Perfect 10 Update

Perfect 10 Challenge Update

1) I am going to try at least one new fitness activity every week... even if it is just a new piece of equipment at the gym or some group exercise class.

I was at a loss for what to try this week. I was on my long stretch of hours at work and no class fit into my schedule and I tried every piece of cardio equipment at the Y. On a trip to the local Walmart to buy cat food and garbage bags I started flipping through $5 DVD's and found a Billy Blanks Tae Bo. I remember this being really popular for a while so I decide cardio kick boxing would be my new work out this week. I put the DVD into the player and made it through without much trouble at all. I doubt I will use this DVD often or maybe not at all, didn't really enjoy the workout but I worked up a good sweat and got in an hour of cardio.

2) I am going to workout a minimum of 4 hours each week... even when I work everyday.

I got in one run , two zumba classes, time with the personal trainer, and one hour of Tae Bo. Total hours 5.

3) I will lose at least 10 pounds.

Didn't weigh myself.

And lastly the thing you might not know about me...
I cry really easily... reading a story, listening to a song, watching commercials, I just start crying. I would guess that most people I know don't know that about me because I seldom cry in front of people (unless you include from laughter). I avoid situations where I am going to cry including going to see sad movies. When I went to see "I Am Legend" (um... spoiler alert ahead) I started sobbing like a baby when the dog died, so much so that a guy sitting three seats down from me leaned over and asked if I was going to be okay.

The Perfect 10: Update

Perfect 10 Challenge Update

1) I am going to try at least one new fitness activity every week... even if it is just a new piece of equipment at the gym or some group exercise class.

This week I tried a BOSU class... Have you ever noticed that you determine how difficult a class is going to be by how fit the people are that show up for the class? When I showed up to BOSU I knew it was going to be tough because I outweighed everyone in the room by at least 50 pounds and they all looked like they were in great shape. It was a 1 hour class and was mostly strength training with just enough cardio to keep the heart rate up... I was expecting more cardio. All in all a great workout and I am so close to being able to do the girly push-up. I will conquer the push-up!

2) I am going to workout a minimum of 4 hours each week... even when I work everyday.

I got in one run (stupid snow storm), two zumba classes, time with the personal trainer, one BOSU class, and a couple workouts on the elliptical. Total hours 7.

3) I will lose at least 10 pounds.

Didn't weigh myself... however, since I was at the end of my month with the personal trainer I had her remeasure. I lost 1/2 an inch off my waist, chest, each arms and each thigh and 3/4 and inch off my hips. Not too bad.

And lastly the thing you might not know about me...

I didn't go to college right out of high school. I enrolled when I was 24 and I am really glad I decided to go back to school, not only because of the education. Being in college really helped me evolve into a more happy, outgoing, and confident person.

Perfect 10 Update

Perfect 10 Challenge Update

1) I am going to try at least one new fitness activity every week... even if it is just a new piece of equipment at the gym or some group exercise class.

This week I wanted to try something that would workout my arms... I was thinking about sledgehammer training. However since it is still very cold outside and sledgehammers in the living room sounds like a bad idea I tried a 10 pound kettle ball instead. I followed mostly upper body workout with the kettle ball but a few exercises involved squats and lunges. All in all a good workout, I liked it.

2) I am going to workout a minimum of 4 hours each week... even when I work everyday.

I got in two runs, a zumba class, time with the personal trainer and a workout at home. Total hours 5.

3) I will lose at least 10 pounds.

I did weigh myself this week but I wasn't thrilled with the results. 189.2... well I did break the 190 barrier but this is only a 2 pound loss. I am going to ask my trainer to measure me this week to see I am losing inches. I am also going to cut back a little on calories and treats. The first six months I did not have have any treats, no cakes on birthdays or anything lately I have been cheating on special occasions. I have to get back into diet mode if I want to loss weight like I was in the past.


And lastly the thing you might not know about me...

I am terrible at parking legally in big cities... when I first moved to Milwaukee I only looked at apartments that had off street parking. I found one I liked but due to maintenance problems the garage space wasn't going to be ready until two weeks after I moved in... which meant street parking for two weeks. I got three parking tickets and my car was towed once.

Mile marker 250

Today I was feeling the after effects of strength training... my legs protested every time I tried to stand up or sit down. I decided to skip Zumba and opted for a run to get in my hour of cardio today. Thanks to the endorphin fueled runners high it was the only hour today that my legs felt really good. But that isn't what this post is about... at the end of my run I took my ipod out of my pocket and scrolled down to "End Workout." If any of you have the Nike+ ipod attachment you know they have famous athletes give you a little "good job" at the end of a workout that was a personal best (distance, time, duration, whatever). Today I was not expecting any kudos from one of these athletes because my run was nothing special. I was surprised when Lance Armstrong's voice came through my headphones and congratulated me on running 250 miles.What is more I don't always use my ipod when I run so I have actually run further than 250 in the past 6 months.

I have run over 250 miles! That is like running from my little town in Northeast Wisconsin to Chicago. If you had told me at this time last year that I would run 250 miles I would have called you insane.

Sometimes you surprise even yourself.

umm... excuse me... winter. You are in my way.

Lately two things have been getting in my way of living life the way I want to... winter and work. This week I got called into work when I was supposed to be off and we had another snow day (although not too bad). I wanted to go for a run today but after checking out my icy parking area and road I opted for indoor exercise. Doing an hour of cardio/strength.

I am still looking for something new to try this week... if anyone has any ideas.

Was that really a week?

Perfect 10 Challenge Update

I almost missed the week it went by so fast. This morning I was happily humming my way through Wal-mart because my weekend starts today. I picking out streamer colors for my nieces birthday when I realized it's FRIDAY! I knew it was Friday but I forgot it's FRIDAY. I haven't been on my blog all week and it is the last minute for me to account for my Perfect 10 Challenge goals. I did a quick mental list... hours working out... check... tried something new... check (thank you trainer). So here I am down the last minute and ready to check-in with my Perfect 10 Challenge goals. I am off for the next week so I promise to be a much better blogger and comment on all of your posts this week.

1) I am going to try at least one new fitness activity every week... even if it is just a new piece of equipment at the gym or some group exercise class.
This week I put in a lot of hours at work so I asked the personal trainer at the gym to give me something new that I could talk about... I won't be doing that again. She had me "walk the plank." It's as difficult to describe as it is to do... but it involves being in the same position you would be in when you start a push-up (kind of like a plank but on your hands) next to you is a step (the kind they use for step aerobics) you "walk" your hands onto the step and then off the other side and then back up on the step and back to your original position trying to shuffle your feet along with your hands. She had me do several of these and I sure could feel them the next day.

2) I am going to workout a minimum of 4 hours each week... even when I work everyday.
Again I got in two runs, a zumba class, time with the personal trainer and an extra trip to the gym. Total hours 4 1/2.

3) I will lose at least 10 pounds.
Weigh in day is coming on the first of the month.

And lastly the thing you might not know about me...
I live in small town but I really enjoy living in bigger cities. I would like to try living in New York City for awhile... or maybe Chicago. But when it comes right down to it I enjoy living in my town because my nieces and nephew are here and they bring me a lot of happiness.

Perfect 10 Update

Perfect 10 Challenge Update

1) I am going to try at least one new fitness activity every week... even if it is just a new piece of equipment at the gym or some group exercise class.
I didn't have a lot of free time this week so I tried out the elliptical machine at the gym. I was meeting the gym's personal trainer at 10:30 and she wants me to have at least 30 minutes of cardio before strength training so I warmed up at a slow pace and then really worked out hard for the 30 minutes. The things I liked about the elliptical is that it is easier to stay on for a klutz like me. I am always stepping off the belt of the treadmill and stumbling a bit. On the elliptical machine your feet stay in the same place. I also liked that I could feel the work out days later in my legs and butt. I don't think it was great to try before strength training because I was exhausted. It didn't feel strenuous when I was on it but I just flat out had very little left for training that day. In the future, stick with the treadmill on strength training days and save the elliptical for off days.

2) I am going to workout a minimum of 4 hours each week... even when I work everyday.
I got in two good runs this week thanks to nicer weather and less snow. I went to Zumba twice. I worked out in the gym once and with the personal trainer once for a total of 5 1/2 hours this week.

3) I will lose at least 10 pounds.
Weigh in day is coming on the first of the month... fingers crossed.

And lastly the thing you might not know about me...
In Zumba class the instructor often asks people to come up on the stage and dance one of the songs with her. She has asked me several times and I always say no. I would like to because I think she is really friendly and she makes the class really fun and comfortable. I never go up because I think I am a big klutz and I can see myself taking a header off the stage and the thought of being up there scares me a little... and it isn't the potential injury that worries it is having so many witnesses to the injury that worries me. In some other multiverse I am a rock star... in that multlverse I am also better looking, more fit and for some unknown reason own a couple fur-less cats. Go figure.

Thumbs up

While on my run today I found motivation from a passing motorist. I was close to the end of my run and happily enjoying the endorphin fueled runners high, feeling like I could even kick Chuck Norris's ass if given the opportunity. I hear a car horn so I turn around and a guy driving past me gives me a thumbs up and nod. I liked that a lot so I thought I would pass along a virtual thumbs up to all of you who did something healthy for yourself today. Passed up that cake at work, went for a run or a hike, went to that Zumba class... whatever you did for your health today. Good Work and Thumbs up!

Perfect 10 Update

Update on the Perfect 10 Challenge

1) I am going to try at least one new fitness activity every week... even if it is just a new piece of equipment at the gym or some group exercise class.

My sister loves it so I decided to give yoga a try this week. The dreaded push-up shows up in the class too. I think practicing yoga would be very beneficial for strength and balance. Both of which I would like more of so I will try yoga again... the only thing bad about yoga is that it is so early in the morning and I hate waking up early.

2) I am going to workout a minimum of 4 hours each week... even when I work everyday.

Lets see... 1 hour on Friday (treadmill and weights), 2 hours on Saturday (yoga and Zumba), 1 1/2 hours on Tuesday (Zumba and weight training) and 2 hours today (running and Zumba). For a grand total of 5 1/2 hours this week. Not too bad. I need to run more when the weather is nice.

3) I will lose at least 10 pounds.

I barley took off a pound. I can't seem to break that 190 barrier and it's getting a little frustrating. Some people can weigh themselves everyday and be okay with the two or three pound fluctuations... I am not one of those people. If I don't see big numbers it does tend to get me down. My trainer said that I may see a gain in weight when starting weight training so I have decided to start weighing myself only once a month.

And lastly the thing you might not know about me...

I love movies and if I had a lot of money I would buy a movie theater, take out the concession area, put in a coffee shop and open a Cinema coffee shop that plays classic movies, old movies and artsy movies.

Q and A

I have had a few questions about working out so I thought I would answer them in a new post...

1) How am I enjoying the personal trainer and does she push me really hard?
First off I like it a lot... mostly because the one thing that has stopped me from lifting weights in the past is the fear of hurting myself by doing it wrong. It is nice to have someone standing there telling to bend my arms a little bit more or stand up taller. I am hoping that after a few months of training I will know enough to do it on my own. Also, it's a great motivator to know someone is at the gym waiting for me to show up.

Secondly, I don't think she pushes me too hard, if anyone is pushing me too hard it's me. She isn't like Jillian on the Biggest Loser she doesn't yell or really even push me that hard. She says things like, "If you think you can do five more then do them or we can stop for now."

My arms are still a bit sore and I went to the gym today to try some weights on my own and the only thing that really hurt was the push-ups... those push-ups really kick my ass. I am going to conquer the push-up this year!

2) How do I like running?
Running is one of my favorite workouts but I often wuss out when the weather is cold or the roads look icy (I am really looking forward to spring thaw). When I think back about starting the couch to 5K running plan I had a few moments that I thought I should just quit... especially in the first few weeks when I couldn't make it 30 seconds. If you push past the point where you feel like you are going to die then you get to a point when you feel like you could run forever. Running makes me feel more euphoric than any workout I have ever done. It is sometimes difficult to get myself moving and start a run but I know when I am almost done I will such a great runners high that it will all be worth it... you really do feel like you can accomplish anything after finishing a run.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend.

The Perfect Ten Update

The Perfect 10 challenge Update

1) I am going to try at least one new fitness activity every week... even if it is just a new piece of equipment at the gym or some group exercise class.

My new fitness activity this week was weight training. The session involved a lot of new activities which have made my arms so sore today that it hurts to type. Ok not that bad but I can sure feel it. Flying push-ups are interesting. The trainer asked if I can do push-ups and I said, "not even one." She had me do a flying push-up which involves starting in push-up position lowering yourself completely to the ground and putting your arms out strait to the side like you are flying and then bringing yours back in and pushing yourself back up. I did two sets of ten!

2) I am going to workout a minimum of 4 hours each week... even when I work everyday.

This was easy to accomplish this week because I had a lot of days off from work. Friday I did two hours of Zumba, on Monday one hour of zumba, Tuesday one hour of zumba and one hour with the trainer, today I am hoping to get in a run and Zumba, and tomorrow another Zumba class. That is five hours so far and 8 hours total if I do everything I hope to do in the next two days.

3) I will lose at least 10 pounds.

I haven't weighed myself since the first of the year so I will have to update this next week.

And lastly the thing you might not know about me...

I am attempting to create a "cup cookie" for when I serve hot cocoa to my nieces and nephew. It involves finding the right cookie type and the right cookie shape to sit on the edge of a coffee mug filled with hot chocolate and whip cream. This was my first attempt. Don't worry I am not eating the leftover cookies.

Are you serious?

I don't know about you but I haven't been too serious about losing weight since Christmas... I have been maintaining thanks to developing some good eating habits and Zumba classes.

So time to get serious once again.

I payed for a month with a personal trainer today and talked to her about what I want to accomplish and her plans for working me into a pool of sweat on a weekly basis. She also gave me an eating plan to follow which consists of eating every two hours and seems to be pretty reasonable. She also told me not to stress about the food plan because I an doing okay already... although she did comment that I don't eat enough for breakfast and eat too much at night.

Tomorrow morning I have my first real training session and my first round of weight training ever. I am looking forward it... I will let you know how it goes.

A New Year

Starting a new year always seems so renewing and hopeful... I always feel like I can accomplish anything on January 1.

I think about were I was one year ago or six months ago... 264 pounds, couldn't run for 1 minute, consuming way too many calories on a daily basis, and burning very few. Today I am under 200 pounds (I weighed in this morning at 192), I can run for 6 miles, I watch my calorie intake and I exercise... these accomplishments are real. I have done things I didn't know I could and that makes this new year so much more hopeful because these aren't the same old resolutions I've made every year since my 12th birthday. This year I am already half way there (over half way there if we are talking about weight).

Raise your fruit smoothies this New Year morning and say cheers... to the new you that has already accomplished so much and is looking forward to a wonderful year ahead.

Thanks for your support in the past year and I look forward to reading about all your successes in 2010.