, I'm doing well. I just BOW down to you ladies working full-time and/or going to school and/or caring after (multiple) kid(s). So kudos to you. But I guess I'm still proud of what I'm doing. Changes aren't easy and they aren't fun, but I think I should get an "A" for effort and trying, because I am certainly doing that!

Monday, April 11, 2011

week 3? already?

yes. i just reused a title from a discussion i posted in our community site.

i'm contemplating making a ginormous salad for dinner tonight. with grilled chicken on top. and cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, carrots, mushrooms... all sorts of good veggies. yum.

i'm holding steady at 6 pounds lost. i consider that a win after my weekend neglect of the loseit app, beer(s), nachos, and a hot dog. no, i didn't go to a baseball game, even those are token baseball foods. i had the nachos at a bar, and the hot dog from sonic. so it wasn't a regular, plain hot dog. it was the one with sauerkraut and a little bacon. oh, and the one with peppers and pickles. so really, it was two hot dogs. so like i said, i win by staying within the weight i was on friday.

what else? like tamara, i fail at the wii challenge. but i'm staying active. and husband has been holding me accountable. he has asked me how things are going, and if i'm still doing the wii. i didn't hate telling him i wasn't, because i'm still doing the walking. not a walking plan or anything, but i'm making a point to walk the bridge at work (a mile and a half, round trip) at least once a day. i've taken to doing the stairs up two flights (really 3 because in between is a utilities floor), which does not make my thighs happy. but happy doesn't get me into a different size pants.

oh, and for dessert yesterday, husband and i had strawberry shortcake. yes, we had dessert. because you can make strawberry shortcake for under 200 calories. angel food cake has practically none, and use the light cool whip. then it's just fresh sliced strawberries and sugar!
trust me, it's the perfect summer dessert. especially now that berries are in season.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Wii get fitt-... crap.


Who's idea was this Wii 30 day challenge? Don't say it was mine, cause if it was, I would have to feel terribly guilty about the fact that I totally quit. GAH!

It comes down to the most pathetic excuse.... my children. Not only are they underfoot constantly (not unlike Hannah's and she hasn't given up yet) but they have SO MANY TOYS! In order for me to get a work out in, I have to spend 20 minutes tidying the living room first. Now... that doesn't sound that hard, but we all know I'm all about the "no housework"...... ;)

Okay, excuses aside, I have still been trying my darndest to get out and exercise. With the super uber OH-MY-GOD-HE-WON'T-SIT-DOWN busy toddler, it's not really that hard. Also, am still watching my diet VERY closely. I have been eating a grilled chicken salad everyday for lunch, and am pleasantly surprised by the results. Though only down one pound this week, I am not only 5 pounds away from my pre-baby weight!

Things I have learned since I started this 30 day challenge....

Beer is mostly vegan.
Skinny means "low fat milk, and sugar-free syrup"
Dogs would help in my exercising.... a lot.
I am not the only one who loathes running.
Kids and Wii active don't mix. At all.
Gardening is excellent exercise! I got out with a shovel and my wheelbarrow, and started moving dirt from one garden to another, and I was sweating!!!!!!

How is everyone else doing? Have you learnt anything on this adventure so far?




Saturday, April 9, 2011

week 2 check in

hey everyone! how'd you do for the second week?

i ended up losing weight finally! and i have my scale at home now, so i can document my weight more accurately. i didn't keep up with the wii workouts as much as i should have (blame it on work, and my master's program...) but i still kept active. whether it was taking an evening walk to starbucks with husband for a skinny vanilla latte (only 90 calories!) or walking across campus instead of taking the shuttle, i did it. i'm blessed in that i have a job that i can wear tennies and capris to if i don't have important meetings, so i've taken advantage of that this week.

what about you? end of week 2 means we're almost halfway done!

Friday, April 8, 2011

Bored?

Maybe it's just the Week 2 slump (Week 1 was fast and furious), but I'm getting kind of bored with Wii Active 30-Day Challenge workouts. Is anyone else feeling this? I haven't skipped even one session (although Wii didn't record Monday's workout because I had to skip a few activities due to my faulty nunchuck) and the past few days I just haven't been feeling like I'm making much progress even though I replaced the nunchuck and the last workout seemed to go smoothly. Maybe I need to bump up my intensity level (I'm still on easy), but I'm afraid if I do that, it'll want me to run for longer and I already hate the running the most.

I get up at 5 AM but getting dressed, a bottle of water, and the wii revved up takes a few minutes and sometimes I don't get started good until 5:15 or 5:20. Then, I'm still running when the hubs comes in the living room after his shower and I get self-conscious.

I saw good results last week. I even tried on dresses (and bought two!) and didn't feel like a fatty, as I usually do. I feel pretty today in the clothes I'm wearing, but I'm just wondering if I'm doing enough. I'm only burning around 100-140 calories with the workouts (usually the lower end). I know I'm probably toning more than anything and that's great because I need it. I just feel like I need something more.

Any suggestions? Should I just scrap the 30-Day Challenge function of the game and customize my own workouts? Should I do Wii Zumba instead (I haven't even put this in the Wii yet to see how long the sessions are)? Or should I add in something else during the day? I don't have a lot of time and 5 AM is the best time for me but I can't leave the house due to a sleeping babe. I can probably get some walking in during lunch but it's already starting to get warm here. I do have access to a gym with a treadmill, elliptical, weight machines, etc. Does anyone have any ideas? I need help!

Are you bored, too? I know I'm not the only one having problems this week. I want to see weight loss (and I haven't lost anything this week, despite doing my workouts and eating 1600 calories or less/day) but I mainly want to get fit.

I don't like to be a quitter. I'd like to finish the 30 days and I'll probably give it another week just to make sure, but I also don't want to be doing something that's not getting me where I need to be.

How are YOU doing?

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Stretching debate

When I booted up the Wii Active on sunday Ryan and Oliver were sitting on the couch playing ipad games. I was a little uncomfortable working out in front of an audience, no matter who they are. This is also why I hate doing workout classes, although it is easier in a room full of strangers than with just a single person you do know.  Anyway, as I began the workout Ryan looked up and said "wait, don't you stretch before working out?"

No, I don't. It wasn't part of the Wii Active program, and while I have added a short yoga wokout after I finish the Active workout, it honestly hadn't occurred to me to stretch before hand. When I was done with Sunday's program Ryan pulled out a couple of his workout/weightlifting books and showed me a few passages which stated that stretching before a toning workout will increase calorie burn, while also increase the effectiveness of the toning and muscle building. Hey! Great fitbytwitter post, I thought.

As I attempted to collect a few interweb sources to flesh out the post, and direct you to for further reading, I found that Google doesn't tend to agree with the above statements and, in some cases, directly refutes them with the assertion that stretching a "cold" muscle could cause injury. From what I can see the debate of "stretching before a workout yea or nay" seems to be one of those in and out of trend type things. So what say you? Do you stretch before working out or after? Or at all? Will you start now? Personally, I  feel like doing a short yoga workout following my wii active has helped to diminish some of the post-workout soreness, but I don't think I'll be adding much of a stretching routine ahead of time. Ryan persists in stretching before lifting weights.

On another note, normally I attempt to workout when M sleeps and O is doing "quiet time" in his room. A couple times however, things have not gone according to plan and I've had a little workout helper. I can tell you that jumping becomes a dicey proposition with this as my view. And he likes to try and help push the buttons during squats and when I crouch for Inline skating.

Button
Then the Yoga routine begins and he adds some extra resistance training. This was my view during the downward facing dog. He anchored my leg to the floor nicely.

Yoga

Heck, I can't touch my toes anyway, even when he's not trying to bounce on my knees.

Stretch

Monday, April 4, 2011

start of week 2!

or, if you're like me, "technically" the start of week 2. meaning that i didn't do the wii on friday (don't hate. i got plenty of other exercising done), took saturday as the actual break day, and then was too busy on sunday (but husband and i DID walk the big mall in town). so, while i didn't exactly follow the wii, i still got some form of workout in.

anyways, couple of things i want to cover in today's post.

first, i can't stand my trainer. here's a few of the conversations i had with my wii this past week:

wii: alternating lunges are a GREAT way to get strong legs.
me: i don't want strong legs!

(during the inline skating)
wii: pay attention to those obstacles. know they're coming so you can overcome them.
me: dude. i know they're coming. my thighs hurt.

second, you may remember that i posted on our community site a question about what time is the best to workout. because i've been really inconsistent in my workouts, and i have my own theories. i think morning will be best because it helps wake you up. i think afternoon is best because maybe metabolism is highest. i think evening is best because you're working off the food you ate that day. anyway, i have a great husband who brought me some junk food magazines, one of which was woman's world. there's a lot of great information in there, even if there's too many exclamation points.

anyway, there's an article that talks about the timing of your workout! how lucky. so, per this article, you should workout in the morning, before breakfast. it prompts your body to use the fat for fuel, instead of using food you've recently eaten as fuel.

sidenote (which was great news)-- "clacked off on workouts during winter? great news! previously toned muscle fibers bounce back quickly, even after months of inactivity, according to research."

don't forget that our catch up is on saturdays. i know it's the weekend, but make sure to check our blog out to give your update. tell us how your week went. remember, this site is here for your support!

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Week 1 Progress!



Hey! Look at that! Almost 2 lbs down! In true Tamara style, I must continue to publicly humiliate myself by posting my weight every week, in order to keep myself accountable. Not so bad really... a good push in the right direction. Anyhoo, as some of you may know, I have a relatively new child.
Sometimes I sleep, sometimes I don't... and sometimes I think I can do it all! Hurrah! Go Tamara! With no sleep. Mmmm... not so much. I got worn down, downright exhausted, and then I got sick.

SO! NEW PLAN! While I will continue to work out (cheer!) I will not diet. No sir. Gimme some cheeseburgers... (just kidding guys... that would be mean) but I will continue to keep taking in the proper amount of calories for my bod... I just really hope that the workouts, and my conscientious (balanced!) meals help me continue to lose weight like I did this week. I'm going to keep hoping.

In saying that, I did miss two work outs this week. I'm going to get back on it tomorrow... I'd hate for it to tell me to start over!

I'm really really interested in hearing about what you guys are eating (and not eating!) as we move through this challenge. Tuna and rice cakes aren't cutting it. Or special K cereal. Or boring chicken.

I'm starving. :D

Saturday, April 2, 2011

check-in, week 1

so, how'd your first week go? are you staying with the program, if you're doing the wii challenge? if not, have you been being active? it's been fun to watch the conversations going on over at our community site. if you haven't checked it out, go! and you're welcome to sign up and communicate with us there, too.

i've done really well. i have been documenting my calorie intake and exercises on loseit, and having a good time staying under budget. i haven't weighed yet today (my scale is at work-- gotta change that), but look forward to seeing that i've lost a pound or a pound and a half this week. i've done my wii workout every day that i'm supposed to, except for yesterday because i was so far under my calorie budget, i didn't want to get any lower. but i'm using today's rest day to make up for that.

so, how was your week? now's your chance to update everyone!

Friday, April 1, 2011

Feelin' Groovy

I'm feelin' groovy this morning.
Slow down, you movin' too fast
You gotta make the morning last
Just kickin' down the cobblestones
Lookin' for fun and
Feelin' groovy

Hello, lampost
Whatcha knowin?
I've come to watch your flowers growin'
Ain'tcha got no rhymes for me?
Doo Bee Doo Doo,
Feelin' groovy

Got no deeds to do
No promises to keep
I'm dappled and drowsy and ready to sleep
Let the morningtime drop all its petals on me...
Life, I love you,
All is groovy
Lyrics found here.

It's been a Simon and Garfunkel kinda day. And I feel groovy and fabulous and wonderful. This, from the self-professed exercise hater.

I'm on Day 5 of the Challenge and am getting up a little after 5:00 each morning to do my Wii workout. Great start to each day and I get it out of the way, first thing. Yes, I've been sore...Day 2 was BRUTAL. But, the soreness now is a good sore, the kind of sore where you know you're working your muscles but not so sore that you're in misery. On the Wii Active Challenge workouts, you run each day and although I absolutely detest running, I know it's really working my legs and all those muscles. Especially the routine where you run for a bit, do high kicks for a bit and then try to kick your behind (I can't remember what those are called but I did them this morning). I have been sore in places I've never been before (inner thighs). So, basically, I'm really enjoying the workouts I'm getting even if they are only burning around 120-140 calories each time. I know I'm going to be more toned by the end of the 30 days.

This whole program has also inspired me to cut my calories. I would like to lose 30 pounds (initially) and LoseIt has helped me create a plan that projects I can lose 30 pounds by October. I know that sounds like a long time, but it's one pound a week and that's a really healthy rate to go. Maybe by doing this Challenge and adding in a few more workouts during the week (like walking during lunch or going over to the gym to do the elliptical), I can lose a little faster. In any event, I just want to do this the right way and be healthy. I'm eating 1600 calories a day (some days a little more, some days a little less, but have been pretty good to stick to it this first week) and think that's a do-able amount. Suppers are the hardest thing for me to keep under caloric intake, but I'm gonna try to find some lower fat recipes and incorporate those into our meal schedule. I have lots of lean meats at home, I just have to lay off the cream sauces and fattening sides.

Also, I got a really cool scale for 1/4 of the price it should have been on Amazon: Ozeri Elite Series II Digital Bathroom Scale With 5" Blue Backlit Xbright LCD and InstaOn Technology. It's still half-price and if you use the code SHAPEUPI (not sure if it still works, you might want to check before submitting the order), you get another 50% off! Since it is $25 before the coupon discount, you get free super saver shipping, but you have to make sure you select that option in the check-out. Basically, I got a $50 scale for $12.50, shipped! Just wanted to pass that along to you.

So, how's everyone doing? Weekly check-in is tomorrow and you can share what you feel like sharing. We just want to know how thing are going!