Check it Out!

I love the following BLOG. It is all fitness oriented, but so down to earth. The gal that writes it is a Mom of 4 boys. If she can fit exercise in everyday then so can I. Check it out! You may become a huge fan like I did!!

http://www.self.com/fitness/blogs/freshfitnesstips

Jen's weigh-in.

Hey ya'll. This last week went so-so. I ate well, drank lots of water, tracked my calories and exercise, etc. I gained about a half a pound. I could have done a lot better about eating breakfast...not my strong suit for sure. I did cardio five times and strength-training a couple times, not as many as I hoped/planned.

I wasn't happy with this week's results, so I'm feeling even more motivated to kick some butt this week.

Heather's Post

Hey guys! I forgot to post yesterday...it was a doosey. However, I did weigh myself. I am back to my starting weight, so no improvement yet. Oh well. I'm kind of bummed that it's taking so long to lose ANYTHING, but I feel really proud of myself for meeting my goal of working out 3 times a week. I know that if I stick with it, I'll be healthier and hopefully a little lighter :)

The girls and I drove over to April's this morning to borrow one of her (MANY :) workout videos. I nabbed a Kathy Smith one that looks like it may have been produced before I entered the world, and "The Firm" something or other. We did the Firm one this morning and I actually really enjoyed it! It was kind of short though - only 45 minutes total. Maybe I'll do extra abs next time I do that video to fill an hour. Thanks for the videos Ape! You have a veritable smorgosborg of workouts on tape!!

Brad the bear

I did'nt gain or lose. I maintained this week. I did meet my goal of working out 3 times thanks to April. I need to watch a little better what I eat this week but i'm still doing good. Good luck to everybody.

April -- Week 4

It was a bad-sad weigh in for me this morning. I have gain nearly 1.5 lbs this week. I guess the pumpkin bread and muffin tops were a bad idea! I still did really good working out though. I do feel more tone, so that is a positive thing. I have had to use my inhaler less lately as well. So things are still going well, even if the dang scale wants to rain on my parade!

I have been working out a min. of 4 times a week. My routine is:
Mon.- Elliptical 20min & weights/abs 30 min
Tues.- 1 Hr Step
Thur.- 1 Hr Zumba
Sat.- 20 min Bike or Run & at least 16 laps of swimming

Work-Out Videos

As previously promised I have inventoried my workout videos. I was stunned by how many I have. Sheesh, with this collection I should have a rock hard body! :) Here are my favorite three videos to do. Of course 2 of the 3 are step, what can I say, I am a step-oholic!

Here is a full list of my videos. All of you are more then welcome to borrow them.

1. Buns & Abs of steel 2000 Plt. series
2. Reebok Dance Step
3. Kathy Smith (KS) Step Workout
4. Reebok Step - Rhythm & Moves
5. Arms & Abs of Steel 2
6. Abs & Chest of Steel 2000 Plt. series
7. Nautilus Aerobics - Weight Loss Workout
8. Tony Little - Target Training Abs
9. KS Great Buns & Thighs Step
10. KS Weight loss Workout
11. KS Power Step
12. Reebok Step - The Video
13. Reebok Hi Low Aerobics
14. Reebok Long & Lean
15. Reebok Sweat Factory
16. KS Ult. stomach & Thigh Workout
17. KS Instant Workout 3-20 min workouts
18. KS Functionally Fit, lower body firming
19. Pilate's - Body Band
20. Pilate's - Beg. Mat
21. Pilate's - Int. Mat
22. Pilate's - Body Ring
23. Pilate's - all Levels
24. KS Time Saver - Lift Weights to Lose Weight
25. KS Time Saver - Shaper Ball Workout
26. Weight Stick Workout
27. 2 Energy Balls Workout
28. Gilad Step Aerobics DVD
29. The Firm - Ult. fat Burning Workout DVD
30. Abs & Buns of Steel - 6 - 15 min workouts DVD
31. Leisa Hart's - Fit to the Core - Burn
    

Food

Here are a few foods we are loving lately. They are low-guilt but high-flavor. Please share what foods are getting you excited these days.

Fish- we have had both Halibut and Salmon this past week. I love grilled fish!
Jell-o -- This is so saving me since I have a HUGE sweet tooth. If we are feeling indulgent we may even put some light cool whip on it.
Edemamme -- so yummy, and so guilt free! Just go easy on the salt.
Hard Boiled Eggs-- yes, we eat the yolks too, but eggs are a great source of protein.
Craisins -- I keep these at my desk for when I get the munchies.
Kashi Bars - love the Trail Mix flavor. I eat one of these and chug water about an hour before step class.
Zip Fiz -- It flavors your water and adds vitamins and our little friend, caffeine! (My favorite flavor is Berry)
Mini Rice Cakes - the Apple Cinnamon are to die for.

Brad the bear

I lost 2 more pounds. For a Total of 8 pounds lost so far. Just eating a lot better, and working out 3-4 times a week. Good luck and hang in there!!!!!!!!!

Jen's weigh-in.

Good news. I'm down 4.4 pounds from last week's weigh-in. I've actually been shocked/pleased to watch my weight go down through out the week (we aren't supposed to be staying away from the scale throughout the week are we?). I worked out four times (running/walking 3x, core secrets video 1x, biggest loser video 1x).

I'm encouraged, but I also know that I have this habit of losing the first five pounds and then turning around eating it right back on. I am determined to get past the five lb. flux that I usually experience. Here's hoping.

I think the new scale has helped....it really does motivate me to see even itsy bitsy progress on there each morning. I've also been using thedailyplate like I mentioned, and that has been helping me. When I wrote everything down, I knew I'd have to write down "Zinger- 160 calories, blahblahblah". But with the daily plate, not only do I have to add it to what I've eaten that day, but it also totals all my fat, cals, sugars, etc., in addition to telling me how many calories I have left to consume for the day. The site helps you figure out how many calories you should eat to lose however many pounds you want to lose in a week.

What I don't like about the daily plate...I don't love the way you track exercise, but I think I'm going to stop using their numbers and use the numbers from my treadmill and my heart rate monitor to track how many calories I've burned. The other thing I don't like is trying to figure out how many calories I consumed in difficult-to-calculate meals (ex:we ate breakfast burritos on Saturday and I have no idea if I was really anywhere close to what I actually ate because I didn't measure what I ate.) So one of my goals for this week is to do some research and try to find a website/resource that will allow me to type in a recipe that I've prepared and figure out how many calories are in a serving.

Other goals for this week...drink two water bottles a day. Workout more. Cardio 5x, strength training 3x. Eat breakfast everyday (this is soooo hard for me).

Good work, everyone. I'm so glad we are doing this. I really need the extra motivation.

April -- Week 3

This was a great week! I lost 2.4 pounds this week (for a total loss of 3.4 lbs.). I have been working out really hard, so it looks like it is finally paying off. Brad and I have been doing pretty good with what we are eating. I did make Pumpkin Spice Bread this weekend and we have been gobbling that down in nothing flat (oh so naughty!).

I have a Q for Becky and Jen, since you two are the runners in the group. What pointers can you give me on running? I am the slowest runner ever. I think a speed walker could pass me up. So are there tricks of the trade to help with speed, calf/shin pain, that good old runners stitch? Anything would help at this point!!

So seriously, is no one else going to do the Triathlon with Myles and I. I am doing it just to complete it, not to compete. I will probably be close to the last over the finish line, but as long as I finish I will be stoked. Come on guys, at least think about it!