Derailed

So, I've been a little derailed from my exercise program. It started with horrific pain in my mouth which led to a root canal a few days later (super fun let me tell you). Then Mr. Tigger brought home a lovely virus from the clinic. He got really sick and got little monkey sick as well. Less than a week later the little Panda and I followed suit. Needless to say Mr. Tigger and I haven't been working out.

Well, the sickness is leaving. I only cough and sneeze every once in a while and I can finally breathe using both nostrils. And I'm feeling well enough to exercise again. So, the question arises of what to do. Do I get discouraged and boot my exercise program to the curb? Do I get upset that I haven't stuck to my program religiously and completely start over? Or do I just pick up where I left off?

I used to get upset over not following a program exactly and always start over. Over the years I've changed my mind in this respect. I've decided that it's best to just forget my mistakes and keep going. You get more done that way. (P.S. This also works well when reading the scriptures. That way you don't have to read 1 Nephi a million times and never get to the rest of the scriptures.)

So, I've made some mistakes and missed some workouts, but I'm just going to forget about it. After all, tomorrow is another day with no mistakes in it.

Happy New Year!

Okay, so I know that it's not New Year's, but I've decided to pretend that it is. After talking to my sisters, my niece, and my mom over the past week I've decided that we need to have a new New Year's. We all said that we haven't been eating healthy food like we should, working out as much as we should, and we all wanted to get back on the wagon. So this morning I grabbed the reigns and started driving this wagon. Feel free to jump on in and ride with me.

This morning I did the P90X Chest & Back weight lifting routine and then the Ab Ripper routine with my husband. It hurt...a lot, but we've decided to keep going. (I'm sure Mr. Tigger will be able to lift up his arms in a few days or so.) For the next 3 months we are going to be treat-less, exercise-crazed, crazy people. I'll post my stats throughout so that everyone can see that I'm not sitting on my tush. I would post pictures, but that would violate my extreme sense of not showing my unclothed body to anyone for any reason whatsoever. I might show some before-and-after pics of my hubby (with his permission) so that you can motivate your hubbies if you so desire.

So if you have gotten into a summertime slump and needed a little nudge to start eating healthier and exercising more, here's your nudge. I'm sending extra nudges to my sisters, my niece, and my mom - start counting your points, go for a run, pick up a weight, and for the love of healthy bodies, put down that chocolate bar!

Fitness Friday

TIP OF THE WEEK: Eat and drink to boost your metabolism and lose weight.

Drink More Water - 
When researchers measured people's metabolic rate before and after drinking 16 ounces of water, they found a rise in calorie-burning capability. The water had a lasting effect as well: Even after 30 minutes, those who drank the water were using 30% more calories than those who didn't drink water.

Eat - 
You must eat to get lean. Digesting food and absorbing and storing nutrients requires energy. Severely restricting calories reduces your metabolic rate. Plus, starving yourself eventually drives your body to break down muscle tissue to satisfy energy needs.

I got a little better this week, but not too much. The intensity of my workouts was greater, there just weren't very many of them. I'd meant to do so much better, but there's always next week. Here's the breakdown.

Monday: Cardio (50 min)

I did the Cardio X DVD from my P90X DVDs which basically consists of a little bit of yoga, a little bit of Kenpo karate, a little bit of core synergistics, and a dash of plyometrics. It's a fun workout because you are changing it up so much. Mr. Tigger and I did this together - it was our bonding time for the day. I had fun doing this workout and felt that I did okay. I did kind of waste away a little at the end.

Wednesday: Chest and Back Resistance Training (50 min)

This workout consisted of a lot of push-ups and plenty of pull-ups for the most part. I was incredibly weak in the push-up area and sadly remembered how I could do 60 push-ups (man-style) during my high school softball days. Let's just say that I was no where in the neighborhood of 60. And, I couldn't manage even 1 unassisted pull-up. I tried to do lots of unassisted pull-ups to make up for it. (P.S. My body is still in a bit of pain from this workout.)

Thursday: Run (1.5 Miles)

Sound the trumpets and call the newspapers! I triumphantly ran 1.5 miles without any breaks or stops. That's right no breaks to catch my gasping breath or stops to rest my aching calves. I'll admit that it was incredibly difficult and that I readily accepted Flash's, my large boxer dog's, assistance. He kept me at a much faster pace than I would have ran by myself.

I was also supposed to play a softball game today, but completely spaced it amongst my mothering duties (i.e., screaming baby daughter who wouldn't stop eating). I hope my teammates will forgive my lack of memory.

I vow to do better this week. More workouts. More intensity. Better diet.

I'm also starting my 6 Week Sugar Fast. I've been too addicted to treats lately and it isn't helping my waist or my mental well-being. So, I'm going to completely eliminate treats for 6 weeks and then after that only have a treat once or twice a month. I used to do this before I got pregnant, but my stupid cravings make it near impossible. But, I'm no longer with child, so I'm going back. Anyone who wants to can do this with me. I promise, after the first 5 weeks, you won't want that chocolate bar anymore.

Fitness Friday

TIP OF THE WEEK: Build muscle to boost your metabolism. 

You can effectively boost your own metabolism by turning more of your fat into muscle. A pound of muscle burns more than three times the amount of calories that a pound of fat does just sitting around. In other words, go pump some iron.

Sorry I didn't post last Friday. Things got a lot crazy that week, plus I unexpectedly got my wisdom tooth out at the beginning of the week and therefore accomplished nothing in the fitness department, unless you count that one-day liquid diet. This week was better. 

Getting back into shape is tough and this week I was paying my dues. Here is how it went.

Monday - Yoga (1 Hour) 

I decided to try and ease back into things with some yoga. Yoga isn't hard right? Wrong! The Yoga DVD from my P90X workout videos happens to include an hour yoga workout that is killer. I couldn't actually hold most of the poses near the end and I learned just how lost my ab muscles are. Ab muscles where are you?

Wednesday - Running (1.2 Miles)

I'd meant to go running on Tuesday, but somehow let the day slip by without actually doing it. So, I went running on Wednesday instead, or at least I tried. I ran barely over a mile and had to stop three times during the run for a breather. Since I am so out of shape my asthma (aerobically-induced) was getting the better of me and in the moments when I could breathe, my legs hurt.

Thursday - Cardio X (45 Minutes)

My P90X DVDs come with one called Cardio X, which is a workout to do when you either can't physically do the other DVDs or want some variety. It is the easiest cardio workout and the shortest, and I barely made it through it - but I made it. 

Friday - Softball Game (Missed on Account of Traffic)

I was supposed to finish up the week with a good co-ed softball game, which although it doesn't provide much of a workout, I consider it part of fitness because there is some sprinting involved. However, there was a huge traffic accident that turned my 15-minute drive into a 50-minute one and there was no way I was going to make the game. I'll have to wait until next week.

Overall, the week was a huge reminder to me of how out of shape I am, but it also just felt great. It feels great to be active again. I'm looking forward to another great week of pushing myself.

P.S. I need to do a little bit better on my  diet. There were way too many treats this week. Thanks for the cookies mom.

Fitness Friday

It's time to get busy. It's been 4 weeks tomorrow since I've had my baby and it's time to stop looking like a marshmallow - at least not as big of a marshmallow. The Self article promises results in 4 weeks, but if you notice, they don't say what kind of results. I doubt that in 4 weeks, my stomach will look like the one to the left. But, hopefully it will look better than it currently does.

So, I've decided to try and post something about fitness every Friday - hence the title of my post. I figure that this will be more beneficial to me than anyone else. First, I think that it will be a nice reminder for me to get my butt in gear. Second, it will be a nice way to hold myself accountable in a very public way. 

To get myself started I got on a scale (ouch) and took my measurements (ouch again) and I've figured that I have 15-20 pounds to lose, but more importantly, I have about 12% of body fat to get rid of. Weight is relative and I hate thinking about how many pounds that I have to lose, because it doesn't necessarily work that way. You get rid of pounds of fat, but you also should be replacing it with pounds of muscle. So I prefer body fat percentage.

So, it's time to get started. Feel free to comment on what you're doing to get into or stay in shape. This week I'm focusing on cardio. I plan to do some yoga and humiliate myself by going running.