"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.