Update on the 5k Training

I found out today 5k training starts on May 11th. We may do a run sponsored by Panera in Marion sometime in June.

Today was a light day with a 46 minute tae bo workout this evening. I also have drank 1 pop today so far. Will have another this evening while watching tv. So, 2 for the day. My goal was to be at 2 per day by April 1st. I have not been doing too great, but tomorrow is April 1st so at 5 days a week I have to stick to only 2 day. No going back now. My new goal - 1 a day by May 1st. slow baby steps will get me free!


Forgot to add - still doing the vinegar thing. I did some research and taking after eating won't hurt. The whole idea is to just take it a few times a day. Doesn't matter what times. I think i took it twice yesterday and then twice today.

Woo-Hoo

I am mixing up my tae bo boot camp this week. Last week all I did was Amped. this week I have a few other tae bo workouts that I am mixing in . I didn't want to get bored of the amped series. Tonight I did a cardio circuit workout. I really like it because it works arms, legs then abs and then goes through that circuit again and ends with a total body. I know what is coming and how much more is left without watching the clock. LOL

It was fun. I am sweaty. I was breathing heavy. Total was 80 minutes of tae bo today.

Tomorrow will be a light day because I have to go to the laundromat in the morning, so I don't workout. Just a 50 minute evening workout.

I have discovered that my motivation is much stronger to work out in the evening than in the morning. Not sure why. Maybe it is because I hate mornings. However, I figure a short am workout will not kill me, so I do an am workout 4 days a week. Tuesday and Sunday are evening only.

I have finally scheduled 5k training, not sure if I shared. I am going to wait for my workout bud. Once she is up and at it again I will begin 5k training. That will be the morning workout. Evening will still be tae bo until I drop at least 20 pounds.

Oh, and forgot to take the apple cider vinegar pill again with supper. Took it after. Not sure if that will work or if I am missing the boat by not taking it before. I tried to find it out on Google, but alas, Google let me down. I promise tomorrow to try harder to take the pills on time. Cannot access something if I screw up the process.

Crap

As I have said before I suck at taking pills. I was going to start the apple cider thing today and totally forgot to take a pill before eating lunch. I took it now - about 2 hours later - LOL. I will remember later, I promise. Idon't have a lot of these apple cider vinegar pills, so when I go to the store on Thursday I am buying some actual apple cider vinegar. Then I get the joy of drinking it. Anywho, wanted to let you know I started this trial thing, sort of.

I did 30 minutes of tae bo this morning and have 50 minutes scheduled for tonight. I did 50 minutes of tae bo yesterday. So, on track at least for the exercising.

New Home Remedy for Weight Loss Idea

Okay, this is not really a new idea, but it is something new I am going to try. Apple Cider Vinegar. I remember when I was little my mom used to do this and she did lose weight. The whole idea is to drink a glass of water with 1 to 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar in it before each meal. I also happen to have pills, which I am going to start with. Simply, taking a pill seems much more pleasing to me than drinking that crap :)

Anyway, it seems to be something that people swear works, so I figure it will not hurt me to try it. I read that it should be done for 2 weeks on and then 2 weeks off, so I will start it tomorrow and then report in next Sunday and the following Sunday to tell you if it helped. If it did help then I will go off 2 weeks, report in and then start for another 2 weeks. We shall see if this is a big hoax or the real deal.

My Scale is Possessed

I swear my scale has gone crazy. One day I step on and have gained 6 lbs overnight. Then the next time I get on it says I lost 2lbs. Then again I step on and it says I weigh 4lbs more. Now I try it yet another day and it says I am down 4 lbs. What is the deal? I know weight changes throughout the day, so every time I weigh myself it is the same time of day. I think my scale is crap. I guess I will never really know exactly how much I weigh. A ballpark figure is about all I get. Dang stupid scale!

My Podcast is Up and Running

I just put up my first podcast on my other blog. Go check it out. It is less than 8 minutes and I have a soothing voice, some say sexy, so it is good listening. LOL

I added my other blog under my following list so y'all can get to it easy.

Guess How Many Calories I Burned?

Over 5000!!! Hard work and dedication can whittle away at the fat. I am tooting my own horn here. It was hard and it sucked and I am sore, but I did it. I have not burned this many calories since about November. Go me!

PS - I just noticed that I have already reached my Spark America goal for the year and am over by 1 hour. Tee-hee.

I have a dream

I have a dream that by the beginning of May I will be 20 pounds lighter. It is a fight with myself to do it, but I know I can. I am on a strict tae bo schedule, which literally just eats away calories and tones the body. The workouts I am doing are some of the hardest Billy Blanks has created. They get me drenched in sweat about 15 minutes in. They are tough.

I am still battling the pop demons. Yesterday, after four days of screw ups at 4 or 5 a day, I had 1. Then today I have had three. I do not have any pop in the house but Cherry Coke Zero, so three will be it for today. I know I have to get this back under control or I am doomed.

So, it is 20 pounds for my short term goal. That will get me back to a better place where I will feel motivated and ready to take on anything. Then 20 more pounds and goal weight after that to work on over the summer. I make it sound so easy, don't I? LOL

Why?!

Tell me this, please, why in the world is it impossible to make an artificial sweetener that does not taste like crap? Look at all the great things we've accomplished. We managed to create a whole new country and separate ourselves from England. We put a man on the moon. We have our first black president. We have cured polio. We created a network of computers that allows us to talk to people all over the world. We have done so many great things. So, why can't someone create a sweetener that has zero calories and doesn't leave a nasty aftertaste?

Off Track But Getting Back On

Well, my pop has been a crazy battle the past few days. I am back to about 4 a day. Tomorrow I hope to get off that bad road. Additionally, I have decided to not start training for the 5k right now. I can not risk an injury because I have a weight loss goal I am trying to reach. I do not need more roadblocks.

On the good side I have burnt almost 3500 calories in two days - that is 80 minutes of tae bo yesterday and today. AND, 3500 calories is 1 pound. If I can do this for 4 more days that should equal around 3 pounds lost through exercise alone this week. That will keep me right on track. I just have to focus and stick with it so I can keep up the 80 minutes of tae bo per day schedule. Should not be too hard since I love tae bo and love getting my butt kicked :)

I just want to cry

My shins were feeling quite good last night and this morning. I thought it was over. Then I did a 50 minute tae bo session this morning and now my right one hurts again. I am so upset over this. I am too scared to start training tomorrow. I can not get injured because if I can not work out then I will fall apart. I do not want to risk everything just for the 5k. I have to figure out what I am going to do. This is stressful!

New Blog

I created a new blog today - Caffeine Lifestyle. It is going to be my podcast's home. One day soon my podcast will be up and running. When that time comes I hope you all will tune in. They are going to be short and would be something you could enjoy from your IPod or MP3 player. I am hoping to stick to about 30 minutes. Not sure how it will all turn out. I am still in the planning stages.

My weekend has not been the greatest as far as willpower goes, but I am getting back on track. I drank pop like it was going out of style yesterday and I feel it today. Then my shins were a mess last night, but better today. I learned a lesson there.

Training for the 5k starts Tuesday. I am wearing better shoes. Hope it goes well or else my 5k plans may get scrapped.

I also plan on keeping the beefed up workouts. 2 a day, about 60 to 90 minutes total. I am also planning on being a little stricter on myself eating wise. I have a goal to reach and not much time to do it. I have to work harder. I am just all confused about the calculations and such. I have figured the calories they say I need. I am just not sure how exercise fits into it. Is it already figured in or do I have to subtract it? I am confused. No wonder losing weight is so damn hard.

Speaking of things being difficult. I read this article in a magazine talking about portion sizes. What is going on in our society?! A serving size of a muffin is the size of a mini muffin! I do not know about you but when I eat a muffin, a mini muffin just doesn't cut it. The whole serving size thing really blows my mind. Are we really supposed to eat so little? How do we train ourselves to do that after eating the super sized portions we are used to? Like I said, no wonder losing weight is so hard!

I think that is all for today. I think today is another day off just to let the shins rest. Tomorrow it is tae bo in the morning and evening and then 5k training on Tuesday.

UGH

Bad day. To begin with I have horrible shin splints which is scaring me. I can not do much until they are healed and then I wonder how running will go if they keep coming back. It is so bad tonight that I can not stand to take a step. Horrible. It probably didn't help that I was standing for about 2 hours this afternoon with no sit breaks. I am icing them later and taking some pain killers.

Then I fell off the wagon a bit. I have had about 4 pops today. We are eating pizza for supper and I can bet I will have another. Chalk that up to the fact that I've been running all day and pop was really my only option. Of course, I could have just said no. I know this. Back on track tomorrow. I was on a slippery slope all week, but I am not going to just give up. I stumbled, but I didn't fall.

I want to work out tonight, but I am not sure it will happen. My son is throwing a fit because he is bored and I am referring fights between him and his sister. They always fight when they are bored. Life isn't all roses and rainbows, though. He will get over it. Plus, not sure if I should work out or take a day off due to the shin thing. I will have to see how it feels.

All in all, bad day. I feel like a huge loser today. Hope tomorrow is better.

Still having it rough

Man, I hate this time of the month. I am always craving something but I never know what. I think I want something sweet so I eat something sweet and then decide I need something more savory and I eat that and then I want something else. It is a never ending cycle.

I am so sore from tae bo the past few days I had a very light day. We walked this morning - 3 miles in the freezing cold (the temp said 20 degrees when I got home). I didn't do tae bo tonight - my arms are killing me!

Let's see, oh, three pops today. Not bad. I am going to bed hungry and craving Pepsi. It may be a rough night. I hope I get some sleep. I know I will dream of food. I always have crazy food dreams - or crazy Lil Wayne dreams - LOL

Struggling and some news

Today is awful. It is getting to be 'that time of the month' and I am struggling so bad with wanting to eat everything in sight, plus I want to drink pop like it's water. I already screwed up my whole day by having a large pop for breakfast - yes breakfast. I broke a major rule I set for myself - no drinking pop before noon. That has set me up for a bad, bad, bad day. I made a pot of coffee and hope to be able to make it. I already know I will probably hit 4 pops today. However, sometimes being a woman makes you do dumb things. It could be worse.

Now for the news. I think I love being so busy I can't think -lol. School and work have me super busy, but I usually take the weekends off and I wanted to do something productive, so I am going to be putting together a podcast. I am not sure about the details just yet. No name yet and no set topic. I know I want to talk about exercise, nutrition, weight loss, but I also want to be able to bitch when I feel like it and talk about working at home. So, not sure yet. If anyone wants to suggest a name then feel free to do so. The podcast will be linked up with this blog, so watch for it in the coming weeks.

So I struggle

Three pops again today. I really tried. I did. I just can not beat myself up about it, though. I am going to stop stressing and let it happen naturally. I can't push it. I learned that before. So, maybe I will try next week.

I am doing tae bo again and it is GREAT!!! I have some anger issues - obviously if you read my hate post - and tae bo tonight helped me big time. I am doing the Amped series. It is just what I need right now. Core Rhythms was great I will go back to doing it, may add to the morning workout, but for now I am going to bust my butt doing tae bo in the evenings and I am going ot love every minute of it.

A Little Update

Today I missed the 2 pop rule. I drank 3 today. I am not beating myself up, though. Stepped on the scale and I have lost 12 pounds since cutting back on my pop. To be fair, I have doubled the workouts. Today I did 80 minutes. I think it has been between 70 to 80 minutes every day for the past week and so far this week.

Anyway, I am fine with this. I am trying and I am still on track. The old me would have taken this as a chance to drink the rest of the 12 pack I have. I stayed in the 3 a day limit, so it is fine. Tomorrow is a new day.

Rolin', rollin', rollin'

Today was a stepping stone. I got in my 70 minutes of exercise just fine. I have only drank 2 pops. I am feeling rather energized. Ready to amp it up tomorrow with tae bo again. Made my training schedule so I can start running next week. Oh... yeah... only 2 pops today people!!! I am cutting back again. 2 weeks at 3 a day was cool, but my goal was 2 a day by the end of the month, so I have to get crackin'.

Stay with me here there is a related point in this - I have realized that hate is the single most powerful emotion. I know people will say, what about love? Let me just point out that love is all great and crap, but whenever a person thinks they are truly motivated by love, isn't hate always lingering? What about the mother who says her mission to stop drunk drivers because her son was killed by one is a mission of love for his memory? Don't you think somewhere in there it is really hate for the drunk driver that did it? What about parents motivated to find a cure for an illness that is killing their child? They may love their kid, but they hate the disease. I have went over and over this in my head. Hate beats out love every time in my eyes. Anyway, the point here is that I have discovered my motivation and why I am so on track these days. It is hate. I hate how I look. I hate how guys use me because I hate myself so much that I am afraid to stand up for myself and afraid if I don't let them use me that I will be alone forever. I hate pop ruling my life. I hate feeling like I have to always be counting a calorie or a carb or a fat gram. I hate the cycles of losing and gaining. I hate feeling that my body is weak. I hate men, but that is a whole other blog post. You get the point. Hate is my motivation and while it may not be the most healthy motivator it is the only one that has worked.

I am pumped up

Only one more week until I start my training for the 5K. Still don't have a race, but I have a training schedule written out. My training is a 16 week program. I am basically starting from scratch since I do not run and never have. I know I do cardio, but I think running is a whole new ball game.

I am so super excited because I never would have imagined I would be a runner. I am not the typical runner. However, I think I do have the drive and determination that is an important part of being a runner.

I have no doubt that by August I will be very ready to run a 5k - and I mean run the whole thing - no walking or crap like that. By that time I hope my goal is no longer finishing and running the whole thing, but improving my finishing time.

I have set up my schedule to have a little flexibility. I am starting out on the streets. When my workout bud is back from surgery recovery we are heading to the track where she can begin to build up her abilities, we can workout together and I can keep to my schedule. Once she is more up to my speed we will hit the streets again to really work on making a 5k run. I do have a treadmill for rainy days. I have also considered what I will do once my kids are home when school is out. I have plans in place so excuses do not pop up to stop me.

I think having a goal and being able to say I am training for something will keep me going. It makes me feel like I have to push because there is a goal at the end I have to reach. I am a very goal oriented person.

I must add that today I did cheat a bit on the pop. I have had 4 today. I figured being good since the 2nd has earned me this small reward. Don't worry, though, I am not falling off the wagon. Once I finish this 4th one I am done for the day.

2 Weeks Under my Belt

The end of week 2, 12 days gone. I have successfully managed to stick with my new and improved outlook on losing weight. I have recognized and fixed problems as soon as they occur. I have stuck to 3 pops a day. I have bumped up my workouts. I am dedicated and focused. I have put aside stupid things and people in my life so I can focus on making me the best me possible. For 12 days I have managed to stay sane and succeed. This is not the end for I will continue this path and reach my goals.

Exercise today was by myself. I crammed it all in the morning. I did 45 minutes of Core Rhythms and then 25 minutes of the Firm. When it comes down to it I can really only handle around an hour of continuous work or I get bored and want to quit, so that is why today is nowhere near the 85 or more minutes I have been doing this week. Still not shabby. SparkPeople has me at these stats for my fitness this week:

Minutes: 365
Calories Burned: 3453

I think 365 is good. The recommended is 60 to 90 :)

I Must Stay on Track

Tomorrow I have to workout alone. Then it is just a week before I am alone until June. I am nervous that I will let myself stray, but I have a plan and I am hard core about it.

I am still doing well with the pop, thanks for asking :)

Today we did Hard Core Fusion from the The Firm for 35 minutes. I will do Core Rhythms tonight for 45. Tomorrow I am doing Core Rhythms and High Def Sculpt from The Firm in the morning. Probably no evening workout tomorrow, but the morning workout is 90 minutes.

I am going to put together a workout schedule for when I am solo. Schedules keep me on track. I am working on that today.

That's it for now. Toodles people!

Hump Day, Slump Day

Wednesday just seems to be a real downer sort of day. In the am workout we have started to make it our light day. We usually do pilates, which we did a half an hour of today. I did do my 45 minutes Core Rhythms and I am on track with the 3 pops still. I am doing good. Just feeling blah with the hump day blues.

Today was different

I have had one pop as of right now today. ONE - odd. I had a diet Sprite with lunch which I guess is a pop but no calories so doesn't count really. I have had water, coffee and a fiber drink (don't ask), so I have been too busy to worry about pop.

I worked out this am - 40 minutes straight cardio The Firm. I am going to do 45 minutes of Core Rhythms once I get off here tonight. 85 minutes total of exercise today. I just feel like I need to bump things up. Combining major exercise with far less calories a day should get some results, right?

Oh, and I forgot to mention - 3 cups of coffee makes me really amped up. I feel like I am holding my eyes wide open -lol. I also feel as if I have boundless energy. Dang coffee. Tastes so good, but is so very bad.

Go me!

Three a day for 8 days now. I attempted to go down to 2 today, but I think it is too early. I am having one odd side effect from this all. Every day - I can set my clock by this - at about 5 pm I get a migraine. Every day. It sucks. It lasts about 2 hours even with medicine. I am not going to give in because of some little headache, though.

Exercise today - 55 minutes of circuit training with The Firm this am and then 45 minutes of Core Rhythms tonight. I was feeling energetic and fat. With the latter being why I pushed myself today. Burned over 1000 calories, though. Not too shabby.

New bad habit - alternative sugary drinks and sweets. I know it is the sugar craving pushing me here. Today was not bad and I plan to keep it that way. No sweet snacks today and just one (very tall) glass of hot cocoa. Over the weekend we made hot fudge sundaes and I ate until I couldn't eat anymore. Then I was making cocoa at an alarming rate. It was a mess. I sure won't lose weight if I just sub one sugary thing for another. I recognized the issue, though, and am watching now that I am aware. It won't be happening anymore.

Still Rolling

Still on track with the pop. Starting a new week, week 2 of the pop cut down challenge (as I have named it). I am trying 2 per day this week but will not beat up myself if I end up drinking 3.

I also am thinking more about my workouts. This week we already have a plan set up for everyday. I just ordered that new flirty girl fitness dvd you all have probably seen on tv. I just have to remember to cancel the program once I get it because I don't want to be paying out every other month for dvds I do not need or want.

I think I am changing up my plans. I am going to start the Biggest Loser this week. I want to do 2 workouts a day starting this week. I am going to do BL at night. Then when I am working out alone I am going to rotate BL with my dance dvds - I will have the firty girl ones and my core rhythms. So, that is the new plan.

It Was Tough

But I did it! Everyday only 3 pops. Yesterday was a challenge. I had a large pop for dinner so that took up 2 pops and I couldn't have one at night. I struggled with that, but I made it through. Mostly because I stepped on the scale and saw I lost 5 pounds! That was motivation. It was probably mostly water weight since I am more hydrated than I think I have been in years.

Maybe another 5 this week or maybe more -lol. I am not trying to focus only on that because I do not want to see the scale stuck and it send me on a bender. I really can get out of control. One bad day could pack all the weight back on.

The exercise this week was fine. We did the Firm everyday but Wednesday and Friday. Yesterday we did step - holding 1 lb weights. It was killer. Step kills us every time which is odd to us. All the calorie figuring calculators I have seen about calories burned during an exercise say tae bo or kickboxing burns the most. However, step kills us more than tae bo ever does. It gets our heart rates up more and we really feel it. I think those calculators are wrong.

I am gearing up for working out alone for a little while. My workout buddy will be off for surgery in about 2 weeks. Then she will be out of commission for about 6 weeks. I also told her that she won't be able to jump right back in with working out with me. I will be at a much higher level. So I am thinking if she really puts her mind to it that we can workout together again starting in June.

The reason for it taking so long is that she will be completely down for at least 2 weeks if not longer. Then she will only be able to walk slowly at best. Meanwhile I am going to start running in the morning and then doing the Biggest Loser workouts. My workouts are going to be taking it up a level than what we do right now. She will be going back about 9 months to level we started at.

We shall see how this all goes. Right now the focus is on getting her fixed up and then healed. My focus is to pump up my efforts. I may walk with her once she starts, but that will probably be more a leisurely stroll for me than anything else. Support for her, though.

These next few months are when I really need to work because I have a goal to reach by the beginning of summer and I am not going to miss reaching it.

The View is Great on the Wagon

Thursday= 3 Pepsi's

Go me!

Third Times a Charm

Day three, only three Pepsi's. I have to admit tonight is a bit of a struggle but I am doing it. I have found a groove. I have a pop at lunch, one at dinner and one at night. That seems to keep me in check. I am a bit stressed about my calorie intake, but I am not going to even attempt working on it. I need 2 weeks at the three pop limit and then I can try other things. I just feel doing too much right now would break me.

We did a light workout today because we were very sore from our hour of lunges and arm exercises with 10 pound weight we did yesterday.

Patting Myself on the Back

Again, only three pops today! I am so proud of myself. This time around my mind set is totally different than ever before. I do not think about it. I stuff myself with water (a total of about 14 glasses today). I am not obsessing over it. I am just getting by day by day and celebrating each success.

I actually could have gotten by on 2 today. I just had to get that least one in since I allowed myself 3.

I am noticing changes already in how I feel. Since I am not all the way off caffeine and I am breaking it up throughout the day I do not get headaches. However, I do notice I feel different after drinking one and it is not a good thing. I do not like how it makes me feel.

I think I am making progress and may actually stick with it this time. Let's hope. It is only day 2, so I am cautious, but optimistic (which is something new I am trying out).

Fat Loss Seminar Tonight

Our PTO sponsored a fat loss seminar tonight and of course I went. It was given by a local guy who is certified in nutrition and fitness. He has some great credentials (not to mention he was quite easy on the eyes). Anyway, I was ready to eat up all the good information.

Most of the information I get is from the internet and we all know how reliable that can be. I was finally ready to talk to someone and share my struggles and get advice - all of which I did.

I have learned a lot about myself. I have realized, and said here before, that my weight loss hurdle is drinking pop. I have to find a solution. These past few days I have been doing very good with it. 6 yesterday (a little higher than I wanted, but still lower than normal) and 3 today. Yep, 3!

Anywho, I discovered tonight that the reason I have such a huge thirst is because I am constantly dehydrated. I would not drink so much if I were drinking water or something without the sugar. Today, being that I have only drank 3 (three) pepsi's and mostly water, I saw first hand that I drink far less when I am hydrated. I doubt that I am hydrated to the level I should be with just one good day under my belt, but it is a start.

I also took away some other important pointers:

- Eat every 4 hours - eat something at least 200 to 300 calories. This keeps the body burning fat and not muscle and keeps it from going into fat storage instead of fat burning.
- Try to eat protein every time you eat. Protein is essential to keep the body burning fat and not muscle as it helps in the release of fat burning hormones.
- 70% of weight loss success is tied to nutrition. That means only 30% is exercise related.
- All calories are not the same as they cause different hormonal reactions in the body.
- It does not really boil down to "burn more calories than you consume" for the reason above.
- If you start eating every 4 hours you will see a change in your body in 7 to 10 days. That is all you have to do to see the physical change.
- You must eat carbs because your body needs them, but you should never eat more than 130 grams a day. You should try to eat these as early in the day as possible. Try to eat a protein with your carbs too as it helps them break down slower in the body thus less turns to fat.
- The best way to eat right is to get a new mindset. Become outcome focused instead of pleasure focused.

Lots of good info. I am super excited to take all I have learned and put it to use. Right now I am really zoned in on skipping the pop, but I like the eating every 4 hours thing. I will have to work on that, though. I am bad at eating often. I did get some crackers and cheese at the store today which makes an ideal snack choice.

Well, I hope this info will enlighten someone else. A lot of it I had heard before but was not sure if it was true. This guy is very knowledgeable and knows what he is talking about. I am very glad I took the time to go tonight. Valuable info that I think may help me out of my rut. Who knows, this time next week I could be on the right path to skinny-ville.