Weathering the Wii

It was too crisp and chilly outside this morning to convince anyone to head outdoors for an early morning stroll, so instead I grabbed Mr. Kawaii and we worked up a sweat battling each other on the Wii.  5 rounds of tennis got our hearts pounding, and then a set of bowling helped us to cool down.

It's great to have options like Exercise TV, the Wii and workout videos to keep us moving even during icky weather.  It certainly helps me to feel like less of a slouch!

 

I WILL Have Incredible Abs!!

Although I am getting trimmed and toned all over, my tummy is a fatty zone that I inherited from my mom's-mom's-mom's-mom.  It's always the first area I gain weight, and the last area I lose it.  It's one of those tummies that periodically inspiresd strangers to come up and say, "Oh, you're expecting! When are you due?"

To those happy "I'm going to touch your belly even if you do look like you might amputate my arm for the inconvenience" people I say: I am not pregnant.  I am just curvy and unfortunately, all of my curves mingle around my belly button like interns 'round a water cooler.  And even if I were pregnant, I would not want you to touch me.  So DON''T pat my fat!

Because this has been an ongoing issue for the women of my family for many millennia, I'm always focused on finding ways to fight the bulge.  Tonight, I returned to a workout that M and I did during the 10 Pound Slimdown Workout called Incredible Abs with Cindy Whitmarsh.  Although 20 minutes of constant ab exercises can be (and is) excruciating, Cindy's routine left me with an awareness of every abdominal muscle I have.  Even those hard to reach lower ab muscles that never seem to do any thing but wave at people passing me on the track got a workout!

Luckily since I started working out in May the whole "pregnancy" conversation happens a lot less frequently than it used to which is a sign that things are starting to look a lot less round in the abdominal area.  Either that, or enough one-armed ladies have accumulated in town that word's got around that I'm not to be mussed with.  Both possibilities are a good thing in my book.

In other news, I purchased two pair of rockin' spandex shorts to keep friction from stalling future workouts.  I'm happy to say that they are comfy and do a good job of reducing thigh-rubbing.  Two big thumbs up!

The End of the 30 Day Challenge

Today marks the end of the 10 Pound Slimdown Challenge!  M and I decided that for our last day we would really push to give it our all and so for our Total Body and Core workouts we mixed it up with two exercises that we hadn't done before.

For the Total Body portion, we chose a 30 minute workout called Cardio Groove n' Burn with Jennifer Galardi (who if you click on her name you will discover has had a HORRIBLE photoshop job done... I promise in the workout she does have a back).  We figured after 30 days of working out we could handle a 30 minute workout just fine... and we did!  The dance routine that Jennifer teaches is really difficult to follow at first, but by the end of the workout both M and I were able to do it... sort of.  I'm sure if I did this workout again I would look less like a dork than I did today!

For abs, we turned to Elise Gulon in Straight to the Core.  Now, Elise's workout was only 10 minutes, but it was one of the most difficult ab exercises I've ever done!  Within a few minutes of starting the workout, I was having a hard time keeping up and it took all the strength I could muster to finish the full 10 minutes.  I'll be bookmarking that one to return to again - I want to be able to effortlessly move through the positions the way Elise does.  She really shows you what having a core is all about.

So... drumroll... here are the results of the 10 Pound Slimdown challenge:

I didn't lose 10 pounds.  I will tentatively say that I've lost 2 pounds, although with me you never know if it's really 2 pounds of weight loss or if I just happen to be having a "skinny" day.  For the sake of the experiment, we'll call it weight loss though because it makes me feel better!

M also didn't lose 10 pounds, but she did lose 6!

Although we didn't drop the 10 pounds we were hoping for, the variety of workouts that we've done over the last 30 days have most certainly made us more fit.  Both of us are noticing that are clothes are becoming more loose and our limbs are more toned.  I do not doubt that as we continue to work to get fit that the pounds will start to drop eventually.  In the meantime, the 10 Pound Slimdown calendar kept us focused and helped to keep us from skipping exercises and introduced us both to exercises we had never tried before.

In the end, I call it a success!!

 

10 Days Left!

Day 20 of the 30 day 10 Pound Slimdown Challenge... can you believe it?  It seems like we've been at this exercise thing forever, and at the same time it feels as if its just begun.  It is really satisfying to be able to look at the 30 day calendar and see so many days crossed off the list.  That's progress!

Today's focus was Upper Body and Lower Body.  We went back to "Sexy John" (John Spencer Ellis as he is formally known) for his Real Housewives workouts part One and Two.  The workout left me tired, sweaty but not completely out of sorts, and although I've increased the weight I'm working with I didn't feel like I was going to keel over at the end of them.  I dare say that I am stronger than I was 20 days ago, and my biceps echo that sentiment.

In addition to the upper/lower workouts, M and I headed out into the back yard for about 45 minutes of gardening.  This too has miraculously become easier than it was at the beginning of the summer.  It's like magic!

The only hiccup with the yard work came when I pulled on a large thick vine of blackberry bush that looked like it was going to try to strangle the cat and down came a large clump of what looks to have once been a bird's nest or perhaps the leg of a long-forgotten wood nymph fell from high up in one of the trees that the bushes have consumed on the other side of the fence.  I eyed it suspiciously and poked it with a stick before Pooch came over, sniffed and ate it.  At least it didn't fall on me, even though I am pretty sure it is going to give Pooch gas and so I'll be paying for the discovery later on this evening.

Happily, day 21 of the workout program is a day off, so you wont' be hearing from me again until Wednesday.  Enjoy your Tuesday, and I hope you are finding all the success and drive you desire in your own workouts!

You Are A Knockout!

... and on with the 10 Pound Slimdown 30 day workout.

But first, a note from our sponsor:
Today I am one cranky, tired, T.O.'ed daughter of Eve.  I've taken more anti-Witch medicine today than should be allowed by law, and due to my poor attitude it took M almost the entire day to get me to work out with her.  She knows how to push my buttons though, and so we completed day 17 of the workout program on schedule and without any glaring incidents. (And although it may not seem like it, I am grateful that she made me do it.)

Back to our regularly scheduled blog:
So today was another full body workout, and M surprised me in a big way by suggesting we give kickboxing another shot.  We tuned into Total Knockout Body with Natalie Yco and really threw the kickboxing bug into gear.

Natalie's workout is a bit more technical and advanced than the kicboxing workout we did on Wednesday, and it took both M and I a while to get into the groove and follow along.  Natalie doesn't do a great job explaining the moves and doing enough slow practice rep's to get the hang of them before she starts moving full-tilt-boogie and so I'd say that you probably should skip over this workout and find another kickboxing video to follow if you're new.  M really struggled to pull the combinations together, and I was only able to keep up with Natalie because I've practiced kickboxing in the past.

The 20 minutes did fly past, even though the exercise was a bit confusing.  I paused the workout early on to help M with the basic punches, and I'm glad that I did so that she was able to keep moving throughout the workout even if it wasn't in perfect time with Natalie.

Overall, it was great to get up off the couch after hours of playing video games (I'm suddenly in-demand on the video game review front... not a bad problem to have) and get the blood flowing.  It's also great to remember that even when I'm not feeling totally up to snuff, I can still get up and move.

Thanks M!

Kicking My Butt Into Shape - Literally!

There is nothing like taking a couple of days off from the exercise program to relax and rejuvenate.  Paintball took a lot out of me Sunday, and it's taken a couple of days for me to get back into the swing of things.  Fortunately, the 10 Pound Slimdown calendar was hung on the fridge with a friendly reminder that today it was time to get going again.

Another amazing step in the exercise journey... we're on day 15 of the 30 day program!  Rice cakes for everyone!!

Now that the celebrating is over, let's get back to the workout.  Today's focus was 20 minutes of Lower Body and in light of our improved endurance and energy levels, we decided to mix things up a bit.  Rather than doing a kajillion squats, we did Amy Dixon's Kickbox workout.  Kickbox is a little longer than what we're used to, coming in at almost 22 minutes.  We felt up to the task though and dove right in.

M has never tried kickboxing before, and was a little hesitant about punching and kicking with force.  I explained to her that kickboxing is a real fighting form and that if she learns to have the confidence to punch the air in front of her, she may be able to punch an attacker if she's ever in a tough spot.  That got her smiling and we punched and kicked through the first 17 minutes of the workout with no problem.

For some reason at 17 minutes when Amy was giving us the, "You're almost there! Only 5 minutes left! You're doing great!" pep talk... and specifically when she says, "You're on the road... don't get off it!"... the video froze.  I refreshed the page, re-started the video and fast forwarded to the 17 minute mark... and... nothing.  We took it as a sign that the workout was over, and did a 3 minute cool-down on our own.

I had forgotten how much I love kickboxing.  I used to practice kickboxing a couple times a week and as great a workout as it is, I especially love the adrenaline rush and boost of confidence it gives.  I am putting a gold star next to the Kickbox workout on the calendar and come back to it again... and convince M that it's ok to pretend to hurt other people as long as it's in the name of fitness!

10-10-10... It's Like Being an Olympic Champion!

We made it to day 11, and to the dreaded Total Body focus of our 10 Pound Slimdown program.  I'm loving my total body, tired muscles and all.  M and I decided to find a workout today that moved at a bit of a slower pace, and so we turned on the 10-10-10 (beginner) Fat-blasting Formula with Jessica Smith.

Jessica's workout is a snap to follow along with because the moves are all familiar, and are done at a slow pace so you can really focus on the way your body is moving and work on mimicking Jessica's perfect form.  One thing we discovered rather quickly though is that slower doesn't necessarily mean easier.  Although we didn't walk away from the workout dripping in sweat, our shoulders, abs, glutes and thighs all felt like they had spent the morning wrestling Ninja Snails (slow, powerful and deadly).

The workout showed me that I'm ready to kick things up a notch and start using water bottles instead of soup cans though.  I have a couple of really nice 24 ounce bottles that are narrow and easy to grip that should work well for some added resistance... I can't believe I've outgrown the soup cans... they were so hard to use at first!!  Or maybe I'll look into getting some weighted gloves instead.  Those things are just cool.

 

John Spencer Ellis.... We Meet Again

Although I have a habit of trying something new each time I work out, for day 9 of the 10 Pound Slimdown challenge I headed back to John Spencer Ellis's 20 Min. Lower Body Workout / Real Housewives 1.  Although M and I have enjoyed a wide variety of trainers and exercises this last week, the Real Housewives workouts (there is an upper body workout also) have been some of our favorites.

Not only does it help to be working out while watching a good looking man (rawr!) instead of staring at some peppy stick-thin woman with perfect abs and latex-hugged glutes, but the routines themselves are great.  John has put together a workout that is methodical instead of jarring, allowing you to really focus on the muscles that are supposed to be doing all the work.  It's great to be able to close your eyes and feel your body moving and to be able to feel when your posture is off or your balance is starting to go off kilter.

I have noticed that the more I workout the more sweat seems to accumulate on the insides of my elbows, on the back sides of my knees, on my scalp and under my bra-line.  I suppose that means this whole exercise thing is really getting into swing and my body is switching into "fit" mode.  I read an article recently (it's been out for a year but I only just stumbled upon it) that mentions fit people may actually sweat more than people who are out of shape.  That makes one more notch on the fitness totem pole!

So to John, I raise my glass of water and would like to say: Thanks for being gorgeous and while I hate to admit it being a fan of crappy reality tv, I love your appearance on this damn show:

A Workout That Is Aptly Named

Welcome back to the blog!  M, K and I have somehow made it to day 8 of this 30 day adventure with the 10 Pound Slimdown program.  I would say that I can't believe a whole week has gone by already, except I can feel the remnants of every workout thus far every time I move.  It's a good problem to have!

Today M and I turned to the 20 Minute Sweat Workout with Holly Perkins on Exercisetv.tv, and while Monday's Less Is More workout's title was way off the mark, the 20 Minute Sweat delivered exactly what its title promised.  Holly took us through 20 minutes of exercises that weren't too difficult to maneuver, but were right on the money as far as getting the heart rate ramped and the sweat flowing.

By minute 16 the combinations had worn us out, but we were determined to finish since we haven't had to quit a workout yet.  Focusing on deep breathing and following the moves at a slower pace so as not to begin wildly flailing about the living room, we met the end with little fanfare but lots of appreciation for our own determination and grit.  Although Holly made the workout easy to follow along with, and provided gentle movements that weren't overly technical, she certainly wasn't easy on us.  After 20 minutes of jumping rope, doing combination squat/arm lifts, chest presses and modified crunches there was no questioning the need for a cold shower and change of clothes.

During the workout we both noticed some real changes in our abilities to do the movements.  I suddenly was able to work through the various jump-rope sets without having to stop due to pain in my ankles, shins and calves.  M and I both felt burn in our hard-to-reach lower abs and we both noticed that we were able to better control our breathing throughout the exercise.

I also noticed something about M today that has been slowly creeping up on her - the new pants she got just eight weeks ago are suddenly extremely baggy!  I teased her a little bit about walking around like a "G", and called her "Homey" a couple of times.  She has vowed to get the pants taken in so that they fit again, and I'm so excited that she's shrinking out of her wardrobe.  Nothing says success more like needing to get a new pair of pants... and needing to get them smaller than the ones you had before!

Way to go!

You Can't Call It "Less Is More" If You Are Going To Make Me Do More Anyway

Hello readers!  I am back from a day off of the exercise routine.  I spent my day wisely, helping a family member to start her move across town and doing a bit of lawn mower pushing.  So it wasn't really a day off from exercise, but it was a good day anyway and I am pleased to announce that I was able to mow the lawn and help haul patio furniture and boxes without having to catch my breath. ;)

Today it was back to the 10 Pound Slimdown program, but first we met up with K for a two mile walk around the track.  As per usual instead of gossiping with one another we caught up on family life and talked about our workouts.  K is doing a great job of keeping us on track with the 10 Pound Slimdown, and it's great to be able to talk over the workouts with someone who is aching and sweating through it right along with you.  Kudos to you, K - you're a great motivator!

Now, I have to admit a bit of smugness on my part as I have finally converted M into a yoga-connoisseur.  I knew that if I threw enough variations of yoga at her eventually some of it would stick and much to her chagrin, it worked!  Today's workout on the calendar was a 20 minute yoga workout, so we hit ExerciseTV.tv and scrolled through the options.  We decided on Less Is More with Lizabeth Garcia, agreeing that the title fit exactly with how we were feeling after the walk and still feeling a bit worn down from workout days 1 through 4 (see my previous posts for details... and please don't mind the sweat, blood and tear stains along the margins).

I was expecting, and M was hoping, for a nice beginner level yoga routine that would help us to stretch our muscles and ease into our evening and I suppose that's kind of what we got.  Sort of.  Not really.  I decided that the title of the workout routine is misleading and would more aptly be named, "Less Isn't Going to do Much, So Instead I'm Going to Make Your Hips Feel Like I Doused Them in Gasoline and Lit Them on Fire but Don't Worry, It's Good for You and You'll Thank Me Later."

Neither of us were able to do all of the exercises in the Less is More workout, and even though it was only a 20 minute routine it got both of us sweating.  Not only does Lizabeth get you to feel the burn, she does it in a way that makes you aware of each individual muscle that is working.  Difficulty and undercurrent of disdain aside, it was really cool to be able to tell with each movement which singular muscle was working and to feel the tension and energy move from one muscle to another.  At the end of the workout M and I discussed the sensation for a few minutes and we both decided that in the end we really liked the workout - we just didn't know it while we were neck deep in it.

Now, according to the workout calendar we get tomorrow off again to let our bodies rest and recharge so I won't be blogging again until Wednesday.  In the meantime, I hope all of you are meeting your fitness goals one push-up at a time!

Cindy Whitmarsh: Fitness Guru or Tricep Torturer?

I was surprised to discover this morning that almost all of my mobility had returned overnight.  Although I could still tell that my shoulders and abdomen were still a little tense, sitting down to eat my morning bowl of cereal didn't cause my buttcheeks to twinge and strain with the motion of being seated.  My renewed comfort was short lived though, as today was a focus on the upper body and core once again.

M and I decided to work out exclusively with Cindy Whitmarsh today.  For the Upper Body portion of our workout we tuned into Tank Top Arms for 20 minutes of a variety of weight training moves as well as push ups and tricep dips.  For me, the first 15 minutes of the workout was easy to follow along with and although I could definitely feel the burning of the muscle groups we worked out I was able to do the moves without complaint.  The last five minutes though... they were rough and I began to wonder what I had done to make Cindy suddenly determined to make my arms, shoulders and chest feel like they were on fire.  I pushed myself through the end of the workout though (M right beside me, shouting at the TV, "Cindy, I'm ready to cool down! Where's my cool down?  Cindy! Cindy can you hear me?") and once the end came I headed straight to the kitchen for a drink of water and a couple of minutes of break before the next portion.

A glass of water and several minutes later, M and I pooled our courage and started the Core portion of the day's workout.  We really had to amp each other up for it though, and I am pretty sure that we were both doubting our decision to stick with Cindy instead of moving onto another trainer.  We started up Bikini Ready and dug into our core.  In Bikini Ready, Cindy introduced us to some very effective moves that I've never done before.  The variation on the movements made for a very interesting... and very difficult workout.  M didn't scream at the TV this time though... by about halfway through we were too tired to complain and focused all of our energy on completing those last ten minutes.  Cindy is a workout taskmaster, making sure every square inch of your body knows who's boss.

Now that the 4th day of workout is behind us, I'm glad that we were able to push through and not give up before the exercises were complete.  It says a lot about how far we have come on this fitness journey!  Hopefully we can keep it together to finish out the week!

My Lower Body and Core Are Going On Strike

Well, we've made it to day 2 of the 30 day 10 Pound Slimdown workout program.  As yesterday, for some reason Exercise TV has been removed from my On-Demand options on the telly, so I went online to search for workouts that fell within the Day 2 requirements (links to the program can be found on yesterdays blog here) of 20 minutes of Lower Body, and 20 minutes of Core.

For the Lower Body workout, M and I settled on 20 Minute Lower Body Workout / Real Housewives with John Spencer Ellis.  Reality TV notary notwithstanding, John has put together a well rounded lower body workout using light weights and your own body We used cans from the pantry as a substitute for weights,  but  20 ounce bottles of water also work great if you are lacking in the weight department... and you can drink them when you're done!

The standard combination of squats, knee lifts and lunges is broken up with a couple of Ninja and Sumo moves helped to keep my attention and make me feel like I just might have what it takes to enter the American Ninja Warrior contest.  (Or not.  I think I'll still be safer cheering on my fellow ninjas from the comfort of my couch.)

Since we have been walking religiously and doing a lot of gardening, we didn't have near the trouble with the lower body workout as we did yesterday with the upper body workout.  Once the 20 minutes had passed, we high-fived one another and took a 5 minute break to get re-hydrated and search for the next workout.

When we reconvened for the 20 minute Core workout, we attempted to play the actual 20 minute workout on ExerciseTV.tv but couldn't find the free version so instead we went with the Bikini Body Workout with Stephanie Vitorino.  I have done this same exercise in the past (and I was sure I blogged about it but couldn't for the life of me find it) but had forgotten how thoroughly Stephanie rocks your center mass with energetic gusto.  Luckily for her, Stephanie is sexy, encouraging and completely fun to work out with so we didn't pelt the TV with our sweaty socks - just quietly complained amongst ourselves about our aching upper abs, lower abs and obliques.  She also added to our lower body workout with some squats and lunges that added to the Jello-like nature of our asses, thighs and knees.

Now that we have completed these two 20 minute workouts we feel quite accomplished although neither of us can figure out if we're energized and ready to rock some house cleaning and a 2 mile walk later this evening... or if we just want to lay down and take a nap.  We'll let a roll of the dice decide.

10 Pound Slim Down Revisited

True to procrastination form, M and I put off looking at the 10 Pound Slimdown calendar until late this evening. Day 1 of the workout plan is a 20 minute upper body workout.  No sweat!

We flipped on our On Demand selections expecting the workouts to be there, but all of the Exercise TV On Demand options had been removed!  I immediately began cursing Frontier, our new internet/phone/Fios provider and scanned through all the possible combinations of "exercise", "fit" and "workout" that I could possibly think of.

Disgruntled, and further determined to find the workout, I went online and searched through www.Exercise.tv  to find it.  For some reason I couldn't find the actual 10 pound slimdown free videos, just the download for $14.98.   Although a month of exercise instruction for $15 seems like a decent deal, I'm already paying for Fios tv and not reaping its benefits so rather than doing the download I searched Exercise.tv for another 20 minute upper body workout.

After about 20 minutes of searching and snubbing ExerciseTV personalities that I have deemed unworthy in previous televised exercises, M and I settled on 20 Minute Upper Body with trainer Dove Rose.  Finally, we began working out!

Very quickly it became obvious that we haven't focused on sculpting and toning our shoulders, triceps, biceps, elbows, forearms, wrists, neck, upper back, lower back or middle back.  5 minutes into the workout, M had to drop her weights and do the exercises without them.  10 minutes into the workout I had to swallow my pride and follow suit.  11 minutes in we were both ready to give up and call it a night, but for some reason I fought through the burn in my shoulders, triceps, biceps, elbows, forearms, wrists, neck, upper back, lower back and middle back and urged M to keep going with me through the end.  No matter how bad I wanted to give up, I couldn't let a 20 minute workout get the best of me after all the work I've done in the last two months!!

Finally M, I, our shoulders, triceps, biceps, elbows, forearms, wrists, necks, upper backs, lower backs, and middle backs made it to the end of the workout.  We sat down with the calendar and plotted out the rest of the workout week, making sure that we'll have time to meet up in my living room at least once a day to complete the prescribed exercises.  There was no joking around though - we've discovered that this exercise plan means business.  And tomorrow when we walk with K we'll follow up with her to see how all her various muscle groups held up.

Shrinking Abs, A** and Appetites

Back in the day, I used to be able to go out and eat a full meal at a diner and clean my plate.  Today, I discovered my days of eating super-sized meals are over and slowly fading in the sunset.  The way I discovered this today was over a basket of fries and pepper-bacon cheeseburger at Burgerville.  Mr. Kawaii and I were out running some errands and decided to stop off and have a late breakfast/early lunch between locations.  Since eating out is now such a rarity, we decided to go big and order a full basket each - no sharing allowed.

I made it through the delicious and juicy burger just fine, but suddenly started petering out mid-way through the fries.  And then, something that hasn't happened at any point in recent memory... I wasn't hungry again until dinner.  It appears that my hunger centers, digestive system and food craving epicenter have all decided that they are suddenly allowed to just shut down when I overeat.  What in the world is going on?!?  It's insanity, I tell you.

On the exercise front, M and I headed out to the track and she laughed at me while we walked along with half the town (Apparently they are coming out in droves to watch the free entertainment).  Imitating the moves of a very fit older gentleman, I shook things up by doing some walking grapevines around a portion of the track on our first lap - VERY tricky with the walking sideways while crossing the legs in front and behind one another.  Amazingly, I didn't fall over although it seemed like everyone on the track was betting on me kissing the pavement as I rounded the bend in the track.

Grapevines completed, I then took to doing walking lunches around the second lap.  Not as much as a balancing act as the previous lap, but after about my 10th lunge I started really "feeling the burn" as they say.  I was determined to keep going though, and spent the rest of the way round pretending I was on a Merry-Go-Round.  I thought M was going to die of embarrassment as I clung to an invisible pole connected to the invisible pony I was riding up and down.

Lap three brought on another move that threw M off every time I did it.  Each time a number, line, arrow or other track marking came into the lane I leaped over it.  The problem for M was that as we walked she got used to me not making crazy or embarrassing movements and then all of a sudden, without warning, I was up in the air and landing with a "thump" beside her.

Finally, the last lap was spent reverse leg kicks.  By now, M was immune to my oddities and chatted with me as if nothing odd was happening, even though the woman jogging with a pink umbrella was staring at me as if I were trying to complete a 3 legged race by myself.  I stared right back at her... I mean, who jogs with an umbrella? On a nice evening?  When there is no rain?  When it's not hot?  When the sun has started descending behind the tree line?  Not I.  I just thrust my legs out behind me without care or worry, surprising and almost injuring anyone who happens to not be paying attention and finds themselves walking behind me.

Still full of energy, I came home and did two different 10 minute ab workouts.  The first one I did was Standing Abs on Fios On Demand.  It was easy, fun, and over before I knew it.  Then I flipped over to 10 Minute Abs with Amy Dixon.  About 6 minutes in, while I was sprawled out on the floor on my belly, arms outstretched and legs kicking behind me in some kind of "I'm pretending to be learning to swim in the kiddie pool but my swim instructor doesn't actually trust me to be in the water" kind of move... my husband walked in.  He looked down at the floor at me, looked up Amy Dixon, looked back down at me and said, "Well, it's not the strangest thing I've ever seen you doing; but it's up there.  Have a nice swim."  And then he left.

Somehow, I managed to keep at the workout for the last 4 minutes without curling up in a laughing ball of hilarity and ended my workout day with two thumbs up and a few calories down.  Mr. Kawaii noted that my waist appears to be disappearing and for some reason the butt of my pants seems to be sagging as my rear end begins to shrink.  It was a great day for fitness, reduction in fast-food cravings and fun in the sun!

 

Hipster Yoga... Not Just For Dallas Any More

In a rare turn of events, this evening I endured what I think is probably the least enjoyable Yoga experience I've had.  Contrary to the positive reviews of their workout DVDs, when I tried the 25 minute DCC Slimdown Yoga routine on Exercise TV (on demand) I was left less than impressed and I am sorry to say that I don't recommend it.

Not that I didn't get my stretch on, that certainly was the end result.  But the exercise instructor (sorry, I didn't catch his name) really rubbed me the wrong way with his rapid-instructions and constant chatter.  Although I get that he was trying to get the point across that Yoga is an experience unique to your body and easily tailored to work at your own pace and fitness level, I was not recharged or encouraged by his rapid-fire affirmations.  Things like, "Hey don't worry if you're doing it wrong.  It's just Yoga." Or, "Now that you've got it, let's get twisted." (WTH... are we making mixed dinks?) I spent too much time trying to figure out if he was a pot-head trying to be on the ball, or if he was a hipster who had one too many espressos before starting the class.

Whichever was the case for Mr. Chatterbox, I think that suffering through the exercise has tainted my glorified lifelong vision of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders.  I've always wanted to have a chance to dance around in one of their cute little uniforms but if they have to deal with that guy on the regular as a part of being on the squad, I'll cheer for the Seahawks instead.

On a more positive note, I also spent 30 minutes pulling weeds in the back yard and have discovered that this activity is so much easier when it is a few stubby starts instead of a thicket of completely unruly plant habitat.  I was able to get all the little baby blackberry bushes pulled out of my path (those things are persistent!!) and dug up the few remaining dandelion roots that were stealthily hanging out underground.  The yard is still looking beautiful, and 60% of the plants I started with are still alive.  Doesn't sound like much, but for me that is BIG success!

Shop N' Squat

Oh my word, this has been the longest day ever.  M and I hosted a yard sale today and while it was a resounding success (we sold just about half of everything we started with, and have one more sale day to go), it took a lot more work and patience than I had anticipated.  M had her pedometer strapped to her when we went to hang signs, as well as while we unloaded the goodies out onto the driveway for the neighbors to browse, and all the back-and-forth resulted in almost a mile of walking.

The bulk of the day was spent chit-chatting with bargain shoppers, trying to keep M from taking a nap on the couch that was perched at the end of the driveway and trying to remember how to count back change.  By the time the afternoon rolled around and we began wrapping things up for the day I knew that I still had enough time and energy to work out.  And make a Blackberry pie.  As well as a Blackberry Crisp.

The pie and crisp took priority and as soon as we had all of our wares safely stored under a tarp I headed in and started baking.  Unfortunately getting the goodies in the oven didn't take long, and I still had PLENTY of time to work out before it was time to make dinner.

I turned on the boob tube and headed over to Exercise TV on Fios On Demand and jumped along with the 2nd installment of the 21 Day Cardio Workouts.  Just like the first installment, I was amazed at how active the model waif and her trainer were able to stay throughout the workout; but surprisingly I was able to keep up with them and complete the entire workout without stopping... although my calves were killing me by the end. I'm continually surprised by my increased endurance, balance and stability and I can't wait to see what all I will be able to do a few weeks from now.

So now, with lighter hips and a heavier wallet I am going to spend the rest of the night resting up for another day of fast-paced wheeling and dealing over used books and warped Tupperware.... and maybe have just a tiny sliver of blackberry pie.

Bringin' Sexy Back

Ah, back to the exercise routine.  Having a day off is nice, but I've decided that more than one day off will make for a very lazy me!  If it wasn't for M pushing me to walk this morning, I probably would have put the workout stuff off for most of the day and put in a lallygagging effort sometime this afternoon when the sun got hot and the clouds had all gone away.

M is new to the neighborhood so we diverted from the regular course and walked up and down the main streets so that she can start to get her bearings when she decides to walk on her own.  It's funny because although I've lived here for over 3 years now, I've never really paid much attention to the street names or where they intersect other than at a few H.O.A. (Horribly Overbearing-neighbors Association) meetings.

I've always referred to the yellow house at the 4 way stop, the Cemetery to the West and the Eagles' lodge to the East as the main landmarks of the neighborhood when giving directions and anyone who has asked me for street names in the past has been promptly directed to GoogleMaps.  M wasn't satisfied with landmarks and Google as solutions though.  She wanted to know what street each of my landmarks were on, what the cross-streets were and how they were laid out in the neighborhood.  In hindsight I suppose it was as good a mental exercise as it was physically, and really highlighted in my mind how the convenience of technology has encouraged my own laziness and map snobbery.

When we got back from walking a little over 2 miles, we both decided to push on a little further.  I added the first 15 minutes of Kendall Hogan's Slim Down Cardio Burn on Fios OnDemand.  Although the full exercise is over a half hour, by the midway point we were both all worked-out.  It was motivating to know that we've built up the endurance to add another half a workout to the end of our original 45 minute walk, and were able do so without becoming too weak to balance or so exhausted that we hurt ourselves.

It is certainly nice to have the summer weather back, I see a lot of walking in my future!

In With The Peace, Out With The Rest Of It.

Breathe in... breathe out... that was the advice given to me this morning by the televised yoga instructor.  I decided to listen (seeings how breath is one of those few things essential to human survival) and I'm glad I did!

I woke up stiff as a board from yesterday's hopping adventure and had to find a way to loosen the painful tightness in my legs and shoulders.  I found a great 20 minute yoga workout called Beginner Yoga that took me through an even-paced reintroduction to the basic yoga poses.  As the exercise stretched on, I was glad that I had opted to do a beginner series today because my muscles were so sore that in the beginning even the simple poses were difficult for me to complete.

The beautiful thing about yoga though is that as you move through the poses your body becomes more and more loose while your mind calms.  We've had a rough few days with some family emergencies, and so the added calming effect of the workout was much appreciated as the tension in my body and the pounding of my stress-headache faded.  It is amazing how stretching out like a dog just getting out of bed helps your body to align and makes your body wake up.

Now that all my hinges are oiled and my mind is at rest I feel like I'm ready to tackle today's challenges.  I'm sure that the bank tellers and post office workers I encounter will appreciate not being strangled to death by my squirrely wraith.

Skipping Rope

If I had known 20 years ago that the jumping-rope I loved to hop over on the sidewalk after lunch could keep my body in tip-top physical shape, maybe I would have given it more respect.  Perhaps it would have found it's way into my lifelong daily routine instead of being tossed into a bin unceremoniously marked "GoodWill".  It may also have made the 20 minute workout I endured today less... unruly.

Flipping through available workouts, I settled on 21 Day Cardio 1, with trainer Jade Alexis.  Done as a part of Elle's 21 Days To A Better You spread,  this workout video is the first in a series of exercises to help get your body lean and ready for bikini weather.  It also involves a lot of skipping an imaginary rope, something I haven't even thought about doing since my last jump-rope dissolved into the void of lost toys.

While I can appreciate the upbeat nature of Jade and whatever supermodel was working out with her, as well as their ability to jump around for 20 minutes without blacking out from hunger pangs, I wasn't prepared for the amount of jumping (in place, side to side, front to back, in the shape of a square, up high, down low, and so on and so forth) that took place.

If you give this workout a try, I have two tidbits of advice that you should adhere to.  The first is that this 20 minute workout doesn't include any stretching before or after, so be sure to stretch out those legs before you start lest you end up like me with calves that explode like roman candles stuck in a jar of peanut butter.

The second is a little graphic so cover your ears if you're timid: you should try to tinkle and make a poop before you make your attempt at 20 minutes of uninterrupted bouncing.  I definitely think this second suggestion is something that they should have displayed along with the "consult your doctor before starting this or any other exercise routine" warning in the opening credits as I discovered this is sage advice for people such as myself who ate lunch an hour before.

Now that I've survived the Cardio and showered off the resulting sweat pools, it occurs to me that all of this exercise business would be a lot easier if we had all just continued skipping rope and hula-hooping the way we did as kids.  Although we didn't know it when we were playing hop-scotch on the neighbor's inclined driveway, we were exercising as well as having a lot of fun.  I hope that as my energy levels increase I'll continue to go back to the outdoor games I used to play instead of boring myself with endless crunches and push-ups.  It seems like a lot more fun that way.

Custom Workouts To Shake Things Up!

One of the many reasons I have difficulty going to the gym on a regular basis, or any basis at all, is that I bore with exercise easily.  If you haven't noticed this far in the blog, I try to do something different every day to keep myself interested.  When I'm bored, it's far too easy to just plop down in front of a movie or spend the day cruising the internet instead of getting myself moving.

Today, plagued again with rain, I tuned into Exercise TV On Demand and realized that they have deleted several of the 30 minute workouts I had yet to try (this is when I start talking myself into believing the universe is against me) and none of the 20 minute workouts seemed interesting.  I tried a 20 minute workout with Kim Kardashian called "Fit in Your Jeans by Friday", but about three minutes into trying to follow Kim as she step-touched her way over and around an aerobics stair in a distracting catsuit... I just couldn't do it.  I found myself spending more focus on making jokes about her outfit... Hey, looks like Kim is one set of ears away from a Catwoman revival!... which Pooch didn't find as funny as I did.  So I did something I rarely do once I get going; I stopped the workout and tried to find something else.  Sorry, Kim!

Surprisingly, the magic of On Demand saved me from myself once again.  Cruising on over to the 10 minute workouts, there was plenty to do.  And in a moment of clarity, inspiration and addition-type skills, I realized that I could do 4 of the mini-workouts and they would equal one big workout.  Brilliant!

The first area I targeted this morning was my butt and thighs.  Like many women, getting pants to fit around all these curves AND fit around the waist is like trying to fit a parachute over a jumbo jet.  You might be able to figure out a way to do it, but it sure won't be pretty.  10 Min. Buns & Thighs by Cindy Whitmarsh fit the bill perfectly, and I was happy that as adorable as Cindy is she was able to keep my attention without being annoying or bossy.

My next problem area is my abs, or rather, what SHOULD be my abs but is more of a giant marshmallow encased in a layer of Jello tapioca pudding.  Amy Dixon's Abs & Back Workout (sorry, the link just goes to a clip of the workout - I couldn't find the full version online but it looks like you can purchase the full version from Exercise TV if you decide you like it.  Give it a shot On Demand first.) took some pretty basic moves I'm already familiar with and added a few twists and turns that really made my abs feel like they were working!

I decided to round things out by throwing in some Arms With Attitude by Kathy Kaehler (Wha? No link for this one that I could find, but it's still available On Demand) to change the fabulous flab stuffing up my shirt-sleeves into what will one day be toned shoulders and arms.  Kathy uses dumbells and a yoga ball in the exercise but I used neither, opting to do the ball exercises either standing or on the floor and doing the dumbell exercises sans weights.

Finally, wanting to make sure that I really got my heart rate going I added Give Me 10 Blast by Amy Dixon (again, available free On Demand).  This workout really gets your heart rate going as you use ice skating and basketball inspired moves to work out from head to toe.

In the end, I got a custom workout that hit all the places I wanted to with several 1-2 minute breaks between each segment (for browsing and loading the new videos) and ended up moving and sweating for over 40 minutes.  Not bored, not annoyed, just pleased with myself and the way my body handled all the diversity.