Fitness Week 3 - Days 4-7

W3D4 – Wednesday, January 25 – Rest.

I did rest. My hamstrings were tight all day today. Every time I tried to sit down, it felt like I was doing squats and my legs protested loudly. But it felt good to know I was working out correctly.

Then I had a problem. It was a migraine. It must have been pretty bad because when Matt & I sat down to watch a movie, after we watched Take Me Home Tonight (it had Topher Grace & Anna Faris, and was all about what happens after college but set in the 80’s)… what was I talking about? Oh yea, so we watched his pick (which he picked because he thought I would like it – it was okay, nothing spectacular except the music!!) he let me pick… whoops! No it was okay. But I was being a jerk and picked the Justin Beiber movie. He didn’t think I was serious, but then there were all these home movies of Justin as a kid, and it was adorable. Then 5 minutes later, Matt was invested. It was hysterical! And very SWEET! I love my hubs. He is the BESTEST and very tolerant.

Anyway. I went to bed early. Had a migraine. Didn’t reset my alarm clock for Thursday morning. Eeks.

W3D5 – Thursday, January 26 – Rest.

Sleeping in felt so good this morning. Whether or not it was an accident. So I rested today. And it was a good thing. Matt is sick. He has a nasty cough and has not felt that great the last few days. I always get sick. So the extra sleep is a really good thing so I don’t get sick.

Now I have a confession to make. I am not working out again tomorrow because I want to make sure I get enough sleep. Tomorrow afternoon I am taking the bus to NYC to meet up with my family. And sitting on a bus with strangers (who probably have cooties) makes me unhappy. Matt is driving up Saturday afternoon, but then I don’t get to spend any time with Janna (my BFF) and that is important to me (and Matt – it was HIS idea to bus me up so I can spend more time with her – he is a thinker!).

W3D6 – Friday, January 27 – Rest.

Yup. I was bad again. Or taking care of myself. You know, it really could be either. I took the bus from DC to NYC today, and the old guy next (was very nice) (and smelled like an old guy) leaned on me for the second half of the trip. So I was grouchy. But I had a healthy dinner of chicken & hummus instead of fast food. That counts.

W3D7 – Saturday, January 28 – Fitness Test again

So I’m in CT visiting my family. And since I took the bus, I didn’t bring my computer. But Matt brought it today! So I can write this stuff up. I didn’t entirely know where I was in the Body Rock stuff. I could have checked the blog… that would have been really smart. Hmm. Oh well. Hindsight is 20/20. Regular sight, slightly off. So because I didn’t know where I was in the list, and I didn’t have my DVDs, I did the fit test again. I knew it was coming up so I did it.

So here is what I was able to do:

21 (29) Squat Jump

15 (16) Push Ups

11 (10) Burpees (man I hate STILL these)

70 (64) High Knees

20 (25) Switch Lunges

14 (12) Tuck Jumps

14 (15) Straight Abs

My numbers are mostly the same. That’s interesting. Or slightly lower. I wouldn’t have thought that would be the outcome. Not at all. Let’s see here – some of the differences… I was jumping on hardwood floors, and that kinda hurt my knees. But that could also be the shoes I have been having problems with. They hurt the outsides of my feet. I was working out in front of my family? I don’t normally workout with an audience. But if that was a problem, I didn’t think it was at the time.

I am just going to take these numbers and go with them and not be upset.

Fitness Week 3 - Days 1-3

WEEK THREE

W3D1 – Sunday, January 22 – Jillian Michaels Level 2

I made it to week 3!!!! Who thought I was going to quit by now? No lies, I kind of did. But I have really been enjoying this. I thought waking up in the morning was going to kill me. But it hasn’t. And I love working out this consistently. Now all I need to do is go to the gym and cancel my membership. The only thing I can’t do in my house is run. But I have free sidewalks outside for when the weather gets nicer.  And who knows, maybe in the future I will go back to the gym, but for right now, it is spending money that I don’t need to spend. It is on my list this week.

Oh and HUGE news. Matt bought me a birthday present!!!! He bought me 2 medicine balls so I can do Body Rock’s workouts that call for sandbags. He thought it was silly to buy me a sandbag only to fill it with 10 lbs of sand. It would be a huge floppy mistake. So medicine balls it is. He bought me a 6 lb to start with and a 10lb for feeling strong. And there are bigger ones if I need it. And after that I will get a sandbag. But not until then.

According to Body Rock, today is a rest day. But I want to work out. So I am going back to Jillian. 

So here is what I was able to do: #1^st set – exercise – 2^nd set (last time/ time before that)

stretching

1st circuit 

7 (7/7) – walking planks – 6 (6/7)

27/5lbs (27/27/5lbs ) – static squat & dumbbell rows (open) – 12/5lbs (15/15/5lbs )

high knees/mountain climbers

20 each (12/15) – crunch alternating leg lift (I pause the DVD & do 20)

2nd circuit

 29/5lbs (24/22/5lbs ) – static lunge & dumbbell row (closed) – 20/5lbs (24/18/5lbs )

26/5lbs (24/10/5lbs ) – pendulum lunge & hammer curl – 13/5lbs (13/13/5lbs )

oblique twist / skaters

20 (12/14) – leg lifts

12 (16/13) – double crunch

3rd circuit

11/5lbs (12/16/5lbs) – military press & leg extension – 18/5bs (14/3lbs/ 15/3lbs)

20/3lbs (20/3lbs / 20/5lbs) – squat & V raise – 19/3lbs (19/19/3lbs)

plank jacks/ double jump rope

30 (27/10) plank twists

Okay that hurt. I don’t know why it hurt so bad this morning but it did. I made mostly good decisions about food, but we watched football with friends today. So it was only okay. I chewed a lot of gum.

W3D2 – Monday, January 23 – Body Rock Week 2, Day 3

I got to sleep in today!!! But not tomorrow. So I have to get back on my schedule. Otherwise tomorrow will be difficult and I will lose everything I have worked for. No biggie. No pressure. Not until tomorrow morning anyway. So today I am doing two workouts. I got this! & the second one is Sean’s!

So here is what I was able to do:

Lisa Marie’s

16/13 – Clean & Press using the 6lb medicine ball

16/15 – Squat Leaps

15/15 – Wide Tiered Push ups

30/30 – Seated Row

20/18 – Squat & Press using the 6lb medicine ball

20/19 – Switch Lunge’s

Sean’s

3 Rounds of 15 Reps Per Exercise

15/15 – Sand Bag Swing using the 6lb medicine ball

15/ 15– Sand Bag Up Right Row using the 5lb dumbbell

15/9 – Sand Bag Squat Jump Press using the 6lb medicine ball

15/0– Sand Bag Lunge Press Side Turn using the 6lb medicine ball

Total time: 4/5. Total 9 minutes

Nope I lied. I’m done with that. I like Sean’s workout. It is intense. But I might have overdone it today by listening to the amounts instead of working my way up to him. Granted he used a 40lb. sandbag for every round and I am not. But still, that was too much. Even my fingers are moving slow right now. I tired. Ha. I tried. And I will try him again tomorrow. Maybe modifying down to 12 reps instead of 15. Maybe.

So something else I wanted to share with you. My body is physically changing. There is jiggle that is not quite as jiggle-ly anymore. How about that! I was upset last week because I have not lost any weight. But that is because I have gained MUSCLE!!! And every one says that muscle weighs more than fat. So I will take that. I don’t say it enough, but I am actually very proud of myself.

W3D3 – Tuesday, January 24 – Jillian Michaels, + Body Rock Week 2, Day 4

Ahhhh, new semester starts today! I am very excited! New kiddies from the other teachers! So I am not really teaching anything today. Just mock quiz grades! They have to introduce themselves in Spanish and say one thing that is maybe difficult. But only maybe. So I downloaded the schedule of when they post videos (specifically Sean’s) to Body Rock and he only posts twice a week. Which means the other days I will be rotating Jillian & ZUMBA. I haven’t done a Jillian workout in a few days, so I will be taking a beating from here today! HURRAH!

So here is what I was able to do: #1^st set – exercise – 2^nd set (last time)

stretching

1st circuit 

6 (7) – walking pushups – 4 (6) – upgraded from walking PLANKS

25/5lbs (27/5lbs) – static squat & dumbbell rows (open) – 18/5lbs (12/5lbs)

High knees/mountain climbers

20 each (20) – crunch alternating leg lift (I pause the DVD & do 20)

2nd circuit

 ?? lost count/5lbs (29/5lbs ) – static lunge & dumbbell row (closed) – 20/5lbs (20/5lbs )

24/5lbs (26/5lbs ) – pendulum lunge & hammer curl – 19/5lbs (13/5lbs )

Oblique twist / skaters

17 (20) – leg lifts

10 (12) – double crunch

3rd circuit

10/5lbs (11/5lbs) – military press & leg extension – 10/5bs (18/5lbs)

20/3lbs (20/3lbs) – squat & V raise – 19/3lbs (19/3lbs)

plank jacks/ double jump rope

30 (30) plank twists

Lisa Marie’s – 4 exercises, 3 rounds

6/6/ – Press up Burpee + Stair Jump

20/15 – Star Single Toe Touch Abs (on back)

10/13 – Sit Squat & Jump using the medicine ball

3/3 – Mountain Climbers x 10 & Toe Touch’s x 10 (touching stair)

I wasn’t trying anymore. So I punished myself with stopping. It doesn’t sound like a real punishment. But it hurts after yesterday’s triumph. But I don’t think I can work out with Jillian & then Lisa Marie. I am just exhausted (in a good way). Also I need to stretch after workouts. I stretch with Jillian & ZUMBA, but not after Body Rock. It’s not part of their exercises. So I have to remember to add that in. Here’s to a good day!

Today was great. I made very smart food decisions. And I made very good financial decisions. Because of Bodyrock.tv, I am quitting my gym. Even when I was working with a personal trainer I never felt like it made nay difference in my body. I don’t think this is true of Body Rock.  AT ALL. Also. Second big decision. I am quitting Weight Watchers. It is more money that I would rather spend on anything else. I am aware of what I am eating. I think about it constantly. I think it is engrained in my brains. And if this is a bad decision, I can come back. In fact, it might be cheaper to quit and come back because then I would get the new member deal going on right now? Maybe? Probably not. Whatever. I don’t need it. And I can log what I eat in a journal to keep me aware. I can do this.

Also. Tomorrow will be a rest day. My legs are hurting in a way that makes me uncomfortable, so I am going to listen to my body and take Wednesday off. I might get up early just to maintain my schedule. I could get some planning done for school. Hey I mean it! I could! I probably won’t. I will probably sit in front of the computer… It will be okay. I will sleep in! Looking forward to Thursday’s workout already!

Today's post brought to you by the word PROUD

An excerpt from Wednesday's post:

So something else I wanted to share with you. My body is physically changing. There is jiggle that is not quite as jiggle-ly anymore. How about that! I was upset last week because I have not lost any weight. But that is because I have gained MUSCLE!!! And every one says that muscle weighs more than fat. So I will take that. I don’t say it enough, but I am actually very proud of myself. 

I wrote that this morning after working out and I thought it was important to share with you right now today instead of waiting two more days. I am very PROUD of myself. I have been working out CONSISTENTLY for 2 weeks. I have worked out from Sunday to Friday for two weeks and I haven't missed a single day. I am committed to myself. To making myself healthier and happier. 


Dear Follow Through,
It has been so nice working with you these last two weeks. I am glad that we have decided to maintain this relationship. I am glad we have become coworkers on this mission. Thank you for your support.


Love, Deb

Quilting & Football

From About.com

Yes those two things go together for me. Last weekend I started quilting during the second game. So it only makes sense that those two things go together for me.

Today was a big day for me in the Land of Quilting. There was a sale!!! There is a Quilting store near me, Capital Quilts, that was having a sale on Fat Quarters. Fat quarters is a quarter of a yard. Simple as that. So today, there was a FRENZY SALE on Fat Quarters. They were all 50% off. And if you bought more than 50 you could have ONE free pattern in addition. I bought 110. Apparently I had to purchase them separately to get an additional free pattern.  Whatever. It was overwhelming enough.  
So the event started at noon, and there was a line when I showed up. I am curious when the first people arrived... but we all fit inside. I brought Lesley with me. She had just as much fun looking at all the fabrics as I did. We were kids in a candy quilting shop. We were in and out in 30 minutes. And I REFUSE to tell you how much I spent. But I will show you the pictures! Enjoy!!!

Yup. That is 110 fabrics. They are all in there. And that giant box in the middle? Those are the fabrics that have already been assembled into their projects. Lesley & I made 5 quilts this afternoon - we assembled 5 sets of fabric. Don't get ahead of yourself here! And I have a lot of fabrics with big patterns so I can make an I-SPY quilt in the future.

Oh man, I can't wait to dig into this pile of fabrics! YAY!!!

And then there was football. And the Ravens played well. All the way up into the 4th quarter. All the way up to the last 15 seconds. And then it got ugly. He missed the field goal to tie the game. He missed it. And we were out of the running for the Super Bowl. But the TEAM played very well. They could have taken it & won. But this is okay. It means the SB will be less stressful. And we always have next year.

And so I turned to quilting. I took all these photos and wrote this post. Quilting makes me very happy. I have something wonderful to look forward to!