To make up for the bad day...a skimble workout review

I am the buttless wonder.  Seriously.  Baby got no back here. So I have at least one day a week that I focus very specifically on that specific area in the gym as well as added squats here and there with other workouts throughout the week.  As I've mentioned previously, I have found the Workout Trainer by Skimble to be quite helpful.  My current favorite is the Brazilian Butt Workout. Love it!  Now granted...I have added some modifications such as:

• Squats with a bar in place of circling donkey kicks (eventually I will add weights to this)
• Stationary front to back lunges in place of split squat hops
• Side squats have become more of a hybrid of the side squats and split squat hops using a BOSU ball
• Hip lifts I add either a 20 lbs. kettle bell or dumbbell
• Lunge kicks I have replaced with dead lifts, currently with 40 lbs.

By the end of that 30 minutes, I'm definitely feeling like I've accomplished something...at minimum I have worked up a small sweat.  I have learned, however, that this is not a workout to be done immediately after a 30 minute jaunt on the treadmill.  I tried that once and had a serious case of shaky legs and it was all I could do to finish.

Today is just a bad today.

The week, actually...at least the second half of the week has been crappy.  A co-worker, love her to death, restocked her candy dish last week.  It's been several weeks since it ran dry and I was hoping it would stay that way because I have zero willpower.  None.  Well...when I noticed it was restocked, I started hitting it.  I hit it hard.  Feeling HUGELY guilty about that.  On top of that, I seem to be going through a bit of withdrawal from my Concerta since I just hadn't had time to get to the pharmacy to get it refilled (well...I had to remember to call the doc's office first, then I had to find the time to pick it up and then find the time to get to the pharmacy).  Yesterday I was dragging ass hugely and today was not much better in addition to feeling like absolute crap since I had been overindulging in mini Snickers, Twix, Skittles, etc.  I didn't even make it to the gym this morning that's how bad I felt.  I got up at 5:30 and rather than doing one of my Jillian Michaels videos (did I mention I recently added Six Pack Abs to my collection?) I took a shower and tried to eek out a little more sleep.  My prescription is now refilled, I hope tomorrow it is back to normal for me because I feel like crap not just with the upset stomach but with the guilt of not making it to the gym.  At all.

If not for bad luck...

I think you know how the rest of this goes...

40th birthday next month (boo).  Vacation has been booked (yay).  Nearly at my goal of 'being able to rock a bikini' (yay).  Purchased said bikini (perhaps it wasn't entirely advisable to buy a bikini where the top promises to add two cup sizes given my normal size) (yay).  So where does the bad luck come in?  We may now be taking a 22 month old child on this cruise.  Please do not misunderstand...I love my child to pieces.  But dammit, Mommy needs a vacation!  Mommy and Daddy need a vacation sans child!  I am already stressed (my child tends to be a bit...high maintenance).  It is what it is though...we will survive...and (I hope) have fun!

Updates on (Fitness) Goals!

Yep...time for an update...I think it's been a while since I've actually had a chance to do any sort of update on the goals I established at the beginning of the year.

Health & Fitness

Running 

So I haven't ran an actual 5k yet...but...I did complete the C25K app!  No short cuts, no breaks...I did what the program told me to and I survived...I did it!  Today was the last day, I ran 30 minutes straight (first time ever)!  I am not the fastest runner...I ran at a pace that was manageable for me while keeping track of my heart rate.  I did it and was so excited about it, I had to post this on facebook:

Improving strength, tone, all that fun stuff...

That is coming along as well.  There are definitely some areas that I'm nowhere near where I want to be...especially strength-wise (push-ups come to mind), but darnit...I'm getting there!  The definition is getting pretty decent...especially my legs.  Overall, I am happy with the progress that has been made.

Better eating...

As I've posted in other entries, we have been experimenting with a paleo diet.  Not 100%, but definitely have made some improvement in that area and I have been pleasantly surprised with a lot of what we have tried (but this does tend to get a bit expensive).  Last night's baking adventure, double chocolate muffins from Piece of Cake Paleo:

The bottom line...

I am seeing results and happy with what i see.  There are definitely some areas that could be improved, but overall...I'm happy.  We are about 6 weeks out from our cruise, my 40th birthday and I think that I will be able to wear a bikini with confidence on my 40th birthday (that was one of my goals).  I ordered two a few days ago, they arrived tonight and while one will not work without huge risk of wardrobe malfunction, I am absolutely in love with the other!

If you don't have anything nice to say...

Well...we all know the rest, right?  Right?!?!?  Believe it or not, no...not everyone does.  At least that's been my experience lately.

I've at times been overwhelmed by some of the things people say to me.  More than a few people have actually said that I am an inspiration to them.  I have motivated them.  They want my help.  They want to know my 'secrets.'  They say I encourage them by the way I keep at it...even at times when I don't feel like it.  Even days when I'd much rather sleep in than get up early and workout in the living room or (if I'm lucky enough that my husband was off the night before) head to the gym before 6 a.m.  That if I can do it with my schedule (I work full time and then some, have a 20 month old toddler, and a husband that works a shift opposite mine) then they should be able to do something as well.  I love to hear all of these comments.  I'm surprised.  Still.  But to know that I have actually inspired people to do good for themselves, something I have never done before...well, that just feels good.  It really does.   And then....

And then...

And then there's my family.  Doing the best they can to negate all of the positive comments I've heard from so many others with their own negativity.  Funny how just a few words from just a few family members, negative words at that, can stick with a person more than all the good from everyone else.  Sad, really.  What do I hear?

"You're too skinny."  "You need to quit."  "When are you going to stop?"  "You cannot lose any more weight."  And so on.  I quit listening, if I am to be honest.  I heard enough with the first few comments and am doing my best to shut out all the rest.  These few comments, though, are enough to make me really want to avoid being around them...not hard to do, actually...but with some events coming up over the next several months, I'm sure that's bound to piss off people.

Let's think about this though:

• "You're too skinny."  Since when is a few pounds over 130 on someone who stands 5'5 too skinny?   
• "When are you going to stop?"  Stop what?  Exercising?  Eating healthy?  Um...this was not about dropping a few pounds and then reverting to an unhealthy lifestyle.
• "You need to quit."  See comments above.  

Really I don't get this at all.  I'm not underweight.  For the first time in years, I'm not overweight.  for the first time in a long time, I'm not feeling shitty because of my crappy diet.  I'm not hating myself because my clothes look like crap on me (although I am not hugely excited about the fact that I've had to replace my entire wardrobe a few times over the last year).  I've gained confidence in myself by getting healthier, getting in much better shape.  I look at my family history of health problems and see how much of it is tied to an unhealthy lifestyle...why would I want to stop or quit...and go back to looking at a future full of health problems tied to weight and unhealthy habits?  What am I missing here?  And now that I think of it...not one person in my extended family has said anything positive...at all...about my transformation.  Nothing.  Not one thing.  That kind of makes me sad.  I did this for me, I did this to set a positive example for my daughter.  And apparently my family would rather me be fat miserable unhealthy unhappy.  Sad.

Me = SLACKER!!

Okay...not really, just with this blog...but still...I'm slacking on it and I didn't want to!  Work is getting in the way (we are so crazy busy it ain't even funny...but that's a good thing, right?  RIGHT?!?!?!?), the little one is constantly, constantly on the go - from the moment she wakes up until she is down for the night it is go go go, and any time left after those two time sucks, well...the whole exercise, cooking, getting fit and healthy thing is filling any remaining gaps.  So yep...that's it in a nutshell what I've been up to.

And now, the latest addition to my growing collection of new fitness toys:

Yep...a BOSU ball.  While other husbands may buy their wives flowers, sweets, perhaps even lacy lingerie for Valentine's Day...mine buys me this.  And honestly?  I much prefer this.  I was actually going to buy it myself, but didn't like the price tag.  So now our living room is on the verge of being totally taken over with exercise equipment:  the BOSU, my exercise mat, my kettle bells, dumbbells I've brought up from the basement, my husband's bike with the trainer (for indoor training....that whole triathlon thing), etc.  I would love LOVE to finish the basement and just turn it into a home gym and I think I've almost got him into that idea...because seriously, the living room just isn't cutting it!

Despite all the equipment we now have at home, I still put in plenty of time at the gym.  Still utilizing the Skimble app (I have a few favorite workouts right now - the Brazilian Butt Workout and Core the Pilates Way.  Both of these I can do at the gym or at home and with the Brazilian Butt thing, I've made a few modifications (essentially adding more squats and weights to some of them).  I also did this arm workout this morning:  Bi Tri.  Okay...that one was a little brutal and pretty sure I'll be feeling it tomorrow!  I've also been testing the waters on another site recently.  What I'm finding really helpful on this particular site is the database of exercises - strength training, cardio, plyo...all kinds of stuff as well as different plans, forums, etc.  I'm just now really starting to use it so I can't really speak fully on it yet, but I came across this the other day and I gave her shoulder/abs workout a whirl yesterday...not bad!

And lastly, yesterday I started week 7 of the C25K.  I am amazed with myself that I have made it this far.  I've stuck with it and am doing it!  I did finally tell my husband last week because I think I've reached the point where I am not going to fail and I'm pretty sure he's happy I'm doing this!

And what else I've been up to...

I haven't given up on my whole fitness journey.  Actually, I'm considering taking it to another level (CrossFit), but haven't made the decision to do that yet, so won't discuss that any further right now.  I have now completed four weeks of a C25K program (couch to 5K) and so far, so good!  I'm planning to start week 5 tomorrow.  What I'm most excited about right now, however, is my latest toy:

Since I got my husband the GPS Garmin 910XT for Christmas, I had been using his old Sportline and, well, I was not a fan.  The damn thing confused me, had too many functions I had no clue what they did and it was big, bulky...and pretty much made for runners (while I am trying a running program, I do not consider myself a runner).  So after doing a little research, etc., I settled on a Polar FT7...it's for crosstraining.  As you can see from the picture, at the end of the workout, this is what I can see.  I've been learning more and more about heart rate training...specifically the different zones, training smart, etc. and this watch is a tool to help with all of that.  I'm an instant fan of the watch.  Set up was very easy.  There are some additional tools that can be purchased to accompany the watch (and at least one free app to compliment).  I'm just disappointed I didn't have it with me at the Y tonight for my kettle bell and spin classes.

So yeah, this is what I've been up to.  And work.  Lots and lots of work.  Nonstop.  Behind.  Huge piles on my desk.  Insane.