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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism

Did this today.

Katie P. - I thought of you while I was doing this because there's a move in there called "standing mountain-climbers", and I remembered how you say the regular ones are your nemesis. It made me wonder if you'd think standing ones were better or worse. :)

-Jess

Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism

Just circuits 5/7.

-Jess

More about Jillian

It has been fun to read about everyone's workouts. :) I hope the weather cools down a bit for you all. I forget how so many homes in CA don't have air conditioning!

I have completed the Banish Fat/ Boost Metabolism work out 2 times in the last 3 days. In between, I did the Prevention DVD. (It has been raining or over 100 by heat index the last week or so, so outdoor workouts are not possible) I used to love the Prevention DVD and think it was SO HARD! Now, Prevention has become my easy day workout and I look forward to it.

I LOVE the BFBM workout. Unlike the Shred, I feel like I can just make it through each of the circuits. It is more of a long run, rather than a sprint- consequently, it takes more time to complete.

I have been doing BFBM during Luke's nap time and it has worked out well. Actually, I think that I may need to switch my schedule a bit and try to workout at nap time, instead of first thing in the morning. I am more vulnerable to feeling depressed and wanting to eat too much (since no one is watching) during nap time. When do you all work out? Do you like to work out first thing? How about in the evening? I haven't tried the evening because I am wiped out by then.

Katie J - I'm slowly doing reviews of my favorite workout DVDs on my blog, but I've only got two up so far, so here's a list of the ones I have and use:

-30 Day Shred - I think everyone knows about this one at this point

-Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism - another Jillian Michaels one; imagine taking just the cardio parts of Shred and making them into a 40 minute workout. Basically, this is hard cardio for 40 minutes - lots of jumping, plank-based moves and kickboxing.

-No More Trouble Zones - this, on the other hand, is like taking just the strength parts of Shred, and making them into a forty-minute workout. Lots of weights and also some old-school matwork.

-Personal Training with Jackie: Power Circuit Training. - This is just strength stuff, and it's more systematic than Michaels' No More Trouble Zones. I love this one. She starts with hamstrings, and proceeds through quads, glutes, chest, back, biceps, triceps, upper abs, lower abs and obliques. It just destroys your body piece by piece. It moves very quickly too, which I really like, but others might not.

Dance Off the Inches: Hip-Hop Party (Jennifer Gilardi). - This is the one I did this week. Fun, lots of cardio, kind of goofy.

Dancing with the Stars: Dance Off the Pounds. - I'm just starting this one. It's a sweatfest, and the dancing's actually stuff you might do in public, if you ever got good at it. As I recall (I haven't done it in awhile), one of the three routines took up too much floor space to do in my small living room. But I liked the other two routines (swing and jive) enough that it didn't feel like a waste of time.

Dance With Julianne, Cardio Ballroom - This is another fairly new one to me, but I really like it so far. It has a jive section that's particularly fun.

Dance Off the Inches: Fat-Burning Belly Dance - This isn't real belly dancing, it's kind of belly-dancing-inspired cardio. But it's fun.

Fwiw, I like dance DVDs because they're a good option for me when I've done a hard strength workout the day before and am too sore to lift again. Also, in all honesty, I find the dancer's bodies such great inspiration. It makes me want to be fit just so that I can move my body in such energetic and free ways. (Hee, quoth Larry the Cucumber: "Libre y suavamente!")

Rodney Yee's Power Yoga: Total Body Workout. My favorite yoga DVD, hands-down. Starts easy, gets harder as it goes. It's about an hour long, and, to my mind, the perfect Sunday afternoon de-stressor.

Katie J. - I also wanted to thank you for your observation about candy, and how it makes you feel. That's such a good reminder for me, because I love hard candies (like Runts and jellybeans), but they don't make me feel that great, and it's good to remember that.

Christa - you might like either of Jillian's other videos: the No More Trouble Zones or Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism, if you like the Shred. The second one does have a lot of jumping (is that "bouncy"?), but the first one doesn't. You might also like the yoga one - it does require coordination, I suppose, but it doesn't move terribly quickly, so you have time to get into the different positions. If you want something dead simple that will just get you moving, you might like one of Leslie Sansone's Walking Away the Weight videos.

Kelly, you're amazing. Hang in there. I think you're doing great to get anything more than childcare done when you're on your own with three kids. 

Katie P. - I'm glad to hear that your shoulder is getting better. Glad the tennis ball helps too! What a simple tool for such great results.

Emily - I'm curious - are you still able to do your green smoothies during your kitchen remodel? I know how much you like them (though I still think greens ought to be eaten with bacon).

Amie - is there any news on Julie? Still praying for her and her baby.

-Jess

Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism

I got through 6/7 circuits of this today (had to help a child in the middle, so ran out of time before the end). 

-Jess

Week 4 Summary for Jess

Monday: pull-ups

Tuesday: nothing

Wednesday: walk

Thursday: Personal Training with Jackie

Friday: nothing

Saturday: Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism

That last is a Jillian Michaels DVD. It says it's 40 minutes . . . I think it's a bit longer. It's like the 30 Day Shred, but just cardio and twice as long. Whew. Katie P., if you want a chance to deepen your abiding hatred of the plank position, you should check it out. ;)   

Actually, though, it's more plyometrics than plank stuff. Great workout. I was really feeling all the tight, sore muscles from the Jackie workout earlier in the week, so it felt good to get them really warmed up. Good in that breathless way.

I'm so grateful for this blog. It was a killer week, and I don't think I would have done either of my two real workouts if I hadn't been thinking of posting it here.