Day 18

Well, the Culligan man finally came and replenished our water at work today.  It has been gone for two days so I haven't been very good with my water intake.  Today was much better with some nice cold, easily accessible water. I did really good on my calories today.  I was actually afraid I was a little too low, but I have been feeling fine so I am going with it.  I did yoga today with it muted most of the time and actually quite enjoyed it.  So I was right, it isn't yoga I hate, but the annoying lady!!

What's for dinner

When I was younger my Grandma showed me a great idea for chicken.  Instead of marinating it in those high sodium and who-knows-what's-in-it whatevers she marinated it in lemon juice.  I love my chicken that way.  It is so yummy without the added calories and sodium.  I had a few grapefruit so the other day I decided to marinate my chicken in grapefruit juice.  It had a great flavor, but I overcooked the chicken a bit and it got kinda dry.  So for a quick dinner, marinate some chicken in fresh citrus juice of your choice, throw it on the grill for a few minutes and serve over brown rice or whole wheat pasta and add a yummy salad to the side.  All in all you are looking at less than 300 calories for a pretty great dinner.

Days 16 and 17

Well, I sure didn't repeat my great day on Monday for the last two days.  I was really pushing it with calories and I didn't have the time to get my workout in today.  I did get a decent workout yesterday though.  I am really loving the Treadclimber for my cardio.  I still love Zumba and need to do more yoga, but with the Treadclimber I can just put on a movie or a TV show and concentrate on that instead of how tired I am or how annoying the instructor is.  I am going to continue to be really busy for the rest of the month so I am going to have to try a lot harder to get my workouts in.  I wish it was warm enough for me to walk to work so I could at least get that much in, but it is way to cold for that to be happening anytime soon!  Any suggestions on how to continue getting some exercise with extremely limited time?

Stats

Weight: 130
Waist: 30.5
Hips: 34.5
Thigh: 20.5
Hair: Still annoying, but possibly some improvement.

Days 12-15

Friday- I had to take it easy with my calories for breakfast and lunch because I knew we were going out for dinner and I wouldn't have many low cal options. I also knew I wouldn't have time to work out if I didn't get up early and do it in the morning, which I didn't. In the end even with no exercise and a going out to eat I still did well on my calories.

Saturday- I did nothing active on Saturday! Unless you count going to Costco active. Oh, and I went over on my calories by a little. I am going to go ahead and say oh, well it was the weekend. Not a great attitude to have, but I do think it is okay to take a day for yourself sometimes as long as you don't do it too often and don't go way far off the fitness path.

Sunday- I am not 100% sure how I did with my calories cause I didn't track them exactly, but even though I ate WAY too much for lunch I don't think I went over much if any. And as with all Sundays, no exercise.

Monday- So far today I have almost 2 hours of exercise in and most of my water, and the day is only half done. Aaron is going to put me through a good work out on the Bowflex tonight and I want to do Yoga today. With all that exercise and good eating choices today I should be great on my calories.

Day Eleven and other

I have come to a realization. This blog is boring. I am pretty sure that my calorie and exercise habits are not actually interesting to anyone, but I still want you here so I am going to try and give you a little enticement to come on over. I am going to start posting yummy, healthy recipes and maybe even some fitness ideas you can use. Now to the hum-drum of it all...

Day Eleven
I was SO snacky yesterday! Luckily I had fairly a fairly low cal breakfast and lunch so I could afford it, but I hate that feeling where all I want to do is snack, but I know I shouldn't. Ug. I hit the treadclimber and did some yoga so I got my exercise in. I think it is getting easier for me to go home and work out now that I have been doing it consistently for a bit. I don't dread it as much anymore so I am super happy to be working past that milestone.

Day Ten (I think)

So I am liking the Treadclimber. I can tell it is working for me because I want to quit after about 10 minutes every time. I am blogging from my phone and it is taking forever so I'll just say that it was a good day all around for calories exercises and water. Oh and I made my own tortilla chips that have fewer calories than the regular store bought kind. Those and some fresh homemade salsa were a great little snack for me. I highly recommend it.

Day Nine

I struggled with my calories a bit today.  I guess struggled isn't the right word.  I did really good up until we went to Iceberg with our ward after the temple.  Then my ice cream resistance abilities dropped like a pair of cheap socks.  I didn't even try to resist.  I didn't eat a ton of ice cream either though.  So I probably ended up being over on my calories by a couple hundred when all was said and done.  I don't feel too bad because I have been really good for the past week and it's not like I went over by a thousand calories or something.  Uh oh, I am totally justifying aren't I?  Ice cream is a slippery slope for me so I have to make sure I am really good for the rest of the week.  Don't get me wrong, I don't think indulging once-in-a-while is bad at all.  Once I get to a fitness and health level that I am happy with I plan on being a little more liberal, but I do recognize that I can't just run around eating everything that sounds good at the moment.  That is what got me to where I am, feeling unhealthy and unfit.

How was your day.

Day Eight

Today was a good day.  I had lots of yummy food, but still stayed under on my calories and I got most of my water in.  For my exercise today I got to spend a little time on the Treadclimber.  It definitely has the potential to kick my butt!  I kindof took it easy today to get used to it, but I still felt like I got a pretty good workout from it.  It has two separate belts so I have to walk with my feet a little further apart than I am used to and that is a weird adjustment. Aaron made the point though that it will be good training for snow shoeing which we love but nearly kills me every time. 

That was my day, how was yours?

Stats

Weight: 130 lbs
Waist: 31 in
Hips: 35 in
Thigh: 20.5 in
Hair: Still annoying

Well, I didn't see too much change over the week, but I am still happy with my progress.  My general energy level is so much better!  I usually get really tired toward the end of my work day, but I haven't been feeling that for a few days so huge improvements there.

On a side note, starting next week I am going to be posting my stats on Tuesdays.  I didn't like doing my weigh-in right after a non-exercise day.

Days 6 and 7

My water consumption was down over the weekend.  I kinda bombed out on getting my 3 quarts per day in.  I definitely drank more than I usually do though.  I did okay with my calories.  I went a little over on Sunday, but I wasn't too worried about it because I did pretty well over the last week.  I did Yoga and Zumba on Saturday, but opted not to workout on Sundays so not much in the way of physical activity.  I would like to start going on little walks with Aaron on Sundays, but it has been too blasted cold lately.
Here is some exciting new from the weekend.  We got a Bowflex Treadclimber!!

They are normally $2,500.00, but we got it used for $600!  I am really excited to try it out.  Aaron got a chance to use it Saturday night and her really liked it, but I won't have my chance until tonight.  I am a little sad that you can't run on it (it maxes out at 4mph) but I really like that you get the elliptical/treadmill/stair-climber combo all in one.  It is so much easier for me to exercise if I can focus my mind on something else so I am thinking this will be a great thing for me to do while I watch Biggest Loser or when I want to watch a movie.

Day five

I sucked with exercise today!  I didn't do anything when I got home from work and then we had friends over so I couldn't exactly just bust out the yoga, but while we were deciding between a movie and a game I strapped on the ankle weights and did stairs for 5 minutes.  I have been doing something with my legs everyday even if it is small so I am hoping for some nice leg benefits.
I didn't do too bad on my calories, I ended up with about 100 to spare.  I didn't do as well on my water as I did yesterday though.  I'm about a quart low as of now, but I'm hoping to make some of that up before I head to bed.
You won't be hearing from me again until Monday, but I am just taking a short blog break, not a fitness break. Good luck to everyone over the weekend!

That was my day, how was yours?

Day Four

Today was good and bad.  I did great with my water intake and pretty good on my calories as well, but it was a struggle.  I have wanted to snack SO BAD almost all day! I still do actually, but I held strong for the most part, only grabbing a few mini rice cakes worth about 30 calories total.
I felt great about my workout today.  I did Zumba, but I didn't just kinda go along with it, I really got into it.  Plus I was wearing my handy new ankle weights and since I only had one pair of weights I also held some cans of soup to get a better arm workout.  I think I am going to be feeling Zumba tomorrow. 

Keep up the good work everyone, you are really keeping me motivated!

Day Three

Sorry this is a little late, I couldn't get it to post last night.

Here is how I did:

I didn't get all of my water in today.  I ended up at about 2.5 quarts which I still feel is respectable, just not what I am shooting for.   I haven't been feeling too well today so I just did Yoga for my workout, but I was much better at moving around at work today. Anytime I had to go down the hall I would make a lap around the inside of the building first which consisted of about 330 steps and 96 stairs each time.  I did that about 4 times so I am feeling good about my activity level today.  I did much better on my calories today than I did yesterday.  I had 157 to spare by the end of the day.
I picked up some wrist/ankle weights today that I am excited to use.  I really want to find ways to get more benefit out of my everyday chores and activities and I figured these would at least help a little with that.  I will let you know how my arms feel after folding a few batches of laundry with them on my wrists.

On somewhat of a side note I want to say good job to all of you who are doing this along with me!  Sarah has been getting up early to workout, Lauren skipped on the ice cream and my friend that I will refer to as Anonymous, since she asked to remain anonymous, has lost 8 pounds so far on her weight loss journey! Lot's of you have told me you are going to be working hard this year to stay fit.  Let me know about your accomplishments so we can all recognize what you are doing and cheer you on.  Good job everyone!!

Day Two

Here's how I did:

My work out today was much different than yesterday.  I knew we were going to dinner with some friends and I didn't want to get all nasty sweaty but I knew I wouldn't have much time afterward so I took a different approach.  I decided to vacuum.  Instead of just walking the vacuum forward I lunged every time.  I ended up doing 63 lunges. Then I vacuumed the stairs.  I started by carrying the vacuum to the top stair and vacuumed it.  Then I carried it to the bottom of the stairs, and back up, and back down two stairs to vacuum the next one.  Then I did it again, down, up, back down a little, vacuum. Down, up, back down a little, vacuum. 15 times carrying the vacuum.  We also helped my cousin move into his new place, a second floor apartment, so I did those stairs a half dozen or so times as well.  My legs are dead. I didn't get moving at work as much as I should have so I guess that will be my challenge for myself for tomorrow, get up and get moving.  I think I will go get myself a pedometer so I can actually see how much I am moving at work.  I want to get some wrist and ankle weights too so I can get a little more benefit from my everyday activities.

I hit my water goal again today so I am pretty excited about that, but I cut it really close on my calories.  I only had 14 calories to spare after dinner. I'm still under, but I would prefer to have a little more breathing room.  I guess that's what I get for having a big ol' plate of steak nachos for lunch! We went to Applebees for dinner and I was so glad they had the low cal options.  I actually checked out all the nutrition information on their website before we went so I could make the best decision for my needs today.  Coming in at only 360 calories I got the grilled shrimp with island rice and it was tasty!

I just want to say thanks to everyone following here.  I really wanted to cheat on my calories today, maybe snag a few Oreos or something, but I didn't dare crap out on day two with all of you watching.  So thanks!

That was my day, how did you do?

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Day One

Who says Yoga is supposed to be relaxing?  There have been times when I Yoga has helped me get really relaxed, but today was not one of those days.  I spent most of the time yelling at the TV for making me hold downward facing dog for so long I thought my elbows were going to snap or for making me hold a pose on the left side for longer than the right side or something along those lines. Better luck next time maybe.

So other than the brief but spirited outbursts at the TV here is how I did:
I didn't move around much at work, but I wasn't really thinking about that either.  I am going to try to do better tomorrow.
I drank 3 quarts of water which is about 2.95 more quarts than I usually drink.
I netted only 715 calories after my workouts and I stayed under 30g of fat for the whole day.  I was a bit low on my potassium, vitamin A, vitamin C, and Calcium though.  My multi-vitamin will make up for most of that, but I will try to do better as I go.
I did 5o jumping jacks, 25 sit-ups, and ran up and down my stairs 15+ times.
After all that I hoped in the shower and realized I hadn't done my squats, so I did them right there in the shower which means I accomplished all my goals today.  Ah, sweet victory.  Go me.

And I did get to watch Biggest Loser after all.  It wasn't a regular episode, but a "where are they now" thing, so Dish wasn't totally wrong.  It gave me some good ideas for goals I can work towards as my fitness level increases. For now I am really excited for the journey ahead.  Let's just hope I stay that way!

That was my day, how did you do?

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Stats

I'll be posting my stats each Monday so we can see my progress.

Height: 64.5 in/163.83 cm
Weight: 131.2 lb/59.5 kg
Waist: 31 in/78.75 cm
Hips: 35 in/89 cm
Thigh: 21.5 in/54.6 cm
Hair: Extremely static-y and very annoying!

Today's challange:

Biggest Loser starts tonight (it is usually on Tuesdays, but apparently it is starting tonight) {UPDATE: nbc.com shows Biggest Loser starting Tuesday Jan. 4th.  Bad information is what I get for using Dish as my TV guide.} instead of just sitting on the couch watching I am going to get my heart pumping.  During the 2 hours of show time I am going to do 5o jumping jacks, 25 squats, 25 sit-ups and I'm going to run up my stairs and back down 15 times.  Sometimes they will do a trainer tip that gives you ideas for things to do during commercials, I also plan to do any of those that are presented.  I encourage all of you to make your own goals of things that you can accomplish while watching.  Don't do anything your doctor doesn't want you to do and don't try to do anything outside of your current abilities!!

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Goals

I guess I should have started my new goals on the 1st but who starts a fitness project on a holiday weekend? I had me some eatin' to do! Then again that's probably the attitude that has me here in the first place. Oops. So now that the weekend has come to an end I guess it is time for me to get my butt off the couch and get going.  So here are my goals for the next 6 weeks.

-Yoga 3 times per week
-Zumba 2 times per week
-Drink appx 3 Liters of water per day(I'm trying a little experiment with this one, I hear it might make my hair less static-y too, I'll let you know how that turns out.)
-1200 Calories or fewer per day.

You will notice I don't have a weight goal on here.  I think it is important to have a healthy weight goal for some people, but since I am already in a healthy weight range I really just want to live a healthier life and keep from gaining my way up out of that range./

How do I plan to accomplish these goals considering my track record of not exercising, eating too much and not drinking enough water?  There are two main things I will be relying on to help me achieve my goals.

The first is a handy little app called my fitness pal.  It is an android app, but there is a really good one for the iPhone called loseit that I used to use.  Loseit also has a website that is great if you don't have a smart phone, but still want something that can help you keep track of what your caloric intake and your exercise.  Livestrong.com is also a good resource.  No app that I have seen yet though. 

The second thing I have is you.  I expect you to comment here, let me know what you do to keep up with your fitness goals and hold me accountable for my fitness choices.  If I drop the ball on something, ask me why and don't let me get away with some stupid answer. Since I am terrible at holding myself accountable for this stuff and it just makes me mad if my husband tries to do it, I am asking for your help and in turn I offer all of you any help you might need from me.

I will start posting my stats tomorrow and lets see how I progress over the next 6 weeks.

The Story Behind the Project

Five years ago I weighed 164 pounds.  That is the most I ever saw on the scale, but there was probably a point where I reached 170.  At 5'4" and 164 pounds there was no denying that I had taken up residence in the "fat" category. (If you are 5'4" and 164(ish) pounds don't feel bad that I essentially just called you fat, it doesn't mean I don't like you, it just means there is something you should probably change.) So anyway, I was fat.  But that started to change.  Over the next year I made a few very basic changes.  First, I stopped eating so much.  Second, I was ever so slightly more active. Third, I stopped drinking soda.  I'm not saying I didn't have a single soda in that year, but it was a very rare occasion that I had any.  Most of these changes weren't even conscious changes, just by-products of my new job and living arrangements.  I was busy at work so I wasn't constantly snacking and I lived with my brother and sister-in-law and their kids at the time and I spent a lot of time playing with the kids after work.
Almost a year to the day after I weighed in at 164 pounds someone asked me how much weight I had lost so I weighed in again.  134. What?! 30 pounds!! Sweet! Over the next year I lost another 10.  I stayed between about 124 and 127 for the next couple of years, at least until the last few months.  Recently I have hovered right around 132.  132 doesn't sound like a lot to most people, but for someone that has been overweight for most of their life gaining 7 pounds is terrifying!  I have been wanting to get rid of that extra fatty weight and get toned, but I am so bad at keeping myself motivated and holding myself accountable.  So here I am.  I am going into this little endeavor hoping that documenting my project for all to see might help me stick with it. So here I go.

DISCLAIMER

I AM NOT A FITNESS PROFESSIONAL AND I AM NOT A DOCTOR.  ANY TIPS OR IDEAS LISTED ON THIS BLOG ARE NOT MEANT TO BE EXPERT ADVISE.  WHAT IS RIGHT FOR ME OR SOMEONE ELSE MAY NOT BE APPROPRIATE FOR OTHERS. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS AT ALL ABOUT A FITNESS ROUTINE FOR YOURSELF CONTACT YOUR DOCTOR.