Day 64: I signed up for a 1/2 marathon

I have a friend who loves to run ultramarathons. Her last race was 50k. That's definitely not my thing, but I think it's really cool that she's into it. I've run two marathons before and I'll probably do it again someday, but the training commitment is just too much for me right now. I love what lifting weights does for my body and I don't want to give that up so I can plod along for 3 hours on a Saturday morning.

Anyway, this friend is running a 50 mile race on June 16th and asked a bunch of ladies we work with to come camping and running with her. I decided on the 1/2 marathon distance. I was considering just doing the 10k, but if I'm going to be driving a couple of hours I may as well just do it, right? I've got 7 weeks to train so I'll probably try to get a couple 10 to 12 mile runs in on weekends and be more consistent with my running during the week.

Did I mention the race sponsor is a winery? So that's a bonus.

Speaking of friends, that other friend who I leant phase 1 of Body Revolution to still has it sitting on her desk. Yep, didn't even bring it home. I know she's running more and eating better so I'm glad she's got that going for her. It's not like I need it anytime soon.  Still, though.

Workout 9 was this morning. I must be a sicko because I LOVE the jumping jack pushups. They're completely ridiculous and hard and I can do them all! This is my 2nd week of discs 9 and 10 and I already feel like I've been doing them forever. Usually the 2 week timespan goes by so quickly. Last week threw me for a loop.

Speaking of last week, I ate a lot of sugar. Way too much. I was so far off my game that whole week. I'm really glad it's over.  Another reason I must be a sicko - I love Mondays. It feels like a fresh start and I'm so ready for it.

Day 63: no rest day

I had so much energy most of yesterday. I did workout 10, ran around the neighborhood with the kids looking at garage sales, went to a tee ball game, cleaned the whole apartment including laundry, had a kid over for a slumber party...

I was pooped by about 8:30. Absolutely knockered. I fell asleep without meaning to and when I woke up at 10:30 the boys were still awake and doing great. I had them get ready for bed and they did with no complaints. They even fell asleep without me having to go in and threaten anyone which is amazing.

I had no trouble falling back asleep. I woke up on my own at about 5:30 and did cardio 3. I had some concerns because once again my butt is sore from workout 10. I've never had a Body Revolution workout make me sore like this twice in a row. But cardio 3 got the muscles warm so for now I feel good.

Today is starting out rainy but I'm still warm so its perfect. Here's the view from my balcony where I'm sitting in shorts and a sports bra cooling down and hoping nobody's looking this direction.

Day 62: hey Cheryl!

I made woodchoppers work this time! I don't swim quite as dramatically as the people in the video but I finally figured out how to feel it in my legs AND obliques without twisting my knees.

So In addition to focusing on the up and down lunge part of it, also try bringing your elbows up higher at the top of your swing. The higher I got my elbows, the more I felt it in the abs. Good luck!

This workout is a butt buster. I was dreading doing it again because I was sore for two days after doing it on Tuesday. When I actually got into it though it wasn't bad at all. It goes by really quickly. I think my breakdown Tuesday just made everything seem worse than it was.

So, in conclusion, workout 10=good!

What's everyone up to this weekend? Only one kid baseball game for me today. It's the community garage sale day so after my shower I'm takin the kids out to buy other people's crap. I mean that in a good way. I love garage sales. We're having a kid spend the night so good luck to me with getting any sleep.

Day 61: thank you so much

It's my turn to say thanks so much for the support. I mean it often. It's so fun to read your comments and feel like I'm part of a group even if I'm doing these workouts alone. But your cyber hugs yesterday felt really good.

I just finished workout 9. I like this one. The cardio intervals aren't as hard as other workouts. The last one where you roll on your back and then stand up actually makes my back feel great. The last move is side crunches in a plank position. They were hurting my wrist so the second set I went down to my elbow and as long as I kept up the range of motion I think they worked just as well.

One cool think about this workout I noticed today is that it's mostly body resistance. You bust out light weights for a couple of moves and medium for one move, but you can really get a good workout with no equipment. Something I can keep in mind when traveling.

On the job front, I met with the hiring manager yesterday and was very encouraged. He seemed really happy to have someone pursuing it so aggressively and he said the skills I use in my current department translate really well to this job.

Today I'll be working on my application during my lunch break. My son's baseball coach wants them all at the game an hour early to practice so I'm not sure how I'm going to work that situation. I don't know how other parents pull this of sometimes. I'll have to leave work before 4 so I can get the kids and feed them and everything.

Anyway, I'm feeling better today. Ready for another Best Weekend Ever. This time the staying home with kids edition. Also the no rest day edition since I rested Wednesday. Should be good.

Day 60: Lows and highs

I don't want to go into tons of detail here, but Monday was a traumatic day for me. I cried all night and most of Tuesday. By Wednesday I just felt foggy and exhausted all day. I slept in. I took cardio 3 to my work gym and set it up but I didn't have the energy so I packed up and drove through McDonald's for a burger and a mcflurry instead.

By last night the fog lifted and I got a great night of sleep. This morning I was up with my alarm and feeling better. I just finished cardio 3. My plan is to count yesterday as this week's rest day and just move on.

The good news is that there's a job opening up at work that I'm negotiating to get. It's still early but so far things look good.

My old boss was doing it but quit to stay home with her kids. I took her to coffee on Tuesday morning to get the scoop. It sounds like a perfect fit and more responsibility, autonomy and pay. And room for advancement which is so important to me.

I set up a quick meeting with her boss for this afternoon. He said she had already sung my praises so that's good to hear. I need to update my resume and submit it as soon as possible.

This would be such a great move for me. I need a change of scenery.

I'm so mopey! Let's end on another high note. Even though I ate a ton yesterday, my abs look pretty damn good today. I have a banjo lesson set up for tonight. I finally heard back from my tax preparer that I'm getting a large refund. There, see? Always a bright side.

Day 58: workout 10

This workout is hard. I'm dripping sweat right now. This will be for me what workout 7 was in the last couple of DVDs. A gauge for improvement.

Weighted cardio is killer. Probably harder than any of the strength moves although those were plenty hard too. Woodchoppers are back. You know how I feel about those. Ugh. I'm focusing extra hard on the down and up motion trying to not twist my knee.

My favorite move today was the pigeon. I think it was with a bicep curl. You stand on one leg and cross your ankle over your knee an squat. It was a great stretch for my butt.

Now I want to talk about trouble zones. Not muffin top or jiggly arms, but those places where you go and there's crap food everywhere. Specifically work and kid sporting events.

Today my department is having a couple of celebrations. One is for a birthday and the other is for a guy returning from competing in a 100k race. There will be brownies and cheesecake. My boyfriend made the cheesecake specifically because he knows I like cheesecake. I like it a lot. I don't even know how to work this into my calorie allowance except to run long during my lunch break to make up for some of it. I've been on such a roll with the good eating too!

There are candy bowls all over the place at work. I used to grab a couple handfuls every day and another on my way out. I still sometimes will take a piece but it's probably once a week and only one.

Another trouble zone is more for parenting. I've got baseball games three times a week right now. When I was a kid the treat after the game would maybe be a granola bar or an otter pop. Now it's a full on goody bag with multiple processes items in it. Capri sun, teddy grams, fruit snacks. Kids aren't hungry for dinner after all that! Peewee football was even worse. When we had a game near Halloween a parent brought each of the boys a lunch sack filled with candy. It's no wonder Americans are overweight.

That's my little rant for the day.

I'm taking a coworker out to coffee this morning because she's quitting to be a stay at home mom. I'm trying to decide if I want to go after her job.

Quartet practice tonight. Hopefully early to bed and early to rise tomorrow for cardio 3.

Day 57: workout 9

I just finished workout 9 for the first time. I didn't feel like It was a huge leap in intensity from weeks 7 and 8. The moves are unusual though so it would have been helpful to watch it in advance. I liked that they were unusual. I definitely wasn't bored.

The trickiest move for me is when you're in plank on your elbows and rock forward into plank on your hands. It sends a sharp twinge into my shoulder. Not a muscle thing but something else. I need to figure out the form.

This workout was perfect for me this morning because the cardio intervals aren't super intense. I'm sweating and everything, but not like in week 7.

Yesterday for my rest day I went on a 40 mile bike ride. 20 miles there and back to a farmers market. It was a gorgeous day and the bike path is along the water with the mountains in the background. Tons of people were out. We get really excited in Washington when the weather is good.

I applied sunscreen twice but still noticed this morning that I have a nasty burn on one shoulder.

This was a great weekend food wise. Changing my thinking from "all or nothing" to "just make good choices" was very liberating.

I thought of it as treating myself. My treat is a skinny day today. The scale didn't budge again this week but I feel skinny and not like I have to make up for anything I did this weekend. It's a great feeling.

Day 55: my phase 2 reward

I've been wanting a juicer off and on for years. This week I bought one. This is completely frivolous. I have no problems eating actual veggies. You've seen my breakfast veggie sauté with eggs. I'm thinking that meal will be less appealing as the temperature rises though.

Basically, I wanted it so I bought it.

I also wanted to try chia seeds so I bought those too. They're actually really good. They're small like kiwi seeds but they have an outside bit that expands in liquid so it's kind of like tapioca. That sounds gross but it's good and makes the juice feel more filling.

The Best Weekend Ever is going really well. I went out to Thai food last night and ordered a curry, dumped tons of spicy stuff on it, and ate half. It was delicious.

Then I went to see a burlesque show. It was a fundraiser for a local music event. I had 2 vodka sodas with lime within 3 hours. Low cal, special, and not overboard.

Today I woke up late and went out for breakfast. I genuinely wanted the smallest thing on the menu. It was still a high calorie item: sourdough breakfast sandwich with egg, turkey and cheese. I treated it as brunch, had this juice and a hard boiled egg for my lunch/snack meal, and will finish the curry after I get back from my son"s baseball game in a couple hours.

Tonight I'm going to a bluegrass jam. I may have a glass of wine if I feel like it. Part of this experiment in making good choices is "no guilt allowed." because I'm not eating mindlessly or excessively.

I just finished cardio 3. Man, that first circuit feels like it goes on forever. Still a fun workout.

This juice here has pineapple, melon, carrot, broccoli, apple, and chia seeds. It was hella good, yo.

Day 54: adios phase 2

I just finished workout 8 for the last time. I have to say, I never mastered the warrior 3 pose although I did much better today. My lightest weights are 5s. The first time I held them out with one in each hand. The other 3 times I just held one with both hands. I kept it it the whole time but it was a struggle to keep my arms straight.

So since I'm doing cardio 3 tomorrow this means phase 2 is over. In phase 1 I lost 5 pounds. In phase 2 I lost nothing. I have a couple of theories on this.

1. The woodchoppers in weeks 5 and 6 were brutal on my knees so I had to cut way back on running and then an unusual schedule the last couple of weeks left me running only a couple days a week.

2. I feel so deprived on 1200 calories a day that I snack during the week and overdo it on the weekends.

My knees feel better and my schedule will normalize starting tomorrow so running will ramp back up.

As for calories, I'm tackling the weekend head on. This weekend I'm kicking off phase 3 with "The Best Weekend Ever."

This is something I invented and it has to do with making good food choices. I'm not going to be counting to 1200 these days. I'm going to be smart. The whole goal is to feel good about my weekend come Monday without being obsessed with food.

Because in my version of the best weekend ever I am definitely not looking at every bite of food as a reflection on my character. I'm going to a jazz show, a couple of little league games, maybe taking a solo bike ride to the food coop, and seeing a friend's dance performance.

I'll let you know how it goes.

I should mention that I do have more muscle tone than 4 weeks ago. I didn't measure to begin with so I can't quantify it, but my arms are looking pretty good these days.

Happy Friday! What are your goals for the weekend?

Day 53: Greek nachos changed my life

You know when you have a meal so delicious that you are sad to brush your teeth because the taste will go away? That happened to me last night with the Greek Nachos. This picture I took with my phone sucks. Please everyone go make this anyway.

I found whole grain pita bread and cut it into triangles and baked at 375 until toasted, then topped it with sauteed lamb and onion, tomato, cucumber, and a dollop of Greek yogurt. I'm having this again tonight. I've never been so excited for dinner.

Workout 7 was this morning. I'm sad to see it go. I will definitely be doing this workout again after the 90 days are over, either with the video or just doing the routine on my own.

Not much else to say today. I hope everyone has a great day!

Day 52: Cardio 3! Yeeeeaaah baby!!

I waited until the last possible minute to decide if I'd do cardio 2 again for my last week of phase 2 or move on early. As you can see by my post title, I moved on and it was a great choice.

There were a couple of reasons. I'm in pretty good cardiovascular shape and I wasn't really feeling it until halfway through cardio 2. My period started yesterday which for me is a good thing because the premenstual blahs are now over. I slept better last night than in several days so I woke up ready to go. Lastly, Meghan encouraged me to go for it when I was thinking about it this weekend. Thanks, Meghan!

What a great workout! Lots of jumping, but lots of floor moves too. My whole body had to get involved. The moves go by quickly so individual muscles don't get worked to exhaustion except on the jump sequence ending in the lunge jumps. Yeah, that's a challenge.

I see myself doing cardio 3 happily for the next month.

Yesterday I was exhausted and depressed almost all day. Luckily baseball practice was cancelled due to rain so I could just stay home and read and hang with the kids. This sports season has been tough. We have practices or games for at least one of the boys 6 days a week. It's too much. I love kid sports, but I love down time too. I don't know how people with more than 2 kids manage it.

I ate further off plan yesterday than any other time during this program but partly because I need to go grocery shopping and do some planning. There are lots of good recipes I want to try starting with Kelly's Greek nachos. Super excited about that for tonight! I'll have a picture for you tomorrow.

Day 51: morning workout pays off

I almost always do my Body Revolution workouts in the mornings. There are maybe two weekdays that I've done them in the evenings during this whole program. There are a few reasons for this, but another one popped up yesterday.

My older son's coach emailed at about noon to request the boys be to their baseball game an hour early for practice rather than 15 minutes. This meant I had to work through lunch instead of do a short run like I'd planned so I could get the boys in time to give them dinner.

When I got to the school I saw it was spelling bee night. I should have known this but I missed the memo. My younger son really wanted to do it so we rushed home, rushed dinner to the table (clam chowder for them, Annie's Thai bowl for me with half the sauce), rushed to baseball and then to the bee and then back to baseball.

I had an unpleasant interaction with my ex husband at the game that left me feeling depressed as hell. I came home, got the kids in bed and spent the rest of the evening in a funk of surprising power. I'm usually an incredibly resilient person but I was floored last night.

So there's no way I would have ever in a million years accomplished a workout if I hadn't done it in the morning yesterday. I still felt poopy this morning but I did workout 8 anyway because I want to do something right today and working out is something I can do right.

Here are some things I'm grateful for:
1. My children. They are fun, interesting, loving, and most of the time they get along great.
2. My friends. I have a small group of friends who genuinely care about me.
3. My body. I'm strong and getting stronger. I'm generally healthy.
4. My apartment. It's messy now, but I like it a lot. It's a comfortable place to come home to.
5. My job. I don't make a lot of money, but I have enough to pay all my bills, do some things that I want, and save for the future.
6. My creativity. I have a lot of creative outlets and interests including writing and music.
7. My environment. I live in a beautiful part of the country. It rains a lot here, but even then I think it's beautiful and uplifting.

Today is going to be good. I'm already running late and I'm tired, but I think it's going to be ok.

Day 50: What Rest Day?

Yesterday was rest day. It was also gorgeous outside so I packed up the kids and boyfriend headed for the hills. They were champs. The hill was really steep, but I kept them going by playing the hide-and-seek game. The rules were that you had to be visible from the trail. It got SILLY!

We made it up about 2 miles and then ran all the way down. All in all, about 3 hours for a 4 mile trek. My butt muscles are sore today.

After the hike we stopped by a nostalgic type diner restaurant that my boyfriend recommended. The idea was root beer floats. They wouldn't let me order a kid size so I split an adult size with Josh. The kid size floats were in a full size glass. I'm not kidding. They were huge. The adult size was so big that the two of us together couldn't finish it. Insane. The atmosphere was fun, but it was one of those places that's super proud of serving stuff that you shouldn't eat very often. This was the sign on the door:

The fine print is something about how any calories you save ordering a diet coke will be a drop in the bucket so you may as well get the real thing. Ooookay! Josh is one of those people who can eat anything and struggle to keep any weight on. He can't wait to go back. I'm afraid.

This morning was Workout 7 again. I made it through the entire first set of circuit 1 without dropping out of plank position except for the V ups. Then I had nothing left during the cardio interval so I did my best, but had to rest a lot. I only get one more chance at this workout on Thursday so my goal is to push through the cardio intervals. The whole workout went by really fast. It's awesome how freaking hard this was last week and how manageable it is today. So far Workout 7 is my favorite.

Day 48: weekend warrior

Cardio 2 again today. I like working out in the mornings but I can't on Saturdays. Even so, it seems like the weekend afternoons are when I'm able to jump the highest and push the hardest.

The workout flew by today and I'm toying with the idea of moving on to cardio 3 for my last week of phase 2. I started cardio 2 one workout early and it was a good choice. I'm hearing scary things about cardio 3 though. I'll decide at the last minute on Wednesday morning.

Women's Health magazine arrived in the mail yesterday. I think it's the best of the fitness mags. The first article I opened to was tips for keeping on track during the weekend. The scenarios were exactly the areas I struggle in and the ideas are actually realistic. Brittany Risher is the writer and she should be given a book contract, stat.

Here are a couple ideas I liked:

Friday night happy hour--save a bottle cap or swizzle stick from each drink as a physical reminder of how much you've had. Low calorie drinks include wine, light beer (ick), manhattan, mojito, and vodka tonic.

Holiday mentality--I'm so guilty of this one. Have a planned "cheat meal" (just one!) where you're not measuring everything. Carry snacks with you.

I don't want to cook syndrome--at restaurants order salad or broth based soup first to fill you up. Sit at a table instead if the bar so you won't see and smell as much greasy bar food and be tempted. Have a couple take out menus with healthy options handy at home.

The whole issue is good. I'm going to try the salsa recipes for sure and there was a great interview with Giada De Laurentiis including recipes. Also a good farmers market article with recipes.

Folks, the pile of recipes I want to try keeps piling up. Not a bad problem to have!

Day 47: Feeling Good!

I didn't have the cookie. Instead I had a bottle of Talking Rain (zero calories and fills the belly!) and an apple with a little peanut butter. A big motivation for not indulging was that I didn't want to have to write a poor me post about how guilty I felt about my bad choice. I'm so over that. It's an old story and not very interesting.

I went out to dinner at a brewery after quartet rehearsal last night. It was the viola player's birthday celebration. I had a small sip of my boyfriend's beer and ordered water and a bbq chicken salad - no dressing. It was delicious.

A couple people asked why I wasn't drinking. I hate having to explain myself about anything, especially diet related. I floundered and said something like "I'm just doing water tonight." Not really an answer. Next time I'll say that I'm saving it for the weekend. I shouldn't stress about this, but I do. The other girls were drinking wine with no dinner at all. Wine is not a meal replacement!

The side effects of my no booze experiment (2 nights out so far) are that I'm drinking more water at night so that I wake up more often having to pee, I feel like a party pooper, and I got my flat belly feeling back. I can solve the first problem by ordering water and not drinking as much of it. I'm hoping the party pooper feeling will fade in time. Hooray for the flat belly feeling!

This morning was Workout 8! Those warrior 3's with the weights were MUCH easier today. I held it the entire time with my one 5 pound weight. I think next time I'll try my 8 pounder. Is that crazy? The move I really don't like is a bicycle-like ab move with the cable. It takes me forever to wrap the cable and then it's uneven and I really don't even feel it. I may just do regular bicycle crunches going forward. My abs are not sore from yesterday's Workout 7. Either I didn't hit it hard enough or my body is an amazing strength building machine. Hard to tell.

I hope everyone is having a great day so far! Thanks so much for reading my blog and commenting. I can't wait to hear how everyone else is doing.

Temptation!!!

My co-worker brought Costco cookies and they're looking right at me!!!

Day 46: Stuff you should know about Workout 7

Today was my 2nd attempt at Workout 7. After I did it the first time on Monday it took about 10 hours until my abs were very VERY sore. They were sore throughout all of Tuesday and then fine yesterday. This morning I was ready to hit it again.

I willed myself through the entire first set of the first circuit because I like having sore abs and I want that feeling again. I did every single move. I go down on my knees to rest in between exercises for sure, but during the moves I was full force. The second set I did my best but there was resting involved. Room for improvement. I have a feeling I'll be using this DVD even after the 90 days are over.

Here's what I want you to know about Workout 7: on the 3rd circuit there's a move where you're doing a pushup with one leg raised. After you do one side, Jillian tells you to switch to the other side and then says "just kidding!" You actually hit the other side on the second set. This has fooled me both times because I can do about 9 of these with the right leg raised and then I have to stop, so I'm ready to go when she says switch and I start doing the move. If I can remember that it's over when it's over I'll have an easier time pushing through.

Moving on. Last week I felt really proud of my progress, especially in the stomach area. But ever since Sunday I've felt like I'm back to square one. I notice a lot more stomach flab and I hate it. I thought it was because of too much beer on Saturday (and I'm sure that played a part) and also taking a week off of running because of my knee (also probably played a part). Now I think it's also girl-hormone related. Triple attack! Annoying, but at least it will pass in a few days, I hope.

I loved being that excited about my abs and I'm going to get that feeling back. Yesterday there was a last minute change of plans so my ex had the kids and I had to improvise. I went to Red Robin with my boyfriend and we split a burger - my calories were around 500 according to myfitnesspal. Then we went to a bar to see a friend play in a band. I ordered water, people. Me! Water! You know why? Because I wanted water more than I wanted beer and I do what I want. Boo-YEAH!

We stayed at his place last night because it was closer to the bar and his work and we were tired. I knew I'd have zero spare minutes today to go home for workout 7 unless I got up early. So that's what I did. I set my alarm for 5:30 and drove my ass home. I had to come up this way anyway because of a dentist appt at 8 so this just meant leaving earlier. Boyfriend wasn't thrilled with my decision, but this is important to me so I did it.

So I've regained my pride in a major way. I still feel flabby, but I'm doing things right and staying on track. Can't wait to see if the abs get sore again later today.

Day 45: Oh, Jillian

I can't believe I've been doing this for 45 days. I'm either halfway there (if you're counting to 90) or a little over halfway (if you're counting to 12 weeks). Pretty nuts. I think one of the best things I've gotten through doing this program is consistency. That's what I hope to carry forward when I'm done. To 90 days (or 12 weeks) and beyond!

This morning was Cardio 2. It was fine. I'm getting kind of bored of it. I remember feeling the same way about Cardio 1 about halfway through Phase 1. After today I only have 3 more times with this DVD. I can do this 3 more times.

I got this program because 1) the workouts are 30 minutes and 2) I really liked No More Trouble Zones a lot. Jillian Michaels knows how to put together an efficient workout that gets results.

That said, she's no intellectual. I like listening to her podcast while I'm doing some of my more tedious work tasks. This week she had an doctor on the show to talk about vitamins. Keep in mind that Jillian promotes expensive vitamins.

Within the first 5 seconds she showed that she doesn't know what the word synthesize means and was not going to be able to have a rational discussion with this doctor. He cited long-term studies including large sample sizes, published in peer-reviewed journals. Jillian did a google search where she mistook an ad for a study and said something she heard had happened to her friend's uncle. It was embarrasing to listen to, especially since she kept trying to interrupt him Glen Beck style. He had some really interesting info and I wanted to hear it!

So I have kind of a love-annoyed relationship with Jillian. I am loving this program. I loved No More Trouble Zones. But I don't trust her about anything else. I don't believe that raw broccoli and strawberries are bad for dieting. I don't believe any of that metabolic typing stuff she promoted in her Master Your Metabolism book. I'm super annoyed that she hawks diet pills. Lately her podcast seems like a public ego stroke where she goes on and on about not giving herself enough credit for all the awesome things she does. 

Anyway, I know I don't have to listen to her podcast or buy her supplements. I just had to get that off my chest because I was so irritated yesterday!

Day 44: workout 8 and my huge breakfast

I was really tired yesterday so I went to bed at 9 and was asleep by 9:30. Then I kept waking up! It was awful.

So when I finally got out if bed around 5:15 I wasn't feeling ready to workout. Fortunately, true to the pattern, the 2nd workout of the week isn't as hard has the first. Workout 8 was tough, but the really hard part wasn't until circuit 3.

Let's chat about circuit 3. It's sadistic. You go from flys in a crescent lunge for the first move to balancing on one leg in a flat back position with your other leg behind you while holding weights in front of you. It kills. Jillian suggests 3 pound weights but my smallest are five so I put one down in between and held one with both hands.

There are some more cable moves here but I didn't like them as much. It takes me forever to wrap them just right twice around my feet and still they feel uneven like the tension is off.

Moving on to food. I lost my mind this last weekend and did some damage. The scale is up a pound and i feel it. Therefore, I have declared this week "no cheat week" for me. That means no food cheating. At all. No booze. No sugar. No nibbling. It's going to be good. I can do this!

Here's what I've been having for breakfast lately. I have to be aggressive with the veggies in order to use up all the stuff I get in my csa box each week.

Today's medley includes kale, broccoli rabe, garlic, green onion, tomato, carrot, and orange bell pepper. I splash the veggies with champagne vinegar and fry an egg on the side. It makes for a huge breakfast and it keeps me full till lunchtime.

Day 43: Workout 7 - I think I'm in love!

I just finished workout 7 and I'm already looking forward to doing it again Thursday. It is haaaaard! Jillian clearly want me to have my six pack. Oh my goodness.

The first move is these crab pushups where you alternate bringing a knee toward an elbow while doing the pushup. The first set was hard but i pushed through...and then i was DYING for the whole rest of set one. I love it so much.

You can tell we're getting really serious now because she offers lots of modifications in this workout. I had to take a few today but I have confidence that by thursday I'll be stronger and able to do more because that's how it was with workout 5. The first time through I could barely make it. Just two weeks later I was all over it.

Another new thing was more use of the resistance band. Before when we used it I didn't think it was doing much that a regular set of weights couldn't do, but today with the raised arm squats and the triceps extensions I could really feel the work on the negative motion.

I cant stop thinking how this is just the halfway point. I'm going to be checking my blogger feed about every 5 seconds today because I can't wait to hear how workout 9 will be going for people. If she keeps taking it up this much every two weeks we'll all be bikini models by the end.

I slept great last night and my stomach has settled. Yay! Everyone have a great day!

Day 42: I can't believe I just did cardio 2

Yesterday was the first really super awesome sunshiny day here in Washington. It's also the only Saturday afternoon I have free this month so I decided to go see the Hunger Games at 1.

It was really good. They did a great job adapting the book and I really like the girl they picked to play Katniss. She's strong and powerful. Very believable.

Anyway, that was great but afterwards I felt really sick to my stomach. I actually still don't feel that great. It's the kind of stomachache that makes you bloated so I look and feel like I never work out. I know it's temporary so I'm not upset about that. It was uncomfortable enough that I didn't do cardio 2 on schedule yesterday.

I feeling a little better so I did it tonight. I felt my guts sloshing around the whole time. But I did it and I'm glad I did.

Tomorrow morning is workout 7 for the first time. I'm really looking forward to it. I love reading from the bloggers who are a couple weeks ahead of me so I know what to expect a little.

I have to get up a tad earlier than usual though because I told my son we'd do his violin practice in the mornings from now on. That's what I did when I was a kid. It was just part of the routine so I didn't question it. I know he'll thank me in 30 years.

Happy Easter to those who celebrate it. Happy Spring to everyone!

Day 40: awkward social situations

Just finished up workout 6...forever! I kept to my heavy 10 pound weights when she said medium just like when I was in vacation. I had been thinking of getting myself a digital scale as a 2 week reward but now I'm thinking 12 or 15 pound weights would be much better for me physically and emotionally.

I've been raving about the body revolution to a couple of co-workers and yesterday one of them asked if I would meet her early in the gym so we could do them together. She's really fun, but there's a part of me that thinks "No! You can't just start out at week 7! Don't you appreciate what I've been through? There's no way you could possibly keep up!"

Im so full of crap sometimes.

Anyway, I can't get to work any earlier than I already do. I suggested we meet in Saturday to do cardio 2 and then I'll lend her phase 1. I hope she likes it. She's seeing a nutritionist right now and is looking to make some changes although she kinda has a history of talking a lot about starting a program and then not doing it. This is one of the reasons why I'm not so sure about this situation and then I feel guilty for not being supportive.

Switching gears: Tonight I'm going over to a friends house for a tequila tasting. I haven't known her very long. She's actually more a friend of the boyfriend's. She has a few varieties and I think it will be interesting to see if I can taste a difference.

The second objective if the evening is to go through her match.com profile and help her respond to some eligible bachelors. She says she's been on the site for ages but is too freaked out to respond to anyone. Should be a hoot.

My game plan is to eat like normal throughout the day so I'm not starving when I get there. This saving up calories for a splurge later in the day has backfired on me about a million times so it's about time to try a new strategy.

Day 39: vacation's over

Yesterday I had exactly 30 free minutes all day between travel, baseball practice for my oldest, and date night with my boyfriend. You know what I did? Yeah, you do. Cardio 2.

I haven't run in a week now from resting my knee and being at my mom's. It sure makes cardio 2 easier to not have tired legs. I jumped high and didn't get tired on the plié jumps. Burpees were a breeze.

This morning was my last time doing workout 5. The first circuit wasn't so bad. The 3rd was still tough. I'm excited to move on. I really hate the wood choppers. They really bother my right knee.

I'm back on home turf. Got my lunch prepared for today and tomorrow. Got my favorite scale that tells me I'm still 125. Got my head on straight so I realize that's a healthy weight and I look good so I can make good choices and stop being so friggin dramatic.

I have a great feeling about today. Here's a pic if my kids at the beach.

Day 37: workout 6-vacation edition

This one was a breeze. You only use the cable for one move and it's a bicep curl. Hello! Free weights are completely adequate, maybe better since I didn't have to mess with setting up the cable with my feet.

All the "medium" weight exercises were fine with my heavies. Maybe this means I need heavier weights but those things are expensive so not yet. The only bad one was weighted supermans but I held one 10 pounder and I'm pretty sure that just trying to lift it gave me a good burn.

Alright, now what I really want to talk about. I'm frustrated big time. I stepped on my mom's scale and it's 4 pounds heavier than mine at home. It's not just that. I ate a lot yesterday.

In yesterday's post I said that it's hard for me to eat right when I'm not totally in control of my food. Guess what. I wasn't in control of the lasagna and garlic bread that was served for dinner but I was totally in control of how much of it I ate. And of the ice cream I ate after. And of the snacks I had during the day. I need to stop pretending my food is someone else's responsibility.

It reminds me of an article I read in O magazine when I was on the elliptical last week. The gist of it was "what did you think was going to happen?" you look in the mirror and you're getting old. Yeah, that's what happens. You can't control that. But I look at my bank account and I don't have as much money as I want or I look at my body and it's softer than I want- that's something I can control. I bought the stuff. I ate the extras. What did I think was going to happen?

Obviously working out has not been a problem for me. I'm confident that I'll get my workouts in. Time for me to stop pretending that makes me exempt from having to watch my intake also. What's the use of muscles if they're hiding under flab?

And it's raining. I'm a big cranky pants. I'm going to shower up and play monopoly with my kids.

Day 36: vacation substitution workout 5

No, I did not substitute another activity for workout 5! I'm not about to quit my streak. Besides, this is my opportunity to jump around without worrying about downstairs neighbors.

You may recall that I only brought 10 lb weights. I realized about 38 minutes ago that the cable would've been a really super thing to have with me too. Oops.

So for the first cable move where you lunge and fly I just laid on my back and did a fly. The second one where it's a cardio move and you punch it out I held my 10 pounders and did it slowly. Trust me, my heart rate was up!

I didn't find it that big of a deal to do all the "medium" and "light" weight exercises with my heavy weights. I just did them a little slower an with fewer reps. It's worth it to me to only have to carry 20 extra pounds in my duffel bag instead of 46.

Here's the view from the bedroom at my mom's place. It's so nice to be here. She made my favorite salad last night wit broccoli, bacon, sunflower seeds, and mayo. I'm going to see if I can make it with turkey bacon and Greek yogurt when I get home.

Also I feel like my breath has tasted like zucchini for two days. Thanks everyone for the great suggestions. I really want to try those marinara sticks when I get home, but next time I have a ton of zucchini I'll probably just go ahead an freeze half of it. By the way, the brownies weren't that good. My kids liked them but I wouldn't make them again. A big yay on the hummus and muffins though. I'll post the muffin recipe when I get home. They're only something like 170 calories.

Zucchini results

I'm down from 12 zucchini to 4 as if this writing. A couple I sautéed and ate with my morning eggs. One I made into hummus and ate with cucumber and radishes. Three I made into brownies (recipe on allrecipes.com) and two I baked in some muffins. Y

Did you know about a site called skinnytaste.com? A friend told me about it and I found a tasty looking recipe for baked zucchini fries with marinara. This is what I'll be doing on Wednesday night. It looks amazing. Lots of other tasty looking recipes on there.

Today is rest day so let's recap the week. I'm not super happy about it. I got all the workouts in, but I cut back on my usual running because if the knee issue. It feels better today so I'll go running tomorrow but I only ran Monday and Tuesday this week for about 5 miles each and then did the elliptical for an hour on Wednesday.

Food was also not the best. I was all ready to make healthy choices at the work function on Thursday night but the only food was fried nastiness. A friend just ordered a regular meal on her own and that's what I should have done. Instead I held off until I was starving and then ate a ton because I couldn't take it anymore. I will do much better next time.

Im waiting for the ferry right now to take me to my mom's place. She has a digital scale so that will be interesting. Mine is a cheapie with a needle.

I brought my little travel DVD player and my videos but I didn't want to carry three sets of weights with me so I just brought the tens.

I have this thing where I hate having people look at me while I exercise. I'm hoping to wake up early and workout before anyone can see me.

Here are some picks of my zucchini creations. I'm on the blogger mobile app so I cant embed them nicely into my post but there you have it.