Time For More Challenges!

I don't know about you, but when there isn't any fire under my feet, I tend to kick back and relax. But there are too many things I still want to do and learn! I don't have time to recline right now.

That being said, I am going to be doing a series of challenges over the next few months. When I did my 30 Day Fitness Challenge, it really motivated me. I was so consistent and I enjoyed blogging about it every day and it was great having you join me! It felt like a community effort. Haha!

Working out in my nursery studio!

Since the end of my challenge, I have continued to work out (maaayybee not every day), but I am wanting to focus on my diet right now. Too much sugar has turned me into a Plum Fairy and I don't want to feel that way!

So what I am going to in the next 30 days is cut the sugar, fat, and extra starches most of the time. And what I mean by that is I will be making a conscious effort to cut the "fun junk" unless it is absolutely necessary. For example, someone has a birthday next week (hint: me!) and the birthday girl should be able to have some cake! Also, family is coming in from out of town and that means eating out and other goodies, but even with all of these additions, I know I can make better choices!

Let's do it together! Let's have a piece of fruit instead of ice cream. Let's skip the buttered bread and let's cut back on sugar. At least try it for 30 days! I will be posting what I am doing and will be sending tips your way.

Here is to healthy eating!

To Diet or Not To Diet...

The word "diet" stirs up so many emotions in us. It can be a major mood killer, or someone's beacon of hope. Many of us have told ourselves we would cut out ALL starchy carbs and then a few days later the smell of pizza is in the air and there is this internal debate of should-I-shouldn't-I. Or we set ourselves on a diet that we just know is going to make us thin finally and all past problems will melt away.

But they don't.

Usually what happens is we "cheat" and then feel guilty and then give up altogether. That does not sound appealing! What does is changing what goes into the fridge and pantry (and don't forget the freezer!) in the first place.

So what I want to do in these next few blog posts is share some of the help-me-stop-eating-so-much tips that have worked for me. 

So many people do not eat breakfast!

Tip #1: Eat breakfast!I know that sounds soo basic, but it really does fire up the metabolism and keeps you from saving all of your eating for later in the day. 

Tip #2: Before eating lunch or dinner, eat at least 2-3 stocks of celery. It starts up the metabolism and since celery is so low in calories, it actually takes more calories to burn them than to consume! 

 Tip #3: Drink a tall glass of water before every meal. There wont be as much room to stuff your stomach with other things! 

Tip #4: If you are craving that brownie or cookie or whatever temptation it is, take just one bite and throw the rest away. You were able to enjoy a little bit, but not overindulge.

I used to eat out of boredom or simply for taste and would justify that with a good, long run on the treadmill. But just like that big piece of equipment, you aren't getting anywhere. You stay the same.

Now that I have had my baby, I get sooo hungry for fattening foods (like I mentioned in previous posts!), but I really want to become healthier and eat a lot less sugar than I have been.

Why don't you join me? :)

Day 30 of Challenge!

Hello Everyone! The day has dawned on the last day of my challenge! 30 days ago I decided I would work out at home using only free videos I found online or to DVDs I already owned.

What I wanted to see was could I be motivated enough to workout without a trainer? Without going to a studio? Without paying a cent? And I did it! Every day I headed off to my daughter's nursery with my laptop to browse Youtube in search of a great workout video.

Some days I seriously only had 10 minutes to devote to exercise, while other times I spent a solid 45 minutes. But I tried not to focus on that and instead focus on doing something every day.

Well, here are the results! 

Day 1 of Challenge and Day 30

I definitely feel like my waste has shrunk a little bit! But please understand, except for a few days where I was sick, I did no dieting. I never cut out sugar or carbs or cheese. I improved simply by doing something every day.

I think there is this temptation to bite off more than we can chew when it comes to a fitness regime. We think we have to run 5 miles a day, do 1000 squats a week and cut out all sugar. But that kind of lifestyle quickly loses its appeal and discouragement sets in. Try just 10 minutes a day. It is more than no minutes! :)

Well, this concludes my challenge! Thank you to everyone who has followed along and for all of the sweet, encouraging comments! I hope I have inspired you in some way and I have decided that my next target is to clean up my eating a little more. We will see how that goes so stay tuned! ;)

Day 29 of Challenge!

So guess what I did today?

Pure Barre.

It's been a while so I decided today was the day. I must say there were a few bittersweet moments as I worked out because I used to switch back and forth between the two PB DVD's while I was pregnant and it brought back memories!! I cannot say I was one of those women who adored being "with child." I couldn't sleep on my back or my stomach or my left side (my baby would kick like CRAZY in the womb if I lay on my left side!) and my back hurt a lot and I had a lot of morning sickness. That being said, feeling my little girl kick in the womb was surreal and I do miss that.

Anyway, back to Pure Barre. :)

My little red ball...

 The DVD is called Pershing Square 2 and I am sure it can be found on Amazon if you are looking for a deal! It really is an effective workout, I just wish it wasn't so darn expensive to go to their studio! $175 a month is a little more than I am wanting to spend right now.

Well, my challenge is over tomorrow... Another bittersweet moment. Haha!

Bring on DAY 30!!!

Day 28 of Challenge!

I woke up feeling a little nauseous this morning so I decided to keep things light today, starting with my eating. For breakfast I just had a Greek yogurt, cherry and banana smoothie and then worked out to Ballet Beautiful.

Ballet Bicycles

This was a full body 15 minute workout that was decently difficult but not nearly as hard as some of her other videos! Still, I worked my whole body and I felt good about that.

So keeping with the ballet theme today, I tried XHit's Natalie Portman routine.  

Not quite on pointe, but nice workout

This one was only 8 minutes and it never felt hard but I was still tensing my muscles so I choose to believe my body benefited from it. :) I do not have the time or drive to work out 8 hours a day, 6 days a week like Natalie Portman did preparing for her role in the Black Swan, but I always do what I can and I feel good about that.

And I think I ended tonight really well. Still not feeling the best, I kept dinner light, but very good and nourishing!

These wonderful veggies here... 

Became these... :) 

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

 Soo delicious and not heavy on the stomach! I thought about having dessert because I told you I have a major sweet tooth, but decided to skip that tonight.

Bring on Day 29!

Day 27 of Challenge

Have you ever noticed just how many different names there are for the Butt? The Bum, the Booty, the Behind, the Rear, the Seat, the Badonkadonk?

Well, whatever you prefer to call it, that is what I really focused on today.

Iconic Bum lifter exercise!

So I tried to find a video from a much less popular Youtube channel to get my burn on, but I think I went through 4 different videos trying to find one that wasn't just an ad, or one that actually had some quality workouts, but sadly I couldn't and ended back over at FitnessBlender. I only did the first set of this 3 set Brazilian Butt Lift because I was just a little bored with it. Sometimes I find it hard to workout with the guy instructing via voice over. There is no music, just his voice and an occasional sniffle.

So after the first set, I moved over to Pop Pilates Bombshell Butt Series.

Cheerful as always!

It was really hard! I struggled to stay in each move for the full length so I hope it was working! It just takes soooo much exercise to see progress. How many squats do I have to do to see the kind of results I want? How many hip raises are in my future?? It all gets a little daunting after a while.

Yet when I think about it, what is my vision for my "fit" self? Any time I think, "Well, it's to be somewhere in between this person and this person." I am just comparing my body type to someone else's and that isn't going to get me anywhere except discouraged. A Dr. Seuss quote comes to mind:

Be YOU!

 I have to keep going and do what I can to be the best ME and not try and be someone else! And with that thought I will bid you, Adieu. :) Bring on Day 28!

Day 26 of Challenge!

The past couple of days I haven't slept very well. This has made me feel a little groggy and didn't give me much energy for exercising. I will not lie, working out was not high on my list of things to do today. When I put my baby down for her afternoon nap, I was very tempted (VERY) to just plop down on the couch and read or play on my phone. Or do absolutely nothing.

But ironically, working out can increase energy so off to the nursery I went!

This is one of my favorite oblique poses.

I just selected FitnessBlender because they had an Arm and Ab combo workout and I could knock out both areas with one search. But it was not my favorite. For example, throughout the workout one move would be on the ground and the next was standing up and then back on the ground and then back up again. This just made the video feel really choppy and sporadic. So I would not revisit this particular video, but at least I worked out.

Getting back in shape after having a baby is HARD. It feels like one day you are making great progress and then the next day you swear that flab grew on you overnight! I think the best way to combat this is to keep going and try not to let yourself go in the first place!

Feeling a little discouraged but pressing on!

 Alright, You Guys, the end is in sight! Bring on Day 27!

Day 25 of Challenge!

Let's call today The Sunday Stretch because that is what I really focused on today. I hardly slept a wink last night which put me in such a funky mood this morning so I just wanted to do something relaxing today.

Funky mood!!

Since I knew I was going to be doing a lot of stretching, I had to get my muscles warmed up so I did two leg workouts to make my thighs nice and ready.

Hip and Leg Killer!

I did this one before, remember? When I was sick and just felt like laying down to workout? But it is sooo effective and really works the legs and hips like it says! Even Mrs. Bowers shows signs of fatigue!

Inner thigh time!

 Then I did an inner thigh workout. I actually never did this one! It wasn't too hard but I could feel that my inner thighs were being targeted so one point for me!

After all of that I was ready to stretch into the splits so I put on some relaxing piano music and just relaxed as I stretched.  It was just really nice and I was happy that my body is still so limber.

Well, Happy Sunday Stretching, Everyone!

Day 24 of Challenge!

Hey, guess what?  I am sore this morning! Those 100 squats from last night really did some damage that I could have missed out on. So here I am feeling like a winner right now! :)

Speaking of winning, today I tried out the popular PopSugar Channel. I realized I had never worked out to any of their videos before so this was the day.

Fight the flab!

First was Arm Jiggle Tightening Workout. It was only 10 minutes and pretty easy. I never once felt like, "Oh man, when is this over??" But it was entertaining and I am sure it did something.

Then I worked my abs with The Ultimate Ab Workout For Your Skimpiest Bikini.

Decently difficult

First of all, I just had my baby 3 months ago so a skimpy bikini is not in my plans, but toning my abs? Yes! Now this one was quite advanced and I liked it. The first exercise was in a push up position with something that glided under your feet so you could move your legs in and out to really work the core and since I did not want to step on a towel, I used dryer sheets! I thought it was a great idea! And it burned my abs.

I also lightened up my eating a little by substituting Naked Juice for one meal.  I have to be careful to continue eating properly and drinking plenty of water since I am still nursing.

All in all a pretty good day! See you tomorrow!

Day 23 of Challenge!

You would not believe the kind of day I had! It was pretty much several errands that took me all over town and these were the type of errands that no one enjoys doing. Then it was home to make dinner, bathe and feed my baby and suddenly it was late. Too late to finish crocheting a pair of gloves for my husband and almost too late to work out.

But I knew I had to do something. I couldn't miss Day 23. So I had the genius idea to do a squat challenge! Keep that in mind if you only have about 10 or 15 minutes to exercise and want to feel a burn!

100 Reps and smiling!

Fitness Blender had a Part 2 of their Squat Challenge Series and it was really good! I will definitely be feeling that in the morning!

So that is it! Aren't you proud of me, though? It would have been so easy to put off my workout until tomorrow, but I really do believe everyone has at least 10 minutes!

Happy Burn, Everyone! See you tomorrow for Day 24!

Day 22 of Challenge!

You know, as I have been focusing on getting fit these past 22 days, I couldn't help but ask myself what my real motivation was. I am not the girl I was a few years ago.

 I am a married woman now.

 I am a mother now.

Why does a married woman get/stay fit? For her husband? For health? For herself only? Why does a mother do it? For health? To keep up with those little legs?

Why am I doing it? I guess it would be for a few reasons... Yes, for health. My body is God's temple. It is also because I want to look nice for my husband and set a good example for my little one. But I think the biggest reason is I want to be ready if/when I get pregnant again. I can sit comfortably with an extra 7 pounds on my body but if I were to be expecting again, it will be that much harder to get the weight off afterwards.

So I will work really hard now! And here is what I did...

All kinds of crunches...

I was ready for more ab work today so I did XHit Victoria's Secret Abs. I have no idea why it is called that. Does the instructor have an inside scoop? Will I really look like a model after this? Well, the answer is NO! Because I did it and I still look like me. :) But I liked the intensity of the workout! Even as I type this I feel how tight my abs are!

Then I worked my chest.

She has little dumbbells, too!

So I did another XHit video for the chest and back. It was pretty straightforward and fast paced. I do like how energetic the instructor is.

Well, that is all, Folks. I just want to thank you all for keeping up with me for the past 22 days! It has been interesting for sure, but I am so glad I have had you along for the ride! :)

Bring on day 23!

Day 21 of Challenge!

Life is short.

I was reminded of that today when my husband and I sat at the bedside of a dear old friend as he slowly waits to slip out of this life and into the next.  He was so calm as his wife sat by him rubbing his shoulder. He has lived a full life. 85 years on this earth and one of the last things he said before we headed out the door was, "Time goes by very fast." Yes, Bob, it does.

It made me think about what I spend my time doing. What really matters at the end of the day? God matters. Family matters. After that, it is about doing the best we can with what we have and not wasting anything.

And I did not waste time today. I worked out as hard as possible because the end of my challenge is near and I want to feel good about what I did this past month.

Hard core. Hard floor.

So BodyRockTV today for the lower half. Except, Miss Instructor always adds abs and arms to her workouts so I basically got a full body hit. And if you want to try that same hit, then do it!

Then I hit my butt again with Ballet Beautiful!

4 Sets of 8 every time!

I did this video before, but never in conjunction with another butt and thigh workout so I feel like I am making great progress with my stamina and muscle tone. Yay! This is Part One of her workouts and it really does kill your legs. So go ahead and kill yours! :)

Well, that was my day. I hope I can inspire you to take every opportunity to do the most you can with what you have because time really does go by so fast. Just ask my dear friend, Bob.

Day 20 of Challenge!

Things do not always go according to plan and that was my day today. I ended up not having as much time as I would have liked to for working out, but isn't that how life is? And usually fitness is one of the first things thrown off the schedule.

But not for me! I have a challenge to finish! Even a little is better than nothing.

So like I said yesterday, my body was due for Abs and Arms and I did what I could.

"Chopping" wood!

The video was only 8 minutes and it actually felt really easy. :/ I don't know if it's because I am getting some serious muscle tone back or if it just wasn't a challenging workout.

Then I tried out this woman...

Say Hello to Joanna...

This video was all about light weights and quick repetitions. However, after working out with her I read some of the comments from her workout and some people were quite upset with her. They seem to think working with light weights and doing fast movements is wasting everyone's time and she is just a plain LIAR! Lol. I say if you want to use heavy weights, find a different workout. That is all.

Except for a 20 minute walk with my baby, that is all I did today!

Me and my wee little weights...

 Bring on Day 21! 

Day 19 of Challenge!

Lets call today Leg and Butt Day because that is what I really focused on this morning. Shorts weather is nipping at my thighs and I want to be prepared!

First things first was a Squat Challenge! I would NOT have done these on my own. I needed a video to motivate me. The whole time I was thinking about the nice bubble butt I was making. LOL.

How low can you go?

I recommend you try it out because it was hard and varied and motivational with it's calorie burning bar. So go ahead... Click here.

Then it was off to make my thighs leaner and slimmer with Ballet Beautiful. I have done this video probably 3 times since I started my 30 day challenge. Are you getting the picture? I think it really works! But don't take my word for it, you need to find your inner Ballerina for yourself. ;)

Stretching to keep muscles lean! 

Now you think I would be finished now, yes? No! I wanted to hit my legs one more time so I tried a BeFit video for calves. I really did not like it all that much. It was confusing... The instructor said not to place an emphasis on toes while in a calf raise to avoid bulking the muscle. But all we did was work on our toes. Then she said not to use weights because that adds too much weight and can bulk the calf. But then she grabbed some dumbbells to help work that area.

Do what I say and not what I do?

So I would not recommend this particular video, but I worked the area out all the same.

Okay, now I am done. Tomorrow I will focus on abs and arms so I am looking forward to that. See you here tomorrow!

Bring on Day 20!!

Day 18 of Challenge!

You know how " they" say when you're losing weight (or toning up) that it takes a week for yourself to notice change, two weeks for close friends/family, and 3 weeks for the rest of the world (or something like that?) Well, let me tell you that yesterday my husband said that I was definitely looking more fit! Yay! And no, he wasn't just being nice because he is always nice and when I asked him if he saw a difference when I was only Day 6 or 7, he said not really! So I know he meant it.

So there is progress, People!

Well, I found the saying and I guess I was a bit off! Haha! But you get the idea and I am glad my hard work is becoming visible.

So here is what my day looked like:

We did A LOT of Eagle Crunches. Ouch!

A 17 minute full body workout from Pop Pilates. It was hard and short and I felt like it was effective, which is what I am looking for in a workout! Try it out if you want. :)

 And then another stretch with this woman! I was feeling so tight that I needed to do this.

Did this one before...

After all of that I decided to clean my whole house, which required a lot of lifting, moving, sweeping, swiffering, scrubbing, bending... Whew! That felt like more of a workout than anything I did today! I guess that is what my fitness regimen was missing! ;)

See you tomorrow!

Day 17 of Challenge!

Can I say, "Oww!" My thighs are crying (hopefully they are crying out fat!) from my BodyRockTV workout today. I told you guys I would try one of her videos again, but I was putting them off because they are LEGIT. The instructor has a ton of videos and definitely has a body to brag about.

So, if you would like to try it, click here.

She is legit!

I think her thighs will never, ever touch because of how hard she works! I really don't think she has one ounce of fat on her. :)

Well, that is all I did today because I don't want to do too much since I am still recovering. Cough...Cough...

Trying to show off my thigh work! ;)

 Happy Friday, Everyone!

See below for a progress report!

Day 16 of Challenge!

Hello, Again!

So my illness finally "gaat me." I could not get out of bed yesterday which made me unable to do any sort of workout. Oh well! It gave my body a much needed rest, but here I am again!

I tried out Fitness Blender for the first time. Goodness, I did not know how popular their videos were. I say when you get to 16,000,000+ views, it's a decently popular channel. But the dynamic is so interesting. A woman does the workout and a man tells you what to do in a voice over. It just felt like it needed a little music? Or is that just me?

Here is what I did...

Worked my arms for 20 minutes!

I started with arms. I need to tone my chicken wings! And I think I did because the arm workout was 20 minutes long! I don't think I have worked that section that long before, but I used my 2 pound dumbbells and it went pretty quickly. I did really stretch afterwards because I don't want tight arms! Yuck.

Then here is the ab workout...

16,000,000+ views and counting... 

My body started shaking a little bit, but I think that's because I was getting over my cold. Either way, it was a good, effective video that was just the right length.

Now that I am over the half-way mark for my challenge, I am wondering, will I really get fit again? Can I look as toned now as I did before my baby was even a twinkle in my eye?

I guess that is what this fitness journey is all about. I will have to keep going to find out!

Bring on Day 17!

Day 15 of Challenge!

You know how "they" say the first step towards change is identifying the problem? Well, I did that remember? When I let everyone know I was having waaay too much dessert? It actually invigorated me to to really get on track and finish my 30 day fitness challenge strong. I had so many plans for this week!

And then I got sick...

Under the weather!

But I will just keep going, and besides that it doesn't make me very hungry for cold, sweet things like ice cream. ;)

So at first I was going to do another Muffin Top workout because THEY NEED IT. And I wanted to find some independent person that wasn't in a studio or had fancy equipment. So, I stumbled upon this...

Hello, Monkey?

The instructor had a whole 2 minute intro for her ab/hip workout where she competes with a green monkey and the monkey wins. Then she started the workout.

Wait, what?

I couldn't continue. It was just soo out there for me. We gel with certain people for a reason and I just couldn't take it seriously! But the monkey looks happy...

Then I had the genius idea to do a Ballet Beautiful hip and thigh workout because it is one that burns like crazy and you basically lay down the whole time.

Working out while laying down...

 I can't tell you how nice it was to support my head and relax, and yet work out. So keep that in mind if you have a head cold but want to keep burning fat!

Hopefully by tomorrow I will be feeling much better because I am ready to do some damage!

Bring on Day 16!

Day 14 of Challenge!

Two weeks in and going strong. Except for my little confession yesterday about the cake and ice cream thing and the fact that I woke up this morning feeling really sick. Like sore-every-time-I-swallow sick. Dumb!

But I worked out a little anyway. I will not stop my challenge because I have a cold! So today I did a BeFit video for thighs.

Aye, aye, Cap'n!

So... Never in my LIFE have I watched a fitness video where the instructor criticizes one of her backup girls, but that is exactly what happened here. The instructor kept looking back at her two extras and saying things like, "You are not low enough!" and "I thought you were up too high!" It was so awkward. I mean, work out the kinks before you post, yeah?

I did continue the workout because I ain't no quitter, but I was glad she couldn't see me! I mean, the way she runs her ship is up to her, but it made me not want to watch it again.

Well, that's all I did today and there is no video as I am saving my voice! But I did not stop and that is worth feeling good about. :)

Day 13 of Challenge!

Being that today is Sunday, I made it a Fun Day and only did two simple workouts. Both were from XHIT Daily and both were Victoria's Secret themed. No, I am not obsessed with the lingerie Angels... It just seems to be the body that most women are after, so popular videos cater to that.
That isn't to say I would complain if I looked like one, but I do like my sweets! ;)

So here was my VS arms workout.

How to get arms like....

I did not find it difficult at all, but that was perfect for today. The instructor had an amazing body and I liked how energetic she was. But do you see how she is just instructing in her living room? She doesn't need a degree or a fancy studio to help others work out!

And then I ended with VS abs!

How to get abs like...

Again, easy, but still a good workout. I have not done many XHIT Daily videos, but the ones I have done were swell and I will "HIT" them up again very soon!

Now, tomorrow marks 2 weeks into my challenge, but I have to say that I do not think I am making as much progress as I could be. I must confess that I have a sweet tooth. A reeeaally sweet tooth. Dinner is 9 times out of 10 followed by dessert. Maybe 10 out of 10... I am sure I can cut back a little more, but I also have to be human and allow myself something or I don't think life will be very fun anymore!!

So, here is to cutting back a teeny weeny bit in the sweet department. Bring on day 14!