Mixing It Up

As you may have noticed in the last post, I added my weighted gloves to my cardio in Power 90.  I use them during the kick boxing (kicks and punches) portion of the Sweat 3/4 video and during the entire Power 90 Hawaii Success video.  It has really bumped up the intensity and makes me sweat and work a lot more :) 

I got my 30 lb resistant band a few weeks ago and it makes me feel soooo weak :)  I have a band in between the 20 and 30 (one I got a few years ago but have no idea what it is) and I have been using that for most of the work that requires a lighter weight.  I then try to use the 30 lb for the rest.  I try to do at least 8 reps with the 30 lb band but on some of the exercises it is tough.   It is funny though because if I go back to the 20 lb band, I now feel like superwoman....it is soooo easy now.   I use to struggle with it and I hope that one day the 30 lb band will feel easy as well :)

Power Lifetime

I saw this post on Beach Body's facebook page the other day where one guy renamed P90X, "Power Lifetime X".  A few days later I saw a post about a woman who spent 15 months doing 3-4 different programs and was in awe by her transformation.  These posts both came to me at the right time.


I have been in a bit of a rut lately (as I have said before).  I am getting my workouts in but between pulling my shoulder, dealing with a lot of emotional stuff (I am an emotional eater) and feeling sick....it has been rough.  With only 15 days left until my journey is completed, I am really getting discouraged.  This is not how I wanted to finish out.  The posts have inspired me to change up my journey too. 

This was all suppose to be about life style changes and I am proud to say I have made some big ones.  I work out 5-6 times a week, have reduced my white flour, sugar and potato intake significantly and feel healthier than I have in a long time.  Yes I still am not as toned as I would like, my weight fluctuates 5 pounds each day (does that happen to anyone else??), my stomach is not as flat as I wish it would be but over all I am doing great things.  I need to remember to celebrate the good stuff and not get so wrapped up in the negative.

So today I begin my Power Lifetime.  My new day "90" of Power 90 will be on August 12th (right before I go to the lake).  This gives me a month to get back in the swing of things and some time after my birthday week.  After that I plan to do a combo of running, turbo jam (I miss Chalene) and Power 90.  Come September, I am gearing up for Turbo Fire (SO EXCITED) and will move on to Chalene Extreme next spring to tone up for summer.  On the bucket list is P90X so who knows...maybe next summer :)  I am in this for the long haul, I am going to work out as hard as I can and continue to eat right.  I know I will have off days, off weeks and even off months but this is a Power Lifetime :)

Day 60 Slump

Well I was all psyched to hit Day 60, made my goals and then 4th of July Weekend came and I found myself left in a huge slump.  I had little motivation, was feeling out of shape and needed a serious kick in the pants.  When I first started this journey, I told myself that if I hit my weight loss goals I could go and get some new workout gear.  I went out on Thursday (by myself) to TJ Maxx and was psyched to try on as many things as I could :)  I was super psyched to be a medium in most of the items I tried on (that is a huge accomplishment!!) and spent about $60 on two pairs of shorts, two tight t-shirts, a tight fitted workout top and a sports bra! 

This was the jump start I needed.   These clothes make me look thinner and I can actually see my muscles while working out as well as the fat I have left to burn.  Both of these are huge motivators to keep going.  I also took my 60 day pictures and was really excited about my progress.  I still have a LONG way to go but it is nice to see results.  I now hope I can up the diet the rest of the way!

I am working up the courage to put my before and 60 day pictures up but for now you get me in my new workout gear.   I think most of the weight that I lost was from my chest :(

Summer Fare

I LOVE Summer :)  If you ask me my favorite season, I will usually say Fall but Summer food is hard to beat.  The best part of summer food is that most of it will not attack your waistline :)  Yes there are cookouts, cocktails and ice cream but there are also a TON of fruits and veggies that are super delicious and I am psyched that they are "FREE" on Weight Watchers.

I love Watermelon, organic berries, swiss chard, eating salad every day, fennel.....the list goes on and on!!!  The other day I nearly fell over when my local health food store had organic cherries.  I was like a kid in a candy store, salivating over that very expensive box of cherries.  Z and I devoured them....YUM!   I plan to buy as much of this good stuff as I can and preserve it for the long winter.  I have some serious dehydrating, canning and freezing to do!  Wish me luck fitting that in to my schedule :)

Fourth of July = Diet Disaster :(

I "tried" to be good this weekend but it was TOOOOOOO hard!  Let's see there was the clam cakes and RI chowdah, the dell's lemonade, the ice cream, the homemade cookies, the big pancake breakfast, the yummy homemade chicken salad, the delicious lobster bisque......AHHHHH.  Despite all of that, I did well :)  I even managed to get one of my workouts in over the crazy 3 day weekend.  Now it is back to the diet and exercise routine.....The scale was not too mad at me today so let's hope we can get back to where I was on Saturday real quick :)  Happy July!!!

Life Happens

So here I am in the last 30 days and "life" keeps getting in the way :)  There is gardening to be done, a lawn to be mowed, children to be looked after, house guests.....the list goes on and on as to what gets in the way of working out (or working out well).  Then you add in the food temptations (bbq's, date nights, margaritas, sangria, wine, beer....I am starting to sound like an alcoholic ;)), it is too much!  The good news is that I am still getting in at least 5 workouts and have not gained any weight.  The bad news is that I really want to push myself these last 30 days. 

I guess the moral of the story is that I am a mom, a stay at home mom.  I only have so much time in my day and I am blessed that I have a son who lets me get a workout in at least 5 days of the week.  And you know what, gardening and mowing the lawn are pretty good workouts as well :)  Life does get in the way but you know what, it is a pretty great life and so I am okay with that.  I love being home with my kids, my husband works so much that I want to make time for him when he is home and I am trying to take the rest in stride.  Yes I want to really do well these last 30 days but I have to remember that this is a journey that I want to take much farther than Power 90.  I want this to be a lifestyle change and in order to do that, you have to role with the punches. 

Day 60

I can not believe that it has been 60 days since the beginning of this journey.  It has been a bit of a roller coaster but I am so proud of the progress I have made and the person I have become in the last 2 months. In the last 60 days I have gained more confidence, have more energy,  I have more muscle tone, I am stronger, I have lost 8 lbs, I dropped a size and fit in my clothes better (many are too big) and I have created a much healthier lifestyle for myself.

The greatest accomplishment (one that I never set out to do) is that I have shown my son how important it is to eat healthy food and to exercise regularly.  He loves to "workout" and coach me, he is learning so much about food and we now have a special time to look forward to each day :) 

Exercise and eating healthy is now part of my everyday.  Yes I have bad days, bad weeks but when I say bad it is because I ate too much fruit, or cheated with an extra yogurt.  I have stopped baking (I have no will power), drink way less wine and try to only snack on fruits and vegetables.  I eat salad everyday, have limited my white flour and sugar and feel really, really GREAT!

I look forward to the next 30 days!  My goals are to try to get every workout in, increase my resistant bands to 30 lbs, add my weighted gloves to the cardio pieces and stick to my Weight Watchers plan.  I am not looking to be a super model by the end of this but I am hoping to continue to slim down and look great in my lands end tankini ;)

Goals are Ever Changing

When I started this journey over a month and a half ago, my coach Lauren asked me about my goals. Here is what I said:

What prompted you to decide to make a change?  I miss the good feeling you get when you are healthy and in shape.  I do eat well but need to work on getting more active.  Not only for myself but for my kids as well.  I love that confident feeling you get when you feel your best :)  Right now I am not feeling my best.

What are your goals?  To get back into a regular exercise routine, lose 5 lobs, gain lean muscle, strengthen my weak core, get some more energy and feel good about myself :)

I am so glad that she asked me to set goals and that I have them written down to reflect upon.  I am excited to say that I have accomplished all of them!!!  I now have that good feeling of being healthy and in shape, I am in a regular exercise routine, I have lost more than 5 lbs, I have gained some lean muscle, I have a stronger core, I have way more energy and I do feel good about myself!  This is all great stuff, so now what?  I still have over a month to go and so it is time for some new goals :) 

So here are the goals for the last leg of this 90 day journey:

1.  Try to get in all 6 workouts every week (but not beat myself up if life gets in the way!)

2.  Up my resistant band weight from 20 to 30 lbs

3.  gain more lean muscle mass and try to get rid of more of the back fat

4.  try to continue to build up my core and shrink my mommy belly

5.  keep to my healthy eating plan and lose another 3 lbs

6.  continue to feel good about myself :)

Thanks Lauren for inspiring me each and every day!!

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Some Days are Still Tough

This has not been my best week ;(  It makes me sad because I had such an AWESOME week last week.  I have to weigh in at WW tomorrow and I am not thinking it is going to be good news.  We had a wedding over the weekend, a birthday party this week and I have been really hungry.  I have had very little alcohol and have been eating healthy stuff but I have just been eating too much of it. 

Workouts have also been tough this week.  I have managed to get in all my workouts so far but for whatever reason they are tough.  Perhaps it is because I have not been following my diet, maybe it is because I ran out of my iron supplements...who knows.  Whatever the reason, I have been trying to look past it and give it my all.  I am a week and a half away from day 60 and I hope that I can pump it up next week and go into the last month feeling lean and strong.....we shall see.

Update

Things are going really well :)  I lost 7 lbs my first week on Weight Watchers. 7 lbs!!!! That is like Biggest Loser stuff :)  The lady behind the counter was shocked, it was fun.  I am not thinking I will have another week like that but my body is starting to slim down and take shape.  I am eating soooo healthy right now and was really proud of myself at the wedding I attended this past weekend.  I did drink but I didn't go overboard on the food and made really good choices. 

I still struggle with finding time to get all of the workouts in but I am at a stage in my life where my kids are really young and needy and my husband works ALL OF THE TIME :(  My workout time is MY time and unfortunately there is not always time for ME time.  I definitely get 5 out of 6 in each week but there are times when I just can't get that 6th one in.  I am pretty active running after the kids, mowing the lawn, doing yard work etc. but it still upsets me when I can't get my 6 workouts in.  Regardless, I am healthier, happier and in much better shape than I was 45 days ago.  I am so happy with my progress and proud of my journey so far :)

Updates and WW

Well last week was a big week for me.  I not only bumped up my Power 90 routine to 3/4 but I joined Weight Watchers (I am a former lifetime member) for a month.  Bumping up to 3/4 has been so much fun!  The videos are a bit longer, which is tough to squeeze in during nap, but they are just what I needed.  They are faster, more exercises and I am truly feeling challenged again.  I hope to order some new resistance bands to bump up that part of my workout and I am excited to be seeing results.  I actually went dress shopping the other day and I am now a solid 10 (was a 10/12) and even fit into a few 8's!!  Dress shopping is usually something I dread but I actually enjoyed it this time and love that my body is more curvy now :)

I decided to throw myself back on WW (despite my husband's not wanting me to) to kickstart my better eating.  I need to have someone hold me accountable and knowing that I will have to weigh in with a stranger each week is just what I need to make sure I eat well.  The new program is really great and fruit and most vegetables (including carrots!!!) are now 0 points!  This is perfect for those moments when  I need something to tide me over until my next scheduled meal or snack.  I plan to not use any of my activity points and use my extra weekly points for special occasions or booze on the weekends :)  I totally cheated on my initial weigh in (drank a liter of water, wore heavy shoes and my jacket), so I hope that I lose big this week.  I only have 8 lbs to lose, 6 before I don't have to pay anymore, so it will be tough but I am ready :)

Oops...It's been a LONG TIME!

Hello all (I think I have 2 readers right now ;)).  I have been crazy busy but don't worry I have been working out :)  We had a busy and hectic 5 day weekend at the lake over Memorial Day weekend but I am proud to say that I was able to get my workouts in all but one day.  That day I was gardening and sweating up a storm though (as well as moving heavy boxes and running around getting 4 cottages ready for the rental season), so I know I got some good cardio in :) 

BTW....My son and Coach Z asked me the other day if Tony Horton (from Power 90) was around when the dinosaurs were.  He cracks me up!

My Turn to be Z's Coach :)

So my coach (and best friend) Lauren, knows how much Z LOVES Tony Horton so she let us borrow their Tony and the Kids video.  This made Z's day and we both had so much fun doing this workout together.  We both giggled through the entire thing and it was nice for me to be his coach for a change.  I even had a little sweat going on at the end.  This house is crazy about Tony and it was nice to see him get even sillier and turn the exercises from his other videos into kid friendly moves. Z and I had a blast and we give it 4 thumbs up!!

Back on Track

Well I had my first session after my 3 day "break" with Tony and Z today and it felt great!  It was nice be back in routine and felt good to do the Power Yoga part of the workout.  It is funny though that during the workout and for the rest of the day my body was crying out for Pilates :)  I guess my two workouts over the weekend really got me hooked.  I have a bad back and so a strong core is essential.  I use to do Pilates 2-3 times a week for a few years.  I guess while doing them this past weekend, my body got excited with the familiar moves and is now crying out for more strength building in that area :)  I have decided to work it in 2-3 times a week which will mean double workouts.  The great thing about Pilates is that it is relaxing and I can easily do it before bed and still be able to fall asleep okay.  I hope that it will help to shrink the "pregnant" belly that I have left after Lil' C was born and who knows maybe my sweet husband will also join in when he is home (did I tell you that this weekend when I was dressed in workout clothes, he looked over said I looked good out of the blue?!?!?!)  It will be good for him to strengthen his core too.  Just typing this post is making me want to go and do some Pilates, I think I will :)

A Weekend of Recovery??

Not sure that you can call the workouts or work that I did this weekend recovery but I did take a 3 day vacation from Tony :)  As you know I moved mulch on Friday and then finished up the night with a wonderful pilates workout.  Saturday I moved more mulch (another yard and a half by myself) and did another pilates workout.  Today I volunteered at the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in Boston where I hauled boxes, moved barricades and set up booths.   I am now exhausted and do not feel one stitch of guilt for my 3 days off.  I worked hard, accomplished a great deal and feel really good about myself!

Changing Up the Workout

Today I was all set to start my workout (Z was at a friends and C was sleeping) when I looked out at the 3 yards of mulch that needed to be spread.  I thought about the rainy weekend forecast, looked at the beautiful sunny day and told Tony that I had to get my cardio in moving mulch.  So I spent 60 minutes working hard, lifting, moving, running and sweating.  In the end I moved about a yard of the mulch and felt not only accomplished that I got my heart going but also that I helped to work on a much needed home task.  As a mom we have to do what we have to do and get the workout in anyway we can :)  I think that Tony and Coach Lauren would understand my reasons and like the fact that I do plan to do a pilates workout to stretch out my back from all that shoveling today :) 

Working out on the Go :)

Power 90 is a wonderful workout for people who travel!  All I needed this weekend away was my dvd, my resistance band and my yoga mat (and that was really not needed, a towel would have been fine).  I was so excited to have to bring so little but still get my workout in over the three day weekend.  It really makes sticking with the program that much easier. 

I was working out with my trainer Z on Friday, while my sisters both watched.  My sister Laura was very intrigued with the idea that Z was so into it and is now considering joining Coach Lauren's Team to do P90X.  She is hopeful that her daughter will also get on board and be content while she works out.  I know she has been searching for a way to get in shape for awhile now and watching Z and I might have just been the motivation she needed :)

Working out In Pee Wee's Playhouse

Well today workout time was devoted to the garden and front landscape.  This was okay because today is a sculpting day and that can easily be done at night after the kids are in bed.  After looking at my to-do list though, I started to panic and decided to try the workout with both kids underfoot :)  I gave each a resistant band, brought in a pile of books and prayed for the best.

It went great!  There were a few scary moments where my daughter (18 months) almost got hit by a dumbbell but over all it was fine.  Z came up with 101 things to do with a resistant band and even Lil C was getting into the workout :)  Here are some pictures of the event.  I have to say that Z has been a great motivator.  Every day he asks me when we are working out, what the workout of the day is and then he slaps me 5 when I complete the task.  He is AWESOME and has even gotten me to workout on days when I had no motivation myself.  Workout time might not be the "ME" time that I crave but it has turned out to be a bonding time for Z and I :)

Day 2 :)

Well I just finished day 2 of my 90 day journey and I feel great :)  I am eating better, my coach "Z" is correcting my form (he is my own little Tony) and the workouts are a lot easier than they were when I started them a month ago (I have been working out with Power 90 for the last 30 days about 4 days a week).  Power 90 really is the perfect workout for a SAHM with two little ones.  I am able to workout with my 4 year old while the baby sleeps and then he jumps on the computer for 30 minutes while I shower.  Usually we still have lots of time to play before the baby gets up!  I sometimes do the strength workouts after they are in bed as they are more laid back and don't get me all "wired" before bed.  The strength workout is only 28 minutes and the cardio is 35 with an additional 5 minute ab routine.  It is the perfect, no non-sense workout that builds as you get stronger (you can increase weight, effort etc.)  The workout is also set up in two phases....phase 1/2 is a bit easier and phase 3/4 (I will start this on day 40) is tougher.  It is also a great workout to do on the go because all you need to take with you is the DVD and a resistant band!  I highly recommend this program to any mom who is struggling to get a workout in.  It is also great for men because there are no complicated aerobic moves....it is all straightforward and easy to understand.  I LOVE IT!!!

Power 90 Starts Tomorrow

I have not written on this blog in soooo long!  Since my last post I have run a 1/2 marathon, had another baby (she is now 18 months) and have gotten a little soft :)  Tomorrow begins my Power 90 journey with Tony Horton.  My goal is to lose 8 lbs, a whole lot of inches and fit into my summer clothes once again :)  I also want to feel stronger, more energetic and work on eliminating sugar and white flour from my diet. 

I plan to use this site as a way to hold my self accountable, track my progress and hopefully inspire other BUSY stay at home moms to make time for themselves.  My coach Lauren is a working mom of three and you should see her three month transformation using Beach Body programs.  She is an inspiration and she would love to help and inspire you too (and it doesn't cost a dime and she does it all via email!!!) 

I have chosen Power 90 because the workouts are 35 minutes one day and 28 the next.  This is doable for me with my crazy schedule (my husband works 7 days a week) and I even have recruited my 4 1/2 year old as my "trainer".  I have been using the Power 90 workouts for the last four weeks (a practice if you will to get ready for the big show) and I am so excited for day one tomorrow :)

Are you ready coach Lauren???  Here we go!