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