Nervous

Tomorrow is weigh in and I have to admit I am nervous. I am not concerned about whether I gained or lost (I am pretty sure I lost), I am mostly nervous about how much. Tuesday I had high hopes that I would lose like 5 lbs. in one week. That ain't gonna happen.

However, it's been a pretty good week. I've been able to stay within my points range and have had some really yummy food, too. My favorite discovery of the week was a kicked-up tuna sandwich. It'll be even better when it's two points lower because of low-cal bread.

And I have gone to the gym twice! (Yeah, didn't do the little walks with the babe. My patience was not at it's pinnacle this week.) My gym attendance had been dismal up until this week. But Zumba was kind of calling my name and it lived up to it's sweat-filled promises.

Tomorrow's plan is to sweat off as much as I can at a step class right before my meeting/weigh-in. It'll be a busy, busy morning. I can't wait!

Tale of Two Trainers

Now that I'm getting a handle on the whole counting points thing I thought it was time that I really start exercising. You know, not like just doing Just Dance 2 on the Wii (which by the way totally makes me sweat) but really get serious about exercise.

Introduce: My trainer! I hired a personal trainer!! She happens to attend my church and we were friends before she was my trainer. This can be tricky territory since trainers generally push their clients and don't let them slack, but workout one is done and we're still friends. :) In fact I think being friends first makes it so much better because I know she's really trying to help me be a better person.

Now some of you have heard me talk about my love for all things Jillian Michael. I've often said I wish she could come train me. After tonight I've decided that I have the best trainer in the world! When I was about to throw up tonight (common side effect of the first workout after years of not exercising) she let me take a minute to compose myself instead of handing me a trash can and saying keep going.

Jillian is known for being tough and I still love her and believe she really is an amazing trainer. However, I'm also glad to know that my trainer isn't going to make it her goal to purposely try to get me to throw up during our workouts.

How about you? Can you motivate yourself on your own to work out or do you like training with someone, whether that be a friend, trainer, etc.?

And, for your enjoyment, here is a clip of Jillian's training at it's finest. I'm sure glad I'm not this guy.

The Life I Want

First, I feel I must re-introduce myself since I have been long absent from this blog!  It has been nice having more friends here, and I have been reading lately, although I haven't commented much.  That will all (hopefully) change now.

I'm Lara, and I'm really good at losing a little weight (like ten pounds) and then gaining it all back.  I'm still not sure why I do this, but there it is.  That's probably all that's necessary to know about me for the purposes of this particular blog, but anything else you want to know can probably be found on my actual blogging blog: Overstuffed.

I'm on a quest this year to change that.  To really change my lifestyle and my level of well-being instead of just lose a little weight and then give up on it when the going gets tough.

I've been reading The Life You Want by Bob Greene, who is Oprah's trainer/dietitian/food psychologist.  He talks about  8 barriers people have to losing weight.

I'll go ahead and list those barriers here, while saying that I haven't finished the book and have decided to work on my own personal barriers one by one, with the help of this book.  (I also highly recommend reading this...very insightful stuff.)

Barrier 1:  An Aversion to Discomfort and Pain
Barrier 2:  Caught Up In the Business of Life
Barrier 3:  Your Pleasure-Seeking Physiological Wiring
Barrier 4:  Feelings of Unworthiness
Barrier 5:  Fear of Success (or Failure)
Barrier 6:  A Poor Body Image
Barrier 7:  Unsupportive Relationships with Adults When You Were Young
Barrier 8:  Abuse

I have to say that I related at least somewhat to ALL of these weight-loss barriers, with the exception of number 8 (abuse).  Number 2 (caught up in the business of life) is probably my biggest barrier, with numbers 1 and 3 tying for second place.

He talks a lot about Emotional Eating and why we do it (all those barriers inspire Emotional Eating for various reasons).  While I haven't been able to nix the Emotional Eating (stress eating, in my case, because I am usually overwhelmed and have trouble saying no to adding more to my plate in instances of both scheduling and dinner), I have decided that I am going to tackle barriers 1 and 3 first.

I hate exercising.  Hate. It.  Part of it is an honest rebellion to having a mother who is an exercise professional who is fairly well-known in LDS circles, part of it is due to having exercise-induced asthma, and MOST of it is due to the fact that it's uncomfortable, un-fun and I can think of so many other things I would rather be doing with my time, many of which are not good for me (see barrier number 3: pleasure-seeking).

So, my current quest is to overcome my aversion to exercise and learn to find pleasure in it.  So, I joined a gym a few weeks ago, even though I have quite a nice exercise bike upstairs and lots of great workout videos, including the entire set of DVDs from my mom's show, lots of Jillian Michaels and a recent Zumba acquisition.  But I don't exercise at home much, because I can always think of something else that needs to be done, or some reason to avoid going upstairs and just doing it.

That's why I joined the gym.  It had to hurt a little bit in the pocket book, because I am mercenary and like to live on a budget and if I'm going to pay that much for something, I have a hard time justifying skipping out.  And so, I've been to the gym almost every day since the day I joined.

And guess what?

I am looking forward to it.  While I do not like it much while I am huffing and puffing, sweating buckets and turning several shades of red (I am a very ugly exerciser, it is true), I feel so good afterward that I begin to crave that feeling the next day.  And I want to go.  I want to work hard.

I had no idea that overcoming these two barriers could be so easy!  Of course, it will always be a challenge, but I love that I am learning to turn exercise into physical pleasure.

Workout du Jour: Hula Workout for Weight Loss

I bet you thought I'd never get off my couch and exercise! I thought so too. Instead of doing 3 days a week or something like that I've just been trying to be more active in general. I like to play a game of Zumba on the Wii when I have 20 minutes, or walk to the park instead of drive, or, as I did tonight, try out a new workout dvd.

I love the way Hilary does her workout reviews so I'm totally copying her on this, I know. :)

Today I did Weight Loss Hula Workout with Kili from a company called Natural Journeys . You'll probably see a variety of workouts on here. I like to do all types of workouts, especially dance related videos and have some old school Paula Abdul as well as the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders workouts all lined up in my Netflix queue. :)

Total video time: 31 minutes, though the first couple of minutes is Kili showing you the hula dance you will be learning, still a good 29-30 minutes.

Intensity: Low. This is definitely something I think anyone at any stage can do. It's a bit rough on the knees so if you have knee problems you may want to avoid it for now or do a modified version (which she doesn't show).

Total Calories burned: I have no freaking idea! Hilary has this cool app thing that tells you but I don't. I'm guessing not a ton. I checked out a website that had a calorie calculator thing and when I submitted the information (I marked it as light dancing) it said I burned 192 calories. Not bad. Hopefully that makes up for the peanut butter bar I just ate. Oops! It's all Hilary's fault! (Just teasing Hil) :)

- Weights: This category is n/a because there are no weights in this workout
- Cardio: ** This was definitely some good cardio. She mixed some modern
aerobics into the hula routine, especially in the last section.
- Sweaty: * Not too bad actually. I broke a little sweat during the last part
but overall it was a good low impact workout.

This is definitely a great workout for a beginner (me!).

Favorite part: If you are a former dancer/cheerleader like me and love to perform than you will really like this video. I loved that we got to learn the dance moves and then perform the whole thing at the end. I am not a hula master by any means after this one video but it was fun to do.

Least Favorite Part: The whole video is filmed with narration instead of her talking to you which I found I didn't really care for. Some of the more modern aerobics she put in felt awkward since I thought we were learning to hula but they were good for the workout.

If you've been doing the 30 Day Shred for a while and want something fun and low impact then give this one a try. I checked it out from the local library and while I did enjoy it I think it will be going back in the library bag to return. I guess it doesn't have that great of re-play value for me. She does, however, have a whole series of hula workouts so I'd definitely be up for giving another one a try.

I hope this helped you out. I'm going to try and do this on a weekly basis because then it will motivate me to actually TRY some of these videos I have or borrow. If you have been wondering about any workout videos out there leave a comment and I'll try to get a copy and do a review.

*This isn't the exact dvd but it will give you a good idea of some of the features I talked about.

Voices In My Head

Since 5:31 this morning, my bed has been calling my name.

P.S. this totally isn't my room. i love how college apartments on TV make it look like college students have the means to decorate like this. HA!

By the way...I wake up at 5:30.

Yesterday I ran the 15 minute walk from my anatomy lab to my truck in a full on WHITE OUT. I went to bed ready for some warmth and sleep, and my alarm came WAY too early. Then walking around campus this morning it was mighty windy. So pretty much after my last class ended, going to the gym seemed far less important than getting back in my warm bed. When I got to my truck though, I did a little self pep-talk and got to the gym. And guess what! I banged out a run that I am mighty proud of!

I think that just goes to show the power of our minds. Sometimes all it takes is telling yourself just how strong, beautiful, and capable you are. One of my coaches in high school would always talk to us about how important it is to visualize us performing our best. Before our tournaments and games, we would have visualizing time. So why don't I do that more now? I should.

Just thought we could all use a little pick-me-up! Remember just how awesome it is that you actually DID workout today, and you actually DID eat 3 servings of veggies. That is something to be proud of!

Love, T

I'm Alive!

Contrary  to the state that the cadaver is in that I recently dissected...cool, I know...I am alive. Sorry for the disappearance in the last week. Sometimes life gets to me!

Anyway, I tried something new at the gym today! It's called an expresso bike. Every heard of it? It's a road bike simulator. So you hop on and there is a screen in front of you. You pick a ride depending on difficulty and distance, and then ride away! I often struggle just working out on a exercise bike because I think it's boring and I don't get as good of a workout as I do when I'm out riding my own road bike or in a spin class. But this was great! I was sweating a ton and stayed captivated as I was able to watch other riders around me, see my power and cadence change and monitor my heart rate. It was pretty sweet! 

I'm usually a little wary to try something new when it comes to working out. Ok - I rarely if ever do it! I did try Zumba earlier this month and wasn't a huge fan. It was a nice change, but just isn't my style. I like my workouts so I stick to them. But changing up workouts is soooo important. I need to do better with that, so that my muscles keep having to try to work in different ways, ya know?

So I guess this post is basically to encourage all of you to try a new form of exercise! Even if it is just once, or for a short time. The worst that can happen is that you don't like it so you don't do it again...right? So go for a jog, try a new class, lift some different weights or try some yoga!

Trying Real Hard

On my other blog, a dear friend and reader of mine commented on one of my posts. It went something along the lines of saying that she had kept her new years resolutions in forms of cutting out sugar and stuff, and she had lost 5 pounds! She rocks. But then she said she just wishes she enjoyed exercising and she asked me how to fix that.

As I logged in my miles on the track today I was contemplating that question. Here is what my running mind came up with:

First off, I think you need to determine what it is you don't like about it. Is it the time commitment? Having to drive to the gym? Getting sweaty every day? Is it painful? Do you not enjoy sitting on a stationary bike or doing the elliptical? Or do you just think it's boring? There are lots of reasons why people don't like to exercise. Once you determine what the reason is, then I think you allow yourself to make progress.

I'm going to keep brainstorming some solutions to these reasons for not liking to exercise, and post my thinking and reasoning later. What are some of the reasons you don't like to exercise? And how do you get past that?

Happy Tuesday!

Currently

Currently, you can find me sitting on the floor of my apartment bedroom near the space heater. I just came home from a night class (and my last class of the week...ya buddy!) and it is freezing outside. I've about had enough of walking around campus is huge coats and still being cold. Oh well...I guess I can't do anything about that!

This morning my workout consisted of running hill intervals followed by a heavy leg day of weights. Why I put those two together, I have no idea. But I did learn something! I'm currently doing a challenge involving logging 1,000 miles this year. To be honest, I think I'll pass the 1,000 mile mark a ways before the year ends. Part of it though is to log at least half (hopefully much more) of those miles in running.

So...today as I was running I had a bit of a wake-up call. Don't you love those? Now that I'm doing this challenge, I really try to pack in the miles when I exercise. Unfortunately, with my crazy schedule, time doesn't always allow me to rack up the miles as much as I'd like to. For example, this morning I had time for a 30 minute treadmill workout and 20 minutes of weights. Not a bad workout, but I only got 2.7 miles in on the treadmill since I was running hills and not at my normal pace. So when I hopped off I was frustrated. Why though? I had just completed a good 30 minute cardio sesh, I was sweating up a storm, and I proceeded to go burn my legs off! Isn't that something I should be proud of? Probably.

I hope I can learn from this. Sometimes I need to remember that it's just good I got exercise in. I got my heart pumping, I burned some calories, and gave my muscles a workout. That's what is important. Right? Right.

Well...happy weekend!

Workout Du Jour

My video workout this week was Paula Abdul's Cardio Dance.  I got this video around the time I graduated from nursing school and I have to tell you, it's withstood the test of time.  It still keeps its place of honor in my excessive workout video collection (and shockingly enough, some have met their doom of the DI pile).

It's just what it says it is.  She does a "Dance" which gets you sweating.  It's similar to the Lindsay Brin video I reviewed a few weeks ago, but Paula slows down the music when she's showing the move to you (she also has a picture of her doing the move from the back) and then slowly speeds it up.  I'm going to admit here, that I had to stop and start the DVD a LOT when I was learning this back in 1998.  But the moves are fun, and they do get your heartrate up.

I have to say, that after The Firm Videos (which were bought MUCH later than this one) the set is warm and inviting... and their clothes aren't disgustingly outdated.

After the cardio dance (which lasts just under 1/2 an hour). She does a legs and butt routine that would make the Fanny Lifter proud.  It's really good and the moves aren't hard.  Then, there's a good amount of stretching, which is something I miss in a lot of videos.  It brought the video's time to 40 minutes.

I do see that on Amazon it's available on DVD and honestly... if you want to have fun when you workout in your own home you might want to try it.  But, you don't have to take MY word for it. ;)

My Least Favorite Exercise

Sure, there are a LOT of exercises that I hate, but the one that is the MOST hard for me to do:

The Plank

I mean, I've been doing the ab workout for quite a while and I still can't hold this position on my feet for very long without shaking and my back hurting.  I kind of think that means I need to work on it more.  I wonder if my personal lack of muscles in that area could be a source of my tailbone problems?

Who knows, but I know if I hate it, I need to keep working on it.  Thanks to Lindsay, and Jenny I'm sure I will.

Workout

After my last post I've thought about my favorite workout videos.  I have a lot, I have never had a gym membership but I  like to workout and find many benefits to it besides weight loss (which, frankly has never been a benefit, thanks so much for wondering).

Today, while feeding P I was watching the Marth Stewart Show, and she had a variety of exercises on, including one that you use a giant sword to do.  I was inspired by a lot of it, and noticed the different things you can "get" from each type.  I especially liked S factor -- now, I know a lot of you are going to be SHOCKED that I think this might be something for me, but since my pelvic floor was so out of balance I was doing a lot of stuff like this anyway.  The movements she was doing just looked freeing.  It looks like she has a book, so that might be a little more my style, and obviously something I'd do during naptime.  ;)  Go ahead, gasp away at me. 

Physique 57 also looked interesting.  I like how they REALLY worked certain parts of your body and then immediately stretched it out.  I think that'd feel good. Sadly, the woman with the giant sword doesn't have a workout video (I was thinking of getting it for Drew while she was doing it).

Anyway, I really want reviews of good DVD's, and I'd like to hear about stuff you're thinking of trying.  I'm gonna try and get some reviews done of the ones that I liked, and didn't end-up liking.

Current Workout

Some of you know that I got "Your Shape" with Jenny McArthy free with a House Party that I did.  I'm not required in any way to do a review on any of my blogs, but I am really getting into it.  It's hard to describe...

It comes with a USB camera that tracks you. It's a blessing, and a curse.  You need to have the exact lighting and the right clothes on for the camera to really get you.  I've been doing it about 8 workouts so far and I'm slowly figuring out what I need.  My main thing is the kitchen light on behind me.  I always forget it.  I also do better if I either have pants with a pattern or lighter pants on. 

Then, Jenny does exercises and you copy them, and then you receive a score.  I love the competative nature of this.  Today I hit 67% and I was SO happy.  You can't plan that the wii will find your every move, much like any of the other wii games you're going to have to give some room for error.  The joy is increasing your score.  I will admit that when you're totally doing it right and Jenny keeps telling me I'm doing it wrong that I do have some choice words for her in my head...

I also like you how can add a step bench, stability ball or hand weights to it. 

At the beginning Jenny asks you "how you're doing" and it seems like she really bases the workouts off this.  Today I was "nothing can stop me" and it was a HARD workout.  Of course, I was also working out at 7:40 instead of 5:40... of course, nothing could stop me. :)

Honestly, I am working out harder than I ever have.  I'm selecting the 30 minute workout, but it turns into a 40 minute workout because she stops your clock all the time to put down the hand weights or bench.  That's moderately annoying.  If I really need to be done in 30 minutes, I need to select the 15 minute workout (you can also do 45, 60 and 75 minute workouts).  I am working out hard because I want a good score and sadly, I like the little icons that Jenny places aroudn my photo when I'm doing a good job.  I think I need some more self-love.

I like how each time she adds a few exercises, and as I get better at some things, she increases the exertion required.  I like how she's feelin' me out just like a personal trainer would.

I think I can find a coupon code for anyone who's interested in getting one, bringing the Amazon price to 39.99.  There is also a PC product, but I heard you need to have serious gaming requirements on your computer to hook it up.  The price is also more expensive at 69.99 (but my 10$ off coupon works on that also).

Anyway, I am really happy with it.  I'm excited to workout with it still.  Going on week 3.  I heard that every 10 workout she allows you to re-post your weight and gives you  a "fitness level" and allows you to make a new goal area (mine is currently abs, I doubt that will change).

Anyway, I'm liking that I am loving the workouts as of late.  When Drew and I lose 20 points (based on a delicate equation) we're gonna get a wii fit.  Then, I plan to do video workouts once, wii fit once and Your Shape.  Let's not forget  my walking and turning the compost (it gives me the will to do it if I know I can get out of a workout -- it's hard work!).

The main thing I learned from this is that workouts should be enjoyable.  Also, find things that you like, and turn them into a workout (I don't really like composting, but because it's something I need to do I really get into and break a swet, it's a total body workout).  I also got Just Dance with my party pack (it was a pretty sweet party) and I LOVE that game.  I am also amazing at it, who knew?  Rarely does anyone beat me.  I challenge you all.  I hope with all my heart they come out with Just Dance 2 because I want to play it all day.  Also, I try and play it a bit in the afternoon, it helps lift my spirits, keeps me from eating and helps burn off some calories.  Big fun, big, big, fun.

How are your workouts coming?  Are you still enjoying what you're doing?

Changing it up

Hi, I'm Maryanne, and I'm a workout DVD-aholic.

I almost wrote DVD workout-aholic, but that's not true. (At all!) It's not the working out I'm addicted to, it's the DVDs themselves. I love the promise of a new workout DVD, especially those that offer quick results. Abs of steel in 3 weeks? Sign me up!

I love the thrill of learning a new routine, the euphoria on day four or five when I can get to the end of the workout without wanting to die. The satisfaction of feeling a little bit stronger each day.

And then I get to day 30, and the shine is gone. I dread the routine, I'm not seeing the drastic results I want, other things call to my fickle heart, the honeymoon is over. I hit a mental block, and so I stop.

Completely.

And that is stupid.

So this year my plan is to embrace my fickle ways. Since my tolerance level for any given DVD is 30 days, I will assign a different DVD to each month.

I'm beginning with that she-demon of fitness, Jillian Michaels. When I did her Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred last year I saw great results, just not in the areas I wanted. (Saw big changes in arms and shoulders, when really I just want a smaller waist and tummy. Is it so much to ask?) So for the month of January I'll dedicate my body (and sanity, no doubt) to No More Trouble Zones.

In the coming months I'll cycle through Yoga Booty Ballet , Fat Free Yoga , Dance with Julianne: Cardio Ballroom, Dance and Be Fit: Brazilian Body, New York City Ballet Workout, Pilates, and others.

By changing it up (and knowing in advance that change is coming), and posting here, hopefully I'll keep myself on track and accountable. I'm also avoiding gratuitous sugar (ie. cake, cookies, candy, half my regular diet...) and trying to work with my body rather than battle against it.

Do you have a favorite workout DVD? Recommend, please! I'm looking for variety, a likeable host (I know that given this stipulation, some of you are questioning my choice of Jillian, but I enjoy her evil mistress ways.), and ideally a workout with the potential for my kiddos to join in. Obviously not to do the whole thing, but dance or stretch along? Sure.

And did you know that Amazon has a bunch of workout DVDs on sale for 65% off right now? What kind of addict would I be if I didn't pull you right on in with me?