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I DID IT! I completed the Les Mills Group Exercise Challenge at my club and won a new t-shirt. There were four Les Mills classes (Body Flow, Body Pump, Body Combat, and RPM) launching new tracks. The goal was to take at least three of the classes between 21 January through 24 January. Out of the four classes, I was only familiar with Body Pump (strength training). I figured the t-shirt would give me a little extra incentive to try some of the other classes.

 T-shirt for completing the Les Mills Challenge

T-shirt for completing the Les Mills Challenge

On Monday I took Body Combat with my BFF from 3rd grade, Shelly, and her husband Kerry. It is sort of like a martial arts/self-defense cardio workout. It was FUN! One of the instructors would shout out crazy things for you to do to your imaginary attacker as you were doing the moves. My favorite: “Kick him in the bladder and send him to the hospital.” HA!

On Tuesday, I took two classes: Body Pump at 5:15 in the morning and RPM at 5:30 in the evening. Shelly and I met for the morning class. Body Pump is a strength training class that works all the major muscle groups by using weight-room exercises likes, squats, presses, lifts, and curls. My favorite new track is for the biceps. Cool music! RPM is a spin class (indoor cycling). Shelly and Kerry took this class with me. And, Shelly was my savior. She brought me a pair of biking shorts. THANK GOODNESS! The seat on a spin bike is NOT the most comfortable seat. Even with the padded bike shorts (felt like I had butt implants), I still had a sore hiney. I truly earned the t-shirt from taking this last class. The only class I haven’t taken is Body Flow. Body Flow is a combination of Tai Chi, Yoga, and Pilates and helps strengthen the core, improves posture and overall flexibility. This would be beneficial for me with my running. I want to take it…just a matter of fitting it into my schedule.

Healthier Lifestyle 8-Week Challenge Update

My week #2 total was 150 points. I earned 150 points for making healthy choices and 0 points for weight loss. Our points for exercise were doubled this week. I lost 0 pounds and gained back 1.5 pounds which makes my weight 133 pounds. This is a result of too many activities involving food and desserts. The key for me is planning and preparation. Moonius Maximus earned 114 points. He earned 109 for making healthy choices and 5 for maintaining his weight loss. He lost 0 pounds which makes his weight 184.9 pounds (rounded to 185 pounds). Mon frere’s challenge seems to be exercise. My challenge is not eating enough veggies and poor planning. Hopefully, week #3 totals will be better. Regardless, neither one of us is going to quit. Every day is an opportunity to start fresh and do better. Happiness!

“Success is a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don’t quit when you’re tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.” ~ Robert Strauss

 

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Mon frere, Moonius Maximus, and I entered an agreement to complete an 8-Week Healthier Lifestyle Challenge inspired by Six Sisters Stuff. We have two friendly competitions at work: 1) We both lose at least eight pounds in eight weeks. 2) We want to see who will earn the most points for making healthier choices. We agreed to do this strictly for fun. It gives him some motivation to exercise and eat better. It allows me to drop my holiday weight.

Our challenge includes seven areas where we can earn points each day for making healthy choices. We mutually agreed to eliminate keeping a food journal. We discussed what we consider sweets/sugary treats. And, we changed our weigh-in to Monday mornings instead of Sunday mornings. We also adjusted our point system a little to allow for points to be earned for any effort given in certain categories. The seven categories include: contacting teammate, drinking water, stop eating before 9pm, eating fruit, eating veggies, no sweets/sugary treats, and exercise. For week #1, we had the potential to earn 170 points plus points from weight loss. You receive ten points per pound lost plus five points for maintaining lowest weight.

My starting weight was 133 pounds. Mon frere’s starting weight was 186.6 pounds.

My week #1 total was 140 points. I earned 120 points for making healthy choices and 20 points for weight loss. I lost 1.5 pounds which makes my weight 131.5 pounds. Moonius Maximus earned 122 points. He earned 101 for making healthy choices and 21 for weight loss. He lost 1.7 pounds which makes his weight 184.9 pounds (rounded to 185 pounds). As you can see, we are both off to a very good start.

I’ve signed up for another challenge at my health club. If I attend at least three Les Mills classes (Body Pump, RPM, Body Flow, Body Combat) next week, I can win a free t-shirt. I’ve only taken Body Pump so it will be fun to try out the other Les Mills classes. I will definitely take a Body Pump class, and I’m thinking about trying Body Combat and RPM. I’ll let you know if I get my t-shirt.

“Without ambition one starts nothing. Without work one finishes nothing. The prize will not be sent to you. You have to win it.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

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The day is absolutely gorgeous. The sun is shining brightly. There is a slight breeze. Hummingbirds are right outside my window, darting here and there, chasing each other away from the hummingbird feeder. Grocery shopping, a trip to the bookstore, and laundry are some of the things on today’s agenda. For my household, we are getting back to normal.

I woke up early to go for a run/walk. Afterwards, I stretched my lower body and did a 15-minute upper arm power circuit. Then stretched my upper body. I love starting my day off with a workout. My schedule for this week is to run/walk on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday (bonus day). Walk 10 minutes, run 7 minutes. Walk 3 minutes, run 7 minutes (repeat twice). I’ll walk and strength train on the other days.

I’m trying something new this week with the power circuits/strength training. I’m trying to find the right balance for me, as well as trying to get my exercise in before work. I find it difficult to workout twice in one day, and this is without me working a job outside my home. Too many things come up in the afternoons. Also, if it rains in the morning on one of the days I run/walk, I’ll need to rely on the afternoon/evening to get my workout completed for the day. Therefore, I’m thinking about splitting up the power circuits to maximize my time. This is what my week would look like:

  • Monday:   Run/Walk. 15-minute Upper Body Power Circuit
  • Tuesday:   Walk (about 20 minutes). 15-minute Lower Body Power Circuit & 15-minute Ab Power Circuit
  • Wednesday:   Run/Walk. 15-minute Upper Body Power Circuit    
  • Thursday:   Walk (about 20 minutes). 15-minute Lower Body Power Circuit & 15-minute Ab Power Circuit 
  • Friday:   Run/Walk.
  • Saturday:   Total Body Power Circuit (or another Jackie Warner DVD)
  • Sunday:   Run/Walk. 15-minute Ab Power Circuit.

Just a quick recap of last week: Hurricane Isaac threw a monkey wrench in my week, as well as everybody else who happened to be in its path. However, I did NOT use it as an excuse to eat poorly. I ate clean all week. My hubby, Andrew, and I did venture out to a Mexican restaurant for lunch on Saturday. Yesterday, I wanted dessert. I was dreaming about Baked Apple Dumplin’ from Cracker Barrel. Luckily, the ice cream truck passed through our neighborhood, and I indulged my taste buds with a Big Dipper instead. Baked Apple Dumplin’ will have to wait for another time.  

I did get to run/walk on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday of last week. Of course, I took a rest day on Wednesday when we were being pounded by Isaac. I walked on Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday. I did NO power circuit workouts OR strength training all week. Honestly, my body thanked me because I needed the break. My weight is still 142 pounds. This means I didn’t lose/gain any weight this week.

I have to keep reminding myself that getting fit is a process or journey. Each person has to find what works best for him/her to get fit and healthy. My goal or destination is really to live a healthy lifestyle. The journey to get to that destination is exercising and eating clean. Losing weight, looking great, feeling energized, and gaining more self-confidence is definitely a plus. However, being PRESENT and enjoying the journey is what is important. Enjoy the ride! 

“That’s why it is important to enjoy the journey not just the destination. In this world, we will never arrive at a place where everything is perfect and we have no more challenges. As admirable as setting goals and reaching them may be, you can’t get so focused on accomplishing your goals that you make the mistake of not enjoying where you are right now.” ~ Joel Osteen 

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