I wish I could have a calendar to post to the side of my blog that I could just update with what exercises I did for that day.
On 12/25 I jumped for 20 min. About 300 calories burned
I don't remember what I did on Monday or Tuesday. But Wednesday I  Ran 2 miles, in 25 min burned 249 calories and then did 1123 Jumps for 10 min and burned 157 Calories. Total of 406 calories Burned. Not to shabby!
Today 12/29
Ran
2.38 miles
29 minutes
Burned 286 Calories.
I probably would have done more but the kids where awake, and I need to start preparing for dinner.

Ran
Distance 5k
Time 38 min with a 5 min cool down : 43 min total
Calories 400

I almost beat miguel.

Class Canceled.

Well I wanted to do my Dance fit class but it was cancelled. I guess there wasn't enough people signed up. So I decided to do Yoga and I arrived to find out that it was cancelled as well :( NO BUENO. Even though I am incredibly sore I still wanted to work out. I figured since I was there and with no husband or kids to interrupt I would take advantage of the sweet facilities that my husband's work has available. I walked into the cardio room and there are 3 people. 2 guys, one on the elliptical, one running on the treadmill and a old lady on an elliptical.(in a hideous Christmas sweater vest I might add). I get on a treadmill and I'm trying to figure this thing out. I mean the one I run on at home is extremely simple. But these were big with so many buttons : 5k, fat burner or fitness test buttons. You have the choice of Manual, rolling hills or incline. and there was a heart rate button but I couldn't figure it out. I had to start my treadmill over like 3 times because it must have been on a presetting. I would set my speed at 5.0 and after 2 min it would start to drop. Once I finally figured it out, I was able to run for 30 minutes. I did 2.3 miles and burned 250 calories. I could have ran further but the cramp I was getting in my right butt cheek was hindering me from further progress. hahahah. It felt good to run and stretch out my hurting muscles. I'm glad I didn't just walk away and NOT do anything for the day. Afterwards I went to Toys R Us to do some shopping for Christmas so I got a good cool down too :)

3-2-1 Workout

As I sit here in pain, I can barely keep my hands propped up on the key board to type. I, for the first time, realize that I am a wimp! Yes, I always thought of myself as tough, but tonight at my 3-2-1 workout class I was proven wrong. So utterly wrong. Now for those of you that don't know this workout is, I suggest you look it up. However I have to say it looks so much easier than it actually is, but then again what do I know because I am just a big wimp. I walk into the cardio room and I'm like 5 minutes late, I grab a step thingy and a couple of 5 lb weights, oh and a foam mat. I set up my area and start doing side steps with these weights. Pretty good, I'm movin' then we switch to resistant bands and we have them around our feet and we have to side step, after that we go back to weights, then we do uneven push ups,we do crunches, jackknifes, jumping jacks, more things with weights, skate lunges or something, uneven squats with weights, a lot of different things with weights, dead lift something or something. NO BREAK but yes, I did squeeze in my own breaks. But then as my legs are quivering and my arms are about to give, I start getting light headed. What's wrong with me? Why do I feel so funny? Am I breathing wrong? Oh wait I keep forgetting to breathe, maybe I'm dehydrated? Whoooaaaa. Okay I need to step out real quick, so I let the instructor know and I step outside and sit down. I don't know if I just didn't eat enough prior to working out (which I only had a handful of chex mix) but I was dizzy. I gathered myself and wondered how in the world was I going to make it??? I just didn't know. But I went inside, and followed in step with the other girls and my instructor. I kept laughing at myself because I felt so stupid for being so weak. I mean I was really struggling with my weights. I have no upper body strength. After a hour we were done. We did some stretches and even those were draining me. After I left I thought about what I learned.
1. I now understand why some people would rather work out in their home instead of a group setting. I felt "shameful" that I couldn't keep up with the lady that was older than me, or the girl that was bigger than me. Should I feel this way? NO. Absolutely not. But I did. In the moment, I did. I have a new respect for people that are able to put themselves out there to do things they may fear failing, or being judged or laughed at. Working out is no easy task, and if you are just beginning like I am it is just a matter of enduring the beginning to reach the end result.
2. Eat at least 1 hour before working out this hard. And I don't me carb overload like Michael Scott did before his big race on the Office (bbbbbaaaad idea) But I need something with protein and carbs, so maybe toast with peanut butter or a granola bar.
3.Wear comfortable underwear. I think I might even need to invest in some granny panties. There is nothing more annoying than having to pull out a wedgie in between each lunge or squat.
4.I need to focus on my breathing while working out.
5. Keep going. Don't give up. If you have to rest, fine. But finish.
These are just some things I learned today from my first class. I want to go again next week, hopefully each time will get a little bit easier as I get a little stronger.

Ran

Time 39 min

Distance 3 miles

Calories 346

Did I mention that I've lost even more weight??? I am now at 134 lbs. okay like 134.5 lbs! But my numbers are dropping and that is always exciting. The above pictures are the items of clothing that I use to be able to fit into. The dress is a size 4 Calvin Klein, and I use to wear this dress flawlessly. One Sunday I pulled out this dress to wear for church, my husband ironed it for me and everything. I went to put the dress on and I could only button the top three buttons. That's when reality set in and I realized that I needed to do something about my weight. I had no idea that I gained that much weight. As you can see, I can now button the dress all the way down, but in my midsection there is some tugging. In my other picture I am wearing a pair of BKE Jeans, size 28 low cut .  Last summer I couldn't hardly squeeze these suckers past my thighs. Now I can pull them on and button them. However they give me a pretty bad muffin top (I think because they're a low cut) and they're very snug on my rumpshaker. LOL  For both of these items I think if I lost 5 more lbs (which is my goal weight for now) I will fit in them perfectly. I just need to keep toning and shrinking. How am I gonna do that?
Well last week I attended a Butts and Guts workout group. It was intense. I don't think I had enough water in my system because I felt like I was getting a little bit dizzy. Maybe it was the florescent lighting in the room? I don't know. What I do know is that the next day I could barely sit on my butt because it was sooooo incredibly sore. I even asked my husband to massage my butt ahhahaa. I was sore for about 3 days in so many places. I loved it. I did. I finished and didn't give in, I didn't quite or whine (until I was sore the next day) and I plan on going back again. This week I was suppose to go to more fitness classes but on Friday I got my wisdom teeth pulled and they wouldn't let me exercise for 7 days. Today is day 8 so I plan on running a few miles.
This experience is all new for me. I feel the change in my thinking and in my living. I watch what I eat, how much I eat. I drink plenty of water now and I like exercising. I mean don't get me wrong I have days when I just don't want to do it, but overall I want to, and I need to.  There is such a feeling of accomplishment and then when you start seeing the change it pushes you even more and it makes it so worth it!

1 Corinthians 9

So I came across this verse in my Bible the other day and I loved the analogy that was used! My husband came home yesterday and said "Hey did you know you're an athlete"? I guess I never really considered it, I mean I haven't played sports since High School. But he said that when he was signing me up for group fitness classes they asked if I was an athlete, he asked "how do you know" and they said if you workout 4 times a week for a minimum of 20 minutes a day you are considered an athlete.  Hey that's me! How cool ! Then I read this verse, I really like verse 27 "I discipline my body like an ATHLETE, training it to do what it should" That verse in itself gave me so much satisfaction knowing that I am doing what I should for my body. That refers me to verse 24 "run to win"! I don't want to eat the way i'm eating and workout the way I am just  for a season in my life. I feel like if I did that then I wouldn't be finishing the race and I want to not just finish but win! I want to win a healthy life, a strong body, good habits to teach and pass down to my kids, I want to look attractive for myself and for my husband. I want to live long enough to see and love on my grandchildren. All that to come to verse 25. "All athletes are disciplined"  This is key. It is what makes you continue on and not quit. We are disciplined in so many areas of our life but so many  times we fail at caring for our health. We neglect ourselves, we make excuses and never follow through. 

It is hard, it does take discipline and dedication (not to mention time), it takes planning, it takes strength but it is so worth it. Since I started exercising I have felt so much better about myself. I have more confidence, I feel better and I just have a sense of accomplishment. I still get sad when I start thinking about how much weight I've gained since last year, but at the same time my body now is stronger. I don't think last year I would have been able to run 5 miles. I may have weighed less but I am now more tone. And that feels good.  So take the time for yourself. If not for yourself then for your family. If I can do it, I KNOW anyone cane.! 

136 Pounds

I'm really excited to see progress. I've been running, jumping, and doing some kettle worx dvd's for my core. I have been watching my calories and I have been drinking plenty of water. I have nearly cut soda out entirely. For the longest time it seemed like I was just stuck at 139# and I was getting very frustrated. I felt like I was burning calories but not loosing the numbers on the scale. But the strange thing was that I felt like my body was getting tighter. More fit. Once I started mixing up my routine I started to drop some pounds. That gets me excited! So now i'm 136 lbs. My jeans that are a size 10 no longer fit, my size 8's are more comfy on me. When I first started this diet thing I was at 140 lbs. Actually I think I was more 142 lbs. But I feel like I have lost so much more than just 4 lbs. Originally I wanted to attempt to lose at least 20 - 30 lbs I wanted to be at my pre weight when I had Abby. But I don't know if that is possible. I think I want to strive to lose 6 more pounds. I'll weigh 130 pounds and that might be where I stay, but I am going to continue to work out. I am going to continue eating decently. Also I'm very excited to start doing a work out at my husbands work. He works for Farmers insurance and everyday they have some kind of group class, their gym is always available to me and my husband 24 hours a day! On mondays I'll be attending the 3-2-1 work out it is Three cardio, two circuit and onecore segment.  And they're done in this order:

Cardio I -- Start with a 5 to 10 minute warm up like a jog, so you don't pull muscles.

Circuit I -- Braganza puts legs into every exercise because that burns a lot of calories.  These groupings of exercises usually target lower body, upper body and a smaller muscle group or back.

Cardio  II -- Maybe add intervals or a hill to make things a little more intense.  If you're on a bike, this would maybe be biking sprints for 5 to 10 minutes. 

Circuit II -- This would target the same muscle groups as the first circuit sequence, but with different exercises.  It's all about keeping the heart rate up and toning.

Cardio III -- This is the hardest cardio round because you're tired and it's hard to start up again, but this is where the real changes happen.

Core -- The final exercises for strengthening abs.

A Squat Thrust is one example of a total body "multi-compound" -- working abs, legs, chest, back and arms -- circuit exercise that Braganza might include with two others in a grouping:

I watched the video's on youtube and I'm pretty intimidated by it but I think it will be awesome for my body! Tuesdays will be Dance Fit, I think this is a mixture of dancing styles. Wednesday is Butts and Guts Workout (that doesn't seem easy either) and then Thursday will be Zumba, which I have always loved! As for Friday I will just run or maybe jump on the trampoline, then I will be off on saturday and sunday.

I am really looking forward to these workouts, I know that they are going to be so hard, but I have never done this kind of thing with other people. So I think I'll be more motivated to keep it up. I'll keep you posted on how my classes go. Today is Tuesday so I'll let you know tomorrow how it went!