Fell a Giant, Resurrect a Legend

I know I haven't posted in awhile. I guess I took the 1500 calorie at no exercise rule to the extreme, and just have not exercised in awhile.

Luke bought a bike last week and has had fun exercising with that. During my intense weight loss plan earlier this year, I discovered that biking is actually an excellent way to burn calories (not fat burn, but great cardio and heart exercise).

With Luke's new motivation and mode to exercise, I decided it was about time to update my bike. The Giant bike I've owned for the past 5+ years is way too big. It's an upright bike, and the frame is just unnecessarily huge. It's too heavy for me to carry up and down stairs, or even maneuver up and down stairs. At least it lives up to its name...

About a year ago, my mom was going to throw away her 1980s(?) World Tourist Schwinn bike and I told her I would try to sell it. She gave it to me, and I cleaned it up, and then discovered that only men's Schwinn bikes from yesteryear are of value to people.

I hung on to the bike, and am now making it my own!

So, I sold the Giant for next to nothing (but I'm happy to be rid of that problem), and then I took my mother's bike in to be repaired. At the very least, it needed new tires and a basic tune up. Our friend, Ben Erickson, a bike enthusiast and a co-op owner of The Hub, assisted in this venture.

Long story short, I took out my mom's 3-speed Schwinn for a spin today. I wanted to time myself on my 3-mile circuit to see how long it would take, but I forgot to look at the time when I left. Ah well, I guess I'll just have to go out again tomorrow!

Mississippi Walk

This evening, Luke and Baxter and I went on a nice long walk. It was a gorgeous evening, especially by the river. And Baxter made a number of human friends; at the end of the night, Luke and I stopped in at one of our favorite restaurants in the neighborhood for some refreshment. We sat on the patio, and our server brought Baxter a bowl of water and a dog treat. Baxter isn't used to restaurant patios, especially those that are located on public sidewalks, and he felt he needed to greet EVERYONE that walked by!

Strength

Power 90 strength training routine. Done!

Belly, Butt, Thighs

Today, I did the Belly, Butt, and Thighs routines from Crunch Pilates. I realized I've been focused so much on my arms and legs, that my core area hasn't had much exercise. It felt good!

Lean vs. Defined Muscles

Today was another strength training day. I'm starting to get bored of this Power 90 routine, and I would actually like to build up some defined muscles, rather than have lean muscles, and this routine really emphasizes lean muscles (lighter weight and more reps).

Fat Burn vs. Cardio

Today, I walked with Baxter on my 3-mile running circuit. It took 45 minutes to complete. Then I did my Power 90 strength training.

Now that I do not have to focus as much on fat burning, I'm considering starting to run more often than walk. But walking is so much more relaxing!

New Motivation

Well, I weighed in yesterday at 117.5 pounds! Half a pound below my final goal weight. So I am officially done with that low calorie-consumption diet! I so look forward to eating cheese again!

So, after weighing in, I never exercised. I guess I decided that a day off would be a good reward. I will continue to count calories, though, as the next challenge is to retrain my stomach to know what the new calorie plateau feels like (so that I don't under- or over-eat).

According to an online caloric intake calculator, for me to maintain my current weight with no exercise, I am able to eat 1500 calories per day. With my handy Calorie Count iphone app, I am able to use this 1500 as a starting point, and if I exercise on a particular day, it indicates that I have calories on top of my 1500 daily calories to consume. I think this will help motivate me to keep exercising, so that I can splurge a bit.

Today, I continued my strength training regimen with Power 90 disc 2.

Last Stop?

This morning, I went for a walk with Luke and Baxter outside! Beautiful morning for it. We did a 3-mile circuit in 55 minutes. At right is a picture of the train that went by during our walk. It was only 4 cars long.

Later in the afternoon, I did disc 2 of Power 90 for strength training.

Tomorrow is weigh in! We will all see if I made my goal of weighing 118 pounds. If that is the case, then I have some diet planning to do in order to transition to maintenance rather than weight loss. After 6 weeks of being on this weight loss diet and exercise plan, that will be a new challenge!

Packing Up and Going Home

Well, this morning, I woke up and finished cleaning and organizing the storage room! It only took 3 more hours to finish and pack up my dad's pickup with items to take to a second-hand store.

Before leaving for Saint Paul, I even made time to do the 35-minute Pilates for Dummies routine, and Power 90 Abs!

Last Deep Clean

This morning, I did Power 90 (disc 2) right away when I got up. Man, what a strength training workout! I had wanted to go for a walk later in the day, but being that it is my last day in Halstad (I go home to Saint Paul tomorrow!), I decided to take on one last project for my dad and clean out my parents' storage room. 5 hours later, I'm finally calling it a night! Hope to finish up in the morning before I take off!

Pilates

This morning, I was about to do some Pilates when I received a call from my Fargo chiropractor, stating she could squeeze me in that morning. Excellent! So, I went to Fargo, ran some errands, and then came back and finally did all 35 minutes of Pilates for Dummies DVD and 40 minutes of Crunch: Pick your Spot. A total of 75 minutes of Pilates!

Above and Beyond

What a hot day in Halstad! 95 degrees!

I went on a walk with Baxter this morning for 75 minutes (to resolve the 15 minute deficit from Tuesday).  Rather than do the regular 3-mile circuit, I decided to cut across town, then weave a bit along the main streets back to the edge of town with a hut dike that Baxter and I walked along. During my walk, I came across two very active older women who were going for a stroll. Way to go them!

After my walk, I did disc 2 of Power 90 strength training. Unbeknownst to me, the strength training routine on disc 2 is 40 minutes long (compared to the 30-minute routine on disc 1). So, I actually did an extra 10 minutes of exercise today (above what is scheduled and from Tuesday's deficit)! And what a workout. Much of it was the same as disc 1, but with less time to complete the repetitions, and an added section that requires you to do as many pushups and squats as possible. Whew!

Red in the Face

I felt really gross this morning when I woke up. Just super sweaty...I know you all want to know that. So, I took a shower rather than diving into exercise. I knew this would mean I would most likely put exercising off until later in the day, but I worked out rather late yesterday too, so, as long as I get all my time in, it's good.

Well, I started exercising at 8:00pm! My mom realized that she consumed more calories than she intended to and so she was going to bike them off. As I returned a friend's bike just yesterday, I wasn't able to bike with her, so I decided to run with her! That's right. I haven't run in about 8 months, but I decided to give it a go. For those of you who may not realize. I may be in good weight shape, but I'm not in good running shape. Regardless, I did pretty good! I ran just over 3 miles without stopping or walking and averaged a 10-minute mile. Excellent, if you ask me!

My mom got really concerned halfway through the run because my face was really red. My face is always red when I run; in or out of running shape. So, that didn't concern me. I did feel like puking when I finished, but I was never in danger of passing out. The picture above was taken after I finished my run, to demonstrate my red face. I know I have crazy, semi-crossed eyes...that may have been from the run too :)

When I returned from my run, I gave myself a few minutes to recover, then performed the stretching pilates DVD with Trudie Styler. This way, I didn't have to consciously stretch after my run! I hate going through the motions of stretching before and after a run, so this was a fun way to do that.

After that, I did the "Hip Hop Abs" DVD to offset my deficit of exercise on Tuesday. Now, I just have 15 more minutes to make up for that lost day...

Biceps and Bicycles

Yeah, I didn't exercise yesterday. I won't delve into the details, but I got obsessed with some computer work and then got a really bad migraine from staring at the computer all day and truly couldn't do anything. Also, I have forgotten just how dull my hunger senses get when I'm infront of a computer. Not eating when I should have probably also affected my migraine.

Anyway, being that I didn't exercise yesterday, I needed to make up the time today...

I started with Power 90, as usual. I forgot that today I was going to go to Disc 2 of the set, but I guess I will do that on Friday. I gave Disc 1 a big last push today!

Then I went on a 70-minute walk with Baxter. Another sunny day, and my tan is filling in very nicely!

After that, I realized I needed to return a bike that I have been borrowing (but not successfully using). So I decided to go on a very long detour to return it... I biked with a moderate effort for 35 minutes before returning it to its owner.

Feeling good! Now, I just have 45 more minutes to make up tomorrow for my lack in exercise yesterday!

By the way, I weighed in at 119.8 pounds, bringing my total weight loss to 12.2 pounds! Only 1.8 pounds to go to reach my new goal of weighing 118 pounds.

Bright, Sunshiny Day

Another Power 90 day today. Then went on a 3-mile walk with Baxter. Boy it was hot today! And sunny! I got a tan while on this walk! Whoot whoot!

Catching the Worm

Although I have been exercising with my mother for the majority of the last month or so, in honor of Mother's Day, she and I did 60 minutes of mat pilates together this morning. Immediately after Pilates, I was all warmed up to do Hip Hop Abs. It's only 8:30am, and I've completed my required exercises for the day!

Bounce Back

After a hard sleep, I woke up and was ready to really exercise! My mother and I did Power 90 strength training. Later, in the early evening, we went on a walk. Because she biked earlier in the afternoon, she only joined me for 30 minutes of my 60-minute walk. So, Baxter joined me for the second half of my walk.

During my mom's bike ride, my brother ran alongside her, as he came up today for Mother's Day weekend.

All in all, we all did a great job today!

Low Key

Today was a loooong day! I woke up early to exercise, but then didn't actually exercise. Some of you may notice that these exercise reports don't get posted right away (they say they do), but sometimes I don't get around to actually publishing them until a few days after the fact. So, I ended up spending my morning writing a few blog entries rather than exercise.

Before I knew it, I had to pack up the car and head back to Fargo, as my dad would like my help on the farm for 1 more week! Four hours later, once I arrived in Fargo, I had to run a few errands for him. I arrived in Halstad at around 7:00pm. Exhausted from a day of driving and running errands, I crashed on the couch for a few hours. At 10:00pm, I finally figured I better do something just so that I don't let the entire day go to waste, exercise-wise. So, I did "Yoga Booty Ballet: Hip Hop Abs." I didn't have as much pep as the instructors this time!

It is ok to have a low-key exercise day every once in awhile. Sometimes, it is what the body needs in order to continue cooperating with a weight loss plan. But it is important to still do something, so that the habit of exercising is not lost. I try to schedule in a lighter day for me and my mom once each week. That was supposed to be this past Monday with the stretching pilates routine with Trudie Styler. So, I anticipate working much harder the next few days to make up for 2 light days in one week.

Accounting for Flux

This morning, I went to the hotel my parents are staying at, as they are in the St. Paul area for a few days. I did this to exercise with my exercise partner, my mother, but also to use my scale that my mother had along with her, so that I could weigh in this morning. I think it's really important to use the same scale every time in order to be consistent, as some scales may vary a bit. I weighed in at 121.7 pounds! I lost 1.5 pounds this past week. So, I lost about the same amount as I did a week ago. Overall, I have lost 10.3 pounds since April 8th, when my mother and I started working out.

My initial goal was to lose 10 pounds. So, I have achieved my goal! But to account for slight fluctuations later (after I change my dieting and workout habits from this weight loss routine), I aim to lose another 3.7 pounds, so that I weigh 118 pounds before going off this program.

So, back to my exercising today: My mom and I used the fitness room in the hotel (and we were the only ones in there!) to do our Power 90 strength training routine.

After returning home, I took a 60-minute walk with Baxter along the old 3-mile circuit I ran with him last summer and fall. Everyone thinks Baxter is just soo cute with his little walk/run back pack on!

Feeling good!

Pilates

Today, I was pretty uninspired, so I woke up and did the "Crunch" pilates, "Pilates for Dummies" mat routine, and "Power 90" abs. A total of 60 minutes of exercise.

Luke and I are having our kitchen remodeled. They are coming to install our new kitchen island and raised table next week! To prepare, I decided to take one of Luke's family's heirlooms, our kitchen table and chairs, to his parents' house so that his sister can use them when she moves into her new apartment this summer. I moved the table and chairs by myself to Luke's parents' house! This was a workout in itself!

On Belay!

This evening, Luke and I decided to go wall climbing. We thought about doing this on Sunday, but concluded we didn't have the time or adequate energy for our first-time attempt to scale a wall (since at least high school, for me).

A friend of ours is a member of Vertical Endeavors, which has wall-climbing facilities scattered about the Twin Cities. We went to the one closest to us. After a 10-minute introduction in order to learn how to use the auto-belays, we climbed away.

There were so many ropes and auto-belays, that even though the St. Paul facility was fairly crowded, we didn't have to wait long (if at all) to use an auto-belay (which are pretty amazing contraptions!). There were tons of kids there! Some of them were pretty amazing...climbing advanced routes, hanging upside down on the ceiling, belaying each other... Although they were pretty incredible and fun to watch, I think I would want to go back during the day, when kids are in school. It would help free up a lot of the routes, and lessen the screaming and screeching!

Luke and I were at the facility for about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Of course, we weren't purely climbing the entire time. Even in weight lifting, it is important to give the muscles being worked a short break between sets. I figure we were actually climbing for a third of the time we were there.

I will definitely go back!

Walking Tall

As all of the crops are now planted, my parents are in the Twin Cities for a few days. So, as workout partners, my mother and I took the opportunity to do "Core Strength Pilates" with Trudie Styler. (I always feel so much more relaxed, and taller, when I do this routine!) And then we went on a 40-minute walk. What a gorgeous day for it!

Just Doing It

Today is a busy day. This morning, I had plans to get together with a friend of mine for coffee, then get a pedicure (I know, life is tough!), then go to church, and of course, find time to exercise.

So, this morning, I finally pulled myself out of bed at 8:30am to do my Power 90 strength training routine. I woke Luke up with all of my huffing and puffing, because I was really giving those push ups and dumb-bell presses everything I had.

After my coffee date and pedicure, Luke and I thought we might go wall/rock climbing as a fun activity that I could count as exercise. But I was really zapped of energy. Maybe the drive from Halstad on Friday finally caught up with me. Also, Luke had been concerned that we might be late for church if we tried to go this afternoon. So, we opted out of wall climbing.

I really was not excited about finding another exercise activity, and I kept putting it off until close to 10:00pm. I simply chose to do 30 minutes of elliptical.

So, yes, people out there who read my blog, there are certainly days that I really don't want to work out. Rather than make excuses or think about it too hard, I resolve to just do an exercise. More often than not, half way through the exercise I feel great about myself, having conquered my own obstacle.

Scapulas and Spatulas

Well, this morning I attended a wedding shower for my sister-in-law. I volunteered to bring blueberry muffins, and there is nothing like freshly baked blueberry muffins. So rather than bake them last night, I decided to wake up early to make them this morning. I needed to leave my house by 9:00am, so between wanting to exercise before the shower, and making muffins, I woke up at 6:30am.

I started on the muffins right away. While the first batch was baking, I did the first 10-minute "Total Body" workout routine from "Crunch Pilates." While the second batch baked, I did the "Belly" and "Butt" zone workouts from the same DVD. Then I needed to hop in the shower. With all of the muffins baked and cooled, and half of my exercises complete, I headed out to the shower!

After the shower, Luke was out with a friend for lunch, so I decided to take the opportunity to finish my exercising. I completed the last zone workout from "Crunch": "Thighs," then the mat pilates routine from "Pilates for Dummies," and finally, "Abs 100" from "Power 90."

By the way, the blueberry muffin recipe I used is super healthy. And I received a number of compliments for them at the shower. I definitely recommend them!

Interruptions

I leave for the cities this afternoon! And since the last thing I will want to do is exercise when I get there, I needed to get all of my exercising done before I leave...

Because I woke up a little earlier than usual, I ate a small breakfast, so I decided to wait about 30 minutes before doing my Power 90 strength training so that I wouldn't get a cramp or something. The phone kept ringing and interrupting my workout, so, the routine took about twice as long as usual, which meant that if I wanted to do a full 90 minutes of exercise today, then I would be cutting it a little close.

So, I resolved to do 60 total minutes of exercise, especially since I put in a long and hard workout just yesterday. Immediately after (finally) completing Power 90, I went on a walk outside, by myself. I didn't want Baxter slowing me down, and my mom was busy working in her garden. As long as I walked way out to the edge of town, I checked up on one of my Dad's wheat fields (at left). The second photo is the road I walked out to the wheat field. If you can't make out the sign, it says "Pavement Ends."

Now, I'm hopping in the shower before packing up my car and hitting the road!

Pilates Marathon

Today wasn't a heavy work day, and I still had some leftover motivation from yesterday to do try a pilates marathon.

When I woke up, I did 55 minutes of mat pilates. At about 2:00pm, I concentrated on abs with Yoga Booty Ballet: Hip Hop Abs, followed by standing pilates, followed by Power 90 5-minute "Ab Ripper 100."

At 8:30pm, I ended the day with some stretching yoga: Core Strength Pilates with Trudie Styler.

That's a total of 3 hours of pilates! I feel great!

Morning Motivation

Well, this morning, I got up and did exactly what I set my mind to last night. I popped the Power 90 Sculpt DVD in my computer, folded up my bed, and did 30 minutes of strength training in my basement apartment.

But even before that, I weighed in for the week: 123.2 pounds. Which means I lost 1.4 pounds in the past week for a total of 8.8 pounds. It's obvious that the weight I'm losing from one week to the next is half as much as was lost the week before. This is because I am getting closer to my goal weight. This just means I will have to amp up my exercise and work harder!

After strength training with Tony Horton, I had to work for 2 hours, but then went on a 45 minute walk with Baxter around Halstad. It was a gorgeous day. In the 45 minutes of our walk, we walked 2.5 miles. I got an amazing burn in my calves!

May Day! May Day!

So today, not so good a day. I had to drive and run around doing a lot of errands today, which affected when I was able to have a healthy snack or meal. So by the time I got around to being able to exercise, I was feeling zapped of energy and fairly uninspired to exercise. It was also getting dark out, so I couldn't simply walk outdoors with Baxter. I decided to walk on the treadmill for 60 minutes, while watching episodes saved in my Hulu queue to help pass the time. I still found myself looking down at the "minutes left" field on the treadmill and silently counting down the seconds whenever it was near a multiple of 10 (i.e. 40 minutes, 30 minutes, 20...).

Because it was such a light exercise day, and because I've been exercising later in the day (when I'd rather start the day with exercise), I plan to get up in the morning and do my exercises right away! Let's see how I do.

The one good thing that happened today was that I visited my Grandma in the midst of running errands and she commented on how I'm still losing weight! Thanks, Grandma!

Multi-Purpose Bedroom

Well, despite all of the cold, rainy weather we've been having in Halstad, Minnesota, the sun came through with a winner of a day. I think the temperature rose above 70 degrees!

Unfortunately, I was not feeling well for the majority of the day. It probably has a lot to do with being on the bus so much over the weekend, and maybe the Starbucks spinach wrap I had this morning for breakfast... At around 4:30pm, after my mom had already been walking with Baxter for 20+ minutes, she came in and insisted I come walk with her, as it was such a gorgeous day outside.

We walked up and down every street in Halstad (running north-south). It took a full hour, and totalled 3-miles in distance.

Much later in the evening, we got around to our strength training with Tony Horton. Since my dad was watching a game on the tv in the living room, we did the routine in my basement apartment instead. See pictures of before and after of my bedroom to workout space above!

Limited Time in Travel

Well, after a long day yesterday of being on the bus and burning the midnight oil out with Luke and friends, I still set my alarm for an early 6:00am wake-up time, because I wasn't sure how much exercise I would get in later in the afternoon. Our day was going to be packed with family events. Unfortunately, I kept hitting snooze...so, it wasn't until 6:30 that I finally rolled out of bed. And then, I was so tired that it took awhile to get changed, queue up my "Pilates for Dummies" DVD on Luke's laptop, and find a pilates mat. It was already 7:30, and I had only done 35 minutes of exercise, but I had to stop and get ready for the day.

Knowing that I may not even come back home before having to go back to the bus station, I packed my overnight bag back up, and threw a pair of tennis shoes in our car, so that I would have them handy in case time for a walk presented itself later in the day. ...It never did.

Regardless, I was able to stick to my healthy diet. For lunch, the entire family ate "Aidells chicken sausages." They come in a variety of flavors, ranging in calories from 160 to 200 per 3 ounces. Props to Ken for finding this healthy brat alternative!

"Last Chance Workout"

This morning, I took a bus to Minneapolis for a quick trip to be with Luke and his family for the weekend. The last time I saw Luke, he said I was looking more fit, and I want to keep those compliments coming! So, I woke up early in order to do the Power 90 "Sculpt" strength training routine, immediately followed by the Yoga Booty Ballet "Hip Hop Abs" routine. Wow! Now that I have the "Hip Hop Abs" dance routine down, I'm putting more effort into embellishments, etc. Boy, I am sweating up a storm! What a workout!

It was another miserable day outside; cold and damp. I was slightly uncomfortable on the bus the entire way to Minneapolis because the cold kept seeping through the large windows of the bus. And I was SUPER hungry later in the day, and all I can think of is that I my body must have been trying so hard to keep me warm for 6 hours, that I burned a ton of calories in the process! Note to self, bring winter socks and fleece blanket on future bus rides!

Go ahead! Rain on my...

It was a gross day today. Cold and dark for most of the morning, and then, yes, it began to rain! Ugh! Not that I really wanted to go on a walk with Baxter when it was so cold out anyway, but I was so looking forward to a long walk! And walking on the treadmill is so blah! No change in scenery!

So, I walked indoors. On the treadmill... Boring! But I set up my iPad and watched an episode of Grey's Anatomy in my Hulu queue, which helped make the time go by. 60 minutes of walking today!

Curling Iron

Beginning to settle into the Power 90 "Sculpt" workout. I've built on some sets (such as the bicep curl sets) to using 10-pound weights instead of 8-pound weights. For the sets where I am still using the 8-pound weights, I am increasing repetitions to 12. Tony Horton and his crew do 15 reps of everything, so, I figure once I hit 15 reps with the 8-pound weights, it's time to either move up in weight, or on to "Part 2" of Power 90 "Sculpt."

Later this afternoon, while my mother was scrubbing floors as part of her exercise, I popped the Yoga Booty Ballet "Hip Hop Abs" routine into the DVD player. I'm starting to get this one down; making it even more fun to do!

Crunch!...those Abs, Butt, and Thighs!

I weighed in this morning at 124.6 pounds! In the past week, I have lost 2.3 pounds, which means I have lost a total of 7.4 pounds since starting this exercise and diet program.

What a gorgeous morning! No way was I going to miss out on a walk outside with Baxter today. We walked our 3-mile circuit, and I stopped to snap a picture (at left), which is in about the same spot that the picture in the "Nor Rain...Nor Gloom" post was taken. Huge difference, right?!

As you will notice, I am on the left side of the road, where walkers are supposed to walk. Luke and I got into a small dispute about this on Sunday, but he's half Australian, so it's understandable why he'd be confused ;)

Later in the day, after my mother returned home, we did a 55-minute pilates routine that I cut and pasted together for her to take on her trip to Texas. It's a combination of all 4 routines from "Crunch: Pick Your Spot Pilates" with Ellen Barrett, and the mat work from my "Pilates for Dummies" DVD. My mom really likes the Crunch DVD, so much so, she was resistant to continue on with the "Pilates for Dummies" DVD. She had apparently been resisting the "Pilates for Dummies" DVD throughout her entire Texas trip; she assumed the duration was as long as the "Crunch" portion (40-45 minutes), but in fact, it's only about another 10 minutes. Next time, we will have to start with the "Pilates for Dummies" DVD and end with the "Crunch" DVD.

Knees and Knees

Today, I scrubbed and cleaned floors the good ol' fashioned way: on my hands and knees! And I scrubbed for a good 90 minutes!

After a snack break, I did the Power 90 strength training routine. The 8-pound weights I've been using are starting get a little easy to lift. I've been able to increase 8 repetitions to 10. Later this week, or beginning of next, I will probably move to the 10-pound weights I have. Whoo hooo! Bring on the muscle!

Hard Days...Day

Well, another long day in the basement AND in the fields! I didn't get around to exercising until late this evening. I walked for 60 minutes on the treadmill, on the "Weight Loss" program. My new shoes helped keep my feet moving and comfortable! And I sweat a lot!!!

New Exercise Partner

Now I have some new shoes, and a new exercise partner (at least for the weekend): Luke! We started the morning with the Power 90 "Sculpt" strength training routine, and then went on a 3-mile walk with Baxter. It was a great morning for a walk!

Later in the afternoon, Luke and I even did some cultivating to prepare for corn planting. At left is a picture of Luke in the corner of the field we cultivated.

Surprise!

Well, since my shoes are worn out, I decided to stay out of them and do the Yoga Booty Ballet "Hip Hop Abs" workout.

Luke called to say he's coming up for a surprise visit in a few hours. So, we'll meet in Fargo, and I'll buy some new tennis shoes!

Worn-Out Shoes

Today, I decided to get a bit of an earlier start to confirm whether my shoes are really worn out, or if standing on concrete for most of the day yesterday is what did my feet in. After doing the Power 90 "Sculpt" program, I went on a 3-mile walk with Baxter. My shoes are worn out! Officially!

Deep Cleanse

Well, today I continued to work in cleaning and organizing the basement. After using up most of my elbow grease, I had very little energy left for exercise. I managed to get on the treadmill for 30 minutes, but my feet hurt so much already from standing on concrete all day that 30 minutes is all I could manage. Also, I'm convinced that my tennis shoes have finally worn out!

Before the Birds

This morning, my mom had to leave the house by 7:00am for her trip to Texas. Which means, I woke up at 4:45am (after getting a whopping 3 1/2 hours of sleep) to start a pot of coffee and queue up the Power 90 DVD. By 5:15, we were pumping iron with Tony Horton. I was careful to only do as many repetitions as were comfortable so as not to aggravate my neck and shoulder injury from yesterday.

After the strength training routine, I jumped on the treadmill and my mom on the elliptical for 30 minutes.

Today marks the start of week 2, so my mom and I weighed in to see how we are doing. I weighed in at 126.9 pounds. So, in the past week, I've lost 5 pounds. My mother also lost 5 1/2 pounds! We realize this is probably a lot of water weight, and will set our expectations a bit lower for next week's weigh in.

Two Down

This morning I woke up with a horrible crick in my neck! I didn't have full range of motion when turning my head to the right, or tilting toward my right shoulder. My back also hurt. Thanks Power 90! I think I may have overdone my Power 90 "Sculpt" workout, as well as go to bed too soon after completing the workout. My body was still really tense from strength training when I went to bed. I went to the chiropractor this afternoon for an adjustment. Not yet 100%, but feeling much better! Thanks, Stephanie!

My mother's right foot also was in a lot more pain this morning. I had her ice it last night before bed, but it didn't do much good. She went to a local clinic; they determined that it was NOT a stress fracture (which is what we thought it could be), but something to do with her tendons. They gave her extra-strength prescription anti-inflammatory medication and a big boot to wear on her foot for the next couple of weeks. Yep, a couple of weeks.

But are we going to let these injuries slow us down?! No!.... Ok, maybe a little, but only literally slow us down, we are still going to exercise every single day.

This evening, my mother and I did my 55-minute DVD: "Core Strength Pilates" with Trudie Styler. I had been planning to do this exercise program today, day 7, anyway, as it is mostly stretching and very relaxing; a nice, low-impact workout. Both my mother and I were feeling great afterward.

Tomorrow, my mother leaves on a one-week trip to Texas to visit her siblings. I had the lovely challenge of designing a workout schedule for her that works around the limitations of her ankle and large boot! I developed a rotation of: swimming, good ol' Power 90, 60-minutes of mat Pilates, and some elliptical near the end of the week.

Climb and Iron Every Mountain

Wow, what a day! I was a lot more active in my regular activities today, and it wore me out! I spent about 6+ hours cleaning out one room of my parents' basement: the sewing/craft room. I probably exposed of 6 or 7 garbage bags of stuff; filled 2 large boxes with items to give away to a second hand store; and ironed mountains of fabric so as to be easily locatable and retrievable in the future.

Still, I completed the 30-minute "Sculpt" session on the Power 90 DVD, as well as walked 30 minutes on the treadmill. I am going to sleep so hard tonight!

Women Overboard!

My mom's right foot was hurting this morning from the strain of all the walking we have been doing. So, we really changed things up in our routine and went to open swim at an indoor pool to do some water aerobics! 50 minutes worth! I even did some dives off the board at the end. Shout out to Jodi for letting me borrow her swimsuit!

Later in the afternoon, we then did another exercise DVD: "Yoga Booty Ballet: Hip Hop Abs." You know, even though I'm not a fan of doing a number of different exercise DVDs, the nice thing about the Yoga Booty Ballet series is that the instructors are essentially teaching you a routine. They give you one part of the routine at a time and slowly build on, so by the end of the routine, you know what you are doing. And it's fun! I also liked this "Hip Hop Abs" better than the "Cabaret" from a few weeks ago; it's less "Broadway," and more "dance party."

Resistant to Resistance (Bands)

Well today, we walked our same 3-mile circuit from yesterday. It was a much nicer day, in fact, I dressed far too warm for it. At least I sweat a lot! After the 60-minute walk, we then did the 30-minute Power 90 Sculpt DVD. I felt much more accomplished at the end of the DVD today because I went into Fargo yesterday and bought some free weights at a used exercise equipment store. Two days ago, I had to use resistance bands during the Power 90 exercise DVD, and even though Tony Horton says the resistance bands are still a good tool (although very different from the free weights), I think I get a better workout from the free weights.

At left are pictures we took today for reference. Although it's already Day 4, I'm counting on there being a notable difference in the coming months to these photos.

"Nor Rain...Nor Gloom"

It was a dreary day for a walk; it even sprinkled for the last 20 minutes of the walk, but we saw it through anyway! As you can see, Baxter even came along. The entire walk lasted 60 minutes and we walked for a total of about 3 miles. Later in the day, I completed a 30-minute elliptical "weight loss" program.

Sculpt!

Well, this morning, I woke up and did a 30-minute weight loss program on the elliptical, followed by yet another DVD workout program: "Power 90: Sculpt." That's right, the predecessor to P90x! Although this is yet another DVD from my mother's drawer of workout DVDs, I knew the routines would be similar to those on P90x (in fact, I fast forwarded through it last night to be sure).

Later this afternoon, I also walked 30 minutes on the treadmill.

So, it's day 2 of my mother's and my weight loss program. So far, so good!

On a Road Again

Well, last night, after returning to my parents' home from the Easter weekend, I shared with my mom that I had gained 3 pounds since the time I had been there. I also said that I really would like to trim up by the time my sister-in-law gets married at the end of June. My mother responded by asking if I wanted to join some sort of online fitness program with her. We compared Weight Watchers and Biggest Loser and JillianMichaels.com, and I finally just said, all you are really paying for is accountability here...sort of like a gym membership, if you are paying for the service, then you are at least a bit more motivated to go to the gym...

About a year ago, I was doing great with exercising and eating right. And I've been accustomed to watching what I eat and designing dieting charts for myself. I used to be on a diet I call "Eating for Energy" which is all about eating the right kind of food at the right time in the day in order to feel energized (because during that time in my life, I was feeling really groggy at around 2pm each day).

With this hodge-podge of "experience," I told my mom we could lose the weight we wanted to on our own!

This morning, I woke up and walked on the treadmill (because it is so cold outside!) for 60 minutes. I walked, because I wanted to keep my heart rate in the "fat burning" zone, which is 60-70% of one's maximum heart rate. Each person's maximum heart rate is different. This is a calculation I found somewhere online: Start with the number 220 (if you are male), or 226 (if you are female). Subtract your age. The difference is your maximum heart rate. Multiply that number by 0.6 and then by 0.7 to calculate your heart rate range for fat burning.

I burned 376 calories during my 60-minute walk this morning. And I plan to exercise each day for 60 to 90 minutes; alternating cardio with strength training, and reserving one day per week for low-impact exercise (such as yoga or pilates).

In conjunction with exercise, I am drawing upon some recommendations of the Biggest Loser diet to calculate the number of calories my mother and I should eat each day. The Biggest Loser suggests that if you are 150 to 300 pounds, then take your weight and multiply it by 7 to calculate the number of calories you can consume each day. If you are less than 150 pounds, then you should consume no more than 1050 calories each day. If you are more than 300 pounds, then you should consume no more than 2100 calories each day.

I currently weigh 132 pounds and would like to lose 10 pounds, which brings me to around the weight I was on my wedding day. But muscle toning is also important to me, and since muscle weighs more than fat, I won't beat myself up if I do not reach this goal of 10 pounds. Therefore, I will also include my measurements for later comparison:

Chest: 34.25"
Waist: 28.5"
Hips: 38.25"

I guess we will all see how I do by the end of June!

Re-assessment

Well, it's about a month later since I've last posted, and I'm 3 pounds heavier than I was before I went home with my parents to help during my dad's recovery. Although my dad is doing much better, I'm currently not working and he realized he could use an extra set of hands doing his farming business paperwork. So, now I'm working for my dad on his farm.

I'm in the cities this weekend for the Easter holiday, and I was sharing with my mother-in-law how difficult it has been to exercise (even with extra time on my hands) at my parents'. There isn't much accountability, and it is hard to resist my mother's homemade, high-calorie meals. She brought out her iPhone and showed me an application she had recently started using: Pedometer Ultimate. As a pedometer, it counts each step she takes, as well as distance, speed, and calories burned during an exercise.

I decided to give it a shot and walk around her house. I ended up walking a total of 2.1 miles and burned 153 calories! It certainly made me feel better after eating a large Easter lunch! I will probably use this app in the future when I go on outdoor runs.

Hello, Broadway!

So, I know I just posted recently about sticking to a select few workout DVDs in order to become comfortable with the routine. I don't think I get much of a workout when I'm essentially simply watching how to do a routine the first few times through. Of course, variety is also important in order to challenge one's muscles as well as prevent boredom.

Well, my mom has quite a few workout DVDs, so I though I'd add a little variety to my exercise and try one of them. I chose "Yoga Booty Ballet: Cardio Cabaret, Burlesque Style." Wow! This is an awkward routine to perform in my parents' living room, especially when my dad decided he had enough energy to come down out of his sick bed for a few hours.

I must say, though, it was fun! And I did break a sweat.

Stretch!

So, rather than bore myself with the all-too-familiar run this morning, I decided to do some calm stretching. I got out my exercise DVDs and reached for my 10-minute "Get Balanced: Pilates Express" workout that I found in a box of Kashi cereal a few years ago.

To my surprise, after the 10 minute mark, the DVD kept going. I apparently grabbed the full version I purchased a few months ago since I liked the 10-minute sample version so much. The full version, "Trudie Styler's Core Strength Pilates," is 55 minutes long. My subconscious must have tricked me into a longer workout! I feel great now, so I suppose I shouldn't complain :)

My mom even joined me for the first 10 or 15 minutes! Way to go, Mom!

I find that it is important to only have a select few workout DVDs because you don't really get much of a workout while you are learning the routine. It's obviously hard to do a move when you are craning your neck to see how to do it. I'm still learning this full-version routine. I anticipate needing to do it at least another 5 times before I become comfortable with hearing and following the instruction (versus relying on a video demonstration).

Sunny Morning Jog

Well, for those who do not know, my father became strangely ill about 2 weeks ago. I coincidentally quit my job just before he became sick, so I am available to help my mother with his recovery now that he's been released from the hospital.

This is a huge change in routine, and I am hoping that it will also mean a change in my exercise routine, which has been non-existent for the past few months.

This morning, I went on a short jog: 1.6 miles across town and back (the town my parents live in is less than 1 mile wide). Baxter came with me! And I didn't even bother to time myself. This is a good-faith effort for exercise, and I don't want to overwhelm myself.

It was a beautiful morning. And the edge of town is a picturesque rural landscape (I was going to say skyline, but that doesn't really qualify outside of the big city!).

Pilates

I have been getting a lot of headaches in the past few weeks. And on Monday, a migraine. So, this evening, I decided to do some low-impact exercising, because I've been wanting to exercise but due to the headaches, running wasn't appealing. So I did the 40-minute Pilates for Dummies routine. Some of my back muscles were stiff and sore during the exercise, but I felt better afterwards.

I'm thinking I might do some elliptical exercising tomorrow...

Beautiful Day for a Run

Well, today was a beautiful day, and work was chaotic. So on my (very delayed) lunch break, Baxter and I did the 3-mile circuit. I didn't take a watch this time so that I wouldn't be competitive with the clock. My feet did much better today on the pain/injury scale.

I feel great!

Getting Back on the Horse

I can't believe it's been over 3 months since I regularly exercised. I was getting so stressed out with my thesis writing and other responsibilities. Usually, exercising helps reduce my stress, but my perfectionism and dedication draws can sometimes create more stress. When I realized that my dedication to exercising began to cross the line of reducing stress to increasing stress, I stopped.

Now, my thesis is done! And the holiday is over, which means that I am feeling really out of shape! My New Year's resolution?: Whatever habits I attempt to make this year, I am conscious and careful not to become obsessive about them. What this means for exercising is that if I'm limited on time, or really do not feel like exercising on a given day, or injured(!), then I don't exercise. That second qualification is difficult, because what non-athlete ever gets up in the morning and says, "Gee whiz, I can't wait to exercise this morning!"

This morning, I started out the New Year with my 3-mile circuit run in St. Paul. Baxter came with me, and although it's been over 3 months since I've run with him, he remembered the route exactly, and really had a great time (after getting the hang of running in his little snow slippers). On New Year's Eve, I'll remind/inform you that it began to rain, and as the countdown drew closer, it began to snow, meaning that roads would be covered in frozen rain. So although it was icy during my run, I saw this as a good thing. I was forced to run at a slower pace, or run on snow-covered grass rather than running paths and roads. Knowing myself, I could have easily pushed myself too far on the run if it weren't for this icy physical limitation.

It was freezing too! So, the next time I run, I think it will be on a treadmill!


Pain Tracker:

• The bottoms of my feet hurt during and after the run. My old friend, plantar fasciitis. I need to take it easy, and try running more on the balls of my feet.