~IT'S CARNIVAL TIME!~

HAPPY FAT TUESDAY EVERYONE!

What a great surprise...To wake up and feel <3'd by the scale?...The scale may not always <3 me...But my hunny does!! So Im ok with that. *pic on 2/6 ;)

 Goals were: *Work Hard/Play Hard*
1) Work out everyday!= 6/7 Days...DONE! 
2) Enjoy Mardi Gras!=DOING SO NOW!
3) Keep up "Loose It" app/Water=DONE! 
4) Focus on Upcoming Goals...
 *R-N-R 1/2 Marathon=12 days away!..EEEK! 
*Cruise=61 days away!..YAY!!

How I kicked A$$ this week:
Mon: Gym->Stair Master/30:23mins/122Floors/2.57mi/326.8cals
           +Leg Challenge: 10 lunges/leg 
Tues: Gym->LatX/33mins/83Floors/5.13mi/356cals
           +Run w Chad/1.5miles/11:31mins/191cals         
Wed: Gym->Stair Master/30:04mins/136Floors/2.84mi/355.8cals
Thurs: Gym->1st SPIN CLASS/55:48mins/Cals 850-1517?(New Mio Watch)
Fri: Gym->Leg Day!
Sat: Gym->Body Pump w Stephanie!!
& Sun:Relaxed/Spent day w my family & awesome friends/evening parading!

 

WEEK RE-CAP: 
  Exercised=5 hours Miles=12 Cals Burned=~3,746

1) I rocked the gym this week! I pushed hard each day trying to beat my previous stats on whichever machine I choose to make my "B" for the day. Im happy with how I Got it In! I dominated the Stair Master 2 days this week pushing hard for over 30 mins!!! I hit the Lat X and cranked out over 5 miles! I went balls to the wall and took a SPIN class (my first class in over 5+ years) Friday, I worked the legs & glutes w my hunny on Leg Day and I ended the week Body Pumping w one of my besties. Fun Sweat Fest Week! ;) <3 it!
 
2) I <3 Mardi Gras!! I love parades! I love the excuse to get to hang out with family and friends and enjoy the company while having a great time. The few days off work is a JOY too! Kinda sad Mardi Gras is over it was fun getting together w friends more often than we normally get to.

3) So I ended my last post saying my plan is to change some things up and hopefully I get better results for February. Which brings me to new changes.  
The Diet: Chad & I decided to be more dedicated to our diet. Doing it together makes it easier on both of us. To try to keep less "snack" type food available in the house to just grab when we get urges. We are trying to keep healthier things around for those moments.  This is hard to do with kids...We want them to grow up in a healthy home but they are just kids and I don't want to deprive them of having snacks every now and then..So we will work on finding that balance.  We went shopping together and loaded up on fresh fruits/veggies and lots of protein.

*Fun Fact:~When shopping at the grocery, You should try to shop only the outside circle of the store!~Did you ever notice? The outside circle is where you will find all of your fresh foods; meats, fruits/veggies, breads, milks,eggs, etc. The inside isles of the grocery are where you find all the processed foods! I know, I never realized that but after reading it made me wow'd a little while shopping, pretty cool. 

We are also trying to eat 5-6 small meals/day. So our bodies are always in that "Fat Burning" zone. Im pretty sure part of my "plateau" status has been because I typically starve myself all morning/day eating very little and then at night (dinner is always too late 8pm-till) & That's when I load up all my cals for the day. So my body is rarely in its target zone to burn the most cals it can.

Chk this out..."The Fat Burning Zone"

My goals this week are: 
~Get my workouts in 

~Focus on my diet & water intake
~Have fun w my family & Enjoy my baby girls 3rd Birthday Party!! 

I hope everyone has an awesome week & Kicks butt with their goals!

  LAISSEZ LES BONS TEMPS ROULER!!!

Long Weekend - Long Post =)

Good Monday Morning to ya!  How is everyone doing today?  It's Lundi Gras here in the Big Easy which means I'm off work!!!  Time off from work is always much needed and appreciated!  But don't think that means I'm slacking on my workouts!  I'm in it to win it!

Last Week's Goals

• Gym workout ... everyday  NOT DONE, but I DID exercise every single day, just not at the gym! 
• Stop weighing myself everyday...once a week only (Mondays)  NOT DONE...I am now required to track my weight every day as part of my food/exercise log. 
• Drink lots of water  DONE

Week In Review

Monday - 1 mile on treadmill (fast paced), C25K D1/W2, 1,000 meter row

Tuesday - 2.5 mile walk at work, 500 meter row, 1 mile on treadmill (fast paced), C25K D1/W1 (throwing in a week 1 workout on rest days just to keep me running)

Wednesday - 1 mile on treadmill (fast paced), C25K D2/W2, 1,000 meter row

Thursday - 1 mile on treadmill (fast paced), C25K D2/W1, 500 meter row
 

Friday - 2.5 mile walk at work - Skipping the gym to give my legs time to rest for tomorrow's 10K! Parade in Metairie!

Saturday - The Wall 10K with Courtney!  10K = 6.2 miles!  GPS said 7 miles..whatevs., cut and edged my backyard, and went to a parade!

Sunday - 500 meter row, 30 minutes on elliptical (dripping sweat), 5 minutes on stairclimber, and came home and cleaned house (including mopping)

The 10K was great!  I am so glad I signed up and I'm equally as happy that Courtney joined me!  Unfortunately we don't have any photos to show off...but no doubt we made some memories in those 6 or so miles!  Lots of laughs...I recall Courtney even had to stop because I made her laugh so much.  She kept saying "Stop making me laugh...laughing slows me down!"  I felt great after the race! 

Non-Scale Victories (NSVs)

• Jeans noticeably getting bigger
• Wore a shirt from my closet that I never wore before because it never fit (wore it on Wednesday)
• Got a 2X t-shirt at The Wall 10K race, wore it to the gym on Sunday, it's too big!  Love that!
• Completed my first 10K!  Longest race to date!

WHAT'S NEW??

Last Wednesday was my first checkup appointment at Pennington and things went well.  I lost a total of 10 pounds in the first 14 days!  Seeing those numbers really motivates me to continue!  I am kicking butt in the gym too!   

SO, WHAT'S NEXT??

My next appointment is on February 20th!!  I plan to kick ass and take names with my workouts and inhale water like a water buffalo!  I'll report back next Monday with my official Monday weigh in! 

 

"The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same.  Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination.   - D. Williams, Jr." 

 

 

Get your head out of the sand! It ain't all roses!

I am back.  I don’t have any kick ass explanations as to why I’ve been gone.  The only explanation I can think of at the moment is that I have been EXTREMELY overwhelmed.  I am back in school full time.  I don’t mind going to the classes at all.  What gets me about school is all of the reading, papers, preparations, homework, etc. that I have to do outside of school.  I am always strapped for time.  I think my sanity is long gone as well.  In addition to being overwhelmed by school, I am overwhelmed at home.  I have a TON of things to do.  I have to paint the ENTIRE inside of my home.  The gallons of paint have been sitting in my living room since before Thanksgiving.  Ridiculous.  It’s just so hard for us to get motivated after work.  When the weekend rolls around, I have class and Tony has to tend to the kids.  I know they are older and can be told no or that someone else has to bring them where ever, but that’s not always an option.  They’re teenagers and want to have fun.  They should have fun.  I remember the irritation and frustration when I was told no because my mom didn’t feel like driving.  We don’t want to do that to them.  Especially when they only get a few hours on the weekend to hang with friends or family.

Being overwhelmed has gotten me off my game.  My eating hasn’t reverted back to nasty foods like take out, etc.  I just don’t exercise AT ALL.  Because of my school schedule, I only get to take my 2.5 mile walk at lunch on Monday’s, Wednesday’s, and Friday’s.  I did go on my walk Monday.  It felt great.  I didn’t get to go today.  I had to read for class tonight.  I didn’t get home last night until 6 p.m.  I didn’t finish cooking until 7:30 p.m.  (Dinner for us is usually no later than 6:00 on week nights - needless to say I felt so far behind.)  After that, I had laundry to fold and put away.  My allergies have been acting up and my throat was hurting pretty badly.  It feels like the back of my throat is swollen and it’s sore.  I tried to skim my studies, but it just wasn’t happening.  I showered and went to bed for 9:00.  I have been, however, taking the stairs in the parking garage.  Yay for that at least!

                Another issue I have is that I keep comparing my lack of progress to the amazing successes my friends are experiencing.  Now granted they are all on diets and/or exercise and gym routines and I only diet and maybe sometimes take a walk.  I just feel like I can’t get it together.  I feel defeated before I even begin.  I REALLY do want it; I just don’t know how to push myself to get it.  I know there are simple fixes to my problems.  It just takes determination and will power.  But, how does one get the determination to figure out and start a routine that works for them and then have the will power to push through it?  I feel like I’m in quicksand.  I just keep getting in deeper and deeper.  I need to get pulled out of this shit.  I’m pissing myself off just typing this blog.  I know all of the things I need to do.  I have the ability to do them.  So why is my ass just sitting back and bitching about it instead of getting the f up and moving on it?!  Sometimes, I just look in the mirror and cry.  The person in my head is SCREAMING at the person in the mirror asking what the f-ing problem is!  Why are you looking so defeated and as though you have no way of helping yourself?  ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS GET UP OFF YOUR ASS!

I plan on taking off this Friday.  I was going to take all of Friday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday to do the painting, but I think that I will use Friday to catch up (and maybe get ahead) on school work.  Saturday is JAM PACKED for me.  I am doing a 10K with Shannon in the morning.  After that, I have to go straight to class.  After class, I have to go home, shower (if there’s enough time), and then go to a friend’s kid’s 1^st birthday party (Jenny - Jude’s 1^st birthday was actually yesterday).  Maybe beginning Sunday I’ll hit the ground running with painting.  I have a feeling that Tuesday will be a wash.  I’m not a Mardi Gras kind of person, but it would be nice to spend the day with the family.  I guess we’ll just see what happens.

I am definitely not looking forward to weighing in next week, but I will do it anyway.  I need to get my mojo back.  Where in the f did it go?!  If you find it, can you PLEASE send it back my way?  Thanks!

Painful Lesson to Learn

Let’s get to the easy stuff first.

Weigh-in’s:

10/17/12 – 168.6 lbs – Starting weight
12/19/12 – 172.0 lbs – Highest weight
01/30/13 –169.0 lbs - Last Week’s weight
02/06/13 – 168.4 lbs - Current Weight

Workouts:

(1/30) - C25K – Week 8 Day 1
            2.90 Miles – 12:24/mile       
(1/31) – Cardio Recovery (Insanity)
(2/1) -  Leg Stretches
(2/2) – 10 squats & 45 minutes of skating
(2/3) – Wall Sits
(2/4) – 5 Lunges (Each side) & 1 mile walk/jog
(2/5) – 20 Squats

One thing that I have to mention is the 45 minutes of skating. The family and I went to a birthday party at the local skating rink and OMG I had so much fun! Everyone in my family got skates for Christmas and I had yet to use mine so I took advantage of the private party and brought my skates. I was a little wobbly at the beginning but quickly straightened up. Now, I’m nowhere near where I was when I was 13 years old, but I wasn’t too bad for a 30 year old who hadn’t been on skates in 15 years!!!

This week I most certainly didn’t keep up with anything except for the leg challenge. The lesson that learned this week is to not wait until the end of the week to try and get your workouts in!!! On Monday I was headed to the gym and stepped on my left foot funny and sprang my kankle and therefore only got in a 1 mile jog/walk.

So instead of following my plan (busting ass and taking names Monday and Tuesday) I am now limping around and probably will be for a few days.

48.4 lbs to goal!!!

 

FEBRUARY'S HEYA!!!!!

OFFICIAL WEIGH-IN TIME!!!

So to re-cap...January 7, 2013=182.6 lbs  
   
February 1, 2013=181.6

Weight & Measurements have been updated 
on my "Nicole" page

I'll start w the deets and then get into my thoughts....
Goal Update from Last Week: Let's just say...I ROCKED IT!

*Keep the cals under control!=Check!
* Keep my booty in motion!=Check!
*Official weigh in on 2/1=....& Check!

Workout's This Week:  9 workouts=7 days :)
Mon: Gym->Lateral X: 33min/4.62mi/72floors/325cals *forgot 2 get pic
Tues: AM:Run w Chad: 29:43min/2.76mi/412cals 
         +PM:Family Walk: 37:52min/2.04mi/235cals
Wed: AM:Gym->Lateral X: 33min/5.18mi/84floors/358cals
        +PM:Run w Steph: 38:05min/2.90mi/402cals
Thurs: Gym->Lateral X: 33min/5.10mi/83floors/354cals
Fri: Gym->Leg Day!
Sat: Gym->Body Pump class

& Sun: AM:Fam Day:) BBall, Swang on swings, Fed Ducks, Kids rode bikes.
          +PM:Walk/Jog @ Bent Tree w CJ & Amanda: 1hour/4miles/517cals
               (*not counting fam fun day as wk official out)

Week In Review: 

Exercised= 6 hours+ Miles=26.6=FULL MARATHON Cals Burned=3,253+

Some changes I have made in the last month were...

1) I have consistently stayed active at least 6/7 days a week. For the entire month! Not only going to the gym M-F BUT Ive been adding in Saturday morning workouts and also adding in 2/days going in the afternoons w various family/friends. I love the support I have from my FIT hubs, kids & friends!! :)

2) Thanks to Steph for showing me the Loose It app! Ive been a tracking fool and It really helps keep me in line. Sure, I still have the "cheat" meal/day but its been limited. The weekends are still killer! But every other day of the week I stick to coming in under or right on budget! This week (with lots of cheating in there) I came in 3,185 calories under budget for the week!!

3)& Finally the best part of this months changes has been getting to see my son show an interest in wanting to exercise and be healthier! My 2 yr old Bella has always been full of energy.  She is totally on board when we bust out in exercise of any sort. She eats any fruit/veggie/food you put in front of her. BUT CJ, my 10 yr old, was against anything outdoors that required him to break a sweat. He is your typical "picky" kid and has a problem with any new food he isn't accustomed to eating. Well...He is all into watching The Biggest Loser. He asks every afternoon if we can go to the track and run or do our "Exercise @ Home" routine. (of course hmwk/studying determines if we get to go) But We have gone out to the track, as a family, several times now and he laughs and has fun while sweating his little butt off. We make it into challenges. One of us will set the challenge..for example: Ok, We will run from this tree to the bench, then stop and do 5 jumping jacks. (sub:squats, step ups using bench, etc.) We all have fun working up a sweat!  He also FINALLY mastered riding his bike this weekend!
I can also see him making minor changes to improve his eating habits. He told my mom to that he wanted white milk as opposed to the chocolate milk he usually drinks several glasses of every afternoon. Im teaching him some basics, To eat more protein (grilled chicken) and less carbs (limit noodles to 1 serving), To not eat sweet things like doughnuts at night. That if you do eat it have it in the morning your body has all day to burn it off. Baby Steps but He has made mamma proud! :D

I finally did my measurements. I went in my spreadsheet and logged it all in. Then I compare to my last measurements, both in August & October 2012. The results weren't what I wanted to see. Below is the comparison:

So as you can see...In the last 4 months I have:
GAINED: 7.6#s
GAINED: 1"/each arm
GAINED: a total of 1.5"/upper thighs
GAINED:  a total of 5"/lower thighs (above knee)
Loss: .5''/waist
Loss: 1"/hips
Loss: .5''/bust (great more boob shrinkage)

With all of the above being said...Im glad I lost (even if it was only 1#) bc over the last 4 months Ive been on a GAIN streak, and it needs to be OVER! I know the gain is mostly bc of the fact that in December I joined Premiere and for the last 3 months I started weight lifting 3 days/week. I have noticed alot of muscle gain in my legs/arms/shoulders/back, its tighter/toner just in general less FLAB! Which is awesome!! I could have SWORE that my legs were smaller, but reality hit when I measured and found not only were they NOT smaller, they are BIGGER! :( I<3 the tone but my main goal is still loose weight...NOT to bulk up. Im not sure where the balance is yet with this to achieve tone w/o bulking up... Lighter weight/more reps?...That is what I already thought I was doing.  More Cardio? Shit!! I logged a FULL marathon this week...Not sure how much more cardio I can get in.  So Im a tad frustrated but  Its ok. I will make more changes and see where it takes me...

  My goals for this week are: *Work Hard/Play Hard* 

1) Work out everyday! 

2) Enjoy Mardi Gras Parading w friends & family!

3) Keep up "Loose It" app

4) Stay on top water intake

5) Stay focused on goals right around the corner...

     *Rock-N-Roll 1/2 Marathon=2o days away!

     *Cruise=68 days away!

 HAPPY MARDI GRAS TO EVERYONE!!!

It's Monday Fun Day!

This past week's goal was simple... to work hard and devote every ounce of extra energy into myself.

I think I achieved that goal this week.  I drank lots of water, took my vitamin every day, exercised and kept moving, got sleep, and even vented about some personal frustrations that were bothering me via e-mail with friends.

My week went like this:

Monday - Walked 2.5 miles for work and another 2 at the gym
Tuesday - Walked 2.5 miles for work and did run/walk intervals on the treadmill - 2 miles
Wednesday - run/walk intervals on treadmill - 2 miles.  Stairclimber - 5 minutes
Thursday - 500 meter row, 1 mile on treadmill, then did C25K D1/W1 on the treadmill
Friday - Walked 2.5 miles for work, 500 meter row, 1 mile on treadmill, then did C25K D2/W1 on the treadmill, followed by the stairclimber for 10 minutes
Saturday - 1 mile on treadmill, then did C25K D3/W1 on treadmill, then did another 1/2 mile on treadmill, then Parade
Sunday - 1 mile morning walk with dogs, 1 mile on treadmill, then did C25K D3/W1 on treadmill

This coming week is a big one.  I go to Pennington on Wednesday for my first checkup appointment to see how I'm doing on the protein shake diet.  According to the "what to expect at each visit" chart that I was given, this week they will check my weight, my blood pressure, my waist circumference, my vital signs, go over any new medications that I might be on (none for me), discuss any adverse events that have occurred (none so far, thank you Jesus!), and they'll give me more shakes for the next 2 weeks.  I'm ecstatic because there will be no more strawberry and vanilla shakes!!!!  I absolutely hated those!

I'm excited to see how I've done so far!  I feel a difference in my clothes.  I see a difference when I look in the mirror.  I just hope that the scale reflects that come Wednesday!!  We'll see!!

For this coming week my goals are simple..again:

1. Gym workout ... everyday
2. Stop weighing myself everyday...once a week only (Mondays)
3. Drinks lots of water

A few new things...

• Guess who finally got an iPhone?  It's about dang time huh?  I switched from T-Mobile to Sprint and took advantage of Sprint's free iPhone for new accounts.  I also get unlimited everything for $75/month. 
• My sister joined the gym yesterday!  Her work has a discount program with my gym which means she can join without signing a yearly contract and her cost is discounted.  If she goes to the gym at least 12 times a month, she gets an even better discount!  Sweet.  Now all I have to do is convince her to stop smoking and start eating better!  After banging out 2 miles on the treadmill, she had Rally's for lunch and a ham/cheese sandwich with Fritos and jalapeno cheddar dip for dinner.  WTF?  Get with it!

So, fill me in on any cool apps you use people!  So far I've downloaded C25K, Water Lite, Lose It, and the wwltv news app...

Have a great week!

 

Not Friendless & The Benefits of Getting Healthy

As you may or may not have realized, our buddy Amanda hasn't posted in a few weeks.  She has not fallen off the Five Friends Getting Fit blog, she just has a lot going on in her life that requires her undivided attention.  Her work has been undergoing some major changes, from firing the office manager, to completely remodeling the entire warehouse.  She and her co-workers are currently crammed into a tiny upstairs office for the next 5 weeks or so until the renovations are complete.  The owner and his wife have returned to the company on a full-time basis which makes it very difficult for Amanda to post from work.  Add in the fact that she is a very busy mama with two kiddos and no computer at home, it may be a while before we see another post from her.  BUT, all is not lost!  Amanda will return to the blog when things calm down!

With that being said, I decided to go ahead and post something today...

The Benefits of Getting Healthy!!!

I don't have to sit here and name every single benefit to getting healthy because most are obvious, but for me, here are some things I've noticed in just the past week since starting on the weightloss program I'm on:

1.  All the water I'm drinking has my skin looking awesome.  My face is clearing up!  Love it!  It's not picture perfect yet, but it's getting there!

2.  I don't have to pop TUMS like candy!  I suffered with heartburn and burping A LOT.  I thought maybe I just had a sensitive stomach to spicy foods.  While that may be the case, the amount of food I ate and the types of food I ate played a huge roll in the heartburn/burping.  I haven't had a TUMS since I started the program. 

3.  Headaches are gone.  Minus the bad sinus headache I had the day after starting the program, I haven't had to pop headache medicine yet.  I think it's all the water.  Maybe my headaches were really just dehydration? 

4.  I sleep much better.  I think that's a combo of the exercise, the low calories, which has me whooped by the end of the day, and the lack of heartburn!

5.  Energy levels are up.  I don't yawn all day!  I'm up and awake and good to go...ready to take on the day and ready to hit the gym!

What benefits have you noticed in yourself since getting into a healthy lifestyle, besides the obvious "My pants are loose, I can buy clothes wherever.."?????