Injury Report?

 I don't think I have the mileage on me to really complain of any injuries yet.- Shannon Miller

So, that might not be the case for me... As many of you know, I did not go to basic training last summer because of a foot injury. Surprise!! Guess who came back to visit?! That's right- that little piece of bone floating around in the tissue in my foot. Due to this new development, working out has become pretty close to impossible. I'm still trying to truck through Insanity- and I made it about a quarter of the way through the workout today. I spent majority of it crying.

However, I don't want to let this discourage myself or others from continuing the Battle of the Bulge. While I'll be refraining from the activities that will provoke my injury further, I still plan on sticking with my workout as much as possible. I encourage all of you to do the same- working out but staying safe!!

For now, I get to suck it up, put on the comfiest pair of dress shoes I own (I think they call that an oxymoron...) and go to hell for the next 6 hours! (AKA JC Penney)

Until next time- Keep it up ladies!

Spring Break Blues

A lot of people are afraid of heights. Not me, I'm afraid of widths. -Steven Wright

So, it's official. Spring Break is over. This means no more warm weather, no pool time fun, no random poolside margaritas, and no more slacking off on my workouts.
Today, I went back to my Insanity videos. OUCH. (well, really yesterday.. but that was a disaster. So moving forward :)) My shins felt like they were cracking apart. My ankles felt like they couldn't bear weight- especially on stairs. 21 years old and my body's already starting to fail me. But, as Steven Wright said, I'm not afraid of heights- I'm afraid of widths. A.K.A. packing on those pounds again.

I may have reached my goal and been somewhat swim suit ready, but now there's a new goal- pack on the muscle. While I am content where I'm at right now, I refuse to sit idly by and let my body go back to waste. Its time to firm up my abs, arms, and thighs.... and I guess my big ol' booty wouldn't hurt, either. I hope all of you are keeping up on all of your fitness habits as well.

Remember ladies- no pain, no gain!!!

Week 3 Insanity Fit Test- This is a short one.

Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will. -Mahatma Gandhi

Two weeks ago, I began Insanity. I did a fit test, the results of which I will post shortly. Today, I repeated the fit test to see the results of my 2 weeks of workouts.

                               Week 1               Week 2
Switch Kicks               60                         90
Power Jacks                47                         56
Power Knees               98                        113
Power Jumps               19                         40
Globe Jumps                6                           10
Suicide Jumps              15                         16
Push Up Jacks             20                         27
Low Plank Obliques     25                         29

Success!! I'm making progress! I'll admit- I could be doing better on the Suicide Jumps, but if you were doing this too you'd understand just how hard all of this junk is- especially when you're racing against Will.

I hope all of you are getting the results you want, too! Sorry about the short post :) I'm all about my free time on Spring Break right now!!

Happy sweating!

Cookies are the devil.

Spring Break has officially begun... and how am I spending it so far? Well, Will and I have ventured to Sioux City to spend some time with my mom on her birthday. Tomorrow, we're heading for Earlham to visit HIS mom for HER birthday..... Good thing I get great gas mileage, right?? (Yeah, right- with my gas guzzling midget truck.)

So, here I sit, feeling like a bum for not working out today after having Chinese on Saturday, followed by mashed potatoes and pork chops for dinner, followed by a hot dog- and having Minerva's for Brunch this morning, and spaghetti for dinner tonight... and now I'm making cookies for spring break. I'll tell you what- changing venues of your workout is hard work. Not to mention that going to visit family is like inviting the fat to just settle in on your tummy again. "Cookies? Sure, why not...... Donuts? Mmmmmm. Sounds yummy!...... MORE Chinese food? How could I pass up that face!?" And now I have these endless rows of cookies just staring me down.

I see you, you dirty little buttery, sugary little cavity creeps. (80's reference anyone??)

HELP. I'm stuck in a downward spiral calorie wise and I need a hand!!

Can your muscles vomit?.....

“Motivation is what gets you started, habit is what keeps you going” – Jim Ryun

Megan would like me to also point out the quote "My muscles are having a seizure." :)

Last week, if you had told me that my face would be slimmer, my pouch on my belly would be smaller, and I would be a ball of energy all the time, I would call you a lying whore and probably sock you in the nose.

Thankfully, none of you said that to me, so I didn't have to go through the awkwardness of punching one of my dear friends in the face!!

Today, I had Will's sister, Megan, working out with me! We both feel like death. Our Cardio Circuit segment was anything but candy apples and fudge. In fact, it was more like getting punched in the gut and kicked in the ear while face planting it on concrete. (Don't ask how I know what that feels like.)

On the plus side, I worked way harder today than I did yesterday. I had a long chat with Will about how I was disappointed in myself for not being Bikini Body ready for spring break yet, and decided that I'd just have to step it up a couple notches. To make a long story short- I'm tired, but I feel AMAZING after that workout- and I kind of can't wait for Ash Wednesday mass tonight!

Until Tomorrow-

Bob Barker reminding you: help control the pet population. Have your pet spayed or neutered.

Well this is new...

“Leave all the afternoon for exercise and recreation, which are as necessary as reading. I will rather say more necessary because health is worth more than learning.” ~ Thomas Jefferson

Well said, Tom. Now if only my teachers felt the same way...

Today, while doing "Pure Cardio," something new happened- I coughed up blood. Something tells me this is not what I'm supposed to be doing. I'm hoping it was just my insane amount of coughing and not the fact that my workout today was brutal.

I've also noticed that I'm eating fewer and fewer calories each day. My amount to lose weight at a steady, healthy rate is 1440 calories per day. To lose weight at an extreme rate, I'm supposed to eat just barely 1100. Last night, upon tallying up my calories for the day, I realized that by the time I had eaten dinner, I had only eaten about 800. Needless to say, I found it completely within reason to eat half a candy bar. (It was only 100 calories, so why not?) But I was still under my daily amount of calories- even for losing weight FAST. THIS WAS NOT A HEALTHY CHOICE. I don't think that anyone should be doing that. Today, I fully intend on eating the required amount of calories. So, at least 1100, at most 1440. That's a small window- but I think I'll make it.

As for the rest of you, I hope your dieting and your exercise is treating you well- and a little tip: don't tell yourself that you can't have chocolate or little sweets. We all need one thing that we can have just a little piece of, within healthy means. So go ahead and eat that Reese's- just only have one and make sure you're not going past your daily allotment of calories. (You know who you are) ;)

Until next time....
Stay classy!

No one said it'd be easy...

"To lengthen thy life, lessen thy meals." ~ Benjamin Franklin

Easier said than done, Benny boy. I regret to say that I have taken a tumble off of the dieting wagon, but I'd say I'm recovering quite well. Last night, the family that I occasionally babysit for needed an extra pair of hands. Since I was going to be getting paid, I jumped at the chance to help out. (That and these girls are adorable and I've missed them!) However, this family has LOTS of junk food around. Namely Girl Scout cookies.
Oh, Girl Scouts. How I hate those little bitches. All they do is make me fat.
Needless to say, I caved at the sight of those delicious little Thin Mints, only to feel guilty about 5 seconds after it entered my mouth. Then, much to my surprise (and agony), I was given not only $40 for watching the girls, but also a box of the Lemon cookies- my personal favorite. (For those of you joining me on Spring Break, congrats. We're going to be enjoying some Girl Scout Cookies!!)

So today, I have been thoroughly punished by Sean T with yet another brutal work out. I didn't cry, which makes me sort of mad at myself. I feel like I could have pushed myself a little harder but I whimped out and became a slacker. I cannot even convey how pissed at myself I am right now. But, life will go on and Sean T will be even harder on me tomorrow. Hey- its all for the bikini, right? And I'll be damned if I'm wearing a one piece on Spring Break.

Happy dieting, everyone! Keep up the good work! And please feel free to share your progress as well!!

 Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness.  ~Edward Stanley

I'm feeling a little more philosophical today. I just finished the "Plyometrics Cardio Circuit" disc- I'm still shaking, and I cried for, oh, about 10 minutes of it. The only thoughts that were creeping into my mind were: a) "I can't do this. I can't breathe. I'm going to puke and Will's going to see it!" which was quickly followed by b) "You know what- forget this crap. I'm going to prove that I'm friggin' bad ass and that I can do this. Bring. It. On."


Wanna see how shitty I looked after?

I have no shame. I will gladly let everyone see how much I suffer- it'll make looking good feel that much better :)


I don't have much to say today other than this: You're going to hate working out, and if you work out hard enough you are going to cry- and you're going to make noises that you never knew you had the talent of making. But I can promise you that if you can just suck it up and focus on why you're working out in the first place, be it to lose some unwanted pounds, firm up those abs, or just so you can be a little healthier, you'll pull through, and you will be even more beautiful than you already are.


I believe in you, ladies. (and boys if there are any) :) If you're working on your fitness right along side me, keep it up! You're going to look fabulous!

Is this Hell?

Nope- it is not Hell. Its just another day of Insanity with Sean T.

Today, Will and I both did different segments of the Insanity work out. I have just finished mine, "Total Cardio/Cardio Abs."

That's right- still smiling. Mainly because I have lots of water, you know, to make up for the liquid I lost while sweating like a maniac.

Will made a very good point while lecturing me to "Keep moving" and to "get my knees up". It was this "You want that beach body, right?"

Umm... How do you say "hell yes" in boy speak?

I'd post my "before" picture (me in my bikini) but I'm scared that I'll lose all three of my readers.

-_- 

So for now, you'll just get me right after the workouts. I really think that if you have the resources to buy this set of discs, you should totally go for it. Whether its pooling money together with friends or what have you, I think its worth it. I feel phenomenal after these workouts- like I've actually accomplished something today :)

I also feel like I've picked the right way to do this- with someone else. Being held accountable for my workouts and for my dieting decisions has been a God send. Especially when (sorry boy readers) I'm on my period. Today alone I had the desire to crash my truck into Wendy's for some chicken nuggets and a chocolate shake thing, which was quickly followed by my "need" to purchase as much chocolate as humanly possible. Much to my satisfaction (as well as my car's), I was able to curb those urges.

If you guys have any suggestions as to what might take the edge off chocolate wise, PLEASE let me know, because honestly I'd swear off television for a month for a bite of a Snickers :)

Until next time, wish me luck and thanks for reading!

Insanity- Day 2

Day 2 of Insanity is here.

I've just finished my second workout- although yesterday's was just called a "Fitness Test." Fitness test my ass. That sucked. It was one minute drills during which I had to see how many of each drill I could perform. This is something I'll have to do every 2 weeks, mind you.

Here were my results:
     Switch kicks- 60
     Power Jacks- 47
     Power Knees- 98 (woot woot!!)
     Power Jumps- 19
     Globe Jumps- 6
     Suicide Jumps- 15
     Push Up Jacks- 20
     Low Plank Obliques- 25

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know- I could have done better. But apparently, I am WAY out of shape, even with going to the gym to ride the bike. YOU try it. Guarantee it'll whoop your ass.

Today, it was Circuit Training. Thanks to Mr. Adam Kickbush down at Nutrishop, I got a free sample of the White Tea Blossom pre-workout. Let me just say, it tasted PHENOMENAL. I would drink that at all hours of the day if I could- and if I didn't have to pay for it :) Lets just say, I'll be purchasing some of THAT. I had a huge burst of energy and powered through that workout a whole lot better than if I had just used straight water. At least, that's how I feel.

The guy on this video (Sean T I think?) is insane- but he knows how to keep you moving. I swear to God- every time I felt like I couldn't move another muscle, he'd yell out "Don't sacrifice form- if you're tired take a break or go slower" and any time I took too long of a break, he would yell "Don't stop moving. Keep going- let's go." I swear it was like he was watching me. Creeper.

Here's me post workout:

I know, I know. I'm a sexy beast.
Of course, you can't see how drenched in sweat I was. AND I spared you all of seeing me at my complete worst and took out the lime green headband :)

But for now, I'm gonna drink some post-workout, have a kiwi, and rest my tired little bones.

Until next time- Tootles!