New DVD

Meant to post this yesterday but got sidetracked. . .

Jillian Michael's new DVD came out today, called Yoga Meltdown. From what I have read is that it is set up like Shred but only two different levels, each 25 minutes. I WILL be going to WalMart tomorrow to pick this up. I would have gone today but I had to babysit for a friend. I have been trying to do the Shred every other day or so. I have lost 2 more pounds in February!! Yay! I am trying to figure out how to eat healthy but it is a challenge every meal! I really do not eat alot of convenience foods or packaged foods. My problem is pasta and potatoes. I tried to do a modified South Beach diet but it only lasted one day! ha So, tonight I am grilling cheeseburgers and fried potatoes. Is that healthy? No way but my family will eat it and they will love it and I hate putting very much thought into food! I like cooking new things and finding new recipes but when it comes right down to it, there are a handful of meals that I make over and over and over. Don't worry, I will be swapping the potatoes for a salad.

On another note, I finished the bench I was working on last week. On Sunday, Scott gave me some lessons on how to use the tools. It really helped. The bench is not perfect in any way but the lumber cost less than $20 and I made it all by myself!!
Still have to sand and stain (and start the other bench and table!) If you think you cannot build things like this, you are so wrong! You should have seen me the first day, it was pathetic. I had no clue what I was doing. I kept it up though and finished it!

Let me know if you have tried Yoga Meltdown or your thoughts on the Knock Off Wood blog. I would love to hear what you all are up to!

Obsessed

Well, I have not been working out in the shape of picking up weights and jumping up and down but I have been super busy. A few days ago I found this blog called Knock Off Wood and I can't get enough of it! This lady, Ana, shows you how to make Pottery Barn-lookalike furniture on a budget. So, I have been working on this bench that goes to the West Elm Modern Farmhouse Table and Benches set. It is just awesome and would be perfect in my (newly painted!!) kitchen. My current table only seats 4 and when we have my stepson over, someone has to sit at the bar (usually me!). So I would love to have these bench seats.

Once I found this website, I proudly told my husband I was going to become a carpenter and felt as if I had just found out my life's purpose! Unfortunately, carpentry is alot harder than expected. My drill died on me yesterday and this afternoon I planned on resuming the great build then realized the drill was not even on the charger. And this is the story of my life. . .

Back in the Saddle

Well, I did the 30 Day Shred Level 1 today with 5 pound weights! It was certainly difficult since I have not worked out in almost 2 weeks! I remember how much I love this workout. It is so fast-paced and over so quickly!

Unfortunately, Jillian Michaels is coming under fire lately and is being sued for her diet pills, Jillian Michael Maximum Strength Fat Burner and Calorie Control. She has received three lawsuits in a week now! Poor Jilly (She probably hates that, I just know it)! Two of the lawsuits claim that the pills simply don't work and the other claims that the ingriedients together create a "toxic cocktail". I hope she can pull out of this with a clean slate.

Anyway, my husband is back to working out of town alot. This is good and bad. I get out of cooking real meals and can eat little healthier meals throughout the day. Bad things. . . well, I do miss him. . . sometimes. (JK LOVE YOU BABE!)

Hiatus

I am on an exercise hiatus. Keep checking back because I will soon have my butt back in motion.

Any encouraging comments will be appreciated!

Gave it a go

Well yesterday I came down with a full blown cold. My head feels like it may explode. I feel like I have already undone all my hard work I put in the past 30 days. Yesterday was the 5th day of no exercise. Although, I did get a ton accomplished on my kitchen and it was well worth it. Painting is not an easy job, for sure.
I woke up this morning and decided to give the Chalean Extreme a try. I have to be honest and tell you it is soooo boring. I don't dislike Chalene but it just didn't have me motivated to continue. Therefore I stopped after 20 minutes. I miss Jillian. Hopefully this afternoon I will feel better and can try out Banish Fat Boost Metabolism. I like how Jillian makes you sweat within the first minute.

Here are two things I am considering:
1. Training for a 5K. Red Bud Classic is on April 11. Definitely have enough time to train for this. I have an awesome treadmill in my bedroom so it would be easy to fit it into my schedule.
2. 30 Day Slimdown Plan found on Exercise.tv. This uses 3 of Jillian Michael's DVDs, the 30 Day Shred, No More Trouble Zones and Banish Fat Boost Metabolism. It is basically a calendar showing which videos to do which days for 6 days a week. I really like these videos so I think this would be fun. I have everything I need to do this also.
3. Combine both of the above, striving for 5 hours of exercise a week.

Anyway, hopefully i can get to feeling better. I HATE having a cold.

Lousy Day

Well, I have had another long day of painting and I am still not done. I was so tired when I put the kids down for a nap that I sat on my butt and watched The Young and the Restless. I started painting at 10AM and I will probably still be painting at 10 PM. I got the walls painted Behr's Pale Daffodil (but I would call Screaming Yellow). The cabinets are Behr's Still Sand. I finished and hung the lower cabinets. Tomorrow I will be doing the drawers. I have to play with my kids tomorrow or they may take over the house! Poor David asked me today, "Mommy, don't you want to play with me?" It broke my heart.

Workout routine: painting. . . ugh, I so wanted to do SOMETHING today but I have so much painting to do and my house is such a pit that I need to finish!

Anyway, let me know what you did today for your workout! I would love to know!

BTW I got Jillian Michaels No More Trouble Zones DVD and also Banish Fat Boost Metabolism DVD!!! I can't wait to try them.

Wrist workout

I have been getting an awesome forearm and wrist workout the past few days! I have been painting my kitchen cabinets and walls. We still have alot do do and this is the 4th full day! I WANT MY KITCHEN BACK! Why couldn't I have been satisfied with dirty, 30 year old brown?

I am planning on starting the Chalean Extreme workout series tomorrow. I haven't decided if I want to commit myself to doing it for the full 90 days. . . that sure is a looong time. I really have become a Jillian addict and I am missing her already. I finished my Shred on Thursday and I feel like she is getting pretty pissed that I have taken the past 3 days off!

Apparently Jillian has a new DVD coming out!! Yoga Meltdown! It doesn't come out until end of Feb/early March though. I will be getting it the day it comes out! Like I said, I am not a fan of yoga because I have never tried it but the word meltdown has me sold. Maybe I will change the name of my blog to Meltdown Mama Meltdown. That sounds more like my life anyway!

Anyway, I want to thank all of my (5?) readers for your support! I love reading your comments and they keep me inspired to be inspiring! Love yall! (If you are wondering if I say yall alot in real life, yes, I am a Okie by marriage! I have lived in Oklahoma for 8 years now so actually I say yall quite frequently!) Yall come back now, ya hear! (K I don't say that, I'm not a weirdo!)

Finished!!!!

I finished my 30 day Shred yesterday and I am so excited to share my results. Yesterday I started painting my kichen cabinets and walls and did not want to Shred when I finished at 630PM! But I couldn't let myself down like that so I did it! I completed the 30 Day Shred in 30 days! I did not miss or skip a single day! I am so proud of myself. I lost 8 pounds and 9 inches! I lost 7 pounds the first week, another the second and none the final two weeks. I lost 5 inches the first two weeks and another 4 over the final two weeks. I don't even want to stop now! If I could lose another 8 pounds next month. . . well, I am not crazy. I am taking a few days off from working out because my knees need the rest. They hurt pretty bad still.
What I learned from this past 30 days is that in order to reach my goals, I need to really watch what I eat. I did not in any way modify my diet. In fact I think I ate more pizza in January than all of the past year! Ugh. It is definitely my favorite food.

Now to check back to see if I met my goals:
Here is from my post on Day 2

My mini goals are:
Drink water, water, water (I've been making Iced Green Tea by the pitcher and drinking it constantly) I definitely did this, the green tea really helps me get enough water in.
No seconds at meals I never had seconds although I may have put more food on my plate at first because I knew I could not get any more. I also would eat off my kids plates when they were finished. Why do I do this?
Two glasses of wine a week (yes, i've already upped my alcohol allowance but trust me it's needed at the end of the week!) Well, I definitely failed this one big time. I started strong but as the time went on, I actually thought it was two glasses a night, oops!
30 Day Shred EVERYDAY for 30 days Heck yes, I definitely did this part right!

My BIG goals
Lose 18 pounds I lost 8 pounds so I am not too far off!

I will definitely be incorporating this DVD into my workout routine often. I loved it most days. It is hard on your knees but I don't think it would if I didn't do it for 30 days straight. They didn't start hurting until around day 20 or so. I am still a huge Jillian fan. She really knows how to kick your butt!

Day 29: ONE DAY LEFT!

Why did I commit myself to this? Well, I feel great and look even better! I have more energy then I ever thought was possible. I can't believe how easy it is to squeeze in 20 minutes to workout every day. I have spent too much energy coming up with excuses and making myself feel guilty instead of just doing it for years now. No more!

Today, I went with my mommy pals to Chickfila for lunch after running some errands. I picked up some 5 lb weights (yes, ive only used 3 pounders through the whole Shred). I also couldn't resist the Biggest Loser Last Chance Workout DVD that was advertised on the show last night, $10 at Target. It boasts you can lose up to 30 lbs in 6 weeks! Wouldn't that be great? Oh yes! Here is a breakdown of the video:
Warm Up 5 min
Last Chance Workout 25 minutes
Upper Body Sculpt 10 minutes
Lower Body Tone 10 minutes
Cooldown 5 minutes
It breaks it down for you though and mixes them up so you do it 6 days a week, different combinations.

Pros: Love Jillians quick strength and cardio combo circuits
Cons: The contestants are there doing the workout and all at different times and it can be pretty distracting. I miss Natalie and Anita!

I was going to skip my Shred and just do the Last Chance workout but luckily my husband was home early from work sitting on the couch making me feel guilty so I not only did it but I also did my Shred! So a total of 45 minutes of hard-ass, kick- butt, fat blasting fun!

Needless to say, I need to go shower. We are going out to eat tonight! WooHoo!!

Day 27: Almost there!

I got a yoga mat on Sunday from Target and it is so wonderful. You may be thinking, how do you not have a yoga mat? Yes, I have bought a ton of exercise equipment in my lifetime but never a yoga mat. I am not a patient or relaxed person (probably a good reason why I should be doing yoga) and cannot stand the thought of smooth, slow movements. I like to do things fast and furious. So, I never saw a need to try yoga. Anyway, Level 3 of the 30 Day Shred has alot of exercises from your forearms and hands on the carpet. I actually had rug burn all over my hands, forearms and elbows! My husband was like, are you crazy? Just go get a mat! So I did! Problem solved.