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 ;)