Perserverance

Hey ya'll. Today I didn't feel very good.. so needless to say, I did NOT want to work out. However, my lovely sister and I figured out something that would be fun as well as a workout. We went down to the local tennis courts which were empty [Thank goodness] and played until I could not anymore.. [which was about 20 minutes, but hey better than nothing] It was very hot today and since neither of us is very good at tennis, we did a lot of running around gathering the tennis balls and running after balls which were hit into the other courts.. After I was spent, we walked to my old high school track [ohh the horrible and great memories made there] and my sister ran the bleachers while I timed her.. [maybe some day I'll join her]

Beast Mode. On.

Today was another 99 day, and man was it hard! I wasn't as sore after yesterday's workout as usual which means I AM getting stronger, but I was also getting really exhausted by the end of the 99 still.. I'm not sure why this is.. maybe it's because we are cycling the "easier" workouts with the "harder" ones (describing words in quotes because that's how my sister describes them - not me) I don't know, but whatever it is, I powered through it. Until next time: Keep it classy ;)

I Work[ed] Out

Today (Monday) we did a couple of our usual workouts. I hope not to be as sore tomorrow as the last times we did these.. We'll see... 

Note: We actually held the bridge until the end of a song (Somebody that I Used to Know by Gotye) not sure on the exact time we started it in the song, but just thought I'd clarify.

Note: instead of the side crunches, we did 100 penguins :)

Starting Weight: 237

Current Weight: 234

Goal Weight: 165

Weight to Lose: 69

3 down. 69 to go.

I'VE LOST 3 LBS! And for all ya'll who are like "she's excited about 3 lbs?" Look at this picture below. I've almost lost that left one! So for any of you feeling discouraged when you "only" lose 1 lb. or whatever. Just look at that nasty fat and say buh-bye!

p.s. there may be another post today so look out for it! :D

Starting weight: 237 lbs
Current weight: 234 lbs
Goal weight: 165 lbs
Weight to lose: 69 lbs.
Weight LOST: 3 lbs! SQUEEEEEEE! [sorry not sorry]

Late Night Inspiration

Hey guys. I have to admit that this being healthy stuff.. it's hard for me. I have spent almost my entire life just eating what I want and not really thinking about it. Most of my life I've struggled with self-image issues and self-confidence issues. I can not truly remember a day when I was "skinny." It's taken me a while to realize that I had to do something about it (I realized it when I lost close to 30 lbs in college just from walking to classes), but that is why I am starting this journey to become healthier than I have ever been.

I am up late watching my favorite youtube family: the shaytards. I love watching their videos because they are a great example of a loving, quirky, funny family and I hope to have that someday. Also, Shay has lost 100 lbs! His wife's channel is actually a great help too. She talks about real issues and addresses questions from her followers. I was watching her videos tonight when I stumbled across this video called HEAD, HEART, MIRROR! If you are struggling with your weight loss, please watch it. It has truly re-inspired me.

In other news, today my sister and I played catch in the yard for about a half an hour.. and since we aren't pro softball players, the ball kinda went all over the place which meant a little bit of running to catch it. It was a really fun way to be active. After that, we had to go to the library to return books. We realized that the library is only about a mile away. Thus, we decided to walk there and back. It was a good workout. Plus, it's always nice to walk and talk with my sister about life and random things. :)

What's Life Without a Few Dragons?

My sister and I completed.. A HARRY POTTER WORKOUT!

Now: we did it to the movie Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire which may not have been the best movie to do it to, but still it was a whole lot more fun to do this than the 99. I think this workout would work a lot better with the beginning movies: especially Sorcerer's Stone.

Here's the total numbers for this movie workout:

jumping jacks x 180 [i jogged in place while my sister did jumping jacks]

push ups x 55

crunches x 80

sit-ups x 30

lunges x 50

bicycles x 70

Keep On Keeping On

Ok guys. Sorry for not blogging lately. Here's a quick recap.

Thursday: just did the abs this day while watching wheel of fortune haha!

Friday & Saturday: I ran a BAJILLION errands these two days to get stuff set up for my graduation party!!! WOO I GRADUATED! ok enough of that back to business.. I heard from somewhere that shopping carts weigh about 50 lbs.. so pushing that around for a couple days.. sounds like at least somewhat of a workout to me :) On another note: I used to push carts at my old job.. without the help of the cart pusher sometimes.. Good workout ;)

Sunday: rest day. also went to see Hunger Games for the 2nd time with my mom, younger brother, and sister :D Maybe I should do a HG workout one of these days.. hmm? what do you think?

Monday: I did it. again. the 99 minus the run. only this time I did cardio.. I either jogged in place or did some other form of cardio rather than the jumping jacks, but boy was I a lot more winded and a lot more sweaty this time.. BEAST MODE BABY!

TODAY. TODAY. TODAY. My sister and I have decided to change up our methods. It's kinda boring/easy to give up if you keep everything hum drum the same all the time. Today we walked/power walked on our town's bike/walking path. We live in Colorado so it was a great way to enjoy the scenery of our lovely state and get some exercise in. The path is somewhere between 3 and 4 miles (the portion we walked) so I figure it was good for today.

Etc. My diet hasn't been the best lately.. and as some of you know, a good diet is key to weight loss and later on weight maintenance. However, overall today I think I did better. Even ordered a salad at Wendy's. Craziness. Anybody got some awesome healthy recipes they'd be willing to share that aren't filled with super expensive ingredients? Hit me up. I'd love some feedback from ya'll.

p.s. I've got a surprise for you tomorrow. What's life without a few dragons?

Starting weight: 237 lbs

Current weight: 235 lbs

Goal weight: 165 lbs

Weight to lose: 70 lbs

No Pain. No Gain.

..or so they tell me. Today was overall painful. Every time I got up out of a chair or walked up and down stairs (my house is a split level), there was pain in my legs. That leg/butt workout from yesterday is no joke.

Today I thought about not working out my legs at all, but then I thought why wimp out now? Yes I do understand the concept of resting muscles, but I knew I had to do something today to make those muscles stronger.

Today we did the same two workouts that I posted in yesterday's blog minus the lunges (see I went a little bit easier on my poor leg muscles).

There was also a portion of today's workout where my sister and I just goofed off and did whatever goofy exercise came to mind. Any way that working out can be made fun is a bonus for me. I am going to miss having an exercise partner when she leaves for her internship.

Lastly, I am working on building a great workout playlist. I need upbeat songs that encourage us to move and do work. I'm open to suggestions. Thanks to everyone who is reading this. I sincerely hope that it helps someone besides myself.

Beginning Weight: 237 lbs
Current Weight: 235 lbs
Goal Weight: 165 lbs
Weight to Lose: 70 lbs

Corrections and Continuations

Updates! Updates! Updates!

So I haven't blogged in a couple days. So here's an update:

Sunday:
My sister and I have decided that Sunday is our "rest day." Also, since Sunday was Mother's Day, I splurged a little on my eating. However, we did go for a 2 mile walk which was good. Also, this was the day I realized that I put the wrong weight on my first blog post. I actually weighed at the beginning of this 237 lbs and not 235. Don't worry I'll fix blog post #1 to reflect this.

Monday:
This was another day similar to Saturday where we did the "modified" 99.. although we were quite sore this time. My sister's a little unhappy that she's not as sore as I am, but then again she's smaller than me.

Tuesday (aka today):
Today we decided to do something new. Today we did a mixture of legs, abs, and butt exercises. The first was called Workout challenge which really worked my legs and butt:

 The second was called Bombshell Abs and BOY DID IT BURN! My abs were not used to the kind of workout that this entailed and let's hope it helps them to build up. If it does I will definitely do this again.

Then we decided our arms needed some work too. I did 10 push ups because my arms were so sore from the 99 the other day. Lastly, we did 100 penguins and no it does not mean we waddled for 100 seconds. 

Penguins are side ab workouts that kinda make you look like a penguin sliding down the ice on your back. They work out your abs and actually can be kinda fun if you imagine yourself as a penguin WHEE!!

So to finish off this blog post I'd also like to link you to my sister's tumblr for while we're working on getting healthy together. 

Starting weight: 237 lbs
Current weight: 235 lbs
Goal weight: 165 lbs
Weight to lose: 70 lbs

The Start of Something New

I have a confession to make. I have dieted off and on. I have lost weight and gained weight back. I have exercised some days and some days I have avoided anything remotely close to exercise.

BUT THIS IS WHERE IT ENDS.

Today is the official beginning of a lifetime of healthy choices. Today my sister and I did a modified version (for me at least) of the 99 workout (below)

Now to tell you how I modified it:

• Jumping jacks are my least favorite form of cardio. In fact, I did little cardio in this workout entirely. While my much fitter sister did jumping jacks, I either grooved to our workout music (using a few zumba moves that I remember) or did more crunches or more leg exercises.
• Where the 99 says leg lifts, my sister and I did different leg exercises each time we went down to another number.
• Lastly we did not run 11 minutes at the end, but we did make sure to stretch out after!

Today's dinner was another healthy choice. Tonight we had grilled chicken, garlic asparagus, salad, and chopped vegetables. Then for dessert (because I have quite the sweet tooth), I had a few small pieces of dark chocolate.

Now, I'm hoping this blog is going to keep me accountable and to hopefully help others who may be in my situation. Finally, I am going to leave you with the stats.

Height: 5' 10"

Starting Weight: 237 lbs

Current Weight: 237 lbs

Goal Weight: 165 lbs

Weight to Lose: 72 lbs