Here I am, nearly halfway through level three! I think the closer I get to the end, the more I want to add to my exercise routine. This is definitely the way to go. I know the more I'm able to add in, the faster I'll get my results. And, with all the extra time I have right now, it's a great time to be getting it all in. I know if I can build the habits now, I'll be more likely to keep them going when I've got a lot more work coming in and time isn't as free as it is just now. Honestly though, last time I was at my goal weight and feeling the best, I was actually doing five hours of yoga a day AND I WAS WORKING OVERTIME EVERY DAY TO BOOT! So it's possible. Totally possible. Although, just now I'm doing a lot more high intensity stuff and it probably wouldn't be good to be doing THAT much aerobic-style workouts. Still, it's amazing to look back on. Especially since, at the time, I wasn't even trying to lose weight-I was just trying to be happy. It definitely worked for that as well.
I continue to go back and forth about what program I want to follow when this one is over. Ripped in 30 is still what I keep coming back to. I was thinking of switching over to Bob Harper's Weight Loss Yoga when I switch over to the new program from Yoga Meltdown but I haven't totally decided on that one either. Indecision, indecision.
Today I did an hour on my elliptical AND an hour or sit ups, crunches, and leg lowers on top of the usual! Yep. I was totally motivated today and feel all the better for it.
Showing posts with label weight loss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weight loss. Show all posts
Friday, March 2, 2012
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Day Eleven: No matter what.
Wow. So I guess today just isn't going to be easy.
First up, I weighed in and was really disappointed to see that the number on the scales has gone back up a bit. I had been down to 156 but today saw me back at 160. I started at 162. WTF. I totally wasn't ready for that! You think that when you're working out every day no matter what that the weight will only go down. So I started delivering myself all these little internal justifications. You know: Weight fluctuates a little every day. I'm in the middle of my period so I'm probably retaining extra water. And an oldie but a goody-muscle weighs more than fat. But the truth is, none of that matters. It doesn't matter because the scales are only useful as a motivator. It does me no good if I beat myself up about it. Honestly there's only one thing that I know for sure won't help me get fit and make me happy and that's giving up. Anything else, as long as I'm really working for it, will get me where I'm going. It may get me there quickly and it may get me there slowly, but it will get me there. So fuck the scale. I walked away from it and started level two.
Level two is hard. No kidding. Level two totally kicked my ass. All that strength and grace I'd built up in level one isn't necessarily going to be an automatic carry over. Bummer. My legs were shaking like mad and I started falling over. Oh yeah. Level two is hard. I was reaching for mantras and trying not to watch the clock. I'm telling myself over and over to just get through it. If you can just get through it today, it'll be easier tomorrow. Just get through it. I was trying to remember how some days in level one were huge leaps forward from the day before and some were small steps. So that means you just have to get through the small steps in order to be ready to take the leap, right? And I started thinking about that phenomenon that's always running through my yoga practice. It's almost always the postures that I dread the most that end up being my very favourites. You just have to master it and to master it you just have to keep going. Honestly. This was my internal dialogue the entire time. And eventually I made it through. I was shaking and sweaty, but I did it. Tomorrow will be easier. Tomorrow will be easier. Tomorrow will be easier.
And what did I do when I was done with my first day in level two? I tried to run through the Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown level one! Apparently making it through level two gave me that push to try and get back into yoga. This is where it really kicked me though, because halfway through that routine, I pulled a muscle. D'oh! It's a muscle in my left calf that's been giving me a bit of trouble for a few days now. Not really to the point where I had to stop obviously, but it's been making itself known. Part way through yoga though, it just called it quits. So I've been thinking about it and I realised I have a few options here. I can use it as an excuse. I can take a little breather, soak it in the bath in a bit, and try Yoga Meltdown again. Or I can do a non-aerobic yoga routine after a little break. So what am I going to do? Well, my resolve today can't wrap my brain around using it as an excuse. Excuses got me to where I can't stand seeing a video clip of myself without cringing. Nope. No way. So it's Jillian Michaels yoga or Jason Crandell yoga. I think I'm going to make that call after my break. There are definite merits to both.
First up, I weighed in and was really disappointed to see that the number on the scales has gone back up a bit. I had been down to 156 but today saw me back at 160. I started at 162. WTF. I totally wasn't ready for that! You think that when you're working out every day no matter what that the weight will only go down. So I started delivering myself all these little internal justifications. You know: Weight fluctuates a little every day. I'm in the middle of my period so I'm probably retaining extra water. And an oldie but a goody-muscle weighs more than fat. But the truth is, none of that matters. It doesn't matter because the scales are only useful as a motivator. It does me no good if I beat myself up about it. Honestly there's only one thing that I know for sure won't help me get fit and make me happy and that's giving up. Anything else, as long as I'm really working for it, will get me where I'm going. It may get me there quickly and it may get me there slowly, but it will get me there. So fuck the scale. I walked away from it and started level two.
Level two is hard. No kidding. Level two totally kicked my ass. All that strength and grace I'd built up in level one isn't necessarily going to be an automatic carry over. Bummer. My legs were shaking like mad and I started falling over. Oh yeah. Level two is hard. I was reaching for mantras and trying not to watch the clock. I'm telling myself over and over to just get through it. If you can just get through it today, it'll be easier tomorrow. Just get through it. I was trying to remember how some days in level one were huge leaps forward from the day before and some were small steps. So that means you just have to get through the small steps in order to be ready to take the leap, right? And I started thinking about that phenomenon that's always running through my yoga practice. It's almost always the postures that I dread the most that end up being my very favourites. You just have to master it and to master it you just have to keep going. Honestly. This was my internal dialogue the entire time. And eventually I made it through. I was shaking and sweaty, but I did it. Tomorrow will be easier. Tomorrow will be easier. Tomorrow will be easier.
And what did I do when I was done with my first day in level two? I tried to run through the Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown level one! Apparently making it through level two gave me that push to try and get back into yoga. This is where it really kicked me though, because halfway through that routine, I pulled a muscle. D'oh! It's a muscle in my left calf that's been giving me a bit of trouble for a few days now. Not really to the point where I had to stop obviously, but it's been making itself known. Part way through yoga though, it just called it quits. So I've been thinking about it and I realised I have a few options here. I can use it as an excuse. I can take a little breather, soak it in the bath in a bit, and try Yoga Meltdown again. Or I can do a non-aerobic yoga routine after a little break. So what am I going to do? Well, my resolve today can't wrap my brain around using it as an excuse. Excuses got me to where I can't stand seeing a video clip of myself without cringing. Nope. No way. So it's Jillian Michaels yoga or Jason Crandell yoga. I think I'm going to make that call after my break. There are definite merits to both.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Day Two: Screaming muscles.
I can't say it was easy to wake up this morning. Not only had I gone all out on the 30 day shred, but I also had night work to do. I could feel my muscles getting sore before I even went to sleep last night and that's always a bad sign. I absolutely woke up to heavily complaining muscles but, on the up side, my joints were feeling fine.
Actually, if anything, my knees felt better today than they did yesterday; although I'm really not sure why-maybe it was just the heat of moving yesterday. I definitely have little old lady knees that predict rain (so that's most days here in Scotland). That was the one thing that had given me pause when wading through the reviews for this particular program. I meant to go into that yesterday, but now that I think of it, I don't think I did. Ooops! There were some mentions in a few of the reviews about possible knee problems in this workout and I was kind of wondering if that wouldn't rule me out entirely. When it came right down to it though, I noticed that most of those mentions were coming from people who didn't have knee problems speculating that people that did have them might have issues. Now, I'm not saying that's not true, but luckily it wasn't for me. Again I'm going to guess that my knees feeling better can mostly be attributed to the heat I was generating because the higher the temperature, the better my joints feel. That's always been the case for me. This is also why Arizona was my favorite place that I ever lived. I swear, if I could live on the surface of the sun, I'd probably go for it, but I digress.
So, did I jump out of bed totally pumped for today's workout? No, not really. But I did do it within an hour of waking up and I really would say that this blog went a long way with that. Even though this is the very beginning and I'm still sorta talking to myself here, just knowing that this commitment is here helped me out a ton. What do you guys think? What motivates you to keep pushing through a routine?
Another plus to this particular workout-and one of the reasons I chose it to begin with-is that it goes by so fast! Just about the time you think you're really invested in an exhausting way, it's winding down and over. For me, that's a perfect way to feel accomplished and see goals being met.
Well, that's me for this post. I've got a post in mind all about food, which I will hopefully get a chance to write later on today. For now though, I've got to get to work.
Brooke
Actually, if anything, my knees felt better today than they did yesterday; although I'm really not sure why-maybe it was just the heat of moving yesterday. I definitely have little old lady knees that predict rain (so that's most days here in Scotland). That was the one thing that had given me pause when wading through the reviews for this particular program. I meant to go into that yesterday, but now that I think of it, I don't think I did. Ooops! There were some mentions in a few of the reviews about possible knee problems in this workout and I was kind of wondering if that wouldn't rule me out entirely. When it came right down to it though, I noticed that most of those mentions were coming from people who didn't have knee problems speculating that people that did have them might have issues. Now, I'm not saying that's not true, but luckily it wasn't for me. Again I'm going to guess that my knees feeling better can mostly be attributed to the heat I was generating because the higher the temperature, the better my joints feel. That's always been the case for me. This is also why Arizona was my favorite place that I ever lived. I swear, if I could live on the surface of the sun, I'd probably go for it, but I digress.
So, did I jump out of bed totally pumped for today's workout? No, not really. But I did do it within an hour of waking up and I really would say that this blog went a long way with that. Even though this is the very beginning and I'm still sorta talking to myself here, just knowing that this commitment is here helped me out a ton. What do you guys think? What motivates you to keep pushing through a routine?
Another plus to this particular workout-and one of the reasons I chose it to begin with-is that it goes by so fast! Just about the time you think you're really invested in an exhausting way, it's winding down and over. For me, that's a perfect way to feel accomplished and see goals being met.
Well, that's me for this post. I've got a post in mind all about food, which I will hopefully get a chance to write later on today. For now though, I've got to get to work.
Brooke
Monday, February 6, 2012
Day One: With a little help from Jillian Michaels
Starting weight: 162 lbs - This isn't a pretty number and to me it's a devastating one. At only 5'2" that's a horrendous amount of bulk to carry around on this frame. So here's what I did about it today...
After pouring through countless reviews and blog posts, I decided my first exercise commitment was going to be Jillian Michaels 30 day shred (I'll link it at the bottom for you guys).
Review after review I read up on this came to the same point: Even if the touted weight loss number didn't always hit it's mark, the dress sizes were dramatically dropping. I read up on it and watched a ton of youtube videos on it and, even though there were some bad reviews out there, they were pretty overwhelmingly on the upside and, at 30 days and £5.00 I really don't have much to lose.
The basic idea of this routine is that you're working out for a short time (right around 20 minutes) but during that time there is NO RESTING. It comes with three levels, which you work through 10 days at a time and obviously totalling out at 30 days.
So what did I think after day one?
I actually felt great for my first go! It was totally exhausting after myriad days sitting around doing nothing-but when she says that you can push through and do it without a break, SHE'S RIGHT. If you're going to forgo hours at the gym, then you need to trust her when she says NO BREAKS. Not even for water, so start out hydrated so you're not too thirsty to move halfway through. Once you start, you've got to stay committed. I know my form wasn't the best ever today and that's okay. I just focused on getting it to where it needs to be and kept moving.
I already feel the burn from this workout.
I've promised myself that when I wake up super sore and at a loss for motivation tomorrow, I'm going to do it anyway. Actually, that's where you all come in. I figure if I'm committed to blogging about this EVERY DAY then I have to do the work EVERY DAY, right? That's my promise to me and it's my promise to you.
And here's the stuff I used today (links for UK and US)
After pouring through countless reviews and blog posts, I decided my first exercise commitment was going to be Jillian Michaels 30 day shred (I'll link it at the bottom for you guys).
Review after review I read up on this came to the same point: Even if the touted weight loss number didn't always hit it's mark, the dress sizes were dramatically dropping. I read up on it and watched a ton of youtube videos on it and, even though there were some bad reviews out there, they were pretty overwhelmingly on the upside and, at 30 days and £5.00 I really don't have much to lose.
The basic idea of this routine is that you're working out for a short time (right around 20 minutes) but during that time there is NO RESTING. It comes with three levels, which you work through 10 days at a time and obviously totalling out at 30 days.
So what did I think after day one?
I actually felt great for my first go! It was totally exhausting after myriad days sitting around doing nothing-but when she says that you can push through and do it without a break, SHE'S RIGHT. If you're going to forgo hours at the gym, then you need to trust her when she says NO BREAKS. Not even for water, so start out hydrated so you're not too thirsty to move halfway through. Once you start, you've got to stay committed. I know my form wasn't the best ever today and that's okay. I just focused on getting it to where it needs to be and kept moving.
I already feel the burn from this workout.
I've promised myself that when I wake up super sore and at a loss for motivation tomorrow, I'm going to do it anyway. Actually, that's where you all come in. I figure if I'm committed to blogging about this EVERY DAY then I have to do the work EVERY DAY, right? That's my promise to me and it's my promise to you.
And here's the stuff I used today (links for UK and US)
Who am I and what am I doing here?
About a month ago, I was confronted with the horrible truth of seeing myself on video. I was stunned by my own size. I don't know how it is that weight gain is such a sneaky, sneaky thing but, for me, it really is. And this isn't even the first time. I've been here before-but more on that later.
A little over a year ago, I was at my ideal weight. I was sitting right between 115 and 120 pounds, which makes sense since I'm a shorty at 5'2". That's the weight I'm healthy at, the weight I feel good in, and the weight that gets me into all my cutest dresses. Then, just like it is for so many others, life started happening in a super stressful way. So I started eating. And then all of the sudden none of my pants fit. Most of my major stressors have subsided now and I'm left with this body I gave myself by losing focus. Awesome.
I've also found myself living in a new country (Scotland!) which is both amazing and hard to acclimatise to. Now, I'm not complaining, but I moved here from Arizona and if that isn't a shock to the system, I'm not sure what is. Some days I've totally let myself get a little broken by the cold despite clinging to my mantra of "It's the cold that makes it so pretty. It's the cold that makes it so pretty. It's the cold that makes it so pretty." And that is certainly true. But it's also devastated my fitness routine-it's hard to get out there and jog and walk and discover when it's FREEZING!
But none of these are excuses because excuses won't do anyone any good. I'm done being fat. Now I'm going to shrink into strength.
Now, onto day one.
~Brooke
A little over a year ago, I was at my ideal weight. I was sitting right between 115 and 120 pounds, which makes sense since I'm a shorty at 5'2". That's the weight I'm healthy at, the weight I feel good in, and the weight that gets me into all my cutest dresses. Then, just like it is for so many others, life started happening in a super stressful way. So I started eating. And then all of the sudden none of my pants fit. Most of my major stressors have subsided now and I'm left with this body I gave myself by losing focus. Awesome.
I've also found myself living in a new country (Scotland!) which is both amazing and hard to acclimatise to. Now, I'm not complaining, but I moved here from Arizona and if that isn't a shock to the system, I'm not sure what is. Some days I've totally let myself get a little broken by the cold despite clinging to my mantra of "It's the cold that makes it so pretty. It's the cold that makes it so pretty. It's the cold that makes it so pretty." And that is certainly true. But it's also devastated my fitness routine-it's hard to get out there and jog and walk and discover when it's FREEZING!
But none of these are excuses because excuses won't do anyone any good. I'm done being fat. Now I'm going to shrink into strength.
Now, onto day one.
~Brooke
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