Done Slacking!

I have been really bad these past few weeks. I haven't worked out, despite my want to actually do so, my eating habits haven't been horrible, I could eat more fruits and veggies, and I don't remember the last time I weighed myself.

However, today I took more small steps back towards the wagon. I have begun the process of dusting myself off, as my Aunt said.

I have been pinning like crazy in pinterest various workouts that sound easy enough for me to manage, but I haven't taken one step to follow those, no matter how small or simple they look.

I decided my plan of attack. I went through all my pins and wrote down the various exercises and how to do them, making a list of exercises. I added those that I have done in the past at the gym, ones I've seen through videos posted on BodyRockTv (I love their ideas, but I need to really modify their workouts to fit me.) Anyway, I made a long list, of about 70 exercises that affect various areas I want to work out. I threw those in a binder along with a few dividers and blank paper. Under another section in the binder I labeled the top paper as Journal. This is where I will write how I'm feeling before, during, and after the workout. I'm hoping that my words will help motivate me to continue on with my journey.

Every 10 days I will write down my measurements. So I can see the numerical difference of my journey...hopefully there continues to be one.

The third and final section of my binder I labeled Workout Log. This is where I will list what exercises I did, how many reps I managed to squeeze out, and/or how long I did them, along with what my goals for that day were and if I met them.

My goal is to do 3-4 exercises off the long list everyday. If i push myself to do a little bit everyday, hopefully it will become a habit. (I heard it takes 21 straight days of doing something to become a habit.)

SO, what was my workout today? I will tell you. Some of the exercises I renamed to help me remember what the actually are.

August 5th, 2012 Workout: 

1. Spider Planks-In plank position (starting position for a push-up), tuck a knee up to touch the elbow on the same side of the body. (Ex: Right Knee touches Right Elbow). I did 10 reps each side.

2. Plank Tuck Jumps- In plank position, jump your feet toward your elbows, then jump back. I did 10 jumps.

3. Side Plank Sweep Through-Laying on your side with your elbow holding you up (AKA Side Plank) reach your top arm towards the sky and then sweep it underneath your arm holding you up to touch the ground behind you. I did 10 reps per side.

4. Plank with Leg Lifts- In plank position, lift one leg off the ground slightly and then back down. I did 10 reps per leg.

I met my goals of 10 reps per side per exercise, and I even did a little extra:

5. Flutter kicks- Leaning back on your elbows, kick your legs slightly off the ground back and forth without letting them touch the floor. I did 10 reps per leg.

6. Crunches-good old crunches. I squeezed out 20 before I needed to go attend to my crying child. =P

I am proud that I worked out today! And with my binder all put together, I will be able to take it with me when we go down to Sacramento this weekend to visit family. NO EXCUSES!

Hopefully progress will be made!

Finally an update

So it has been forever, or at least feels like it, since I last posted an actual detailed update and whatnot. We went out of town for the holiday and we weren't home for a week. And then this past week I have been trying to get back into a routine, well a slight routine. I still have a class two nights a week so i needed to make sure i'm on track for that.

Anyways, I am here with an update on my stats and if i met my weekly objectives i made nearly 2 weeks ago. I didn't have time to take pictures but I will try to do so next week.

Lets start with my weekly objectives:
1. To workout at least 3 times: I do believe, if i remember correctly, that i did manage to workout 4 times before we left on vacation. And I've worked out once since we've been home, i would've like to exercise more.
2. To eat one healthy meal a day: While I did not manage to eat completely healthy over the holiday, I am proud to say that I did make responsible decisions! I only had a soda a few times while most of the time i drank water or juice.

So overall I believe I did fairly well on my goals. I could have worked a little harder in the exercise department, but I am still happy i did not just sit around and watch tv the whole time. I did also manage to walk around my neighborhood more, especially over to the little plaza just down the road from us.

Now, for my stats:
--I actually looked back and my previous stats post and I realized that I didn't post my starting weight. Oops. So my starting weight was actually 152.

Weight: 143 (I think, those dial scales are really hard to read! I need to invest in a digital one.)
Left Arm: 12in
Right Arm: 12 1/8in
Right Thigh: 20 5/8in
Left Thigh: 20 6/8in
Upper Waist: 31 4/8in
Lower Waist: 35 2/8in
Hips: 38 3/8in

I lost 9 pounds. Which is great. When we first got our gym membership I started at 159. So since started my weight loss journey I have lost 16 pounds.  Only 8 more pounds until my goal weight of 135!! 


 I think the largest change from my other measurements is with my hips where I lost a full inch. 

So, now that I have completed my update, I need to make new weekly objectives to work towards. 


New Weekly Objectives: 


1. Workout at least 3 times: I know I just had this goal, but i think setting it again might get me back on track to working out. 
2. Organize one small area of the house: This works towards getting my house in gear. I'm thinking this one small area might be my side of the bed which happens to be a catch all for things that don't exactly have a place for. 
3. Fill a box to donate to goodwill: This is another goal towards getting my house in order. If I can get rid of some clutter it might be easier to organize what needs to stay. 

Lack of Posts

I'm sorry I haven't been able to post my updates, I went out of town for the holiday and I haven't had any Internet access.

I am going to post an update on Saturday as planned, it will just include two weeks instead of one. I will also post a new objective for the week.

However I haven't been good this weekend. I wasn't in charge of the food so I didn't have healthy food exactly.

So this week I need to work hard to get my exercise and to eat healthy.

Progress Made

Today we actually got some housework done. I am happy that we made our house look decent, minus the dining room whose table is covered in junk papers I need to deal with. But the kitchen, bathroom, and the kitchen are 95% cleaned. The living room isn't fully cleaned now because my lovely baby ladybug decided she wanted to unpack most of her toys, but that is a daily event so i'm not stressed about that one.

I also managed to fold 4 loads of laundry, two of which were washed today. As far as household organization, we made progress. 

As for my workout, it wasn't a big one, but it was something. I found this exercise plan which has 3 levels, each 20 days long with exercises that increase in count each day. Today I did level 1 plan day 1: 20 Jumping Jacks and 10 crunches, it seemed easy, but i'll wait a few days to see if that holds true. 

I haven't had anything uber healthy, but yesterday I did have chicken pizza with spinach and tomatoes. I'd say that its better than a meat lovers. =P 

Weekly Objective Update: 

1. Workout 3 times this week: 2 down 1 to go

2. Eat one healthy meal every day: I'd say i'm eating something healthy each day. So, I'm on target for this one. 

What shall tomorrow hold? 

Speed Bump

Well, I started off on the right foot, but I've hit a small speed bump. Friday and Saturday I excerised, as i previously posted. However, Sunday and today I did not. (Although I still have time to try and squeeze one in tonight.) I'm using the excuse that I have company and I don't want to be rude and ignore him. Well, that excuse isn't a good one. My dear hubby and our friend are busy playing games, like ALL day. =/

So, I am a work in progress. We all have our slip ups time to time. If I manage to get a workout in tonight fabulous. If I don't, then no biggy. Our friend leaves tomorrow morning so I have plenty of time to work up a sweat.

Update on my weekly objectives:
1. Work out at least 3 times this week: I've got one under my belt with plenty of days left to make it 3.
2. Eat at least one healthy meal each day: I'm not perfectly nailing this one, however I did eat half a back of baby carrots as a snack today... And we had subway the other day with a healthy smoothie.

I have sorta worked on my other goals: eating healthy and getting my apartment in shape. And by sorta I mean spending hours scrolling through endless pins on pinterest. (My new facebook). I found many great sites for healthy meal inspiration, I just need to find an assortment of meals that meet our likes and get to the store for the ingredients. (Better said then done.)

As for the getting my house in shape, we have a cleaning plan posted on the fridge. But have we followed it? Not at all. And its a schedule which won't make me feel like I need to clean my entire house every single day. Tomorrow, I will try and clean what needs to be cleaned. I love the cleaning schedule, and I WILL prevail and get my house cleaned!

Since today is pretty much over, I have 5 more days to reach my goals.

"A good idea is about ten percent and implementation and hard work, and luck is 90 percent."

~Guy Kawaski

Have a good night everybody!

The Starting Point

Each Saturday I will post pictures of my progress and my newest numbers, but there will be nothing to compare it to if I don't post my starting stats.  

Week 1, Day 1 Measurements: 

Left Arm: 12 3/4in

Right Arm: 12 3/4 in

Left Thigh: 21 1/2in

Right Thigh: 21 1/4in

Upper Waist: 31 3/4in

Lower Waist: 35 5/8in

Hips: 39 3/8in

My original plan was to start today, but last night the hubby and his friend went to a last minute movie which gave me some peace and quiet so I did my first workout. (Although I'm not really counting that towards my goal, more of a challenge) 

Workout: Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred Level 1

Day 1: 

This was my first day doing this workout. And let met just say ouch. I didn't make it through the entire video, which was 27 minutes long. However I did make it to 21:45. I am proud that I made it over halfway. I struggled most with the jumping jacks, jump ropes, and push-ups. I felt like I was going to die, but I pushed myself  to go as long as possible. But I can only improve from here. 

Day 2: Level 1

Today I only made it to 14:23. I felt really hot and sort of light headed (probably due to lack of water. Shame on me.) One good thing is that I made it to just about 15 minutes, its better than 10 or 5 minutes. 

I just finished taking a Health Psychology class that incorporated a lot of Positive Psychology. After that class, I came away with the  the goal to think more happy thoughts, instead of those thoughts that put myself down which only lead to me feeling bad and depressed. SO, I made to 14:23! Tomorrow I will do better. 

The First Step

My Aunt is writing her own blog (http://project365change.blogspot.com/) about her transformation over the next year. She gave me the inspiration to do the same thing. 

Over the past few months, I have been meaning to "change". To do something different to better myself, my home, or my family. But today I am taking the first step. There are many different areas I would like to change, including eating habits, exercise habits, and organize my home. I'm sure I'll think of new ways to change my life as I go along, but those are the top 3 I want to change at the moment.

I was told that it takes 21 consecutive days of doing something in order to make it a habit. Well, then that is my ultimate goal, to make changes that become habits, that become second nature to me.

Each week I will set an objective or goal. I will work hard to meet those goals each week then I will post my results on the final day of that week.

Weekly Objective: (June 23, 2012-June 30, 2012)

• To work out at least 3 times, for at least 30 minutes each time. 
• To eat at least one healthy meal each day. This mainly means I want to eat more fruits and vegetables and avoid junk food. 

I believe that by setting small goals to start, I will be more likely to accomplish them, versus being overwhelmed by trying to make so many new changes to my lifestyle at once. 

Well, I have my goal, and tomorrow is Day 1 of my new lifestyle.