Tuesday, December 28, 2010

An 'A' for effort?

So on Monday, I finally summoned the courage to attempt exercising.  I'm still dealing with nausea, so I purposefully ate a very small breakfast (one scrambled egg) and exercised immediately afterward, as my nausea is least the 20-30 minutes after eating.

Anyhow, I road the bike at the lowest setting for 20 minutes and barely made it.  When I took a shower 15 minutes later, I was still so zapped that it tired me to wash my hair and I had to quickly sit down at one point because I nearly threw up!

So, I'm just not sure how exercise is going to work this pregnancy....

I'm a bit bummed about it because running was how I controlled my weight gain with Edmund.   But I suppose I have unending nausea to help me with this one?  Ha ha...

Monday, December 27, 2010

Bob and jumping bean

I did the 20 min. section of Bob Harper: Cardio Conditioning, and then did 3.5 min. of jump-rope and 3.5 min. of jumping jacks.

I really like having the option to do jump rope/jumping jacks/whatever. It's like having a treadmill in the house, but better, because it doesn't take up any space. I really can just tack on an extra ten minutes of cardio if I want to, just by turning on some music and jumping around for awhile. V. nice. It never would have occurred to me a year ago.

I have a head cold that's several weeks old now, and it's a pain. But I know I'll feel worse if I don't exercise, so I'm trying to do what I can. I'm glad I did this today, but I'm also kinda glad I didn't do more.

Today, I found a new yoga DVD at the thrift store, called "The No Om Zone". Sounds like my kind of yoga - forget the spirituality; I just want the moves! Looking forward to trying it out.

-Jess

Week 29 Summary for Jessica

12/19 - Sunday
12/20 - Personal Training with Jackie DVD (skipped abs section)
12/21 - Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism DVD
12/22
12/23 - Bob Harper Cardio Conditioning DVD - 60 min. section
12/24

12/25 - Christmas


Just three workouts, but not bad for Christmas week, I think. How's everyone else doing after the feast?

-Jess

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Jackie and Jillian

Yesterday I did Personal Training with Jackie and today I did Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism.

Kind of hard, because I have a cold in my throat. But it still feels good to work out, so I'm still going. I read this blog post, "Exercise is My Easy Button", and that's exactly how it feels to me. Y'all might like it too - or at least relate when not pregnant/sick/other!

-Jess

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Week 28 Summary for Jess

Week 28, and almost done with the year!

12/12 - Sunday - Bob Harper Cardio Conditioning DVD - 60 min. section
12/13
12/14 - Jillian Michaels' Biggest Winner, Maximize, Full Frontal DVD
12/15 - Jillian Michaels' Biggest Winner, Maximize, Back into Action DVD + 12 min. vigorous stair-stepping/plyometrics
12/16 - Biggest Loser Last Chance Workout DVD
12/17
12/18 - Bob Harper Super Strength DVD - 60 min. section


Happy day! Finally, a week with 5 workouts in it! I'm glad to be back to that. 

I worked on pull-ups this week too, but not hard enough to make progress.

If I don't get a chance to say it later in the week: Merry Christmas, everyone! Our God is with us, praise Him!

-Jess

Friday, December 17, 2010

still nauseous and not working out (hence the lack of action on this blog).   i hope to try out my parents stationary bike next week.  I think that might be a safer way to ease back into cardio than running right now (as I get lightheaded easily)

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Biggest Loser Last Chance Workout

This was a library DVD - I was on the waiting list a long time for this one!

Verdict? This is a good DVD. Very solid workout. 25 minutes of alternating strength moves with cardio (similar to 30 Day Shred), and then a 10 min. upper-body strength section followed by a 10 min. lower-body strength section.

The thing I thought was neat about this one is that, other than the trainer, everyone on the DVD was a Biggest Loser contestant. Which means that you got to see what normal people look like when they do this sort of workout. They also did a good job of providing modifications for all of the moves, so I think if you were just starting out, this wouldn't be as intimidating as the title implies. 

I don't know, I just think it's cool that a show that proposes to take unfit people and get them in shape actually makes  a DVD that unfit people could actually use. Some kind of integrity in that I think.

That said, I think Jillian was more abrasive in this than in any of her other DVDs, perhaps because she's way too familiar with all of the people she's instructing.

Still, I liked it. I don't think I'll buy it, because I've got a lot of DVDs with similar stuff. But it was fun.

-Jess

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Jillian Michaels' Biggest Winner Maximize Back Into Action

The partner to the DVD I did yesterday. Again with the long title, but at least this time it doesn't sound so dirty (as Em noted yesterday - and yes, I think that was intentional on their part!).

Liked this one too: weights and plyometrics: right up my alley.

Polished off with 12 minutes of experimenting with my new steps: doing step ups and jumps off and onto it. Fun!

-Jess

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Bob and Jillian

On Sunday, I did the 60 min. section of the Bob Harper Cardio Conditioning DVD. First time I've done that back-to-back with his Super Strength one. I'm very sore, but it was pretty awesome.

Mon., nothing. ('Cause . . . I was sore. And I had an eye doctor appointment.)

Today I tried the Jillian Michaels Biggest Winner Maximize Full Frontal DVD. How's that for a long title? V. fun. Sort of like the 30 Day Shred (and about as long), but with more jumping and a STEP. I didn't have a step, but my husband-who-loves me whipped one together this weekend using a few 2x4's. That was even more awesome. :)

-Jess

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Week 27 Summary for Jess

12/5 - Sunday
12/6
12/7 - Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism DVD
12/8
12/9 - Bob Harper Super Strength DVD - 20 min. section, also 5 minutes jumping rope
12/10 - 35 minutes of jumping rope and jumping jacks, with a few other exercises (like stair-stepping and squat jumps) thrown in.

12/11 - Bob Harper Super Strength DVD - 60 min. section


A four-workout week again. Not bad. I'd like to try for five this next week. And my sister and brother-in-law gave me some new workout DVDs - it's an older set by Jillian Michaels, called "The Biggest Winner", but the cool thing about them is they're meant to be done on back-to-back days; they work different muscle groups - muscles on the front of the body one day, and on the back of the body the next - so that you can do resistance training without skipping a day. I think that's brilliant, and I'm really looking forward to trying them.

-Jess

Bob Harper Super Strength

Did this. Whew!

-Jess

Friday, December 10, 2010

jumping bean

35 minutes of my jumping bean workout, i.e., mostly jump-rope and jumping jacks, with a few other plyometric moves thrown in, and a very little bit of ab work and stair-stepping. But mostly jump-rope and jumping jacks. :)

This is such a good option for me when I'm feeling crappy, because I can put on loud music and just zone out while jumping to the rhythm. I like having options.

-Jess

Thursday, December 9, 2010

today's workout

Bob Harper Super Strength DVD - the 20 minute beginner section (I wanted something short, and it was a weights day). Also, I did 5 minutes of jumping rope/jumping jacks afterwards, just to add a bit of burn.

-Jess

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Week 26 Summary for Jess

11/28 - Sunday - Dance with Julianne - Just Dance! DVD 
11/29 - Personal Training with Jackie - Power Circuit DVD 

11/30 -nothing

12/1 - 30 Day Shred DVD - Level 2
12/2 - 30 Day Shred DVD - Level 3
12/3 - nothing 
12/4 - nothing


Yay! finally a week with four workouts instead of four!

-Jess


Friday, December 3, 2010

Everyday Exercise

Between Luke being sick (again!!) and the nausea, we missed our walk 3 days this week. I did ride the bike for 20 minutes one day and did a little yard work two days. Today I spent an hour cleaning my fridge. We are going on a trip to CA for 3+ weeks so it was a must. All in all, I probably exerted myself physically everyday this week.

One good side effect for me during pregnancy is that my body dictates what I should eat very forcefully. Really, I feel like I have been taken over by an alien of sorts. I want lots of fruits, vegetables, carbs, and yogurt. This baby's favorite seems to be oatmeal made with milk and honey, mountain high yogurt (not nonfat!), homemade soup, and it HATES sweets. I realized how much ice cream, chocolate, and other types of sugar I used to eat. I cannot eat them now or I feel very sick.

Kelly, it definitely sounds like the right thing to take it slower. Honestly, when I read your initial plans for exercise, I thought them awfully ambitious (which it is not always bad to be). But then, you are ambitious about most things you do. :) I have been able to keep food down and a walk with Luke, dishes, and the laundry puts me out for the rest of the day. I am so glad that you are feeling better! I am praying that your body will recover soon!

Jessica, thank you for your continued updates. It really encourages me just to hear about your efforts. The video clips are awfully funny too. :)

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

we'll see when we'll see

Ha ha!  So I have yet to do that walk.

With my previous pregnancies, once my nausea was done, I was normal again.  With this one, having the vomiting on top, I feel like I'm recovering from a long illness.  So, yes, I am eating again, but I still feel SO weak a lot of the time.  Like, after standing and doing the dishes, I just need to rest.  Or cooking.  Or ANYTHING that involves standing on my feet.  So, I am taking the approach of just letting my body take it's time to recover.

I suppose it is possible I am a little anemic after not eating anything with iron for so long.  I'm getting my blood tested today, and so that will hopefully give an explanation.  If it is anemia, I am not certain how long it will take for my body to get back to normal again.  But, hopefully, within two weeks, I'll be doing some moderate exercise again.

Monday, November 29, 2010

the last few workouts

Yesterday I did Julianne's Just Dance! DVD. Much better than the first time. I really, really enjoyed the first and the third routine. I'm still not sold on the middle one, but maybe I'll like it better as I get better at it.

Today I did Jackie Warner's Power Circuit DVD. It's in regular rotation, of course, but today I challenged myself to do heavier weights than I usually do, and it was tough! I think I'll feel it tomorrow. But I'd love to be stronger than I am, and today I finally managed to remind/convince myself that that wasn't going to happen unless I lifted heavier than I usually do. :)

I'm also doing pull-ups again, so all in all, I'm pretty happy about how my workouts are going so far this week. I feel back in the swing of things again, and it's a nice feeling.

How are all the rest of you?

-Jess

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Week 25 Summary for Jess

I didn't update during the week here (busy week!), but here's a summary:

10/21 - Sunday
10/22 -
10/23 - No More Trouble Zones DVD
10/24 - 10 Minute Solution: Dance Off Fat Fast (whole DVD = 50 min. - did the whole thing)
10/25 - Thanksgiving
10/26 -
10/27 - Bob Harper Super Strength DVD


Still only 3 workouts a week. This past month has been really hard, personally. To be honest, I'm just glad I'm still working out. But Thanksgiving was really refreshing, so I'm feeling a bit more optimistic about the chances of December being a good month. Lord willing and Christ tarry, of course.

-Jess

Friday, November 26, 2010

Conjuring up a plan

My nausea is nearly 100% gone.  WHOOPEE!  I feel pretty weak still (not eating for a month and half does that to you, I hear).  So, I am not ready to start exercising just yet.  But I am starting to think of a plan.

I think this next week, my goal will just be to take a short walk each day with the kids and maybe try portions of my workout videos.

The next week, I think I'll start running (if my energy is back).  I'll start with just a mile and add on gradually until I'm running at least 3 miles (however long that takes).

I may be totally measuring wrong, but I could swear my uterus feels like it is already at my belly button (which would mean no more lying on my back for workouts), but I'll get that confirmed on Monday when my midwife comes.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Week 24 Summary for Jess

This week's lesson? Life sucks when you don't go to bed on time. Thank you. I'm sure you all are smarter than me and already know that, but at almost-thirty, I am apparently still unable to completely put this lesson into practice. Nonetheless: ugh! Not enough sleep this week! Which, for me, equals not enough exercise. Oh well. It wasn't a complete wash. Onward!

10/14 - Sunday - Bob Harper: Cardio Conditioning DVD
10/15 -
10/16 -
10/17 - Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred DVD, Level 1
10/18 -
10/19 -
10/20 - Personal Training with Jackie DVD, legs and arms

-Jess

Personal Training with Jackie

Just arms and legs - skipped abs because I had an adorable newborn nephew to babysit. :)

-Jess

Thursday, November 18, 2010

That's funny you said that, Jessica.  EVERYONE has been saying that to me lately.  I'm honestly not too worried about it, though.  I'll be starting my 2nd trimester next week and I'm not showing one bit.  I can still wear all of my pre-preg clothing comfortably.  I am pretty certain that if it was combo of twins + 4th pregnancy, I'd be showing by now!

Thankfully, twins don't run in the family.  There are a couple identical sets on my mom's side but those are supposedly not hereditary.

And, Katie, all of my pregnancies have been different.  This is definitely the worst, but every single pregnancy, my nausea affected me a bit differently.  So I wouldn't worry too much about twins!

I too am looking for workout videos for pregnancy that are actually challenging.  I could just use bits and pieces from my pilates videos, but it would be nice to not have to stop and jump around continually.  I suppose it's time to browse the amazon reviews, as I imagine libraries don't have a huge selection of pregnancy workout videos.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Walking Again

Everyday this week I have been on a walk with Luke. Truly, that is all I can do. Though i haven't been throwing up (sorry Kelly! I really hope you feel better soon!), I have been feeling sick all day long and need any extra sleep I can get. This time around has been worse for me than when I was pregnant with Luke.

Jessica- Your cold must have taken a lot out of you! I am glad that you are feeling better. Also, your comment to Kelly about twins scares me- we have twins in the family- Nathan is one, my family has a couple of sets too. May God give me the strength for whatever comes.

I still really like reading everyone's updates. It has been motivating me to keep moving at least a little each day.

Question: Did any of you do any good maternity exercise tapes during pregnancy? Most of the ones that I have tried are bland or too easy. For now, I am just going to try to do my morning walk. When i feel better, I plan on adding back the exercise bike and some weights.

30 Day Shred, Level I

Shockingly, I'm still sore from Sunday's workout. :D  So I went back to the basics, and did the Shred, Level 1. I love this DVD. Just a good, solid workout. Nothing fancy. Sometimes you want the bells and whistles, but sometimes you just want the meat and potatoes, hold the dressing. That's this workout.

Kelly, I'm so sorry you feel so rotten. You're awesome for not having fallen behind on schooling - I'm sure I would have by now. You know the thing that I, of all people, should have known not to think, but that was nonetheless the first thing I thought of when I read your post? It was, "huh,  when I had a pregnancy that was significantly harder than my others, it turned out to be twins."

Sorry! I probably shouldn't say it, even though it's honestly what first occurred to me. But then, before I had twins, I was convinced it could never be twins (which is probably why I didn't know till I was 5 mos. along). And after, I've become convinced it can always be twins. Weird.

Anyway, thank you for being so kind as to answer my question; I hadn't thought about Advent fasting. Of course, our Advent starts a little later than yours, but it's considered a minor fasting season for Anglicans too. Thank you for the reminder. 

-Jess

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

blugh

Congrats again, Katie!

Just to let you know that I have not dropped off the face of the earth, although I have completely dropped out of all exercising for the time being.  My 24 hour nausea turned into nausea plus vomiting shortly after the 10 week mark (2 weeks ago) and the last couple days I have spent entirely in bed because walking downstairs makes me vomit.  Such a joy.  Never had this happen with any of the other pregnancies and it really sucks.

I have lost about 5 pounds since I got pregnant due to the sickness and that has never happened before either.  Edmund was right when he said this baby should be named 'trouble'!

Hopefully this will end soon because I really miss exercising.  My back is starting to hurt again and my legs feel sore from not hardly moving.  Luckily, my anxiety hasn't increased but I think that has a lot to do with not doing anything.  
 
I am simply proud that we haven't fallen too far behind on our homeschooling schedule.  Just 3 days at this point and we have the whole week of Thanksgiving off to make that time up.  That is, Lord willing, if I am better by then!

Good job, Jessica, on keeping up with your workouts while we've all been so quiet!  And, re: holiday plans, I honestly haven't thought too much about it.  We don't typically have the feasting until Xmas eve/day due to fasting beforehand.  It is when we travel that I gain weight and since this year we're going to my parents, I'm not too worried about it.  They have an exercise bike that I love to use.  So, hopefully exercise will counter any excess weight beyond what I should gain!

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Bob Harper: Cardio Conditioning

I just have to say: you know it's a hard workout when you get to the jump-roping or the sumo squats and think, "oh good! a break!"

-Jess

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Week 23 Summary for Jess

10/7 -  
10/8 - No More Trouble Zones DVD (Jillian Michaels)
10/9 -
10/10 -
10/11 - Bob Harper Super Strength DVD
10/12 -

10/13 - Dance with Julianne - Just Dance! DVD


Only three workouts, but it still didn't feel like a bad week, considering that it was the first full week of working out since I got sick. 

I'm beginning to think about trying to stay in shape through the holidays. Last year I thought, "hey, it's the holidays, I'll just enjoy it!" and then it took me months and months to lose the five+ pounds I put on. Not this year! I think that "I'll just enjoy it!" sentiment needs to apply to three days: Thanksgiving, my birthday and Christmas. Not the whole season. :)  Anyone else there?

-Jess

Dance with Julianne: Just Dance!

New workout - yay!

That said, golly I'm not a dancer. I screw up the steps so badly whenever I try a new dance DVD! No exception to the rule this time, although the third of the three routines I actually managed to follow before the end. But the other two kept making me mad because they were too hard for me. :)  

Just means it'll be cooler when I finally get them. Right? Right?

:D

-Jess

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Bob Harper Super Strength

I did this today. Still a huge challenge.

One of the things I like about this DVD is that the exercise models look like they're in as much pain as I am!

-Jess

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Congratulations, Katie!

I'm so excited for you! (I may just have to take a trip down to Texas in July...) ;)

Trying to Exercise

Well, this past week, most of my exercise came from walking Luke in the stroller again. The weather has been beautiful and I have been too tired to do much else.

Why?......Because we are now expecting kiddo #2, to be born around the 1st of July.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Week 22 Summary for Jess

10/1 -
10/2 - 
10/3 -  
10/4 - Personal Training with Jackie 
10/5 - Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism  

10/6 - walked a mile or two at the botanical gardens 


Just glad not to be sick anymore!

-Jess

No More Trouble Zones

Did this one this morning.

-Jess

Friday, November 5, 2010

Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism

I did Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism today, but I muted it and listened to music instead. Easier to feel cheerful about being in pain when you're listening to something with a good beat.

So, in that spirit, here are the two new (to me) songs that I've added to my workout list lately. 

That's Not My Name, by the Ting-Tings:

And So What? by Pink. (Btw, I'm not recommending the below video, just the song. Though parts of the video are funny - she reunited with her husband after the song was written but before the video was made, which is why he's standing behind her as she sings the first line: "I guess I just lost my husband/I don't know where he went", which is kind of funny. But, anyway, some of the rest of the video is pretty crass, so you might want to just listen and not watch. Great beat for working out though, and I love those "na na na na na na na" chords.)

This is one I heard on the radio while I was driving and liked so much that I went and looked it up afterwards. I've found some of my favorite songs that way.


Does anyone else have any good songs to work out to lately?

-Jess

Thursday, November 4, 2010

week 21 summary for Jessica

10/24 -  
10/25 -
10/26 -
10/27 -
10/28 - Leslie Sansone DVD 
10/29 -

10/30 -

Yep. I was sick. Next week's summary's not going to look that much better!

-Jess

Personal Training with Jackie

Did this this morning. Sort of weird; since I haven't really worked out for almost two weeks, all the moves that are usually easy for me weren't, and during the ones where I usually think, "does this really work the muscle she says it does?" I realized, "yes, yes it does."

I think I'm going to be sore tomorrow.

Also, I lost some of my flexibility. Well, back on the wagon.

-Jess

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

how to put on a sports bra

Okay ladies, I'm still out sick (but finally improving - hope to get back to exercising tomorrow), but that's no reason not to read this great instructional blog post: How to Put on a Sports Bra

I'm almost certain you'll relate.

-Jess

Saturday, October 30, 2010

No naps= Extra walking

It would be a little silly for ma to write down what I did last week by day because I would just say the same thing over and over. Each day I walked 2-4 miles and also rode the bike nearly every day.

Luke (at 26 months) has decided that he no longer wants to take a nap. So, I put him in his room and he talks to himself and plays for about 45 minutes. Then, at about 4pm, we take a walk. He will fall asleep in the stroller nearly every time. While I miss the naps, I still get a little time to myself and I am almost guaranteed to get some good exercise in. :)

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Walk Away the Pounds for Abs - 3 miles

I dunno about the abs part, but this was exactly the ticket for the slowly-recovering me today.

I don't think I've done this DVD since right after my first was born, but I was glad I kept it, because it was just what I needed to follow that article's advice about working out at about half your normal intensity when you're sick. This was about 40 minutes long, but it's basically just walking - with a few kicks and knee-lifts and such thrown in. There's a goofy-looking resistance belt that they use, but I don't have one, and so just moved my arms half-heartedly along with them . . . again, perfect for today.

Along with being good for sick days, this would be a great DVD for someone who wanted something low-impact, or who was just starting out, or just wanted to replace her usual neighborhood stroll on a day with nasty weather. It gets your heartrate up, but doesn't demand an all-out effort. I really think there's a niche (or three) in the workout world for this sort of DVD. It's not my normal thing, but I'm glad it was there when I needed it. It felt good to work out again after a week of blah.

-Jess

quick follow-up to the last post

Just after I posted about being sick, this article showed up as a link in my feed-reader. It's about exercising when getting over a cold. Timely!

Makes me think I might try my (one) Walk-Away-the-Pounds DVD today for a few minutes and see how it goes. It's very low-key, low-impact, and trying it out might be a good way to gently start getting back into my routine. The article says:

Also, according to a CNN medical expert, people with colds should begin working out at 50 percent intensity. If symptoms improve in the first five to ten minutes, you can gradually increase the length and effort up to about 80 percent of your normal workouts. On the other hand, if your symptoms do not improve, you should only engage in mild exercise such as walking. And remember, over-doing it with heavy and intense exercise may actually reduce your immune system function and prevent you from getting better!

So, I might go that route today. We'll see.

-Jess

ugh, sick

I just posted my week 20 summary, because I hadn't done it yet, and I'm realizing that Week 21 is going to look very, very sad.

The thing is, I've caught some horrible respiratory bug, and haven't worked out all week. I miss it so much! It's terrible. But when I'm sitting here all day feeling like I just inhaled a lungful of pool water, and being achy and exhausted even though I've done nothing but sit and nap all day . . . well, I don't think I ought to work out.

Anyway. Here's the weird thing: I've lost three or four pounds this week I've been sick. What's the diagnosis, ladies? Is it because I'm not working out and I've lost muscle mass? Isn't that too much muscle mass to lose in just a week of not working out? That sounds way too fast for me. I'd guess a pound of it is actually from eating less (food doesn't taste good right now - no sense of smell = no sense of taste), but not all of it - I have still been eating. Or maybe since I'm not working out, I don't have any muscle-repairing inflammation? <-- I bet that's part of it. I know the kind of workouts I like cause a bit of (good) damage daily, and I know you retain a bit of water when your body's repairing muscle.

Probably all three, plus getting past the time of the month. It's just weird though. It's not how I'd planned on losing weight, and I really don't know whether to be happy about it or not. It's just not terribly normal. I guess I'll be happy about it if I don't bounce back up the scale as soon as I get well! :D

-Jess

Week 20 summary for Jess

10/17 - Sunday - Bob Harper: Cardio Conditioning, 60 min. section
10/18 - Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism
10/19 - nothing 
10/20 - No More Trouble Zones
10/21 - ran 1.5 miles
10/22 - Bob Harper Super Strength - 60 min. section

10/23 - nothing


-Jess

Monday, October 25, 2010

Weight loss

Weight this morning: 149.7lbs. Which is, technically, less than 150. :) I had given up on the idea of ever seeing that number again, so I'm unreasonably happy about it.

Jess, you know how we've talked about weight loss sometimes leading to a desire to exercise? I'm finding that to be true. Still not sure exactly where I'll fit it in, but I'm thinking about pulling out Jillian's Shred again, a couple of times a week.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Bob Harper: Super Strength, 60 min. section

Okay, second time through, and I think I can give you a better idea of what to expect from this one.

Lots of moves that are done normally, and then intensified. Like doing push-ups, and then holding halfway down in push-up position for . . . awhile.  Or doing bent-over rows, and then lifting to halfway up, and doing the raises from the halfway point to the top over and over (so you have a small range of motion, and a more intense movement). Or doing shoulder raises three different ways, and then, after burning out the muscles that way, just holding the weights up in the fully-extended position for an isometric hold.  Or doing a bunch of lunges, and then, once your quads are feeling it, going into a static squat, so they really burn, and doing a sort of backwards fly to hit your dorsal muscles for good measure.

Someday, someday . . . there's a section where you do a push-up on your weights, then go into a T-position on one side (holding your weight on your feet and one hand, other hand high in the air with the weight, whole body tilted sideways), then back to a push-up, then T-position on the other side, and so forth . . . someday, I want to be able to do that section as fast as they do it, without stopping. I am so far from that right now!

But I'm loving having a DVD that really, really challenges me. At least for me - and I'm aware this isn't everyone's style - having something challenging is what makes it fun for me. Not so challenging that I'm just failing at everything, but challenging enough that I can't do it all and challenging enough that I feel really good about the stuff I can do. I think that's really part of what makes it fun for me.

Good self-knowledge, I think. Now I'm wondering if that applies elsewhere in my life. :)

-Jess

Thursday, October 21, 2010

neat blog

I recently found this blog, Eat Like Me. It's a nutritionist who photographs and blogs her meals every day. From what I can tell, she's more about healthy food and healthy portion sizes than counting calories. And her food actually looks good! And she's a mom.

Anyway, I've enjoyed flipping through it. On the main page is only little excerpts from each post, but if you go to one of the posts itself, you can flip from post to post easily. 

Just linking because I thought some of you might enjoy it too. It's giving me lunch and breakfast ideas, for sure!

-Jess

ran today!

I'm so excited - I got to exercise outside! My brother came over, and we ran 1.5 miles together (basically, around the giant city block). It was so nice to be out before the sun was up, in that lovely cool air, and to watch the sky get gradually lighter. It was fun to hang out with my brother.

So, we both agreed that running wasn't something we want to do every day (we like our knees too much), but we're going to go again next week. Maybe a little farther, if we're up early enough.

Very fun. 

-Jess

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

No More Trouble Zones

Did this today.

-Jessica

Monday, October 18, 2010

Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism

Did this. Am sure I have sweated enough for the day. Spent last half of workout dreaming about the mango waiting for me in the kitchen. Mangotime!

-Jess

Sunday, October 17, 2010

how not to do karate (alternate title: ouch!)

Yesterday at karate, we did a basic warm-up (about 15 minutes). I spent the next sixty minutes teaching a very small child the finer points of stance and turning. Well, they weren't all "finer points". We started with "please, A, bend your knees."

15 minutes before class was dismissed, the assistant sensei (who was leading the class) gave us two tricky series of kicks, and told us to practice. Ten minutes of strenuous kicking. And obviously, those of us who had been teaching small ones were no longer "warm".

Ouch.








(ouchouchouchouchouchouch!)

Week 19 Summary for Jess

10/10 - Sunday - nothing
10/11 - nothing
10/12 - Bob Harper Super Strength - 60 min. section
10/13 - Dance of the Inches: Hip-Hop Party - 2/3 sections
10/14 - Personal Training with Jackie DVD - just the legs sections (forgot to post this when I did it, but I did it!) 
10/15 - nothing 

10/16 - nothing


-Jess

Bob Harper: Cardio Conditioning

Second time doing this workout, and I still really like it.

Kelly, I'm not sure I'd call these pregnancy-friendly, though I don't remember any moves that have you on your back. But there's lots of plank-stuff, jumping stuff, and swinging weights (like kettlebells). It might work well if you were willing to do many of the moves sans weights.  It's certainly really, really strenuous. Harder than Jillian's, I'd say. As I recall, the strength-training one does have you on your back a bit, but not much. Amazon actually has a really detailed review (move by move) of the DVDs, near the top.

-Jess

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Midweek, Gardening, Bye Nursing

Monday- 2 mile walk with Luke

Tuesday-3 miles walking, belly portion of BBT Prevention DVD

Wednesday- 45 minutes on the bike: about 10 miles and 350 calories burned.

Thursday- No official exercise, but I worked outside for quite some time. I planted three cuttings in my flower beds, weeded, and cut off a few branches from our gigantic oak tree so that wehn people park in front of our house, the tree doesn't brush their car. Also, I cleaned the shower with vigor!

I went to a MOPS meeting today that was all about gardening. The guest speaker writes for the Houston Chronicle and has been gardening in Houston for over 40 years! I really wanted to beg her to let me be an apprentice. :)

On a bright note too, I have had more than a week solid of good eating days, including my birthday party day where a very yummy cake and delicious ice cream were present. (I ate some, enjoyed it thoruoghly, but didn't gorge myself. Every time I eat something and it doesn't eat me back is a gift and I am trying to always be thankful.

Lastly, I stopped nursing Luke October 5th (my birthday). He just turned two and it was time. I was emotional about it and so was he, but we made it through. Since stopping nursing (which was only 2x a day), I have not felt the great urge to eat like I used to. Maybe my hormones are changing? Maybe it really did take a lot of extra calories to keep producing?

Oh, and Bob Harpers strength DVD arrives any minute by UPS. I am almost Giddy!

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Dance of the Inches: Hip-Hop Party

Did 2/3 sections of this. 

-Jess

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Bob Harper Super Strength - 60 minutes

Ow, ow, ow.  Picture this: you're in a plank on your weights, you do a push-up, then push up to a t-position (twisted over to one side, one hand (holding the weight) up over your head) then back to plank, do a push-up, then a T on your other side, back to plank and do a push-up . . . ay-yi-yi!

That's just one of the circuits. Oof. I hurt.

-Jess

Week 18 Summary for Jess

10/3 - Sunday - Dancing with the Stars - Dance Off the Pounds DVD
10/4 - Personal Training with Jackie DVD
10/5 - nothing
10/6 - Bob Harper Cardio Conditioning - 25 min. section
10/7 - Bob Harper Cardio Conditioning - 60 min. section
10/8 - alternating jump rope/jumping jacks/walking for 21 minutes
10/9 - Bob Harper Super Strength - 20 min. section

Friday, October 8, 2010

jumping workout

I did a 21 minute workout of jump rope (with an actual rope - whatdayaknow? it's harder with a real rope!), jumping jacks and walking to recover.

Kelly, I'm sorry you have nausea, and I hope you manage to keep up your activity like you want to until it fades. Is walking rather than running  an option?

Amie - you know you're welcome here in whatever form works for you. You're always inspiring (Miss P90X!), busy or not-so-busy.

-Jess

My hiatus

I really do enjoy reading your gals thoughts...but life has seasons and for me this season is kicking my butt :-)

I am hoping you won't kick me off the team when (if) life and routines seem to be easier I'll get back to posting but for now posting is something that is temporarily coming off my plate keep up the great work!

Amie

acceptance

My nausea picked up on Tuesday and I wasn't able to get in any exercise Tues or Wed. On Thursday, I was still uncomfortable, but forced myself to try to run 2 miles anyhow. It hurt. My muscles were fine, but the feeling in my stomach was so incredibly uncomfortable that after a mile and half of discomfort, I had to walk.

I am finding myself faced with a challenge. I know once the nausea stops that I will be able to exercise again. I would like to maintain my muscle so that I can continue at where I'm at when that time comes. I know I can do just 20 minutes 3 times a week and accomplish that from my experience when traveling this summer (and that included a whole week off). So, that is my new goal. To do 20 minutes of something 3 times week. Even if makes me want to upchuck.

Is that crazy?

But even though my stomach hurt, I felt emotionally and psychologically better after my run yesterday. And, my body as a whole felt looser. Which was good. However, the run was really uncomfortable, so I'm thinking it wiser not to plan on running as a dependable exercise these next weeks.

I suppose we'll just see how things go. I have decided though, to not be hard on myself. Even if I don't manage to exercise this first trimester, I know I'll be able to pick it up again. Hey, with Edmund, I didn't exercise until my nausea stopped at 14 weeks and I was able to start running a mile while pushing a double stroller (and that was when I was NOT in shape). So, I know that I will be able to pick things up pretty close to where they were left off. I just need to keep telling myself that over and over and over again.

So many women say they try to block out the memories of the pain of labor. For me, I think I blocked out my memory of the first trimester. I'd much rather give birth than suffer several weeks of nausea. Blah.


Thursday, October 7, 2010

Bob Harper: Cardio Conditioning

I did the 60 minute workout today. Fun! Painful! Lots of squats, lots of jumping, burpees, kettlebell swings (done with dumbells). Lots of getting into a position (like a chair squat) and holding, and holding, and holding . . . he does a lot of stuff that's familiar, but has you do it longer than a Jillian DVD would. Not a beginner workout. And it's cardio, but it's cardio that incorporates weights and a lot of strength moves. 

In other words: this was right up my alley. I loved it. I had to stop at different points, and I'm excited to have a new challenge: some day, I want to get through this without stopping. 

Oh, and scorpion pushups! Oh my goodness! Have any of you ever done those? Wow!

The other really fun thing about this DVD was that his fitness models weren't perfect. They were having trouble with different stuff. And I think some of it was scripted, but some of it wasn't. That was fun to see.

-Jess

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Bob Harper: Cardio Conditioning

This came last night, so this morning I did the 25 minute workout, which focuses on lower body and balance.

Owwwwww. Learn the power, not of moving fast, but of holding yourself in the same position for a very long time.  

I'm looking forward to tackling the 60 minute workout tomorrow, if my brother doesn't decide to go running with me. But I might tackle it in two sections. Yeah. 

Also, Bob just might be meaner than Jillian. 

-Jess

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Personal Training with Jackie

Did this yesterday.

I'm not planning on working out today, and honestly, it's partly because my Bob Harper DVD shipped, and I want to be fresh when I try it out, because maybe then I won't die. Heh.

Kelly, I'm sorry the nausea's hitting. I hope it stays at this level and doesn't get worse.

-Jess

Monday, October 4, 2010

tired and nauseous

So, I did not exercise at all this weekend. Instead I slept. The nausea has kicked in. It isn't as bad as my last pregnancies. I don't know if it will get worse or if maybe that might be a result of taking better care of my body.

I just finished 30 minutes of pilates, free weights and stretching. Not an incredible workout, but I did do it and that is good. Mondays are always hard for me, and this weekend seemed especially tiring. But I am feeling a bit better now that I've done some exercise. It didn't really help that I haven't been able to stomach much food today and that just contributes to the general wiped out feeling. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a bit better.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Dancing with the Stars: Dance Off the Pounds

This is the first time I did this DVD all the way through. I'd done the first two sections, swing and jive, before, and now that I know them a bit, I'm really enjoying them. And the jive, especially, gets me very out of breath!  And I finally did the last section, the quickstep.

I'd thought before that I didn't have enough room in my living room to do this one, but it turns out that I do. This section ended up being a real challenge. The first half is kind of slow, because he's teaching you a basic quickstep. But then he starts jumping around and it gets really hard really fast. I'm going to have to do it several more times in order to be quick enough - no pun intended.

-Jess

Its Fall!!

Sunday: can't remember

Monday: Prevention DVD and walk with Luke

Tuesday: Self: Your Best Butt Fast

Wednesday: strength and abs for about 20 mins

Thursday: walk with Luke

Friday: walk with Luke and cleaning

Saturday: walk with Luke and cleaning

Can you tell that my workouts are shifting! I think I need to add a Jillian back in to the weekly routine though since my arms are not feeling as muscular.


Saturday, October 2, 2010

No More Trouble Zones + Week 17 Summary for Jess

Sunday: Bhangra Jam & jumping jacks/jump rope

Monday: Self: Slick and Slim Fast & jumping jacks

Tuesday: Self: Your Best Butt Fast

Wednesday: Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism

Thursday: Personal Training with Jackie

Friday: nothing

Saturday: No More Trouble Zones


Plus there was hiking and swimming in there. I'm so excited: I managed to go on vacation and not gain weight! This might be a first.  V. cool to know it can be done.

How's everyone else doing? I know I was lucky to get to escape the heat last week. Did the rest of you make it through? And the rest of you, who aren't in SoCal, is the weather where you are making it tougher or easier to be healthy?

-Jess

Friday, October 1, 2010

for Emily - the secret of powerful kicks

Use your right leg. You know it's true.

-Jess

Self: Your Best Butt Fast, + Jillian and Jackie

Tues: Self - Your Best Butt Fast

    This was okay. There were a few moves that really hurt, but it was mostly just an easy day.

Wednesday I did Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism and yesterday I did Jackie's circuit training video.


Also, we were up in Big Bear this week, and may I just say that Jillian, at ALTITUDE, is very different than Jillian just above sea level?

There was also a bunch of hiking and such this week.

-Jess

Cheat Day

6 weeks on the NWSNWF plan. Today I'm eating chocolate silk pie from Marie Callender's. And oh my, I am enjoying it! I'll be back to my usual plan tomorrow, but I think the occasional cheat day is going to be important to my long term success.

By the way, I haven't been posting much about karate because I've been doing a lot of teaching. Which is interesting to me, but probably not particularly interesting to you. :)

Thursday, September 30, 2010

good week

monday--45 minutes pilates, yoga, free weights
tues--2 mile run
wed--45 minutes pilates, yoga, free weights
thurs--4 mile run

Tomorrow we are going Apple Picking in Gold Country, so my exercise will be walking totally negated by feasting. Hopefully will get a 20 minute routine on Sat.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Bhangra Jam and Self - Slim and Sleek Fast

What? I'm the only one who buys exercise DVDs at the thrift store?

I did Bhangra Jam yesterday. The instructor was very irritating - she kept yipping and didn't cue terribly well - but the dancing was fun. It made my shoulders hurt and I now have even more respect for everyone who makes Bollywood films. (I had respect for them before, but now I respect not just their strength, endurance, grace and enthusiasm, but also their SHOULDERS. Heavens! There's not a moment they're not going up and down. Ouch!)  Also, finished off with about ten minutes of jumping jacks and jumping rope (sans rope, ha).

I did Self - Slim and Sleek Fast today. It was okay. Good for an off day, though there was some stuff there that hurt my already-sore shoulders. The ballet-inspired stuff was fun.  Finished off with some more jumping jacks.

-Jess

p.s. Yes, I really did buy these at the thrift store. And I have one more I'm going to try tomorrow. Apparently it'll get me my Best Butt EVAR.  I can't wait. ;D

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Week 16 Summary for Jessica

Sunday: Power Yoga with Rodney Yee

Monday: 30 Day Shred, Level 1

Tuesday: 30 Day Shred, Level 2

Wednesday: nothing

Thursday: 30 Day Shred, Level 3, & a long walk

Friday: nothing

Saturday: Personal Training with Jackie


Nice week finally. Yay! How'd it go for the rest of you?

-Jess

Personal Training with Jackie

Did this.

-Jess

Friday, September 24, 2010

recap

So, this week has gone pretty well, all things considering for not only has homeschooling craziness gone up a bit but, after months of debating, Jesse and I decided to bite the bullet and, well, we're pregnant!!! It is really early on in the pregnancy (just found out last week), but the fatigue is already hitting me. Given that, I am pretty impressed with my workouts this week!

Mon: 45 minutes pilates/free weights/yoga
Tues: attempted by 4 mile hill run but was too fatigued to do the whole thing and so I ended up walking the last half mile home
Wed: day off
Thurs: 24 minutes free weights and 2 mile run
Fri: 4 mile run in the neighborhood. Did first two miles with Edmund. He ran about a 1/3 of a mile with me and then I pushed him in the stroller. Stopped for stretching and water break. Then dropped him off at home and did another 2 mile loop. This run worked out much better than Tuesdays, obviously. I think having the water breaks was good for my body.

Hopefully, I'll get a short workout in tomorrow, but I am pleased with this week as it is. My goal is to try my hardest to maintain roughly 45 minute workouts, even if it involves walking for some of my runs or not putting as much effort into my pilates/weight workouts. We'll see though! It will probably depend on whether I get a bad dose of nausea this pregnancy.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

30 Day Shred + a long walk

Spent almost 3 hours walking around the county fair today. Also did 30 Day Shred, Level 3.

I realized partway through (as I was experiencing the desire to just TURN IT OFF AND SHUT UP JILLIAN SHUT UP) that for me, it wasn't a question between doing it and not doing it; it was a question between doing it and living in a body that COULDN'T do it. And again, I was struck by the privilege of living in a body that was capable of doing it, of having that choice. I don't think I had thoughts like these that often before my hospitalization. Sometimes, but not often. Now I think a lot about privileges like living in a healthy body and living with my loved ones.  I didn't for awhile, and now I do, and probably someday (God forbid, but He might not) I won't again.

And then, I think further, and I think, "but it's not like those, once lost here, are lost forever." Because, isn't that the promise of heaven? Living in a body that finally works right, and living forever in the presence of both our loved ones and our Loved One? All that is lost will be found. But for now I'm glad that not all is lost.

-Jess

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Spinning hook break

Last night we did some breaking during class. Anyone who wanted to was able to choose their own board and which kind of break they wanted to attempt. Always interesting to watch, because the choices say a lot about each person.

I chose to try a spinning hook break, but instead of having someone hold the board braced, it was held by one corner, between a thumb and forefinger. You have to be really fast to break this way, because if you have force but not speed the board just flies across the room. :) It was a challenge to myself to see if I had "come back" enough to pull it off. And I did! Broke it on the first attempt, right in the middle, perfect form.

It's nice to feel this kind of confidence in my body again.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

30 Day Shred, Level 2

I'd forgotten why I disliked this level the most, but now I remember me. Ugh, my poor shoulders.

-Jess

Monday, September 20, 2010

2 Days of 2 workouts

I have been working off some tough family news (not that I can share right now) with workouts. Actually, Saturday I dealt with my stress by eating. No more of that! Argh, old habits die hard. Sunday and Monday, I both walked with the stroller and worked out inside (Prevention w/ weights and bike). Now that I add the use of weights throughout, I am in love with the Prevention workout DVD again. I need little motivation to do it.

Hope you all are well!

Jessica- I loved your yoga blog. I can just picture you in some crazy pose in the midst of all the children running around. :)

Kelly- Glad to hear things are getting back on track for you. :)

30 Day Shred, Level 1

Wow, I haven't done this one for a long time. Which is kind of why I did it. I wanted something different, so I'm planning on doing the Shred three days in a row, levels 1-3. 

And here's my funny fitness discovery for the week: when I put my black workout tanktop on (I like those tanktops that have a bra built-in), I saw these big white circles across the bra part. What were they? Salt! :D From sweat. Heh.

-Jess

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Rodney Yee's Power Yoga

Did this today. Watch me achieve inner peace while the screaming hordes run 'round me.

-Jess

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Week 15 Summary for Jess

Sun-Tues: nada

Weds: No More Trouble Zones, 3/7

Thurs: Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism

Fri: Personal Training with Jackie, 6/9

Sat: Dance with Julianne: Cardio Ballroom


A better week. Yay. Hopefully next week my better week will start earlier in the week.


O/T: I'm watching Romeo + Juliet right now. (The Baz Luhrman (sp?) version.) So frenetic. But you can so see how it was made by the same guy who did Strictly Ballroom. He surely knows how to use color.


-Jess

PT w/J & D w/J: CB

Friday: Personal Training with Jackie, 6/9 circuits + tall sit-ups

Saturday: Dance with Julianne: Cardio Ballroom

This is the first time I managed to get my hips to move right for the cha-cha on that last DVD! It's neat to see improvement. On the Paso Doble, however I still have a looooong way to go. I also must say, my hat's off to anyone who regularly did the jive or the jitterbug. Those are breath-stealing!

-Jess

good week

Took Thursday off due to insane busyness, ran another 4 mile hill run on Friday and did a 20 minute pilates workout this morning before we head out on a hike later this morning. I have decided that 5 days of exercise a week is the new goal as it seems the most reasonable for our busy lives right now.

Re: Chard. I LOVE CHARD. I substitute it for chicken in a lot of recipes (like enchiladas and tortilla soup). It has such great texture that it works. I've even sauteed up chard with lots of garlic and served it in tacos. So yummy.

Friday, September 17, 2010

an education

Did you know that there's protein in swiss chard? Seriously!  There're ten grams of protein in 3 cups (uncooked) of swiss chard. I never would have guessed that.

I'm learning so much now that I'm tracking my food. I honestly didn't know that vegetables could have that much protein. Mushrooms have a lot too.

Okay. I'm done. I just wanted to share my amazement. 10 grams of protein! In CHARD. Chard, people.

-Jess

p.s. quick recipe: heat 1 tsp. sesame oil in skillet. Add 3 cups chopped Swiss chard. Sauté till wilted. Add one egg and scramble together w/ chard. Turn off heat and stir in a small can of mushrooms. Add soy sauce to taste. Enjoy! V. yummy, filling and (apparently) filled with protein*. Go figure!

*And not just because of the egg. There's actually more protein in the chard than in the egg. Seriously: so weird. 

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Still here...

Doing a lot of teaching during karate. Which isn't as good of a workout, but is much needed and usually pretty fun.

I still miss white flour and white sugar. But I also find that my sweet tooth is decreasing, and things that used to taste good now taste WAY too sweet.

Weight is holding steady without constant mental/emotional/physical vigilance. Love it! :)

Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism - and to Emily, a note:

Emily, you should note on that link that Bob's putting out a yoga DVD too. :D

And I did BF,BM today.

-Jess

oh wow

I've totally found my new poison of choice. What do you think?  :D

-Jess

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

better week so far

I think I was just in a slump. Doing MUCH better this week so far.

M/W - 45 pilates/free weights/yoga
T - 4 mile hill run.

We'll see what the rest of the week brings!

Mid week update

Monday - Prevention DVD w/ added weights

Tuesday- liturgy with Luke ( 1 hour of mostly holding a 35lb kiddo) -my arms say this was a workout

Wednesday- 2 mile walk w/ Luke and Shred 2

Not much more to report really. I plan on biking tomorrow though, and I am definitely looking forward to it. If we had a lot of extra cash lying around, I would buy myself a bike and a kid caddy for Luke and bike to some of my closer errands. :)

Oh, and if anyone is looking for a good pair of new shoes, here is an excellent deal-
http://www.fatwallet.com/best-deals/womens-new-balance-505-shoes/

$23.99 shipped? Oh yes.

Week 14 Summary

Tuesday: No More Trouble Zones + pull-ups

Thursday: Personal Training with Jackie + pull-ups (forgot to post this one at the time, but I did do it - at least, I know I did one of my two strength DVDs, and I think it was this one)


And that's it! Ouch.  I think the start of our homeschooling year has kind of thrown me off track. I know it did at the beginning of this week too. Still, I'm grateful for this record, because I can see the pattern and work on correcting it.

-Jess

No More Trouble Zones

Just circuits 3/7. Not much time this morning! But, as I'm learning, it's better in many cases to do what you can, even if it isn't ideal, than to not do it at all because you can't do it perfectly. If nothing else, it saves me catching up later.

-Jessica

Saturday, September 11, 2010

sick

Plans for a longer run this weekend have been cut short by a cold. Oh, well. I did get 20 minutes exercise T-F, though. Hopefully, I will be able to pick things up again on Monday after a couple days of rest.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Amie running update :-)

No I am not running (but I'd love to be training for the half marathon I'd hoped to do next month) but rather just running around trying to tie up loose ends for school's start on Monday. My exercise has been painting MY ENTIRE HOUSE...I am totally insane and almost done and tired and counting trips to the fair and rolling paint rollers till the wee hours of the morning my exercise routine...until next week!

Flying side kick

Yep, that's what we were working on Tuesday night. Talk about a fun class! Black belts had the choice of working on this or joining the lower belts for more basic kick practice. I almost joined the lower belts, because I still feel like a "not quite real" black belt - being out of it for 4+ years will do that to you - but decided to stick it out because it did sound like fun, even if intimidating!

Turns out I can actually do it pretty well! And it is too much fun. How could you not enjoy running across the room and trying to reincarnate Jet Li?

still figuring things out

So far, my plan of two shorter workouts is NOT working. Scheduling problems. I did do my fastest run yet yesterday morning, which was good. But I didn't get around to doing pilates later because of being SO BUSY. I would like to think this week is an exception but I know it is not. Jesse leaves the house at 6 a.m. before we wake up every morning. Mondays he doesn't get back till late evening because he teaches a class at SF State. On the other days, he comes home mid-late afternoon but the girls are going to start having afternoon extra-curricular classes Tues/Thurs afternoons...which mean another workout time lost. I am starting to feel frustrated.

I know that this may just mean accepting that my workouts will not be as intense. That will probably be okay for my body, but I am worried as I was really thriving with the longer, more intense workouts. I am going to talk to Jesse and see if he can adapt his schedule any, but I'm not sure that is possible. I guess I'll just wait and see.

Update

Well, I have been working out. 6/7 days last week. I mixed it up with a few days with the shred, few days walking outside, and a biking day. Some days I did more than one activity.

The weather here is finally cooling off. Last year, we moved to Texas on Aug 1, so we saw the worst of the summer heat but didn't actually go through a whole LONG summer. This year, after having been through three + long months of little time outside, fall is even more welcome. Really, it feels like the end of Lent and the beginning of the Paschal season. Maybe that is because we gave up outdoor activities?

That being said, my fall workouts are going to change. In about a month, a bunch of leaves are going to begin falling from our gigantic oak trees and one of my primary forms of exercising will be raking them all up. This is great because it makes me feel better to be doing something useful while exercising and because Luke can play while I work.

For Jessica- Right now I am on the bike at 9 minutes, 80 calories burned, 2.6 miles completed. :) I love numbers too. I also like your jumping bean workout. I do something like that when I watch my 20 min HGTV show every once in a while (though I pick easier moves). You are amazing!

Kelly- It has been fun to see all of your homeschooling ideas. I am glad that you are enjoying it so much (and the kids too)! Since this is an exercise blog, I'll ask about PE. Do you do it with the kids?

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

responses

Amie, how are you doing? Hope you're recovering and staying out of the hospital! Sounds like a nasty infection . . . so sorry you were ill! Especially with the three little ones running around! So hard to be sick when there are people who need you. 

Katie J - how's the biking? I was digging the mileage posts (again, love the numbers, it's just me . . .) - are you back in the saddle? So to speak? ;)

Christa - how's the veggie-centered meal planning going? And the Shred? And the (hate to ask, because I know sleepless nights suck) baby's sleeping? Hope you and yours are well.

Kelly, I'm interested to hear how your experiment goes. I've gotten used to longer workouts, so I can understand not wanting to go down to short ones, but it sounds like getting 40 minutes, just broken up, might still work really well. Let us know how it goes?

Also, I saw my dad reading The Spark this weekend (he's very into anything that combines brain research and education research) and I arranged to borrow it when he's finished. I knew I'd seen it mentioned somewhere, and now I realize that it was you!

As to brain benefits that go along with exercise . . . I don't know how exactly it's connected, but I feel that when I'm disciplined in exercise, I'm more disciplined in other areas of my life, particularly in getting my writing time in. That's a bit odd, because you'd think exercise would take away the time I need in order to write, but now I'm wondering if it's not just that discipline begets discipline (which is what I thought before, and what I still think is partly true), but that exercise does help me think more clearly and creatively (which helps the story-making!).

Emily, I think it'd be cool to hear more about what you're doing in karate, esp. as it sounds like the warm-up/stretching time has gotten a lot more intense with Charles in charge (heh).


Oh, and I haven't run yet, but I still want to. It's going to take getting to bed by 10 though, and that hasn't happened for quite some time! (Let's not talk about Sunday night, when I went to bed at 3:30 a.m.!)

Week 13 Summary for Jess

As I type that title - 13 weeks! - I feel really grateful for this blog. I've probably said this before, but it was really what I needed in order to get going again after that spring set-back. Just seeing what I'm doing in type really cements my goals in my mind. Thank you to all of you for participating. (Still hoping to hear from some of the rest of you again soon!)

Anyway, Week 12 wasn't stellar, but I think I kept from losing ground:

Sunday: nothing

Monday: No More Trouble Zones + pull-ups

Tues: nothing

Wednesday: Personal Training w/Jackie + pull-ups

Thurs: nothing

Friday: pull-ups + Jumping Bean workout <-- I was sore for three days after this! Well, four: I'm still sore. But I mean, like, sore-to-the-point-of-limping. Oh man. I overdid it. But I want to do it again. It was SUCH a good workout. I might try just one round through though, till my calves get used to it. Ouch, ouch, ouch. The stairs in our condo were a real problem all weekend long.

Sat: nothing

-Jess

pull-ups + No More Trouble Zones

I'm solidly back to being able to do two pull-ups in a row. Still there, for a couple weeks now, which makes me think I've really got it now. That's where I was at in the spring when I got sick. And now I feel like I honestly might be able to make it to three-in-a-row by Christmas. 

That sounds so sad - TWO reps of an exercise being a big deal! But when I realize that it's raising just under 140 lbs. of weight from a dead hang - well, then it sounds more impressive. Still! Guys are able to do a ton of these. I'm never going to be able to do a ton, but I have this dream of someday being able to do 10. Maybe by the time I'm 35, eh? That's a good goal. By age 35, I want to be published in novel form, and be able to do 10 pull-ups. :D

Oh yeah: No More Trouble Zones too. I thought about doing Jackie, but I just finished reading/skimming her book, and the realization that she's a crazypants sort of put me off of the idea. (Knows her weights, but is a crazypants.) Maybe I'll be ready to face her again by Thurs.

-Jess

time for a change?

Last week, I managed to exercise M-F, even though the Thursday's and Friday's workouts were short. The three day weekend was utterly lost to busyness.

I am starting to wonder if carving out a whole hour straight for a workout is unrealistic with our new school schedule (which starting this week, will begin including classes outside the home). This week, I am thinking of trying a new routine. My thought is to do a 20 minute video workout at home during school recess in the a.m. and then do just a 2 mile run when Jesse comes home each day. So, I will get a good 40 minutes of exercise in each day, but dispersed. Then, on the weekends, if we have time and I have the energy (we have been SO busy), I will do a long run.

So, I am going to try that out and see how it goes. I would really like to consistently work out 6 days a week. I can take 2 days off if I need to, but I feel the difference and my anxiety really picks up if I miss 3 days (like this weekend). Right now, the importance for me is to make sure I exercise, even if it taking a different approach that is not necessarily ideal.

Friday, September 3, 2010

pull-ups and jumping bean workout

I did pull-ups today.

And then I made up a workout, because I didn't have enough time to do the workout I wanted to do. I made a playlist of fast-paced songs that was 20 minutes long, and made a list of plyometric exercises, and just went through them till the music was over. 

Although, it ended up being a bit longer than 20 minutes, because I found as I went on that I wanted to try to get through the list twice. Anyway, here's the list:

-jumping jacks

-jump rope (sans rope, as I was inside)

-squat jumps (down into a full squat, then jump up)

-skaters

-high knees

-mountain climbers (not jumping, really, but . . .)

-butt kicks

-side-to-side jumps

-skiers (sort of a Norditrak motion)

-rock star jumps

I let myself do butt kicks or skaters in between the really hard ones, in order to get my breath back a bit.

Anyway. I don't think I've felt like that since high school track. Or the first time I did the 30 Day Shred. :)  I'm not sure I want to do it again. I almost fell over the first time I tried to get up after I stretched, because my calves hurt so much.  But . . . good workout.

-Jess

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

This is Emily, checking in :)

I've definitely changed my focus lately, but I think that it is overall a good thing for me and our family. I'm going to karate twice a week. Originally I was planning on this being something I did with/for Jonathan, but it turns out that he's not really ready to do it. And I discovered that I like it and don't want to stop. Although it can be difficult to get there twice a week, I do enjoy it when I'm there and it really helps me to have steady, regular exercise outside of my home.

Other than that, I'm focusing on eating well according to my new game plan (no white flour, white sugar, or caffeine, basically no processed stuff). I still miss brownies, and I still think that it is worth it. :)

We're starting homeschooling next Tuesday, officially, although Jonathan asked to "do school" this morning and so of course we did! :) I'm spending this last week trying to get all my ducks in a row so I feel ready to start. (I don't. Feel ready. At all. Ack.)

As far as continuing to post here...maybe I'll post the kinds of things we're doing in karate? Last class we spent 30 minutes working on proper form for push-ups. Oh. My. Word. I am SO SORE!! I wasn't doing push-ups (because of wrist/shoulder pain) so I was holding various forms of plank and OUCH!!!!!!!

Another interesting part of karate for me: making some changes in the higher level forms. Because of my shoulder, there are some motions that I just can't do. And Fr. David has talked with me about making changes that accommodate the injury, while still honoring the intention of the form. It is a fun and interesting challenge, coming up with alternative ways to do them.

Ok, quiet time is about over and I need to make a phone call...this is Emily, checking out! ;)

SPARK

Good luck with your first week of homeschooling! We're on week 3. I was terrified of starting but now that we are in the routine again, I must say I am really happy. Both with having a routine and with how the schooling is going. First grade is much more fun than kindergarten!

I decided that my slump last week was totally due to my period. Each month, I forget how my cycle can change my attitude towards exercise and my actual physical ability to do it well. I need to remember to make allowances for my body when it is sending signals and not feel bad about that.

However, this week is going good so far. After a crazy weekend of no exercise due to my parents visit (which was SO much fun. If you are ever in SF, you MUST take your kids to the Exploratorium), Monday i had a good 45 minute pilates/free weight/yoga workout. Yesterday I did the 4 mile hill run and followed that up with a good 10 minute yoga stretching.

Today I will do another 45 minutes pilates, etc workout. I have my energy and attitude back...

Now, for the last tangent about why exercise is good. I talked to the pyschologist who told me I needed to exercise as many days a week as possible to combat my panic again a couple weeks ago. Forgot to blog here about it. I was asking him why exercise makes such a difference. Was it the endorphins? He said no and then told me I should read this book called Spark. Basically, exercise changes your brain and causes your body to perform more at its 'ideal'.

I found this fascinating, am going to get the book soon. I like it especially as I personally can attest to not only feeling less panic but having less of a mommy brain since exercising too. I feel younger.

Have any of you experienced those other benefits as well?

today's workout and a shout-out to the quiet ones!

Did Personal Training with Jackie this morning. Did NOT run yesterday, but am hoping to try tomorrow (if I get to bed on time tonight). Our homeschooling year officially starts tomorrow, and the idea of hitting the ground running tickles my sense of humor.


So . . .  how are you all? Esp. those who haven't posted in awhile? This isn't the perfectionism blog, no one will yell at you if at the turning-of-the-seasons (hello, school! hello hot weather!) you haven't been working out regularly, or at all. But, I admit to missing the chatter. :) Check in, if you're willing!


-Jess

Monday, August 30, 2010

Week 12 summary for Jess

Sun-Thurs: nothing

Friday: Personal Training with Jackie

Saturday: nothing


Oh well. Onward!

pull-ups + No More Trouble Zones

Felt great to do this!

AND . . . as of this week, I'm back to being able to do two pull-ups in a row! that's what I was able to do in the spring, before I got sick. And I'm back to it! I'm so psyched! Three-in-a-row, here I come!

-Jess

Sunday, August 29, 2010

question for our runners

I went to a retreat this weekend, and one of the things I was thinking about was what refreshes me. Three of the things were exercise, silence and the out-of-doors.

Which made me wonder if I wanted to start running. Because that could combine all three. (Just thinking about trying it somehow on cardio days - I'm not giving up my weight-lifting!)

So, here's my question for you ladies who run: how do you handle safety issues? That's kind of a weird question, because I actually feel safe walking by myself in our neighborhood, but running seems different somehow. Maybe it's all those news stories that seem to involve bad things happening to female joggers. On the other hand, those female joggers always seem to be running through parks alone in the dark . . . anyway, I'd be running on main streets in the (early) daylight.

Is this something you're worried about? And what precautions do you take?  Thanks for the input!

ETA: I'm thinking about driving over and running on the university track. That'd let me run barefoot (it's an artificial track surface), which is how I'd want to go, I think. Plus, that might help a lot with my safety concerns. Anyone tried a track instead of the street or park?

-Jessica

Thanks for answering my 

blugh

So this week hasn't been great. I only was able to exercise 3 days this week and the workouts were short ones compared to my usual routine. I'm hoping this next week is better, but I think it is going to be a struggle to 'pump it up' again. I have a hard time re-adjusting to schedules.

Friday, August 27, 2010

snacks

Katie, my favorite go-to snacks are fruits and veg - just whatever we had in our CSA basket this week. And as for portable, apples and citrus transport pretty well, and soft fruits can be washed and bagged or put in a tupperware. Cucumber slices and carrots carry well in baggies.  I pretty much only cook for meals. Snacks are more likely to be a wash-and-chop affair!  

I also really like almonds and sunflower seeds, and the kids dig Trader Joe's dried bananas and dried mango and sesame seed crepes (Katie P introduced me to those!), though the last does have a fair amount of sugar and is processed - but very portable and has a fair amount of protein.  Oh! And hard-boiled eggs! The kids like them and I do too. If you boil them with salt in the water they're great right out of the shell.

And - not portable - my favorite snacky snack is popcorn. I air pop it and add melted butter, salt (you can get popcorn salt that's finely ground so it sticks better) and grated Parmesan cheese. Soooo good. And not high calorie if you go light on the butter.

Hope it helps, and I'm looking forward to read the others' suggestions!

Personal Training with Jackie + pull-ups

Yesterday. Looks like it might be just one workout this week for me - yipes! All I can say is our heat wave just did a number on me. I felt awful all week: eyes dry, headaches, ick. I don't do heat well.

But I ate well this week, so that's good. I feel like I'm still learning what "normal" eating is like for my non-pregnant, non-nursing self. I didn't know much about nutrition until I got pregnant and started researching it, and now (this month? next?) it's been a year since I stopped nursing. So, six years of learning about nutrition while nursing and/or pregnant, and now a year of learning how to feed just me. I'm getting there. But I'm still amazed at how different what my body needs is from what my mind (and mouth) want. It's said over and over again, but our culture (particularly advertisements) lead me to expect that I should be eating so much more than I really should. As I try to put the principles I've learned into practice, I'm finding it odd and hard, and I'm surprised that I'm surprised at that.  I guess what I'm really getting at is that this is the first time I've really taken this knowledge ("calories in < or =" calories">It's just really weird, realizing that everything they say about our eating culture is true. (And, when you think about how our culture simultaneously idolizes skinniness, it begins to look downright S&M. Unhealthy on both extremes at the same time.)

Hope this is okay to share. It's just been on my mind a lot as I've been working on learning how to feed myself when no one else is literally sucking calories out of me! (Now, figuratively sucking energy - that we can talk about!) 

Peace of Christ to you,

Jessica Snell


This Week and Snack ideas

This week was good as far as workouts were concerned. Eating went well most days, although having birthday cake from Luke's birthday around was not helpful. For my birthday, I think a trip to get frozen yogurt will be a better idea.

Monday: Prevention BBT with weights- adding the weights makes it comparable to the Shred I think.

Tuesday: Biked 1 hr!

Wednesday: biked 35 minutes

Thursday: nothing

Friday: Walked 2 miles with Luke, 2 parts of Prevention DVD, worked outside

I have a question. I am trying to do more made from scratch type of snacks and stay away from processed foods. Do you all have any favorite snacks that are also portable? Eating Well had this nice snack mix which would work if I added some nuts to the mix for protein. I have a go to breakfast and a few go to snacks (string cheese, whole wheat tortilla, trail mix), but I am looking for something different.

Hope everyone is doing well. It is the first week of school for all the kids in our area, so I am assuming some of you have had a busy week!

Monday, August 23, 2010

Week 3 recap for Amie

Monday: Abs, legs, yoga

Tuesday-Sunday Nothing :-(

A few notes as to why:
A terrible nasty not so good infection turned near hospitilization awful occurred to me this week...still teetering on the edge but hopeful this dose of medication keeps me at home and not checked in to the hospital...praying/hoping for the best!

Still in much emotional turmoil over my sister, I know you had asked Jess and it is ok to ask...she is just not seeking or acknowledging God right now and her decisions are heartbreaking...hoping to be feeling well enough to do more then walk around the block this week!

(almost) week summary

I did Pilates/weight workouts Wed and Thurs, nothing on friday, two miles on saturday, nothing on Sunday and two miles again today. Too busy for a long run, hopefully can get one in tomorrow morning.

My last two runs have been in my brand new horribly expensive Nike Air Pegasus 27 shoes. However, they surpass awesomeness. So cushiony that they actually feel spring-y and they are really flexible too. I also order a half size up based on advice I read on running boards and I think that really does make a difference. Have new arch supports but haven't run with them yet as you're supposed to wear them a bit 'normally' before running in them.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Week 11 Summary for Jess

Sunday: Dance with Julianne: Cardio Ballroom

Monday: Personal Training with Jackie + pull-ups

Tuesday: nothing

Wednesday: nothing

Thursday: nothing

Friday: Jillian Michaels' Yoga Meltdown, Levels 1 & 2

Saturday: No More Trouble Zones + pull-ups


No More Trouble Zones + pull-ups

Yesterday. Not today. Today I went to church, came home and had lunch and journaled and started devouring Dr Who: The Writer's Tale, also devoured some Ben and Jerry's Coffee Heath Bar Crunch (the best ice cream in the entire world and ENTIRELY worth the calorie count - once in awhile), thought I was going to write some of my "fun story" (that's what I call it in my head; it's your basic space opera), but instead found that I was in exactly the right place to finish a scene in the "real novel" (also a nickname from the world of my head, for the WIP I'm supposed to be finishing), did that and now am looking forward to reading yet MORE Writer's Tale. Will resume proper health practices tomorrow. Today was for my head and my heart.\

-Jessica

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Biking and Sewing

Today I figured out that my computer fits on my exercise bike. A good thing- maybe? I am posting this while biking. So far, 14+ miles and 384 calories burned. Not bad for 45 minutes. Best $100 I've spent in a while - we've had our schwinn for about 6 months now.

Other than that, I am going to skip the details for this week in review. It was not very good. Two very bad emotional eating days that were slightly redeemed by the last 3 days of better eating and more sewing. Some exercise most days, but we were busy. Sewing is fast becoming a great mood lifter and food binging alternative.

Ending this post at 50 minutes, 15.5 miles, and 412 calories burned (about.) :)

Friday, August 20, 2010

Jillian Michaels' Yoga Meltdown

Ow, ow, ow . . . I did levels 1 & 2 of this (skipped the warm-up on Level 2, 'cause I was already warmed up). This is one I could see buying someday (tried it via Netflix), because I think there's a lot of room for growth here! Did I say "ouch" yet? All the holding halfway down in push-up poses . . . and now that I've tried it, I really want to get good at the crow pose.

Anyway, most of the idea here seemed to be taking the "power" yoga poses and going in and out of them for several repetitions, and then when you were really sore, going back into them and holding them for a while. Love it! But I did miss the serenity of a Rodney Yee yoga DVD, just because Jillian talks and talks and talks . . . lots of it helpful to getting the poses right, but still, not totally peaceful. She did make yoga into a real workout though.

-Jessica

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

problem fixed

ran 6 miles today with my old shoes. Felt great. So my problems this last few months have definitely been due to my new shoes. Now, to just find time to go find another pair as my old ones are definitely old. Unfortunately, I can't find them online and get the same pair!

Monday, August 16, 2010

shoes for high arches

So, I was feeling nerve pain around my shin yesterday and did some research. The condensed version is this: People with high arches tend to underpronate when they run. This means that when running, your foot tends to roll outwards when running. For this, it is best to wear shoes that are flexible with a soft midsole to help absorb shock. So cushioning + flexibility.

My last shoes, I just focused on ones with thick cushioning with stability and control because I thought that would *prevent* injury since a lot of my running is on asphalt. Little did I know that the decreased flexibility of the shoes is what would actually cause me pain!!!


Double Workouts!

Grammy and Papa are in town, so I have had a little more free time. Yesterday I walked 2 miles with a stroller and did 4/7 circuits of BFBM (my hips are still tender, so the more jumpy cardio ones are out). Today I walked 2.5 miles and rode the bike about 7 miles. It has been fun to begin stepping up the workouts again!

Kelly- Sorry to hear about the shoes. I purchased some Asics recently from Marshalls because of the price tag (and because I had looked at several places already that day), and I am regretting it already. I have high arches too, and have used inserts in the past to help in shoes that needed them. Where did you research the shoes? I have looked before too and found so many different recommendations that it was overwhelming. Sometimes I think that I had better just pay for Consumer Reports as much as I like researching all of my purchases.

Emily- Way to be so disciplined! And with all the construction that was going on too!

Katie- I'm glad that you are so aware of where you are right now and the pressures around. It sounds like you have made a realistic plan for yourself.

I love Agave nectar too. Actually, I have altered several everyday baking recipes to include molasses, honey and agave nectar instead of the more refined sugars and I love it. (I still eat things with refined sugars in them, but that is definitely something that I ought to cut down on). I began experimenting with them when I was pregnant, and picked it up now that Luke is eating so much more.

Results! Results!

I must say I'm very impressed with the results of doing Shred 1 only 2 times a week. My mid-section is shrinking and has a vague appearance of being toned. It's also more comfortable to sleep in bed at night. I still want to get to 3 times a week, buy another DVD, and buy some real weights, but I'm very encouraged and definitely think I can keep it up. Now, if only the baby (8mos) would sleep through the night, maybe I'd feel awesome (still waking up 3 times, + occasional Kate wakings . . . argh!!!)

Kelly-I'd love to know what kind of shoes work well with high arches. I have that problem too. I bought a cheap pair at Marshalls, and after several years of trying to make them work, finally gave them away. Several weeks ago I bought Asics Gel Pheonix, and they seem to be much better so far. I think I tried on nearly every shoe in the mall before I bought them.

Food-Right now I'm just trying to eat more veggies and fewer carbs. This is mainly motivated by being pre-diabetic. It all started when I didn't pass the gestational diabetes test (the full one, not just the screening) in my last pregnancy. I didn't fail the test either, but the medical personnel wanted me to eat as if I had gestational diabetes anyway. I did and what followed was loosing about 5 lbs in my 3rd trimester. (Yes, I know this is normally not a good thing, but I was still eating when I was hungry.) After delivery I went back to a normal carb consuming diet (it was Christmas). Gradually I have gone back to limiting carbs to approximately 2 servings per meal (and I'm totally flexible when it comes to eating with friends or the occasional splurge for a favorite recipe). To make up for streamlining the carbs, I've been focusing my meal planning on fixing really good vegetable dishes and tacking on the carbs and protein as more of an afterthought. Overall, I find that I am much more sensitive to carbs/sugar now. The idea of eating a doughnut is unappealing and actually eating one makes me feel ill.

Oh, yea. So, I can't remember if I got my second workout in last week. I think I did. But I just did the first one for this week.

Personal Training with Jackie + pull-ups

I got up early this morning and had my devotions and worked out. I always want to do this, but don't always actually do it. But I'm really glad I did this today, because after I did, my son came to the top of the stairs and said, "I need to throw up." And he did. So . . . it's probably going to be a long day, and I'm very grateful I've already done my stuff, because I'm going to need to concentrate on my poor sicko the rest of today, I think.

-Jess

p.s. Yesterday, I went swimming for the first time since I had Lasik. Wow! I could swim on my back, looking up at the sky, and actually see the leaves on the eucalyptus trees and the gorgeous daytime moon floating in the sky and everything. It was beautiful!

need new shoes

Yesterday I did a 3 mile run, came home and discarded the new running shoes I had bought in June. I've been dealing with all sorts of issues since buying them (including never ending blisters) and thought I just needed to adjust to them. But, yesterday, after feeling nerve pain up my shins, I decided it was indeed the shoes fault, not mine. Doing research, I discovered that the shoe I had originally was the perfect shoe for my high arch feet and the new one I thought was an improvement, was the worst. So, good to know but now I have to go buy new shoes. Thankfully, I kept my old ones and those will last me till I go shopping.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Dance with Julianne: Cardio Ballroom

Whew! This one is so much fun, but it leaves me soooo out of breath. But it's so pretty. This is the sort of dance DVD that makes you want to be in better shape just so that you can do the dances more skillfully. I especially enjoyed the Paso Doble this time around.

-Jess

Week 10 Summary for Jess

Sunday: nothing

Monday: Personal Training with Jackie + pull-ups

Tuesday: nothing

Wednesday: 10 Minute Solution: Fat Blasting Dance Mix, 3/5 circuits

Thursday: No More Trouble Zones + pull-ups

Friday: Yoga Booty Ballet (ick, hack, yuck!)

Saturday: Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism, 5.5/7 circuits


I have to say: this blog has been so good for me. I'm exercising much more consistently than I was when we started it. Thanks, ladies!


-Jess

Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism & a note to Katie P.

Did 5.5/7 circuits of this yesterday, and Katie P., yes, you may borrow it, as long as you bring it back before the loss of it lets me  get lazy and fat. ;) It's always nice to try things out before you buy them. Let me know when you want to stop by and pick it up.

-Jess

Not exactly exercise related...

But since we've been discussing some food and weight issues here too, I thought I'd share. I just finished 30 days of not consuming white sugar, white flour, or caffeine (except for two days while camping - those s'mores were delicious!) If you're interested, you can read about it on my regular blog here. The surprising and un-looked-for bonus was a 5.5lb weight loss, even though I was not exercising much. I think that I've likely found a solution that works for my particular body, and that is really exciting.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

last few days

Katie P--The Dormition refers to the falling asleep (i.e. death) of the Virgin Mary. In the Orthodox Church, we fast for 2 weeks prior to whenever the feast day falls (which is tomorrow this year!).

On food--it is so annoying, isn't it? How something so innocent can become SUCH a battle? I think your plan sounds good. It might be helpful to set out food and snacks the night before (or at times when you are fed) so that you aren't tempted to grab something quick.

This last week, we have had guests for dinner every night except one, and I think I tend to eat more when we have people over. So, I have to remember portion control when I am talking!

Okay, so the last few days in review are Wednesday--nothing since I was helping a friend move. Thursday, I only managed 20 minutes of Pilates and yesterday I did a 5 mile run. I am not certain how today will work as we are helping out a family (I think some of you might know them--the Speckmans?). Micah and Jenn put them in touch with us as they're moving up here later this month. Anyhow, we are babysitting their kids today while they apartment hunt. So, workout videos with 5 kids? Might be a bit challenging!!!! This week might just be a 4 day workout week for me. But I am trying to remember that is okay. One thing I learned while traveling was that working out 3-4 days a week does maintain my current weight/shape. Working out more is a plus and helps my panic issues, but isn't neccessary for weight control (which I confess, I was obsessing over this last month).

So, that is my new battle: not becoming obsessive, compulsive about exercise. I fear gaining weight (losing 45 pounds over the course of several years was hard work) and I fear panic attacks. Neither fears are helpful mentally and they are a recent part of my struggles.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Just Bobbing Up and Down For Now

Today did Shred Wkt 2. Yesterday did a 25 minute swim again. Wednesday I think was also Shred 2. Sleep has been limping along lately - I'm really thankful for a weekend, because I'm hoping I can get some naps in.

Thanks to those of you who've mentioned how my posts on eating have encouraged you - that is coming back and now re-encouraging me. I've just started to feel discouraged because, well probably honestly because I feel like I'm in a very imperfect place right now. The weight of the stuff that came up last week is still sinking in, and I feel like I haven't yet "righted my kayak," or gotten it straight inside of me what's going on (or rather, what happened and how it affected me - especially the couple that is splitting up). It's still kind of a mess inside, and my eating reflects that. Kind of like I'm just bobbing up and down in the kayak, and can't go anywhere yet.

But hearing from some of you that you are looking at eating spiritually is motivating me right now to declare what my new, for-the-time-being goals will be, until I can get a little steadier stance. Even though I feel out of whack (and even though my eating has been out of whack this week), I'm going to try to stick to eating at mealtimes. It doesn't matter if I eat a bigger meal or not, what matters is that I put together a full, balanced, satisfying meal onto one plate (or at least sit down with it all at one time), and enjoy eating it. I don't need to worry about being a perfect balance between satisfied and full, or wait until I'm perfectly hungry blahblahblah, BUT when the meal is done, it's done. No eating half a meal so that I have the excuse to nibble more between meals to make up for it - that just gets me feeling yucky later. I can also have my 3pm snack if I'd like, but other than that no eating between meals.

That's my new goal. If I don't meet it, I at least can be more specific in looking at what happened. Hopefully this will help clear away some of the murky cloudiness of the past week, and give me a bit more clarity. But I am also realizing I need to give myself grace: I've been going through a lot emotionally, and it makes sense that I've been floundering and feeling a bit lost. If things are murky, that is kind of natural.

Jess - thanks for the sympathy about napping - my thoughts/feelings exactly when someone interrupts a nap!! And while I didn't kill them, I DEFINITELY called our HOA manager this morning when the same neighbors who had the loud construction all week had a dog out on their patio (right below Naomi's window) who began barking incessantly at 6 am this morning, and did not stop for a few hours. In life there are a lot of things you have no control over, but it sure is nice when you can exert SOME control!

Katie J - I don't think I've ever heard of a Dormition fast - interesting. What is it and when/why do you do it? I definitely have a trigger food and its name is sugar. I find that I have to almost completely avoid it, and it actually makes a physical difference for me - as in, I physically am much more able to avoid overeating if I don't have sugar in my system. I'm still not sure exactly where my tipping point is, as I can have a small amount and still be ok (it also seems like agave doesn't bother me, though I'm not sure if that's also because I usually only use a small amount when I use it?). But I have found that if I have a dessert or a larger amount of sugar, I will often feel the effects almost immediately (an unpleasant "surge" through my body, like my blood is pumping harder and faster, and it feels icky), and then the next 24 hours I will want to eat more. If I can be aware of it and hold back from giving in, after about 24 hours it all passes and I'm back to normal. But if I do give in and eat, the cycle seems to continue.

Amie - I know what you mean about the NOT eating a good meal actually contributing to eating poorly later - I am the same way! I want to check out your recipe - sounds yummy!

responses

First, potty training is actually going really well. Better than it went with either of my other two year olds! Both of the girls seem to get #1, so it's #2 we're working on. Some progress there but . . . we've got a ways to go.

Still! Neither of my first two were ready this early, and I'm actually kind of thrilled. We've got a ways to go, but the progress we're making is enough to keep me from moving them back to diapers, and if you know me and my history with hating potty training, that's saying something.


Christa, is it bad that now I want to try a Denise Austin workout, just to enjoy the goofiness? It can't be worse than yoga booty ballet!

Katie P - I don't have any great tips about sleep, but lots of sympathy. It'll get better soon, but I hope that, for your sake, it gets better sooner.  (And the construction noise- ugh! I still just want to KILL anyone who interrupts naptime! I wouldn't, but it drives me (irrationally, I suppose) NUTS. Sorry that happened to you.)

Sorry also for the hard family-and-friends stuff. You're doing amazingly to be dealing with hard emotional stuff and still keeping up the good habits that you've established. I think it helps so much when we can keep up habits during hard times. Not just because it makes the hard time easier to get through, but because it makes it easier to get back to normal once they're over and the pressure is off. At least, that's been my experience.

I understand the whole being-healthy-but-not-satisfied thing, but I have to be honest, I'd take a peaceful mind over rock hard abs, any day. So, I'd go with your gut and skip the diet, and just keep up the bad habits. U. S. dollars to sand that's the way both a good body and a peaceful mindset, long term. Just my two cents! :)

Amie - I'm so glad Julie's off dialysis and home with her baby. Such good news! 

How's potty training going at your house? It sounds like it's good? is that right? Either way, good for you for going for it with a little (er) one in the house! That's what really intimidated me the first two times - what to do with the younger ones while the older ones need that one-on-one attention to learn this new skill.

And I'm sorry to hear that p90x takes that much time every day. It otherwise sounds like a program I'd be really interested in. Is it the sort of program you could split into 45 minute sessions and just take twice as long to get through?

Katie J. - I hope you like Personal Training with Jackie when you get it!  I hope your hip gets better.

Kelly - congratulations on the long run! Hope the scheduling change goes over okay. I'm working right now on booting us back up into a schooltime schedule - both for me and the kids homeschooling, and because Adam's schedule changes when the university gets going again.

Yoga Booty Ballet

Oh for Pete's sake. These videos had some of the creepiest people I've ever seen on an exercise DVD. And that was after I skipped the floofy-New-Age-y-not-so-much-yoga-as-rich-L.A.-ladies-who-think-they-understand-Eastern-philosophy meditation bits.  

So, um, yeah. Not a fan. The dance parts (which were the parts I did - I tried the dance parts from two different DVDs) were definitely aerobic and parts were very fun, but I just couldn't get over the creepies. Some of the dancers were fine, and I tried to look at them to see how to do the moves, but there were two or three that just gave me the heebie-jeebies (including at least one, possibly both of the instructors) and they were all on the screen far too much of the time.

Ick. I think I need to take a shower. And not just because I just worked out.

-Jess

Change-up and Check Up

Well, we got back from our little vacation on Sunday afternoon. I have been running errands ever since, leaving little time to blog.

This week was different than those in the past have been. I have not been as motivated to workout, so I have been trying to be more generally active. This is partly due to my hips still being sore, and partly due to being tired. Instead of exercise DVD's, I have been cleaning and deep cleaning a lot more, plus working outside.

If I do work out inside, I need extra help, so I turn on a 20-25 min HGTV show (from Hulu) and practice my Jillian strength moves.

Eating has been going well the past few days (after a few ok or not-so-good days). I have realized that partly my good days have come because we are currently in the Dormition fast. I have not been eating dessert and it has made a big difference. Specifically, I have realized that granola bars, cookies, and chocolate are hard for me to eat in moderation. Do you all have any specific trigger foods? Do you stay away from them completely?

Last week, I met a major goal. This week, I had my first physical in a year and a half. My blood pressure was about 100/60 and I had a low resting heart rate. :) My weight was up from last week, but I think it was really a combination of water gain from some salty things I had eaten, and a really old scale.

Saturday: Walk up and down hills with stroller (loved this one)

Sunday: Nothing- drove home with 3 kids for 4 hours (that was enough)

Monday: Shred Level 2

Tuesday: Strength exercises for 20 minutes

Wed: 2 mile Walk with Luke in stroller, Strength exercises for 5 minutes

Thurs: Strength exercises for 5 minutes, 30 min heavy duty workoutdoors

Friday: Strength exercises for 20 minutes, LOTS of deep cleaning